Session 1 – Who is it for and what is its purpose
The gift of prophecy is the ability to reveal the heart and mind of Christ in any situation. What He says, what He sees, what He feels, what He has done and what He is going to do. It is for:
Strengthening and building up
Encouraging, uplifting, calling or persuading to action or being
Comforting, bringing relief from affliction
Reinforcing the truth and dispelling the lies
1Co 14:3 “But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them“(NLT).
Prophecy encourages and improves understanding. 1Co 14:31 “For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, “(ESV)
Prophecy also contributes to releasing gifts and initiates callings. 1Tim 4:14″ Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. “(NLT).
People are more open to a supernatural voice than a religious one. The gift of prophecy can also act as bridge, building and establishing a pathway where love, gifting, calling, commissioning and anointing can flow.
Prophecy makes believers of unbelievers. 1Co 14:24-25. “But if all of you are prophesying, and unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your meeting, they will be convicted of sin and judged by what you say. 25 As they listen, their secret thoughts will be exposed, and they will fall to their knees and worship God, declaring, "God is truly here among you". “(NLT)
Prophecy guides and glorifies, John 16:13-15 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you“(ESV).
In summary, Prophecy can address our blind spots, give us early warning, enabling us to be prepared when done in love. Prophecy equips, builds us up personally and also the church. It encourages, consoles us, releases gifts, and activates callings. Prophecy also makes believers of unbelievers, glorifying Jesus who is the Spirit of Prophecy. Rev 19:10 ″… For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.” (NLT)
1 Cor 4:1 says “Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives- especially the ability to prophesy.” (NLT). Prophecy is a gift, not an award. You do not get the gift because you deserve it or because you have achieved a perceived spiritual level. It is a gift from God that will always be reliant on God and will work in spite of us. If God can use a donkey, it is then not because of anything special we have to offer, but rather just because we are loved by a lavish God who loves to give gifts and desires increased intimacy with us.
The gift of prophecy is for everyone, if you have been born again and baptized in the Spirit, then the gift of prophecy is for you if you desire it.
1 Corinthians 14:31 says “You can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted” (ESV) emphasis added.
Num 11:29″ But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”(ESV). Emphasis added.
The gift is not for your edification, it is there for the body and the edification of His Bride. To be a prophet is a calling, to minister in prophecy is a gift. There is a difference between the gift of prophecy and the office of the prophet. One is a gift, to be exercised by everyone, and the other is a calling where the prophet is the gift. A calling is not something you do, it is who you are. Not everyone is called to be a prophet 9hold the office), but the gift of prophecy is offered to everyone who desires it. Anointing comes with maturity, for a given sphere of influence and for a specific purpose. We would like to propose that anointing stays with the individual while a mantel stays with the mission. This could be why amazing things often happen on a ministry trip that don't seem to happen when back home.
The important thing to remember here is that prophecy is a gift, not a reward and the gift does not validate our walk with God or our right standing with Him. It is a gift that promotes intimacy with the Godhead which is why Paul encourages us to pursue love and earnestly desire, to long for, the Spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. The fruit of your gift will increase as you mature. The more mature your character and understanding of the Heart of God the greater the anointing and revelation will be that God can entrust you with.
The ultimate goal of public prophecy or prophetic ministry is:
To see people as God sees them
To release what God would speak over them
To see the treasure amongst the darkness and call it into being
To dispel the lies that have been spoken over people and declare the truth so that they may walk in the fullness of what God has for them.
We should not see people as having problems but rather as treasure that needs to be identified and called out. Jesus identified how much He treasured people and their worth by giving His life for them, no higher price could be paid. We should never see anyone or treat anyone as less valuable than the high price Jesus paid for ALL people, and the high value He places on them and their potential. The only difference is just whether they yet know and accept it.
If we see negative things, we should ask God for the answer, and we prophesy the answer NOT the problem. It does not take a prophet to identify the problems, that the bones are dry, anyone can see that. It takes a prophet to call those bones to life.
The point is not how sinful people are or how many challenges they have but how great God is and how great the future is that they have in Him, the inheritance that is theirs. We need to look for and reveal the glory that God has assigned to them so that they may walk in it.
The prophetic gift has many aspects and can be one thing or a combination of things. It can be seeing what God reveals about the future, the future He has planned for an individual, geographic location or specific group. It can reveal the path they are planning for themselves and where that will lead. It can also be seeing what is transpiring in the Spiritual realm a specific time. This is often referred to as the Gift of discernment but is much more than discerning good and evil. Those who operate in this gift are instrumental in ushering in the Spirit as they are able to see what God is doing in a meeting and where He wants to go. They see His heart and are able to help direct the flow of the meeting where God wants to go, preventing us from going off in the wrong direction and missing it. They are able to help sustain His presence by bringing to our attention the work He is doing, enabling us to remain longer in the place He wants us.
Prophecy can also call things into being as with the dry bones in Ezekiel 37:10. This can be when a negative revelation is received, and you are called to prophesy the positive to counteract and call to life what God has purposed. Not to be taken or done lightly, we need to ensure we are aligned to Gods plan otherwise we can distract from it and do more damage than good.
Words of knowledge describe a fact about a person or their circumstances past or current and can be given to assist in healing, counseling and intercessory prayer. It can also be given to awaken our compassion to see a person or circumstance as God sees it.
