All posts tagged: Spiritual Gifts

How actor Michael Sheen’s great-grandfather went from town drunk to street preacher

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Welsh actor Michael Sheen is best known for playing roles of famous people during his acting career, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in The Deal. He also played the role of journalist David Frost in Frost/Nixon, a movie about Frost’s 1977 interview with US President Richard Nixon. Though I am uncertain of Sheen’s faith, in April 2011, the actor led a modern retelling of The Passion in Port Talbot, Wales, the home of his great-grandfather. The play performed outside over three days involved the dramatic retelling of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. On the first day of the play, which started at 5:30 am on Good Friday morning, it drew a crowd of a few hundred people. By Easter Sunday, the crowd had grown to an estimated 13,000. But Port Talbot also serves as the backdrop to the remarkable spiritual transformation of Sheen’s great-grandfather. His great-grandfather was basically the town drunk, but Sheen says that all changed when one night, after being thrown out of the local pub, he was lying on his back in …

How God helped a US Congresswoman’s unborn baby survive a condition, that none survived before

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An amazing story has emerged on the remarkable healing of Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler’s (R-Wa) baby. Faithwire reports shortly after announcing that she was expecting, doctor’s informed Beutler that her 22-week-old unborn baby would die because she was suffering from a lack of amniotic fluid and as well had no kidneys. It is a very rare condition called Potter’s Syndrome, and one that no baby had ever survived. “[The doctors] said … ‘Your baby has no kidneys, which means there’s no amniotic fluid in there, which means your baby is going to die. There is no chance your baby will live. No baby has ever survived this,’” Beutler told Faithwire. “There is nothing to describe getting news like that.” The doctors recommended an abortion. But abortion was not an option for Beutler and her husband, David, who are Christians, and they turned to prayer. A day after her diagnosis, Beutler received an email devotional discussing healing, and at that moment she felt God wanted her to ‘contend’ for their unborn child. Beutler sensed the Holy …

God gave Cooper Kupp a ‘vision’ of his MVP award and team’s Super Bowl win

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A strange story has emerged out of this year’s Super Bowl game won by the Los Angeles Rams, who defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20. After the game, the Rams’ outstanding wide-receiver, Cooper Kupp, was named the game’s most valuable player, after catching eight passes for 92 yards, and two touchdowns, including the game-winner. Cooper, who is an outspoken Christian, had also won the NFL’s most valuable player award earlier this year, as he broke the previous NFL receiving record with 145 catches, 1,947 yards, and 16 touchdowns. Cooper is, so far, the only player in NFL history to win both awards in the same year. But there is more to this story. Sports Spectrum reports that Kupp shared how God told him three years earlier, that not only would his team win the Super Bowl, but when it did, Kupp would also be named the game’s MVP. But just as mysterious was the way God revealed this prophetic word to the wide receiver. Kupp received this revelation through a ‘vision’ he had while his team …

Why Do People Sometimes Collapse in the Presence of God?

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By Rick Renner And when I [John] saw him [Christ], I fell at his feet as dead…— Revelation 1:17 Over my years of serving God, I have noticed that often when people have encounters with God, they physically fall. Sometimes they fall forward, and at other times they fall backward. Still at other times, they simply collapse onto the ground. I have seen this in many meetings — and I experienced it as a young man. I can tell you, the experience was real. My experience occurred the first time I ventured out from my Baptist church and attended a Pentecostal type of service. Just prior to that, I had been released from the hospital where I had been diagnosed with a kidney condition — one that I was born with — that was very serious. It was so serious that to try to correct it required surgery that was considered life-threatening. When the man praying for the sick in this Pentecostal meeting invited the sick to come forward, I went to the front to …

