Entries tagged with “Prophetic worship”.
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Tue 9 Apr 2013
During our early years of itinerant ministry in New Zealand, The Hunk and I often began with a song of praise or worship, accompanied by his acoustic guitar. [1] We sometimes used this to launch into a prophetic proclamation of God’s purposes over a church in song.
Prophetic praise and worship continues to be close to our hearts. I have recently been writing on the topic of prophetic worship, including:
7 Windows on Prophecy, Music and Worship in the Bible
There is a strong link in the Bible between prophecy, instrumentation, and worship.
Here are some glimpses of this from both Old and New Testaments:
1. In 1 Samuel 10, the Prophet Samuel gave these instructions to the young Saul: ‘…as you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying.’ (1 Sam 10:5)
The Spirit of God came upon Saul when he encountered the prophets, and God chose that moment to anoint him for his calling as King.
2. The Prophet Elisha valued musical accompaniment as a means of providing an environment for prophecy. The Bible tells us, ‘While the harpist was playing, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha and he said, “This is what the LORD says…”‘ (2 Kings 3:15-16)
3. King David formally instituted prophecy to musical accompaniment, along with praise and worship, in the Tabernacle of David. We read in Chronicles, ‘David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals.’ (1 Chron 25:1)
4. Many Psalms—not just those written by David—are prophecy set to music. In the Psalms, prophecy and praise or worship are frequently interchangeable. Many Psalms contain Messianic prophecy that is fulfilled in the life of Jesus. (See for example Psalm 16:10, Psalm 41:9, Psalm 34:20, Psalm 110)
5. The early church recognized that praise and worship comprised of different types of songs, including ‘songs of the Spirit.’
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul made reference to ‘psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.’ (Eph 5:19-20 and Col 3:16-17) The Greek words translated ‘spiritual songs’ are oide pneumatikos and could also be translated ‘songs of the Spirit.’ (See also 1 Cor 14:15) These songs could be prophetic in nature, as well as spiritual songs of praise to God.
6. In providing instructions concerning a Church service, Paul anticipated that the meeting would include songs and prophecy, as well as teaching and instruction. (1 Cor 14:26)
7. In Rev 11:16-18, we read of throne room worship that included prophetic proclamation of what God was about to do.
Notes:
[1] Here’s a random piece of information for guitar lovers out there. Malcolm’s guitar is an American-made Guild D25 arch back, with mahogany sides and back, and a spruce top. It is over 30 years old (purchased during our dating years) and sounds as rich now as it has always done.
Can you think of some other times the Bible links prophecy and worship together? Or do you have a thought or testimony you would like to share about prophetic worship? Share it with us in the comments section of this article. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.
© Helen Calder Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching
On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church
Did you receive this from a friend? Read more from Enliven Blog or sign to receive our weekly prophetic teaching updates at http://enlivenpublishing.com/blog
Tue 19 Mar 2013
Do you want to hear God’s purposes for your life and ministry, or receive a fresh infilling of His Spirit? Do you desire to encounter God and know Him more?
Prophetic worship is one way that you can have a face-to-face meeting with God—or provide a means for others to encounter Him. ‘Prophetic praise and worship enables God’s message to be brought, or His purpose to be accomplished, in a worship setting.’ [1]
Here are 6 benefits of prophetic worship, followed with some ways that you can put this into practice in your personal life with God.
6 Benefits of Prophetic Praise and Worship
1. Facilitates God Encounters.
God created us for face-to-face relationship with Him.
Our worship honours God and brings Him pleasure. However, if we view worship as being solely a one-way giving of our love and adoration to Jesus, we have not attained the highest purpose of worship.
God’s desire has always been to commune with His people. Prophetic worship enables the Father’s voice to be heard, His heartbeat to be felt, and His purpose to be accomplished.
When we encounter God in a time of prophetic worship, we are transformed and brought closer to Him. We leave that place knowing that God has touched our lives personally and that we will never be the same again.
2. It Enables us to Receive an Impartation from God
When we are yielded to Jesus in an attitude of love and worship, we are more receptive and open to Him than at any other time.
‘Impartation’ means a release of God’s power into our lives. This can be an infilling of His Holy Spirit, or a specific attribute of His nature; for example, He may desire to infuse us with peace, strength or faith.
We can have an expectation that as God leads us in praise and worship, we and others will be healed and set free from oppression. Psalm 107:20 says, ‘He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.’
The young David was employed by Saul to play the lyre. As David played, the anointing of God on his music caused the demonic oppression to lift from Saul. (1 Sam 16:14-23)
3. It Breaks open the Atmosphere for God to Move
We know that an open Heaven is our inheritance. However, there are times when we have to contend for it, whether in our personal lives or in the Church.
