CREATIVE INTERCESSION:

How Simplicity, Fun, and Art Can Move the Hand of God

by Allison Shorter

Copyright 2014 Allison Shorter

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Acknowledgements:

Thanks to my wonderful husband, Kevin. You have supported me and encouraged me for the last 20 years to help me become all God has created me to be. You followed me all the way to China to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine, helped with the kids, and worked so hard on completing this book. I love you!

To Laura Miller, thanks so much for coaching me, calling me to higher levels, encouraging me, praying for me, being my friend, and editing portions of this book. I love you and value you.

To Amy Rhodes, thank you for your input on this book and editing portions as well. I am glad our paths have recently crossed on this side of the ocean. You’re a gem!

Contents

Skip to the beginning of the book

Chapter 1: Who Am I, and Why Does That Matter?

Chapter 2: The Way to Be Great

Chapter 3: Prophetic Ministry

Chapter 4: Prophetic Intercession

Chapter 5: Prophetic Acts

Chapter 6: Prophetic Creativity

Appendix: Recommended Reading

1

"WHO AM I, AND WHY DOES THAT MATTER?"

Identity: the qualities, beliefs, etc., that make a particular person or group different from others (merriam-webster.com)

There have been many books, articles, and sermons all about the topic of identity. This is just a brief snapshot of what identity is and why it is important to life and intercession. Identity is essentially who you are, what makes you unique, and understanding who God created you to be. Your personality, experiences, skills, spiritual gifts, thoughts about yourself, and God’s thoughts about you should all play into your identity. Some of us feel happy with ourselves. We know who we are, we know Whose we are, and we know what we were created to do.

But many of us don’t know who we are, how we are uniquely created, what God had in mind when He created us, and what unique qualities we bring to the world. When we don’t know who we are, the following things can happen:

• Confusion is created in our hearts and minds.

• Conflict arises with others due to jealousy and misunderstandings.

• We either try to be like someone else, or we condemn others for not being like us.

• We judge others because they are different from us.

• We compare ourselves to other people.

Women can be especially bad about this. We want to be as thin or rich as someone else, have a husband like someone else, wish we could preach or pray like someone else. This all comes out of believing lies about who we are and who God created us to be.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

God is completely intentional with us. He knows everything about us, and He knows His plans for us. He also knows our dreams, hopes, and fears. Since God knows His plans and factors in our dreams, it makes sense to ask Him what He thinks about us.

When we see ourselves the way God sees us and begin walking in our true identity, then we don’t want to compare ourselves to others because are completely happy in who we are. We grow in confidence in who we are and in who God is for us. We can say what we want or don’t want to do because we know what lines up with our calling and destiny. We become powerful and free from what others think about us because we are living for an audience of One - God. We want to please Him more than people, but pleasing God often results in pleasing people because we are more pleasant to be around, more kind, more giving, and more loving.

Why is Identity Important for Intercessors?

An intercessor stands in the gap for a person or a group of people. One of the intercessors in the Bible was Jonah. God told him to go to Ninevah so that he could cry out for the sin of the people and preach to them. The Ninevites walked in wickedness, and God wanted them to know His love and repent from their sins. But Jonah refused God’s request and went on a boat to Tarshish instead because he was fleeing from God. (Jonah 1:3) He only went to Ninevah after a great fish swallowed him and spit him up on dry ground after three days. Jonah told the Ninevites about God and interceded for them. Ninevah repented, and God had mercy on them, which made Jonah angry. Jonah wanted to see God’s anger expressed against Ninevah, but God wanted to save them. Jonah likely believed lies about God, himself, and Ninevah, which caused him to misunderstand his identity as a vessel of hope, love and life. He knew God was slow to anger and full of love, which was why he fled to Tarshish. (Jonah 4:2) But what Jonah knew about a loving God did not line up with what he wanted to see happen to the Ninevites.

As people who stand in the gap for individuals, situations and nations, we need to see them the way God does and let go of our personal opinions and ideas about things. We need to be firm and stable in our connection with God and other people so we can pray into things without our own problems getting in the way. Unless we allow God to renew our minds about our personal identity, we are likely to have thoughts from our own flesh and mind. Isaiah 55:8-9 says:

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Until we have allowed the Holy Spirit to change our thinking about our identity, words and ways, our intercession can have poor results.

• Our intercession may result in weariness, tiredness, frustration or busyness. We may be always praying but not seeing results. We may think intercession and prayer are about us and how much we press in or how much time we spend praying, but what we don’t realize is that intercession is about who we are. As we see ourselves as God sees us, we are freed up from striving and we begin to simply enjoy His Presence. Our heart connection with Him becomes our intercession, and suddenly the weariness falls off. Things begin to happen more quickly in the spirit.

“Come to Me (Jesus), all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

• Until the Holy Spirit changes our thinking about identity, intercession can also look like gossip. We share private things about other people or bad news so we can “pray about it.” This can really come out of a heart of insecurity. Deep down we want to see others fail so that we can look better to others and feel better about ourselves. Instead of celebrating other people’s victories, we can find ourselves secretly celebrating their defeat because of our insecurity in who we are.

• With the wrong identity, intercession can also look like control or manipulation. We pray out of our flesh and what we want to see happen, not what God wants to see happen.

For example, in America, when people don’t like the decisions of our government, they pray for God to remove certain leaders. Praying this way is an attempt to control both God and the people for whom you are praying. But if you look at what God says about a nation’s leaders in the Bible, you will find verses like:

“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” – 1 Timothy 2:1-2

“It is He (God) who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings.” – Daniel 2:21

This is just an example of how our prayers may not line up with what God says. Our heart and mind don’t agree with others’ decisions, so we try to pray them out of office. But the Bible says that we need to pray for those who lead nations because God is the one who established them. This is obviously a whole different way to pray. Instead of praying someone out of office, we choose to bless him instead. This does not mean that we bless wickedness or corruption, but by blessing our leaders, we are praying for God’s Kingdom to come in their lives, and that God’s presence, righteousness, and wisdom become manifest in their decisions. Heaven’s perspective is indeed different from ours.

If our identity in God is not firmly established, our relationships may also be affected.

• With ourselves - It can hinder our relationship with ourselves because we end up second-guessing our decisions and wondering if we are doing something “right” or not. We can give up too easily or even become paralyzed in our calling because we don’t know who we are and how God sees us.

Before I understood that Jesus’s acceptance of me and presence in me made me powerful, I was hesitant to pray for others or step into the prophetic and intercession. I doubted God could use me as much as other people, and I would second-guess what He wanted me to do. I didn’t feel like I could hear God’s voice clearly, so I would do nothing. Now that I understand who I am, I can call myself an intercessor and a prophetic voice, and I can be proud of that. I know I have an important role in His Kingdom.

• With those close to us - Our personal insecurity can also cause pain to those close to us. We can push people away inadvertently because we are operating out of wrong beliefs about ourselves, others and God. For example, if we believe we are unlovable, then we will experience other people as being unloving toward us, which will cause discord. Then we take it a step farther and question others’ motives, which can lead to judgment. It’s a vicious cycle, which is hard to break until we realize we are completely lovable the way we are and our identity in God is love. Once we know we are lovable, then we are free to love others more sacrificially and experience love from others in return. Until we know we are freely loved, giving love away in prayer or intercession or with our teams can be difficult. It can come off with an edge of condemnation and taint our prayers and purity of heart.

• Our relationship with God – If we are not first secure in how God sees us and who He is for us, then when we intercede for something that doesn’t happen the way we believe it should, it can shake us to the core and cause us to doubt God. A pastor I once knew believed God would heal his relative of cancer, but in the end she died. His church had been one that walked in healing, power and miracles. But when his relative passed away, he didn’t continue to lead the church in the miraculous and prophetic anymore because his foundation in God had been shaken. Sometimes our experiences don’t line up with our beliefs, and it’s in that moment we have to choose to believe in God’s goodness and ability to heal, restore, or intervene even if that is not the end result.

Growing Up

I have a sister, Allana, who is sixteen months older than I. When we were young we played together a lot and got along well, but because she was older than I, she would often make decisions about what we were to play. I might want to play with dolls but she wanted to make a craft. So we would do what she wanted and make a craft. She would also talk a lot more than I, and it became a joke in my family that she was the talker and I was the quiet one. I assumed the identity of the quiet and shy child. I would let her speak on my behalf, even letting her order for me at McDonald’s. I didn’t know who I was, other than believing the lie that I was quiet and shy, and that my sister could make decisions for me.

This continued in the years to come as I went to school. We had an unusual last name, and we looked a lot alike, so my teachers knew right away that she was my sister. Each year on the first day of class, my new teacher would call the roll and say something like, “Oh. You’re Allana’s sister. She is really smart.” It is true. She is smart, but the inference was that I had to measure up to her. So in school I wasn’t free to be myself as much as I could have been because I believed I had to be as smart as she. I would compare myself to her and often come up short. I made good grades, but hers were a little better.