The Importance of Finding Your Calling

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By Dr. Michael L. Brown Can you imagine walking everywhere standing on your hands? Or writing a book using your toes? Or typing out text messages with your forehead? The fact is that our body was designed by God with great beauty and precision, with each part of the body having an important and unique role. It’s exactly the same with the Body of Christ. Every believer has an important and unique role. And that means if you are a believer, you have a calling and a mission. Not only so, but rightly understood, every believer has an indispensable role, since the Body can only function at its full capacity if every member of the Body is functioning properly. Do you see yourself in this way – as someone called and graced by God – or do you consider yourself of no spiritual or practical value? “After all,” you might think to yourself, “I’m just a businessman.” Or, “I’m just a home-schooling mom.” Or, “I’m just a young person in college. What can I do?” …

Actor Kristoffer Polaha shares his life changing ‘but God’ moment

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In a recent interview on Pureflix, Hollywood actor Kristoffer Polaha shared the amazing experience that turned his life back to God. He has appeared in several TV shows since he broke into acting in 2001 including CSI Miami, Bones, Hawaii five-0, and Castle and as well several Hallmark Mystery 101 TV movies where he plays the role of Travis Burke. He has also had several movie roles, including his most recent, “Wonder Woman 1984”. Kristoffer is also co-starring in “Jurassic World Dominion” that is scheduled for release in 2022. Born in 1977, Kristoffer grew up in a Christian family, but as he entered high school, he decided to take a break from his faith, but God’s miraculous intervention while he was in his second year of college caused him to renew his faith. He and a friend were walking down a street in New York City. Kristoffer, who was on the side nearest the traffic, suddenly got a strange feeling that he should be walking on the other side. He switched places, telling her, “I …

Did a personal prophecy play a role in actor Stephen Baldwin becoming a Christian?

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With all the mockery Christians have received on the dozens of false prophecies given over the past couple of years, that then President Donald Trump would win a second term as US president, it is nice to see that legitimate prophecies have impacted people’s lives. Because it appears that a prophetic word played a key role in the salvation of actor Stephen Baldwin and his wife, Kenya, a Brazilian graphic designer. Their daughter, Hailey, also a believer, is married to mega pop star Justin Bieber. Stephen is also brother to actors Alec Baldwin and William Baldwin. Though, Stephen became a Christian shortly after the September 11, 2001 attack in New York City, in an interview with CBN, Stephen stated that the real transformation started before that tragic day, after they hired a young Brazilian woman, Augusta, as a nanny for their children. Within a week of her arrival, Augusta was singing songs about Jesus in Portuguese to the Baldwin children. Stephen said: “So we hired this lady from Brazil named Augusta, and the whole first …

Disturbing reaction to Jeremiah Johnson’s apology on Trump prophecy

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UPDATED: On Jan 20, 2021, Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States. This was in complete contradiction to dozens of prophecies given in 2020 and earlier, that Donald Trump would win a second term as U.S. president. And I have to confess I was sucked into this prophecy vortex. (For the record, I believe in prophecy and I have received some very specific prophecies that came to pass.) However, when their prophecies about Donald Trump winning the Nov 3, 2020 election failed, citing election fraud, several doubled down and stretching out their prophecies stating that it would all turn around by the end of November. When that didn’t happen they prophesied it would be straightened up in December and when that didn’t happen, they pointed to the electoral college vote on Jan 6, 2021 and said Trump’s victory would be sorted by then. Other than a riot on Capitol Hill, it didn’t come to pass. But then they pressed ahead stating that God would pull out a miracle in the …

How a prophetic word changed Gemma Hunt’s life

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Gemma Hunt, 36, is not well known on this side of the ocean, but in Britain she has gained a significant media presence as a children TV presenter on BBC. It was a career sparked by a prophetic word she received as a teenager. She currently is the lead presenter on CBeebies’ Swashbuckle, a pirate theme BBC game show targeted at two to seven-year-olds and also on the BBC’s program Songs of Praise. Since she was hired by BBC in 2002, Hunt has not been shy about her faith in Christ. She was raised in a Christian home and attended a local Baptist church, but admits she was a bit of rebel. In an interview with Premier Christianity, Hunt said that changed while attending Hill House, a Christian summer camp, where she made a decision for Christ at the age 11. But it was while attending a summer camp five years later, that she received a prophetic word that would set the course for her life. She was 16 and attending a Christian camp called …

