Our Authority in Healing

AuthorityImagine your dad owned a huge company that employed many people. Over many years, your dad has been trying to implement a new method of operating. He has completed just about all the background work and it is nearly ready for the big day when it is going to be officially implemented.

You have spent a lot of your time just hanging around your dad whilst he had been working on it.

You weren’t an employee, you were the boss’s kid and so you had free reign where you went and what you did.

You loved the smell of your dad’s office and being with Him whilst He worked. He often talked aloud of what He was doing and you were passionate about what He was doing since you just loved being with Him. Your dad included you in the brainstorming of the solutions to problems. Your dad often allowed you to implement the changes.

The big day arrives and unexpectedly your dad can’t make the official opening. He asks you instead, as His representative, to be there as His delegated authority.

You know the workings of it nearly as much as He does because of all the time you have spent with Him and the intimacy of the working conditions.

Your dad has complete faith and trust in you. He knows that you understand what is required to be done and how to solve many of the issues. Thus, he delegates his authority to you.

 

Now take a moment to imagine this is God and He is asking you to heal the sick,

cast out demons, raise the dead, change nature. What is your response?

 

Knowing our authority and the manner in which we walk in it can change our life. It impacts the way we pray, how we pray, what we say, our actions, our lifestyle. In fact, it can completely change how we live our life.

 

Authority is delegated power.

 

Jesus has complete authority and He gave us authority to do whatever He did plus more. (John 14:12)

From the Bible, we see that:

  1. Man’s original commission – Genesis 1:28. God commanded Adam & Eve to be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth. It was a command, not optional. God gave them dominion over the earth. God’s Kingdom on earth was an extension of God’s Kingdom in Heaven. God’s Kingdom went wherever Adam & Eve went.
  1. Satan rebelled. Satan & fallen angels were cast out of heaven and they took authority over the earth by deceiving Adam & Eve. God could have destroyed them but He had already given Adam & Eve dominion over the earth.
  1. Jesus came in the form of a man & retrieved what had been given away. He defeated Satan by rising from the dead – victory over sin and death.
  1. When we accept Jesus’ grace & forgiveness, we become an heir of God, a brother / sister to Jesus, a child of God. We share Jesus victory over Satan and have total access to Jesus’ delegated authority which Jesus took back from Satan when Jesus rose from the dead.
  1. Jesus, towards the end of His time here on earth, tells His disciples that “whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater than these” (John 14:12). Matthew 28:17 has Jesus saying, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go…” He gives us the authority to do what He has been doing.

For today:

Matthew 16:18-19 says, “… I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatever you bind on earth shall be what is bound in Heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.”

Friends – we have permission from God. We have been given authority to go after that on earth that is not from God. Basically anything on earth that isn’t like that in heaven needs transformation and we have the authority to go after it and change it.

Jesus prayed, “Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”

For us to see the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, it will require us to go after it wholeheartedly. This is not for the faint hearted. Matthew 11:11 says, “And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the Kingdom of Heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force.” I am not advocating violence. Here it is talking about violence as chasing after it with zeal and intense exertion. To press into it with fervour resembling violence and desperation. It expresses the earnestness that we need to have to be rid of all sin and unbelief in our life and to rid this earth of all power belonging to Satan.

Do you want to see God’s Kingdom established here on earth, here in your life? Do you want to see healing restored back to its rightful place as part of the normal Christian life?

Are you chasing after bringing Heaven (& all that is in Heaven eg health, freedom, love, peace, joy, extravagance etc) to earth?

How could you change your life or your belief system so what Christ commanded us to do and be, actually occurs within your lifestyle?

When Jesus Christ was on earth, He gave His disciples authority over demons, nature/weather, death, sickness, sin, poverty and everything that wasn’t in Heaven. We are given the same authority but it seems to be unusual to see us exhibiting that same authority that the disciples had and used.

For us to operate from a position of authority requires us to have some experience in that area. Heidi Baker prays with authority for anyone who is blind as she knows that they will obtain their sight. When Heidi Baker first began praying for blind people, she did not see any difference though for the first 100 blind people she prayed for.

But she persevered.

She then saw breakthrough and she now operates in amazing authority whenever eye problems are an issue.

What prevents us as Christians from operating in that realm and with that same authority?

I believe when we spend time with God and are intimate with God and truly know the Father’s heart for us, then we can’t help but know that He wants people healed and has given us that responsibility and authority.

Out of our identity and our intimacy with Father God comes our authority.

When we have a faulty belief system, it definitely shows up here. How we view and believe what God can and will do, certainly impacts the authority we operate in. When we believe that God is always good and wants to heal and can heal anything, it changes the way we pray for people and what we pray.

Next week I will look at some of the beliefs we have around healing.

 

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

Every week I list 5 prophetic activations/exercises under children/family, group, beginner, intermediate and advanced. The purpose of these exercises is to practice to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and see and sense God and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: Have paper and pens/pencils handy. Each person choose a neighbour. Ask God to show you what to write or draw (if a drawing, perhaps an adult can write what the drawing is about at the top) that will bless them and encourage them on a sheet of paper for that neighbour. Then post it in their letterbox or hand deliver it to them.

2. Group Activation: Have a device to play music on for a game of “Bob’s and Statues”. Explain the activation and then start playing the music. People are to walk or dance around the room. When you stop the music, have everyone either bob down or stand still as a statue. Have the caller with their back to the people so they can’t see what people are doing and they call out either “bob” or “statue” after the music stops and people have moved into their desired action. Those people that did the action that was called out are ‘safe’ and continue to the next round. Those people who did the opposite action to what was called out have to pair up and give each other a prophetic word based on a famous statue.

3. Beginner Activation: Ask God to tell you what He thinks of you at the moment. Listen and wait for His reply.

4. Intermediate Activation: Ask God to show you a teenager who is sitting exams at the moment. Deliver a prophetic word to them about their future that will encourage and comfort them during this time.

5. Advanced Activation: Ask God to show you someone with special needs. Spend time with God asking Him for a prophetic word for this person. Ask God how to deliver this prophecy to them and when.

How to Keep Your Healing

I love praying for people for healing and seeing them healed. I have seen some major sickness healed eg cancer, person requiring a heart-lung transplant receive some major healing and was no longer sick enough for the transplant list, broken bones healed, eyesight restored etc. I have also seen numerous ‘minor’ illnesses healed. I have also prayed for people at times when their healing was not instantaneous or seemingly they were not healed at all.