When I began my first job in my early twenties, just out of university, my boss often asked me for my opinion, but I wouldn’t share with him. I was quiet most of the time and did my work without asking questions.

God Encounter

It wasn’t until later in my adult years that I began to learn about identity, and as I came to understand who God made me to be, I began to celebrate that to its fullest. I asked the Holy Spirit how He saw me, and He would say things like, “You are my favorite person in the world. I love the way I made you! You are so smart. You are so full of life. You are wise. I have given you the ability to make great decisions.” And sometimes as I would hear Him say this over me, it was as if He was jumping up and down! He was really excited for me and about me. I began to believe His words over my own thoughts, and then I started operating out of the truth, not the lies. I began to get bolder in my decisions, and I would ask God what He thought. He would give me truth and new ideas, and I would step into those things and excel in them. I began to see results and make great relationships with people.

I found my voice for the first time. I began to believe that my opinion mattered and that others needed my thoughts, ideas, and wisdom. I understood that withholding my thoughts could keep others from coming into the fullness of who God created them to be. I loved people and I loved God, so I began to step out in even more boldness so I could help others.

Living Out of Identity

As my identity grew, I was able to take bigger steps of faith because I knew who God was for me, and I knew how God felt about me and how much He believed in me. My spiritual gifts began to grow. I would take risks of faith as I practiced my gifts, and He would show up for me time and time again. He would celebrate my victories with me and encourage me to speak. I began seeing great fruit in my relationships, and people around me began to grow and were thankful for me.

Now, I am certain enough in my identity and in who God is for me, that when God showed up unexpectedly on October 30, 2012, and told me that our family was to move to China, within five minutes it was settled in my heart. I knew we were moving there very soon. I loved living in America and didn’t want to move, but four months later, we had sold everything we owned, and were here in a country we had never visited before. My husband and children agree with me that we are exactly where we are supposed to be, and we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now.

I could not have made a bold move like that without being confident in myself and in God. Without identity, I would have doubted His voice telling us to move. I would have worried too much about what others thought and that could have kept us from our calling here. I could have tried to manipulate my husband into moving here with my own words, but instead, I waited until God showed him that we were supposed to move. I could have damaged many good relationships along the way to get here by not taking people’s advice, by not making time to say good-bye to people, and by not showing value for them before we moved. But instead I chose to move toward people, seeking their advice and weighing it with God’s voice and direction. In our process to move across the world, because Kevin and I honored these people who were closest to us in the US, many of them now serve us as a Board of Advisors for our non-profit.

Now we are living a life of adventure, trusting Him for big things that I never would have dreamed of two years ago. I am so thankful that He knows the plans He has for us. They are so much better than mine! And I am thankful for identity, which makes this lifestyle possible.

Activation

• Ask God how He sees you. Open up your heart to see yourself, your beauty, your skills, your personality, everything about yourself, like He does. He created you to love you, not to condemn you or demand things of you. He wants you to love yourself just the way you are. Write what He tells you in your journal.

• Begin to thank God, out loud, for how He made you. Thank Him for making you the age you are, the sex you are, for giving you the family He did, for spiritual gifts, for encounters with Him…. Thanksgiving helps free you!

• Ask God to help you be free from others’ opinions as you grow in your identity, and begin to rejoice in how He created you.

• Let Him come and remove all tiredness and striving. Tell Him He is your goal. His Presence is what you want, not results. Results happen in the Presence.

• Confess any manipulation or controlling thoughts you have engaged in. Let it go, and receive God’s freedom.

• Bless the relationships in your life, and be thankful for them. Speak your love and honor over your family, friends and co-workers. Know that they are in your life for a reason, and that God loves the people in your life, even those who are difficult.

2

THE WAY TO BE GREAT

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” – Matthew 22:37-40

“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:26-28

Most people have a desire to be great. They want to excel in their field, be a great parent, be known for doing something great, and be remembered when they pass on for leaving a legacy of greatness in something. Not many people dream to be mediocre at everything they try.

Where does this desire for greatness come from? I believe it comes from God. He also wants us to be great because He believes in us, created us, delights in us, and He wants to come back for a brilliant bride. The Church will be blameless and spotless when Jesus returns, so this life’s journey is about tapping into His greatness and releasing it through our lives.

Two main keys to being great lie in the above verses. One is about love, and the other is about service. If we allow love and service to be at the heart of prophetic revelation, intercession and creativity, then we will become great at receiving and giving His heart to others, which will cause transformation in individuals, cities and nations.

Loving Your Way to Greatness

“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” – 1 Corinthians 13:2-3

If we give all we have, are the best prophets in the world, or give our bodies to hardship, but don’t do it in love, we are nothing. So love is at the heart of all prophetic utterance. Without love, nothing else matters.

There are countless books written about love, so I will not exhaust this topic here, but I do want to share a few comments and experiences from my life.

Loving With No Expectation of a Return

Several years ago, God began extravagantly pouring His love on me. I began to experience Him as a loving, kind, and generous Father. I was so thankful and received His love. I let go of believing the lies that He was angry and disappointed with me. I meditated on 1 John 4 and His love for me. As I received His unconditional love, He began asking me to give it away to others.

Since then, God has taken me on a journey to “love others deeply, and from the heart.” (1 Peter 1:22) At times this has been exhilarating and fun, and at other times this has been extremely painful and sacrificial.

This journey began when I became a mother. I had to overcome many lies I believed before even being willing to have children. The main lie I believed was that I was too selfish to have children. I knew they took a lot of work, patience, sacrifice, and love. I enjoyed traveling and time alone and knew that having a child would change all of that. The Holy Spirit showed me that I was actually quite generous and would make a good mom. Once I was more whole and had received the truth, I had to put it into practice. I became pregnant and had our first daughter, Rachel, in 2005, after eight years of marriage. Having her was wonderful and fun, and I am so glad God gave her to us. The joy she gives us is so worth it, but it was hard work in the beginning. A lot of women are born to breed and want nothing more than to have kids, dote on them, and spoil them. I believe they actually like being needed all the time with the constant need of a baby for his mother. This has not been my experience: I still miss time alone, travel, date nights, and sleeping in.

Having Rachel was my first try at loving unconditionally and sacrificially once the Holy Spirit helped me focus on this journey. I then had our second daughter, Elizabeth, in 2008, which has also been so wonderful. Kevin and I are blessed with two of the most beautiful, sweet, kind princesses God has ever made. He really made it easy for us. I think I did a better job of loving Elizabeth well because I had practiced already with Rachel. However, I did struggle to give and give and give some more without expecting anything in return, especially in the early years with all the diapers, spit up, and crying.

Loving Until It Hurts

Time went by, and it got a little easier as the girls grew big enough to play together. So God dropped another “love challenge” on me. We moved from North Carolina to Redding, California, in 2010. We didn’t know anyone there, but we moved across the country because that’s what God spoke to my husband and I separately that we were to do. We had to wait three weeks for our furniture and everything to arrive.

During this time I met a woman who had a daughter Elizabeth’s age. I bumped into her a couple of times in Redding, but didn’t really know her. I found out the second time I saw her that she had to move out of her house for her own and her daughter’s safety, but they didn’t have anywhere to go. She was also new to Redding. We had a guest room that was free for the summer, so we asked her to stay the weekend, which eventually turned into four months. She became a close friend, and we love each other dearly to this day.

However, living with a young mother and child who were going through the turmoil of a divorce was really hard. Especially because we really didn’t know them. It’s not like they were friends or family members. It was something my family was called to do, for the sake of love. We prayed for them, provided everything they needed without cost to them, cooked for them, and gave without expecting anything in return. This was a tough calling for me, especially since being with children has been hard for me. And for months I had not just two, but three girls in my house. They really did well, but there were also untold arguments over toys, books, etc. that wouldn’t have happened without our guests.

During these months I would pray and ask God to help me. He would always say, “Love sacrificially. Love until it hurts.” I am so glad we stuck it out, and that God had grace for our relationship to continue through the years. My flesh wanted to call it quits and ask them to move out, but relationships are so valuable to God that I knew this would have not honored Him although it would have been the easy way out at the time.

One thing I had to keep a check on was my attitude, because your attitude is a huge factor in how well you love others. I could have let them stay in our house but made them feel badly about it or guilty for all the extra work; I could have been impatient and rude or put restrictions on them. I know I didn’t do it perfectly, but I think I did an adequate job of making them feel at home. I tried in all things to display the love expressed in 1 Corinthians 13 for them both.

We used the book Shepherding A Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp for our children when they were younger. We would always say to them, “Obey all the way, right away, and with a happy heart” which we got from this book. I had no idea how much I needed this in my life as well, especially the “happy heart” part.

Serving Your Way to Greatness

As Heidi Baker says, “Love looks like something.” I have learned this many times over the past few years. Serving others is similar to love in that it looks like something. However service with love is the perfect combination. Kevin and I have Romans 12:9-13 inscribed in our wedding bands. We have worn them proudly and happily since 1997. We didn’t know the journey God had for us when we chose this inscription in our early twenties, but this passage has indeed been prophetic for our marriage, family and life together. The caption of this passage in my Bible says, “Love in Action” which is beautiful. The passage itself states,

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

This paragraph starts with “love must be sincere” and ends with “practice hospitality.” Again, it’s the idea that service in the Kingdom should flow from love. Begin with love, and serving becomes the natural outflow.

