Are you looking for resources to help you develop your gifts of prophecy or prayer?

I am thrilled to announce that all four of my books are now available in e-book format. Here is a synopsis of each of them, or you can review and purchase them on the e-book sales page:

HOW TO BE A SUPERNATURAL CHRISTIAN IN YOUR EVERYDAY WORLD

$8.95 e-Book*

A step-by-step guide to prophetic evangelism that you can apply every day.

Have you ever dreamed of miracles taking place as you prayed in your home, neighbourhood, school or workplace?

Have you wondered whether God can use you to pray for healing or bring a prophetic message to someone who is not a Christian?

Do you desire to live a supernatural Christian life — one where Jesus is the only explanation for what takes place—in your ordinary, daily world?

(More details …)

PROPHETIC PEOPLE IN A CHANGING CHURCH

$9.95 e-Book*

Have changes in church life impacted upon your personal priorities, relationships and ministry dreams?

Are you, or others around you, experiencing discouragement, or have you been hurt in church life?

Are you wondering how your prophetic or prayer gifts can be used in your current church setting?

(More details …)

GROW YOUR PROPHETIC AND PRAYER GIFTS

$9.95 e-Book*

Would you like to develop your spiritual gifts of prophecy, intercession, miracles, word of knowledge, discernment, deliverance or healing?

Have you ever dreamed that you could prophesy? Or pray for the sick and see them healed?

The desires of your heart are the first clue to the gift and ministry calling that God has placed in your life.

In ‘Grow Your Prophetic And Prayer Gifts’, you will discover…

(More details …)

PRAY FOR THE LOST: Impact The Eternal Destiny Of Those You Love Through Prayer

$6.95 e-Book*

Do you have loved ones whose salvation you are concerned about? Discover how your prayers have power.

This book includes the following helpful tools:
**A worksheet to help you pray strategically for the person on your heart
**A powerful sample prayer you can personalise.

In ‘Pray For The Lost: Impact the Eternal Destiny Of Those You Love Through Prayer’, you will learn… (More details …)

*All prices are in Australian Dollars (AUD).

To purchase an e-book, use your credit card by selecting the ‘Add to Cart’ buttons on the website. This facility by PayPal is easy, very secure, and will do any currency conversion for you.

Note: You do not need to have an account with PayPal to use this facility, and we do not keep a record of your credit card information on this site.

After checkout, you will receive instructions on how to download the e-book as a PDF file.

© Helen Calder    Enliven Publishing

First, some exciting news! I have just released my first e-books online.

If you are concerned about unsaved or backslidden loved ones, or if you want to take your spiritual gifts of prophecy, healing or intercession to a new level, you will find treasure in these downloadable PDF books—check them out here.

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The Power of Hunger For God

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jer 29:13

In Song of Solomon, the Beloved is knocking on the chamber door. The maiden resists getting up to answer. ‘I have taken off my robe—must I put it on again? I have washed my feet—must I soil them again?’ (SOS 5:3)

She is in a state of repose, and for that moment, her comfort is more important than her relationship.

The maiden rises to open the door to her Beloved, but he has already left. Her hesitancy has cost her his presence. Now, her heart is stirred. Comfort is no longer an issue as she loses sleep and risks her safety to search for the one she loves.

Unable to reach him, she passes on a message, ‘Tell him I am faint with love.’ (SOS 5:8)

‘Here I am! I stand at the door and knock,’ Jesus calls to His church. ‘If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.’ (Rev 3:20)

Jesus’ call to intimacy is a challenge to our comfort. To answer His knock, we must stir ourselves from our place of spiritual repose.

His promise: ‘I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.’

Jesus’ invitation is to Christians who are hungry.

Why Be Hungry For God?

Hunger: that gnawing ache on the inside of you; that sense of need that is not content until it is filled.  Hunger is an active state, for it results in you seeking out the object of desire that will satisfy your need.

Hunger for God is the longing to encounter Him, to be with Him, and to be filled with His Spirit.
As prophetic people, we need to hunger and thirst after God.
When we are hungry for God and His Presence, we will do whatever it takes to get close to Him. The place of intimacy is where we will catch, not only the revelation He wants to give us, but we will also catch His heart.

Many of us want to be filled with the Spirit, we long to be close to God and see miracles happen in people’s lives.

When we hunger and thirst for God, we will seek Him, and when we seek Him, we will be filled and empowered.

It all starts with hunger.