Through my journey over the last ten years on praying for people to be healed, I have noticed some common elements when people are healed but later find that their symptoms return, almost like they have ‘lost their healing’. This can be very disheartening for everyone concerned. Thus, I have composed a pamphlet to give to people when they receive prayer for healing. Feel free to download it and print it off and give it out to people you pray for.  https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A9770016c-ea67-43b7-aeb6-5043cb648b8e

Alternatively, you can email me at: [email protected] and I will send you a copy of the pamphlet.

Below I have also listed the details from the pamphlet.

 

What do we know about healing:

God desires that we are physically healed. He also desires that once we are healed, we keep our healing.

Jesus took all our sicknesses and diseases (Mark 8:17. Isaiah 53:4-5). We don’t need to bare them too. Our role is to thank God that He carried them for us.

  • God is a good God no matter what. We don’t have all the answers but God remains good. Learning to live with the mystery is part of the journey.
  • God desires that we are all healed.
  • You do not have to be a Christian to be supernaturally healed.
  • God uses medicine to heal people as well as using supernatural miracles.
  • We have found that forgiveness can help aid the process of healing but it is not 100% dependent on it.
  • There is no formula or one true method for healing with God.
  • Don’t blame God for your sickness. God is not the author of your sickness. Sickness does not come from heaven. Sickness is not a blessing.
  • Sickness and pain is not your identity. Your identity is in Christ and you are His Royal son/daughter.
  • Believe you are healed.
  • God is always ready to have an encounter with you now and heal you.

 

Bible verses on healing:
Use the Bible verses below to mediate on and build your faith. Declare them out aloud whilst you wait for your complete healing and thank God that He is healing you.

  • Exodus 15:26 “For I am the Lord who heals you.”
  • Psalm 103:2-3 “Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.”
  • Jeremiah 30:17 “But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds.” declares the Lord.”
  • Isaiah 53:5 “…and by His wounds, we are healed.”
  • Matthew 8:17 “Jesus took our sicknesses and bore our diseases”.
  • Matthew 14:35-36 “…People brought all their sick to Jesus and begged Him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.”
  • Mark 9:23 “Everything is possible for him who believes.”
  • Mark 16:18 “They will place their hands on sick people and they will get well.”
  • John 10:10 “The thief (Satan) comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
  • John 14:13 “And I will do whatever you ask in My name so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
  • James 5: 14-15 “Is any one of you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.”

 

What should I do if I was healed but my symptoms return?

It is one thing to receive healing from God. It is another thing to maintain that healing. Having symptoms return after healing is not uncommon and it can be really confusing, discouraging and scary. But it doesn’t mean that you didn’t get healed or you did something wrong.  Stay calm and don’t be intimidated.

  • Worship God and focus on God. Do not focus on your symptoms.
  • Build your faith. Chase after God’s heart yourself. Start reading the Bible verses on healing. Declare out aloud that you have been healed.
  • Usually when the symptoms return, your first thought is “I thought God healed me. I guess He didn’t after all”. When you say or think that, you are opening a door for the devil to come in and bring the symptoms back to you. Thus, you need to change your thinking. Instead, start saying out aloud, “I am healed. I am completely healed through Jesus Christ.”
  • Don’t agree with the symptoms. Tell the symptoms to leave. You have been healed and you need to live as though you are. Do not accept the symptoms back. Tell them to leave in the name of Jesus. “I resist sickness in Jesus’ name. Symptoms and sickness you must leave. In the name of Jesus Christ, I exercise authority over my body. Sickness and disease, I refuse to allow you to stay. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Satan, you have no right to trespass on God’s property. Now get out. Leave my body.“
  • Be aware of what you say in everyday life. The words you speak are powerful. If you say, “My back is killing me”, don’t be surprised if your back ‘kills you’. If you say, “I’m not healed yet”, you won’t receive your healing. Start saying the positive “God has healed me and is continuing to heal me”.
  • Look for keys, promises and prophetic words that were spoken over you during the prayer time. Declare these out aloud. Meditate on them.
  • Please feel free to receive more prayer.

 

Should I stop taking my medicine?

NO – definitely do not stop taking your medicine until you have seen your Doctor and he/she advises you to stop taking it. This is really important. We are not medical doctors.

Taking your medicine will not “unheal you” if God has healed you, so let the doctor be the one to take you off your medication. This is not doubt or unbelief and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It’s just wise and sensible. If God has healed you, the doctor will be able to confirm it.

 

An attitude of expectation and thankfulness:

A key to healing is expectation and thankfulness. Jesus can’t help but show up when we talk about Him. When we focus on Jesus and what He is doing with thankfulness, we always see increase. The important thing is to focus on what God is doing, not on what He is not doing. Focus on what God is doing – pain decreased, you felt peace or a warmth or you can move more freely.

Expect healing and start thanking God for it. Keep checking yourself out in regard to being able to do something physically you couldn’t do before. Thank God for what He is doing. Eg “Thank you Jesus for healing my knee. Thank you that the pain has decreased. Thank you that I can walk more freely. Thank you for always finishing what you start. I give you permission to continue working on my knee.”

If you only received a partial healing or you weren’t healed instantly, walk away with the expectation and faith that Jesus is doing something in you.

Always feel free to ask for more prayer.

 

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

Every week I list 5 prophetic activations/exercises under children/family, group, beginner, intermediate and advanced. The purpose of these exercises is to practice to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and see and sense God and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: Ask God to show you someone you know who needs healing. Ask God to show you how to go about this and what to do. Then do it and watch what happens.

2. Group Activation: Select an issue that affects your community eg abortion or mental illness. Wait on God as a group and ask Him to show you how to best pray for and prophesy into this issue for your community. Have a time of sharing what you are feeling, thinking, hearing. Then, as a group, begin to pray and prophesy, practicing flowing as one and praying/ prophesying/ blessing along a similar thread.

3. Beginner Activation: Ask God to show you something you need healing for. Then spend time with God asking Him His perspective on this and how to go about praying for your own healing in this area.

4. Intermediate Activation: Ask God to bring to your mind someone who has recently had someone close to them die. Ask God to show you how to best pray for them and prophesy into their situation.

5. Advanced Activation: Ask God to show you which hospital to focus on. Then ask God to show you how to bless this hospital, the staff and the patients in it and to prophesy over their future.

How dare you pray that!!

Whilst sitting in my car waiting for my son to finish swimming squad, I glanced over and saw a young mum rushing with her two girls into the swimming centre. My gaze concentrated on the fact that this mum had scoliosis and a hip issue and was bent really forward at the waist to the point it looked really awkward to walk, along with a limp. My first thought was “I wonder if she would let me pray for her as she could be healed.”

