• Why identify spiritual gifts?
• Are spiritual gifts given permanently to Christians, or are they given as needed for the duration of a ministry assignment?
• What are the benefits and limitations of spiritual gift questionnaires, or should they be used at all?
• Can we receive new spiritual gifts if we have been Christians for a long time?

These are some of the questions we look at today as I continue my discussion with Charlie Forrest*, a pastor from Auckland, New Zealand. Charlie’s comments are in blue italics, followed by my own responses.

Would you like to add your own thoughts to this conversation? Feel free to join us in the comments section of this post. (If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down).

Charlie:You talk about identifying [spiritual] gifts, I understand what you are saying but for me my whole understanding in this area has changed, I would be interested in your comments on this.
I believe that the gifts lists given in the Bible are lists of examples, not the complete list, there are a far greater range of gifts than listed

Charlie, I agree with you that the gifts lists given in the New Testament are not meant to be a complete list of gifts available to Christians [1]:

• Each of Paul’s lists in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, for example, have some gifts that are not included in the other of the two passages
• Different gifts are also hinted at by Paul in other places (1 Cor 7:7, 1 Cor 13:3)
• In another passage, Peter avoids lists altogether and broadly divides gifts between speaking and serving gifts. (1 Peter 4:10-11)

Many Christian leaders today concur with this, including other gifts such as worship, creative ministries, and intercession in gift analyses, even though these are not specifically listed as gifts in the New Testament.

Charlie:The context in Corinthians is not about teaching about the gifts themselves but the right usage of them, so Paul gives some examples and explains the usage of them.

Yes, this is a great point.

Identifying spiritual gifts through questionnaires and assessments has become very popular in many Christian circles today. **Are you in disagreement with this practice, Charlie, or just noting its drawbacks?

I personally endorse the practice of identifying spiritual gifts. However, I believe there are significant limitations that we should take into account. For example:

Benefits of Identifying Spiritual Gifts

• Honours the ministry of the Holy Spirit and His gifts
• Helps Christians become aware of and learn about spiritual gifts
• Encourages us to be good stewards of the particular gifts God has invested in us
• Assists leaders in releasing people into service in the church, i.e. ministry placement (especially in larger churches)
• Helps bring direction to Christians who do not have clear guidance about a suitable next step in where to serve in their church or in ministry
• Provides appreciation for others’ gifts and how we function together as a church body

Limitations of Identifying Spiritual Gifts

• No questionnaire could cover every possible spiritual gift—and could potentially stifle the creativity of the Spirit if we use a closed approach
• Does not identify gifts that have not yet emerged
• Most gift analyses do not make an allowance for gifts that are present but are not currently being used in a ministry environment
• Tends to be outcome-focused on ministry placement in the church—however, our Spirit-empowered gifts should also be utilised in our everyday lives and in evangelism

I believe if we took these issues into account we could greatly increase our effectiveness in identifying and releasing spiritual gifts.

Charlie:Secondly the Lord will release whatever gift we need according to the circumstances we are in if we are open to Him to do that.
For example I did not feel I was an evangelist, therefore when in India I always looked for others to preach the evangelistic message. Last time the Lord rebuked me on this and said, when you stand to speak I will release that anointing and gift, and He did. Since then I have seen this in a number of situations, He releases what is needed.

So true, Charlie! I agree. Obedience to the Holy Spirit always takes precedence over our own preconceived ideas of what spiritual gift we may or may not have. God anoints obedience.

I also agree that God can and will release a gift to us at a time when it is needed—whether momentarily, or for a longer season of time when we have a ministry assignment. I have experienced this myself.

Charlie:The gifts are the gifts of the Holy Spirit, belonging to Him. As we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, he gives what is needed. Yes we will be more use to operating in some gifts than others, maybe a core gift mix, but maybe that is because of experience or faith to use them.
How many people are open to the Lord to continually release new gifts into their lives? Or do we limit ourselves to what we have and become comfortable in them?