6 Ways You Can Stir Up Hunger For God

1. MISS IT

A person who is fasting eventually loses their appetite as their body adjusts to the absence of food. Although in Christian leadership, I was spiritually famished for so long, I lost the ability to hunger after God.

My turning point came when I realised what I was missing.

I noted in my journal,

‘I have come to realise that the real tragedy in the church is not spiritual famine: it is famine without hunger, dryness without thirst.’

2. PRAY FOR IT

Even the desire to seek God is a gift from Him (John 6:44).

When we pray for spiritual hunger, we are praying in accordance with God’s will. He wants us to be hungry for Him. (Matt 5:6). It is a prayer God loves to answer.

3. RECALL IT

Jesus told the Ephesian church, ‘You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen’ (Rev 2:4-5)

You can stir up a desire for God by remembering a time when you were pursuing God and experiencing intimacy in your life with Him.

Do you have books that you read at that time, worship you listened to, or letters or journals that you wrote in? These can be aids to help you recall what it felt like during that season.

4. CATCH IT

Spiritual hunger is contagious. Get around hungry people, or people who are further on in the journey than you. Study their books, listen to their messages, read their blogs.

Our friend James Anson wrote a blog post about having an ache in his heart for God. When I read it, it stirred the same sense of hunger in me.

5. HEAR IT

A new sound of worship can help impart hunger to you. When was the last time you heard fresh worship music that stirred your soul to worship and spend time with God?

These days, it is easy to purchase worship music through iTunes for a very small cost. A couple of songs from Rick Pino, ‘Your Love is Like’ and ‘My Romance’ have stirred the hunger in me recently.

6. ACT ON IT

‘Taste and see that the Lord is good.’ Ps 34:8
With the little sense of need that you have, pursue God. Like me, you will learn that the more you encounter His presence, the more you will want more.

And most amazing of all, you will discover that no matter how much you long for God, His desire for you is greater.

The maiden who sought her Beloved in Song of Solomon discovered this wonder:

I am my beloved’s, And his desire is toward me. (SOS 7:10)

Related posts:

Spiritual Renewal: How to Receive an impartation of the Holy Spirit

The River Returns: How to Be Refilled With The Holy Spirit When You Are Dry

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing

Have you noticed that there is an inbuilt curiosity and yearning in the heart of a prophetic person to reach out to God for the revelation of His plans and purposes?

This is especially true when we enter a new season, such as a New Year.

We want to see what the Father is seeing and hear what He is speaking. This is, of course, primarily because we want intimacy with Him. But it also helps us to

• Pray in agreement with God’s will
• Build up our faith, and
• Share His message of hope with others.

Last week, we looked at how to receive your own prophetic word for 2010. If you would like to develop your prophetic gift, here is a prophetic activation  exercise to start 2010 off with.

Use these questions to wait on the Lord for a powerful prophetic picture and word for yourself or for another person that you are praying for.

1. What (new) name is the Father calling me by, in reference to this coming season?

(Read Isaiah 62:2-4)

The Lord often calls forth His plans and purposes in us with a descriptive name. He named Abram, Abaham, ‘Father of many nations’ (Gen 17:5) while he was still childless. The angel of the Lord addressed Gideon as ‘Mighty warrior,’ though he was in hiding from the enemy (Judges 6:12)

We do not need to let the past define us, not even our recent history in 2009.

Ask the Lord for a name or description that is in keeping with your spiritual identity and calling for 2010 and beyond. As you agree with Jesus about who you are and what you are capable of, His word will bring transformation to your life and things of the past will begin to drop off you.

The second question is related to this:

2. What is the picture of me—in Jesus—that God is giving me, that will help prepare me to reach my highest potential in the coming year?

For Abraham, that was a vision of his descendents. For Gideon, the name the Lord gave him was evocative of leading others into battle and winning in warfare.

If you have a ‘seer’ prophetic gift and have an ability to perceive pictures, visions and dreams, this exercise will be easier for you. If not, or you are uncertain, you might find it simpler to ask the Lord for a Biblical character that you can identify with.

Here are some more questions that may help you:

A. What am I wearing?

Here are some Biblical examples of symbolic clothing:

• Joseph’s coat of many colours (Gen 37:3)
• Robe of righteousness (Is 61:10)
• Signet ring of authority (Esther 8:2)
• New mantle (Gen 41:42)
• Holding a sword (Eph 6:17)

There could also be a non-Biblical symbol or garment that has specific meaning to you.