Session 2 – How does God speak to us
God speaks to us in various ways. Like Analogue and Digital waves are always in the air God always wants to talk to us, we just have to tune in. There are different frequencies used today and I am sure there will be more in the future. FM, AM, Analogue TV and digital TV are some in use, none are more important than the other. Getting the message, understanding and obeying, if needed, are the important things. While AM radio might have gone out of fashion, don’t long so much to receive HD digital TV that you ignore your God-given AM frequency. There are areas that can only be reached, and messages that can only be sent by AM. Messages that you receive will be specifically for you and will not be understood by others. Focus on tuning in with whatever receiver God has given you and enjoy the two-way conversations. Hearing Gods voice is the important part, not the quality or format. Be faithful with little, and you will be given more.
God speaks in many different ways, and the more we submit ourselves to Him the more He will use us. Depending on how God speaks to you, revelation is normally the easy part. Interpretation, Application and Timing are where it is often lost in translation. This is covered in more detail under “How and when to prophesy”.
Don’t limit or avoid areas because of worldly counterfeits or negative connotations. Submit all your senses to God and he will fill them. God just asks that we are available and in submission to Him and the leadership of the local church you are in, which is His church, His Bride. Something He treasures, His lover for all eternity. Our value is in the body, not in individualism.
Ways God speaks to us:
Primary way God speaks to us is through The Bible. There is no new revelation. Prophetic gift will however provide additional insight and understanding to His written Word. Any prophetic insight from God will never contradict the Bible, it will however make it more relevant.
God speaks in an audible voice. Generally, this is not often, and most people, including gifted and anointed prophets, never hear God speak in an audible voice yet many people are sitting and waiting for God to speak to them in an audible voice. Num 12:8 referring to Moses “With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”(ESV)
God most often speaks in a still small voice. “12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.” 1 Kings 19:12 We often need to quieten our spirit and the noise from the world before we can hear Him. This can be done through listening to praise and worship music which helps us focus on Him or journaling which is a good way to slow down your mind, emotions and spirit. Writing down your prayers can be helpful and can also lead to the download of a Psalm or love letter from God. Other disciplines like fasting also help to bring our body into submission and allow us to be still before God. Then we are often more receptive to impressions, thoughts and whispers.
Conscious Awareness, there are times we will get a feeling that we should not go somewhere or that we should phone or SMS someone. As a parent can give a child a look and they know exactly what to do or not do so God can give us a look that we feel tangibly. This does not always have to be negative, it can also be an approving or encouraging look or feeling to carry on. Physical sensations could be grouped here. This would include physical pain or sensation not previously there. Certain smells or fragrances, wind, oil or heat on hands and/or feet as well as other sensations. We are not to run after the sensations but rather the intimate voice of God.
God does send angels or messengers to us. I believe there are different types of angels depending on the message or purpose. The important thing is never to look to the angels but always to the God who sent them.
God does speak to people through trances. Acts 10:10-11″And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth.“(ESV). This is sometimes viewed sceptically and discouraged because of perceived weirdness and a negative worldly view often associated with trances. Once again we are called to seek Jesus and glorify Him, not any manifestation of His work. How you receive should never be the focus but rather what you receive and how faithful you are with it. Some things might be better conveyed in a trance. It does not make the revelation more powerful or significant.
Transportation, 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 2Co 12:2-4″ I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.“(ESV)
God also speaks to us through visions, pictures / impressions. As with trances, the means of receiving is not as important as the message and what we do with it. Num 12:6″ And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.“(ESV) Visions are as if you were there opposed to pictures you see or impressions you feel/see. Visions are more literal translations and do not require the same level of interpretation and application of pictures and impressions.
God gives us dreams for ourselves and for others. It is good to write down your dreams or make an audio recording. If we can’t be prepared to write them down we are actually saying to God, we don’t really value them. If we don’t value them, God might no longer send them. Writing down or recording dreams is also a good way of building up your own dream catalogue. How and what to capture is covered under the dream section as well as some input into interpretation. Dreams are generally not to be taken literally. Deut 13:1 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,“(ESV)
God speaks to us through creation. This can be a general revelation of how amazing He is or specific revelation for personal or specific circumstance.
The most common way God speaks to us is through scriptures, they are alive. These scriptures direct us in circumstances and are the foundation of knowledge. The scriptures are the one consistent thing that everything needs to be compared to irrespective to your worldview or circumstance. Even prophecy needs to be tested against scripture. If it does not line up with scripture and the heart of God, then it is most likely not from God. Daniel got revelation in Jeremiah while reading scripture. Daniel 9:2 “ In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.“(ESV)
God speaks to us through our circumstances and can make character or directional changes during this time.
In Luke 11:17,Jesus knew what people were thinkthem“(NLT).
Prophecy encourages and improves understanding. 1Co 14:31 “For you can all prophesy one
ing and we are called to do what we have seen Jesus do. This can be useful in many circumstances and is linked to the gift of discernment.
Some people have the ability to see in the spiritual realm as we see in the physical to see what is happening at that specific time, where the Spiritual realm becomes as real as the physical.