Denzel Washington says being filled with the Holy Spirit ‘scared’ him

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In a recent Instagram interview with A.R. Bernard, who pastors Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., actor Denzel Washington shared the moment that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Denzel said that there were three times in his life, when he committed his life to Christ, and on the third time, while attending the Church of God in Christ in West Angeles, Denzel was filled with the Holy Spirit. He added that this supernatural experience “scared him:” “Three times…I think we all go through that. I was filled with the Holy Ghost and it scared me. I didn’t want to go this deep…I want to party. It was a supernatural, once in this lifetime experience that I couldn’t completely understand at the time.” […] “I went to church with Robert Townsend and when it came time to come down to the altar I said, ‘You know this time, I’m just going to go down there and give it up and see what happens.’ I went in the prayer room and gave it up and …

The ‘secret’ power behind speaking in tongues

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I read an interesting testimony by James Alford who serves as an Apostle of the Righteousness Ministries International Church based in Marietta, Georgia. His testimony on Charisma revealed the secret power behind speaking in tongues. Tongues is one of the gifts bestowed on believers when they are baptized in the Holy Spirit. A few years ago, Alford was sitting in a passenger jet getting ready for take off. The pilot had just announced there would be a delay and at that very moment the Holy Spirit told Alford to start speaking in tongues. Though, he wasn’t sure why God wanted him to do this, Alford started exercising his spiritual gift. The plane ended up sitting on the runway for an hour and a half, and when he felt like quitting, God told Alford to keep speaking in tongues. It is difficult to do something like this when you don’t have the complete picture, but Alford obeyed this prompting, because that is really all it was. How many times have people received similar promptings but shook …

Did God answer a comedian’s prayer through a prophetic word at Starbucks?

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An employee working at a Starbucks’ drive thru provided an incredible answer to prayer for comedian Victoria Jackson revealing that God does hear our prayers and will use spiritual gifts to confirm it. Jackson, 58, gained fame working as a comedian and singer for Saturday Night Live, a late night comedy show that debuted in 1975 and routinely runs parodies of culture and politics. Famous for her ukulele, she was a regular contributor to SNL from 1986 to 1992 where she performed skits, some involving impersonations of Rosanne Barr. Jackson came from a Christian home and attended Florida Bible College in Hollywood, Florida before moving on to Furman University in South Carolina after receiving a gymnastic scholarship and then to Auburn University where she majored in theater. Jackson’s gym-coach father had trained his daughter in gymnastics, a training that she utilized on screen doing back flips on SNL and reciting poetry while doing hand stands. The comedian refers to herself as a conservative Christian and even sent her children to a Christian school. However, Jackson …

My Prophetic Journey Part 16: From the Hand or the Heart

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You can always spot the fridge of a proud parent or grandparent, covered with photos and artwork of children. My wife and I are no different. The great value in our granddaughter’s art is not that it’s from the hand of a great artist, but that it is 100% from the heart. The heart trumps the hand! Matthew 19:14 says, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Our response to our heavenly Father must be one focused on His heart, not just what comes from His hand. Two brothers in the Bible illustrate this perfectly – Jacob and Esau. Romans 9:13 says, “Jacob I have loved but Esau I have hated.” Without getting into Calvinism vs. Arminianism, I just want to look at what these two very different men focused on. Jacob, for all his grasping for things and other faults, had a heart for God. On the other hand, we see in Genesis 25 that Esau not only sold his birthright …

Andrea Logan White Credit: Andrealoganwhite.com

Did a Word of Knowledge turn Hollywood actress Andrea Logan White’s life around?

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In an article on PureFlix, Hollywood actress Andrea Logan White, 40, recently shared the unique encounter she had with with God during a very difficult time. White has starred in several movies including Mom’s Day Out, Marriage Retreat and Do You Believe. She and her husband Dave are co-owners of PureFlix, a Christian equivalent of Netflix. Born in Chicago, she had moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career, but was struggling. She was 22 and acting jobs were difficult to find. Andrea was also behind in her rent and had thrown herself into the Hollywood partying scene. She was coming to the end of herself and tells the story of the time she was in her car on Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard, when she cried out to God: “God if you’re real I need You to show me who you are, because I don’t know why I’m here and I don’t want to live anymore.” She had just prayed this, when a man in the convertible beside her hit his horn and pointed at his …

Peter walking on water by Amedee Varin (1818-1883)/Wikipedia

Hello My Name is Peter

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Español: Hola mi nombre es Pedro I am six weeks short of age 65. I have never written anything about my experiences. I met Jesus 48 years ago. When I was very young my rather fiery, English war bride Mother would have regular outbursts. All that it took was for one of my friends to call me Pete. She wore hearing aids and there were many different things she didn’t hear, but, she always seemed to hear when I was called Pete. Mother would yell from wherever she was and say “Do not call him that! I named him Peter!!” I always found it odd and a little embarrassing. I was born again when I was 17. I started reading the Bible and I went to my Mother and asked her “Why do you get so upset when people call me Pete?” She explained, from a very deep place inside of her, that I was named Peter, after the Peter in the Bible. It didn’t matter how old I got, teenager, adult, father of my …

Did God give a prophetic vision to guide Tua Tagovailoa?

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People describe Alabama Crimson Tide’s comeback victory over the Georgia Bulldogs in the National Football Championship on January 8, 2018 as nothing short of miraculous. Alabama was losing 13-0 at halftime and the coach pulled the team’s starting QB and threw in rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa, 19, who led the team to an overtime 26-23 victory. After the huge win, Tagovailoa, a Spirit-filled Christian, ran into the crowd to pray with his family and when asked in interviews after the game how he remained so calm in the NCAA’s biggest game of the year, Tagovailoa said he spoke in tongues. But now more is coming out about how the gifts of the Holy Spirit played an even bigger role in a game watched by 28.4 million people. Tagovailoa played high school football in Ewa Beach, Hawaii where he attended Message of Peace church pastored by his uncle and aunt, Tuli and Sai Amosa. While waiting offers to play college football, Tua’s mother Diane shared a prophetic word that Tagovailoa received about Tua’s future. But it …

Kim Clement (1956-2016): YouTube Capture

God’s prophetic voice needed today

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As I read about the massacre of 26 people (ages five to 72) in the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, during their Sunday morning service, it struck me how we need God to speak and warn us. Sutherland Springs located 30 miles southeast of San Antonia is a small town of just 400 people. yet somehow evil found its way there. Twenty were also injured in the attack by gunman Devin Patrick Kelley, 26. A former member of the air force, a self-proclaimed atheist and loner, Kelley apparently killed himself after careening off the road in a chase after the shooting. Two days earlier — Friday, November 3, 2017 — a neighbor attacked Christian politician Senator Paul Rand as he returned home. Rand suffered five broken ribs and lung contusions. According to a report on the Daily Caller, another person who lives on the same block alleges the attacker is an “avowed socialist” who fought with other neighbors over politics. Despite this underlying issue, recent media reports suggest that conflicts over landscaping issues …