B. What am I doing?

Some examples are:

• Witnessing in the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8)
• Stomping on the enemy (Luke 10:19)
• Dancing (Ps 30:11)
• Caring for hurting people (Luke 10:34)
• Resting (Ps 23:2)

(Hint: use a word ending in ‘ing’! Some other examples are: preaching, leading, enlisting, moving, and so on)

Some more questions you can ask as you seek God’s picture for your new season are:

C. What am I saying? (to people)

D What am I praying? (to God)

E. Where am I standing?

F. Who is with me?

And finally,

G. What is in my hand that God can use? (Exodus 4:2)

God has given us an imagination. As prophetic people let’s surrender it to Him and allow Him to anoint it for His use.

Once you have a picture from the Lord, use it to build your faith. Journal about it. Refer to it often and commit it to memory.

When you have the assurance of how God sees you, it can help dispel old identities and negative thinking. Belief will rise up in your heart and you will begin to walk in that God-given vision. For some of you, that may mean walking boldly, with Divine confidence. For others, it may mean simply relaxing into His plans and purposes for your life and experiencing peace, no matter what circumstances you are currently facing.

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Would you like to develop your prophetic gift?

Enter your email address in the subscribe box at the top 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

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

Articles Relating to Prophetic Activation:

Prophetic Word for 2010: How Your Can Receive Your Own Prophecy

Sharpen Your Prophetic Gift Through Journaling

Exercising Your Prophetic Gift Pt 2: How To Receive A Revelation From God

© Helen Calder    Enliven Publishing

The close of a year can be a time in which we review our responsibilities for the coming year. We have a window of opportunity in which to decide which roles to keep or take on in our church, ministry, or other activities outside of our personal and family life.

These are decisions that have eternal consequences.

Martha was a good woman who, along with her sister Mary, became a disciple of Jesus. Jesus valued their hospitality and their home became a place of refreshing that He made use of as He travelled in and out of Jerusalem (Luke 10:38, John 12:1-2).

One time, Martha invited Jesus into her home for dinner. But she became overloaded with her work preparing for the meal. To make matters worse, her sister Mary absconded from her kitchen duties and sat down to listen to Jesus’ teaching, leaving her to labour alone. Finally, the stress became too much for Martha to bear. She marched into the room where Jesus was speaking and ordered Him to tell Mary to help her.

Far from the response Martha was looking for, Jesus took the opportunity to point out that she, not Mary, was in the wrong. Her attitude of care and worry over all the details of serving was unnecessary, and Mary had made the better, lasting choice.

Many of us can identify with Martha. I can! Martha had lost the joy of serving Jesus and was hindered from spending quality time with Him.

What were some of the reasons Martha got into this stressful place, and we do today? Here are some potential traps we need to avoid as we make decisions regarding our life and ministry in 2010.

Trap #1: Maintaining High Standards

Perhaps Martha was preparing a 4 star meal, when Jesus and His friends would have been happy with much simpler fare. But Martha had a certain standard of hospitality in mind that she wanted to keep up. Maybe she had a reputation for quality hospitality that she wanted to live up to. That standard became a trap.

Prayerfully ask, ‘Are there any areas in my life or ministry that I am intent on maintaining a high standard could cause me stress? What is my motivation for this?

Ask, ‘What is the opportunity cost of meeting this high standard?’ What will I neglect by insisting that I meet my desired criteria? If the answer is, time to enjoy God, enjoy life, or enjoy your family, you may need to reduce your expectations or release the role.

Trap #2: Filling Gaps

Like Martha did, we can be tempted to fill any gaps left by other people. This is especially true when we have leadership responsibility. We want to provide a certain level of service and feel the ministry will fall over if we don’t step in.

Sometimes, others may place well-intentioned emotional pressure on us to fill a gap. If this is the case, stop! Step back and prayerfully ask yourself, family members and God if this is the right course for you to take.

Ask yourself, ‘What is the worst thing that can happen?’ Is this gap something I can trust God with, or am I trusting in my own efforts?

There may be other team members who will step into the void when it appears. They may not have the courage to do so until they see that their contribution is needed.

Even if this doesn’t happen, isn’t God’s grace big enough to make up the difference?

Realise that the worst thing that can REALLY happen is that you is that you fill the ministry gap and become stretched so thin you dry up, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically. Eventually the very thing you are working to keep will be lost to you.

Trap #3: Prioritising Service Above Relationship

Martha was so busy serving her guests that she didn’t take time to be with her guests. She had become so stressed that the most important part of hospitality, spending time WITH her Guest, was neglected.

