He was very open to me now because he remembered out of all the people who had prophesied, I was the only one who said she was going to die, so he was very open and I counselled him how to restore his faith, and how to rebuild his life over the next two years. Then we were very, very glad a little later on to be able to see him massively restored, and then ultimately introduced us to a lady and asked what we felt about this lady. Everyone else said she's not the right one. [Laughter] I said she's exactly what you need, and here's why. He was asking for help in making that decision, but you've got to be so very, very careful. Do not take over someone's responsibility that God has given them. Everyone is responsible for the decisions in their own life. Do not let anyone take that over, and make that decision for you by prophesying something around your life. You've got to recognise, it's just immaturity or ignorance of how the prophetic gift functions.
If you've got those safety measures around you you'll be fine. You can just function, stay within the boundaries, comfort, exhortation, edification, building people up. Getting the idea? So when you are prophesying, here's a few practical things to do, and then we'll get to speak on activating your spirit, you'll get an exercise to do together. So here's a few practical things. If you're going to speak on behalf of God and that's what you're doing, speaking to encourage, speak clearly, don't mumble. Speak clearly, speak naturally. Don't put on a spiritual voice. Oh, Oh, OOOHHH! [Laughter]
If you read in the Book of Genesis, when God wanted to connect with Adam, He said Adam, where are you, you know? Who told you you were naked? Have you eaten the fruit of the tree? Very simple language. There's no whoo-ho-ho. [Laughter] That's just people's way of just putting stuff together [Laughter] It's an unnecessary distraction from listening to God. It focuses you on the person, rather than on where we should be focussed, on what does God have to say. So just keep a normal tone of voice, and speak in simple language, you don't have to use King James language. [Laughter]
It turns out that God is a 21st century god [Laughter], and people will hear God speak to them in their own language, or their own way, or their own style, so if you're a highly educated person you'll hear God speak to you in a way that you would recognise. A person that's not well educated, they would hear God speak in a different way through them, so every person will hear God speak in a way which is appropriate to them. So when you speak and share, just speak naturally. I just sense this, or I felt this, or I had an impression of this. Don't go in sort of adding 'God told me'! [Laughter] God told me! Because what you're doing is you're positioning yourself out of accountability, and into some kind of thing where you've got this hotline with God, and now you're an authority over what's about to be said, and no one can challenge it, whereas actually we are to judge the gift. So if someone said God told, they're kind of just stopping you even well no, now wait a minute, wait a minute, God told? You know, I don't feel so right about that - so don't go saying God told me this! Just speak naturally; I just felt this as I was praying for you, or I had this impression while I was praying for you.
It leaves you more transparent and open. It leaves it easier for there to be dialogue about what was said, and if it's God, God can stand up for Himself. He doesn't need us to help Him, so if something came from God it will bear witness in the person's spirit, and if it doesn't, it doesn't mean it was wrong. It just means perhaps they weren't listening. If they were wrong they'll register actually that was God speaking to me at that time, so just share. That's all your job is, to just have a heart to love people, listen to God and share what you sense God giving you and showing you, then stop when you feel the flow stop. Don't keep going. If you're in a meeting then please be sensitive to the flow of the meeting, and also be yielded to the leader in the meeting where he gives permission to flow and to operate, so in a meeting like a church meeting, which is mostly in a house group or something like that, small group, cell group, in a thing like that, then just be aware that you're functioning under authority, and don't kind of take over from the leader because you've got this hotline to God.