These are all great points, Charlie. There is a lot to be said about gift-mixes, which I will leave for another time.

Overall, your questions highlight two contrasting perspectives that I noticed when I was researching the topic of spiritual gifts for my book, ‘Grow Your Prophetic And Prayer Gifts’:

• The viewpoint that spiritual gifts are invested permanently into a Christian believer (predominant in Charismatic/Pentecostal circles)

• The belief that gifts are released as and when needed for God-given assignments (ministries or callings)

Personally, I agree with aspects of both these perspectives. (It reminds me of the question, ‘Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?’) I do believe that gifts are invested in a Christian, like a kind of spiritual DNA, and that these are related to our calling.

‘For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ (Eph 2:10)

However, I also believe, that gifts can emerge throughout our lives. Charlie, I totally agree with you that we should be open to receive (or should that be, ‘unwrap’) new gifts throughout our Christian walk. I had been a Spirit-filled Christian for more than 17 years when a gift of intercession manifested strongly in my life for the first time.

We will continue the discussion in the comments section, but before we do, I would like to share this reflection from my book, ‘Grow Your Prophetic And Prayer Gifts.’

‘When the Apostle Paul—then Saul—became a believer, Jesus spoke to him about his call. His gift of teaching and preaching was evident from the outset of his conversion (see Acts 9:3-22). Years later, he was still ministering as a teacher at the church in Antioch when the church leaders heard from God that it was time to send him and Barnabas out from the church as missionaries. We see at this time gifts of evangelism and miracles, along with the ministry of apostle, emerging in Paul’s life. His first recorded miraculous sign is in Acts 13:8-11. It is not until later, in Acts 19, we read of many ‘extraordinary miracles’ of healing being worked through Paul.

Gift emergence and development happened progressively in Paul’s life and it will happen that way in ours too.’

For more information on the development of spiritual gifts, check out my e-book, ‘Grow Your Prophetic And Prayer Gifts’ by clicking on this link.

The following resources I found especially helpful in my studies on spiritual gifts:

BUGBEE, B. What You Do Best In The Body of Christ. 1995, 2005. Grand Rapids:  Zondervan.

GRUDEM, W.  Systematic Theology.  1994.  Nottingham: Inter-Varsity.

WAGNER, C.P. Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow 2005. Ventura: Regal Books.

A Dialogue On Prophecy And Intimacy With God

God’s Multi-Layered Gift: Salvation, Holy Spirit Baptism, Spiritual Gifts And You

How To Overcome Blockages In Your Prophetic Gift: Identify Your Season

© Helen Calder  2010   Enliven Publishing

I am currently preparing to go to Sydney for a ‘School of Healing and Impartation’ with Bill Johnson and Randy Clark.

It’s a funny thing, that there are ‘Schools of the Prophets’, ‘Prophetic Conferences,’ ‘Healing Schools,’ and so on. But whoever heard of a discernment conference? There are books a-plenty on the topics of healing and prophecy—but few on the topic of discernment.

When I first started to navigate my way through the mysteries of encountering the spiritual realm, I had few resources to help me. It seemed that I had ‘marched off the map.’ I did have some prophetic mentors, but not all of the advice I received was healthy. For the most part, I was alone.

Over the next few posts I am going to discuss how to grow in and exercise the gift of discernment—an area I am still learning about. If you have some thoughts and experiences you would like to share, I would love to hear from you in the comments section. If the comment box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

Seeing How the Father Sees

Discernment of spirits is the Spirit-given ability to distinguish whether Divine, human or demonic origins are the source of what is presented—whether it be in an atmosphere, encounter, event, or prophetic message.

Our goal in discernment is twofold: firstly, to see what the Father would have us see, and secondly, to communicate that in such a way that we represent His viewpoint as closely as possible.

When He shows us something—even if it is demonic in nature, it is because He has a purpose for us in revealing it. His heart is always to redeem and restore people and for His church to be purified and made holy (Eph 5:25-27).

