Entries tagged with “Overcoming blockages to Prophetic Ministry”.
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Mon 28 Nov 2011
Today I am going to review a very common barrier to growth in prophetic ministry, and that is being hurt in relation to your spiritual gift of prophecy.
(Note that these same points relate to wounds experienced in other spiritual gifts or ministries—replace ‘gift of prophecy’ or ‘prophetic ministry’ with the name of your gift or ministry)
An unhealed hurt or disappointment will not only affect your gift of prophecy, it will hold you back in other areas of your life, too.
Some signs that your prophetic gift may be blocked due to sustaining a wound are:
There are many ways that people can become hurt or wounded in relation to prophetic ministry. The two most common are criticism and disappointment.
1. Criticism
There are several ways that criticism can occur:
- We may have made a genuine mistake in the use of our gift, but leadership of the situation was handled badly. Perhaps we were publicly shamed. Perhaps we were not guided or restored as we should have been.
- The criticism may have been completely unwarranted—this adds a sting of injustice to the wound.
- Criticism was aimed at our level of maturity in the gift.
We do not criticise or judge babies who are learning to crawl or walk—in fact we celebrate their efforts. And yet it is amazing how quickly we Christians judge one another when we are stumbling through learning stages in our spiritual gifts.
Accusation and judgement are also related to criticism.
I have known people who have been accused of being Jezebellic, for example. This kind of accusation can cause a deep wound in someone who has prophetic gifts. [1]
2.Disappointment
Some ways in which we can experience disappointment include:
- Our prophetic ministry has not been listened to, encouraged or appreciated
- Leaders have not recognised our gift or they have not made room for us to exercise or grow in our prophetic ministry
- Mentors or people dear to us in prophetic ministry let us down, are removed from our lives, or are themselves wounded in relation to their ministry
- Ministry opportunities—for whatever reason—have been removed from us
If you have experienced any of these types of wounds in your prophetic ministry, you are not alone. These are things that many of us can relate to in some form or another.
In fact, you will see these types of hurtful things happen to people with prophetic callings in the Bible.
Think of the rejection that Joseph went through with regard to his gift of prophetic dreams and interpretation. He was criticised, rejected, misunderstood and passed over for many years before God raised him up and released him in his call.
Yet he kept his heart free from bitterness—and in that is a lesson for each of us.
It seems that God allows us to go through these tests as part of our development and character growth. When we overcome, He can use us in greater ways and entrust us with His Word and His power.
Steps to Breaking Free from Blockages in your Prophetic Gift due to Hurt
1. Take Ownership
A blockage takes place when we put up barriers, or walls of self-protection around us to prevent us from being wounded again.
Even though others may have been the reason that we were shut down to start with, the ongoing issue is that we are reluctant to expose ourselves to further hurt. Our instinct is to hold back.
So the very first thing we need to do, is to recognise our own part and responsibility in the blockage.
We are the ones who, with God’s help, have the ability and the keys to break ourselves free.
We do this by taking acknowledging this in prayer and repenting of allowing the walls to go up.
God is sufficient. He is all the protection we need and He waits and longs for us to trust in Him. But often we use our own efforts to protect ourselves—and this is wrong.
Secondly, if we have been criticised, removed from ministry or held back in the past, there may be an aspect of truth in the reasons for the action that was taken.
I know from experience that this is a tough area to acknowledge, but addressing it and being humble enough to make any necessary adjustments is vital to fulfilling God’s call on our life.
2. Release forgiveness to the person or group that has wounded you
Jesus said, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25)
Unforgiveness and the desire to obtain justice can chain us to an event, preventing us from making progress in our prophetic gift.
In prayer, speak out forgiveness, release the offenders from judgment, and from any debt that you believe they owe you.
Sometimes, God might lead you to communicate with the person or group that has hurt you, but isn’t always necessary.
Use discretion here, and look for some wise counsel.
Forgiveness is not a feeling; it is a choice that we make. Also remember that forgiveness is not just a one-off decision; it is an ongoing process. This means continuing to choose forgiveness whenever you feel the hurt or the negative effects of the situation.
3. Find a Safe Person who can pray with you
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” (James 5:16)
Some things that can be prayed through personally and with a prayer partner are:
- Pray through the issues raised in points 1 and 2 above
- Identify and renounce any wrong belief that you have taken on board following the hurtful event—e.g. ‘I will never be good enough,’ ‘God has not called me to this ministry’
- Pray and affirm the redemptive opposite of that lie, i.e. the truth about God’s love and affirmation of you as a person, as well as your gift
- If criticism, accusation or judgement was involved, pray against the power or effects of the words spoken
- Pray for healing of your heart and a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit
This also reminds us of the fourth and most important aspect of breaking free from any blockage caused by a wound to your gift and that is:
4. Receive God’s Healing
If we have believed a lie, we need a truth encounter. We need to know that God’s love for us, and His attitude towards us, is not reflected in the hurtful attitudes, words or actions of others—even when they are people in authority.
