Prophecy.

Last night I went my usual girls group (not house group). Girls group is usually about 4 girl friends and we meet once a fortnight (on the opposite weeks to house group which is also fortnightly) and just chat and pray. But this week had a guest speaker (which is a first) and Katja also invited some other friends. 

Kate (who is a friend of 2 friends so I’ve met her once or twice) came to talk about prophecy. We went around the room sharing what we think prophecy is, if anyone has prophesied over us and have we prophesied over other people. 

So I thought Kate was going to say, pair up and ask God for a word for each other or spend a few minutes quiet and ask God for a word for someone in this room. So I prayed, God please speak to me and give me a word for someone here. I sometimes get words for people or more usually God nudges me and says do this for that person e.g. encourage them, cook someone cake or a meal, or buy that person some flowers / chocolate they need encouraging or sent friends encouraging cards with a verse or two in it.

So anyway I hardly ever / very rarely get pictures. But almost as soon as I prayed God gave me a picture of Jo worshipping in church with her hands raised praising God. So we were chatting on Facebook when we got home and I said God wants to say to you don’t be afraid or self conscious. Be free in worship you will be able to do it. Jo said that God had given her the same word that evening as well. It’s really blessed me that Jo said God gave her the same word for herself. 

Also a lady there that I didn’t know mentioned a friends mum who died a few months ago and I was then thinking about them and their recent status updates and God gave me a word for her. With the picture for Jo being right it gave me the confidence to email her with the word. So I emailed her and said that I felt that God gave me a word for her. I think / felt that God said Be encouraged, keep going, God is with you, you will come through. I just wanted to encourage her. 

There were things I could have shared at the group last night that I didn’t get chance to we ran out of time as Katja had to leave for work at 10pm. A couple of people shared experiences of negative / false prophecy and I didn’t get chance to share my experiences of false / negative prophecy. I did share and example of when someone prophesied over me but didn’t get chance to share when I had prophesied / had a word for someone else. 

I had two songs going round in my head last night that are two of my favourites at the moment.  Moving Forward by Israel Houghton http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TPBrwbRSxc and Hold nothing back by Jesus Culture http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJsc2louPes. 

So the experience I shared of when someone prophesied over me was from before I knew what prophecy was.  Or I knew people prophesied in the bible but didn’t know God still spoke through prophecy today.  I was somewhere between 11 and 15 and I can’t remember whether this was said to me or my mum.  But my Pastor at the time said that I would grow up to be an effective and powerful woman of God.  This has always stayed with me.  A friend pointed out recently that when I was struggling at school and hated it at the same time I was also spiritually growing into a Godly woman, I would have been about 16 at this point. 

From time to time older friends at church comment how I’m growing in God or how I’ve changed in this way or that and it always takes me back to what my pastor at the time said.  Sadly he died of cancer I think when I was 17, but I still see his wife occasionally.  Who as it happens was with me the first time God spoke to me, the night I should have become a Christian but chickened out.  Then a month or two later when I did make that commitment she was there, although I can’t remember if it was her or another leader that prayed with me but I know she as there. 

So as I wrote on Facebook last night “well that was an interesting evening. It's amazing how God speaks when you take time out to spend it with Him”. 

 

I wrote a list the other day of things I want to share / write about on my blog, which hopefully I’ll get round to starting soon.