Whatever I perceive in the spiritual realm, I do not want my impression or communication to be coloured by my own viewpoint, prejudices or fears. This is a danger common to all who have the gift of discernment of spirits, and one that I have struggled with continually. [1]

The Discerners Heart

‘In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself… he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.’ 2 Tim 2:20-21

I have come to realise that the most important thing, as I seek to grow in the gift of discernment, is to prepare and guard my heart, and to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in cleansing myself from those things that endanger the clarity and purity of His gift in my life.

Here are some qualities to seek after if you would like to grow in the spiritual gift of discernment:

1. Love for God

We need to have a passion for God and His intimate Presence. As I have said, the highest use of the gift of discernment is not to see what the enemy is doing, but to discern what the Spirit of God is doing.

When we love Him, we will desire to know His heart and to faithfully represent Him in the expression of our gift.

2. Love for People

There is a reason why 1 Corinthians 13—the love chapter—is sandwiched between Paul’s two chapters on spiritual gifts.

I realise now that it is vital I do not jump to conclusions about a person, situation or anything based on my perceived discernment without first moving into Jesus’ position of love.

When I step into judgement, I inevitably get it wrong. I grieve over times in the past when I have formed opinions about people based on ‘discernment’ and missed Divine appointments.

Love for people will also keep us in Christian community. Our gifts were never meant to operate in isolation but in the environment of a local church (1 Cor 12-14).

3. Faith.

I want to learn to respond in faith and not fear, no matter what I perceive taking place in the spiritual realm.

It is important for us to always look for God’s positive outcome, not just to focus on the negative. God’s plan is to overturn every strategy of the enemy! I want to grow in faith and to place increasing value on looking for His redemptive purposes in the things He allows me to see.

4. Humility ( Teachability)

I have learned to be open to being adjusted about my discernment and to present and release my insights with ‘no strings attached.’

We will not always have similarly-gifted people around us to guide us in our gift. Pastors and leaders who do not have the gift of discernment themselves may be leading us.

As with other prophetic ministry, our leaders will not always respond to or act upon our revelations. God has graced them with the ability to see the bigger picture and we need to trust Him—and our leadership—in their response.

Even when we have been misunderstood or unfairly treated, it is important to keep a right heart attitude. I know that these are the times that I have learned and grown the most in my gift and character.

4. Wisdom (Balance)

All revelationary gifts need to be balanced with wisdom. Wisdom instructs us how to share what we are receiving, and also when to share, or when to hold back and pray.

People who are ‘flaky’ in their gifts are usually those who do have a gift of discernment, but have not developed the wisdom to use and communicate the gift properly (another reason is not receiving instruction on how to operate in the ministry in a way that honours God and people).

5. Purity (Wholeness)

The things that cloud my discernment often relate to areas of past hurts or circumstances that I have not responded well to. I want to grow in wholeness, so that old fears, temptations, judgments and wrong beliefs lose their hold on me (Eph 4:22-24).

The degree to which I can see clearly, and be sensitive to how the Holy Spirit would have me respond, is the degree to which I become more like Jesus—having cooperated with His Spirit in experiencing restoration in my heart.

I am still a long way from seeing what God sees, and perceiving how He sees, but my desire is to draw ever closer to that place when I am reflecting Him in my heart, thoughts, life and gifts—and that includes the gift of discernment.

Now, gotta go pack my suitcase…..

[1] This is one reason why, as in all revelatory gifts, it is vital that whatever we perceive is given to the opportunity to be assessed by others who are leaders or mature in the gift of discernment. As Paul said, “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”  2 Cor 13:1-2

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

Related Posts:

8 Signs You May Have The Gift Of Discernment

Hunger For God: 6 Ways You Can Stir It Up

©  Helen Calder   2010   Enliven Publishing

In the early days of our ministry, the Hunk and I would often travel and stay in many places in Asia and throughout New Zealand. It seemed that no matter where we were, my intrepid husband could sail through any situation, but it was a different story for me.

• Staying in a place in Asia where strange spirits were worshipped? I would encounter them in my dreams.
• Ministering in a region or church where there were trials or strongholds? I felt them acutely.

We were often led to wage spiritual warfare or intercede through my sensitivity to the spiritual realm.

The gift of discernment of spirits is the one spiritual gift that has continually presented the most difficulties and challenges to me personally.

Because of my journey, I would like to share what I have learned with others. This article is the first of a series of three articles in which I will cover:

1.      Signs you may have the gift of discernment,
2.      How to grow in the gift of discernment and
3.      How to exercise the gift of discernment in the context of church life

What is the Gift of Discernment?

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good… to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits…All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Cor 12:7-11)

Discernment of spirits is a gift of the Holy Spirit given to some Christian believers. It is a Spirit-given ability to distinguish whether Divine, human or demonic origins are the source of what is presented—whether it be in an atmosphere, encounter, event, or prophetic message.

What are Some Signs You May Have the Gift of Discernment?

Following are some signs that you may have the spiritual gift of discernment, from my personal study, observation and experience. You may not identify with all of them, but if you do have the gift, you will recognise some of these in your life:

1. Desire for the Gift

As with other spiritual gifts, desire is often the first sign of a gift of discernment of spirits (1 Cor 14:1).

• You may have a longing to see people set free from demonic bondage.
• You may want to be more effective in prayer and spiritual warfare
• You may have a desire for holiness
• You may simply be curious about the spiritual realm.

2. Love for God’s Presence

One of the benefits of having a gift of discernment of spirits is a heightened awareness of God’s Presence and anointing. A true discerner will have a passion for the un-grieved Presence of the Holy Spirit.

This is because—and I will continually reiterate this—the highest use of the gift of discernment is not to see what the enemy is doing, but to discern what the Spirit of God is doing.

3. Sensitivity to the Spiritual Atmosphere

You may be more sensitive to spiritual atmospheres than most other people. In the early stages of developing the gift, you may be affected adversely by the presence of any demonic activity in the environment around you.

The reality is that we live in a natural world and a spiritual world concurrently. In the Bible, when Jacob came across a group of angels, he named that place Mahanaim, meaning ‘double camp.’  (Gen 32:1-2)

Like Jacob realised, we also live in a double camp where there is constant spiritual activity, and discerners have spiritual senses that are attuned to this.

4. Feeling Different from Other People

Most people, even in church life, experience life through their natural senses. However, someone with an emerging gift of discernment of spirits can see and sense things that others do not see.

This ability can result in us feeling different, lonely or misunderstood at times, especially when starting out. It is vital that someone with a developing gift of discernment finds a safe place to journey with others who are similarly gifted and accountable in the life of their church.

5. Unusual Signs

It is not uncommon for someone who is gifted in discernment to experience unusual events or manifestations.

People who are incubating a discernment gift begin to see or feel things that others are not aware of. This may include unusual visions, dreams and sensations that alert them to what is happening in the spiritual realm.

6. Childhood or Pre-Salvation Signs

It is not uncommon to experience things relating to your gift even before becoming a Christian. Our creator-God prepares us for our calling and gifts from conception. Even when a talent or gift is misused, God can redeem it and anoint it for His use to serve Him and love and minister to others.

As a child I ‘saw’ things in the night and as a teenager was sensitive to the spiritual realm, sometimes encountering demonic spirits in my room or dreams. Later, as a fully committed Christian, God redeemed this spiritual sensitivity as a gift of discernment. I know Christians who have a gift of discernment who were drawn to New Age counterfeit gifts prior to becoming a Christian.

7. Ability to Know What Lies Behind a Person’s Words or Actions

Someone with a gift of discernment has the ability to see behind what a person is saying and presenting. You may know whether they are telling the truth or not. You may also recognise if someone is manifesting a demonic spirit and be able to identify what that spirit is.

If a prophetic or revelatory message is brought, a discerner can often tell whether it is anointed of the Spirit or from the speaker’s own heart.

This is not always the case, and as with other revelatory gifts such as prophecy, you will sometimes get it wrong or have incomplete discernment (1 Thess 5:19-21, 1 Cor 13:9-10)

8. Confirmation by Others and Leaders

You may have the gift confirmed through a prophecy given to you. My gift of discernment was identified through prophecy twice (perhaps this was because I was reluctant to accept it!)

However, the bottom line of the presence of any gift is that it is recognised and acknowledged by leaders in the church and that it is useful for its purpose—which is to help build up the church and bring people closer to Jesus.

When you submit what you are seeing or sensing, your leaders confirm your accuracy and your gift begins to be recognised for its effectiveness.

Whenever a gift is used to criticise or tear down a church, person or leader, you know it is being misused, or is simply a person’s hurt, frustration or agenda masquerading as discernment. Because these kinds of abuses are common and have brought disrepute to the gift of discernment, I will take some time over the next couple of posts to share how the gift of discernment can bring value to church life.

Have you experienced any of the above, or any different signs of a gift of discernment emerging in your life? Do you have any joys and challenges to share? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the box below. If the comment box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

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

Related Posts:

The Heart Of A Discerner

What Are Some Signs That You Have A Prophetic Gift?

Welcome to Enliven Publishing’s Blog

© Helen Calder  2010   Enliven Publishing

For those readers who are interested in the online prophetic training course, there is a new update here. Read this if you would like to know about the opportunity to receive free prophetic coaching as part of an initial pilot training project.

Welcome to the third in this series of podcasts on the topic of identifying and breaking through barriers to growth in your gift of prophecy.

In this session, I outline

3 kinds of desire that you need to have to grow in your gift of prophecy

**Desire is what motivates us to keep close to God and on track with our spiritual gift of prophecy. Discover how to regain the gift of desire when it has waned.

Some quotes from this podcast:

• be like Elisha who pursued Elijah for his mantle..
• desire the Giver AND His gifts
• If you feel that you have lost that sharp edge of hunger for God and His Presence, it’s time NOW to get back
• love that leads us to desire to help people and grow Jesus’ Church is vital

Click on the message title below to listen to the 12 minute 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).

How to Overcome Blockages In Your Prophetic Gift, Desire

The next in this series of podcasts will be on how to identify and be released from hurts or wounds that you have sustained in relation to your prophetic gift.
__________________________________________________________

Related Posts:

Podcast series:

Pt 1: How to Overcome Blockages and Barriers to Growth in Your Prophetic Gift – Intro

Pt 2: How to Overcome Blockages and Barriers to Growth in Your Prophetic Gift – Identify Your Season

© Helen Calder Enliven Publishing

• Have you ever wondered why you feel more comfortable with some styles of prayer than with others?
• Do you desire for people to be healed when you pray for them?
• Have you ever been intimidated by another person’s healing gift or ministry?

Did you know that God has given you a unique gift of healing?

During my years of leading people in the ministry of prayer, I have come to recognise that every person expresses his or her spiritual gift in a unique way.

For example, an intercessor can have a bent towards warfare, or worship, or identification, or prophetic intercession. Another may simply be a faithful, task-focused intercessor. Sometimes surprisingly, no two people with the gift of intercession operate effectively in exactly the same manner [1].

It is the same with the gift of healing.

When we study the way Jesus healed people, we can observe many different ways that it happened: He pronounced healing (Mark 5:34), gave a word of command (Matt 12:13), laid on hands (Luke 4:40), used unusual means such as spitting (John 9:6-7), and even repeated praying (Mark 8:22-26)

However, I noticed in studying the book of Acts, that God used Paul to heal predominantly through physical impartation—touch and laying on of hands [2]. Peter healed primarily through speaking a word of faith or command [3].

Like Peter and Paul, we are all wired differently. Our personal combination of spiritual gifts, along with our God-given personalities will impact the way we best pray for and minister Jesus’ healing and love to people.

We need to be comfortable with our own unique expression of the gift God has given us, and allow others the room, and grace, to operate differently.

I have discovered that I have a gift of impartation—when I lay hands on someone and pray, the Holy Spirit flows through me to minister infilling or healing.

For example, one time at an altar call I prayed for a woman, soaking her in prayer for an extended time. She said afterwards that as I prayed it felt as though she was placed into a warm bath. Physical pain that had been a part of her life for a long time disappeared.

One of our team members has a gentle approach in praying for healing, and God has used her prayers to effect some dramatic miracles. Another has a very bold approach using words of command, and has also seen physical healing.

I love the gift of team. One person may have insight into a demonic cause of affliction and be able to break its power. Another’s soft approach may bring healing to both body and soul. Yet another team member’s bold word of command or word of knowledge might be what is needed for a miracle.

How can you discover your unique healing gift and style?

1. When you are starting out, learn a variety of methods for praying for healing [4]. I liken this to adding tools to our healing toolkit. Gradually, we become aware of which ‘tools’ suit us best.

2. Feel free to practice, and to try out different methods. Find a safe environment to have a go, with other Christians who are on the same journey.

3. Be aware of all your spiritual gifts, and explore how these may work together and impact the way you best minister healing.

3. Don’t limit yourself to one style of prayer, even after you discover a preferred means of praying for healing.

Always listen to the Holy Spirit. He may lead you to take an approach that is outside of your comfort zone in order to bring a healing miracle to someone’s life.

4. Do not feel intimidated or made to feel inferior by another person’s style or gift, or feel that you have to be like them.

On the other hand, take care to remain grounded and be wary of others being impressed or intimidated by your gift—especially if you have a bold expression.

5. Be sensitive to people—sometimes you will need to modify your preferred approach if the situation requires it or it is not appropriate. The Holy Spirit will still move, and love is His way.

6. We should never criticise or look down on someone who does not operate in his or her healing ministry the same way that we do.

7. If you lead or teach others, be wise in your approach to mentoring and training. It is vital that we encourage the gifts of others and do not try to recreate people ‘in our own image.’

Healing and Honour

Having said all this, we need to honour the leadership of organisations, ministries, or churches that prescribe set methods, or lead a distinctive culture for operating in gifts of healing and miracles. God can and does use these powerfully.

If, like me, you are privileged to lead and release people into their ministries, consider the joy of helping them identify and discover their unique spiritual gifts and style.

I believe that in our generation we are going to see His healing power break out in an even greater measure than ever before.

Let’s honour each other and release each other to do and be all that Jesus has called us to be—and not settle for anything less.

1 Cor 12:4-6
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

Notes:

[1]. A great resource on this topic is FEMRITE, T; ALVES, E; KAUFMAN, K.  Intercessors Discover Your Prayer Power.  2000.  Ventura : Regal.
[2]. Acts 20:10, 19:11-12, 28:8
[3]. Acts 3:6, 9:34, 9:40
[4]. E.g., laying on hands, anointing with oil, words of command or pronouncement, caring and pastoral prayer, praying scripture.

© Helen Calder    Enliven Publishing

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

Yesterday I had a dream in which my husband gave me the funds to make a purchase. I knew this transaction was of tremendous importance to him. I handed the money across the counter to a merchant, who passed two large, valuable pendants to me.

I glanced down and saw that one was gold; the other was heart-shaped and silver, with filigreed gold edging. Both were intricately designed.

At that moment, I woke up. I felt I had been in a prophetic dream, and that in the dream my husband represented Jesus. There was something about the pendants that stirred up a spiritual hunger in me.

It was then that I realised it was the second spiritual dream I had received in the space of a month—both ending in a similar way.

A Gold Necklace

In an earlier dream, I was visiting a retirement home, along with other staff members from my church. Whilst we were there, I suddenly realised that a woman called Ruth Young was living in the home.

[The Hunk and I hosted Ruth and her husband over 20 years ago in New Zealand, early in our missions ministry. We saw something close to revival in the churches they ministered in. Their testimony about sacrificial love and service for Jesus caused many Christians to hunger, repent and recommit their lives to Jesus].

In the dream, I went looking for Ruth, and found her in one of the rooms. We sat at a table together and talked. As we conversed, she was showing me jewellery that she was crafting. She left and went into another room. I desperately wanted to see her again, but she had gone, leaving the gold necklace she had been showing me on the table in front of me.

At this point, I woke up. Along with a heightened sense of God’s presence, I felt deeply the unfinished business of my dream’s meeting with ‘Ruth.’

Discovering Meaning in the Dreams

Meditating upon the meaning of this earlier dream, I felt that Ruth represented the message she had carried: passion for Jesus. It seemed that the Lord was saying He wanted us to take that ‘first love’ we had known for Jesus out of retirement.

But I hadn’t considered the jewellery until the second dream yesterday. When it finally smacked me on the head last night, I went looking for a book on dream interpretation. I wanted to find out the significance of jewellery—particularly necklaces.

As I searched for an entry on the meaning of the jewellery, the following words stood out to me: ‘treasure,’ ‘desire,’ ‘precious,’ ‘God’s gifts’.

Spiritual Gifts

Could the pendants and necklace in the dream have something to do with spiritual gifts? My dawning awareness of the message the Holy Spirit was bringing through the two dreams was bringing with it a growing sense of conviction.

God in His love has lavished spiritual gifts upon us, His church (see Romans 12:6, 1 Cor 12-14, Eph 4:8, Heb 2:4).

It honours Him when we ‘wear ‘our spiritual gifts, when we treasure them and display them, when we use them to bless others. In using our spiritual gifts, people see something in our lives that can only be explained by Jesus. Spiritual gifts display the craftsmanship of the Holy Spirit.

Do we have spiritual gifts that need to be taken off the shelf?

I have a small collection of jewellery, including some special pieces given to me by those I love. However, I wear very little of it, and much of my jewellery stays in the drawer. I have a pendant given to me by a dear friend that is gathering dust on a table.

My attitude towards the spiritual gifts God has given me has been similar to the attitude that I have about jewellery.

Most of the time, I keep the gifts God has given me of prophecy, discernment, intercession and others, hidden away. I have even started to take them for granted, no longer prizing them or valuing them as I did in the early days.

I do bring spiritual gifts out at times when I believe they are useful—usually in church meetings. But I do not walk in them. Perhaps I have felt that a good Christian should not ‘show off’ spiritual gifts, especially those that are supernatural in manifestation. But it is likely that my so-called ‘humility’ has masked apathy, fear, unbelief and pride.

Here is another thought that is challenging me today:

An attitude of apathy towards our spiritual gifts also betrays a lack in our appreciation of the Giver.

In Jer 2:32, God says, ‘Does a maiden forget her jewellery, a bride her wedding ornaments? Yet my people have forgotten me, days without number.’

The dreams have come at a time when I am working through a process of spiritual renewal. I am challenged to review my attitude towards the gifts God has given me. Perhaps this is an area the Holy Spirit is challenging you in, too.

Jesus said,

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.(Matt 5:15-16)

**You may have some more ideas about the topic of spiritual gifts or the interpretation of these dreams. If you do, I would love to hear from you! Please leave your comments in the boxes below—if the comments area is not visible, click on the blog post title and scroll down.

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

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:

What To Do When You Have a Prophetic Dream

How Do I Know A Personal Prophecy or Dream Interpretation is From God?

© 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.

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

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 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

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.

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

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