Meditate on the Father’s love and acceptance as expressed in the Bible, especially in the New Testament in the life and ministry of Jesus.
5. Step Out in your Gift Again
Finally, at the right time, we need to begin to step out again in our prophetic gift. [3]
Firstly, this means being accountable—and being under leadership. Sometimes, this means responding well to leaders who have hurt us in the past.
We know we are healed when we can receive feedback and be open to adjustment in the operation of our gift without reacting badly.
Becoming activated in our gift of prophecy again will mean taking risks and being vulnerable. However, the fruit in our lives and in the lives of others we minister to will be eternal.
Do you have any further ideas for healing from hurts that could help readers, or experiences and questions to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.
Notes:
[1] For more information about the Jezebellic or religious spirit in relation to prophetic ministry, read my e-book, ‘Prophetic People in a Changing Church.’ Check the following links:
E-books Page
Prophetic People In A Changing Church E-book
[2] Sometimes hurts arise from a leader in the church—if this is familiar to you, I encourage you to consider my e-book, ‘Prophetic People in a Changing Church’ for more information on how to break free.
[3] I believe it is vital to foster a safe, nurturing environment in our local churches and prophetic communities to do this—so if you are a leader, I encourage you to make this a priority.
Related Posts:
11 Signs That Your Prophetic Gift Is Being Held Back
Why Is My Spiritual Gift Or Ministry Not Being Released
© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching
On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church
Mon 7 Nov 2011
I regularly come across gifted prophetic people who wonder why they are not being given opportunities to minister in the area of their spiritual gifts and passion.
There are two contexts in which this can happen:
- You may be aware that you have a gift of prophecy, or another spiritual gift. In fact, you may have exercised that gift or ministry in the past, and even seen great results as the Holy Spirit touched people through your ministry.
- You may be newly emerging in your spiritual gift. You are aware that you have a gift and Spirit-given ability—so why is it that others do not see it?
Maybe you can identify with the following questions:
- ‘Why does it seem as though my gift is hidden?’
- ‘Why am I not receiving opportunities to exercise my gift?’
- ‘Why don’t leaders in my church recognise my ministry?’
- ‘Will I ever fulfil the call of God on my life?’
These are questions that I have asked myself at various times in the past. If you can relate to this today, I have some things that I would like to share with you on a personal level.
Blaming Others will Disempower You
It can be very easy to blame others when we are not being given opportunities to exercise our gifts in church life.
We perceive that leaders especially, have the power to release or hold back possibilities for us to minister. It may seem that they are blocking the achievement of God’s call on our lives.
But the reality is that as long as we are blaming others for our lack of ministry fulfilment—whether it is a spouse, pastor, ministry leader or anybody else—we are actually disempowering ourselves and limiting God.
Invariably, we will begin to voice our frustration and resentment, for as Jesus said, ‘Out of the abundance of our hearts our mouths speak.’ (Luke 6:43-46)
Eventually, discouragement, disappointment and frustration pervade the atmosphere around our lives, creating a cycle of barrenness. But I have good news for you today: you can break free!
Reasons why Your Gifts are not Being Used
Firstly, you need to remember that God is sovereign. No human on the planet can hold back the fulfilment of His call on your life—except you.
You are empowered. You do not need to look to someone else to release your ministry.
So, if your spiritual gift or ministry call seems to be hidden, here are some possible reasons why this might be happening, along with some suggestions to help you move forward: [1]
1. You are Waiting for Appointment Unnecessarily
Sometimes we wait for an invitation, role or position when Jesus just wants to love people through us.
For example, if you have a gift of prophecy, you can use it at the basic level of encouragement in a small group and everyday life amongst family and friends. Remember, though, that if you have a word that goes beyond simple encouragement, the principles of accountability apply.
If you want to be used in the area of healing, start offering to pray for people—and so on.
The key is to stay within the appropriate context in the use of your gift. [2]
2. You Need to make your Desires and Dreams Known
Sometimes we think that ministry leaders are aware of our gifts and calling and should open doors for us. They would—if only they knew what was on our hearts.
I can remember one time in particular where I was frustrated because a ministry leader wasn’t giving me an opportunity. When I eventually broached the subject, he asked me why I hadn’t mentioned it, and happily provided a pathway forward for me.
