Have you ever dreamed of praying for someone and seeing them healed or set free in Jesus’ Name? Have you ever thought it would be great to bring a prophetic message from God to a person that changed their life?

I’m not talking about a Christian meeting or church service;
I’m talking about your everyday life—your family, your workplace, your neighbourhood—wherever you happen to be.

Here are some common reasons why we hold back from praying for people, whether in the context of a Christian environment or in our everyday world. See if you can identify with any of these and take action to overcome them today:

1. I don’t have experience

If we used inexperience as a reason not to step out and pray, no one would ever begin! There came a day when Jesus sent out His disciples to pray for the sick and preach the Gospel for the very first time (Matt 9:35-10:1, Mark 6:7-13, Luke 9:1-6, Luke 10:1-20).

The real issue is not whether or not you have experience, but whether you are willing to begin. Sometimes it is actually our pride that is holding us back. We are concerned at how our inexperience will look to those who are more capable than we are, or to the person we are praying for.

Another thing Jesus did was He sent His disciples out in pairs (Luke 10:1). You don’t have to go it alone! When the lame man by the Temple gates was healed, John was alongside Peter when he gave the word (Acts 3:1-10). There may be someone in your world who God has given to you to partner with and pray and take action together.

Pause right now and ask God to show you what the first step for you to begin is. Ask Him to show you the person or group who can partner with you in being a supernatural Christian.

2. I’m not good enough

No human being on the planet is ‘good enough’ to be used by the Holy Spirit—or ever will be. If you were to make a list of those that you perceive to be the most effective Christian ministers in the earth today, none would make the grade before God. No one is on top of all of their weaknesses and problems. We were not deserving of salvation, but Jesus gave it to us freely as we believed and received Him (Rom 8:31-34). We minister, not because of what we have done, but because of what Jesus has done.

Having said that, it is right to ensure that you are, as best as you are able to be in your current season of life, a ‘clean vessel’ for God to use—walking in excellent moral character, displaying the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and living in unity with others in the church (2 Tim 2:20-22, Gal 5:22-25).

If God is calling you to step out, and you are accountable, teachable, and walking in transparency—not denial—concerning the problems that you do have, then go for it!

When you read the words, ‘not good enough,’ is something coming to mind for you? Pray about this and release it to God. Receive the capacity and worthiness that Jesus has paid the price for on the cross for you.

You might need to find a safe person to process this with who will pray with you and help you move forward. You CAN overcome this.

3. I can’t pray for the sick—I’m sick or weak myself—or other issues

You are the channel, or ‘vessel’ God uses, the power of God flows through you, but it is not from you. The power is exercised in the Name of Jesus and not your own strength (Acts 3:16).

The Hunk and I were acquainted with a man who had the ministry of a healing evangelist. Many people were healed under his ministry. He saw people cured of deafness through the power of God, however he himself wore a hearing aid. He explained to us that he did not know why he remained unhealed; that was a mystery. However he pointed out that his lack of healing did not disqualify him from praying for others.

Again, the important thing for any weakness that we are struggling with, be it physical or otherwise, is that we remain accountable to leaders in our church and keep doing what we can to become free or whole. In the case of physical weakness or illness, we need to manage our health and be good stewards of our physical bodies. But the presence of unwholeness in ourselves does not disqualify us from praying for a miracle of wholeness in others. In fact, releasing the gift of God in praying for others can build our faith for our own situations.

If being sick or weak in any way has held you back in praying for healing for others, now is the time to take action! Pause and pray for God to release healing to someone in your world who has a need in a similar area. Next time you see them, offer to pray with them.

4. I’m not gifted (in prayer, healing, prophecy and so on)

It’s true that some people have a stronger gift or higher degree of giftedness than others. But not knowing whether or not you have a gift in a particular area should never hold you back from learning how to pray for people. Neither should it prevent you from ministering when you have an opportunity or the need arises.

Remember, the basis for you being able to pray is not your gift. It is the Name of Jesus Christ. What He has accomplished on the cross, and the authority that He has given to you as His committed follower, is the basis of your prayer ability.

Remember also that you will connect with people in your everyday life that the ministers and gifted people in your church will not, and occasions for prayer will arise when there is no one present but you and the Lord.

And if you are in a leadership role of any description in the church, you will need to be ready to pray for those you are leading, whenever there is a need. You signed up for this!

When Jesus sent out the 12 and the 70 disciples, He didn’t say, “OK, you who are gifted in healing in this group, and those who are gifted in deliverance, you go there”. He sent them ALL out—together. We need to be Kingdom-culture Christians who are open to hearing God’s voice and loving and praying for people wherever we go.