Based primarily on the revelation listed above, the gift of prophecy would normally be manifest in one or more of the following ways:
Prophetic words (taking into account interpretation, revelation and application)
Prophetic acts (can include spoken word as with Agabus in Acts 21:11)
Prophetic paintings or dance
Prophetic worship, this is more about creating prophetic atmosphere than delivering actual revelation. Creating an atmosphere where revelation can flow. 1 Sam 19:20-24 “Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21 When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.” 23 And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night”.(ESV)
Session 3 – The Heart of the Prophetic, Culture and Etiquette
We don’t believe God gives gifts to those who are just open to them but rather to those who earnestly desire and long for them. That way He knows they will be valued, treasured and nurtured. If you are just open to the Gift of prophecy, I believe you will always just be open and not necessary ever filled. 1 Cor 14:39 “So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy….” (ESV) It is something special to be desired, sought after and treasured.
The desire though should come from a place of love, love for God, His Name, His Kingdom, His ways, His gifts and His people. 1 Corinthians 14:1 “Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy”. (ESV) We are called to pursue love first then earnestly desire out of love.
Love always needs to be the main thing and our motivator. Love for God, His people, His Kingdom and His ways. We should see the gifts like a handle of a sword and love being the blade. The gift directs and wields, but it is His love that overcomes and does the work. The handle (gift) is never more important than the blade is (love).
Just because we are given the gift of prophecy does not mean we will always use it in the right way, which is why we need the heart of God. In the same vein, just because you have the gift of music does not mean you will always worship God. Many musical gifts start off in church and then land up becoming secular gifts if the heart of worship is lost.
As strange as it may sound we need to be careful we do not fall more in love with the gift than with God. That we love ministering in the prophetic more than we love spending time with Him. The gift can never be more important than the Giver, and the one who operates in the gift can never become more important than the than the gift itself. The gift must always glorify Jesus, never ourselves or any mionistery.
1 Corinthians 13: 2 “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing”. (ESV)
In prophetic terms, though you prophecy to presidents and direct countries, if you have not love you have achieved nothing. Your level of love will also determine your level of influence.
Luke 10:20 says “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (ESV)
We should not rejoice that we hear God, or our words come to pass but rather in our salvation, that our names are written in Heaven. We need to rejoice that we know the giver and He knows us, not in the gifts He gives. The gift can never be greater, receive more focus or ever be more important than the Giver. The created can never be more important than the Creator.
Matt 7:22 “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?”(ESV)
It is never about what we do or what we achieve, it is all about the relationship we have, becoming the Bride and Lover Christ desires for all eternity.
You can be the best kisser in the world, have studied the art of kissing, read every book and studied every technique there is, but, if you do not have a heart of love for your partner, it will improve intimacy. If you are the worst kisser in the world but have an abounding love for your partner, a peck on the cheek can be the perfect kiss. We need to focus on love, not technique, to transition from a relationship of obedience to one of intimacy, from concubine to bride. We need to know and seek the heart of God.
God will sometimes show us things to see our heart and what we will do with it, to see if we have His heart, if we see the bigger picture beyond our circumstances 1 Sam 24:4 “And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you. ‘” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5 And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.” (ESV) David was reflecting the heart of God and was convicted of a little self that came through. Possibly self-justification in cutting off a small piece, maybe a little self-gratification, just letting Saul know he was in control even if for a brief moment. Whatever it was it struck David. We need to have the same heart after God, a heart reliant on Him, His timing, His promotion, His protection, and His provision in whatever form that comes. A heart that sees and understands the priorities of Heaven and sees them as more important than our priorities and feelings on earth so we can get to the place where we honestly live for Him and not ourselves. Where what is important to God is what’s really important to us, where we only worry about what God worries about. If it is not important to God, it should not be important to us.
We also need to learn the basics and continually practice them lest we lose the heart and our foundation. We are not to go running after every new thing. Eph 4:14 “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (ESV)
Great golfers and sportsmen continually practice the basics, work on the same swing to get it constant. They never try to copy someone else’s swing, it will ruin their game. It is about the race you have been gifted for and called to run, your call, your purpose and your gifting which you will be accountable for, not how you compare to others.
Potential restrictions:
Fear, of people’s opinions or anything else, will distract us and keep us looking left, right and over our shoulder instead of looking forward to Jesus and what He is doing, what He has for us and where He wants us to go.
Unforgiveness, everyone knows this but somehow we often hold onto things even lightly for one reason or another, we need to forgive and ask God to help us. Not try to do it on our own relying on time as our means to an end. We need to do it now, it cannot wait, and there will never be a better time than now.
Offence, sometimes called the bait of Satan. Most offence comes from insecurity and not knowing who we are in Christ. If we have any identity that is not 100% in Christ, we will be offended when it is questioned or threatened. Anything that challenges our worldly identity will make us feel threatened. The only solution is to make Jesus the core of your identity. What can be helpful is to see yourself as having no rights to anything, just blessings that come from God which you continually give thanks for. This is why we say Grace and give thanks before our meals, they are a blessing not a right. This might even contradict what we are taught. Depending on your constitution, you might have a right to attend school, but that does not mean you will automatically get an education, even the education you get is a blessing, something to be grateful for and give thanks for, it is not a right or even guaranteed, contrary to what the law of your land might state. As Christians we have no rights, just blessings that come from Gods abounding Love, Mercy and Grace.