This is where prophetic praise is especially helpful.
Praise is prophetic when it is directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s ‘now’ purpose for our lives or a particular meeting.
Prophetic praise is the Spirit-led proclamation of who God is, of His attributes, of what He has done and what He will accomplish.
Prophetic praise penetrates the atmosphere and pushes back oppression, apathy, fear or any other effects of spiritual warfare. (See 2 Chron 20, Psalm 149:5,9)
4. It Prepares Our Hearts for God’s Word
Prophetic worship is, at its foundational level, Spirit-directed and Spirit-empowered worship. (John 4:23-24)
During a time of prophetic worship, the Holy Spirit has begun to speak to us and our hearts are opened towards God.
When the preaching or personal study of God’s Word accompanies or follows prophetic worship, the two merge together and a continuum of inspiration from the Holy Spirit takes place.
5. We can Receive a Prophetic Message from God
In prophetic worship, God uses a song, instrumentation or other prophetic communication to speak His purpose into our lives—and that word has creative ability. Your Father may have a specific word of encouragement or instruction for you to receive.
Whether personally, or corporately in a meeting, prophetic worship provides both the expectation and the opportunity for God to speak to us. (1 Cor 14:26)
6. Ii is Powerful When Specific Breakthrough is Needed
Prophetic praise celebrates the fulfilment of God’s promises before they are manifested in the natural realm. Prophetic praise is one vehicle that God uses to release His power and bring about His purposes in our lives and in the Church.
We see examples of the power of prophetic praise in the Bible.
King Jehoshaphat sent singers and musicians out ahead of his army to celebrate the victory God had promised through His prophet. The battle was won as God routed the armies in front of the praisers. (2 Chron 20)
A song of prophetic praise was also significant to releasing God’s provision (Num 21:17-18), transforming barrenness into fruitfulness (Isaiah 54:1-3) and overcoming obstacles and persecution. (Acts 16)
How to Incorporate Prophetic Worship into your Personal Life
Last week I looked at prophetic worship in the Church setting. However we can also use prophetic worship in our personal life with God.
Note that any prophetic revelation (beyond general encouragement) received during personal times of worship need to be weighed up and followed through with leadership.[2]
1. ‘Soaking’ worship means positioning ourselves before God in a dual attitude of worship and of receiving or hearing from Him. As we yield to His Spirit, He fills us, empowers us and speaks to us.
Discover the unique way of connecting with God that suits you—for example, finding a quiet place accompanied by a worship CD, or walking outdoors in an attitude of worship and receiving. The key is to take time and to be intentional.
2. Develop a playlist of songs that are God’s ‘now’ encouragement for you personally, and listen to them regularly.
3. If you are a musician, take time with your instrument to worship God without a practice agenda. As you do, wait on Him for fresh inspiration, believe He is filling you with His Spirit, and allow Him to fill your heart and mind with the Father’s personal message to you and others.
4. When attending a worship gathering with others, enter in wholeheartedly and with the expectation that you will personally meet with God and receive All He has for you.
Notes:
[1] See my previous post, ‘A Vision for Prophetic Worship in Church Life.’
[2] See ‘The Power of Prophetic Accountability.’
Related Posts:
How Your Prophetic Song Can Release the Power of God
A Vision for Prophetic Worship in Church Life
An Open Heaven is Your Inheritance
Do you have any thoughts about the benefits of prophetic worship, or stories of how you have been personally impacted? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.
© Helen Calder Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching
On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church
Did you receive this from a friend? Read more from Enliven Blog or sign to receive our weekly prophetic teaching updates at http://enlivenpublishing.com/blog
Tue 12 Mar 2013
Of all the ministries I have participated in, prophetic worship is one that is very close to my heart.
I believe God is calling His Church to greater intimacy. It is time to revisit what prophetic praise and worship means, and to break it loose from limitations and stereotypes that have held us back from fully encountering Him in worship.
What is Prophetic Worship?
In prophecy, the Father’s mind, will and intention is communicated and we learn what is on His heart.
Prophetic praise and worship enables God’s message to be brought, or His purpose to be accomplished, in a worship setting. This may include a church service, but could also take place as one, a few, or many come before God in worship.
Prophetic worship could be seen as a Divine conversation. On our part, we are honouring and adoring God, whilst He in turn is breathing His purposes into our hearts and lives, and the life of our church.
Prophetic Worship—a Meeting Place
Many people consider that the ultimate purpose of worship is a one-way giving of our praise, love and adoration to God.
And yet God’s highest purpose for worship is encounter. He desires to meet with, and commune with His children. An early place of established worship was the Tabernacle of Moses. God referred to it as ‘the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you.’ (Exodus 30:36)
Today, God is saying, ‘I want to meet with you. I want to commune with you. Will you take time to encounter Me and hear My voice?’