You are never going to be good enough and you may never feel ready. That is why the Christian journey is called a walk of faith.

Become a Can-Do Christian

At the beginning of the school year, my daughter’s Grade 3 teacher asked the children to write a list of the things they believed they could not do. The list included things like physical sports activities such as swimming, subjects such as mathematics, and other things, like talking in front of the class.  When each of the children had written their list, she collected them all up and put them in a box. Then, she took the children outdoors, where they had a ceremony to bury the box. “This class,” she announced, “is going to be a ‘Can-Do’ class.” Not surprisingly, my daughter made more progress in that school year than in any year previously. My challenge to you as you begin to move out is to identify and surrender your list of things you can’t do to God.

Now add some things to the list of things you can do:

• Praying for sick people to be healed in Jesus’ Name
• Sharing a prophetic word, or message from God
• Offering to pray for someone who has a need
• Prophetic evangelism

Remember that it is not about you. It is about Jesus—He gets the fame when He uses weak people to do the job (1 Cor 1:26-29, 2 Cor 4:7), it is about God loving people and extending His Kingdom. Finally, it’s about who you are in Jesus, not who you are apart from Jesus.

If you are interested in learning more about being a Supernatural Christian, take a look at www.supernatural-christian.com

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing

You wake up from a vivid dream that you believe had a significant or spiritual meaning. What do you do with it?

As well as a physical body, the Bible tells us that we have a soul and a spirit; we are triune beings made in the image of God (1 Thess 5:23). Dreaming is a natural process that our bodies carry out, as we are physically refreshed during sleep. But dreaming does not only have a physical function. We are aware that during our sleep our souls (mind, will and emotions) are processing our responses to our past and present, along with our perception of the future.

We are also spiritual beings, created to commune with God. The Bible tells us that one of the many ways God speaks to people is through dreams (Job 33:14-15). These dreams are spiritual, or ‘God dreams.’ A prophetic dream, when tested over time, will prove to be significant.

If you believe you have had a prophetic dream, what should you do with it? Here are some ideas to start you off:

1. PRAY ABOUT IT

If you think your dream may have a spiritual meaning, pray about it. As the Bible says, symbolic dreams are mysteries; only God is able to reveal what they mean (Dan 2:26-28).

2. RECORD IT

Write your dream down as soon as possible, or at least jot down some of the key points to help you remember it (Hab 2:2). Your memory of the details in your dream will naturally fade. If you dream regularly (or get great ideas in the night hours) then you might like to keep a notebook by your bed.

3. REMEMBER IT

Some other things you can do to help remember your dream are:

• Replaying the dream in your mind will help you memorise the content of your dream
• Share it. Find someone to tell your dream to who will be interested and draw the details out of you.

4. REFLECT ON ITS MEANING

What was it about the dream that made you think it was spiritual in nature? Some questions you can ask to get you started are:

• What was the atmosphere in the dream?
• Who appeared in the dream? A person who appears in the dream might be themselves, but may also be symbolic of an attribute in you, a role that you play, a ministry you are called to, or symbolic of something else.
• What objects, places or symbols showed up in the dream? This is where developing knowledge of the Bible and Biblical and prophetic symbols can be helpful. You can also find further helpful information about dream symbols in books from reputable Christian authors (for examples, review http://www.koorong.com.au/)
• How did you feel during the dream?
• What did you sense and what came to your mind when you immediately awoke from the dream?

Remember that a dream in its entirety can be a mixture of both natural and spiritual elements. There may be one factor in a dream that is a revelation from God, but the rest could be from your own inner world.

Don’t discount the value of a dream that is from your soul, not from God. It can still be valuable to show you how you are responding in your inner world to past and present circumstances in your life and it may well be worth taking the time to meditate on it.

5. SEEK HELP IN INTERPRETING YOUR DREAM

You may like to share your dream with one or more people who can help you understand its meaning. Remember that the principles for checking a prophecy also apply to dream interpretation.

Whilst some people do have specific gifts in interpreting dreams, realise that just as in all prophecy, no one person has all the answers. Never become dependent on a single person with a prophetic gift. Be wary of becoming reliant at ALL on others with prophetic gifts or upon the gifts themselves. God has given you the Holy Spirit to guide you into truth (1 John 2:26) and good leaders in the church for protection (Heb 13:17).