Religion smothers us with regulation and duty when God intended us to be smothered in love, consumed and motivated by love and love alone. Religion reduces you to a concubine. Don’t settle for being a concubine when you were called to be a lover and a bride, to lead a life of intimacy and favour, never a duty.
Independence – The prophetic flows the easiest, is protected and brings the most benefit when under the covering of accountability and authority. Pride fuels independence and we all know pride comes before a fall. We were never meant to be independent. Original sin was Adam wanting to be independent of God. We only see in part, we need each other and are called to operate as one body, always dependent on Jesus, what He has done and what He is going to do.
We need to remember Old Testament prophets represented the law and it came through in the way they prophesied, it is what they were called to do, their calling not ours. New Testament prophets represent grace and love. It is what we are called to do and should come through in the way we prophecy. We need to be provoked by a love for God and extend His grace wherever we go. The role of the prophet has changed from one of judgement in the Old Testament to one of reconciliation in the new, seeing people the way God sees them. Speaking God's truth to dispel any lies. No longer focusing on identifying sin and issuing warnings. But rather identifying destiny and calling down blessings, building up the Bride, to be the lover He desires for all eternity.
Session 4 – How and when to prophesy
Revelation is the easy part, Interpretation, Application and Timing are the hard part and normally where things get lost in translation. Unless you hear the audible voice of God, have a visitation from an angel who conveys a message you will probably need to work on the interpretation, application and timing. Not everything God reveals to us is to be shared in public. Some things are for training, some things can be to test our heart and some things are personal and are meant to be stored up as treasures, as Mary did. Luke 2:19 “but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often”. (NLT), because He desires a unique and a very personal relationship with each of us.
Before we get to the revelation, the first question is probably how you know it is from God and that the source is trustworthy. Is there doubt because you ate too much, are you reflecting your own circumstances? We do need to be aware of our own circumstances and ensure we don’t prophecy from our point of view, or bring through any personal edge we might be carrying which is not helpful. More importantly, we need to ask God for revelation and resist personalizing or customizing it for our agenda.
Mat 7:8-11 says 8“For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (ESV) emphasis added. This not only tells us that if we are asking for revelation from Him, He will not give us bad things. It also tells us that once we get the revelation and see the door we are to knock and it will be opened to us revealing the interpretation and application.
Revelation is often just seeing the door. For example, if you saw a person buying a house which then fell apart. It does not essentially mean that the house they are in is going to fall apart or that they must not buy a house now because if they do, it will fall apart. It could mean that they are about to go into a business venture and it is not all that it seems and they need to look deeper into the deal. Does not even mean that they must not go through with the deal, could mean they must just not take it at face value.
Interpretation and the lack of understanding in this area as well as the lack of maturity in getting the interpretation and its application has caused a lot of damage and also resulted in many people not using this amazing gift or leaders having to suppress the prophetic for the safety of the body. Poor or no interpretation can land up doing more damage than good. People know that they have heard from God but can’t understand why no one wants to listen. This is often because the interpretation, application or timing is not right. Interpretation does take effort on our part, once we see the door, we need to knock, go through the door when it is opened and seek the interpretation, it's application and timing.
Timing is critical. There are times when the word should be shared and times where it should remain hidden in our hearts. Some revelation could be to get us to pray for a person or circumstance or just because God wants to know if He can trust us with information, to see if we can hold on to it and for how long. The purpose of some revelation is purely for training and building us up. There will also be times where additional revelation, context or even confirmation is required because we only know in part and see in part. (1 Cor 13:9) The additional revelation will often come as we seek because when we seek, we will find. It is a promise. Matt 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you”. (ESV) This scripture is not just relevant to salvation. I believe it is also applicable to looking past the initial revelation you receive, not only to get a better understanding but also when, where and who to share it with. Some words should only be shared with leadership, some in public and some only in private.
Delivery, how you give a word, why you give a word and the motivation for giving the word are more important than the actual word you bring. We need to ensure we maintain a culture of honour and maintain people’s dignity at all times. Part of always maintaining a culture of honour is always submitting, not only to leadership but also to submit to the prophetic culture and administration of the local church or group you are ministering to irrespective how clear, urgent or radical your revelation might appear. We only see in part and are called to submit to the local leadership and work in the boundaries they have given. If none has been defined, inquire beforehand what is acceptable and where they are uncomfortable.
Be sensitive as when to give a word privately and when to give it publicly. Amazing public word to a pastor in front of his congregations is not always helpful. It can produce pressure from congregation to walk it out before its time or give it a greater focus than God planned. We need to take responsibility for the words we give. We can’t just give a word and leave a burden for others to deal with it.
A good guideline is don’t give a word you would not like to receive yourself, including the format, time and setting you would not like to receive it in, be sensitive to the person not just the Spirit.
We prophesy according to our faith, we need to have faith to walk the word through with the person we prophesy for. Don’t prophecy what you are not prepared to walk through with someone, never try to make it sound grander than you think it might be. The power and effectiveness is through the Spirit not in the picture or scenario your words depict, or in the way you deliver it.
Prophecy in the marketplace includes being sensitive to the culture and setting you are in always maintaining a person’s dignity, respecting them and those around them. Everything must always be done in love and be motivated by love.
