At 18 years old I was given a college ministry to lead. Eighteen years old! Luckily, I wasn’t responsible for the preaching, however I was in charge of planning the worship sets and shepherding the worship team. If any of you have ever felt or currently feel unqualified to do what God has called you to, let me say that you are not alone. I’ve been there! At times, I still feel that. But please be encouraged to never allow the voice of the enemy to keep you from doing what God is calling you to. Though I felt too young for the responsibility God used this season to show me who He created me to be and the plans that He had for my future.
I don’t know if I would have ever trusted myself with this ministry if I was in their shoes! But the truth is, they obviously saw something in me that I didn’t see and gave me a chance to step into it. They saw potential, and they spoke it over me.
Have you ever had someone tell you something about yourself that you didn’t see or recognize? Maybe an affirmation of who you are or a prophetic word about the kind of man or woman they believe you are going to be?
It’s powerful, right?!
When I first heard about the “prophetic” I thought it was a mysterious, magical, spiritual gift that only some had the ability to speak. And though this gift is miraculous, I’ve come to know that it’s for everyone who is a believer in Christ. I learned the prophetic is simply speaking God’s heart. At times, it can be used to speak of the future, but it’s also used to speak things like identity, purpose and destiny in the present.
It’s like supercharged, supernatural encouragement!
That season of leadership had taught me a very valuable lesson: We have the power to help people see who God has created them to be. It’s as simple as seeing something, and speaking it.
How many times do we think an encouraging thought about someone but keep it to ourselves. Maybe, just maybe, the Holy Spirit gave you that thought, not for yourself, but for you to give to that person. Maybe that was supposed to be a gift to them that would ultimately unlock a part of them they couldn’t see. Maybe it was the very thing they needed to just get through the day.
I am currently where I am today largely because of men and woman of the faith who chose to speak identity and destiny over me again and again until I started to believe it and walk in it.
The prophetic is a gift that is for the purposes of loving people well! How are you loving those around you with your words? I feel led to encourage you and challenge you to start speaking life over those God has put around you. I pray you’ll get to see the fruit of your words in their life.
Let’s be a people who when we SEE IT, we SAY IT!
1 Corinthians 14:1 “Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the ability to prophesy.”