6. RELEASE WHAT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND (1 Thess 5:21-22)

It is OK to RELEASE what you don’t understand, or anything that is not encouraging. If you are disturbed by a dream, find a caring Christian friend or leader who can pray with you about it.

In the New Testament, the recipient of a dream usually knew what God was telling them. Don’t try and force meaning out of a dream that is a mystery. If you have recorded a dream that you believe is significant, it may take time for the meaning to become clear.

Finally, the Bible illustrates that God uses dreams to foretell His future plans (prophetic dreams, Gen 37:5-11), give guidance (Acts 16:9-10), impart spiritual gifts (1 Kings 3:5-16), warn (Matt 2:12) and even give successful business strategies (Gen 31:10-13) to His people.

Let’s be open to receiving a prophetic dream, for our dream world can be an opportunity to encounter Jesus and receive God’s instruction and blessing for our lives.

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Would you like to develop your prophetic gift?

Enter your email address in the subscribe box at the right hand side of this page to receive:

• regular blogs and teaching to help you grow in your gift of prophecy
• notifications about online prophetic training opportunities
• news of resources to help develop your prophetic gift

Check here for online prophetic training opportunities in 2010

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See also How Do I Know a Personal Prophecy Or Dream Interpretation Is From God?

©  Helen Calder    Enliven Publishing

Has someone given you a personal prophecy, or interpreted a dream that you have had? Here are some tests that you can put a prophetic word through, to check whether or not it is from God.

In 1 Thess 5:20-21, the Bible says, ‘Do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good.’

A personal prophetic word has the potential to be a great blessing to you. It can help encourage, strengthen and grow you (1 Cor 14:3), reveal to you that God has you personally on His heart, and remind you that He has a great purpose for your life. When someone shares information about you and your hopes and dreams that only God would know, it is a miracle. You encounter Jesus!

We need to remember, however, that a prophecy is an imperfect expression of what God is saying to us through another person. It should be weighed up carefully (1 Cor 14:29).

Here are some tests that you can apply to a prophecy, or part of a prophecy, to check whether or not it is from God. Note, these principles also apply to dream interpretation:

1. The Character Test

Does the prophetic word or interpretation reflect the character of Jesus? Does it sound like something God would say to you?

He is loving and redemptive (that means He has a good outcome for your life, He has a purpose, He wants to bring you closer to Him). This is true even when a prophecy contains a warning.

2. The Bible Test

Does the prophetic word line up with principles God has laid out in the bible? A prophecy should never go against what the Bible says—for example a prophecy that you should leave your spouse, cause disunity in the church or commit sin would not agree with scripture!

3. The Heart Check Test

1 John 2:20 says, ‘But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.’

Does the prophecy or message sit well with your spirit, or does it make you feel uncomfortable and give you a warning ‘check’ in response? You don’t have to receive a prophecy if it makes you feel uncomfortable.

4. The Confirmation Test

A personal prophecy should confirm what God has already spoken to you, or be consistent with the way He has wired you. If the prophecy does not immediately bring confirmation, it may over time, so feel free to shelve it.

Do not make a sudden change of direction in response to a personal prophecy. If you feel led to make a change in response to a prophetic message brought through another person, remember that God never pressures you. The following test will be helpful:

5. The Leadership Test

Ask, would my church leadership be comfortable with this word? Having another opinion from someone who is mature in their Christian walk and who also knows you can be helpful.

6. The Time Test

Hab 2:3 says, ‘For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false.’

You won’t know whether some prophecies are from God until you have given them time to be fulfilled. If you are unsure about a prophetic word, it is OK to shelve a prophecy, put it aside and review it at a later date.

7. The  Prophet Test

Do you know the person prophesying, and are they known to the leaders of your church or recognised in the wider church for their gift? Don’t accept a personal prophecy from just anyone. Jesus said that some people would prophesy in His name but not actually know Him (Matt 7:22-23). He also said to watch out for false prophets (Matt 7:15-16) and that you could tell by their fruit, i.e. their character and what their lives are producing.

If the person who is giving you the prophecy is unknown to you or your church leaders, or whose life does not reflect the character of Christ, do not receive the prophetic word outright.

Sometimes a word given by someone who is living an ungodly lifestyle can be partly right, which is confusing. However it will usually contain something that is ‘off’ and if you swallow the word whole, it may pull you off the track God has for you. This can happen if they have a prophetic gift, and is a reminder not to be impressed with gifts, but also to watch for character.

It is a bit like the emails that come with attachments that have a virus. The message in the email may be right and good, but when you open it, something that is bad for your computer is also downloaded with the message. So we need to take care WHO we are receiving prophetic input from.

