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We have been looking at seven guidelines to help us be more effective in delivering written words. Those guidelines are:
We have already discussed the first six and will now talk about the last one, which is: stick with the same speaker for the whole message.
First-Person Verses Third-Person Verses Experiential Reporting
In regular speaking, first person is when you speak directly for yourself and third person is when someone else speaks for you. Experiential reporting is when someone reports an experience they shared with you, including some of what you said in it.
First person uses personal pronouns like "I," "me," "my," "mine." Third person uses pronouns like "he," "she," "his," "hers." Experiential reporting has elements of both in it, because the personal experiences are shared from the other person's point of view and what you say is reported third person.
How does that apply to the prophetic? It applies, because we will either report God's message first-person, third-person or experientially. First person is when God speaks directly through you as though He was speaking and you were not there. Third person is when you report to others what God is saying. Experiential reporting is when you have an encounter with God, and He gives you a message during that encounter. Then you share both your own experience with God and the message that He gave to you during it.
Let me give you examples of all three from Scripture:
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Isaiah 65:1 "I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that did not call on My name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I'" (NIV).Isaiah 61:7-8 "Instead of their shame My people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs. For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In My faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them" (NIV).
Third Person:
Isaiah 63:9-10 In all their distress He too was distressed, and the angel of His presence saved them. In His love and mercy He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. Yet they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit. So He turned and became their enemy and He Himself fought against them (NIV).Hosea 4:1 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land (NIV).
Experiential Reporting:
Hosea 1:2-7 (third person experiential) When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord." So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. Then the Lord said to Hosea, "Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. In that day I will break Israel's bow in the Valley of Jezreel." Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, "Call her Lo-Ruhamah, for I will no longer show love to the house of Israel, that I should at all forgive them. Yet I will show love to the house of Judah; and I will save them--not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but by the Lord their God."
The book of Revelation is another experiential prophecy, as John shares a vision. He includes his own experiences and things that God says in the vision. The book of Revelation is first person experiential reporting, because John tells his experience directly, using words like "I," "me," etc. as he shares his experiences. He has many of his own experiences, such as seeing the glorified Jesus and falling on his face before him as if he were dead (Chapter 1), seeing God's throne and holy creatures worshipping God there (chapter 4), being asked to eat the scroll (chapter 10), etc. John also had many times when he reported what God was saying, such as the letters to the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3, the angels' declaration in chapter 12, the Lord's statement in Rev 16:15 "Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed."
The key is to understand which style you have chosen (first-person, third-person or experiential reporting) and stick to that style for the whole word. Do not switch back and forth bewteen speaking styles, because it confuses the word and makes it harder to understand. If you are sharing a word in third person and you need to include a few sentences that are word-for-word from God, be sure to clearly quote that section.
Here is a portion of a word that excessively mixes speakers. (This is an example of what NOT to do):
The Lord wants you to know that He has seen your pain and suffering and I have great compassion for you as you walk through it. I have not abandoned you in this difficult situation. But He is asking you to hold on just a little while longer and persevere. God is going to turn that situation around in the not too distant future and bring My glory into it and work in that situation for your good. Then the closed door will open to you and all that has been held back will be released to you. So be strong just a little longer and look to Me, your Lord, for He shall be your deliverer. He shall give you the victory over this difficult situation and I will cause your joy to be full.Whew! What a mess. Here is that same word given all in third person:
The Lord wants you to know that He has seen your pain and suffering and He has great compassion for you as you walk through it. He has not abandoned you in this difficult situation, but He is asking you to stand firm just a little while longer, to hold on and persevere. God is going to turn that situation around in the near future and bring His glory into it, and He is already at work in that situation for your good. He is going to open that door which has been closed to you and He will restore all that has been held back from you. So be strong just a little longer and look to the Lord, for He is your deliverer. He will give you victory over this difficult situation and he will cause your joy to be full.Here is that same word in first person:
Child, I have seen your pain and suffering in this situation and My heart is full of compassion for you as you walk through it. Know that I have not abandoned you in the midst of your difficulty. I am asking you to stand firm just a little while longer, hold on and persevere. Very soon I am going to turn this situation around for My glory; I am already at work in this for your good. Soon I will open that door which has been closed to you, and I will restore to you all that has been held back from you. So be strong just a little longer and look to Me, for I am your deliverer. I will give you victory over this difficult situation and I will cause your joy to be full.Do you see how unclear and confusing the first example (mixed-person) was? Mixing first and third person in the same word is something we should work hard to avoid.
There will be times when God tells you that He wants a word given a certain way. There will be times when He wants you to give it either first or third person. If God gives that direction to you, then you need to do what He says. He knows the person the word is for; He knows how they need to hear it in order to be able to receive it. So when He gives you specific delivery instructions, be sure to follow them.
But much of the time, God leaves it up to you. How do you decide which one to use in that case? There are two factors for you to consider. One is your own comfort level in giving first-person words. Some people, especially those newer to the prophetic, are very uncomfortable speaking directly from God and are much more comfortable reporting what He has to say in a third-person style. The other factor is the impact the style has on the receiver. Most people find the first-person style more powerful because it is more personal, it feels more like God is speaking directly to them. You have to weigh those two factors and decide which way to present the word.
Know Which Member Of The Trinity Is Speaking
A common mistake I see is for a word to start as though God the Father is speaking, and then suddenly mid-stream switch gears and be Jesus speaking, or vice versa. God does not have an identity crisis; He knows who He is. So when we see that happen in a word, it is an indication of a delivery mistake, e.g., a mistake that the person giving the word has made. The beauty of written words is that after we have written it down, there is time to prayerfully review it with the Lord. We can use that time to identify and fix this type of mistake before the word is sent out to the intended receiver. So look at Who is speaking in the written word. If you find the word mixing things from the Father and the Son, go back and ask God which one He wants to be the main Speaker in the word. Then adjust the word accordngly.
Some words are given in a way that does not identify which member of the Trinity is speaking. They are simply from "The Lord your God," and that is fine. The problem comes when God does identify Himself in a portion of the word, but another portion of that same word appears to be from a different Member of the Trinity. Those problems can be easily caught and fixed by simply reviewing the word and before you release it to the intended receiver.
Let me show you a few examples of this and how it is corrected.
Example 1: (Word from the Father that mentions Jesus dying for our sins)
I am your Father God, and I love you dearly. That is why I suffered great pain for your sake and died on the cross that you might have life. So turn to Me, your loving Father, and allow Me to draw you into new depths of intimacy.The fix for this word would be:
I am your Father God, and I love you dearly. That is why I allowed My dear Son to suffer great pain for your sake and die on the cross-- that you might have life. So turn to Me, your loving Father, and allow Me to draw you into new depths of intimacy.
Example 2: (Word from Jesus that mentions how God the Father loves us)
I am your Lord and your Redeemer, and I must also be your Master. You are to obey Me without question just like I obeyed My Father when I walked on this earth. You are to dedicate yourself to doing My will, and you are to draw close to Me, your loving Father God, for I love you as dearly as My Son Jesus does.The fix for this word would be:
I am your Lord and your Redeemer, and I must also be your Master. You are to obey Me without question just like I obeyed My Father when I walked on this earth. You are to dedicate yourself to doing My will, and you are to draw close to My Father, for He loves you as dearly as I do.
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