My second thought was “Jane, don’t be so presumptuous. You have no idea of her situation and even if she wants healing. You need to spend time with her first.”

My mind then immediately went back to two events that stood out for me in regard to praying for others.

Firstly, I was helping at a weekly meal for people who were struggling. I had formed some good friendships with the folk, many who had mental illness or psychiatric issues. I had been able to speak into their lives and also pray for a number of them and had seen a number of them pray for each other. One guy in particular had become very open about his life with me as we realised I knew a number of people from his childhood. On the evening he had been released from hospital after a psychiatric episode resulting in an admission to Intensive Care, I had turned up at the boarding house with a friend and a load of food for him as he was too frail to come to the weekly meal. As I chatted with this guy this evening, he shared with me that God had healed him of at least 5 major physical health issues. I commented that the only thing left for God to heal was his psychiatric illness. This guy went quiet for awhile before speaking. He then shared that he didn’t really want God to heal that as it would mean too many changes for him and he would also lose the disability pension.

I was shocked.

I had never even considered that.

I presumed that this guy, and everyone else, desired to be totally healed and live an amazing life, in my viewpoint.

If my friend was healed of his psychiatric illness, the change to how he lived would be enormous. He would lose his disability pension. He would lose his room at the boarding house. He would need to find a job and earn money. How he viewed himself would change. His identity would change.

Sometimes, this can be too much for someone and they do not want the ‘healing’ that we would love to see them walk in.

The second event that stood out to me was when I was in a conference and the guest speaker identified a person with a very obvious physical disability. The speaker spoke to this person and shared how God wanted to heal this person completely but the choice was this person’s, as the healing would change their whole life and they would lose certain things from their life, and gain other things. This person chose not to be healed of this physical condition.

I was flabbergasted at several things, including how this was addressed in public but also that this person chose not to be healed.

Please don’t become presumptuous in how you view others and the opportunity for healing. We can fall into judging others lifestyle by what we see physically and comparing that to our physical lifestyle.

A key in praying for other people is to always ask what they would like prayer for. What they would like Jesus to do for them. What may seem obvious to you may not be their top priority for an answer to prayer.

A second key in praying for other people is to treat people with kindness and compassion, not an opportunity to ‘fix’ them with Jesus. Everyone is a person. Everyone is someone who deserves respect and kindness and to be treated with compassion.

I’m currently writing a 30 day devotional based on how Jesus ministered to folk according to the Gospel of Mark. As I read Mark’s Gospel, the one thing that stands out over and over again is how Jesus treated everyone with compassion. They were not an object. They were not a physical deformity. Each person was worth stopping for. Each person was significant and deserved to be treated with respect.

What are your thoughts on this issue? Please feel free to comment below.

 

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

Every week I list 5 prophetic activations/exercises under children/family, group, beginner, intermediate and advanced. The purpose of these exercises is to practice to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and see and sense God and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: Brainstorm with your family someone whom they know is sick or requires healing. Ask God to show you how to go about praying for them and what God would love you to do. Draw a picture for the person and give it to them.

2. Group Activation: Get into pairs and ask God to reveal to each other’s partner what part of their health God would like to address for their partner. Then check with your partner which area of their health they would like prayer and prophesy for and see if it is the same health issue. Ask God to show you what to pray and prophesy over this area that your partner wishes to receive prayer for. Check for any healing or response.

3. Beginner Activation: Ask God to highlight to you an injured or sick person today. When you notice this person, ask this person if you could pray for them and ask them what they would like prayer for. Then pray for them and prophesy over their illness or injury.

4. Intermediate Activation: Ask God to highlight to you someone in the news who has an illness. Spend time with God asking Him to show you more about this person and their illness and what He would want you to do about it. If there is something God highlights to you that He wants you to do something about, press in further and ask God to show you how, when and what and to open the door for this to occur. Prophesy over the person and their health.

5. Advanced Activation: Ask God to highlight to you a health issue that affects many people in your nation. Spend time hearing God’s heart on this issue and prophesy God’s heart in regard to the healing of this health issue.

Is your vision clear or cloudy?

Sitting in the car at the beach, looking out over the bay, the rain was pounding down outside. I was enjoying the atmosphere of the sound and the feeling of God being in control of the pounding waves. Seeing the relentless waves breaking upon the shore, I slowly noticed something.

The windscreen was hard to see through.

This began to rob me of some of my enjoyment and of my being able to experience the completeness of the stormy picture.

Because the rain was pounding so hard, if I didn’t turn on the windscreen wipers, I couldn’t see anything but the pounding rain.

 

I needed to clear the windscreen to see beyond.

 

What’s your ‘windscreen’ or vision like today? Is it cloudy or clear? Could it be better?

Sometimes our relationship with God and our prophesying can be like my windscreen – a bit foggy. Maybe not as clear as it could be. Maybe something is impairing the sight slightly. Maybe we can see some but not as much of the picture as would be ideal. Maybe we can see close by but not into the distant.

When that happens, who are we robbing?

  • Ourselves
  • God
  • The people we meet whom God is desiring to communicate to…

Prophesying can be like looking through a windscreen to see something beyond. Sometimes we can see the full picture, other times our vision can be impaired for some reason or we can’t see the full picture. Sometimes another person can help fill in the complete picture or more of the picture.

1 Corinthians 13:9 says “For we know in part and we prophesy in part”. Yes, God sees the full picture and we don’t have that ability to be all knowing and all seeing. But please do not let that be an excuse for letting your ‘windscreen’ get, or remain, foggy so that you are impaired from prophesying to your full ability with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Friends, we all need to take action to clear our windscreen, clear our vision. Some seasons can be harder and can require more effort to keep the windscreen clear and clean.

What action do you need to take today?

  • Spend time just worshipping God.
  • Confess sin.
  • Change an action that’s not quite right.
  • Get stuck into reading the Bible and finding what He has to say to you in His Word.
  • Listen to God and wants He wants to share with you.
  • Develop your intimacy and friendship with Father God, Holy Spirit, and Jesus.
  • Apologise to someone for your part in the relationship that is no longer right.
  • Enjoying hanging out with God with no ulterior purpose than to enjoy being with God.
  • Have a good sleep.
  • Spend time praying in the Spirit.
  • Turn off certain tv programs, stop reading certain books, stop listening to junk, or stop playing certain games that are not beneficial or that don’t encourage purity.