Bear in mind, your words will get rejected and this could happen for various reasons even when you have been aware of everything described above and you went about it in such a caring and loving way. Remember it is actually Gods word NOT yours. If it is an important or strategic word, there will be others confirming or giving similar words. Remember we see in part, if all communication is rejected they are actually rejecting God not you, and it is His problem NOT yours. Our responsibility is to support the leadership team we are submitted to and to support whatever they decide. It is not our responsibility to make sure the word is taken seriously or comes to pass. We need to be aware of even the subtlest efforts to keep it alive, consciously and subconsciously. We need to let the word go once it is given. It is God that brings it to life and fruition, not us, and He does not need our help as we will just land up hindering its purpose. You should only own what your team / local church owns and what is important to them not what you think is important, or what you are passionate about. God is a very good communicator, if it does not come from you it will come from somewhere else. God can even use a donkey to get our attention if needed. It is not your burden, if God is not worried about it, it is a waste of time us worrying about it. “And the Lord said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.”(1 Sam 8:7)
If you take offence you might be thinking you at least have the right to be heard and taken seriously. Especially when God has woken you up in the middle of the night and downloaded something to you which was obviously too urgent to wait till morning and now you are a little tired and nobody even wants to hear about it. To avoid offence it is easier to see yourself as having no rights, just blessings that you give thanks to God for. To coin a well known phrase “It is not always about you”. Never more relevant than in this day and age.
Our prophetic responsibility is to see if the word is right or wrong and accept input and correction, to remain teachable. God can allow things to happen to test our character, humility and submission, which He is more interested in than any word He has given us, or that word being accepted. It is not your responsibility once you have given it to see it fulfilled, that is the leader’s responsibility which they are accountable to God for. When giving a word, your responsibility is to support the team and what they decide, to encourage and be a blessing, to make sure those you have been in contact with are comforted and cheered up. We cannot waste time and energy making sure our word is taken seriously or comes to pass. It will tire both us and those we are trying to help.
Session 5 – How to grow in the Prophetic
The Prophetic is not as much about ministry as it is about your lifestyle, your relationship and intimacy with God and with the Body. Out of intimacy comes revelation. Increased intimacy and time with God will always result in increased revelation. We need to be passionately consumed and desire continual increase in intimacy and Christ-likeness, not striving for moral excellence or an abundance of knowledge. People are drawn to Christ-like people and driven away by moral excellence.
John 15:7 7 “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (ESV). The key here is we need to abide in Him and let His words abide in us, we will then prophecy His will, His way according to His purpose which will then come to pass.
God likes to hear from us, he likes to talk to us, if you desire and treasure pillow talk, God will trust you with weightier things. God does not want people who are only interested in what He has to say if it is world changing. He wants a people who hang on His every word because even the smallest thing he reveals about a grain of sand is profound and reveals His nature. Out of intimacy comes revelation; from pillow talk comes profound talk.
Not wanting to be overweight will not sustain your quest for fitness. The feeling of being fit and general wellbeing is what will keep you going week after week even when you don’t feel like it. Our not wanting to go to hell or disappoint God cannot sustain our relationship with Him, the more intimate we become, the more we desire intimacy and long to spend time in His chambers. There will always be more, we will never reach a level where we are satisfied even with eternity on our side. If you are currently satisfied with your level of intimacy with God, you might want to review the level of intimacy you currently enjoy as there is so much more.
Psalm 42:7 “Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.” We need to desire a deeper relationship, to call out for greater depth. To long for the depth of our heart to connect with and understand the depth and extent of God’s love and heart for us, His body and the lost.
John 16:12 says “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”(ESV)
Don’t ask God if you are not totally committed to do what He says the way He says and at the time He says. He is not one of many advisors whose input we need to take into context. He is THE advisor and THE one who creates and sets the context. The SOURCE of ALL truth. There is NO judgement outside Him. He IS love, He IS truth, He IS life and none exists outside of Him. He IS omnipresent, there is nothing that He does not know and He is NEVER caught by surprise. There is NOTHING that can dethrone Him, NO lie that His truth cannot not dispel. There is NOTHING outside of Him. That is our God and our SOURCE, which can ALWAYS be FULLY trusted.
We naturally want to view things from the world’s point of view, looking up to Heaven, getting an earthly perspective of Heaven. We need to learn to view things from Heaven's perspective looking down to earth, putting earth in Heaven's perspective, not the other way around. We need to learn to get Heaven's view to see and hear as God does, not through the filter of our or others circumstance.
As with all gifts, there are four phases of growing in the prophetic:
Impartation – receiving the gift of prophecy
Character phase – establishing the heart and platform God will use
Recognition phase – learning to operate in and with Gods anointing
Favour stage – walking with the mantle or mission that is given according to your calling
Impartation can happen through laying on of hands, spending time in a prophetic atmosphere or just spending time with God in His presence. Increased impartation comes through being faithful with what He has given you, treasuring, nurturing and being obedient. The following may be helpful:
Spend more time in the Word and with Him
Be obedient even when you think it is silly
Find a mentor, watch, look and learn and discern even if it is from a distance
Earnestly desire more
Diligently seek to grow your character and gift
Find a safe place where the prophetic gift can be activated, practised, tested and nurtured to maturity
Understand and remember:
You will get it wrong
You will make mistakes
You will be rejected
You will be offended and will need to forgive and extend grace
You will need to deny yourself (Matt 16:24) we need to deny ourselves in the natural in order for the supernatural to become natural.
Be prepared:
For sacrifice, obedience requires sacrifice.
To do something seemingly silly and irrelevant in our eyes.
To be embarrassed, when you get there you will find it is not embarrassing at all.
To do it a different way to what you and everyone else thinks will be best, or are used to.
To remain in submission irrespective, God is more interested in how we react and treat the Bride than who is right or wrong.
To think more of others than yourselves, this is true humility compared to just thinking less of yourself which is false humility. It is worth remembering that humility is not belittling yourself, it is lifting God and only Him up, reflecting His glory, never basking in it or accepting any praise, even for a seemingly insignificant moment.
To focus on being a blessing and not count the cost or expect anything in return.
To change, sometimes God starts telling us things in small parts to start preparing us for what He has called us to. He will always give time to adjust. If we don’t listen to the small things a larger adjustment might be required which is not as comfortable but might be necessary.
To take the good and the bad, the ups with the downs, not get discouraged.
Remember humility is not belittling yourself, it is lifting God and only Him up, reflecting His glory is never basking in it or accepting any of it, even for a seemingly insignificant moment.
Character
The greater the calling and gifting the greater the character and required level of maturity. This is built through continual obedience irrespective of the cost. Not being interested in who is right or wrong but rather in maintaining relationship and obedience. I believe God is more interested in how we react, how and why we do things than the actual things we accomplish or words we give.
Probably the most key thing to character, in addition to faithfulness, is why you are doing it, how you are doing it and who you are you doing it for. Moses never got to the promised land, even though he achieved the apparent goal of getting water for the people to drink, he got the how wrong, Striking the rock instead of speaking to it as God commanded and using the opportunity to air some of his personal frustration instead of sanctifying God in front of Israel, (Numbers 20;6-12). This resulted in him not conveying the heart of God to people, something he takes very seriously as He desires a people with a heart after Him. We need to work on our character to always reflect the heart of God, especially when we are frustrated or under pressure. Allow God to continually search your heart and identify your true motivation.
The authority we have in God is linked to our submission and humility. If you want more authority, work on your submission, humility being only motivated by love. Being secure in who we are in Christ allows us to remain safe and secure in our submission. Reliance on God’s grace allows us to be humble without ever feeling belittled or degraded, and allows God to exalt us without us becoming proud and conceited. True humility is not thinking less of ourselves but rather thinking more of God and always promoting Him, never ourselves.
We need to work on:
submission (obedience, faithlessness, team player and servants heart)
humility (including remaining teachable); and
love, the greatest and most important characteristic will always be love.
We need to remain teachable at all times. Our strength is in our humility, our protection is in our submission and our weapon and motivation must be love, which will conquer all.
Other areas we need to be aware of:
Anger, James 1:19-20 “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (ESV). Anger should be neither in our delivery or character. Prophetic people can easily become frustrated through not being taken seriously which, if not addressed, will lead to anger.
Bitterness, Hebrews 12:15 “ See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled”(ESV). There will be many opportunities for us to become bitter instead of loving to those that we are called to serve and minister to. We need to extend Grace and be graceful as we would want Grace extended to us and our ministry. To overcome bitterness view everything as a blessing not a right or something you deserve. We are called to give thanks. Anything that we see as a right or owed to us we will not be thankful for and we are called to have thankful hearts. We will get bitter if we keep getting denied what we think is rightfully ours. We believe we have some rights when we take a worldly view of life, we see blessings when we take a spiritual view, putting this world in temporary perspective. Saul’s bitterness toward David created an opening for an evil spirit to come in and torment him. There can be no place for bitterness, past or present. David on the other hand mourned Saul’s death even though he had tried to kill him numerous times and chased him with armies not letting David have any peace. David had a spiritual perspective seeing Saul as Gods anointed not as someone persecuting an innocent man.
Rejection, we will be rejected, dealing with rejection is more than just sucking it up which can be compared to hiding a wound instead of ensuring the wound is healed. Not dealing with rejection can lead to a fear of future rejection which will impact your ability to deliver a word. Fear of rejection can also lead to continually being suspicious of those that you feel could reject you. This suspicion will give an edge to your revelation which will not be helpful and warrant further rejection. David worked through his rejection through pouring his heart out to God, which can be read in Psalms, working through rejection which manifested in persecution turning his heart to God. Saul on the other hand wanted to please people more than he wanted to obey God with his semi rejection turning into jealousy over David’s acceptance and the songs that were being sung about them (1 Samuel 18:8-9). Saul focused more on persecuting David than focusing on the gifts and kingdom God had given him.
Frustration can drive us to want to take matters into our own hands which is very dangerous. Our view will become subjective and biased. We need to remain submitted and leverage our accountable relationships to get an external objective view and deal with any potential character flaws that may have come to light. Frustration will taint the words we bring and also prevent the heart of God being portrayed.
Recognition tests our character and how we react to recognition, in true or false humility. Do we see a chance to try self-promote or are we willing to trust God to promote us when we are ready. Only the latter is sustainable. Self-promotion will only send you back to the character phase. Gods anointing is also evident at this stage. Kris Vallotton describes the difference between anointing and mantle as anointing being given to a person where a mantle is given to a mission. The mantel will stay with the mission but the anointing will stay with the person.
Favour comes from intimacy, obedience and faithfulness. It is not to be confused with our position in Christ which never changes. We will always be sons and daughters, our position is secure irrespective of the favour we do or don’t experience. With an increase in favour comes an increase in responsibility. This can take many years from impartation and is in Gods perfect time. With increased favour comes increased spheres of influence. Your sphere of influence is related to the mantel you are given for the work you have been assigned. Understand and operate in the sphere of influence God has given you, don’t try extending your sphere before God does, don’t try to take on someone else’s mantle or be like them. It has been given to them for a specific purpose. Seek your own mantle so you can contribute to the same work and be a blessing. John the Baptist and Jesus worked together. They had different mantles and even different messages. Both served but John contributed to Jesus mission and purpose never trying to take from it or even get any recognition for his contribution.
Session 6 – Prophecy in the Local Church
There are different ways the prophetic is given and processed. At a high level they can be split into Seers and Prophets. 1 Chron 29:29 29 “Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the Chronicles of Samuel the seer, and in the Chronicles of Nathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of Gad the seer” (ESV) Emphasis added. This is applicable to both those operating in the office of the Prophet and those operating in the gift of prophecy.
It is important to understand the difference when dealing with a prophet or seer as they operate differently, receive revelation differently and generally have a slightly different focus.
Seers will generally take longer to get information than prophets. They typically gain information by looking at someone, something or even a circumstance which can take a few moments. They then need to interpret the revelation they get and then understand its application opposed to prophets who often get words directly. Seers will often have intimacy as core to the messages and words they bring. They are able to encourage greater levels of intimacy and even initiate and lead people into spiritual encounters. An example is when Elisha prayed for his servant’s eyes to be opened in 2 Kings 6 and his servant was able to see that there were more for them than against them. A Seer will often explain what they saw and then what they felt the revelation meant. It is how they process things and can be a bit of a safety net if they get the interpretation wrong.
Prophets, on the other hand, will normally just speak the words and give little indication of how they got them. In Exodus 14:12 God said to Moses “Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” (ESV) Exodus 33:11”Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” (ESV)
Irrespective of how God speaks to individuals and what the outworking of the prophetic gift, it is important to remember Jesus is the spirit of prophecy and must always be the focus. It must always be about Him. Rev 19:10 “Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (ESV) Emphasis added.
We can sometimes get too caught up in the gift, the outworking of the gift and the administration of the office that we forget that it is actually all about Jesus, what He says and what He does. It is all the same Spirit and we are all one body that not only needs each other, but also need to treasure and support each other’s gifts as they are all given by the same God, empowered by the same Spirit, working together as one body, His church, His Bride, toward the same goal of seeing His kingdom come and His will being done.
We need to ensure that our prophetic gift is a blessing first to the leadership of the local church and then to the congregation.
We need covering and accountability. This will be through submission to local leadership which will then automatically include the apostolic covering that your local church is submitted to. Personal accountable relationships with people who you trust are also very helpful and needed.
We need to align to the church culture, administration and leadership style
Our gift is subject to us and we are accountable for it
Never forget that we only see in part (1 Cor 13:9) and you will never have the only part irrespective how strong your gift is, only Jesus, the spirit of prophecy has the whole picture. I believe God has done this to ensure we remain reliant on each other and learn to work together in unity.
In Gods Kingdom there are no positions that are more important, their function and purpose are just different. All are needed and all are dependent on each other. We are actually called to give more attention to those areas we think are not that important. 1Co 12:22-23 “On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honourable we bestow the greater honour, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty.” (ESV). I believe if we had this mindset and heart we would find it easier to submit and serve each other and true humility would be common.
We need to change our worldly mindset that there is a kingdom ladder that we need to climb. That there is a link between worldly ladders and the Kingdom. Even worse that there is a Kingdom ladder that is available to climb as an alternative. The only ladder in the Kingdom is descending, purposely going down, becoming less so others can become more. Matt 20:25-27 “But Jesus called them to him and said, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.” (ESV)
Jesus is more impressed with what we do with what we have than the amount we have. He is the provider, the giver of gifts, the one who promotes. Why then would Jesus be interested in levels and capacity when they come from Him. He is just interested in our heart and what we do with what He has given us. Jesus was more impressed with the widow’s few coins than the fortunes of others. Luke 21:3 3 “And he said, Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.” (ESV)
It is in this light that we need to read 1Co 12:28 28 “And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.” (ESV)
I propose this is not about levels of importance but rather functional relationship, that like a funnel is positioned to accommodate and sustain an ever-increasing outpouring from heaven to earth until His Kingdom comes on earth as it is in Heaven. 1 Cor 12:28 is not saying that the prophetic is the 2nd most important ministry but rather that as a function it needs to be fully submitted to leadership so it can be protected in order to provide support, encouragement, and comfort to other ministries, building them up.