Derek Carr at 2016 Pro Bowl Credit e OrimO/Flickr/Creative Commons

God still speaks today: Amazing testimony of NFL quarterback Derek Carr

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A few months ago, NFL quarterback Derek Carr along with his brother were speaking at a church when God told him that someone in the service was planning to commit suicide Carr, 26, plays for the Oakland Raiders. He was drafted in the second round of the NFL draft in 2014 after attending Fresno State. In his three-year career, he has been selected twice to play in the pro bowl. According to Wikipedia, in June this year Carr signed a contract with the Raiders making him the highest paid player in NFL history. Carr’s older brother, David, is a former NFL quarterback. In an article posted on WND.com, Carr had just finished speaking when God gave him this revelation of someone wanting to kill himself. In a Facebook post that has since gone viral, Carr said: “As clear as day, the Holy Spirit tells me, ‘Someone here is going to commit suicide unless you say something.’” Carr said he didn’t know what to do as the pastor had just given an altar call for those …

St. George Monastery (Orthodox Church) was constructed at a cave thought to be the place where the Prophet Elijah hid after fleeing Jezebel. Credit: Catholic Church of England/Flickr/Creative Commons

Under the wing of a prophet — schools of the prophets

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A few years back, a person who functions in the prophetic told me how he moved into that ministry. A prophet was speaking at the church he attended and gave a prophetic word to the man stating he was called to the ministry of a prophet. This senior prophet had also been invited to minister at another church in the same city, so he asked the young man to tag along. He didn’t throw the young man into prophetic with the old sink or swim attitude. As the prophet ministered, he told the young man to sit, listen and try to discern a word for the people being prophesied over. Later the prophet asked young man if he received words similar to what the prophet gave when he ministered to the people. The young man said yes. This was the Holy Spirit training him to have confidence in the ministry God had given him. I think the prophet Amos referred to this when he said: “The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?” (Amos …

Credit: Richard Carter/Flickr/Creative Commons

A tale of two worlds

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There are two worlds in Christianity. One where the Holy Spirit leads and guides believers through spiritual gifts and the other that has basically rejected the Holy Spirit playing such an active role in a person’s life. I recently read a story involving the wife of a Southern Baptist minister who had publicly rejected the ministry of Beth Moore. Beth Moore is a Charismatic teacher popular not only among women of a Pentecostal persuasion but apparently even Southern Baptist women who are less enamored with the Holy Spirit and His gifts today. In her testimony provided to Pulpit & Pen, Lauran, who leads a woman’s Bible study at her husband’s church, admitted that Beth Moore had been a favorite teacher for years. She used Beth’s materials for her Bible studies and even attended conferences where Beth was speaking. But that changed about five years ago, when Lauran became concerned that Beth believed God spoke to her — that the Holy Spirit was giving her direction. She cited one revelation that Beth received where she prophetically …

Wouldn't it be nice if voice spoke from heaven telling us what our spiritual gift was? Credit: The Shiney One/Flickr/Creative Commons

The Holy Spirit wants to be your personal trainer

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If you have been filled with the Holy Spirit, you have also received a spiritual gift (I Corinthians 12). Many of us are uncertain what it is. We expect the heavens to open up and a billboard descend stating the Holy Spirit has given you the gift of knowledge or gift of prophecy. It would be nice if it was that simple. But when you have been given a spiritual gift, one of the first things the Holy Spirit wants to do is display that gift personally to you. Like any loving parent, God wants you to unwrap your present and then He wants to train you in your gifting. My first prophetic revealing and training session oddly enough took place in 1986 as I watched a National Hockey League (NHL) game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary flames. For those not fully familiar with the NHL, Calgary and Edmonton are both in the province of Alberta in Canada. Playing in the same division, there is a fierce rivalry between the two teams. Edmonton …

Credit: Marcin Bajer/Flickr/Creative Commons

The Intersection

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A few weeks ago at a weekly prayer meeting I had a prophetic word for a young man. After I shared the picture I had received with him, I knew I needed to remember it and apply it to my own life. I began to pray for direction for his life and immediately God gave me this “movie” for him. I saw him in his vehicle pulling up to a stop sign at an intersection where he had two or three options for his destiny. Which direction was he to take? Next I saw the action God wanted him to take. I saw him park at the side of the road, put on some worship tunes, and begin to worship God. He was to make declarations about who and what God is – He is Lord, He knows all, and is greater than all our circumstances. He knows what we need and how to get there. What happened next was not what I would have expected. As the worship and declarations went up like vapor …

