Before we begin, let's stop for a moment and just reflect on the last 9 weeks. It is good to take time and purposely reflect on all the Lord has done in us and for us from time to time. Do you remember how you felt at the beginning of the course? How do you now feel about your ability to hear the Voice of the Lord? Do you see how God has produced fruit in you as a result of your being willing to be stretched and used?
We began Week 1 with an encouragement about your qualifications for ministry to give you a foundation and a basic level of confidence. By now, you probably see that several things have indeed been proven true. First, God is faithful to His Word. Second, God wants to speak to you and those around you - and has much to say. Third, if you desire to be used and make yourself available, He will use you. Fourth, if you open your mouth (for His purposes), He will fill it. If you are in agreement with (and confident about) these statements, say "amen". Now let's proceed to our last exercise for this course.
This week we are going to receive thoughts from the Lord for just one person. We have already seen how God speaks personally as well as corporately. Just as we have been learning to share thoughts from the Lord with ourselves, others within a group, and corporately, this time we will again address an individual and we will do this in a fashion that will cause us to only be able to use the eyes of our heart and be deprived of any natural information from our senses.
This activation will be done by teams of two - one to give the word (the "giver") and the other to be the unknown recipient (the "receiver"). Depending on the number of people in your group, you may select just two or more than two individuals to be a part of this activation at any one time but it must be done in pairs so there is a "giver" and a "receiver" in each pair. The group coordinator will select the "receiver" to quietly come and stand behind the "giver" and the person selected to be the "giver" will stand in a position so they cannot see who is the "receiver".. It is important that no talking or other sounds be made that would allow the "giver" to know who is standing behind them.
It does not matter whether one pair or many pairs do this activation at any one time. Each group should decide how many pairs will do this exercise at any one time depending on how many are in the group. Because the leader must direct the flow of this exercise, they must stand aside and let those involved know when everyone is in position. Then the normal process of stirring up, quietly listening and speaking one by one takes place. It is generally helpful for the leader to call on each "giver" as they raise their hand indicating they have received something for their "receiver". Different "givers" will receive at different times so this will not necessarily go in order of pairs.
As you enter the time of listening for the Voice of the Lord this week, ask Him to speak whatever He would speak for the benefit of the person receiving the word. Your word should follow the pattern of strengthening, encouragement and comfort according to 1 Cor. 14:3. Since this is a "safe environment" for practice and learning, we remind all of this basic admonition again since this is not a time for any corrective or judgmental words. As we have said in past lessons, if you feel you hear something that is corrective or judgmental, please go back to the Lord and ask Him for another word.
The purpose of this week's activation is to give you another opportunity to see with the "Eyes of Your Heart" (Eph. 1:18). Being deprived of your natural senses will serve to help us focus on what you see, hear and know/feel in your spirit, rather than using our natural senses.
As we said in Week 8, it is interesting to observe that people of all levels of maturity in the prophetic consistently deliver more accurate words when they are deprived of natural knowledge. This may seem difficult to accept but it has proven to be true. When natural knowledge is deprived, the only way to receive is to receive from the Spirit and not rely on our natural mind. Because of this, the "information" comes from the Holy Spirit speaking to our spirit and not from our flesh.
While some of you are clearly feeling the flow of the prophetic word in you, some may still be wondering if you have the ability to become very adept and skilled in the prophetic. If you feel this way, just remember this - some hold the conviction that the difference between the Office of the Prophet and the Gift of Prophecy is not in the accuracy of the words, but the ability to impart and to activate others in the gift. The Lord does not need for all of us to be activators but He does want us all to be activated (1 Cor. 14:1-5). By drawing as close as possible to the Lord and by reason of use of the prophetic gift, you will improve and mature in your gift. This is the key to becoming very skilled as a vessel in delivering the prophetic word. For this reason, do not ever allow the enemy to rob you of having confidence in this area. Otherwise, the ENTIRE Body of Christ would not have been given 1 Cor. 14:1-5.
This is the second of two activations where we will be drawing wholly upon the Spirit and the eyes of our heart so as you come to the time of listening, just focus on the Lord and what He says, and you will find this time to be a real blessing and a faith builder.
We have continually emphasized the fact that receiving a Word from the Lord is quite easy once you just relax and rest in the faith that God is faithful to communicate and that He usually wants to speak to you more than you want to hear. He will then be faithful to minister to the needs that are on His heart and you will be used as a conduit for His power.
Note for local group leaders: You might want to consider taping these words as they are given in the group and then transcribe them and make the transcription or tape available to your local pastor.
Since we are all saved, we have Christ living within us. Let's allow Him to minister to us, through us, and to and through our brother or sister in Christ. 1 Peter 4:10 says "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." We want to be good stewards of God's grace so let's be willing to share Christ within us with our brother or sister.
How do we stir ourselves up?
Let's take a moment to pray some scripture found in Ephesians 1:18-19 and Isaiah 11:2 (some changes and additions in wording have been made to accommodate this prayer).
Lord, I pray that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened in order that I may know the hope to which You have called me, the riches of Your glorious inheritance in the saints, and Your incomparably great power for me as I believe. That power is like the working of Your mighty strength, which You exerted in Christ when You raised him from the dead and seated him at Your right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.Lord, I do thank You for opening the spiritual eyes of my heart and teaching me how to see in the spiritual realm and for giving me a glimpse of my glorious inheritance and Your incomparably great power working in me and through me as I believe You.
Lord, I also ask You for a fresh anointing of the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, and the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord (according to Isaiah 11:2).
Now Lord, I ask You to seal and establish all I have learned as a result of this course and to make me an instrument of Your power to bring glimpses of Your glorious inheritance to my brothers and sisters and to those who are hurting and need to know the reality of Your Son and His love for them.
Lord, I thank You and praise You for this in Jesus name. Amen.
Pray this prayer with your group as you begin:
Dear Lord, in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, I come before Your throne. I am washed by the blood. Christ lives within me. Not just in part, but in my whole being. I bring every thought of my mind and soul into captivity to the mind of Christ. I will be open to be led by the Holy Spirit to receive a prophetic word from You for the person behind me. I will gladly share just what you show me, without adding my own interpretation to it. I will not doubt it nor question it, I'll just be willing to give it. I am a believer, and I expect to receive. I thank You for giving me a word of knowledge from the throne. Amen.
This prayer releases people from any guilt, fear, condemnation and sense of unworthiness. Since fear and feeling unworthy are the two most hindering factors to people moving in the mind of Christ, this brings a release.
The purpose of this short and specific prayer is to bind any hindering or religious spirits and to release faith and anointing. Feel free to use whatever words you choose for this but it does not have to be long and involved.
As each person acting as the "giver" receives a word, they should raise their hand. The group leader will then ask each "giver" who has raised their hand to share their word with their "receiver". Now relax, this is going to be fun, and it will continue to help you "tune in" to the Holy Spirit. Once you go silent, give yourself about 45 - 60 seconds and during this time, look and see what pictures form in your minds eye (the eyes of your heart), listen to what you may "hear" in your Spirit and pay attention to what sense you may have in your "knower".
Again, here is an explanation of these different modes.
This is the doing part we for which we have prepared ourselves. Now is the time, one person at a time, to speak specifically what you receive from the Holy Spirit being cautious not to add any of your own personal interpretation. (If you are a seer, ask the Lord to help you with this from now on in these activations since there will be a need to interpret somewhat the "flow" of mental pictures. In short, you will need to interpret the pictures He is giving you without adding your own personal interpretation to it... trust God to explain through you what He sharing via this pictures.)
From our original purpose paragraph, the "giver" will be looking for a prophetic word that will connect with their intended "receiver". This activation will allow us to see with the "eyes of our heart" (Eph. 1:18) rather than our natural eyes.
The group leader will call on each "giver" as they raise their hand until all the "givers" have spoken. At this point, the "givers" may turn around and see who is behind them. Then the "givers" can receive feedback from the "receivers" regarding the words given. The leader can then have the "receivers" become the "givers" and the entire process can be repeated. As has been the case in past weeks, many in the group will receive both individual as well as corporate ministry.
As the members of your group share what they receive, you might want to write down the things which speak to you individually as well as the things you strongly identify with in the corporate setting and discuss them after all have had an opportunity to share what they received. The group can then take the opportunity to pray over these things and see the Lord minister to the needs that were identified corporately.
The Harvest is upon us and the days ahead will be filled with opportunities to speak words of encouragement, exhortation and life to many across the face of the earth. To some, hearing the Word of the Lord could very well mean the difference between life and death. As you become more and more proficient in using the "eyes of your heart" rather than your natural mind, you will be able to respond readily and accurately in most any situation where God desires and chooses to use you to speak to someone. Even though you see the person you will minister to, you will have trained yourself to not rely on natural senses but the inner witness of the Holy Spirit and the eyes of your heart.
Since this is our final activation in this course, some additional thoughts apply here. Some of you already knew there was a prophetic calling on your life while others of you have discovered this gifting (become activated) as a result of going through this training. If you are called as a prophet or prophetess, this is only the beginning of your training and the Lord will see to it that your training continues. There are many books and sources of information available to help you more deeply study the character and methods that God requires in those He uses as prophetic ministers. A list of these resources can be made available to those who are interested upon request. Begin now to ask Him to show you His next steps in your development. He will do it.
Finally, we are now in a time when the day of the superstar is over and the prophetic anointing has been distributed to the many, not the few. Even if you are not called as a prophet or prophetess, God will use you prophetically to speak His words to those whom He desires to minister to. Press into intimacy with the Lord, be available to Him, and earnestly desire (covet) to prophesy.
We have ourselves been greatly blessed and encouraged to be able to serve you in this course. May the Lord flow through you mightily in the days to come.