What is your vision like today?

I would love to know what you do to ‘reset’ when your vision is a tad cloudy. Please feel free to drop me a line or comment below on my blog.

 

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

Every week I list 5 prophetic activations/exercises under children/family, group, beginner, intermediate and advanced. The purpose of these exercises is to practice to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and see and sense God and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: Pass out several sheets of paper and crayons / textas to everyone. Ask everyone to draw or write on a piece of paper the stuff in their life that is putting a barrier up between them and God. Then burn, or destroy, each piece of paper. Have fun praying with your kids to cleanse everyone’s mind, dreams, imagination and heart. Then ask God to show everyone present what things they need to change or do differently to keep clean imaginations. Draw a picture each to represent this. Finish up with asking the children to pray over the adults and share what God is telling them about each adult.

2. Group Activation: Ask people to pair up. Give out pieces of paper and crayons / textas. Ask people to listen, see, feel what they sense God is communicating about a big issue that their partner is facing at the moment. Then ask them to prophesy over their partner by drawing how God sees that issue in their life in 3 years time. Allow ten minutes then ask people to give the drawing to their partner and explain the picture.

3. Beginner Activation: Put on some worship music that allows you to focus on God. Spend time getting ‘lost’ in the presence and beauty of God. Cultivate your ‘awe’ of God and His goodness. Finish by asking God what He would like to share with you and wait for His response. Try and journal God’s response and your reaction.

4. Intermediate Activation: Think about the biggest issue you are facing at the moment. Ask God to share with you His perspective on this issue and His timing. Ask God to show you the picture of this issue several years down the track. Ask God to reveal to you the next couple of steps you need to take to get from now to the picture several years down the track.

5. Advanced Activation: Ask God to reveal to you something about your nation’s finances that God would want you to know so that you can decree and declare God’s way forward in your nation’s economy.

What if my mind goes blank when I go to prophesy?

Has your mind ever gone blank when you have been faced with having to immediately give a prophetic word to someone?

Mine has.

Often.

I am on our church’s prophetic team and we are often involved in a prophetic presbytery. Our church sets it up with a number of teams comprising of 2 people who prophesy over a person for a maximum of 5-6 minutes. We have a line of people waiting to receive a prophetic word. As soon as you & your partner have finished prophesying over a person, that person leaves and the next person in line moves forward to come to an available team. We begin by introducing our names and ask if they have a recording device if they don’t already have it in front of them ready to go. I usually get a sense of something from God immediately for the person and, as I speak it out, more comes. I am also learning to wait for a minute before I speak so as to try to get more of the detail and a greater depth to it. There are some occasions, though, when I don’t get anything and my mind is blank.

I used to be often teemed up with different people who wouldn’t speak first but liked to wait for me to go first. This gave them confidence plus they were sometimes seers and saw pictures and they tended to like several minutes to ask God more about those pictures before they spoke. The last few years I have usually been teemed up with a person who is relatively new to giving prophetic words and wants to hear what I have to say first or who is not 100% confident in giving prophetic words to people. Unfortunately, since we are usually limited time-wise, we don’t have the luxury of having a long pause before we start speaking the prophetic word.

What do I do in those circumstances if my mind is blank and I don’t have ‘anything’ for them?

The first thing I do is to turn my heart and affections to Jesus. I silently worship God. Praise shifts the atmosphere. Psalm 100:4 says “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise”. If I want to enter into His presence and see what He is seeing and hear what He is saying, praise and thanks will do that.

I then ask God how He sees this person and how He wants to show love to them right now? If I’m still finding it hard to connect, I ask God how He sees this person dressed, what their strengths are, if the person was a tree what sort of tree they would be and what sort of fruit they would be producing etc. I also ask God what this person’s identity in Heaven is ie how is this person known in Heaven?

If I’m still finding it hard to get a prophetic word for this person, I then picture them standing under a Holy Spirit waterfall. I imagine them standing there with the Holy Spirit flowing down over them and I ask the Holy Spirit what it is that the Holy Spirit is showering upon them.

Bear in mind, this usually occurs within 10-30 seconds. If I was at home writing a prophetic word out for someone, I take a lot longer. Thus, in situations like the Prophetic Presbytery’s, I find it invaluable to have a list of questions to ask God in my mind, ready to ‘pull on’ and get God’s perspective for the person.

To summarise and put it in a list format, the questions I have ready to ask God include:

  • How does God see this person?
  • How does God want to show love to them right now?
  • How does God see this person dressed?
  • What are their strengths?
  • If the person was a tree what sort of tree they would be and what sort of fruit they would be producing?
  • What this person’s identity is in Heaven ie how is this person known in Heaven?
  • If this person was standing under a Holy Spirit waterfall, what is it Holy Spirit that you are pouring over them and filling them with and why?

Upon reflection, the times I find hard, I need to take a further moment to not rush things. I also need to look at my preparation. How have I prepared and what have I done in the preparation for giving prophetic words? These questions challenge me and help me be ‘switched on’ immediately to release God’s word out of my mouth for these folk.

I know from past experience that when I have feasted on God’s Word in the lead up to giving prophetic words to people, parts of Scripture will come back to me as I prophesy and will be relevant to that person. There is definitely a key in the preparation process to be spending time with God and nurturing my intimacy with Him.

What do you find helps you when you have a ‘blank’ mind when you go to give someone a prophetic word?

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

Every week I list 5 prophetic activations/exercises under children/family, group, beginner, intermediate and advanced. The purpose of these exercises is to practice to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and see and sense God and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: Have pre-prepared sheets of paper with an outline of a person drawn on them and some crayons etc. Ask everyone to select someone they are sitting opposite to and to then ask God how God sees this person dressed in God’s Kingdom. Then encourage everyone to draw what they see, hear or sense on the outline of the person. Encourage everyone to give the sheet to their partner and explain what it is about.

2. Group Activation: Break into groups of 6-8 people. Ask everyone to place something from their pocket or handbag in the centre of their group.  Ask everyone to try not to look at what people are placing in the centre. Then ask everyone to pick up an item from the centre and then take it in turns to prophesy over the object and the person whom the object belongs to.

3. Beginner Activation: Spend some time with God on your own and ask God to highlight to you your life as a fruit tree. Then ask God some questions in relation to this – what does the tree look like? Which sort of fruit? How much fruit? How deep are the roots? What does the tree need at the moment? What season is the fruit tree in at the moment? Spend time asking God further questions and seeking clarification.