Serving without love can be dangerous. I think Bill Johnson states it well when he says,

“The Church is sometimes known for its willingness to serve, but usually with well meaning spiritual agendas as the ultimate goal. It almost sounds blasphemous, but serving simply to get people saved is a religious agenda. As pure and noble as it may seem to us as believers, it is manipulative to the world, and it is viewed as impure service. The world can smell it a mile away. And we put them on the defensive when we carry such reasons for serving into their sphere of responsibility. Serving for the sake of seeing others succeed crosses the line seldom crossed by the Church. It is serving for the benefit of another. It’s that kind of servant the world welcomes. The amazing bonus is you also end up influencing others in ways you never thought possible, including bringing people to Christ.” (Dreaming With God, pp. 90-91)

What Does This Kind of Serving Look Like?

How do we serve for the benefit of another without an agenda? Let’s ask others to share their goals and dreams and help them realize them with no expectation of personal gain. Let’s watch what makes others come alive, what they are passionate about and do what we can to nurture that and help it grow.

For those of you who are parents, love may look like letting our children choose where they study, how much they study, whether they attend university and to which university they will go. For instance, if Rachel decided she wanted to be a hair stylist and not attend university, I would encourage her in her desire by letting her practice on my hair and helping her go to the cosmetology school of her choice.

Serving others deepens your relational connections with each other, when done in love and not manipulation. Your child may not make as much money as they could had they chosen university, but they will always trust you if you let them follow their dreams and passions. Which is more important… your child making more money or having a positive ongoing relationship with your child for the rest of your life?

Serving your spouse in love is also a way to be great. Women are generally better at serving than men, especially in the home. Women are known for cooking, cleaning and taking care of the kids. Men, what if you served your wives without expecting anything in return? What if you made dinner two nights a week so your wife could rest or spend time with a friend, without expecting any “favors” later that night? How about watching your child for a whole day so she can do whatever refreshes her? She would feel so loved. Marriage is about love, so read 1 Corinthians 13 and apply sacrificial love in whatever way your wife can receive it (patience, kindness, humility, etc.). Wives, what would it look like to support a longstanding dream of your husband’s, encouraging him in it and making time for him to pursue it? He would feel loved and supported by you. This is living like Jesus lived, full of love and service, strengthening relationships along the way.

What do love and service have to do with prophecy, intercession and creativity? Love and service are the starting block for everything we do for God and people. Service flows out of love, and prophesying, interceding, and creating are ways to serve God and others.

When we are free to love and serve sacrificially and without manipulation, all things are possible! We are able to hear and see in the spirit more clearly, receive purer revelation from God, and not use that revelation in a damaging way.

When our identity is firmly established in God, love and service flow more naturally. These three elements—identity, love, and service— are the foundation for prophetic ministry, intercession, and creativity. We will look at the prophetic next.

Activation

• Read 1 John 4:7-21. Meditate on it. Pray through it. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you about His love. Ask Him to help you receive it deeply in your heart, not just keeping it as knowledge in your head.

• Imagine yourself sitting in God the Father’s lap as He rocks you in His big rocking chair. Imagine Him loving you, listening to you, and giving you His heart as you give Him yours. He loves to nurture His children. Let Him nurture you. Record this experience in your journal.

• After receiving His love, you should be more prepared to give love away. Ask the Holy Spirit how you are doing on the Love Scale, 1 being low and 10 being the highest. What one thing can you do this week to raise your number?

• How do you love others? Is your love generous or are you holding back because of fear of being hurt or rejected?

• Ask the Holy Spirit how you are doing on your Service Scale. What is one thing you can do this week to raise your number?

• How are you serving those close to you, including your spouse, child, and close friends? How are you serving your church?

• Are you serving out of manipulation (what you can get out of it) or out of a genuine desire to see others succeed?

• How can love and service create a safe space for those for whom you are praying, your church, your city, your nation?

3

PROPHETIC MINISTRY

“But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.” – 1 Corinthians 14:3

There are many wonderful books and sermons on prophecy, and a few of them are listed at the end of this book. This is just a brief snapshot of the prophetic, not an in depth description, but it is a necessary building block to prophetic intercession.

A simple definition I like to use for prophecy is “to reveal by divine inspiration.” God can show us a heavenly revelation about a person or a situation, and when we share it with someone, it’s a prophetic word. As we see in the above verse, 1 Corinthians 14:3 tells us a prophecy should be:

• Strengthening - When we are strengthened, we feel able to accept things that may be overwhelming otherwise. We gain confidence in who God is for us and in our spiritual gifts. Being strengthened can release us into bigger things, including our destiny. A strengthening prophetic word releases God’s power and presence in our lives and circumstances.

• Encouraging - When we are encouraged, discouragement and hopelessness loosen their grip. Encouragement gives us a breath of fresh air and a change of perspective. We may have a distorted view of things , but when encouragement changes our perspective, we can see our circumstances more as God sees them. He is full of hope, joy, love, goodness, etc. He has answers and hope for us, and an encouraging prophetic word can change the course of our lives by changing our perspective and attitude.

• Comforting - When someone has hurt us, or when we think God is absent, we need to be comforted. A comforting prophetic word can heal our hearts and relieve our pain. It can validate the way we feel, and enable us to move forward.

How Do I Know It’s God Speaking?

God reveals things to different people in different ways. It can be a “seeing” in the spirit, hearing the Holy Spirit say something to you, a knowing, a feeling in your body, etc. Since God is creative, don’t limit Him to one way of communicating with you. No one way is right or wrong, but knowing the “channel” He is using to speak to you makes hearing from God much easier. If He is speaking to you through physical sensation, but you are trying to hear His voice, you may feel like you are not able to hear from Him at all. Instead, you may begin to think that something is wrong in your body. For example, let’s say God wants you to know that someone you are talking to has a headache, so you start having the feeling of a headache. He wants you to pray for the other person, but you end up leaving the conversation to go take medicine or drink some water. When you get away from the person, your head suddenly feels better. You have just received something by divine revelation but didn’t realize it. You missed a chance to pray for someone and possibly see them get healed. You thought you had a headache. And you felt that God doesn’t speak to you. As you can see, understanding the language of the Spirit is essential to your connection with God.

As you ask God to help you know what is and isn’t Him, it becomes easier. Like with anything, it takes practice. You won’t always get it right, and that’s okay. God is looking for faith, obedience, and friendship with you, not whether or not you always get it right. If you truly think He is telling you something and you act on it, He knows that you are moving in faith and obedience since He knows your heart and your thoughts. God looks on the heart, so simply keep your heart and motives pure before Him. If you make a mistake, ask Him to help you clean up your mess. If you have spoken a hurtful or wrong word, take responsibility for it and ask for forgiveness. Enjoy the process, and understand that mistakes are part of the process. We often learn more from mistakes than from things we get right, so learning as you go is a key.

Who Can Prophecy?

“For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.” – 1 Corinthians 14:31

“… his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” – John 10:4

Every believer has the ability to receive inspiration from God because we are His sheep and we know His voice. All can prophesy out of what we receive from Heaven. He longs to talk to His children and show us secrets of the Kingdom. When we ask God to show us things, He will do so because He is a good Father. At the beginning of the journey, we may need a little help from a believer who is more seasoned and can help us hear the voice of God. Know that as a much loved child, He is speaking to you, His child, just as all well-loved children are spoken to by their parents.

What are the Characteristics of a Good Prophecy?

Our perception of God and beliefs about Him are the most important thoughts we have in our lives. And our perception of God will come out when we prophesy. If we believe He is kind and good, we will prophesy out of receiving His kindness. If we believe He is angry or disappointed, then that will also flavor our prophetic words.

So our thoughts about God, past experiences with prophetic ministry, and training we have had can make us think that God will only tell us what we should or shouldn’t do or how He wants us to change. However, most of the time, prophecy will express how proud He is of you, calling out the gold in you and others and showering His love, affection and insights on you. A lot of these insights involve how He loves the people around you, and that enables you to love others more easily.

As Chapter 2 reminds us, love is the most important thing we can give to someone. As we tap into God’s love for us, we will be free to give His love away to others. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). As we learn how to hear from God, this is the filter we need to have. We shouldn’t condemn ourselves nor expect condemnation from God because we are no longer condemned. Jesus was condemned for us, so now we are free to receive God’s love. We are also free to love others as God does and not to condemn them, no matter their sin or circumstance.

God may sometimes show you sin or something negative about someone, and if that happens, prophesy the opposite of what the negative is. People know their sins and don’t need to be told by someone else. If you hear God say that someone struggles with fear, declare faith or create a faith-filled art piece for him or her (as Chapter 6 will explain). If God shows you that someone is impatient, then prophesy patience. God is transforming us all into His image, and these positive things are what God is doing in us. When we speak to their weakness by calling out the gold, there is grace released for them to begin to grow in these areas. Prophecy and prophetic creativity are a way of partnering with God for others’ breakthrough in a positive way.