Credit: Luther Bailey/Flickr/Creative Commons

Hearing the prophetic sound

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If radio and television sound can be transmitted through receivers, can human beings transmit sounds that are not ordinarily heard by the human ear? If a short-wave radio can receive communication from across the ocean, is it possible for a human to pick up that same information? The prophet Isaiah spoke of supernatural hearing assistance when he wrote: “He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned. The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away” (Is. 50:4b-5). On July 6, 2004, while playing my piano and worshiping the LORD, I heard the cries of young children.  As I continued to worship I discerned the cries of the children were from Australia and a burden came upon me. I began to pace my living room and cry out, “Why are the children crying?” After some time the answer came, “Because they have no one to show them the Father’s Love”. That answer disturbed me as I know there are some very …

Denzel Washington Credit: GabboT/Wikipedia/Creative Commons

An old woman’s prophecy over actor Denzel Washington said he would speak to millions

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Español: La profecía de una anciana sobre el actor Denzel Washington dijo que el hablaría con millones Denzel Washington, 62, is a popular American Actor, playing major roles in such movies as Remembering the Titans, Training Day and one of my favorites — The Book of Eli. He has won two Academy awards and three Golden Globes. In an interview with Parade Magazine, Denzel spoke of his strong spiritual roots, including his father who was Pentecostal preacher for nearly five decades. Denzel added that he reads the Bible daily and has read it through completely three times. God had a call and a purpose for Denzel and he tells of a prophetic word given him by an older woman at their church who many considered a prophet. She told Denzel that one day he would speak to millions of people. Denzel was 21 years old and had just flunked out of college. He was sitting in his mother’s beauty shop, when the old woman approached him. In an interview with Access Hollywood, Denzel recounts what …

Called to be a superhero with flaws?

My Prophetic Journey Part 15: The Last Word

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[This is part of a series of articles on the ministry of the prophet and gift of prophecy.] God desires an army of broken and weak supermen and women to change the world. In II Corinthians 12:7-10 we read about Paul’s thorn in the flesh. Verse 9 says, “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” In many ways – pedigree, education and position – Paul was a heavy-weight, a “superman” if you will. But it was Paul’s thorn, his weakness, that drove him closer to God. Being used by God in the prophetic, or in any gift, is not about our greatness, but His grace. Several years ago God gave me a disturbing vision of myself. He showed me a before and after picture of me as a vessel. The first picture was what looked like an empty tin can with a number of nails and nasty looking screws sticking into it from the outside. God told me, this was you. The next …

Michael the Arch Angel battling Satan by Luca Giordano (1632-1705): Wikipedia

My Prophetic Journey Part 14: The Angel and the demon

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[This is part of a series of articles on the ministry of the prophet and gift of prophecy.] As we journey in the prophetic, we are involved in the supernatural realm, and our perceptions can help or hinder us. Fear is something that can definitely hinder. Even as a young Christian I was oppressed with fear, including a fear of the devil.   Somewhere in my family’s past there was a very dark shadow.   As I got older I still had an unhealthy fear of the enemy. Several years ago my wife and I prayed for a friend who had a number of issues in her life. I got a vision while praying for her. I saw a demon sitting on top of a well. God revealed that she had a Christian inheritance in her family, but the enemy was doing all he could to keep her from accessing that godly well. I have only ever had one vision of a demon and this was it. This demon was a small stupid looking imp, and my …

Credit: Mazda Hewitt/Flickr/Creative Commons

My Prophetic Journey Part 13: Prophetic props

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For several years I helped to teach introductory level classes dealing with the prophetic. These classes were divided into two parts – a teaching session, and a practical application. We often had people come who had little to no prophetic experience, who just felt they should be there. One of my greatest joys was seeing these people come alive in God, realizing that they could hear from God! When I attended Bible college our classes always had opportunity for budding preachers to practice preaching and teaching in a safe environment. Why should it not be the same for those stepping out in the prophetic? In teaching the introductory prophetic classes I enjoyed coming up with practical exercises using props. One of these props was an empty chair. I remember putting our prime minister’s name on a slip of paper, putting it into an envelope, and putting the envelope on the chair. The group gathered around the chair. They were told that the name of a real person was in the envelope, but weren’t told who …

Antique baggage lock Credit: Michael Kappel/Flickr/Creative Commons

My Prophetic Journey Part 12: Using your keys

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[This is the twelfth in a series of articles on the ministry of the prophet and gift of prophecy.] Years ago I worked doing security in a large corporate hotel. When I came on duty I would sign out the large set of keys that I would carry with me during my shift. I had keys for every part of the hotel except the manager’s office. I had authority from the manager to open or close any door I needed to at any time I chose. With so many keys it took some time to learn which key fit into which locked door, especially in the dark. And, I needed to be sure to never lose the keys – guarding their safe keeping was a huge responsibility. My journey in God has been very much like being given spiritual keys and learning how to use them. In an emergency in the darkness you have to know which key fits which door in order to “save the day.” Over the years God has taught me kingdom …

Old well in France Credit: Jean Guillaume Coutard/Flickr

My Prophetic Journey Part 11: You Can’t Draw Water from an Empty Well

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[This is the eleventh in a series of articles on the ministry of the prophet and gift of prophecy.] When I was first called to the prophetic ministry I remember the admonition to not only know the Word, but to live it, and have it as a great well to draw out living water to refresh others. In the past number of years, at the beginning of the year I often have gotten “marching orders” for that year for an area to study, a book of the Bible, like Amos, or a person’s life, like Joseph. As examples, here are a few of the lessons that I learned from these studies. Amos was a farmer, and spoke the language of a farmer. God used his rural background to speak repentance to the northern capital of Bethel. God does not always send us to our “own” people. The book of Isaiah is almost like the whole Bible in one book. Isaiah is in some ways the opposite of Amos – he was an educated blue-blooded prophet …

View from the pulpit. Credit: Tyrone Warner/Flickr/Creative Commons

My Prophetic Journey Part 10: Prophetic Protocol

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[This is the tenth in a series of articles on the ministry of the prophet and gift of prophecy.] The title of this next article in this series could be, “The Means Must Justify the Ends,” or, sometimes it is more important how you do something than just getting it done. One pitfall in the prophetic is when those who are idealistic or insecure look with criticism on a person or group who does not respond to the word they give in the way they think they should (“if they don’t do as I say, they are rejecting God’s word”). Fortunately, a prophet’s pride is no match for God’s grace. Another situation that can challenge our attitude and response is when you feel you have a hot word from God, but are not given a platform to share it. Moses is a great example of what our attitude and response should be. He was a deliverer, Law giver, and also prophet, and Numbers 12:3 says, “(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all …

Stave Church in Scandinavian Heritage Park, Minot, North Dakota. Credit: Bobak Ha'Eri

My Prophetic Journey Part 9: How to minister in North Dakota and not even be there!

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[This is the ninth in a series of articles on the ministry of the prophet and gift of prophecy.] Years ago, while a member of a senior prophetic team in a large church, I ran into a continual problem. The team would be invited to minister out-of-town on weekends, and I rarely could go. I ran a small retail business, and it was almost impossible to get Saturdays off, even for God’s work! It drove me crazy. It came to a head one time when our team was invited to minister at a church in Minot, North Dakota. I really, really wanted to go, but my boss said no, and I decided I would spend the weekend in a major pity party. A few days before the trip our team leader had a planning/prayer meeting regarding the weekend. She came to me, expressing how badly she felt that I was unable to go. She shared that she felt under attack from the enemy, and knowing how I felt, asked if I could keep her in …