Martha was conforming to a misguided value that serving Jesus by taking physical action is the most important thing a Christian can do.

Sometimes, like Martha, we embrace the same belief. This can arise out of urgency to meet a genuine need.

The dire circumstance of unreached people groups and lost people in our community heading towards a Christ-less eternity can become a driving force. For many years, my husband and I were involved in world missions. But many times we were in danger of neglecting personal and family issues as well as our personal relationship with Jesus.

More than once I have become so engaged in meeting needs until I had nothing left to give. I call this, ‘Christian service burnout.’

The presupposition is that our highest act of service to God is to offer all of our gifts, time and energy to the cause of Christ.

But is that really what Jesus wants?

Trap #4: Valuing Other People’s Opinions Above Our Devotional Life

Another trap we can fall into is to give way to the pressure of other people’s opinions or values. It is important to note that Mary did not allow Martha’s opinion to sway her from spending time with Jesus.

Be a Non-Conformist Like Mary

It takes courage not to conform to the expectations of others in our world—especially the opinions of other Christians! But we must have that courage if we will have Mary’s reward.

Watch out when your intention to release or bring focus to your ministry is resisted. It is understandable that you will be missed, but you are not irreplaceable.

As prophetic people, the greatest investment we can make into our relationship with God, our spiritual gifts and ministries is the personal time we spend with Jesus—our devotional life.

As you plan for 2010, will you value your relationship with Jesus above service?

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

Would you like to develop your prophetic gift?

Enter your email address in the subscribe box at the top 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

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

Related Posts:

Spiritual Renewal: Cafe Moments with God

The River Returns: How to be Filled With the Holy Spirit When you are Dry

© Helen Calder    Enliven Publishing

We can easily be intimidated when we hear a seasoned prophet bring a prophetic word. The flow and ease with which they speak, powerfully delivering a message from God seems supernatural.

We don’t know how we could ever be like that! It may be helpful to know that even mature prophets receive prophetic words the same way that we can—and it starts with receiving a simple revelation from God.

In Pt 1 of this series, we discussed 5 links in the process of prophecy:

1. We receive a revelation from the Holy Spirit

2. We assess the revelation and how to best communicate it in a prophetic message

3. We then deliver the prophecy to the person or group God is speaking to

4. The recipient(s) of the prophecy assess the message

5. The recipient(s) of the prophecy may or may not pray or take further action in response to the word.

Prophecy begins with receiving a revelation from the Holy Spirit.

The word ‘revelation’ in the New Testament Greek, apokalupsis, means ‘an uncovering,’ or disclosure. The Holy Spirit is showing us something that we could not know by natural means. He is revealing something supernaturally about the person, group or situation that we are praying about or ministering to.

A revelation can be a word of knowledge about something past or present, an encouraging outcome from a present circumstance, or illuminating God’s plans concerning the future. [A revelation may also contain a warning or a condition—however when you are first learning to prophesy, these are best submitted to leadership for oversight before delivery].

A revelation from God does not come externally; if you have been baptised in the Holy Spirit, He resides within you. As Jesus said,

‘“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit’ (John 7:38-39).

You receive a revelation from the Holy Spirit in your spirit, which is then imparted to your mind or through your physical senses.

Here are some ways in which a revelation can come to you:

• You are reminded of a Bible verse or story—or one is highlighted to you when you are reading the Bible*
• You ‘see’ a picture in your mind’s eye
• An idea or impression comes to mind
• You feel something emotionally or physically
• A word comes to mind or you ‘see’ a written word in your imagination

Other ways God can speak through revelation are:

• Dreams
• Waking visions (like a movie in your imagination)
• Something that you see physically is symbolic (for example, you are driving along and a sign impacts you. You realise that God is speaking through it, or you see a person who reminds you of someone else)
• He may also speak through another person

*Note that scripture is not only one of the primary ways that we receive revelation from the Holy Spirit, it is also the means of weighing up whether God is speaking to us and what He is saying. We will cover this in the next post.

There are many different ways that God can bring revelation to you when you are open to receiving it. Like a fingerprint, God’s way of speaking to and through you will be unique to you. In the Bible, we see that every prophet had his or her own flavour and style.

As you begin the journey of seeking for revelation from God, remember that he is your Heavenly Father; He wants to give good gifts to you and He wants to bless others through you too. Jesus said,

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11-13)

Receiving revelatory knowledge from the Holy Spirit is a first step in operating in the spiritual gift of prophecy. It can also be an important lead in to operating in other supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit such as discernment, word of knowledge, healing, deliverance and miracles.