On the contrary, if we tell someone, “God says you struggle with fear,” then that can do more damage to the person. Our words create worlds, so we need to be careful what we say. Declaring fear over someone will not help him or her get free, rather, it could do the opposite even if it is unintentional. If it isn’t strengthening, comforting or encouraging, then it’s not a prophetic word or a prophetic art piece. It’s simply calling out a person’s imperfections. When someone comes to receive a prophetic word, he or she should come away encouraged, not discouraged. He or she should feel freer, not more weighed down.

What are the Elements in a Prophetic Word?

Revelation is when God shows you something, and then you know something you wouldn’t have known without divine revelation. This is what you see, hear, feel, etc.

Interpretation is the understanding the Holy Spirit gives about the revelation. This is when we ask the Holy Spirit questions like, “What does this mean? Is there more to show me?”

Application is often what the receiver is supposed to do in response. They ask the question, “What can I do because of this word?”

All three of these elements are important in giving and receiving prophetic words. They often blend together and should not stand alone.

A Few Guidelines

Prophetic ministry, at its heart, is meant to encourage people and help people grow in love. However, there are times when people who are not walking fully in their identity as much loved children can use the gift to manipulate people or seek fame. Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind:

• All prophetic words need to be weighed. Make sure they align with the whole of Scripture. If the word goes against the Bible, then you shouldn’t take it as truth. For example, if someone tells you that God wants you to lie, steal, or hurt someone, you know it is not from God. In that case you would reject the word. But there are some gray areas that you need to take before the Lord. For example, suppose someone tells you that you have a relative who is upset with you, but you don’t know about it. That obviously would not be in the Bible, but ask the Holy Spirit if it is true. If you feel it is, then ask Him what you should do about it. The person giving the word could be wrong, though, and could cause a rift in your relationship if you don’t take it before God. Again, if it does not resonate with you even after you pray, you can reject these words, as well.

• As a general rule, prophesying about big life events is frowned upon and could cause someone a lot of pain if you are wrong. So don’t prophesy about having children, getting married, moving cities, changing jobs, and things like this.

• People can love getting prophetic words and perhaps lean too much on them, at times. We need to seek God before seeking a word from someone, because He is our source of life. Putting a person above God is idolatry. Getting direction from God is much more fun and fulfilling, so never let people take the place of God’s voice in your life.

• Another consequence of seeking prophecy too often is the burden to perform by one or a small number of people in your church. Some people are naturally prophetic and can “see” a lot. It’s easy to seek them out all the time for a word. But this has a couple of problems. One is that it puts the prophetic person on show and in performance mode. They may begin to think their identity is in their ability to prophesy, not just in being a friend of God. They may get tired and weary, not wanting to attend church anymore because it’s too draining.

The second problem is that God wants to raise up a prophetic company of people, not just a few superstars. Part of honoring each other and the prophetic gift in our midst is to encourage everyone to try. We need to call out the gold in everyone, not just a few people, and realize that those of us who know Jesus have the Holy Spirit in us; He can speak through anyone He wants at any time. The Lord will honor a church where everyone practices prophesy and encourages those who are further behind in their understanding of prophetic ministry. Those that are more gifted can help the less experienced ones gain understanding; they can help to release more people in their giftings. This is Kingdom living.

• I have heard that there are feelers, knowers, and seers. I am sure there could be other categories, but for our purposes, feelers can feel things in their bodies like heat and cold, pain, etc. Knowers know things they would not otherwise know. And seers see in the spirit realm vague things like colors, shapes and swirls, or specific things like angelic beings or something like a TV screen playing a movie in front of them. Tune into your style and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you about it. Also you may find it helpful to connect with someone else with a similar style so you can compare notes as you learn how to manage your “receptor.”

My Story with Prophecy

I was raised in a conservative church where I was told that God only speaks through the Bible. Sometimes I was told that He could speak through people, but they could only be Christians, and it would most likely be through a pastor teaching the Bible. I was taught that the gifts of the Spirit weren’t for today.

As I went to university and began to deepen my walk with God, I began to process things like, “Does He speak in other ways besides the Bible? If He loves me, like the Bible says, then shouldn’t He talk to me? If the gifts of the Spirit were needed in the Bible, why don’t we need them today?” This was the Holy Spirit gently revealing Himself to me. I began to ask God for more of Himself, and I was open to listening. I began to meet people who heard from God, and I witnessed things like specific words of knowledge I could not explain outside of God speaking directly to people.

Seeing the unexplainable changed my life. I figured that if He could speak to other believers, then He could speak to me. I began to ask God questions and wait for an answer. He started answering me. I began seeing in the spirit and being aware of things I would not have otherwise been aware of. I began knowing things about people or situations I couldn’t have known, and I was usually right in my impressions.

As the years went on, I realized that my two favorite things about God were: 1) that He is good, and 2) that He speaks. The more I heard His voice, the more I wanted to learn about prophecy. I took prophetic training classes, read lots of books, and was around prophetic communities that helped me grow in my gifting. Now, I not only listen to God for myself and other people, but I am passionate about helping others grow in their ability to hear from God and encourage others through prophecy. I love training others in the prophetic because prophetic words have greatly shaped my life, brought me so much freedom and helped me see God in an entirely different and beautiful way. I am thankful that He broke through the lies I believed about Him so that I could find freedom and lead others in freedom, as well. He is such a good Father!

In the next chapter we will look at intercession and how the prophetic compliments that. We will see that intercession is fun and isn’t only about praying.

Activation

• The Holy Spirit longs to talk to you and is talking to you more than you know. Ask Him for a greater ability to hear His voice. Ask Him to help you hear His voice more clearly.

• How is your prophetic delivery? Are your words strengthening, encouraging and comforting? Or are they more often said with a negative tone or with negative words? Do people feel better or worse when you have given them a word?

• When you are alone this week, ask God who in your life needs an encouraging word. When He shows you a person, ask Him for the word. Work through it with Him. How can you make it more encouraging? How can you make it more specific? Is there more God wants to show you about it? Write the prophetic word down and read over it. Pretend you are the one getting this word. How would it make you feel? What should you change? Give the person the written word if you are comfortable. (You don’t even need to call it a prophetic word. You can just give them a card or email with encouragement in it, especially if the person doesn’t know Jesus.)

4

PROPHETIC INTERCESSION

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.” – 1 Timothy 2:5-6a

Intercession is the act of standing in the gap for someone; it is like being a mediator between two parties. Jesus is our ultimate intercessor before God, so one way to be more like Jesus is to grow in intercession. Since Jesus lives in believers, intercession is about partnering with Him and releasing His Presence into situations.

My Story as an Intercessor

My story as an intercessor goes back many years. God began giving me prophetic intercessory acts before I knew what they were. My early experiences were confusing, so I hope my story can bring clarity to you if you are confused about intercession.

There are different types of intercession, but the one I will focus on in this chapter is prophetic intercession. This kind of intercession is about who we are, what we do, and becoming intercession for others. It is about God revealing something to you through prophetic revelation (see Chapter 3) then releasing what He shows you through intercession. When put together, the combination of prophecy and intercession is one of the strongest and most effective spiritual activities we can engage in. It’s fun and easy!

In the early days, when God began training me in intercession, I was with a Christian group that didn’t understand it. None of my co-workers understood me or knew how to help me. They thought I was weird and would laugh, and I felt like they were making fun of me. I understand why they reacted the way they did because it’s easy to judge what you don’t understand.

One particular night, my co-workers and I were on a staff retreat and were all together watching a championship basketball game. A couple of minutes into the game, I had this overwhelming sensation that I was going to cry. I wasn’t sad or upset or hurt. I just needed to cry, a lot, right away, and I felt the urge to pray. I asked my husband to join me, and we shut ourselves in the bathroom since it was the best place to be alone and not disturb the others. I sat on the toilet, and he sat beside me. I thought this sensation would go away in a few minutes, but instead, I began to weep, and weep, and weep. I felt like I would never stop. We felt led to read passages from Isaiah, which were all about death and blood. We had a sense that something tragic was about to happen. I cried (sometimes loudly), for about two hours. We missed the entire game, and I came out red faced and embarrassed because I didn’t know what had just happened. The team laughed, saying that my prayers didn’t work because our team had lost the basketball game. This was my introduction to intercession.

After all of these years, we still don’t know exactly what that night was about or what was accomplished. All I know is that we both felt like something tragic was about to happen, and nothing tragic happened that night or in the weeks following. Did our prayers and intercession stop something? Were we seeing something that would happen in the future? Was God just testing me to see what I would do? I don’t know. However, I do know that on this particular night something deep inside of me was ignited with God, and I have never been the same since. I was embarrassed at the time, but looking back from a place of greater maturity and deeper relationship with God, I can say it is an honor to partner with Him no matter what I look like to others. My life is not my own. I have been bought with a price, and God has permission in my life and body to take charge at any time. Sometimes it’s messy and I don’t understand, but oh, the joy of knowing Him in this place! It’s so worth it.

The Next Phase: Learning the Difference Between Prayer and Intercession

After my initiation in the bathroom, I continued to have similar episodes once or twice a year. I became more comfortable with each experience, though I still didn’t understand what was happening. I also learned about hearing from God, and began the practice of listening, trying my best to honor Him and follow His lead. Over time, I grew interested in intercession. I read a book by Dutch Sheets called Intercessory Prayer, which helped me navigate the strange new world of intercession and normalized some of my experiences.

Over the next few years, the Holy Spirit led me on a journey of greater understanding of what intercession was, and how it is different from prayer. This step was necessary for me because I didn’t enjoy praying very much. I didn’t enjoy prayer meetings, and I felt like being an intercessor meant I had to pray all the time and attend these boring prayer meetings. I loved to spend time with Jesus, but prayer often felt like work. One time I was overwhelmed by my lengthy prayer list, and God said to me, “Carry the people on your list in your heart. Give me your heart, and I will take care of the rest.” Oh, what a relief! I no longer had to pray for every person on my list. Instead, I connected with God heart to heart. He could read my heart and answer in better ways than I could dream to ask! He is so good!

What Can Intercession Look Like?

Travail: When I cried in the bathroom, I was interceding the whole time, but said some prayers, as well. My tears were intercession for a group of people. I believe Jesus was crying over this situation, and He caused me to cry as well. I have had tears of intercession for aborted babies, orphans, girls who are victims of sex trafficking, sin in others, churches, cities, and nations. I don’t know why crying does anything in the spirit, but I know it does. Why else would God have intercessors cry and call people to weep?

“Therefore this is what the Lord, the LORD God Almighty, says: ‘There will be wailing in all the streets and cries of anguish in every public square. The farmers will be summoned to weep and the mourners to wail.’” – Amos 5:16

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Consider now! Call for the wailing women to come; send for the most skillful of them. Let them come quickly and wail over us till our eyes overflow with tears and water streams from our eyelids.’” – Jeremiah 9:17-18

Weeping is a weapon in the Spirit, but probably should not be your favorite and most used weapon or you may become weighed down with heaviness and depression.

Laughter: Crying or travailing is one method the Holy Spirit may use in your life as intercession, and it is important, but we must not forget that in God’s presence there is “fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11). When you are in His Presence, often the fullness of joy comes as you intercede. Because of His joy, I have had times of giddiness, laughter and extreme joy over the Bride of Christ, over God’s great love for people, and even over the futility of the plans of enemies (Psalm 2:4). Joy and laughter should also characterize our intercession, perhaps even more than tears. There is a time and a season for everything, and we need to know which intercessory tool is needed for given circumstances. Often, I don’t have a choice and simply go with whatever I am feeling. If you are crying more than laughing, you can ask the Holy Spirit to turn your mourning into joy (Isaiah 61:3)! It’s a lot more fun.

Declaration: Often when we give ourselves to pray and intercede, God will show us things prophetically. One wonderful way to partner with Him for what we see is through the spoken word, or declaration. God spoke the world into existence with His Voice. He spoke, and there was light. He spoke and there was water and land. He spoke vegetables, animals, and people into existence. By looking at His example, we can see that there is power in the spoken word. He lives in us, and in Him we “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). If this is true, then acts of living, moving, and being carry His power, presence and authority. So we can partner with Him through our spoken words when He shows us things. When something in the spirit is revealed to us, we can ask Him what He is doing and what we should declare. Often He will have us declare things like, “Life!” “Hope!” “Freedom!” and “Peace!” over situations.

Personal Experiences: God can use our personal experiences to intercede for others. This can be something that lasts just a few minutes, or it can be a season of life where you are living intercession for others.

Specific/Brief Intercession: One example of a brief intercession experience happened for me just few weeks after moving to China. I was spending time with God in worship and began to have this sense of being caged in. Our phones and Internet were not working, I was alone without close friends in the city, and I couldn’t get in touch with anyone because of our lack of working technology. I felt trapped with no voice, no friends and no advocate. I began to ask God for help so I wouldn’t panic, and I began to declare peace over myself. I worshipped and felt a little better.

As I was coming out of this, I asked the Holy Spirit what was going on and why I felt this way. He said, “You are interceding for orphans and girls who have been trafficked. They don’t have a voice, friends, or a way to get help. You are feeling what they feel. As you have breakthrough over this and make it out the other side, they will have breakthrough as well.” Then I began to weep as I realized my panic was only for a few minutes, but some people have this sense every minute of every day with no way of escape and no hope of things changing. I was picking up on things in the atmosphere here for a people group I am passionate about. He allowed me to feel what these girls feel. It was horrifying, and I hope I never feel this way again. At the end of this experience, I understood how to intercede and what to declare for these girls. I began to speak general things over them like “peace and hope,” and I also declared specific things like Isaiah 61 over them. I prayed and declared friends for them, a way out, freedom, justice, an advocate, a voice and that Jesus’ love would swoop down and love on them tangibly. All of this came from a personal experience, and this experience enabled me to know specific declarations and prayers for these girls. My feelings, tears, worship, prayers and declarations were all intercession for them. What a pleasure!

Season of Intercession: A season of life being intercession is also important to recognize. Not everything we go through in life is only about us. Often God has big plans for more people than just you, and when you realize not everything is about you, then life becomes much easier, especially the hardships.

One of the most difficult seasons of our family’s lives happened in 2012. We had a house on the east coast of the USA that didn’t sell for two years, and so we were paying a mortgage while living on the west coast paying rent. After two years of this, we were out of money. So we had no choice but to foreclose on the house, which meant we needed to declare bankruptcy so we wouldn’t owe the bank back over $70,000; money we didn’t have. In the United States, bankruptcy clears you of debt like this. It took a lot of prayer to come to a place of thankfulness for bankruptcy, but it was truly a blessing for our family and God’s provision for us to keep us out of debt for the rest of our lives. As we were going through that time, I had the sense that it was bigger than just our family. Kevin and I have always delighted to give money and time away, and many people tell us we are the best stewards of money they have seen. So we knew this was not punishment or a consequence for bad decisions.

We chose to take the posture of thankfulness and also began asking God who else this was for. We felt like we were being prophetic intercession for other people as well, and the way we handled it would affect them. The Holy Spirit began to show us other people and ministries we were around that were all having significant financial struggles. My husband and I prayed for these people and groups, and gave our breakthrough to them without them even knowing. We declared and released thankfulness, provision, intimacy with God, and joy in the process of hardship.

The testimonies are still coming in from this, but so far the results have been remarkable. Everyone we interceded for through our finances has had significant transition, state-to-state and international moves, provision, and joy. We have seen countless people’s lives changed for the good because of a hardship that could have derailed us. We could have chosen confusion and anger at God, but we chose to look higher and see what God said. He came through for our family, and He also came through for many others and is continuing to do so. I love living the life of intercession and processing life through this lens. Everything is more fun and productive this way, we grow in our relationship and trust in God, and we can bless others in the process!

Dreams: Dreams are another way we can intercede. Sometimes we remember our dreams, and sometimes we don’t. If you remember your dream, ask the Holy Spirit for an interpretation. Pray through what He tells you. But even if we don’t remember or understand a dream’s content, we can still give our dreams as intercession for whomever the dream was about. We can intercede, worship, and love people even when our conscious mind is turned off. Our spirits are still awake and can honor God any time of day or night.

Worship, Singing, Playing an Instrument: Worship through music is a wonderful and easy way to intercede. When we come into His presence and praise Him alone or corporately, He shows up and talks with us. I have had wonderful intercession times in worship, praying for and declaring things for friends, ministries, countries, circumstances, etc.

Creativity: We will look at how creativity can be prophetic intercession in a later chapter.

Prophetic Acts: We will look at how prophetic acts can be intercession in a later chapter.

Doing What You Love as Prophetic Intercession: God has created us all differently, and we all have our favorite things to do. We have passions, hobbies, jobs, and relationships. All of these things can become prophetic intercession, and allow our lives to be used for Him in all things. We all have people groups that we love. It may be a nation, a minority group, artists, pastors, mothers, businessmen, etc. God loves all people and loves it when we love them! One way we can show our love is by interceding for them with our lives.

Once I learned that we can be intercession, I began to find out that I met with God the best when I was walking and exercising. I would go to the gym, put on worship music, begin my workout, and God always showed up. I would sing, laugh, rejoice, war, and delight in His Presence. I decided to give my workouts as intercession for China and Israel. Just being available in that place opened up my spiritual eyes as an intercessor for these nations. He would give me pictures of things happening in the spirit over these nations, and He would give me things to pray or declare. Occasionally, He would have me do a prophetic act, like a hand movement or a stomp, to release in the natural what He was showing me in the spirit.