One time I was listening as a prophetic team brought a prophecy to a young woman at a training session. One of the young guys in the team seemed to have a powerful prophetic gift. However at one part of the ‘prophecy’ he came out with a message that had a suggestive innuendo about the girl’s physical appearance. Although the rest of the prophecy sounded good, I felt that it was probable he had a character or sin issue that was coming through in his prophecy. Also, be wary of prophecy that is flattering or that attracts you to the person prophesying rather than draws you closer to Jesus.

When it some to personal prophecy, it is OK to ‘eat the meat and spit out the bones.’

****************************************************************************************

Would you like to develop your prophetic gift?

Enter your email address in the subscribe box at the right hand side of this page to receive:

• regular blogs and teaching to help you grow in your gift of prophecy
• notifications about online prophetic training opportunities
• news of resources to help develop your prophetic gift

Check here for online prophetic training opportunities in 2010

****************************************************************************************

See also: What To When You Have a Prophetic Dream and 4 Things You Can Do With Your Personal Prophecy

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing

When we know where we stand, and who we are, in relation to the throne of God, the opinions of people won’t shake us, the past will have no power over us, and sin will lose its grip on us…

‘Who is Jesus, and what does He look like?’

I never used to wonder about the answer to this question, because there were pictures of Him on the walls of our house as I was growing up, the depiction of painters in centuries past. He was kind, gentle, mysterious and—human. He loved people and animals. One of my favourite pictures of Jesus was of Him dressed as a shepherd and carrying a lamb.

The book of Revelation, in the Bible, paints us a different picture of Jesus—providing a hint of what He looks like now. The apostle John caught a glimpse of the resurrected Christ and fell at His feet, ‘as one dead’ (Rev 1:17).

‘…someone “like a son of man,” dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.’ Rev 1:13-16

Sometimes in worship I, too, catch a glimpse of this Jesus. His eyes that blaze with fire also, amazingly, blaze with love. He is seated on a heavenly throne—a place where the Bible says, because of what Jesus has done on the cross, I can make myself at home.

God’s throne is mentioned frequently throughout the book of Revelation, and referred to in the final chapter as ‘The Throne of God and of the Lamb.’ This throne is the ultimate seat of authority, and God Himself is the source of all authority and power in heaven and earth (Matt 28:18).

God’s throne is not figurative; it is a real place—and we have access to God’ throne by faith (Heb 10:19).

As supernatural Christians, our understanding of where we stand in relation to Jesus Christ and His throne is critical to the release of His power in us and through us.

Here are some key reminders about the throne of God:

1. The throne of God is our destination.

Saved and unsaved alike, we will stand at His throne one day and account for our lives spent on earth (Matt 25:31-46).

Those of us who believe and receive Him as our Lord (leader) and Saviour (forgiver) will live with Him forever. Jesus said He will invite us to sit with Him on His throne:

‘ To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ Rev 3:21-22

2. God’s throne is not only our eternal destination; it demands our present attention as we focus upon Jesus

‘Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.’ Col 3:1-2

Hebrews 12:1-2, says
‘Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.’

What was the joy set before Jesus that enabled Him to endure suffering and death and bear the weight of the world’s sin on the cross?  It was ‘bringing many sons to glory’ (Heb 2:10). You and I are His reward, restored in relationship to God, having free access to Him before His throne.

3. We can come Confidently to God’s Throne

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Heb 10:19,22

When we trust in Jesus for our salvation, we can stand before God’s throne unafraid and unashamed. Sin cannot hold us back from God’s presence. We have free access because Jesus has taken the punishment for our sin and its effects on the cross.

The throne is also where we come in our weakness and need.

‘For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.’ Heb 4:15-16

4. The throne is where we bring our prayers and our petitions for God to work on our behalf and in the lives of others around us.

‘Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.’ Rev 8:3

The Bible says that our prayers go up before God’s throne like incense (Rev 8:3,4).

Real prayer to God is not religious, solemn or word-perfect. A prayer can be as quick as a breath or a silent cry from the heart. God understands an incoherent prayer as well as He does an eloquent one. Real prayer is YOUR prayer, born out of your own personal relationship with God. Your prayer is powerful. Your prayer can release God’s power, and reinforce His will (Matt 6:9-13).

When we know where we stand, and who we are, in relation to the throne of God, the opinions of people won’t shake us, the past will have no power over us, and sin will lose its grip on us. We will know God, and we will  live empowered lives.

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing