Understanding the Gift of Discernment

There seems to be a great deal of curiosity and confusion about the spiritual gift of discernment.

And this is not surprising. For those of us who have the gift, it can be a complex and lonely journey as we work out what we are sensing, why God has given us this ability, and what to do with it. [1]

For leaders in church life, it can be difficult to know how to respond to or lead those with the gift of discernment—not to mention the question of what we should do (if anything) with the insights that discerners share with us. [2]

Discernment is a gift that, due to lack of information and guidance, has been vulnerable to error. It is vital that we establish a Biblical basis for the spiritual gift of discernment and how to exercise it.

Today I am going to look at the gift of discernment in the context of the Apostle Paul’s instruction about spiritual gifts to the Corinthian church.

5 Things Paul Teaches About the Gift of Discernment

‘But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit… to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits’ (1 Cor 12:7-10)

1. It is the Ability to Distinguish Between Spirits

‘…to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits…’(1 Cor 12:7-10)

The spiritual gift of discernment (or discerning of spirits) is the ability—given and empowered by the Holy Spirit—to distinguish the spiritual source of something. This can include, but is not limited to:

• an atmosphere
• a person’s action
• something seen or perceived
• a circumstance
• something spoken

The Greek word translated discerning is ‘diakrisis,’ from ‘diakrino’, which means to separate thoroughly.

A Christian believer using the spiritual gift of discernment can perceive whether the source of something is God, or whether it is of human or demonic origin.

There is a misconception that discernment has to do primarily with perceiving what the enemy is doing.

The highest and best use of the gift of discernment is to perceive the anointing of the Holy Spirit—to see what God is doing.

2. The Gift of Discernment is from the Holy Spirit

The source of the spiritual gift of discernment is the Holy Spirit—God Himself.

The Holy Spirit is both the giver and enabler of this spiritual gift.

It is not based in

• our minds or personal intuition
• a suspicion or opinion
• a personal ability or history of being able to sense what is happening in the spiritual realm

3. Discernment is a Revelatory Gift

‘But the manifestation of the Spirit is given’ (1 Cor 12:7)

The spiritual gift of discernment is a revelatory gift. In other words, the Holy Spirit is making known something that cannot be perceived by natural means.

The Greek word translated ‘manifestation’, phanerosis, means to make visible, and it comes from a root word meaning to uncover, lay bare and reveal. [3]

‘For we know in part and we prophesy in part.’ (1 Cor 13:9) In the wider context of Paul’s teaching about spiritual gifts, discernment, like prophecy, is subject to being weighed up. (1 Cor 14)

4. The Gift of Discernment is for the Benefit of the Church

‘But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all’ (1 Cor 12:7)

The purpose of the spiritual gift of discernment, as empowered by the Holy Spirit, is to benefit the church.

The Greek words translated ‘for the profit of all’—pros  sumpheron—mean ‘towards the profiting’, or as modern translations put it, ‘for the common good.’

When we understand this, ‘benefiting the church’ becomes our standard for the operation of the gift.

If something purporting to be discernment does not profit the church, i.e., if it results in confusion, or fear, or division—either of two things may be out of order:

1. The discernment may not be from the Holy Sprit. Or—

2. It may be true discernment that is not being used in a Biblical manner; a way of grace that honours God, the church and its leadership.

In order to be of benefit, the spiritual gift of discernment requires the operation of other gifts alongside it, such as leadership and wisdom. It should be developed and used in the context of the church community. (see 1 Cor 14) [2]

5. Discernment is a Good Gift from God

‘Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.’ (1 Cor 12:4)

The word used for gift is charisma, meaning a gift of grace.

The spiritual gift of discernment is a good, helpful and strategic gift, and it is given for a purpose—to benefit the church.

We sometimes need to be reminded of this, because of the challenges that discernment can bring.

God’s gifts are good in nature, just as He is. (James 1:17) The spiritual gift of discernment has the ability to bless the church, set individuals free, protect the integrity of what God is doing, and assist in times of spiritual warfare. May we embrace the gift of discernment with gratitude and use it in the way God intended.

Notes:

[1] For further insights about the gift of discernment, see the following:

8 Signs You May Have The Spiritual Gift of Discernment

8 Ways to Grow Your Gift Of Discernment

[2] I have written an article about exercising discernment in the life of the church here:

6 Tips for Exercising The Gift of Discernment In Church Life

[3] References: VINE, M.A. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. 1985. Virginia: MacDonald. STRONG, J. Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. 1996.

UNLOCKING THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT E-BOOK

$5.95 e-Book

Now in the David McCracken Ministries e-store.

Are you sensitive to what is taking place in the spiritual realm? Have you ever been adversely affected by a negative atmosphere?

You may have the spiritual gift of discernment.

The gift of discernment of spirits is a powerful weapon in times of spiritual warfare, and can be of great assistance when ministering freedom to individuals.

And yet many who have the gift of discernment have difficulty knowing what to do with what they are feeling or sensing.

‘Unlocking The Gift Of Discernment’ incorporates and enlarges upon material in Enliven Blog. The e-book includes additional valuable material on how to be protected as a discerner in times of spiritual warfare.

To view ‘Unlocking The Gift Of Discernment’ in the David McCracken Ministries e-store, click here

© 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

Do you have any questions or thoughts on the topic of ‘What is the gift of Discernment?’ I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment on the comments box. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

I was baptised in the Holy Spirit in the 1970’s and immediately became familiar with gifts of the Spirit, including healing and prophecy.

As time went on, gift questionnaires began to emerge as a fresh emphasis on spiritual gifts swept through the church. [1] From the start, I loved this aspect of identifying the unique God-given treasure in each individual.

However, the outcomes were not always comfortable. When The Hunk and I took a spiritual gift assessment, my husband came up with a top result of Apostle-Missionary.

That gave me a big fright—I thought, ‘who—and what—have I married?’ Not surprisingly, during the next two decades my husband’s ministry included itinerant ministry, sending missionaries, and raising resources for missions and humanitarian aid projects in Asia.

I have learned that when it comes to spiritual gifts, the Holy Spirit knows what He is doing.

Benefits and Limitations of Spiritual Gift Questionnaires

Since the 1990’s, many spiritual gift courses have emphasised ministry placement in church life; teaming up the ‘what’ of spiritual gifts with the ‘where’ of service. As a result, churches have benefited by the increase in members engaging and serving in the life of the church. [2]

But I now ask, ‘Have we reached the optimum in our stewardship of spiritual gifts, or is there more?’

Over the past few decades I have observed some positives and negatives resulting from running spiritual gift courses in church life.

Benefits of Spiritual Gift Assessments and Courses

1. Teaching the church concerning spiritual gifts is Biblical—the Apostle Paul gave instruction about the spiritual gifts, their purpose, practice and benefits (1 Cor 12-14, Rom 12)

2. It enables Christians to become aware of and learn about gifts of the Spirit

3. It encourages believers to identify and use the particular gifts God has invested in us

4. A spiritual gifts course assists church leaders in releasing people into service in the church, i.e. ministry placement (especially helpful in larger churches)

5. A spiritual gifts course can help 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

6. Spiritual gifts assessments can foster appreciation for others’ gifts, as well as how we function together as a church body

7. When church members serve in the area of their God-given gifts, the church can flourish and grow (Eph 4:7-16)

Limitations of Spiritual Gifts Courses

1. Spiritual gifts courses are a great introduction to gifts—however they tend to lack specific teaching on how to nurture and grow individual gifts over a period of time

2. Many courses are outcome-focused on ministry placement in the church—however, our Spirit-empowered gifts can also be utilised in our everyday lives and in evangelism

3. A spiritual gift is a turbo-charged version of a basic attribute that should be operating in the life of every believer (hospitality, evangelism, hearing God’s voice, prayer, praying for the sick, and so on)

A danger of focusing on spiritual gifts and ministry placement is that Christians who believe they are not ‘gifted’ in an area (such as prayer or evangelism) opt out and leave that aspect of Christian life to those who have a spiritual gift.

This may result in weak or immature development in some believers.

4. No questionnaire could cover every possible spiritual gift—and could potentially stifle the unique giftedness in some individuals, and the creativity of the Holy Spirit [4]

5. Many spiritual gift analyses do not make an allowance for gifts that are present but are not currently being used in a ministry environment, or are yet to emerge. Therefore the outcome of a questionnaire produces an incomplete picture.

Adapting our Approach to Spiritual Gift Assessments

What could happen if we took note of potential weaknesses resulting from running spiritual gift courses and assessments in church life into account—and adjusted for them?

Here are some things to take into consideration:

For Churches and Leaders

• Encourage ministry leaders to identify, release and develop spiritual gifts in the people within their areas of responsibility

• Teach on the role and ministry of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts in the context of our everyday lives and evangelism as well as in church life

• Learn about spiritual gift development. Provide opportunities for individuals to take specific steps forward in the growth of their spiritual gifts [5]

• Identify possible areas of weakness where ‘departmentalisation’ in an area (e.g. prayer, evangelism) has resulted in church members opting out of an important aspect of Christian living. Provide encouragement, resources and training on these key areas to the whole church, e.g. through Cell Groups

• Realise that spiritual gift questionnaires will not give you the complete picture of an individual’s gifts or calling. Consider providing opportunity for gift assessment and personal review at regular intervals.

For Individuals

• Take assessments regularly. This will help identify newly emerging gifts, as well as changes in gift-mix (the unique combination of your spiritual gifts) and gift prominence

• Take personal responsibility for developing your spiritual gift

• Realise that not having a spiritual gift doesn’t mean that you cannot function and grow in that area, e.g. every believer has a responsibility to pray for the sick, hear God’s voice, exercise hospitality, and so on

• Consider how you can utilise your spiritual gifts in everyday life to be a witness of God’s love and power to those who do not yet know Him

• Embrace the personal blessing that identifying and learning about spiritual gifts can bring. You have a unique and valuable contribution—and no one else can take your place.

Do you have any further observations or questions about spiritual gifts assessments? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

Notes:

[1] C Peter Wagner was a leading proponent of this, and his resources have been regularly updated. I recommend:
WAGNER, C.P. Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow 2005. Ventura: Regal Books.

[2] God gives us spiritual gifts—Holy Spirit-empowered abilities—that are uniquely suited to the life mission and ministry pathway that He has prepared for us. (Eph 2:10) I discuss briefly the commonly asked question, ‘which comes first: the call or the gifts?’ in this post:

http://enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2010/08/31/a-dialogue-on-spiritual-gifts/

[3] Here are two examples I have personally benefited from:

1. Willow Creek Network course

Bruce Bugbee, Don Cousins, Bill Hybels, Wendy Seidman

http://www.willowcreek.com/wca_prod.asp?invtid=PR26038

A great book related to this is:

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

2. STEPPS to Ministry by Michelle Sanders

This course, originating here in Australia, takes into account

• Spiritual Gifts
• Talents
• Experience
• Passion
• Personality

STEPPS also provides for a ministry track and placement in church life. For further information contact Michelle Sanders at michelle.kscope@hotmail.com

[4] Wayne Grudem defines a spiritual gift as ‘any ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and used in any ministry of the church.’
GRUDEM, W.  Systematic Theology.  1994.  Nottingham: Inter-Varsity.

[5] For a clear outline of gift development in the area of prophetic and prayer-related gifts, see my e-book, ‘Grow Your Prophetic And Prayer Gifts’ or read a summary of the stages of growth in the following post: How To Develop Your Prophetic Gift Pt 2: Understand Your Season

Related posts:

You Don’t Need A Special Gift To Be A Supernatural Christian

Give Yourself (And Your Spiritual Gifts) Permission To Shine

A Checklist For Developing Your Spiritual Gifts

© 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

‘Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.’ (1 Tim 4:14-15, see also 2 Tim 1:6)

Paul makes it clear through his instruction to Timothy that each of us has the ability to stir up a spiritual gift, or to neglect it.

That is a sobering thought!

The Bible reminds us that we have a responsibility before God to be intentional about using and developing the spiritual gifts He has invested in us.

7 Ways to Develop your Spiritual Gift

Here is a checklist of actions that you can take to develop your spiritual gifts. This includes prophecy or any other gift such as leadership, discernment, administration, intercession, teaching, healing and so on. [1]

To make this exercise practical, rate how you are going out of 10 for each one and ask the question, what can I do to improve in this area?

1. I have acknowledged that I have a gift

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. (1 Cor 14:1)

Many people hold back from acknowledging a spiritual gift because they mistakenly believe that standing back is the humble thing to do, or they still have doubts as to whether they really have a gift.

However if God has put a gift or ministry on your heart, even if it hasn’t fully manifested, be honest and begin the development process.

In the early stages, your stewardship is primarily of the desire or call God has given to you. Don’t under-value this. Be obedient to the Holy Spirit and take the first steps to learn about the gift.

You will never grow in a gift if you do not admit you have one—or at least disclose that you have a God-given desire for it.

2. I am in the environment of a local church

‘And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.’ (1 Cor 12:28)

The place to use and develop your spiritual gift is in the context of Christian community—church life. Gifts are given to help grow the church, whether through evangelism or through ministry to the church body.

We were never meant to be ‘lone rangers’, but part of the church body, interdependent upon each other. (1 Cor 12-14)

3.  I am making the most of resources available

There are many great resources and materials available to help you grow in your spiritual gift. Look for reputable books, online resources, e-books, conferences and local training to help you grow in your gift.

There are many perspectives in the world today—and not all of them are healthy. So the best way to use resources is in conjunction with accountability to a leader or mentor who can help you select the best materials and process what you are learning.

4. I have a sense of passion and purpose

It is not enough just to know that you have a spiritual gift. You also have to identify and nurture the purpose that God has given you to use it. This is your sense of motivation, your mission. [2]

It is the ‘because’ of your gift.

• ‘I pray because…’
• ‘I teach because…’

As time goes on, that sense of passion becomes focused.

For example, my own big ‘because’—my all-consuming passion—is souls: a lost generation in need of salvation. As years have gone by, my focus is on helping raise up a generation of contagious, ‘supernatural’ Christians who will reach people for Jesus because their lives look like Jesus.

My passion and vision is global. Yours may relate to your family, your church, a specific group, a region, and so on.

Teaching and prophetic ministry is for me, a means to an end. What is your ‘end’?

5. I am using my spiritual gift regularly

The way to develop a gift is to use it, not to shelve it.

We all have to start somewhere small. My writing ministry began with writing newsletters to our family’s mission supporters. My prophetic ministry began with reaching to God for words of encouragement whilst praying for people at altar calls.

If you have a teaching gift, your ministry is not going to start at the pulpit, Look for small ways to get activated—for example taking devotions with your family, or offering to take a study in your small group.

It is time to stop holding back.

6. I am accountable in the use of my gift

No one ever outgrows the need for accountability to oversight in the use of a spiritual gift or ministry.

When asked, ‘To whom are you accountable to in the use of your gift?’ what is your answer?

I have a great source of accountability here at David McCracken Ministries. In the past my accountability has included elders, pastors and prayer leaders. These are people who have instructed me and loved me enough to correct me or give me tips to help me grow in my spiritual gifts.

Accountability does not create a ‘ceiling’; it explodes it! I know that the sky is the limit in my call with God as long as I have a heart attitude to submit to and learn from those He has placed around me.

We can learn not only from those to whom we are accountable, but from peers and outsiders as well. We need to foster a life-long attitude of learning from others in our gifts and ministries.

7. I am persevering through the tough times

‘For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.’ (2 Tim 1:6)

We all go through difficult times and wilderness seasons in the development of our spiritual gifts.

If you can relate to this today, may I encourage you—keep pressing forward. Your Heavenly Father has a plan in the midst of your trial and He is faithful. [3]

Do you have any further thoughts or questions about developing your spiritual gifts? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

Notes:

[1] Some articles that may help you in the following gifts:

Prophecy: How To Develop Your Prophetic Gift Pt 1: Where To Begin

Discernment: 8 Ways To Grow Your Gift Of Discernment

Healing: The Enliven Blog Healing Category

Intercession: 8 Tips for Personal Intercessors

Teaching (prophetic): See the Free Resources Page for the article, ‘What Is Prophetic Teaching?’

[2] This article may be helpful: Your Identity And Destiny: 3 Keys From The Life Of Gideon

[3] I share more about this in the post, Going Through A Testing Season In Your Spiritual Gifts

E-books to Help you Develop Your Gifts:

‘Grow Your Prophetic And Prayer Gifts’ is a high-value e-book specifically written to help you grow in your prophetic gifts – at whatever stage or season you are on the journey.

Check out our E-books Page for more e-books related to prophetic and prayer ministry

© 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

Today I am going to review a very common barrier to growth in prophetic ministry, and that is being hurt in relation to your spiritual gift of prophecy.

(Note that these same points relate to wounds experienced in other spiritual gifts or ministries—replace ‘gift of prophecy’ or ‘prophetic ministry’ with the name of your gift or ministry)

An unhealed hurt or disappointment will not only affect your gift of prophecy, it will hold you back in other areas of your life, too.

Some signs that your prophetic gift may be blocked due to sustaining a wound are:

• You can trace a blockage in your prophetic ministry to a hurtful event that took place in your past
• You hold back because you are afraid of being criticised, hurt or rejected
• You may find it difficult to trust leaders or other people in the church to recognise or release you in your gift
• You seem to go through cycles—you might move from one church or ministry to another and yet never get recognised or released to the degree you would like to be
• The same pattern of stepping out in prophetic ministry and then getting hurt or disappointed seems to happen repeatedly.

There are many ways that people can become hurt or wounded in relation to prophetic ministry. The two most common are criticism and disappointment.

1. Criticism

There are several ways that criticism can occur:

• We may have made a genuine mistake in the use of our gift, but leadership of the situation was handled badly. Perhaps we were publicly shamed. Perhaps we were not guided or restored as we should have been.
• The criticism may have been completely unwarranted—this adds a sting of injustice to the wound.
• Criticism was aimed at our level of maturity in the gift.

We do not criticise or judge babies who are learning to crawl or walk—in fact we celebrate their efforts. And yet it is amazing how quickly we Christians judge one another when we are stumbling through learning stages in our spiritual gifts.

Accusation and judgement are also related to criticism.

I have known people who have been accused of being Jezebellic, for example. This kind of accusation can cause a deep wound in someone who has prophetic gifts. [1]

2.Disappointment

Some ways in which we can experience disappointment include:

• Our prophetic ministry has not been listened to, encouraged or appreciated
• Leaders have not recognised our gift or they have not made room for us to exercise or grow in our prophetic ministry
• Mentors or people dear to us in prophetic ministry let us down, are removed from our lives, or are themselves wounded in relation to their ministry
• Ministry opportunities—for whatever reason—have been removed from us

If you have experienced any of these types of wounds in your prophetic ministry, you are not alone. These are things that many of us can relate to in some form or another.

In fact, you will see these types of hurtful things happen to people with prophetic callings in the Bible.

Think of the rejection that Joseph went through with regard to his gift of prophetic dreams and interpretation. He was criticised, rejected, misunderstood and passed over for many years before God raised him up and released him in his call.

Yet he kept his heart free from bitterness—and in that is a lesson for each of us.

It seems that God allows us to go through these tests as part of our development and character growth. When we overcome, He can use us in greater ways and entrust us with His Word and His power.

Steps to Breaking Free from Blockages in your Prophetic Gift due to Hurt

1. Take Ownership

A blockage takes place when we put up barriers, or walls of self-protection around us to prevent us from being wounded again.

Even though others may have been the reason that we were shut down to start with, the ongoing issue is that we are reluctant to expose ourselves to further hurt. Our instinct is to hold back.

So the very first thing we need to do, is to recognise our own part and responsibility in the blockage.

We are the ones who, with God’s help, have the ability and the keys to break ourselves free.

We do this by taking acknowledging this in prayer and repenting of allowing the walls to go up.

God is sufficient. He is all the protection we need and He waits and longs for us to trust in Him. But often we use our own efforts to protect ourselves—and this is wrong.

Secondly, if we have been criticised, removed from ministry or held back in the past, there may be an aspect of truth in the reasons for the action that was taken.

I know from experience that this is a tough area to acknowledge, but addressing it and being humble enough to make any necessary adjustments is vital to fulfilling God’s call on our life.

2. Release forgiveness to the person or group that has wounded you

Jesus said, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25)

Unforgiveness and the desire to obtain justice can chain us to an event, preventing us from making progress in our prophetic gift.

In prayer, speak out forgiveness, release the offenders from judgment, and from any debt that you believe they owe you.

Sometimes, God might lead you to communicate with the person or group that has hurt you, but isn’t always necessary.

Use discretion here, and look for some wise counsel.

Forgiveness is not a feeling; it is a choice that we make. Also remember that forgiveness is not just a one-off decision; it is an ongoing process. This means continuing to choose forgiveness whenever you feel the hurt or the negative effects of the situation.

3. Find a Safe Person who can pray with you

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” (James 5:16)

Some things that can be prayed through personally and with a prayer partner are:

• Pray through the issues raised in points 1 and 2 above
• Identify and renounce any wrong belief that you have taken on board following the hurtful event—e.g. ‘I will never be good enough,’ ‘God has not called me to this ministry’
• Pray and affirm the redemptive opposite of that lie, i.e. the truth about God’s love and affirmation of you as a person, as well as your gift
• If criticism, accusation or judgement was involved, pray against the power or effects of the words spoken
• Pray for healing of your heart and a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit

This also reminds us of the fourth and most important aspect of breaking free from any blockage caused by a wound to your gift and that is:

4. Receive God’s Healing

If we have believed a lie, we need a truth encounter. We need to know that God’s love for us, and His attitude towards us, is not reflected in the hurtful attitudes, words or actions of others—even when they are people in authority.

Meditate on the Father’s love and acceptance as expressed in the Bible, especially in the New Testament in the life and ministry of Jesus.

5. Step Out in your Gift Again

Finally, at the right time, we need to begin to step out again in our prophetic gift. [3]

Firstly, this means being accountable—and being under leadership. Sometimes, this means responding well to leaders who have hurt us in the past.

We know we are healed when we can receive feedback and be open to adjustment in the operation of our gift without reacting badly.

Becoming activated in our gift of prophecy again will mean taking risks and being vulnerable. However, the fruit in our lives and in the lives of others we minister to will be eternal.

Do you have any further ideas for healing from hurts that could help readers, or experiences and questions to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

Notes:

[1] For more information about the Jezebellic or religious spirit in relation to prophetic ministry, read my e-book, ‘Prophetic People in a Changing Church.’ Check the following links:

E-books Page

Prophetic People In A Changing Church E-book

[2] Sometimes hurts arise from a leader in the church—if this is familiar to you, I encourage you to consider my e-book, ‘Prophetic People in a Changing Church’ for more information on how to break free.

[3] I believe it is vital to foster a safe, nurturing environment in our local churches and prophetic communities to do this—so if you are a leader, I encourage you to make this a priority.

Related Posts:

11 Signs That Your Prophetic Gift Is Being Held Back

Why Is My Spiritual Gift Or Ministry Not Being Released

© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching

On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church

I regularly come across gifted prophetic people who wonder why they are not being given opportunities to minister in the area of their spiritual gifts and passion.

There are two contexts in which this can happen:

• You may be aware that you have a gift of prophecy, or another spiritual gift. In fact, you may have exercised that gift or ministry in the past, and even seen great results as the Holy Spirit touched people through your ministry.

• You may be newly emerging in your spiritual gift. You are aware that you have a gift and Spirit-given ability—so why is it that others do not see it?

Maybe you can identify with the following questions:

• ‘Why does it seem as though my gift is hidden?’
• ‘Why am I not receiving opportunities to exercise my gift?’
• ‘Why don’t leaders in my church recognise my ministry?’
• ‘Will I ever fulfil the call of God on my life?’

These are questions that I have asked myself at various times in the past. If you can relate to this today, I have some things that  I would like to share with you on a personal level.

Blaming Others will Disempower You

It can be very easy to blame others when we are not being given opportunities to exercise our gifts in church life.

We perceive that leaders especially, have the power to release or hold back possibilities for us to minister. It may seem that they are blocking the achievement of God’s call on our lives.

But the reality is that as long as we are blaming others for our lack of ministry fulfilment—whether it is a spouse, pastor, ministry leader or anybody else—we are actually disempowering ourselves and limiting God.

Invariably, we will begin to voice our frustration and resentment, for as Jesus said, ‘Out of the abundance of our hearts our mouths speak.’ (Luke 6:43-46)

Eventually, discouragement, disappointment and frustration pervade the atmosphere around our lives, creating a cycle of barrenness. But I have good news for you today: you can break free!

Reasons why Your Gifts are not Being Used

Firstly, you need to remember that God is sovereign. No human on the planet can hold back the fulfilment of His call on your life—except you.

You are empowered. You do not need to look to someone else to release your ministry.

So, if your spiritual gift or ministry call seems to be hidden, here are some possible reasons why this might be happening, along with some suggestions to help you move forward: [1]

1. You are Waiting for Appointment Unnecessarily

Sometimes we wait for an invitation, role or position when Jesus just wants to love people through us.

For example, if you have a gift of prophecy, you can use it at the basic level of encouragement in a small group and everyday life amongst family and friends. Remember, though, that if you have a word that goes beyond simple encouragement, the principles of accountability apply.

If you want to be used in the area of healing, start offering to pray for people—and so on.

The key is to stay within the appropriate context in the use of your gift. [2]

2. You Need to make your Desires and Dreams Known

Sometimes we think that ministry leaders are aware of our gifts and calling and should open doors for us. They would—if only they knew what was on our hearts.

I can remember one time in particular where I was frustrated because a ministry leader wasn’t giving me an opportunity. When I eventually broached the subject, he asked me why I hadn’t mentioned it, and happily provided a pathway forward for me.

Leaders aren’t mind readers. Sometimes we think that they are supermen and superwomen who should be listening to God about our personal gifts and situations.

They may simply need the opportunity to hear from us firsthand.

3. You are Beginning and Need to Step out.

Sometimes we wait too long for encouragement, when we should be stepping out of the boat ourselves.

Understandably, when you are new in your gift, this can be a bit daunting.

When a seedling emerges from the soil, there is a last push to break through the earth. When a butterfly is emerging from a chrysalis, there is a final wrestling to break free.

This is the kind of motivation that the Apostle Paul talked about when he said, ‘Desire spiritual gifts.’ (1 Cor 14:1) Is your desire strong enough that you will seek tangible ways of moving forward in your gift? [3]

4. The Delay is about God’s Timing

Wilderness seasons are a Biblical theme—remember Moses, Joseph, David, John the Baptist and the Apostle Paul? [4]

Some reasons that God ordains a time of hiddenness may include:

• Timing as He brings circumstances and people together
• Strengthening other gifts and skills in your life that will be needed in the long run
• Preparation of our character or gift

If God has ordained a season of waiting, He is faithful and will release you at the right time.

5. You may Benefit by Adjusting Something in Your Ministry Approach.

This is a vital point. Many times I have seen people held back because there is something unsuitable in their approach to using their gifts—and yet they are completely unaware of it.

Here are some checks we should do regularly in relation to our gifts and ministry:

Faithfulness

• Am I willing to serve in small ways?
• Am I present at meetings, even when my gift is not being called on?
• Am I honouring my leaders in my conversation and actions?
• Am I being self-centred, i.e. it’s about my gift and my ministry, or others-centred—“What can I do to help you?”

Culture and Style

• Does the style of the way I use my gift fit with the culture of my church?
• What about my language—terminology and expressions?
• Do I use any methods or ‘formulas’ when I minister that my leaders do not use?
• Do I use actions, gestures or manifestations, e.g. when I pray for people, which are not in keeping with the culture of my church?

If a movement we have been brought up in, imparted to, or taught by, is different from that of our church, this is something that we need to especially consider.

We need to be willing to lay these methods aside and align our ministry style with the culture of our church or ministry organisation.

Vision and Values

• Do my values and vision for ministry differ from that of my church?

A friend of mine observed that a church is like a train—led by God and our leadership with a definite destination in mind. We need to decide whether we are willing to get on board and to serve in the direction that our church is going.

So long as we are nurturing our own desires for a different destination or culture of church life, our leaders will perceive this. They need to know we are pulling with them—not against them.

Why not ask?

You may benefit by approaching someone in leadership—perhaps sharing this article with him or her—and reviewing any possible reasons why you seem to be stuck in relation to your gift or ministry.

This will only work if you take an open and humble approach and are willing to listen to suggestions without becoming hurt or offended.

Often leaders do not address situations such as I’ve mentioned above because they know that their observations will not be well received. If you initiate the conversation, and are willing to make adjustments, you may be surprised at the results.

Do you have any experiences or questions to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

Notes:

[1] Another reason our gift or ministry may be hidden is because we are hiding ourselves—due to fear or hurt. We will be covering these topics in the next few weeks.

[2] Every church has unique protocols for the operation of spiritual gifts. See Prophetic Ministry In Church Life: Why Have Guidelines

[3] If you believe you have a gift of prophecy emerging, see the following post for ideas:

How To Develop Your Prophetic Gift: Where To Begin 

[4] Here is a post on the topic of wilderness seasons that you may find helpful:

Going Through A Testing Season In Your Spiritual Gifts

Related Posts:

11 Signs That Your Prophetic Gift Is Being Held Back

Do You Have A Ministry Call?

Break Free Of Hurts That Are Blocking Your Prophetic Gift

© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching

On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church

People regularly share with me that they believe they have a gift of prophecy, but are not sure how to begin developing it.

Sometimes they express fear or embarrassment about stepping out with a prophetic insight, because they lack confidence.

I also come across prophetic people who tell me that they used to flow in the gift of prophecy but feel it has become blocked or closed down in comparison to how it used to be.

These Christians long for the ‘good old days,’ when they felt released in their gifts and saw miraculous things happen as a result.

This is why, over the next little while, I am going to be producing some articles on how to move forward and break through limitations in relation to prophetic gifts and ministry. [2]

But I need your help.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this topic, any struggles, what obstacles and barriers you have experienced personally, as well as testimonies and ideas for breakthrough.

So after the articles, I will be asking questions. Please contribute using the comments facility on the blog. It is amazing how many people will identify with your journey—you may even encourage others who are having similar struggles.

Identifying a Limitation is Good News

Identifying a potential barrier to the growth of your gift or ministry is good news—for it is the first step to empowering you to break free and enter into the ‘more’ that God has for you.

In fact, in God’s Kingdom there is always more!

And you can turn that seeming obstacle into a stepping-stone to greater growth and fruitfulness.

Signs that you are Being held back in Your Prophetic gift

Here are eleven signs that there may be a limiting factor holding you back in your prophetic gift or ministry.

If you do not have a gift of prophecy, replace the words ‘prophecy’ or ‘prophetic ministry’ with the name of your gift or ministry.

See if you can identify with any of these:

1. You used to believe you were called to prophetic ministry [3] but now you are not so sure

2. You are wondering why your prophetic gift seems to be hidden and not recognised by other Christians or by leaders in the church

3. It is a long time since you stepped out, took a faith risk, and did something new in the use of your prophetic gift

4. You are drifting and have a lack of direction in your prophetic gift or ministry

5. You feel barren and are wondering where the fruitfulness is that you were promised or initially experienced when you started out

6. You recognise that difficulties in the use of your prophetic gift began with an event that occurred in your past

7. You are not sure what to do to get to the next level of growth in your gift of prophecy

8. You have been hurt or wounded in relation to your prophetic gift and haven’t gotten over it

9. You are not receiving opportunities to use and bless others through your gift that you would like to have

10.You are content with your current level of experience and do not have the motivation to press through for growth in your prophetic gift

11.You do have opportunities to use the gift of prophecy, but it is not flowing as smoothly or as accurately as you would like, or have known in the past.

Now, some questions for you:

• Can you identify with any of the above issues?
• Are there any other signs that you can think of, or have experienced, that you are being held back in your spiritual gift of prophecy?

Leave a comment in the comments section at the end of this post. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

Over the next little while we will be looking at how to overcome some barriers to growth in your gift. Many of these will apply to other gifts, not just prophecy.

Some of the things I will be considering include:

• Fear
• Not knowing where to start
• The effect of past hurts
• Apathy
• Not being released or given opportunities

Feel free to forward or share these articles with others who may be helped by them.

Notes:

[1] The gift of prophecy is the Spirit-empowered ability to receive and convey a message from God—to make known the Father’s mind, intention and purposes.

[2] If you are interested in developing your gift, the e-book ‘Grow Your Prophetic And Prayer Gifts’ is a tool to help you identify which stage of development you are in and move to the next level.

[3] By prophetic ministry, I do not mean a role or position. Prophetic ministry occurs when you use your prophetic gift to love and help people in a way that brings them closer to God and releases them into His purposes. As Paul says, ‘the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.’ (1 Cor 14:3)

Related Posts:

Why Is My Spiritual Gift Or Ministry Not Being Released?

Break Free Of Hurts That Are Blocking Your Prophetic Gift

© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog

On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church

What seemed so barren and dead for months is now a picture of resurrection life.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. (John 15:1-2)

In the same way that a plant undergoes seasonal pruning in order to blossom and bear more fruit, seasons of testing are crucial to the development of our spiritual gifts.

During these times, the best that we have produced seems to have been stripped away from us. God is allowing fruitful areas of our lives and ministries to be cut back, in order that we can focus in a significant way and be even more fruitful for His Kingdom.

Signs that you are in a Testing Season

Some signs that you may be experiencing a testing season in relation to your spiritual gifts include:

• Feeling that you have been shut down in your God-given abilities
• You might have voluntarily or involuntarily released ministry responsibility and feel displaced as a result
• You long for the honeymoon period when you first discovered your spiritual gift
• You might have made mistakes and wonder whether you will ever recover
• You experience doubts about your ability and wonder if God really called you
• You find yourself going through character-testing circumstances and coming up short on the character side
• You wonder whether the prophecies once made about you will ever be fulfilled
• You feel as though you are being criticised, blocked or resisted
• You feel battle-worn and weary
• You feel displaced, separated or hidden in relation to your gift and ministry
• The opposite of God’s call and the destiny you believed for seems to be happening to you.

A testing season can be specific to a single gift. I have often heard prophetic people relate, mystified, that their prophetic ministry feels as though it has been blocked and yet they are experiencing fruitfulness in other areas of service.

The Season of Trial: What is God Doing?

Developing Skills you will need in the Future

Joseph knew that his destiny was one of rulership, but it seemed that his life was taking the opposite course. However, during the time of slavery and unjust imprisonment he developed skills that would be invaluable to his future. He learned the Egyptian language and customs, along with principles of stewardship, leadership and resource management.

During the season of trial, God may be working gifts and skills into your life that you need to fulfil His destiny in the long run.

Refining Character

During wilderness times, the people and circumstances that try us are instruments that God uses to develop our character and point us towards our destiny. Joseph understood this. He later said to his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Gen 50:20).

Repositioning

During a testing time, God may actually be repositioning us for a new season of fruitfulness.

Elijah went on the run from Jezebel, overnight going from success to mess. He sat under a tree in the desert and actually prayed that he would die. The Lord visited Him and gave him directions for a new season of his ministry. He was to call Elisha as his successor and anoint a new king who would bring Jezebel’s reign to an end.

Elijah had an appointment with God in the wilderness and so do we. During the times of difficulty or separation, allow Him to speak to you about the next season He has for your life.

Calling us to Intimacy with Him

Testing times are seasons when we have the opportunity to get closer to God than any other time. Perhaps there are fewer distractions. Perhaps need or barrenness causes us to draw nearer to Him. It is on God’s heart to reveal His love to you in fresh ways during a desert time.

Awaiting the Right Timing

While we feel as though we are fighting to survive, God is moving to change the scenery on the stage of our lives—positioning circumstances, others and us for what is to come. [1]

David went on the run from Saul in the wilderness. He was destined to become a king, but he became an outlaw first. He stayed in the desert while God worked things out on his behalf. Saul died and eventually the people called for David to be their new king.

Strengthening our Faith

Abraham is known as the ‘father of faith.’  It was twenty-five barren years before Isaac was born in fulfilment of God’s promise to make him a great nation; God waited until it was physically impossible. Paul later said of Abraham:

Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God. (Rom 4:19-20)

In the Father’s Hands

It is important to recognise that God is at work during the testing season. He is refining both your character and your gift.

How you respond in this season is very important. No matter what you have done, no matter what people have done to you, and no matter what the enemy has done against you, God is sovereignly working ‘all things together for good.’

If you can relate to this today, I pray that you will perceive the hand of God on your life. During pruning, the vine-grower’s hands are closer to the vine than at any other time.

May you sense the Father’s loving touch on your life and receive a revelation of His goodness that will empower you and cause your heart to flow with gratitude and praise.

This post contains an excerpt from my e-book, ‘Grow Your Prophetic And Prayer Gifts.’

The six phases of spiritual gift development are beginning, desiring, emerging, developing, testing and maturing.

‘Grow Your Prophetic And Prayer Gifts’ is a high-value e-book specifically written to help you grow in your gifts of prophecy, intercession, healing, discernment and more – at whatever stage or season you are on the journey.

Check out my e-books page for more e-books related to prophetic and prayer ministry.

Do you have any experiences or questions to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

Notes

[1] I highly recommend David McCracken’s messages on this subject, in particular, ‘God’s Amber Light’ and ‘Transition Is Empowering When Embraced.’
For information about how to access the David McCracken Ministries’ regular podcast, including messages by David McCracken and DMM team members, find the links on my podcast page by clicking here or look for David McCracken Ministries in iTunes.

© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog

On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church

Guidelines are to prophetic ministry, as railway tracks are to a train. They provide a way for the gift of prophecy, along with other revelatory gifts, to be released and fulfil their God-intended purpose.

The Apostle Paul gave clear guidelines for prophetic ministry to the Corinthian Church. He advised the church to put protocols into place for prophecy to operate in church meetings. (1 Cor 14:26-33)

Healthy guidelines don’t hinder; rather, they provide a way for spiritual gifts to flow, whilst ensuring they do so safely and effectively. [1]

What I Learned About Prophetic Guidelines

I have not always appreciated guidelines and leadership in church life.

Years ago, when I was in danger of going ‘off the rails’ altogether in my prophetic ministry, God intervened in my life. I tell the story of my journey, repentance and restoration in my book, ‘Prophetic People In A Changing Church.’ [2]

The most significant thing God did during this time was to teach me the value of honouring and submitting to church leadership in the use of spiritual gifts.

Later, as a prophetic leader in our church, this value was the single most important factor that enabled me to help grow a thriving prophetic/ prayer ministry.

It enabled me to lead and teach our team in such a way that the people on our team, and their spiritual gifts, flourished.

As a result:

• Opportunities for prophetic ministry increased when our pastor and leadership team were assured that it was operating within a safe framework

• Our prophetic people had the assurance of knowing what our protocols were, and experienced freedom within the framework of these

• And the congregation benefited from the exercise of a loving, and safe prophetic ministry that brought great blessing to the church.