Breaking Prophetic Worship out of the Box
Many people think of prophetic worship in the Church environment is dependent upon having:
- Lengthy, unstructured times of praise and worship
- Prophetically gifted team members and
- The ability to bring extemporaneous (impromptu) songs, instrumental chord progressions, etc.
And whilst this is one way in which prophetic worship can be facilitated, we need to remember that the Holy Spirit is not limited by style or culture. Following are some ways in which prophetic praise and worship can be incorporated into church life:
1. Spontaneously or Ahead of Time
A time of praise and worship can be directed by the Holy Spirit in the moment, as the leader or individuals within a worship team have the liberty to express what God may be saying saying, or where He is leading. However it is just as prophetic when a worship leader prays ahead of time and seeks God for what is on His heart for the Church or individuals on the day.
2. By Song or Instrumentation
A song can be prophetic, and has the benefit of conveying God’s intention through language. However instrumentation can also be prophetic and is a Biblical means of conveying God’s heartbeat or purpose from His Spirit directly to our hearts. [1]
3. In the Choice of Songs
A song list, or individual choice of songs can be prophetic—affirming what God is doing in the lives of individuals or in the Church on the day, in the moment, or during a season.
For example, if there has been a significant prophetic word brought to the Church that has been affirmed by the leadership, this can also be reflected in song. Or the church leadership may have a God-given vision, which is incorporated into the choice of songs that are being used in Church life in a given season.
4. Prophetic Songwriting
New songs have the potential to be like new wineskins, containing the fresh anointing of what God is doing.
This is where prophetic songwriting (writing songs that reflect either God’s ‘Now’ purpose or a future prophetic vision) can be a blessing to a Church, whether individually, in a movement, or even globally.
5. Other Media used to Convey a Prophetic Insight
Prophetic worship can utilise songs and instruments. But there are many more means that the Holy Spirit can use during a time of praise and worship to express the Father’s purposes.
Remember that these do not have to be spontaneous—they can be prayerfully organised prior to a meeting:
- A spoken prophetic prayer or exhortation,
- A Scripture
- Prophetic poetry
- Dance or drama that expresses Father’s purpose for the meeting, the Church or individuals
- Unusual instrumentation (any instrument not regularly used in our particular setting, e.g shofar)
- Prophetic art
- Multi-media can also contain prophetic elements
6. In the Context of Evangelism
‘But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”’ (1 Cor 14:24-25)
Prophetic worship is not just for Christians. Encountering the heart of God in a worship service can have a life-changing impact on someone who does not yet know Jesus.
Prophetic worship is relevant to every church setting, whether structured or unstructured, time-constrained or open-ended, whether one instrument or vocalist, or many.We need to break prophetic praise and worship out of the box and be open to the many ways that Holy Spirit can lead us.
In upcoming posts, I will be considering
- Examples of prophetic worship in the Bible
- The power of prophetic praise and worship and what it can accomplish in a meeting
- How to evaluate a prophetic contribution (prophetic accountability) in a church worship setting
Notes:
[1] I will be sharing more about prophetic instrumentation in a future article.
[2] For more on prophetic art, see my posts in the Prophetic Art Category
Related Posts:
How Your Prophetic Song Can Release the Power of God
Prophetic Ministry in Church Life: 3 Non-Negotiables
What is Prophetic Art?
Do you have more ideas of different ways that prophetic can be brought into worship, or an experience to share? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.
© Helen Calder Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching
On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church
Did you receive this from a friend? Read more from Enliven Blog or sign to receive our weekly prophetic teaching updates at http://enlivenpublishing.com/blog
Tue 28 Dec 2010
Now that Christmas is behind us, the thoughts of many of us are turning to the New Year.
- What lies ahead for us?
- What are God’s plans for our lives in the coming year?
- What promises does our Heavenly Father want us to lay hold of?
Many people are looking for prophecies for the coming year. They want to know what the prophets are saying.
Like them, you may be searching for that special word from God that your heart connects with; a prophecy that His personal message for your own situation.
Reading prophecies from others can be encouraging—but there is something even better available to you and me. We can hear God’s voice for ourselves [John 10:4-5].
I am going to share some keys on how to receive a word of encouragement for you directly from God for the coming year.
But first, here are some personal stories to let you know how powerful even a simple and straightforward word can be.
A Word From God can Change Your Life
One regular visitor to our church office this past year brought me a great deal of joy. It was Brian—a retired, single man whose life has been transformed by a word from God.
As 2009 drew to a close, Brian’s life was the same is it had been for a long time. He describes it now as a life characterised by sadness. Brian found himself unable to stop continually dwelling on hurts and pain from the past.
Reading the book ‘The Shack’ at around this time gave Brian hope that his life could be different. A word came to him: it was ‘Freedom.’
Then one of our prayer leaders gave Brian a printed copy of my blog post on how to receive a personal word from God for the year 2010. At the top of the page was a space that read, “2010: Year of ______ “
One Sunday at church, our pastor’s message brought life to Brian’s soul. He responded to God and heard the Father speak personally to him, ‘I will set you free.’ From that moment, Brian was powerfully delivered.
He then wrote on the blog article, ‘2010, Year of Freedom.’
During the following months, Brian would often bring in the printed blog post and show me the words ‘Year Of Freedom’ along with a growing list of scriptures he added to the page in his own handwriting.
God’s Word was building his faith, enabling Brian to continue in the victory Jesus purchased for him on the cross.
A Word From God Can Herald Breakthrough
Late in 2009, I was participating in a prophetic worship night at our church, when I had a vision.
I saw myself smashing down a massive plate of glass that had a nice, smiling, but superficial image of me on the front. Behind the glass, another, real, ‘me’ was waiting to break out: a warrior and leader, who would call people to serve Jesus and join His army.
At that moment, to my amazement, a team member took the microphone and sang a prophetic song of the Lord calling His people to war.
Realising that the act of smashing down was symbolic of repentance, I took time to repent of projecting an image of myself that I felt would make me acceptable to people and to God. This image was an idol, standing in the way of being all that my Father had created me to be. It was keeping me trapped in a lifestyle of performance. [1]
As 2010 approached, I was praying about God’s purposes for the coming year and the vision kept coming to mind, along with the words, ‘Break Out.’
I felt that God’s word for me was that 2010 would be a ‘Year of Breaking Out.’
The Hunk felt that God was saying something similar to him.
‘Breaking Out’ proved true for us on many fronts. We broke through some stuck places spiritually, as a couple, and in our finances. New ministry opportunities began to emerge for me personally.
A Word From God Can Sustain Us in Times of Trial
But the fulfilment of God’s word is not always comfortable.
In May 2010, ‘Breaking Out’ was to prove painful as I felt that God was leading me to lay down a ministry leadership role.
I shared this with mentors and leaders in my church, who confirmed this guidance was from the Lord. The anointing of the Holy Spirit was evident in the decision and in the handover to a new leader.
For a short time, I felt lost. I knew I had broken out into a new place, but had no way of defining what that was. Knowing that God ordained my ‘Breaking Out’ helped me to trust Him for my future.
It was not long before the Holy Spirit revealed the Father’s plan. As I enter 2011, an exciting new door of ministry is opening to me. [2]
How You Can Receive Your Own Word From God for the New Year
Here are some simple steps to waiting on God for a personal word for the coming year. Of course, you can receive a lot more than a single word—however, I have found that encapsulating God’s message for your year in one or two words can help you remember and focus on His purpose for you throughout the year.
1. Pray and ask your Father to give a word concerning His promise and plans for your coming year
There are many ways in which you might receive a revelation. He might speak through a through, scripture, a picture, an idea or some other way [3]
2. Pray and ask the Lord for any further insights about the word.
I like to look the word up in a dictionary or thesaurus to clarify the meaning, as well as pray and seek out scriptures that reinforce what God is saying
3. If the word goes beyond simple encouragement and compels you towards action or change, remember that principles of interpretation and accountability apply to the word [4]
What you can do with your word
1. Write down or journal about how you received the word and what it means to you.
2. Share it with those around your life who can rejoice with you when it is fulfilled and encourage you on when times get tough
3. Keep it in front of you throughout the year.
4. Review the word and its outcome at the year’s end. As I have done, you can reflect upon what God has done in your life throughout the year and how the prophetic word has been fulfilled.
Would you like to share your own experiences or word from God? Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.
Notes:
For further prophetic inspiration for 2011 see my post, 2011 Can Be A Year Of Visitation From God
[1] If my thoughts about performance resonated with you, the following post may be helpful:
No Longer An Orphan: How I Discovered The Father’s Love
[2] I will be announcing this in a few weeks time. It’s very exciting… Stay tuned!
[3] For more about this topic, check the following post:
How To Receive A Revelation From God
[4] As I did in the above story, I advise submitting what appears to be a directive word, or guidance, to your church oversight. For more about how to determine whether a word is of God, the following posts may help:
4 Things You Can Do With Your Personal Prophecy
How Can You Tell If A Personal Prophecy Or A Dream Interpretation Is From God?
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© Helen Calder 2010 Enliven Publishing
http://enlivenpublishing.com/blog/
Now on team with David McCracken Ministries