Leaders aren’t mind readers. Sometimes we think that they are supermen and superwomen who should be listening to God about our personal gifts and situations.
They may simply need the opportunity to hear from us firsthand.
3. You are Beginning and Need to Step out.
Sometimes we wait too long for encouragement, when we should be stepping out of the boat ourselves.
Understandably, when you are new in your gift, this can be a bit daunting.
When a seedling emerges from the soil, there is a last push to break through the earth. When a butterfly is emerging from a chrysalis, there is a final wrestling to break free.
This is the kind of motivation that the Apostle Paul talked about when he said, ‘Desire spiritual gifts.’ (1 Cor 14:1) Is your desire strong enough that you will seek tangible ways of moving forward in your gift? [3]
4. The Delay is about God’s Timing
Wilderness seasons are a Biblical theme—remember Moses, Joseph, David, John the Baptist and the Apostle Paul? [4]
Some reasons that God ordains a time of hiddenness may include:
- Timing as He brings circumstances and people together
- Strengthening other gifts and skills in your life that will be needed in the long run
- Preparation of our character or gift
If God has ordained a season of waiting, He is faithful and will release you at the right time.
5. You may Benefit by Adjusting Something in Your Ministry Approach.
This is a vital point. Many times I have seen people held back because there is something unsuitable in their approach to using their gifts—and yet they are completely unaware of it.
Here are some checks we should do regularly in relation to our gifts and ministry:
Faithfulness
- Am I willing to serve in small ways?
- Am I present at meetings, even when my gift is not being called on?
- Am I honouring my leaders in my conversation and actions?
- Am I being self-centred, i.e. it’s about my gift and my ministry, or others-centred—“What can I do to help you?”
Culture and Style
- Does the style of the way I use my gift fit with the culture of my church?
- What about my language—terminology and expressions?
- Do I use any methods or ‘formulas’ when I minister that my leaders do not use?
- Do I use actions, gestures or manifestations, e.g. when I pray for people, which are not in keeping with the culture of my church?
If a movement we have been brought up in, imparted to, or taught by, is different from that of our church, this is something that we need to especially consider.
We need to be willing to lay these methods aside and align our ministry style with the culture of our church or ministry organisation.
Vision and Values
- Do my values and vision for ministry differ from that of my church?
A friend of mine observed that a church is like a train—led by God and our leadership with a definite destination in mind. We need to decide whether we are willing to get on board and to serve in the direction that our church is going.
So long as we are nurturing our own desires for a different destination or culture of church life, our leaders will perceive this. They need to know we are pulling with them—not against them.
Why not ask?
You may benefit by approaching someone in leadership—perhaps sharing this article with him or her—and reviewing any possible reasons why you seem to be stuck in relation to your gift or ministry.
This will only work if you take an open and humble approach and are willing to listen to suggestions without becoming hurt or offended.
Often leaders do not address situations such as I’ve mentioned above because they know that their observations will not be well received. If you initiate the conversation, and are willing to make adjustments, you may be surprised at the results.
Do you have any experiences or questions to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.
Notes:
[1] Another reason our gift or ministry may be hidden is because we are hiding ourselves—due to fear or hurt. We will be covering these topics in the next few weeks.
[2] Every church has unique protocols for the operation of spiritual gifts. See Prophetic Ministry In Church Life: Why Have Guidelines
[3] If you believe you have a gift of prophecy emerging, see the following post for ideas:
How To Develop Your Prophetic Gift: Where To Begin
[4] Here is a post on the topic of wilderness seasons that you may find helpful:
Going Through A Testing Season In Your Spiritual Gifts
Related Posts:
11 Signs That Your Prophetic Gift Is Being Held Back
Do You Have A Ministry Call?
Break Free Of Hurts That Are Blocking Your Prophetic Gift
© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching
On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church
Tue 18 Oct 2011
One of the things I am passionate about is helping people to grow in their spiritual gifts—especially prophecy. [1]
People regularly share with me that they believe they have a gift of prophecy, but are not sure how to begin developing it.
Sometimes they express fear or embarrassment about stepping out with a prophetic insight, because they lack confidence.
I also come across prophetic people who tell me that they used to flow in the gift of prophecy but feel it has become blocked or closed down in comparison to how it used to be.
These Christians long for the ‘good old days,’ when they felt released in their gifts and saw miraculous things happen as a result.
This is why, over the next little while, I am going to be producing some articles on how to move forward and break through limitations in relation to prophetic gifts and ministry. [2]
But I need your help.
I would like to hear your thoughts on this topic, any struggles, what obstacles and barriers you have experienced personally, as well as testimonies and ideas for breakthrough.