Remember that receiving revelatory knowledge is a ministry tool and a helpful means of learning to hear from God for others and us; it should never become a quest in itself. Rather, we should hunger and thirst for God and make the Bible our primary source of instruction and wisdom.

In my next blog post, I will be looking at ‘How Can We Tell a Revelation is From God?’ From there, we will move on to how to interpret a revelation, and then explore some ways to deliver the prophetic message God has given to you.

If you have any more ideas of different ways of receiving revelation from the Holy Spirit, or an experience you would like to share, I would love to hear from you—leave a note in the comments below.

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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 to Exercise Your Prophetic Gift Pt 1: Understand the Process of Prophecy

How to Exercise Your Prophetic Gift Pt 3: How Can You Tell Your Revelation Is From God

© Helen Calder    Enliven Publishing

The Process of Prophecy

Prophecy is a gift of the Holy Spirit that is given by Jesus for the purpose of building the Church (1 Cor 12:10). A prophecy is a message from God that is given through a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit and has a prophetic gift.

Prophecy is one means that God uses to communicate His love and His purposes to people. Like any means of communication, it takes all of the parties’ cooperation for the message to be given and received as God intends it.

When we prophesy, we want to faithfully represent not only God’s message, but also His heart. We want to convey both His intended meaning and redemptive love for the person or group we are bringing the prophecy to.

Why Prophecy is Like a Chain

In my younger years, one of my schoolteachers sent a message by whispers around our class. By the time the message returned full circle to the teacher, it was not only scrambled, but it also meant something completely different to what the teacher originally intended. The ‘chain’ of the message became broken, not once, but many times before it reached its intended destination.

Similarly, the prophetic process is like links in a chain. Prophecy begins with a message or prompting from the Holy Spirit residing within us. We recognise and assess this revelation, decide how to frame the message, and deliver it. The person or group receiving the message then interprets its meaning in the light of their own paradigm—and then may or may not receive and act upon it.

Just as a chain with one broken link is useless for its purpose, if the prophetic communication breaks down in any one of these stages, it can detract from what God wants to do in the life of the person, church or group He is speaking to.

In spite of this weakness, Jesus entrusts us with His message, choosing to use imperfect human vessels, just as He does with other ministries such as preaching and teaching. God by His grace is able to take our imperfect communication and use it to transform lives through His love and power.

Some reasons it is helpful to understand this process are:

• Breaking the prophetic process into simple parts demystifies prophecy to someone who is starting out

• It aids prophetic activation and helps us to learn how to prophesy by focusing on one area at a time (e.g., in my next post, I will focus on how to receive a revelation from God)

• If we discover we are weak in one area of the communication process we can focus on becoming better (e.g., we may be great at receiving revelation, but need to grow in the area of how to deliver the message)

• It takes the pressure off the responsibility for the outcome when we understand our part in the process—and what is God’s, and what belongs to the recipient of the prophecy

• It helps us to grow in wisdom and sensitivity, not only to God, but also in understanding the communication needs of the person or group we are sharing with

Here is a brief description of each stage in the prophetic communication process:

1. Message Acquired (Revelation)

This is the prophetic message as it has been initially received. The Holy Spirit often speaks in a ‘seed’ form; such as a picture, scripture, word, feeling or dream.

Like a fingerprint, God’s way of speaking to and through you will be unique – just as we have unique personalities, learning styles and preferences. Throughout the Bible, prophets received revelation in many different ways.

2. Message Assessed  (Interpreted by person prophesying)

This is what you think the revelation you have received means and will determine whether you speak it and how you frame it.

At this stage, you are not only assessing the worthiness and source of the revelation (remember, this process may take a split second!), you may also be assessing the meaning. You are interpreting the revelation in the light of anything you know about the recipient’s needs. You are also interpreting the revelation in the light of what you know of God’s character, ways and word.

3. Message Announced (Delivery)

Delivery may include any way in which you bring the prophecy. Some Biblical examples include speaking, singing, writing or symbolic acts.

When starting out, you can bring the revelation as you receive it, i.e., simply share the picture, or pass on the word or impression. A maturing prophet who has grown in faith will use the revelation received to launch into prophecy, allowing the Spirit of God to direct the flow of words.

During delivery, you are framing your revelation from God (picture, word, impression, scripture or feeling) with words

Delivery also involves how you bring the message. It includes your style, the tone of your voice and your attitude as you give it. If you write a prophecy, this includes your writing style.