Whenever situations came up in prophetic ministry that I was unsure about, I would talk it over with my pastor and clarify the particular guidelines of our church.

Guidelines are to prophetic ministry, as railway tracks are to a train. Too many times we have seen prophetic ministry derailed, sidelined and disused in church life. Sometimes this has followed a crash—some event involving misuse or abuse of prophetic gifts.

A major benefit of guidelines and protocols is that they help prevent these situations from occurring. Should an issue arise, they also provide a reference and guide for restoration—while enabling continuing freedom for the gift to operate in the church.

Why Have Prophetic Guidelines?

I actively encourage guidelines in church life. In fact, during my prophetic training sessions, I teach the importance of following general guidelines, as well as the unique protocols that exist in churches.

Here are 7 important reasons for having guidelines and protocols in place:

1.There is a Biblical precedent for them. The Apostle Paul encouraged prophetic accountability and protocols in the life of the church (1 Cor 12, 14)

2.They provide a framework within which spiritual gifts can be released and operate freely with accountability

3.They prevent the cycle that is so prevalent in church today: Gifts released…damaging event…gifts suppressed…gifts released…and so on.

4.Guidelines can be pointed to when something unhealthy or potentially damaging occurs that needs to be addressed

5.They bring everyone ‘on the same page,’ e.g. if a new person comes into the church who has prophetic gifts but has a differing perspective on their use, it gives you something to refer to

6.They help provide a safe environment for a. pastors and leaders, b. prophetic people and c. the congregation (and therefore builds confidence in prophetic ministry)

7.They provide a means of pastoring prophetic people and intercessors in the church

Guidelines for Other Revelatory Gifts

Prophetic people frequently gravitate towards prayer-related ministries, such as intercession, in the church.

I believe that prayer ministry areas particularly benefit from having a defined framework in which to operate in the use of spiritual gifts. [3] This is because intercessors and pray-ers frequently operate in revelatory gifts including:

• Discernment
• Intercession (revelation on how to pray, what to pray, the burden to pray, etc)
• Prophecy
• Word of knowledge

What Kinds of Prophetic Guidelines can a Church Have?

The following situations may benefit from having specific guidelines and protocols in place:

• Personal prophecies (given from individuals to individuals within the church)
• Prophecies or revelatory insights (discernment, etc.) concerning the church, its direction or vision
• Prophecies for the congregation, pertaining to particular church services
• What to do when an unhealthy or potentially damaging event occurs (e.g. someone brings an ‘off’ prophecy)
• What to do with a word that is not purely encouragement; e.g. is directional, a warning, etc
• A track for people who desire to operate and grow in prophetic ministry

If you are a person in the church who is gifted in prophecy or other revelatory gifts, be willing to allow your pastor and/or leadership team to adjust guidelines as the church changes and grows.

A Note for Pastors

If you are a pastor or leader, when communicating guidelines, I recommend that you share the reasons for them and particularly, the benefits of them. As you do, convey your vision and passion for the release and blessing of spiritual gifts in the life of your church.

Your protocols will be unique to your church and are affected by a number of factors. These may include:

• The unique vision and values of your church
• The size of your congregation
• Your desired outcomes for prophetic ministry
• The needs and history of your church

Notes:

[1] I understand that there can sometimes be confusion between healthy guidelines that release ministry, versus unhealthy control that quenches the life of the Spirit. Feel free to leave any questions about this in the comments section.

[2] For key principles and my personal journey related to prophetic ministry in church life, see my e-book  Prophetic People in a Changing Church

[3] I have discussed the gift of discernment extensively in this blog. See the following post in particular:

6 Tips For Exercising The Gift Of Discernment In Church Life

Related Post:

Prophetic Ministry In Church Life: 3 Non-Negotiables

© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog

On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church

Do you have any experiences or questions to share on the topic of prophetic guidelines and protocols in church life? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

As I write, it’s Pentecost Sunday—a time when many of us pause to remember and celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the church on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and reflect on what that means for us today.

I had been a Spirit-filled Christian for 20 years, and I thought I knew all there was to know about the Holy Spirit.

But then God showed up in unexpected places and revealed just how little I really knew.

The Box

Upon reflection, I can see that I had the Person and ministry of the Holy Spirit all wrapped up in a neat little package.

My ‘box’ was comprised mainly of two compartments—the role of the Spirit in my personal life, and His role in church life.

In the first, I knew the Holy Spirit as my Comforter, Helper, Teacher and Leader—the One sent to empower me in my Christian life. This is the Holy Spirit as revealed by Jesus in John chapters 14-16.

In the second compartment, I knew the Holy Spirit as the One who distributes spiritual gifts to the church (1 Cor 12:4-11). This expression of the Holy Spirit—in my experience back then—was largely confined to church meetings and church services and church life in general.

This second also included my expectation and joy of the Holy Spirit’s Presence being felt, and His power being manifested, in church meetings and church services. And as a prophetic worshipper, I particularly loved this aspect of the Spirit!

But then in 1995, some things began to happen for which I had no prior frame of reference.

Surprised by the Holy Spirit

At that time, The Hunk and I experienced a fresh encounter with God personally. Our love for Jesus overflowed as we sought to reach out to people around us with the good news of salvation.

The Holy Spirit showed up in our neighbourhood, moving amongst unchurched people—people who had never stepped inside of a church building.

• There were answers to prayer requests made on the behalf of non-Christians.
• There were Divine appointments—seemingly ‘coincidental’ meetings or circumstances that were clearly arranged by God to lead someone closer to faith in Jesus.
• One time, friends and I prayed for a neighbour in our living room. She fell to the ground, overcome by the power of the Spirit as she experienced God’s love. And she wasn’t even ready to give her life to Jesus.
• There was the guy we had been praying for who called us one night in alarm—he was physically feeling the power of the Holy Spirit and he wanted us to explain to him what was happening.

‘Why God—You’re Here!

One evening I was visiting a neighbour who did not know Jesus. In our conversation, I referred to the troubles and escapades of my younger years.

Surprised, she asked me what had taken place in my life to cause such a change in me.

I began to share my story—the testimony of how I came to faith in Jesus and the changes that happened in my life as a result.

Whilst I was talking to her, I noticed something taking place in the room. The manifest Presence of God—the anointing of the Holy Spirit—filled her lounge room.

I had never known such a thing. We weren’t in a church service. There was no worship taking place, no spiritual ambience at all.

In fact, we were in a dark house, which smelled of cigarettes and the family dog and had witch puppets hung around the walls.

On the outside, I was still talking, but on the inside, I wondered in amazement: ‘Why God—You’re here!’

The Holy Spirit of the Book of Acts

I realise now that although I knew the Holy Spirit personally, and experienced His ministry in church life—I did not know the Holy Spirit as He is revealed in the book of Acts and in the life and ministry of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit—like Jesus—has come to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). He loves people and wants to reach them in partnership with us.

When the Spirit came upon the waiting believers on the day of Pentecost, the manifestation of His arrival drew thousands of people from around the area.

When Peter shared the Gospel, 3,000 were saved as the Spirit caused conviction to rend their hearts.

The Holy Spirit didn’t just come for those in the upper room—He came for those who were outside of the room. And so it is today.

A Reservoir, or a River?

‘Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.’ John 7:38-39

As the years go by, and as The Hunk and I visit from church to church, we recognise that many Christians have a limited knowledge and experience of the Holy Spirit— similar to the ‘box’ I described above.

This is not surprising when you consider that there are two contexts in which we primarily teach on the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our churches today.

These are:

• Discipleship, where the infilling and baptism of the Spirit is taught in the context of spiritual growth
• Spiritual Gifts and ministry in the church

As a result, our personal lives and churches have become like reservoirs—we expect that thirsty people will come to us and drink. And we wonder where the crowds are.

But Jesus has called us to be releasers of the life of the Spirit—people and churches from whom the Spirit flows like a continuous river.

A River bringing transformation and life wherever we go—in our homes, in the streets, in our neighbourhoods, our schools and universities, in our workplaces, hospitals and supermarkets.

In our suburbs, our communities, our towns, cities, states, our nation and the nations of the world. (Acts 1:8)

This is the purpose of Pentecost.

And this is the vision I live for.

Notes:

Read more about this subject in the following posts:

The Greatest Evangelist In The World Today

The Secret Of Living An Undivided Christian Life

When Non-Christians Encounter God’s Power They Learn Of His Love

This article is related to my book, ‘How To Be A Supernatural Christian In Your Everyday World,’ a beginners’ guide to prophetic evangelism.

Find out more about the e-book here:

‘How To Be a Supernatural Christian In Your Everyday World’

Do you have any more ideas or thoughts on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

© Helen Calder  2011   Enliven Blog

On team with David McCracken Ministries

Do I hear someone say, ‘Billy Graham,’ or ‘Reinhard Bonnke?’

The greatest evangelist on earth today is the Holy Spirit, and He lives inside of you and me [1] (John 14:17).

The Fullness of the Holy Spirit

I want to know and experience the Holy Spirit in His fullness—not just in part. This means embracing all He is and everything He has come to do in and through me.

The Holy Spirit empowers us and aids us in living the Christian life. He provides spiritual gifts for ministry; He is our Comforter, Helper, Teacher and Guide.

However, the disciples did not only receive Him as Helper. They also received Him as the One who would empower them to witness—share the good news of salvation and lead people to Jesus (Acts 1:8).

When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, He announced His arrival with wind and fire… and with 3,000 people turning to faith in Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:41)

Power From On High

It was October 1994, and I was reading Charles Finney’s book, ‘Power From On High.’ [2] In his commentary on the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1-2), Finney wrote:

‘We have the same promise that they had… Let us, then… accept the commission; fully consecrate ourselves, with all that we have, to the saving of souls as our great and our only life work. Let us go to the altar with all we have and are, and lie there and persist in prayer until we have received the enduement.’

I recorded in my journal:

‘I was greatly struck by Finney’s comment that our ‘life work’ is the saving of souls. Like so many others, I have considered this to be someone else’s lifework and not my own. If this IS true (and I believe it is), then there are great ramifications.

Have I accepted Christ’s commission as my own commission? Dare I?

If I have not accepted the appointing, how can I expect the anointing?

My reflections on Finney’s work coincided with an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our church and upon us. At that time I was set free from three years of emotional and physical pain—but the impact of the Spirit’s visitation did not stop there.

The tangible Presence of the Spirit on our lives and in our home spilled over to our neighbourhood. The Hunk and I saw salvation and miracles happen in the lives of people around us as a result.

As I look back on this past year of 2010, I see the same pattern. An outpouring if the Spirit on our personal lives has resulted in the drawing of people around us to Jesus.

The Holy Spirit Loves and Leads People to Jesus

The Holy Spirit is intimately involved in the process of salvation.

In the same way that the Spirit hovered over the waters at creation, He is at work, moving unseen in the lives of those of people around us who do not yet know Jesus. (Gen 1:2; 2 Cor 5:17)

The heart of the Holy Spirit is that of Jesus, who came to ‘seek and save the lost’. (Luke 19:10)

The heart of the Spirit is that of the Father, whose desire that no person perish moved Him to send and sacrifice His Son. (John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:9)

The Spirit of God loves people passionately and indiscriminately.

4 Ways that the Holy Spirit Helps in Evangelism are:

1. By testifying to people of the Gospel’s truth (John 15:26, Acts 5:30-32)

2. By confirming the message of salvation through answers to prayer—signs, miracles and the operation of spiritual gifts (Heb 2:4, Rom 15:19)

3. By bringing conviction that leads people to repentance (1 Thess 5, John 16:8)

4. By empowering Christians to be witnesses (Acts 1:8, Luke 24:46-49)

The Holy Spirit empowers ordinary Christian believers to be witnesses, but He also directly impacts the hearts of people who need salvation, convincing them of their sin and need for a Saviour.

Our prayers, our faith, and our actions help determine whether or not the Spirit is released to do His work.

What if you are not Gifted in Evangelism?

Maybe, like me, you would say that you are not gifted in the area of evangelism.

It is true that there is a gift and an office of evangelist (Eph 4:11, 2 Tim 4:5). An evangelist is empowered and called to make evangelism a primary focus of their ministry, as well as to equip the church for evangelism.

Can someone who does not a have a spiritual gift of evangelism be an effective witness?

Here’s the ultimate test: can an introverted, prophetic-intercessor-type person like me lead people to Jesus?

Evangelism may not be my personal strength, but my Divine Partner, the Holy Spirit, is the greatest evangelist in the world today.

• I am also a part of a Christian community that shares my passion to bring people to Jesus.

I have discovered that my inability is not a handicap to the Holy Spirit. The pressure is off. Instead of striving, I need only focus on cooperating with the Spirit, as He loves and leads people to Jesus.

How can we Partner with the Holy Spirit in Evangelism?

Here are some keys that can help:

1. Be filled with the Spirit

If you have already been baptised in the Holy Spirit, pray for a fresh infilling (Acts 4:24-31)

2. Acknowledge the evangelistic role of the Holy Spirit and take time to reflect on what that can mean for you and the lives of people around you

3. Recommit to being a witness—sharing the good news about what Jesus has done for you with people around your life
4. Pray for those around you who don’t know Jesus and believe that the Spirit is at work in answer to your prayers

5. Watch out for Divine appointments. Look for what the Holy Spirit is doing in people around you and simply cooperate with Him.

If you you have any thoughts or experiences to share on this topic, I would love to hear from you.  Leave a comment below. If the comments section is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

Notes:

[1] This statement is made to my Christian readers who have been ‘born again by the Spirit of God.’ (See Titus 3:4-17) If you are not sure whether this relates to you, here is a great resource:

http://www.allaboutgod.com/become-a-christian.htm

[2] Power From On High, Charles Grandison Finney (1792-1875). The book can be viewed here:

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/finney/power.html

Related Posts:

A Beginner’s Guide To Prophetic Evangelism Part 1

How You Can Have An Intimate Relationship With The Holy Spirit

You Don’t Need A Special Gift To Be A Supernatural Christian

Pentecost: How God Exploded My Box

© Helen Calder  2010   Enliven Publishing http://enlivenpublishing.com/blog/

Now on team with David McCracken Ministries

Last week I shared about how you don’t need a spiritual gift to be a supernatural Christian. And I asked the question, ‘What spiritual gifts do you know that you DON’T have?

But what about the spiritual gifts that you DO have? Can they be expressed in your everyday life?

The Mantle of My Father’s Favour

In Genesis 37, Jacob had a richly ornamented robe made for his favourite son Joseph. Joseph’s coat set him apart and caused him to stand out from the crowd.

Everywhere Joseph went, he wore the mantle that represented his father’s favour.

In God’s Kingdom, each of us is the Father’s favoured son or daughter (Gal 3:26-29). The unique mix of spiritual gifts He has given to us individually is like Joseph’s richly ornamented robe.

‘We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.’ (Rom 12:6)

I want to live an undivided Christian life—where I am the same person in my daily life that I am in my church life and devotional life with God—not confining my faith to set times and places.

In the Gospels, wherever Jesus went, He was simply Himself, and His prayer life and spiritual gifts were on display for all to see. No matter where He was, He was always ready to impart healing, teach, set someone free or share a word of knowledge.

This challenges me.

Lately, I have become more conscious of not holding back my faith and who I am before others, and this includes being open about the spiritual gifts God has given me.

For a start, this is a matter of personal integrity. As I grow in gifts of prophecy, or prayer, for example, why should I be one way with Christian friends or in meetings, and then shut that part of my life down when I am out and about?

And yet (let’s be honest) many times, this is exactly what we do.

Too often, our spiritual gifts are like a coat that we pull out of our wardrobes when we are heading to church or to any place where we are meeting with our Christian friends. But then, when we leave church, we take the coat off as we walk out the door.

What would happen if we started ‘wearing’ our spiritual gifts everywhere we went—in our homes, workplaces, schools, shops and neighbourhoods?

I want to be like Joseph, unashamed to wear the mantle that my Father has given to me. I want to freely display who I am in Christ, as well as the Holy Spirit and His unique expression and anointing on my life.

Embracing Our Unique Giftedness

The Hunk has a ‘missionary’ gift. Wherever we go he delights in talking to people from other cultures, befriending them and discovering where they are from. (This occurs frequently in restaurants, when I want to have a private, romantic moment).

Whilst the focus of this blog is primarily on prophetic and prayer gifts [1], there are many more spiritual gifts that can be expressed in our everyday lives. For example, I have often admired people who have gifts of hospitality, like Mary and Martha did. (Luke 10:38)

Like the colours in Joseph’s robe, we have different many and varied gifts. Even when we have spiritual gifts that are similar to those of others, the expression and strength of those gifts will be unique to us.

We should never compare ourselves with others or feel inferior in our spiritual gifts.

I hear many people express doubt about having a gift, even though they have used it in church life, have seen others helped and brought closer to Jesus by it, and had its presence confirmed by Christian leaders.

Why does it seem more spiritual and humble to downplay or even deny the presence of a spiritual gift in our lives?

Are You Wearing Your Mantle?

If Joseph had hidden away the mantle of his father’s favour, his brothers may have been more accepting of him.

He may have experienced fewer trials. But he would never have been sent ahead of God’s people to Egypt, or have been used of God to save the nations of that region from perishing through famine.

So take ownership of your unique spiritual gifts. Throw the mantle of your Father’s favour around your shoulders for all to see, and give yourself—and your spiritual gifts—permission to shine.

As I go on this journey, here are some things I am starting to do more of:

• Sharing openly with others—regardless of their beliefs—about activities that I am involved with that are to do with my spiritual gifts
• Being honest about interests I have and values I carry that relate to my spiritual gifts
• Being open to the Holy Spirit to use me wherever I am in my everyday life
• Using my spiritual gifts, whatever they are, when opportunities arise for Jesus’ love to be expressed through them to people
• Working on expressing my spiritual gifts (especially those of a revelatory nature like prophecy) in a natural, non-religious way

‘For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.’ (2 Tim 1:6-7)

Questions to Consider:

• What spiritual gift(s) do I know that I have—that have been affirmed and used in the life of my church?
• What would it look like for me to live an undivided Christian life in relation to my spiritual gifts? Am I doing so?

Do you have any thoughts or experiences to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you.  Leave a comment below. If the comments section is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

Notes:

[1] To learn more about spiritual gifts and how to develop your prophetic or prayer gifts, read my e-Book, ‘Grow Your Prophetic And Prayer Gifts.’

Related Posts:

The Secret of Living An Undivided Christian Life

You Don’t Need A Special Gift To Be A Supernatural Christian

Spiritual Gift Questionnaires and Courses: Can We Do Better?

© Helen Calder   2010   Enliven Blog

Now on team with David McCracken Ministries

Have you ever declined to do something because you are ‘not gifted’ in that area?

I have.

‘I’m not gifted in that area’ is an apology that I have used often, especially when it comes to things like hospitality or evangelism.

And this can be a very good thing!

In the church environment particularly, it is vital that we serve where we are gifted and passionate and called.

‘Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.’ (1 Peter 4:10)

But—what about in my relationships and my everyday life? Does ‘I’m not gifted in that area’ work as a reason to not speak to someone about Jesus, or not to pray for a family member who is sick, or not to provide hospitality when it is needed?

Don’t be Intimidated by Others’ Spiritual Gifts

We will never truly be fulfilled until we step into the fullness of life that we are designed for—and be comfortable with our own unique expression of spirituality.