We are called to work together and not judge or criticize each other. We each work differently. Esther worked in the palace, Mordecai protested outside the palace. Daniel advised palace officials. There is no one right way. What is not helpful is if we criticize and judge each other’s approach, breaking down, working against the very thing the prophetic is supposed to counteract. God has gifted and mandated us separately calling us to work together especially with others who work differently to ourselves, as one body for the sake of His Kingdom. Even Jesus and John the Baptist, 6 months apart sang very different tunes but both were working towards the same goal building the same Kingdom.
We need to create a prophetic community not just a desire for the gift of prophecy, a place where a prophetic culture can be established.
Prophetic culture embraces prophetic diversity and the multiple outworking of the prophetic that are all in submission and operate to the same objectives of 1Co 14:3 building up or strengthening, encouraging and comforting. A place where everyone can prophesy.
Understands how to judge words allowing greater freedom for the prophetic to operate in. Place where the Lead Elder / Pastor trust the maturity of their congregation to discern utterances taking pressure off themselves. We should not limit the gift to protect the congregation but rather teach the congregation to correctly judge prophecy so that it may flow through the congregation and be the blessing it was designed to be.
Once words given have been tested and judged to be from God, they are treasured and treated with respect as a word from God.
Prophets are often bigger risk takers in the context of the community they are part of. This can be due to the practical implications and pressures of walking out a word which a prophetic person is often not involved with or sometimes pays little attention to. To contribute positively to the community you are in make sure your energy is focused in the right direction and you are blowing wind and bringing encouragement not sapping energy and pulling in the opposite direction.
Pastors and teachers do a lot of theoretical training, go to seminary and are assistant pastors / elders before they become Pastors/Lead Elders leading a church (solid theory before practical). They have studied and know the word and how to lead people. Prophetic gifting on the other hand can often start with the practical, getting revelation before they understand any theory (potentially dangerous time) or biblical perspective on the gift. The revelation will often then drive them to seek and learn more. Sometimes after attending a prophetic course or conference prophetic people can think they have it all figured out and are ready to unleash their passion and newfound gifting on their local community. We need to be aware of the potentially different training approaches. We need to always respect the person and their position above the revelation and gifting no matter how powerful the gift may seem at the time. Remember the gift does not validate your position, walk or right standing with God. We need to always respect the person and the position God has placed them in above the gift and its associated revelation.
section 7 Processing a prophetic word
1 Thes 5:20-21 20 “Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.”
1 John 4:1-2 “1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.”
1 Cor 14:29 “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. “ Listen if there is a common thread. Is it common to what you are feeling.
We need to learn to see ourselves the way God sees us, we need to have and hold to heavens view not the world's view of us. On a personal level, words you have been given to you over time, what is the common thread or theme. Summarise is those words into sentences. Combine with dream interpretations and scriptures He has given you. This is what God is saying over you. This is the way He sees you. These are things you can hold on to.
Prophecy should not be despised but rather treasured, especially after it has been judged and been accepted as a word from God. To judge a prophecy the following questions are helpful:
Does it align with Scripture and the heart of God
Is it encouraging, comforting. Does it build us up, give us vision or hope
Does it resonate with your Spirit, are you able to identify with it
Does it point to Jesus and will it bring Him honour and glory
If there is any doubt take it to leaders and those that you respect who know and love you.
We are also responsible as to what we do with the words we get. When Paul got the word that he would be bound and led away, it did not stop him going to Rome as he knew that is what he was called to do. It just prepared him for the trip Acts 21:10-14 “While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. '" 12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, "Let the will of the Lord be done." We are responsible for what God has called us to do as we are responsible for the words we are given and even the advice we are given by those closest to us.
Session 8 – Discerning of Spirits
Under Construction
Add content on importance of this gift in discerning what God is doing and people with this gift being able to facilitate and extend the out pouring of the spirit in gatherings. being able to discern the type of ministering angels present and gaining idea of what God wants to do. Much more than just discerning good from bad. reasons to earnestly desire this and other gifts..
Session 9 –Speaking in Tongues
Under Construction
Add content on the importance of tongues as a gift and tool to edify and build us up personally in addition to tongues and interpretation, including others receiving the interpretation as well as interpretation speaking ion natural languages as in acts and examples.
Credits, Copyright and Document History
This content is published under Copyleft which is a general method for making a program or documentation free and requires all modified and extended versions of the program to also be free and comply to any referenced content and their specific licensing requirements. It is also hoped that publishing under Copyleft will encourage others to not only use and distribute but also contribute to the continual improvement of the material. Please see Forward section or the Copyleft link for more information.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV¨ Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version¨), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
We wish to acknowledge the following people for input and contributions. Please note the combined view of this content is not necessarily representative of the position held by those listed. They have contributed to the overall document and we wish to acknowledge and thank them.
Special thanks to http://kvministries.com for allowing us to use principles and concepts taken from Kris’s teachings gleaned from attended and recorded conferences.
Document History:
10 April 2013; Version 0.1, Section: Original draft document;
13 October 2013; Version 0.2, Section: moved group activity to separate document;
31 July 2024 Version 0.3 Add sections for speaking in tongues and discernment of spirits
August 2024 version 0.4 To be reviewed and updated by Watford prophetic community
Updated or additional content can be submitted making contact
Contributions are captured under credits and where document and version history is kept.
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