4. Message Assessed (Interpreted by Recipient)

This is what the recipient believes the message means and what they believe it applies to. They are listening to the message in the light of their past history, their present needs and their desires for the future, as well as their own unique perspective on God’s word and character.

5. Message Applied (Application by Recipient)

Once you have delivered the message, it is over to the recipient as to whether or not they will respond to it.

Prophecy is miraculous by nature—but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be taught, nurtured and grown to maturity as a gift. In the same way that gifts of teaching or leadership benefit from instruction, prophecy can too! In coming posts we will look at each part of this process in more depth.

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Would you like to develop your prophetic gift?

Enter your email address in the subscribe box at the top 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 To Develop Your Prophetic Gift Pt 1: Where to Begin

What Are Some Signs You Have a Prophetic Gift

and How to Exercise Your Prophetic Gift Pt 2: How To Receive a Revelation from God

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing

When we begin to develop our prophetic gift, it can be very daunting to step out for the first time.

We want to speak God’s message and share His heart and plans with people. However, we are faced with the certain fact that no matter how hard we pray, learn or try, we are never going to know or express God’s revelations perfectly (1 Cor 13:9,12).

It is true that the prophetic gift does sharpen and become more accurate with experience and Christian maturity. However, even mature, seasoned prophets in the church today are not infallible and do not get prophetic words 100% correct all the time.

To understand the Biblical basis for this, let’s take a quick look at the difference between prophetic ministry in the Old and New Testaments.

In the Old Testament, prophets were expected to speak the perfectly inspired word of God. Many of the Old Testament scriptures were either prophetic in nature or written by prophets (Heb 1:1). If prophets did not speak a word that proved true, they were condemned as ‘false prophets’ (Jer 14:14-16).

However the New Testament portrays prophetic ministry in the church very differently to this. Like other spiritual gifts, prophecy is not meant to be a stand-alone ministry in the church. It is incomplete without the added value of other gifts in the church body (1 Cor 12:12), and is subject to being tested and weighed up (1 Cor 14:29, 1 Thess 5:20-21).

Imagine what it would be like if a prophet prophesied perfectly all of the time, or if a particular teacher taught 100% perfect doctrine, or if someone with a gift of healing was able to heal every sick person they laid their hands on! We would be tempted to revere and rely on the gifted person, instead of depending upon God.

Instead, God in His wisdom has ordained that we use His spiritual gifts by faith (Rom 12:6), and in interdependence upon each other.

The person prophesying needs those who have gifts of discernment, leadership and wisdom to complete their contribution to the church. He or she also depends upon other prophets to supply more ‘pieces of the puzzle’ of God’s revelation (1 Cor 14:29-33). Prophetic ministry needs an environment of humility, cooperation and grace to operate as Jesus intended it to.

Here are some more amazing facts about New Testament prophetic ministry:

1. In the New Testament, the Lord has placed prophetic ministry within the reach of every believer.

It is on the heart of God that we be a prophetic people.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter said,

‘This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” (Acts 2:17-18)

Every Spirit-filled believer has the ability to prophesy. This scripture also tells us something about the prophetic language of the Holy Spirit: prophecies, dreams and visions. If this is the language of the Holy Spirit, then we need to know how to listen to and understand what He is saying.

2. In the New Testament, we see that there are different functions, or levels of prophecy in the church

Examples of these are:

• The ability to prophesy available to every Spirit-filled believer (Acts 2:17-18)
• A spiritual gift of prophecy. Note that Paul encourages all believers in the church to desire this gift (See 1 Cor 14:1,5,31)
• The office of the prophet in the context of the five-fold ministries (Eph 4:11)

Even within these ministries there is variation in strengths and styles of gifting. As you seek to grow your prophetic gifts, you will discover that God has a unique expression and arena for your ministry.

3. The New Testament reveals that there are many different arenas in which the gift of prophecy can be used.

Some of these are:

• Prophetic evangelism (John 1:47-51)
• Prophetic ministry in the church (1 Cor 14)
• Prophetic ministry to a church movement or across many churches (Acts 15:30-32)
• Prophetic ministry to a group, region or nation (Acts 11:28)

4. Our church is the environment that God has ordained for us to develop and share our gifts.

No matter what the arena or level of prophetic ministry you and I are called to, it is important that we be accountable to our church and church leaders and sent out from a local church (1 Cor 14, Acts 15:30-33). The basic guidelines applied in the Bible to New Testament prophetic ministry apply to us today.

