This week's activation will give each of you the opportunity to listen God on behalf of your partner, to share what you hear and to receive very controlled/detailed feedback. This builds on last weeks exercise, and will help you to discern (become familiar with) what God's voice sounds like and what the voice of your heart sound like. We do this by listening to them both and discerning the difference.

Those of you working in non-email groups (IRC, AOL, ICQ, local groups) will divide into teams of three. There will be three separate roles in the team, and each of you will take turns doing each role. We will repeat this exercise three times, so you each get an opportunity to do all three roles. For those of you doing this with an email partner, or for those of you in a smaller team of 2 (because not all groups will divide up evenly into teams of three), we will combine the "Receiver" and the "Scribe" roles to a single person.

OVERVIEW OF HOW THIS WORKS

Responsibilities of each role:

GIVERS:

In each group there is a giver. This person will be ask to give a "word" to the receiver. It can be a prophecy or a word of knowledge, your choice giver. Do not begin yet, wait until the group leader tells you to start. At that time, I want you to give the receiver a word. In addition to what you think the Lord is saying, I want you to say everything that is coming to you. Much of it you will think "that's just me, those are just my thoughts". I want you to share them with the receiver, just as you would the "word" you are getting from the Lord. Don't try to distinguish between them when you give it, just tell them everything.

For example, don't say "this is from me" or "this is from the Lord" -- just tell them everything you are thinking, sensing, getting, etc.

RECEIVERS:

Receivers, you have an easy job. DO NOTHING while the giver is giving their word. (You will give feedback, under the scribe's direction, when the giver is done sharing.) But while the giver is sharing, it is important that you do not respond in any way. This is much easier online than it is in person. In person, I would tell you not to do anything to indicate how you are receiving the word ... no facial expression, no response, nothing. Of course, online it's a bit different. In this case, just don't type anything... no encouragement, no "amen", nothing. Remain silent.

SCRIBES:

Your job is to keep a list of what is being said. You can use your scroll bars and use the screen or you can jot it down on paper. Your primary job is to keep track of what is said, using a few words to remind you. The leader will tell the giver when to start, and when to stop. When the giver stops, then the scribe takes control of the group.

The scribe will take the first thought given and ask the giver if he/she thought is was God, or their own heart. Then the scribe immediately asks the receiver the same question ("God" or "them"). You can then talk about why you may have had different opinions. Remember, so far we are only dealing with the first thought given in the word.

Scribe, give them a few moments to discuss it, but not so long, then go to the next thought in the word. Follow this procedure for each thought in the word until you have finished discussing the entire work, or until the group leader stops you.

FOR THOSE OF YOU DOING THIS BY EMAIL:

You and your partner will both start as the 'giver' and will have 8 to 10 minutes to hear from God and write down what you hear and send it to your partner. Be sure to save a copy of that word for yourself, because you will need it immediately. Go back over that copy.. thought by though.. diving each thought into a separate line and commenting on it. Indicate whether you believe that particular thought came from you or from God. Send that to your partner.

When you receive the breakdown from your partner, go over it thought by thought and indicate whether you believe that the given thought was from God or from your partner's heart.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Remember, the main goal of this exercise is to build up/encourage your partner .. to let the partner know they have actually heard from God when they thought it was just their own thoughts.

It is not to tear them down if a little of their own heart is in the words you receive... at this point they may just be learning to discern the difference, and your feedback should be such that it emphasizes what they have heard right to encourage them, rather than emphasizing what they have heard wrong or making them feel bad..

EXAMPLE:

Giver:  I have a sense of discouragement...


there is also great determination...
you have faced some disappointments...
... specifically in the area of relationships
... that did not go the way you desired
yet you are hoping in God and you will pursue Him at any cost.
I see a little girl...
.. maybe 10 years old... swinging on a swing
... laughing, the wind blowing in her face
.. there is also a dog .. a short brown dog with long hair
You are a very precise person
You have the ability to think things through in great detail
and to pursue ideas until they have been implemented


TIME IS UP AND SCRIBE TAKES OVER:

Scribe: First thought - sense of discouragement and also


great determination


Giver: I think that was God


Receiver: I think that was God too. God has been teaching


me to hope in him and press into Him despite
some discouraging things that have been happening to me


Scribe: next thought - disappointments in the area of


relationships.


Giver: Not sure.. Think it was God but it could have been me.


Receiver: It was God. My best friend and I have been having

a very difficult time lately.. I am getting hungrier for God and she is having trouble understanding me. She says I am getting too spiritual and that she does not enjoy doing things with me much any more. This hurts, but I am going to keep pursuing God.

At that point both giver and scribe briefly encourage the receiver.

Scribe: Next thought - little girl on swing, having fun,


wind in her face.


Giver: I think that was just me.


Receiver: I agree


Scribe: Next thought - short dog with long brown hair.


Giver: Just me again


Receiver: No, we had a family dog when I was growing up that


looked like that. We called him Cho-Cho. That dog lived to be about 15 years old, so he was with us most of my childhood. I think that was God.


Giver: Really? Wow.


Scribe: Good job! Now the last thought: precise person,


great details, pursues things or sees them through.


Giver: I thought that was God.


Receiver: Well, I do tend to be precise and to think in


great detail, but I am not good at the follow through.


Giver: Have you been wanting to get better at pursuing the


details?


Receiver: Yes, I was just praying about that the other day.


Wow. Maybe this means God has heard my prayer and is going to help me with this.


Giver: I'm not sure, but maybe so.

STEP BY STEP PROCESS

We will start with a group prayer, then for a few minutes we will pray in the spirit, (I Cor. 14:14) stirring ourselves up, or in other words, fanning the flames. (II Tim. 1:6)

You will then go silent, tune in, and focus on what God desires to share. After this brief silent time the leader will tell the givers to begin. At that time, the giver's will being sharing prophecy, word of knowledge, describing pictures they are seeing, etc, for the receiver. They will go until the leader says stop (or 10 minutes for those of you doing it by email)

1. Understand the context

   Remember, this is a practice session. You are not expected to be a, seasoned prophet, nor is your partner. This is merely a time to learn, you are not expected to be an expert, so relax.

   Please, Do not use words like, Thus saith the Lord, or God showed me. Instead use, this is what I felt, or this is what I saw or sensed. We ask you to do this as a form of protection for you.

   As you step out in faith to receive from God, what you receive may be, (but is by no means limited to) a thought, a picture, or a word. Don't worry if what you receive makes no sense to you. It is not for you to understand, but instead for your partners benefit.

2. Believe You Will Receive/Hear

   If you are on the internet, or via email, reach out to your receiver in faith believing. If you are in a live group, join hands with your teammates.

   Remember, that you are a, born-again, blood washed, redeemed child of God, so if you have Christ within you, you also have the, Mind of Christ.

   When we ask our Father for bread, he does not give us a stone (Matt 7:9). Because you are God's child, you can safely trust that He will in fact meet you and give you a revelation for you partner when you ask Him to.

3. Sanctification - Activation Prayer

   Pray this together as a group before you begin to work individually with your partner. The group leader may wish to lead this prayer out loud with the others agreeing silently.

   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 receive an impression, thought, or a word from the Holy Spirit within me. I will gladly share it with my partner. 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 thought from the throne. Amen.

4. Prayer of Covering And Protection

   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.

   (If you are not sure how to do this, please refer to the week 1 activation, which contains an example.)

5. Tune in to God and listen

   The givers will have about a minute to listen to God. If you are comfortable with praying in tongues, begin praying in the spirit. Otherwise worship or quietly ask God to speak to you. Look deeply inside, listen closely, see and hear what God is saying.

6. Time To Share

   This is where the giver will share with their partner all that comes to them. The scribe and receiver will just listen quietly at this point.

   Then go ahead and share with your partner what the Lord has given you. Do not try to sort out (or identify) what is God and what is you.. just share all that comes to you.

7. Scribes take control and reviews word

   After the leader says time is up, then the scribes will jump in and go main thought by main thought through what the giver shared. First the scribe will summarize the thought, then ask the giver if they felt that thought was God or their own heart. Afterwards the scribe will ask the receiver if they felt it was God. The scribe will allow brief interaction between giver and receiver if needed, then they will go on to the next main thought.

8. Repetition

   Time to swap roles and do it again.. have the receiver become the scribe, the scribe become the giver and the giver become the receiver. Repeat the whole activation until everyone in the team of three has had an opportunity to do all three roles.