4. Intermediate Activation: Ask God to highlight to you someone who lives on their own. Spend time with God asking Him to show you that person’s future. Try and formulate with God a song title that would emulate that person’s future as God has shown you.

5. Advanced Activation: Ask God to highlight to you a certain person or people who are currently in a war zone. Ask God to give you a prophetic declaration and decree that you can pray out aloud for these people.

What if I get it wrong when I Prophesy?

I have seen a number of people almost paralysed with fear when it comes to prophecy. The fear of getting it wrong or mishearing what God is communicating can be paralysing to some people and is enough to prevent them from stepping out and having a go.

One of the most common questions I get asked is “What if I get it wrong when I prophesy?”

Personally I don’t think it is the right question to ask. This question makes it all about me. What if  “I”  get it wrong?

Prophesy is not a performance. It is not about us. We are the conduit that is acting for that brief period of time between God and the person being prophesied over. It’s like helping someone unwrap a present from God for themself.

Sure, our ‘conduit’ can be mucky with sin or not hearing, seeing, sensing God correctly or to the fullest, but we can still be a conduit to the best of our ability. This also means that we need to represent Father God correctly – in our manner, the way the prophecy is conveyed plus the words we use. When we prophesy, we also convey the heart of God.

It is a great practice to never say “God told me….”. Instead, it is far more effective, more correct and less spiritually abusive to say “I have a sense that ….” No matter who we are, we are not perfect and we are not God. Thus, we need to be careful to not communicate that we are God, that we are a perfect ‘filter’ and the word we have released is a perfect representation of what Father God wants that person to know.

If you are scared that you may get the prophetic word wrong, stop looking at yourself and start looking to God. Get your eyes on God and your thoughts on God. Shift your thinking.

1 Corinthians 14:3 says that prophecy is always encouraging, comforting and strengthening. If what you communicate to someone else is encouraging, comforting and strengthening, then if perhaps you mis-hear God slightly, you have still encouraged and comforted the person.

I find that when I ask God for His heart for the person, He always shows or tells me something for them.

 

The starting point is always God, not yourself.

 

It is a privilege to be part of the process of releasing a prophetic word. In the Bible in Numbers 22-23, God used a donkey. If we don’t step up to the occasion, God will still get the message to the person but will use someone else or another means, even a donkey!!

 

How can I be the cleanest or purist conduit I possibly can be:

  1. Decrease the amount of ‘junk’ in my life.

Be careful with what I see, what I read, what I listen to, who I am around. What goes in to our mind and heart, will come out.

  1. Keep short accounts with God

Run from sin. Deal with sin quickly. Confess sin. Repent. Make restitution. Forgive quickly and completely. Then change my behaviour, my attitudes, my thoughts, my patterns.

Ultimately, God can easily bypass us and go straight to the person and this is what we need to encourage – people hearing from God for themselves. People spending time with God, reading His Word, chatting with God, listening to Him for themselves.

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

Every week I list 5 prophetic activations/exercises under children/family, group, beginner, intermediate and advanced. The purpose of these exercises is to practice to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and see and sense God and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: Have a present pre-wrapped and place in the middle of the table. Hand out paper and crayons, pens etc. Let everyone choose someone whom they think God would like to give a present to. Then ask them to imagine from God what is in that present to the person they selected. Draw or write on your sheet of paper what that is. Then give the paper to the person concerned, explaining what it is.

2. Group Activation: Ask people to get into pairs. Have a large bag in the middle of the room. Ask everyone to imagine themselves putting their hand into the bag and pulling something out of the bag from God for their partner. Encourage people to ask God further questions about what they pulled out of the bag and why. Allow people a few minutes then ask them to share with their partner what they pulled out and anything else God showed them about it.

3. Beginner Activation: Ask God to show you three books in your imagination. The three books represent your past, your present and your future. Ask God to show you the title of each book. Ask God any further questions you may have about those book titles.

4. Intermediate Activation: Ask God to show you someone who is angry. Ask God to then show you His heart for them and what He would have you pray or communicate to this person.

5. Advanced Activation: Identify a local area where crime is a huge issue. Begin to seek God for His heart for that area. Begin to bless that area. Ask God to give you a prophetic word for that area. Even go to that area and begin to bless it, talk to people there, prophesy over the people you meet there. Decree and declare God’s heart for that area. Release joy over the area.

Our Responsibility when Prophesying

DiggingI was tired. We had had a late night the night before. I had had an extremely busy week. I was on the team prophesying in pairs to individuals after the church service. I love prophesying and seeing people get a taste of what God thinks of them and His heart for them and how it can impact them greatly. I love helping to ‘unlock the gold’ within each person. This morning, we had prophesied well. The words had been accurate, encouraging, comforting. Many had tears as they listened and tried to take it all in. Most of the other teams had finished and left. My partner and I were still there, plus another team comprising my hubby and another team member. I glanced at my watch and realised that we had to get going as we had a luncheon appointment to be at. Plus, I was exhausted. The adrenaline was ‘running out’.

We finished with the lady we were prophesying over and then I saw someone else approach the front. My heart sank. This lady turned up every month for a prophetic word. I had given her several over the last six months and I could feel an ‘injustice’ (& a judgemental spirit) rise within me. Why was this person so ‘needy’? She should really chase after God for herself and not continually try and receive a prophetic word from others for herself. My judgemental attitude really kicked in. She approached for a prophetic word and my mouth opened and asked her about what she had done with all the other prophetic words she had received from us over the last 12 months. It was totally inappropriate of me. I was reacting out of my tiredness and frustration with people who chase after prophetic words and don’t do the hard yards putting in time with their own relationship with God. This lady responded by saying that she hadn’t received any prophetic words from us before. I was flabbergasted as I was sure that she had as I could clearly remember prophesying over her several times. My response did not communicate God’s heart as I turned and whispered to my partner that I needed to go. I called over the team leader and shared my response and my team leader kindly stepped in to give a prophetic word with my partner to this lady.

It’s fantastic that we can hear, see or feel God and what He wants to communicate to us and through us, but if we are not aware of the responsibility that comes with this, then we can hurt people. Plus, we can fall in to the trap of not representing God’s heart well. The goal of prophesying is 1 Corinthians 14:3 – to encourage, comfort and strengthen. Our role is to represent Father God well. To communicate his truth, love and heart for others in a manner that befits Him well.

On the day I was prophesying as described above, I did not represent the Father’s heart well. Sure, there was an identity issue with the lady concerned as she was always chasing after a prophetic word instead of listening to God for herself, but that doesn’t justify my response.