As a prayer leader in a church, my desire is to provide a safe place to nurture and grow prophetic people in their ministry every step of the way. In our church, we provide a place where individuals who are growing in their prophetic gift can have a go, sometimes get it wrong, and try again. As my team pastors and equips people with prophetic gifts, we watch in wonder, as the miraculous message from God transforms the lives of both giver and receiver alike. For New Testament prophetic ministry is not a work of perfection, but of grace in community.

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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

****************************************************************************************
See also:

Signs that you have a Prophetic Gift

How to Develop Your Prophetic Gift

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing

There are at least 5 distinctive seasons in the growth of a prophetic gift in a person’s life. These are:

Desiring–>Emerging–>Developing–>Testing–>Maturing

Although I’ve portrayed these seasons sequentially, the reality is that you may go in and out of seasons more than once. For example, you may go through repeated periods of development and testing until you reach a maturing stage—and even then, you may go back through it again!

See if you can identify which season you are in, in relation to growing your prophetic gift:

1. Desiring (1 Cor 14:1)

You may have a growing interest and curiosity in the gift of prophecy. This can be an early indication of your giftedness.

Some signs you are in the desiring stage are:

• Curiosity about the prophetic gift
• An increased sense of hunger for God Himself
• Desire for the operation of the gift of prophecy in your life
• A felt need that you would like to see met by the use of the prophetic gift—e.g., praying for someone who needs guidance.

Don’t underestimate the importance of this stage. If you desire the gift of prophecy, it is likely to be an indication that you have a prophetic gift, especially if it is accompanied by early signs of the gift being operational in your life.

Even though this is a common season, it isn’t a necessary season—a prophetic gift can manifest at the time you are baptised in the Holy Spirit, or it can emerge suddenly without these early signs.

2. Emerging (Acts 2:4)

This is when your prophetic gift begins to manifest for the first time.

Some signs you are in the emerging stage are:

• You may have a season of heightened awareness of God’s presence
• You find you are praying prophetically
• You are receiving supernatural insights that could only come from God
• The exercise or your prophetic gift may be accompanied by unusual manifestations
• You may experience a ‘honeymoon period,’ during which you frequently use the gift
• On the other hand, there may be very few manifestations and your prophetic gift develops slowly over a period of time

There is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ in the Kingdom of God. We are all unique and different and the development and manifestations of our spiritual gifts will be unique to us. (1 Cor 12:4-6)

It is important that you don’t – at this or any other stage – believe that just because you’ve seen miracles happen through prophecies you have given that you have ‘got it all together.’

3. Developing (1 Tim 4:14-15)

Some signs you are in the developing stage are:

• You are receiving mentoring or training in prophetic ministry
• You may be reading or studying about the prophetic gift
• You are learning more than you have previously
• You are having regular opportunities to practice using the prophetic gift and are learning from these experiences

During the developing stage you are motivated to learn at a faster rate than other seasons and many opportunities for learning about how to exercise and grow in your prophetic gift seem to come your way.

4. Testing (Acts 9:28-30)

Some signs you are in the testing stage are:

• You enter a time of hardship in relation to your prophetic gift
• You may feel shut down and wonder where your gift has gone in this season and what God is doing.
• You find yourself longing for the ‘honeymoon period’ when the gift was new
• You get it wrong sometimes, or experience doubts.
• You will find yourself going through character-testing circumstances
• You may feel as though you are being criticised, blocked or resisted

It is important to recognise that God is at work during this period. He is refining both your character and your gift. How you respond in this season is very important.

For more about the testing phases, see Prophetic People in Testing Times: The Reason for the Season

5. Maturing (1 Cor 14:20)

I use the word, ‘maturing’ rather than ‘maturity,’ because a gift, like character, should always be in the process of being developed.

Some signs you are in the maturing stage are:

• You have undergone seasons of trial and testing and have experienced refining and restoration in your prophetic gift.
• Your prophetic gift is sharpening, whilst your character is softening
• You are increasingly aware that your prophetic ministry is imperfect and subject to testing and judgement
• Your prophetic insights are increasingly effective
• You are growing in love and sensitivity towards people in the use of your gift
• You are growing in wisdom; understanding the best context and approach to using your prophetic gift
• You are being used to help develop the gift in others through leadership, mentoring and training.

Note that these seasons of development not only apply to the gift of prophecy. You will recognise a similar pathway of development in other spiritual gifts such as intercession, discernment, healing, and leadership.

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

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:

How to Develop Your Prophetic Gift Pt 1:Where to Begin

What are Some Signs That You Have a Prophetic gift

Podcast Series: How to Overcome Blockages & Barriers to Growth in Your Prophetic Gift

© Helen Calder       Enliven Publishing

You believe you have a spiritual gift of prophecy (Rom 12:6)–the special ability given by the Holy Spirit to receive messages from God for yourself and others–but how and where do you start developing it?

Like any spiritual gift and skill, the gift of prophecy takes study, practice and training to develop to its fullest potential. We need to be intentional about developing the spiritual gifts God has invested in our lives. We have a responsibility to steward the gifts God has given us (2 Tim 1:6, 14).

In the New Testament, prophecy is nurtured and grown in the environment of church life (1 Cor 14). Within that, there are a number of contexts in which we can grow our prophetic gift. These are: privately, through mentoring, in small groups, in church life and in the wider Christian community.

1. Personal Development (Hab 2:1-3)

• When you’re having personal times of prayer, pause and ask God if He has something to show you or speak to you about the person or situation that you are praying for.

• Record your prophetic insights and experiences so that later on when confirmation or fulfilment takes place they will be a ‘marker’ of your growth

• The practice of journaling and hearing God speak to you personally through a scripture is a form of prophecy and will help you develop the gift.

• Reading good books about prophetic ministry can help you learn about your gift. Some good ones I have read are: ‘The Voice of God: How God Speaks Personally and Corporately to His Children Today’ by Cindy Jacobs, and ‘The Beginner’s Guide to the Gift of Prophecy’ by Jack Deere.

2. Mentoring (1 Kings 19:19-21)

• If possible look for a good mentor to help you grow in your prophetic journey. If a potential mentor is too busy to spend one-on-one time with you, you can still learn from them by assisting them and observing them.

• Sometimes a mentor will only be for a season, so be willing to release them and move on when you need to. The Lord will bring others across your path that will help you at different stages of your journey.

• A prophetic mentor should not only be gifted and anointed, but also be accountable and in good standing in a local church, having a supportive and encouraging attitude towards his or her church leaders.

3. Small Group

• The best way to develop the gift of prophecy is to start in a place and atmosphere where you can have a go with safe people that you trust

• You need to be free to try prophecy and be free to fail or feel foolish (we’re never as foolish-looking to others as we think we are when we’re beginning with prophecy)

• A small group may be a cell or home group, or small prayer meeting with others who know you or who are on the same journey.

Don’t feel that you have to be authoritative in your approach to a prophetic insight. You can begin by prefacing your message with words like,

• ‘I sense God is saying…’
• ‘Does _____ mean anything to you?
• ‘I’m getting a picture/word verse…’

4.  Church Life (1 Cor 12-14)

• Join a prophetic or prayer community or group in your church. Enquire as to the best way to submit a prophetic word to your leaders. It’s important to follow any protocols, and the accountability this provides will help you grow (1 Cor 14:26-33)

• Observe how others in your church community bring prophetic words, paying attention particularly to what is well received and brings blessing

• If there is a prophet or prophetic speaker coming to your church, make it a priority to get to the meetings. It’s amazing how much you can learn by observation and osmosis.

The Importance of Feedback (1 Cor 14:29)

You will grow faster in the gift if you can get feedback—as the saying goes, ‘feedback is the breakfast of champions.’ Feedback can come in the form of a response from the person or leader you have submitted a prophecy to, or by accountability to a mentor or leader. Inviting comment on your word takes courage but is well worthwhile.

5. Wider Christian Community

• Training sessions can be a great way to learn about prophecy. Look for training sessions where you can have a go (called ‘prophetic activation’), not just sit and listen

• Watch out for conferences on the theme of prophetic ministry or with a respected prophetic speaker that you can attend

• Advise leaders in your church if you are undergoing specialised training in a ministry area. This lets that know that you are working to increase your skill for service in the church. It also gives them the opportunity to give input if they have any concerns or questions about the ministry you are attending.

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

Would you like to develop your prophetic gift?

Enter your email address in the subscribe box at the top 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

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

Related Posts:

‘Signs You Have a Prophetic Gift’;

How to Develop Your Prophetic Gift Pt 2: Understand Your Season

How To Exercise Your Prophetic Gift Pt 1: Understanding the Process of Prophecy

Understanding How Prophetic Ministry Works in the Church Today

Podcast series: How to Overcome Blockages and Barriers to Growth in Your Prophetic Gift

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing.

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