So after the articles, I will be asking questions. Please contribute using the comments facility on the blog. It is amazing how many people will identify with your journey—you may even encourage others who are having similar struggles.
Identifying a Limitation is Good News
Identifying a potential barrier to the growth of your gift or ministry is good news—for it is the first step to empowering you to break free and enter into the ‘more’ that God has for you.
In fact, in God’s Kingdom there is always more!
And you can turn that seeming obstacle into a stepping-stone to greater growth and fruitfulness.
Signs that you are Being held back in Your Prophetic gift
Here are eleven signs that there may be a limiting factor holding you back in your prophetic gift or ministry.
If you do not have a gift of prophecy, replace the words ‘prophecy’ or ‘prophetic ministry’ with the name of your gift or ministry.
See if you can identify with any of these:
1. You used to believe you were called to prophetic ministry [3] but now you are not so sure
2. You are wondering why your prophetic gift seems to be hidden and not recognised by other Christians or by leaders in the church
3. It is a long time since you stepped out, took a faith risk, and did something new in the use of your prophetic gift
4. You are drifting and have a lack of direction in your prophetic gift or ministry
5. You feel barren and are wondering where the fruitfulness is that you were promised or initially experienced when you started out
6. You recognise that difficulties in the use of your prophetic gift began with an event that occurred in your past
7. You are not sure what to do to get to the next level of growth in your gift of prophecy
8. You have been hurt or wounded in relation to your prophetic gift and haven’t gotten over it
9. You are not receiving opportunities to use and bless others through your gift that you would like to have
10.You are content with your current level of experience and do not have the motivation to press through for growth in your prophetic gift
11.You do have opportunities to use the gift of prophecy, but it is not flowing as smoothly or as accurately as you would like, or have known in the past.
Now, some questions for you:
- Can you identify with any of the above issues?
- Are there any other signs that you can think of, or have experienced, that you are being held back in your spiritual gift of prophecy?
Leave a comment in the comments section at the end of this post. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.
Over the next little while we will be looking at how to overcome some barriers to growth in your gift. Many of these will apply to other gifts, not just prophecy.
Some of the things I will be considering include:
- Fear
- Not knowing where to start
- The effect of past hurts
- Apathy
- Not being released or given opportunities
Feel free to forward or share these articles with others who may be helped by them.
Notes:
[1] The gift of prophecy is the Spirit-empowered ability to receive and convey a message from God—to make known the Father’s mind, intention and purposes.
[2] If you are interested in developing your gift, the e-book ‘Grow Your Prophetic And Prayer Gifts’ is a tool to help you identify which stage of development you are in and move to the next level.
[3] By prophetic ministry, I do not mean a role or position. Prophetic ministry occurs when you use your prophetic gift to love and help people in a way that brings them closer to God and releases them into His purposes. As Paul says, ‘the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.’ (1 Cor 14:3)
Related Posts:
Why Is My Spiritual Gift Or Ministry Not Being Released?
Break Free Of Hurts That Are Blocking Your Prophetic Gift
© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog
On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church
Tue 18 May 2010
This series has been renewed and updated in 2011. For the first post in the new series, visit the following article:
11 Signs That Your Prophetic Gift Is Being Held Back
Welcome to the first of a series of podcasts on the topic of identifying and breaking through barriers to growth in your gift of prophecy!
Have you Ever Experienced a Blockage in Your Prophetic gift or Ministry?
God’s plan for us is to grow to our highest potential in our lives, our calling and our spiritual gifts. Why is it, then, that we sometimes feel as though our prophetic gift has been blocked in some way, or as though we have hit a ceiling in our ministry gift and find it hard to move forward?
The good news is that once you have identified an obstruction that is preventing you growing in your gift of prophecy, you can deal with and remove it, with God’s help. Over the coming series, I will explore a number of reasons a barrier can occur, and provide some keys to dealing with them.
In this short 8 minute introductory session, I identify 10 signs that there may be barriers to your growth in prophetic ministry.
Click on the message title below to listen to the podcast in MP3 format. To save the file to your computer right click on the link and select “Save Link As …” (Firefox) or “Save Target As…” (Internet Explorer).
As this is my very first podcast, special thanks must go to Ray Keefe for allowing me the use of his musical interlude called, appropriately, ‘Finding Hope.’
Blessings,
Helen
P.S. Over the next few weeks, I will be releasing these podcasts weekly to complete the series. I will also continue to write some articles. But wait, there’s more! Watch this space for news about the upcoming online prophetic training launch!
© Helen Calder Enliven Publishing
Today I am going to review a very common barrier to growth in prophetic ministry, and that is being hurt in relation to your spiritual gift of prophecy.