Below I have listed some of our responsibilities we need to incorporate when we are prophesying over other people.

  1. Be Prepared

Make sure you are on top of your game by having an early night the night before. Check your heart and confess sin. Keep short accounts with people and forgive quickly. What you take in affects your heart and mind so be careful what you watch and hear. Live a pure life. Devour the Bible. Keep your relationship with Father God, Holy Spirit and Jesus as number one in your life.

  1. Treat each person with dignity. Respect and honour the person.

They are a child of God. We need to see them through the Father’s eyes and have compassion on them and share the Father’s heart for them. They are a child of God. When we prophesy, it is not just about what we say but about what we communicate as a whole and how the person felt loved. We are communicating God’s heart to them.

This becomes evident with

  • how we speak ie the tone of our voice, the volume, intonations etc
  • what we say,
  • our body language and what that is communicating,
  • who is around when we share and how ‘public’ we say it ie the volume we use and how many others can hear what is personal for this individual especially if it is something they would not want others to hear.
  1. The prophetic word and how we communicate it must be encouraging, strengthening and comforting.

Thus we don’t prophesy anything negative. If we receive a ‘word of knowledge’ that is negative, we turn it around 180o and prophesy the positive.

  1. Ask permission first.

Do not just presume that because you think you have a prophetic word for someone, that they want to hear it. You need to ask their permission to share it with them. They may say no and you need to respect that. Also, please do not touch the person eg on the arm, shoulder etc without first asking permission to put your hand there.

  1. Stop when God stops.

When you stop hearing from God, stop. Do not add any extra. Do not add your spin (or hobby horse/pet topic) on it or try to expand or explain it. On the other hand, God loves questions, so ask God if there is anything more He wants you to communicate.

  1. They have a choice whether or not they accept it or do anything about it.

It is their choice. We cannot dictate what they do or not. If they choose not to do anything about what you have shared that you sense God’s communicating to them, that is totally their choice. You have not failed. You also cannot make them do something about it. We also are not fully aware of their whole situation. Instead, exude grace.

  1. Accountability

We do not have free reign to go up to everyone we have a prophetic word for and share. We need to come under the authority of our church plus any ministry group we are operating under. We also need to make sure that a ‘third person’ is present or that the person records what is said. That is the beauty of mobile phones these days as you can easily record a prophetic word. This is so important for accountability and being above reproach.

  1. We need to use clean language

We don’t say ‘God told me’. Instead, use language that gives the person a ‘way out’ eg ‘I have a sense that…’ Communicating that ‘God told you’ about another person borders on spiritual abuse. It implies that the person needs to do whatever you say otherwise they are not obeying God. That is not fair or correct.

  1. Remember that we prophesy in part.

We do not have full access to everything that God thinks, says, sees and knows. Therefore, there is always more to the story. 1 Corinthians 13:9 says “For we know in part and we prophesy in part.” We never have the full and total picture. That is also why it is helpful to have someone else prophesy with you eg in pairs as that can help spur you on and you can see and hear more of the picture.

  1. Be humble.

We are not God’s gift to mankind. No matter how skilled and accurate we may think we are, humility is important. We are not God. We represent God when we prophesy but we are not God.

  1. We want to make God look great, not the prophet look great.

A great question to ponder on is “Why am I wanting to give a prophetic word to that person?” Is it because I want to ‘look’ good?

12.Timing

Is it the right timing to tell the person what you are feeling, sensing, hearing, seeing? Is this God’s timing to release it to that person now? Am I meant to share it with them or is it for me to pray about and intercede for them about this?

 

Prophesying over people is exciting and rewarding to be a part of but it also carries with it the weight of responsibility. Keeping in mind these points means that you will be able to release the Father’s heart in a way that reflects who God is more accurately.

 

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

Every week I list 5 prophetic activations/exercises under children/family, group, beginner, intermediate and advanced. The purpose of these exercises is to practice to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and see and sense God and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: Make or buy the cardboard cut-out shapes of a person’s body. Ask everyone to write a person’s name on each ‘person’ and then a word that God uses to describes that person. Then pray over each person and give the cut-outs to the appropriate people.

2. Group Activation: Pair up and make 2 circles one inside the other and facing towards each other ie one of each pair on the inside circle facing outwards and the other on the outside circle facing inwards. Give everyone 30 seconds to hear, see, or sense one word for the person opposite them and then share that one word with their partner. Then ask the outer circle to move 3 people to the right. Everyone has 30 seconds again to get one word for the person opposite them and to share it with them. Then ask the inner circle to move 3 people to the right. Repeat the process.

3. Beginner Activation: Spend time with God and quieten your heart and mind. Ask God what He would want to give you or if there is something He would like to place in your right hand at the moment. Ask Father God more questions about this eg why that object, what is it for, what does it look like etc

4. Intermediate Activation: Prophesy over yourself. Focus on God and imagine yourself somewhere with Him. Start your recording device and begin to prophesy over yourself what Father God thinks of you and feels for you and His plans for your life.

5. Advanced Activation: Record yourself the next time you prophesy over someone. Ask them permission first. When you have finished, spend some time later re-listening to what you said. Ask God if there was anything else He would have liked you to add. Listen and pay attention to how you prophesied and how you communicated God’s heart for the person.

Prophesying as a Group

I love being part of a team when I am releasing prophetic words to people. I usually find that when I am with another person, what we hear as a combination far outweighs what I hear just on my own. The Bible verse from 1 Corinthians 13:9 “For we know in part and we prophesy in part”, is certainly accurate.

When our team give prophetic words to people who come forward for a prophetic word at the end of a church service, I love the fact that we operate in pairs. We team up with another person. The combination may well be a newer team member with a more experienced or seasoned team member. I often find that I tend to quickly receive a prophetic word for someone and release it to them. Usually I begin with just a single word or image or thought. I ask God to show me more. Usually I receive a little more of the picture but my experience is that when I open my mouth to share with the person receiving the prophetic word, that much more comes as I speak. Then my team member usually shares and then God shows me more and confirms what the other person has shared. I find that this creates a greater depth and ‘weightiness’ (almost like you can feel the power and truth) to the prophecy.

Prophesying as a team, whether as a couple or a larger group, helps to spur us on and encourages us as we build a far larger picture for the person. It can be likened to God revealing and expanding the picture further.

It also helps as far as accountability is concerned. There is someone else, apart from the person receiving the prophecy, who has heard what has been said. This is another reason why we encourage everyone to record every prophetic word on a recording device, like a phone.