Since I began interceding for China through workouts, I have heard countless testimonies of Chinese people who have come to Jesus and grown by leaps and bounds in a short span of time. When I hear these testimonies, I also hear the Holy Spirit say, “This is your fruit. You interceded for them.” I am thankful for little encouragements along the way that He gives me to see people’s lives being transformed, all because I worshipped, walked, and was open to whatever God showed me. And it is fun! Of course, now that I am living in China, I get a firsthand view of my intercession for this nation, and my prayers are much more informed. Living here is such an honor! As an intercessor for China, I know that just being here has an impact in the spirit realm. Again, my life is intercession for this nation, so there is no other place I would rather live.

My husband’s intercession is different from mine, but it’s been a wonderful testimony of God’s faithfulness. Following a prophetic word, Kevin felt like he was supposed to give his business and work as intercession for girls who have been trafficked in the sex trade. Once we arrived in China, he was offered a chance to use his business skills to help a group here that reaches out to girls who have been trafficked! When he began volunteering, I reminded him that his business was intercession for such a group of people. He said he had forgotten, and we laughed. We may forget, but God remembers! Kevin has been able to not only use his business to intercede for girls in need, but he has also been able to see the fruit of his business experience help these precious souls by providing legitimate work for them.

Looking at Kevin’s and my lifestyles of intercession, it is evident to me that when you really give yourself to intercede for a group of people, God will graciously let you see some of the fruit of your labors this side of heaven. One day we will fully know our impact. Until then, following His lead, being full of faith, and seeing some measure of answers to prayer and intercession is good enough for me!

Some Closing Thoughts

Spend Time with Jesus

Here is a simple thing you can try if intercession is new for you. Put on worship music, think of someone, and begin worshipping. Move around if you are comfortable doing so, and open yourself up to the Holy Spirit. Don’t pray. Just enjoy Jesus with that person on your heart. See what happens. One time I was leading a small group of women in a similar exercise, using worship music and dance as intercession. I had them think of one person or situation, and as the music played all of them received revelation from God in the form of pictures and impressions. When you put your heart, soul, body and spirit in the hands of God, intercession can be fun and easy. The women were not pouring over each issue, crying, laughing or even praying, yet God showed up because of their hearts. God is willing to talk if we will simply align with Him.

Remember Who You Are

Another important factor in intercession is to remember that God has the answer for everything, no matter how big or how small. Because of this, we can pray from heaven’s perspective. We are not beggars trying to get God to do something. We are His children and we have access to everything He is. So as we ask Him about situations and people, He shows us things. We can then partner with heaven for breakthroughs on behalf of others.

If we come to God, not knowing our identity (see Chapter 1), then we can find ourselves begging or deaf to what He says about a given situation. If we know to Whom we belong, then we pray expectantly because He is a good Father, inviting heaven’s resources to flow into the situation. As He answers us, again we partner with declarations, creative acts, whatever He shows us.

Be Specific

“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” – James 1:6-8

Another danger we need to be aware of is being double-minded. When we are double-minded, we can end up praying multiple-choice prayers. If a man is sick, we may pray for 1.) his miraculous healing, 2.) for God to use the illness to instruct him, and 3.) to comfort him as he dies, all at the same time. Which one do we want God to answer? How do we know if He did answer when we give Him so many options? One of them has to work eventually. So what is God saying? Is He planning to heal this person? Or is it his time to meet God in heaven? Until we hear from God, praying can feel like a waste of time, mostly because we don’t know what to pray. However, if we know we’ve heard from God, we can pray, intercede, and be at peace. We’ve done our job, and now He will do His.

In conclusion, when we pray prophetically, intercession is fun, interactive, effective, and easy. It can be lighthearted involving laughter and joy, it can involve tears, or it can look like giving a season of life over as intercession for someone else. However it looks, intercession is about “putting feet” to your faith. In the next chapter, we will look at the wonderful tool of prophetic acts in intercession.

Activation

• Do you feel stagnant in your prayer life or feel like being with God is boring? Tell God, and ask Him to breathe new life, energy and joy into your times with Him and in intercession. Ask Him for an upgrade!

• What do you enjoy doing? How do you connect with God the most? You can give this as intercession to God for a specific people group or cause. Make time for this activity, give it as intercession in your heart, and expect that God will begin using that activity as intercession for others. He will begin showing you things about those you are interceding for as you do this activity. Relax and enjoy the intercession process!

5

PROPHETIC ACTS

A prophetic act is similar to intercession, and it can be a wonderful tool used to intercede.

As we have previously stated, the “prophetic” is listening to God when He reveals something by divine revelation. And “acts” means acting on something or putting an action into motion. Therefore, a prophetic act means receiving what God shows us by divine revelation, then acting on it.

As we saw in the last chapter, intercession is a lot about doing things, not just praying. In the same way, a prophetic act involves doing something in the natural, which releases something in the spiritual. Prophetic acts are beautiful, fun, and creative ways to bring heaven to earth, intercede, and partner with God.

The Bible is full of prophetic acts, although you may have never called them that. Here are some examples:

1. In Exodus 17:9-13, when Moses raised his arms, the Israelites would win. When he lowered his arms, the Amalekites would win. His arms had nothing to do with the battle in the natural - he was on a hill removed from the physical action. But it is clear that the position of his arms had an effect in the spirit with how the battle played out.

2. In 2 Kings 13:15-19, Elisha was dying, and had a final conversation with King Joash. If we look carefully, we can see two prophetic acts in this passage.

“Elisha said, “Get a bow and some arrows,” and he did so. “Take the bow in your hands,” he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. “Open the east window,” he said, and he opened it. “Shoot!” Elisha said, and he shot. “The LORD’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!” Elisha declared. “You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.” Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.”

Elisha had the king shoot an arrow. After this prophetic act, Elisha spoke a declaration of victory over the enemy. Then Elisha had him strike the ground. After this second prophetic act, Elisha gave more details and said the defeat would only be three times, not complete. I don’t know why he gave direction about defeat with arrows being used, but he did. The king’s action of striking the arrows to the ground actually determined what the outcome of the defeat would be. If he had hit it five or six times, the defeat would have been complete. We see from this example that what the king did in the natural released something in the spirit over the outcome.

Prophesying to Creation

There are also examples in the Bible of prophesying to creation, not only to people. Therefore, one prophetic act can be speaking over creation when the Holy Spirit leads us to. The book of Ezekiel gives us a couple of examples:

1. Ezekiel 20:46-48 says, “Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest of the southland. Say to the southern forest: ‘Hear the word of the LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north will be scorched by it. Everyone will see that I the LORD have kindled it; it will not be quenched.’”

I am not sure why God had Ezekiel talk to a forest, but since God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, we can understand the fact that speaking to land serves a purpose at times.

2. In Ezekiel 37, we read about the popular valley of dry bones. God tells Ezekiel to prophesy to skeletons, and upon his declaration, they are put back together, tendons return, skin re-appears, and breath is put back into them. Ezekiel is left staring at a “vast army.” Wow! This is the ultimate example of a prophetic declaration and prophetic act. He heard from God, obeyed what God told him to do, and dead people were brought back to life. What Ezekiel released in the natural had extreme consequences in the spiritual.

The New Testament also contains many prophetic acts. One example is in Acts 21:10-11, when Paul is preparing to leave for Jerusalem. “After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” Agabus could have just given the prophetic word, but he put actions with those words.

Another example in the New Testament is Jesus healing the sick on the Sabbath. He heals people more than once on the Sabbath, but one example could be Mark 3:1-6. The law said not to work on the Sabbath, but he seems intentional in that he heals many people on the Sabbath. He seems to be undoing something that had been the cultural norm. He is “doing the opposite” of the standard. His meaning is that love trumps laws. Love should flow all day, every day, including on the Sabbath.

Recent Stories of Prophetic Acts

On my journey into the prophetic, I have met many people who are further along than I am and read several books by prophets who have amazing stories. I can’t remember where I read it or heard the stories, but some of these include flying to the Berlin Wall, laying hands on it, declaring it to come down, and it coming down shortly afterwards. Other testimonies are not as dramatic but involve actions like burying Bibles in the ground during the former Soviet Union, throwing keys into bodies of water, releasing a scarf to blow away from a mountain top, or pouring water or wine on the ground to bring purification. There are many acts the Holy Spirit may lead us to do in the natural to release something in the spiritual.

All of these are powerful and bring release of His Kingdom in some way. But there are also other prophetic acts that are a little less commonly read about, which are more my style, and I use these as intercession as well. Some of these prophetic acts are “doing the opposite.” If He shows me something negative going on in my city or the world, then I do the opposite of the negative thing. Some prophetic acts are just being intentional with my time and resources.

God is very consistent, and He is always loving, kind, full of joy, and other good qualities. Sometimes if we tune in, He will tell us what is on His heart for that day or season. One time I felt like His heart was for broken relationships. My prophetic act and way to intercede was to purposefully pursue a friend I had not talked with in a while. I encouraged her, told her I was glad for our relationship, and intentionally built a bridge to strengthen our connection. I did the opposite of breaking a relationship; I built a stronger one.

Another time, I felt like God was highlighting broken parent/child relationships, so I spent extra time with my daughters that day as a prophetic act for other children that may have poor relationships with their parents.

Recently, I have been really thankful for farmers and all of their hard work so I can have food. Even though vegetables are not my favorite food, I am becoming more and more grateful for them as a way to bless the farmers. They don’t know about my heart change, but in the spirit, I believe my thankfulness is a prophetic act and intercession to bless the work of their hands.

One time I gave a prophetic gift to a friend. I felt God was calling him into business, so I bought him a briefcase for his birthday and explained it was prophetic for his calling into business. That was my way of agreeing with heaven for this new call and blessing him in the new endeavor.

Another time I felt God ask me to buy groceries for a friend. I asked Him why, and He said it was to be a prophetic act for His abundance to this lady and her children. I asked God if I could just get her a gift card so she could choose her groceries, but He said no— I needed to take food to her. I asked why, and He said it was to show her that she was coming into a season of needing to receive help from others, and for her to let friends help her. So I gave her the word, along with the groceries. This was my prophetic act and intercession, agreeing with God for His provision through abundance and receiving help from others for the three of them.

As a final example, I was leading an intercession group a few years ago. We were specifically interceding for our church and its spiritual foundation. One week, one of the intercessors got the impression of a building’s foundation being removed from the ground. We prayed and declared this to happen since that’s how the Holy Spirit led us. One week later we found out what we had seen in the spirit and how God had answered. There had been an obelisk (tower) foundation on the church’s property for over 50 years, and was a place where people would gather and do drugs and other negative behaviors. The week after we interceded about a building’s foundation being removed, the obelisk foundation was suddenly removed after all this time! We celebrated and thanked God that what we were praying for and declaring in the spirit revealed itself in the natural. We took it as a sign that He was listening and answering our prayers. He is good!

Some Thoughts on Prophetic Acts

As an intercessor and foreigner living in China, one thing I have realized is that when we honor the culture in which we live and learn from it, God is glorified. When we love and bless our host nation instead of criticize differences, God shows up because He loves the nations and each culture’s uniqueness. What if we adapted our prophetic acts and intercession at times to fit the culture where we are?

As an example, one thing that still stands out to me in China is how many people exercise, dance and do Tai Chi outside. It’s very different from America where we mostly go to a gym to work out. Here there are many groups of people in every neighborhood, park, and street corner exercising together. Sometimes they use music, and other times they don’t. What if we adapted our prophetic style to fit theirs? What if groups of believers got together to exercise, and intentionally gave their exercise as intercession and a prophetic act for their nation? I think God would show up and be glorified as we honor the way things are done in our host culture, even if it is not the most comfortable or beautiful thing we have ever tried.

Conclusion

There are countless examples of prophetic acts like the ones in the Bible, recent history from others, and my own testimonies. One thing I love about Jesus is how creative He is. Just look at how He healed people – it was always a different method He would use. He rarely does the same thing twice. He has no set formula. He is about relationship. As we follow His lead, asking Him for guidance, He will show us what our specific flavor of prophetic acts and intercession is. It is certainly a fun adventure! Next, we will explore more about His creativity and ours, and how we can use this as intercession.

Activation

• Tell God that you are willing to do prophetic acts, even if it’s new for you. Ask Him what He would have you do to bless someone else or your city.

• Ask Him what is on His heart for a certain person or situation, and what you can do to partner with Him to release in the natural what He wants to release in the spiritual.

• What is something people in your country enjoy and do a lot? How can you use that activity as intercession and prophesying greatness and God’s presence on behalf of that country? Join with other believers to release God’s presence, while having fun at the same time.

6

PROPHETIC CREATIVITY

Prophetic creativity is perceiving what God is saying or doing and releasing that on earth in some creative form. He may show us a picture in the spirit or give us a feeling like peace. We may hear a word or a Bible reference, or we could smell something. However we perceive, we then partner with the Holy Spirit to create what He has revealed to us. It should be positive, encouraging and God-breathed, just like a prophetic word.

Purpose of Prophetic Creativity

We have all been uniquely created to experience God’s Presence and Kingdom and release it wherever we go. His Kingdom is full of freedom, peace, and joy. One fun and effective way to release His Kingdom on earth is through creativity. We can do things that attract God, bring answers to prayer, and invite encounters with Him. He is the Creator, and He made us in His image. So when we create, we are imitating our Father. He shows us things happening in the Spirit and allows us to co-labor with Him through drawing, dance, writing, declaration, singing, cooking, and many other art forms.

Prophetic Art Inhibitors

(taken from Theresa Dedmon’s Kingdom Creativity Conference 2010)

These things can keep us from stepping into all God created us to be and do. See if any of these apply to you:

• Critical comments or experiences from the past

• Judgments you or others have made about what you have created

• Society’s standards and expectations

• Waiting until you feel you are “good enough”

• Valuing other’s work but not your own

Prophetic Art Releasers

(also from Theresa Dedmon’s Kingdom Creativity Conference 2010)

These things can allow us to become all God intends for us to be and do. How are you with these?

• Understanding and perceiving how you delight God

• Feeling God’s pleasure and presence as you create

• Closing the door to the lies you have believed about you and your ability to create

• Becoming free in creating anything and seeing it as good

If we believe lies about our ability to be creative, then we must repent, choose to stand in the truth, and declare it over ourselves that we are creative because we are created in God’s image. We should pray for creativity to be fun for us, if it hasn’t been in the past, and let go of other people’s opinions or standards for us. We must receive the truth that prophetic creativity is about partnering with God, enjoying Him, and allowing it to be intercession. It is not about how good something looks. We are not trying to win an award; we are releasing His presence, which should be a free experience.

Creativity as Intercession

Once we are released to create with the Holy Spirit, He is happy to flow through us. Creativity has many functions, and one of them can be intercession. Just as we have learned throughout this book, anything can be used as intercession when given to God. When we have someone or something on our hearts, we can take the opportunity to create something to intercede for them. This could be a painting, drawing, sculpture, handicraft, poem, and other ways God may lead. There are no limits in what we can create. The creation process is fun; it’s a way to encounter God and use our gifts and talents. We can even give our creations to the person for whom we are interceding if God leads us to, but it’s not necessary.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit will have us create something, but we don’t know who it is for. In the days or months to come, God may show us it is for someone and want us to give it to him or her. Once, I was in the United States for two weeks doing work. While I was in a meeting, I began talking to a stranger sitting beside me. A few days later, she found me on Facebook, and messaged to see if I could meet her before returning to China. When I met with her, she handed me a beautiful painting she had painted three weeks earlier, and it deeply spoke to my heart. She had only begun painting a month previously and did not like the appearance of the painting. However, the painting’s unique beauty and prophetic meaning resounded with the long-term vision God has given me, and greatly encouraged me. When she painted it, she didn’t know who it was for, but God told her later. I am so glad He did! She gave it to me as a prophetic art piece and prayed for me. This painting was such a blessing, and it still is as it hangs in our living room.

Creativity Confuses the Enemy

(this idea is from Bill Johnson – cited at the bottom)

I love this one. The fact that God can use creativity against our spiritual enemy is so wonderful! Zechariah 1:18-21 says, “Then I looked up, and there before me were four horns. I asked the angel who was speaking to me, ‘What are these?’ He answered me, ‘These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.’ Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. I asked, ‘What are these coming to do?’ He answered, ‘These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could raise their head, but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and throw down these horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter its people.’”

The Israelites are being attacked by four horns or powers and are at the point of being scattered. God sends His answer to this threat, and it is four craftsmen. Instead of sending great warriors, God sends the artists. “When creativity is the normal expression of God’s people there is something that happens to all who oppose God" (Johnson, Dreaming With God p. 43). The enemy is not creative; the devil can only distort what God has already created. Creativity is a tool of God to ruin the attacks of His enemies.

Creativity as Worship

When we worship, we adore God. Our hearts are laid bare before Him, He changes us, we grow, hurtful things are broken off, and He reveals things to us in that place of intimacy. Prophetic creativity can enhance our personal connection with our Father, allowing His love to touch our hearts in deeper ways. It is also a way to show others what was revealed to us in the spirit realm and release them into an encounter based on the one we had.

Creativity as a Tool to Show People the Love and Goodness of God

When we create something that is done in partnership with God, no matter if it’s beautiful or not, it becomes an extension of God shining through us. We all know that people are watching us, especially as believers or foreigners. Simple daily transactions like the way we talk to our spouse and children make an impact on others. Similarly, the way we talk to unbelievers or the art we create becomes another way we can express God’s love to them. Simple objects like jewelry or beautiful photographs can display the love of God.

Healing shows God’s love, so healing can also come through art pieces. I have heard that the Holy Spirit told Bob Jones that creativity makes way for creative miracles to take place, and that this will increase over the next few years. For example, there was a painting of the word “Hope” at Bethel Church in Redding, California. A lady who had cancer was healed while she looked at the painting! (http://havenartstudio.com/exhibits/)

In another example, one of my daughters drew a picture for my husband on a day that he was sick. The picture stated he would be well that instant. He began to get better from that moment.