I have an old Toyota Camry, which is a vehicle that serves my family and me well. If I am driving and alongside me a hot, turbo-charged Ferrari pulls up, I don’t say, “What is the point of me being on the road? My car is not as powerful as that one.”

My car may be ordinary, it may not go as fast, but it is the only one that will taxi my children around, carry my family’s groceries and get me to work.

In the same way, we must not allow the fact that we do not have a spiritual gift of prayer, prophecy, healing and so on, intimidate us, or stop us living the supernatural life that is our rightful inheritance as Christians.

You and I will connect with people in our everyday life that the pastors and gifted people in our church will not, and occasions for prayer will arise when there is no one present but the Lord and us.

Where is the evangelist when the opportunity arises for you to discuss your faith with a neighbour, or work colleague, or lead your child or grandchild in a salvation prayer?

Where is the prophet when you or someone near you is struggling in your daily life, and needs direction or breakthrough, and could benefit from an encouraging word from God?

A Spiritual Gift, or a Characteristic of Christian Living?

It is vital that we grasp the difference between what a spiritual gift is, versus what is a basic characteristic that we should be exhibiting as followers of Jesus.

For the most part, spiritual gifts are turbo-charged, Holy Spirit-boosted versions of attributes that should be present in the life of every Christian believer.

For example:

• Every Christian is a witness and can share the Good News about Jesus (Col 4:5-6). However, a person with a gift of evangelism will see more people make commitments to Jesus through his or her ministry than the average Christian.

• Every Christian can pray (1 Thess 5:17, Eph 6:18). In fact, prayer is foundational to our relationship with God. Some Christians will pray more, and experience more miraculous results, because they have a gift of prayer or intercession

• All Christians can prophesy (Acts 2:17-18)—i.e., hear God’s voice for themselves and others. Some people can prophesy more powerfully, with greater accuracy and at a higher level, because they have a spiritual gift of prophecy

The same is also true of other areas such as healing (James 5:16), helps (Mark 10:43-45), giving (Rom 12:13) and hospitality (1 Peter 4:9).

This is why, in Ephesians 4, Paul describes the 5-fold (‘Ascension’) ministries—not as exclusive ministers in their area of giftedness—but as those whose primary calling is ‘to equip God’s people for works of service.’ (Eph 4:11-12)

The Basis for Supernatural Christian Living is Not a Spiritual Gift

It is true that some people do have a higher degree of giftedness than others in prayer, healing, prophecy, and so on.

But having a gift is not the basis for you being able to share with someone about Jesus, or pray, or receive a message from the Father for yourself or someone else.

Your ability to hear God’s voice is your right as a son or daughter in His Kingdom.

The source of your authority 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 power.

Further—and this is amazing—you and I have the same Holy Spirit indwelling and anointing us, who empowered Jesus to go about His life and ministry in the Gospels.

I have come to realise that there is NO ONE more qualified than you and I

• to hear from God
• to offer a prayer
• to have a Divine appointment
• to be involved in leading someone to Jesus

wherever we are in our everyday world.

Some Questions to Consider:

• What spiritual gifts am I aware that I do NOT have?
• Have I used the absence of a spiritual gift as a reason to not expect that God could use me to help love and lead people to Jesus, or to pray, or to believe God for miracles in my everyday life?

Prayer

Father, I want to be fully alive—to be all you have called and designed me to be.

Help me to be comfortable with my own unique, down-to-earth expression of spirituality and to not be intimidated by the spiritual gifts and strengths of others.

Thank You that Your Spirit anoints and empowers me to be a supernatural Christian in my everyday world—to live a life for which Jesus is the only explanation, and to love and lead people to you.

In Jesus’ Name

Do you have any thoughts or experiences to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the box below. If the comments area is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

How To Be A Supernatural Christian: Turning Your I Can’ts Into I Cans

The Secret Of Living An Undivided Christian Life

The Greatest Evangelist In The World Today

Now on team with David McCracken Ministries

• 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.

[1] Recommended Reading

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.

*Charlie Forrest pastors New Hope Fellowship in Auckland, New Zealand. Charlie has many years leadership involvement in missions with Asian Outreach and is also a Bible College lecturer. Charlie and his wife Brenda are responsible for launching The Hunk and I into missions ministry around 23 years ago.

Related posts:

Spiritual Gift Questionnaires and Courses: Can We Do Better?

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

Give Yourself (And Your Gifts) Permission To Shine

© Helen Calder  2010   Enliven Blog

Now on team with David McCracken Ministries

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 the Way 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

UNLOCKING THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT E-BOOK – *NEW!*

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Are you sensitive to what is taking place in the spiritual realm? Have you ever been adversely affected by a negative atmosphere?

You may have the spiritual gift of discernment.

The gift of discernment of spirits is a powerful weapon in times of spiritual warfare, and can be of great assistance when ministering freedom to individuals.

And yet many who have the gift of discernment have difficulty knowing what to do with what they are feeling or sensing.

(More details …)

For more e-books to develop your prophetic gifts and lead a supernatural christian life, visit our e-books page.

Related Posts:

8 Signs You May Have The Gift Of Discernment

8 Ways To Grow Your Gift Of Discernment

Hunger For God: 6 Ways You Can Stir It Up

6 Tips For Exercising The Gift Of Discernment In Church Life

©  Helen Calder   2010   Enliven Publishing

Now on team with David McCracken Ministries

• 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.

UNLOCKING THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT E-BOOK – *NEW!*

$5.95 e-Book*

Are you sensitive to what is taking place in the spiritual realm? Have you ever been adversely affected by a negative atmosphere?

You may have the spiritual gift of discernment.

The gift of discernment of spirits is a powerful weapon in times of spiritual warfare, and can be of great assistance when ministering freedom to individuals.

And yet many who have the gift of discernment have difficulty knowing what to do with what they are feeling or sensing.

(More details …)

Would you like to develop your prophetic gift?
Here are 3 things that can help you:

1. Prophetic Teaching:
Enter your email address in the subscribe box at the top right hand side of this page to receive:

• regular blog posts containing teaching that will help you grow in your gift of prophecy, as well as articles on spiritual gifts, prayer, spiritual renewal and supernatural Christian living

2. Prophetic Training:

Check here for prophetic training resources and information

3. E-books to Help you Develop Your Gifts:

‘Grow Your Prophetic And Prayer Gifts’ is a high-value e-book specifically written to help you grow in your prophetic gifts – at whatever stage or season you are on the journey.

Check out our e-books page for more e-books related to prophetic and prayer ministry.

Related Posts:

What Is The Gift Of Discernment?

8 Ways To Grow Your Gift Of Discernment

The Heart Of A Discerner

What Are Some Signs That You Have A Prophetic Gift?

6 Tips For Exercising The Gift of Discernment In Church Life

© Helen Calder  2010   Enliven Blog

Now on team with David McCracken Ministries

This series has been renewed and updated in 2011. For the first post in the new series, visit the following article:
11 Signs That Your Prophetic Gift Is Being Held Back

Welcome to the 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?

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.

Related Posts:

3 Simple Ways to Pray For Healing
7 Reasons Why You Can Pray For Healing

© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching

On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church

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

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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

$4.95 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

$5.95 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

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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).

Note that some of these e-books are now available from the David McCracken Ministries online store.

Check the e-books page for the complete list of e-book s available.

© Helen Calder    Enliven Blog

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.

Prophetic Dream about 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 prophetic training opportunities
• news of resources to help develop your prophetic gift

Related posts:

Hunger For God: 6 Ways You Can Stir It Up

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 Blog

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, as well as articles about prayer, spiritual renewal and supernatural Christian living.
• news about resources to help develop your prophetic gift

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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

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 completely (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% ‘word perfect’ 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.

This means putting guidelines and protocols into place—not for the purpose of having a set of rules, but to provide a safe environment for:
•    those who are prophesying,
•    recipients of prophecy, and
•    church leadership

I also believe it is helpful, in growing a prophetic community, to provide a designated leader to give feedback on prophecies or to check prophetic words, before they are delivered.

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?
Here are 3 things that can help you:

1. Prophetic Teaching:
Enter your email address in the subscribe box at the top right hand side of this page to receive:

• regular blog posts containing teaching that will help you grow in your gift of prophecy, as well as articles on spiritual gifts, prayer, spiritual renewal and supernatural Christian living

2. E-books to Help you Develop Your Gifts:

‘Grow Your Prophetic And Prayer Gifts’ is a high-value e-book specifically written to help you grow in your prophetic gifts – at whatever stage or season you are on the journey.

Check out our e-books page for more e-books related to prophetic and prayer ministry.

See also:

Differences Between Old And New Testament Prophecy

 Prophetic Ministry in the Church: Why Have Guidelines?

Signs that you have a Prophetic Gift

How to Develop Your Prophetic Gift

© Helen Calder   Enliven Blog

Seasons of Development in Your Prophetic Gift

There are at least 5 distinctive seasons in the growth of a prophetic gift in a person’s life. (These seasons also relate to other spiritual gifts). 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?
Here are 3 things that can help you:

1. Prophetic Teaching:
Enter your email address in the subscribe box at the top right hand side of this page to receive:

• regular blog posts containing teaching that will help you grow in your gift of prophecy, as well as articles on spiritual gifts, prayer, spiritual renewal and supernatural Christian living

2. Prophetic Training:

Check here for prophetic training resources and information

3. E-books to Help you Develop Your Gifts:

‘Grow Your Prophetic And Prayer Gifts’ is written to help you grow in your prophetic gifts – at whatever stage or season you are on the journey.

Check out our e-books page for more e-books related to prophetic and prayer ministry.

See also:

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

What are Some Signs That You Have a Prophetic gift

Spiritual Gift Questionnaires and Courses: Can We Do Better?

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

© Helen Calder       Enliven Blog – Prophetic teaching

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).

Do you remember that age-old birthday party activity called ‘Pass-the-Parcel’?