I have found over the years though, that there are certain ‘protocols’ or guidelines or things to be aware of, especially if you are prophesying in a larger group of people. It can become quite messy if everyone just opens their mouth and starts speaking whenever there is a pause.

These guidelines include:

  1. Flow / timing – stick to the topic on hand. If you ‘get’ something for the person, but it doesn’t ‘fit’ the flow at that moment or it doesn’t ‘add’ to what is being said, wait. Keep your mouth closed. View it as though you are creating and colouring in a picture as a group. Before you speak, ask yourself “Does it confirm what the Holy Spirit is already saying?” Also ask yourself, “Is now the right time to speak?”
  2. It is not about you!! Keep your mouth shut unless it ‘adds’ to the picture that the group is creating. It is not about you and your agenda. Know when to be quiet.
  3. Keep it short. Do not repeat (unless that is what God is saying for a particular purpose). Realise that you are a group and need to operate as a group. The first person should not take all the time prophesying and leave nothing to say or no time for anyone else. Work as a group.
  4. Only say what God gives you to say. Don’t interpret and try to apply the revelation.
  5. Realise that the timing of when you release the word is just as important as what you say. Wait for the prompting of the Holy Spirit in when to open your mouth.
  6. Keep your eyes open. When prophesying – I encourage you, please keep your eyes open and see what God is doing for the person. Looking into the person’s eyes when you are speaking has a far greater impact than speaking with your eyes closed. I realise some people close their eyes so as not to become distracted with whatever else is occurring around them. If that is you – then practice, practice, practise not becoming distracted with your eyes open. In a group setting, it is even more important to keep your eyes open as you can then see and sense what the Holy Spirit is doing and see who He is on to speak next and when etc.
  7. Position yourselves in a circle so that everyone in the group can see everyone else.
  8. Have fun. Enjoy the process. Remember that the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 14:3 that “prophecy is for encouragement, strengthening/edifying and comfort”.

I encourage you, if you have never prophesied before in a team with someone else, give it a go. You may well find, like I do, that your prophetic words have a lot more depth and completion.

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

Every week I list 5 prophetic activations/exercises under children/family, group, beginner, intermediate and advanced. The purpose of these exercises is to practice to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and see and sense God and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: Choose a public figure from another country, example Kim Jong-un – the supreme leader of North Korea. Have a photo ready that everyone can see. Outline the guidelines for prophesying – that of everything we say has to be encouraging, building up and comforting. Encourage everyone to ask God what He loves about Kim Jong-un and what God’s heart is for Kim Jong-un. Then ask everyone to take it in turns to share the words that come to mind for Kim Jong-un. Some children may wish to also draw a picture of how God sees Kim Jong-un. Finish with praying a declaration over what was said and that Kim Jong-un will become the person God sees him as.

2. Group Activation: Break into smaller groups of 5-6 people. Choose someone to receive the prophecy. Then practice hearing from God as a group and sharing along one central theme, noting the timing and what people feel is important to say. At the end, have group members share their experience and how they felt during the process. If time, choose a different team member to be the receiver and repeat the process.

3. Beginner Activation: Ask God to show you two other people who would love to grow in the prophetic. Practice prophesying in pairs over the third person and then swap around so every person gets an opportunity to receive a prophetic word. Record the prophetic words and listen to them back, paying particular attention to the flow. Share with each other how it felt to prophesy with another person etc.

4. Intermediate Activation: Ask God to show you someone else to write a prophetic word with. Choose someone or a group or an issue to prophesy over. Come together and craft a prophetic word as a joint prophecy, spurring each other on. When you are both content with the finished prophetic word, submit it to the person or group concerned.

5. Advanced Activation: Ask God to show you someone else or several other people you can team up with to prophesy over a crucial issue currently before policy makers in your country eg abortion in Australia & New Zealand. Ask this person if they will join you and spend time together seeking the Lord on the issue and then prophesying together about it. Ask God if there is anything further He requires of you in regard to the issue you have prophesied over.

Prophesying about Social Issues

In May this year, Australia held its federal election. That night, there was a massive miraculous moment when all of Australia realised that something had completely changed. Everyone expected Labor to win. But half way through the evening, it became apparent that the opposite was true. The Liberal Party had completely turned the tables and had come out on top. Scott Morrison, in his acceptance speech as the New Prime Minister declared at the outset “I have always believed in miracles. I’m standing with the three biggest miracles in my life here tonight (His wife and two daughters). And tonight, we have been delivered another one.”

Much prayer, fasting and prophecy had gone into this as Australia was facing a very sombre outlook, especially in regard to gender identity. The outcome of this election demonstrated that prayer and prophecy can change a nation. Prayer and prophecy can change social outcomes.

We are bombarded constantly with social issues and injustices. Every night the news is filled with issues that are not displaying the Kingdom of God here on earth.

What should our response be?

I encourage you to seek God for His heart and for what your response could be for social issues. I encourage you to use your prophetic gifting to make a huge dent and cause a 180 degree turn around in the social issues affecting your country.

 

How is it best to prophesy over issues such as

  • Abortion
  • Homosexuality / transgender / identity issues
  • The way the government spends money
  • Drug abuse
  • Crime
  • Injecting Rooms
  • Euthanasia
  • Genetic selection
  • Sex Trafficking
  • Abuse – child, domestic, elderly, etc
  • Oppression
  • Injustice
  • Treatment of refugees
  • And the list goes on

The only true way to prophesy over issues like this is to have spent time with Father God, knowing His heart on the particular issue and speaking only what He wants you to communicate. Sometimes there is a place for silence and no comment. Other times, we need to speak up and speak out and prophesy and change the outcome.

In the Kingdom of God, every person has dignity. Every person is valued. Every person has worth. Every person is created in the image of God. When injustice occurs, we need to look at how we can help restore the particular person back to their original design.

In Matthew 6: 33, we are urged to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness”.

 

Some helpful hints to keep in mind:

  1. Always honour and protect the dignity of the person. Bring life and light and help point the person to Jesus and draw them closer to God’s heart.
  2. Focus on the answer, not the problem. Remember, you are prophesying to bring God’s Kingdom from Heaven to earth. An extremely helpful guideline in prophesying is to never prophesy the negative. If you receive a word of knowledge and get a negative about the person, turn it 180 degrees so that it becomes a positive that you are prophesying them towards.
  3. Timing is important. Just as what you communicate is important, so is the timing. Ask God “is this the right timing?”.
  4. Be wise and discerning about what you communicate, how you communicate and where you communicate it.
  5. Don’t prophesy out of an emotive agenda. Sure, emotions can flow when you prophesy and you are experiencing God’s heart for that person, but please do not put your own personal agenda into it. Ask yourself “Is this what God wants me to say or is this my own personal agenda coming through?”
  6. There is a difference between prophesying and prophetic intercession. Has God shown you something for someone or for a societal group but it is not for you to communicate it to them. Rather, God wants you to intercede for them.
  7. Likewise, who you prophesy to is important. Has God communicated this to you to prophesy to a particular person, a group, a government body, shout it off a mountain top where you are alone, etc.

I would love to hear your thoughts and comments on what you have discovered when you have prophesied about a social issue.

 

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

Every week I list 5 prophetic activations/exercises under children/family, group, beginner, intermediate and advanced. The purpose of these exercises is to practice to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and see and sense God and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: Have paper and crayons/pencils plus hand held bubble blowers on hand. Ask everyone to draw how God wants to bring His Kingdom into your town, state, nation or world. Then release joy over these pictures by placing them on the floor and blowing bubbles over them and releasing God’s goodness and joy over the issues and outcomes.

2. Group Activation: Identify the top 3-5 social justice issues in your community. Break into groups and select one issue per group. Work together as a group to hear/sense/see from God and prophesy the outcome about the issue.

3. Beginner Activation: Ask God to bring an individual across your path this week that is struggling in the area of their gender identity. Prophesy God’s heart over them.

4. Intermediate Activation: Prophesy over a group that is addressing social injustice issues, encouraging them by highlighting a way forward for them.

5. Advanced Activation: Ask God to highlight a social injustice issue relevant at the moment in your nation. Spend time with God formulating a prophetic word to release and ask God how, when and where.

Principles for Prophesying over Businesses

An acquaintance was sharing how he had been in a hotel room with a friend who was a very successful business man. My acquaintance shared how he had felt God had given him a prophetic word for this man. So he shared it with him. Whilst there, the phone rang. The businessman answered and it was about a negotiation for something to do with the business. The prophetic word had been about this very negotiation. Immediately the business man decided to accept the prophetic word and followed the advice. Within the next few hours, the businessman had increased his fortune significantly.

The Bible has a lot to say about finances, business management and divine intervention. There are numerous stories throughout the Old and New Testament about this. As you read through them you will notice that most of them begin with God helping the person to realise their true identity first. That’s a great principle in itself – you need to know and understand your true identity before God gives you the strategy.

Biblical examples include:

  • Dreams & their interpretation predicting success (Genesis 41. Joseph and Pharaoh)
  • Supernatural promotion (Genesis 41 & 47:1-11. Joseph, Jacob & his brothers)
  • Divine intervention (Judges 6 & 7. Gideon threshing wheat)
  • Prophetic guidance and promises from God (Genesis 31:1-18. Jacob to leave his father-in-law and set up on his own)
  • Miraculous provision (2 Kings 4:1-7. Elisha and the widow and the small business of oil in the jars or the disciples in Luke 5:4-11 with the disciples and the catch of fish)
  • Principles of what you sow, you will reap plus God blessing hard work & integrity.

When prophesying over a business, there are several things to keep in mind. My acquaintance had a choice – to share or not. If he had chosen not to share, then it would not have helped the businessman. Sure, God is far bigger than this situation and could easily have delivered the ‘answer’ in a different format or method.

My acquaintance also had to be careful though. Imagine if he had misread what God had shared with him. It could well have lost this businessman a lot of money. I don’t share this to frighten you, just to help you be aware that you carry ‘power’ to bring good or bad. You need to be wise and follow the Lord’s leading carefully and with humility.

Just because you think you have heard from God about someone’s business, please do not presume that it is right, it is welcomed, it is perfect timing. Timing is crucial, so wait and hear from God when, and if, you are to release it to the appropriate person.

You are not ‘God’s gift’ to the business.

You are merely the mouthpiece that can bring pleasant or foul response.

 

Some principles to keep in mind:

  1. You and your prophetic word are not the ‘Saviour’ for this person and their business.
  2. Confidentiality – do not tell others what you are doing or what you’ve done in relation to the business. Others do not need to know. It is the other person’s business, thus, their ‘property’ so to speak. Honour them by being confidential. Also, please do not take anyone else with you that the business owner hasn’t asked for.
  3. Honour the person and their time
  • Be punctual
  • Dress appropriately
  • Don’t waste their time. Start promptly.
  • Be prepared beforehand. Spend time with God, knowing what it is He has asked you to share.
  1. Prophesy only. Don’t exaggerate. Do not add anything else God hasn’t shown or told you.
  2. Respect the fact that if they implement what you say, it could ‘make or break’ them.
  3. Be wise about the timing of the release of the word.
  4. Watch your language. Do not use ‘christian’ language. Any business language you use, please be aware of the meaning and implications.
  5. Ask them how what you have said ‘sits’ with them. Is there something you have said that they don’t understand? Give them an opportunity to give feedback and ask further questions.
  6. If you are not invited to prophesy over their business but you believe that God has given you a word for them, you need to pray about the way forward. Is it to share with them or is it for you to intercede for them and their business?

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

Every week I list 5 prophetic activations/exercises under children/family, group, beginner, intermediate and advanced. The purpose of these exercises is to practice to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and see and sense God and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: Gather blank cards, crayons, textas, etc. Ask God to show everyone what to write and draw on the cards and for leading on who to hand them out to. Then spend time preparing encouragement cards to hand out to business owners or people who work in businesses. Then go as a group to a local shopping centre. Follow God’s leading on who to give the encouragement cards to.

2. Group Activation: Ask for those who own businesses to stand up. Then arrange groups around those people so one business person is in each group. As a group, practice hearing from God together about this person’s business and then prophesy along the same theme as the other members of the group are doing. This is great practice in waiting until what you feel to say is appropriate timing to share and follows the theme of the prophecy.

3. Beginner Activation: Spend time with God asking Him His heart for a business you work for or someone close to you works for. Ask God for what He would like you to pray and prophesy for for this business and what to do with the prophetic word that He gives you.

4. Intermediate Activation: Ask God to highlight to you a business in your area that is not going well. Spend time with God asking Him His heart on this business and what He wants you to do with what He shares with you.

5. Advanced Activation: Ask God to highlight to you this week a national or multinational company who has injust working practices. Lean into God and hear, sense, see His heart on this issue. Then ask God what He wants your response to be.