As we can see, there are many useful ways that prophetic art can bless people. Our anointing and encounter with God can touch someone else who sees it.

My Creative Testimony

I wasn’t raised in a creative home, and really had very little value for anything creative. It seemed frivolous to me, and almost like a waste of time. I could understand some people using it like a hobby or if they were talented enough to make a living at it, but otherwise I just didn’t value it until the last few years.

Starting in 2002, I began getting prophetic words about dancing. My family was not even in a prophetic community at the time, but I would go to a conference or something, and for a span of 7 years I received 7 prophecies about “dancing for the nations,” “I see you dancing and bringing freedom,” “You will dance,” “Your dance is powerful,” “I see you dancing in a field of flowers and it’s so beautiful.” I laughed at the first couple of words I received several years ago. I would joke about getting a map of the world and dancing on it—that was “dancing for the nations.” I had no grid at that time that dance could be intercession.

When I got the seventh word in 2009 about dancing, I knew it was becoming disobedience to not figure out if it was true or what my role was in the prophecy. I grew up in a religious tradition where I was told dancing was wrong, so I had a lot of mental blocks and lies to overcome. I prayed and told God how I didn’t want to dance, but I wanted to please Him—He would have to help me. I would stand in my living room all alone, put on worship music and barely be able to raise my arms. I was so uncomfortable!

At this time around 2009, when I was open to dancing but still having a hard time actually doing it, God graciously brought me two friends. Laura was a professional dancer when she was younger, an intercessor, and understood the weapon that dance was in the spirit. She taught me, encouraged me, never laughed at me, prayed for me, and imparted to me. God allowed her to help bring me the freedom I needed. We began to dance together as intercession for our church and city. It was difficult at first, but soon began to be fun. We became best friends and still are to this day.

The other “friend” He brought me several years ago I affectionately call “Dancer Chick.” During this learning time, I began to be aware that every time worship music was on, I saw someone in the spirit dancing beautifully off in the distance. She looked like a spirit or angel wearing a long white garment. I would just close my eyes and watch as this dancer showed me moves that Baryshnikov couldn’t even conceive of. I loved it! This continued for a couple of years. My counselor, the Holy Spirit, was teaching me by showing me! As time went by and I began to move a little bit, the person I saw dancing got closer and closer to me. The last few times I saw her, she was right in front of me. I think the Holy Spirit came into me in fullness of freedom. Now I move when I am led to, so I don’t need His demonstrations. Isn’t He good to us, giving us just what we need?

Shortly after this, my family moved across the country to Bethel Church where I continued to grow in spiritual freedom and physical freedom. I was no longer the only goofy looking person moving during worship, which made me freer and more comfortable.

In 2010 I attended the Kingdom Creativity School at Bethel, which is where I first saw the power of dance. I went to the dance small group training session, and the teachers led us in an activation time with dance. A lady in my class ended up laid out in the middle of the floor, screaming, crying and looking like she was writhing in pain. She was clearly having a demonic episode. The teachers said for someone to come dance over her for her freedom, if we felt led by the Holy Spirit. I didn’t want to, but I had received so many prophetic words about my dance bringing freedom, I knew out of love for this lady that I needed to intercede for her through dance. My heart was racing and I was so nervous, but without even really thinking I ended up by her head and stomped/danced for about 4-5 minutes. The whole class was watching me, but I forgot about everyone else in the room. I felt God’s presence so strongly and His power going through me. The lady’s manifestations began to change as I danced. She began to uncurl, relax and be filled with peace. I knew when I was done, and she had received some measure of freedom without anyone opening his or her mouth. Everyone knew God was in the room and it was truly a holy moment. After a few minutes of silence, she got up and seemed completely fine. She said something to the effect of, “I don’t know what happened, but I feel great and so much more free!”

This incident gave me so much more confidence in the truth that dance is powerful and that it’s a weapon God has given me to use in the spirit. When used with Him, for me it is the most fun thing in the world!

Now dance and movement is my favorite way to connect with God. As I move, He shows me things happening in the room, in my city, and in my nation. I am now “dancing for the nations” and loving it! Dance and movement is my main form of intercession for the nations, specifically for China. He gives me things to declare, and I do. If something is weighing on me personally, I rarely pray, but turn on worship music instead, and move and often sing. He always shows up, takes the burden, and restores joy and hope.

God is such a good Daddy and loves to help us, often in a joyful way. The religious tradition I was brought up in left little room for fun with God, so prayer meetings were dull, lifeless and not much happened other than making people heavier than they came. As an intercessor, I am so glad God has shown me a different way. Now when I lead intercession meetings, they are fun, filled with laughter, joy, dance, prophetic acts and art. People leave feeling alive, lighter, and a lot has happened in the Spirit.

A Word About Creativity and Freedom

(taken from my dancer friend, Laura Miller)

There is a language of the Spirit, and it is not only confined to English, Chinese, French or Spanish. The Spirit speaks through our bodies creatively as well. Our bodies and art pieces can be like an extension of our words.

Freedom is a huge key because the more we create the more our freedom grows. We can eventually come to the point where it doesn’t matter if we are exposed or what others think. It’s an extension of the cry of our hearts, and as you cry out, this is highly prized by God.

As our freedom grows, it is also important that we experience it from a place of rest and security in our own hearts. There is no room for condemnation or accusation of inadequacy from ourselves. Therefore, if we encounter someone who doesn’t appreciate our expression, we won’t take offense. Let’s keep our hearts pure and open to God and others.

Just like there are many ways to express the same idea with language, there are also many ways to express ourselves through dance. There is no right or wrong way to “say” something because there can be many ways to express our hearts and intercession. It doesn’t matter what it looks like. It matters what we are saying. It’s not about display, but connection with God and releasing what He is doing through us. It’s about honoring one another, without judgment.

We want to see creativity as an expression of our love for God and intercession, but it’s not required to connect with God. We use it like any other tool to develop intimacy with God. Just like we read the Bible or have fellowship with other believers, walking in creativity can be one more way you develop friendship and connection with God.

Follow your intuition. You will hear or just know what you should do or create based on what needs to happen. Cultivate a listening ear. It will take time and practice, but He will teach you this creative language if you are willing to learn.

Conclusion

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.’” – Matthew 18:1-5

All children are born with the ability and desire to create things. They enjoy coloring, drawing, making “mud pies”, dancing, and generally enjoying life. This is the way God made us all. As we are growing up, it is easy to forget how fun being childlike can be.

Jesus honors children, even telling people to change to become like them. As we enjoy God’s presence through creating with Him, we can re-establish some of our beautiful childlike ways. If we have lost joy along the way, life can become simple and more enjoyable again. And in the process we realize that the creative nature is also powerful, intercessory, and worshipful. Let’s enjoy God to the full and bless people as well!

Ask God for prophetic insights. Ask Him how He has uniquely gifted you to release hope, joy, and encouragement with creative flair to the people you are around. Receive the intercessory calling with joy, while growing in childlike fun all at the same time.

God is so worth it. Enjoy your adventure with Him!

Activation

• Declare, “I am creative and was born to create wonderful things.”

• Ask the Holy Spirit how He has uniquely gifted you to release His Presence through creativity. Do you enjoy singing, playing an instrument, dancing, painting, cooking, etc.? Ask Him to help you grow in prophetic creativity in this area.

• Ask God to help you increase in your creative freedom. Let go of other people’s thoughts or opinions, and just let His truth wash over you. Let the Ultimate Creator allow you to create with His help.

• Tell God that you will allow Him to intercede and prophesy through you in creative ways.

Recommended Reading

1. You May All Prophecy by Steve Thompson

2. Approaching the Heart of Prophecy by Graham Cooke

3. The Happy Intercessor by Beni Johnson

4. Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets

5. Dreaming With God by Bill Johnson

6. Born to Create: Stepping Into Your Supernatural Destiny by Theresa Dedmon

• Some of my information in Chapter 6: Prophetic Creativity was highly influenced by other people. The section on creativity confusing the enemy has been taken from Bill Johnson’s book Dreaming with God. The sections on art inhibitors and releasers are from Theresa Dedmon’s 2010 workshop on Kingdom Creativity. The section on creativity and freedom came from a phone conversation with Laura Miller.

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About the Author

Allison Shorter is a Prophetic Intercessor trained at Bethel Church in Redding, California. She also has over ten years of experience as an intercessor and loves carrying the creative heart of God into situations. She and her husband started the non-profit, Josiah’s Covenant, which aims to create families for Asian orphans and provide them with job opportunities. Allison is also a teacher and speaker.

She lives in China with her husband and two daughters.

Find out more on JosiahsCovenant.com.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Who Am I, and Why Does That Matter?

Chapter 2: The Way to Be Great

Chapter 3: Prophetic Ministry

Chapter 4: Prophetic Intercession

Chapter 5: Prophetic Acts

Chapter 6: Prophetic Creativity

Appendix: Recommended Reading