After seating the children in a circle, the music begins. The CD player is presided over by an adult, who judiciously stops the music in such a way that every child has a turn at unwrapping and receiving a gift. To the children, the anticipation of the ‘random’ stopping of the music whilst the parcel passes through their hands generates great excitement. Predictably, some in the group hold the parcel for a few seconds longer than necessary. And once chosen, their faces light with joy as they open their very own gift, small as it is.

I still recall the magic of the game from my childhood, and a generation later, when as a parent it was my own turn to carefully wrap one gift over another, until multiple layers of gifts were wrapped into one.

We have a generous and loving God, who delights in giving His children good gifts. You are loved and chosen by God, and He has paid the price in full through Jesus’ death on the cross, to give you a priceless, multi-layered gift. And you get to receive, enjoy, and use everything that’s inside. But the choice is yours as to whether you will unwrap each layer, receive all of the gifts He has given to you, and pass them on.

1. The Greatest Gift of All: Jesus & His Salvation

The first gift that the New Testament reveals to us is Jesus Himself, God’s Son. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
When you believe in and receive Jesus, and give your life to Him, you become a child of God, a member of His family. With that transaction, you receive the gift of salvation: ‘whoever believes in him shall… have eternal life.’

“How much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!” (Rom 5:15).

The Greek word translated gift in this verse is dorea, meaning a free gift, emphasising that it is unearned and unwarranted. There is nothing you have done or can do to earn this gift—the price has been fully paid by God Himself.
Once we have received God’s free gift of salvation—freedom from the penalties of sin and eternal life in relationship with God, we discover another layer of His gift-package still awaits us.

2. The Gift Of The Holy Spirit

“Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39).

The second gift you may choose to receive is the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit resides in us from the moment of our salvation. However, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience that is separate and distinct to that of our new birth in Christ, during which we receive the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit is outpoured from the throne of God to give us power to live a supernatural Christian life and be effective witnesses of Jesus to others (Acts 1:8, Luke 24:49). Again, the word used is dorea—a free gift, available to all who have received God’s gift of salvation through Christ. And again, there is nothing we need do to deserve this gift, for Jesus has paid the price in full. All we need to do, as Christians committed and submitted to Jesus Christ, is simply believe, ask and receive.

3. Spiritual Gifts

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us” (Rom 12:4-6).

As we unwrap the free gift of our salvation, we realise that God has called us—in turn—to be His gift to the world. After His death and resurrection, Jesus said to His disciples, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:21-22).

We discover that God has not only saved us for eternity, He has a unique place and destiny for us as we live out our lives here on earth. The desire to be a history-maker, to achieve something lasting for God, is ingrained into our spiritual DNA. In Ephesians 2:10, the Apostle Paul states, ‘For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ He calls us to do something for Him that is God-sized.

Not only has God called us; He also enables us. And He does this by giving us special gifts to help us serve Him. These gifts are unique to us, and eminently suited to the life mission and ministry pathway that He has prepared for us.
The word used for a spiritual gift in the New Testament is ‘charisma,’ meaning a gift of grace . The emphasis here is upon the favour and kindness of God, His graciousness in bestowing the gift.

We have a saying, ‘Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?’ Whilst God has already laid our destiny out in advance, it doesn’t come with a map or set of guidelines, for He has called us to ‘live by faith, not by sight’ (2 Cor 5:7). Whilst the call of God does come clearly and sovereignly on occasion, it usually unfolds slowly. We receive clues to our arena of service by examining the unique gifts, passion and personality that He has given to us.

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10-11).

No one has been left out. No gift is inferior to another; there are no little people or little places in God. And you have been given your own unique gifts and your own arena of service, to love people, bring them closer to Jesus, and help grow His church. You are irreplaceable.

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing

Signs You May Have A Gift Of Prophecy

So—if you believe that you may have a prophetic gift, but are not sure, what are some signs that will help you identify it and move forward? You may not identify with all of the following points, but if you do have a prophetic gift, you will recognise many of them in your life:

1. Desire to Help People Through Prophecy (1 Cor 14:3)

• You have a desire for God to use you to bring a message from Him that will encourage your leaders or church
• If a person is in trouble, needs guidance, or to connect with God, you find yourself wanting to pass on an encouraging message from God

2. You Pray in a Prophetic Way

• After praying for people, they comment that you ‘prayed the right thing,’ or they ask, ‘How did you know that?’
• When praying for a person, group, geographical area, or for your church, you sense that the Holy Spirit is directing your prayers about God’s purpose for the situation.
• You seem to know what Bible verses apply to a situation that you are praying for; symbolic pictures or words may come to mind when you pray.

2. Attraction To Prophetic Ministry (1 Cor 14:1)

• You have a keen interest in prophetic ministry
• You are attracted to prayer meetings or any meetings where prophetic gifts are being used and find yourself drawn to prophetic people.
• You may feel that you have a call from God to prophetic ministry but sometimes experience doubts.

3. Motivation to Learn How to Prophesy (2 Tim 1:6)

• You are motivated to learn about how to use the prophetic gift or further your understanding of personal prophecy.
• You may already be actively seeking out teaching or training through reading books, attending training sessions or learning from people who are experienced in prophecy
• You are reading this blog!

4. Other Signs… That may Indicate you Have a Prophetic Gift

• You may get discouraged when things you believe God has promised don’t come to pass as quickly as you would like
• You may have an affinity with symbolic pictures, stories or actions
• You may have had unusual or supernatural experiences that point you to having a prophetic gift—however note this is not a prerequisite
• You may have a keen sense of justice—however, remember that human personality is not an indicator of whether a person has a prophetic gift from the Holy Spirit.

If you do recognise any of the above signs and would like to grow in your prophetic gift, here are some ideas to help you:

• Find a healthy Christian church where prophetic ministry is encouraged, and where you can grow in your gifts
• Focus on developing your general Bible knowledge; resist the temptation to take verses or Bible stories out of context
• Learn the principles of hearing God’s voice and how to filter out what is not of God
• Practice hearing messages from God to yourself and others in your own times of prayer. Use a journal to keep track of and check what you believe God is saying to you.
• Ask for feedback when you bring a prophetic message and be open to both encouragement and correction
• Choose your mentors carefully. Looks for people who are enthusiastic and supportive members of a church where they are accountable to church leadership
• Find good sources of training and teaching to help you grow in understanding and using the gift of prophecy

Would you like to develop your prophetic gift?
Here are 3 things that can help you:

1. Prophetic Teaching:
Enter your email address in the subscribe box at the top right hand side of this page to receive:

• regular blog posts containing teaching that will help you grow in your gift of prophecy, as well as articles on spiritual gifts, prayer, spiritual renewal and supernatural Christian living
• notifications about online prophetic training opportunities

2. Prophetic Training:

Check here for prophetic training resources and information

3. E-books to Help you Develop Your Gifts:

‘Grow Your Prophetic And Prayer Gifts’ is a high-value e-book specifically written to help you grow in your prophetic gifts – at whatever stage or season you are on the journey.

Check out our e-books page for more e-books related to prophetic and prayer ministry.

Related Posts:

‘How To Develop Your Prophetic Gift’

Understanding How Prophetic Ministry Works in the Church Today

© Helen Calder  2009   Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching

Now on team with David McCracken Ministries – Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church

Do you have any questions or thoughts on the topic of signs of a prophetic gift? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment on the comments box. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

So far, Sylvester has had no success in her quest to catch and eat Tweety Bird, and as Tweety Bird’s protectors, the Hunk and I have no intention in allowing her to succeed in carrying out those evil schemes.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8-9,

‘Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.’

Unlike Tweety Bird, however, we enjoy freedom and have the upper hand. We know the outcome before the battle starts. We also know, because the Bible tells us, that we have access to the victory Jesus has won for us on the cross (Col 2:15).

Last week I posted a blog exploring the distinction between spiritual warfare and God testing us (both can be taking place at the same time). I looked briefly at how spiritual warfare can benefit us by strengthening our faith, as well as heightening our experience and understanding of our spiritual authority.

How Prophetic People can help in times of Spiritual Warfare in Church Life

In the church, the gifts and abilities of prophetic people particularly shine during times of battle and opposition. Here are three reasons why:

1. Prophetic people are most likely to pray (Eph 6:18)

There’s nothing like pressure or opposition to remind us that we are dependent on God, and prayer is the ultimate expression of that reliance. People with intercessory and prophetic gifts are the ones who will quickly turn to prayer and encourage others to do so. In times of spiritual battle in the church, this gift comes to the fore.

2. Prophetic people are more likely to discern the source of the warfare (2 Cor 2:11)

Prophetic people tend to be very aware of what is taking place in the spiritual atmosphere. We may be the first to sense what is going on. Frequently our prophetic gift is teamed up with a gift of discernment (1 Cor 12:10). Like the surgeon choosing the right instrument for a specific job, this discernment can help us pray with precision in times of warfare. Leaders in the church greatly appreciate this gift when it is used effectively and wisely

3. Prophetic people can see beyond the battle to the brighter future (Rom 16:20)

The prophetic gift helps us see beyond our current experience, and the trials in our church, to the future good that God has planned for us. When doing prophetic training, I encourage our intercessors to balance their discernment of the enemy’s presence and strategy, with prophetic insight regarding the positive outcome that God has planned for us as a church. By seeing clearly not only the present difficulties, but also God’s future redemptive plan, we can pray more powerfully.

Prophetic people, along with their spiritual gifts, are God’s front line protection when it comes to spiritual warfare in the church. We must remember that we don’t always get our discernment 100% correct (1 Cor 13:9) and to submit our insights with humility (1 Cor 14:29). When we do, God can use us for breakthrough in our families and churches in seasons of spiritual warfare.

My challenge to you today is, to think of some difficult situation that you are currently facing in your life, family or church. Using the above three points, ask the question, “How can I respond to bring positive change?” Leave a comment on this post for discussion and so that your ideas can help others on the same journey.

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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
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See also Prophetic People and Spiritual Warfare

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing