‘Prophecy’ by Claire Lynch - 1 June 2025

How can we hear from God and share this to help others? Claire Lynch looks at our belief that prophesy is about connecting with God’s heart of love for someone, and is accessible to all. This is described as a promise in the Old Testament and as practice in the New Testament, thanks to the work of Jesus and the inspiration of his Holy Spirit. But how do we actually do it faithfully, or weigh up whether someone else’s words to us are from God? The guidance here can help us to practise.

Introduction

Good morning! So this morning we are going to be exploring the topic of prophecy.

If you’re not familiar with this, prophecy, is a wonderful life giving practice, that the apostle Paul in the Bible encourages us to eagerly desire and to do.

It’s something I have personally benefitted from and had the pleasure of being involved with for much of my adult life and I love it.

Prophecy is about about connecting with God’s heart of love for someone, to hear what God might want to say to that person, that might encourage them and build them up and affirm them in the amazing person God has made them to be.

Just the other day, I watched a flower delivery person, arrive at a place where I work with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, he was beaming all over his face as he handed them to the receptionist, who was then going to hand them on to whoever they were for.

And I remember thinking to myself, how happy the flower delivery person looked to give that gift - that the gift wasn’t even from him, but what a cool job that must be, to be the one who delivers these great gifts to people all the time.

And you know, that’s what prophecy is like, God invites us to be the flower delivery person, we get the pleasure of delivering a gift of words, that encourages or comforts or brings joy, that’s not from us, but we get to deliver it. Who wouldn’t want to do that?!

So I love these mornings, when we take a bit of time to remind ourselves of this, of why we do this and how we do it. I know many of our community groups may take an evening occasionally to practice doing this, because sometimes it takes a little practice to feel confident doing it. But it’s one of many fun things that comes with knowing a loving God.

There’s so much that we could talk about prophecy but we don’t have the time - so I just want to cover a few key points - that if you’ve never done this before, will be enough to help get you started.

And then we will take a little time at the end to give it a go. However, I do just want to say, if the idea of giving it a go, is starting to freak you out, there’s absolutely no pressure to do it, you can just watch and see what happens.

Hearing from God is your birthright

So first of all - hearing from God is our birthright! As children of God, created in his image, it is normal and expected for God to speak to us.

Think about it, if your actual father or mother didn’t speak to you, you would have a highly dysfunctional relationship right?

So just as you expect your Dad or Mum to speak to you with love and kindness, so we can expect God, as our divine parent to speak to us with love and kindness.

And please don’t exclude yourself, if you’re here and you wouldn’t call yourself a Christian or think of yourself as a child of God. If God exists, and therefore by definition he made each one of us, why wouldn’t we have the capacity to be able to hear him and speak with him.

Many of us, who are in relationship with God will know full well how God was working in our lives and speaking to us, even before we ever acknowledged him.

This is not just for people in ‘the club’. God loves to speak to every one of us. I believe he is speaking to us more than we ever imagine, it’s just that sometimes we need to learn how to recognise his voice - and thats what we are going to be doing a bit more of today.

The goal of prophecy is love

Next thing is that that the goal of prophecy is love. We want to make sure that people feel loved when we give them a prophecy. The trouble is, we can fall into the trap of thinking it’s about accuracy. And so because we are not totally sure we’ve got it right, we don’t want to make a mistake or look stupid, we hold back from giving the word.

But the goal is not accuracy, it’s love.

The question we want to ask with every prophetic word is - does this leave the person feeling more loved. And if the answer is yes, why not give it ?

That famous passage about love which is often read at weddings written by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 says this:

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 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 we have all the prophetic gifts in the world, but we do not love - then we are like a clanging symbol - noisy and annoying.

In addition to this, in 1 Corinthians 14:3, Paul says:

“But everyone who prophesies speaks to [people] for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort”

See God’s voice is not a condemning voice. I think many of us feel scared of what God might say to us. But God’s voice is liberating, full of grace and love - like the very best Mother, like the very best Father. The most attentive, kind, gracious, generous, patient parent, a mother or Father could be.

Just ponder that for a moment. When God’s speaks to you, he speaks to strengthen, encourage and comfort. Don’t believe those thoughts and ideas that tell you God wants to expose and humiliate you. Some of us believe that God knows our every thought and every feeling and we feel ashamed, we are scared that God will expose what only he and we know about ourself and expose it in prophecy. That is not God’s desire. Yes, God knows the secrets of our hearts, but the last thing he wishes to do is to humiliate and expose us. God wants to restore your self-respect and self-esteem. He loves you more than you probably love yourself. His desire is to lift you up and re-establish your confidence, to renew your sense of self-worth.

The goal of prophecy is love.

Everyone gets to play

In 1 Cor 14:5, Paul goes on to say:

I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy.

Why would Paul rather have everyone prophesy? Of course, because it encourages, strengthens and comforts people.

This ‘everyone get’s to play’, is contrary to what many people feel in regard to prophecy. Many people disqualify themselves from joining in for so many reasons:

Maybe they feel guilty or ashamed about themselves and don’t feel they’re good enough to hear from God,

But prophecy is something that we can all do. The Jewish prophet Joel, said that a day would come when God would speak through all people

Joel 2:28,

‘And afterwards,

    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

    your old men will dream dreams,

    your young men will see visions.’

That day arrived with Jesus. When he ascended into heaven and poured out his Spirit at Pentecost, that day came.

Paul encourages the Corinthians to ‘eagerly desire the gift of prophecy’. This proves that its not just something that is reserved for the special chosen, a gift you’re either born with or not. No, Paul encourages us to eagerly desire it, because it’s something we can ask for more of, something we can practice, something we can grow in.

Some of you may be familiar with Shawn Bolz, he’s very gifted in the prophetic. He wasn’t born that way, he was just a regular guy. And when he was on staff at a church as a young assistant pastor for 2 years he committed to going through the church database and calling up 7-14 people every week and giving them a prophetic word. He just practised, he pursued the gift and God was more than delighted to bless him with it.

I’m reminded of John Wimber, who founded the Vineyard movement and who had an amazing healing ministry, probably saw thousands of people healed. He prayed for 200 people before he ever saw one person healed - in fact I think 2 people died! He practised and practised and refused to give up. I wonder how many of us give up after about the third failed attempt!!

So prophecy is for all of us if we want it - everyone gets to play.

How do we hear God?

Hearing God speak comes out of personal intimacy with God. The better we know him, the more able we are to recognise his voice. It makes sense, yeah?

In Hosea 9:7 (a story in the Old Testament) a person who speaks prophetically is called an inspired person. They are someone who is breathed upon by God and they have inspired that breath.

You know when you are having an intimate conversation with someone, perhaps sharing something personal with a friend in a busy place and you lean over and they whisper something to you. You feel their breath on your face. This is the metaphor that Hosea is using when he describes someone who listens to God speak to them. God often speaks to us in whisper, in a way that you can only really hear if you are prepared to get close.

God invites us into close communication with him. To be prophetic is to be a friend of God. God speaks to those who talk to him and listen to him, and act on what he tells them.

And so when we share a prophetic word, the truth is it’s likely to be a mixture of a bit from God and a bit from us. But the more we know God, the more able we’ll be able to reflect his heart.

How does God speak?

There’s many different ways you may sense God speaking:

The most common and simplest way that God seems to speak is through an impression in your mind’s eye.

You may simply get an image or see a word in your mind’s eye that kickstarts a sense of God speaking. It may be that there is something about a person you’re looking at that triggers a sense of what God might be saying. It could be the expression on their face or an item of clothing they are wearing.

Or it could be something you see in your mind’s eye superimposed on your vision.

Amos 8:1 is an example of this:

“This is what the sovereign Lord showed me: a basket of ripe fruit. “What do you see Amos? He asked. A basket of ripe fruit” I answered. Then the Lord said to me “The time is ripe for my people Israel"

You might notice an emotion that is completely unrelated to your own experience in that moment. You may start to experience a sensation in a part of your own body that is unrelated to what you are physically doing.

The thing to do is to ask the Holy Spirit what this might mean or ask the other person if this means anything to them. If God is speaking, the impression you have may well deepen and expand beyond your initial interpretation.

God might bring other things to mind for you, like a Bible verse, or some words of a song. He may draw your attention to a physical object. Some people hear an audible voice. He may speak to you through your dreams.

God knows how we are wired and will speaks to each of us in a way that most makes sense to us. So it’s different for everyone.

Sometimes you can get a fleeting thought, that goes as quickly as it comes. A bit like a feather dropping on your arm, which you brush off without noticing. But if you can learn to notice those fleeting thoughts, to catch that thought and bring it back before it’s gone - that can help.

I also find the needle in a haystack analogy helpful. Sometimes when listening for a word for someone it’s difficult to know where to start. God could be saying anything. A bit like trying to find a needle in a haystack. So instead, make the haystack smaller - ask God for an animal, tree, season ( one of four options!) etc where the characteristics describe that person.

E.g old red car, moving from passenger to driver seat.

Top Tips

Ok - so a few top tips, and then we are going to give it a go.

Chew the fish, spit out the bones

1Thess 5:20 says, we should test everything, and hold on to the good. That we would chew the fish carefully and spit out the bones.

Any prophecy is likely to be a bit of God and a bit of the person giving it.

And so if someone is giving you a word, it’s important to weigh it.

Does this resonate with you?

Does the word fit with the character and nature of God, that we see in Jesus.

Does the word cause fear or shame, if so that doesn’t sound like God. Remember prophecy is to encourage, comfort and strengthen.

Does it confirm what God is already saying? God rarely speaks out of the blue, more often than not a prophetic word confirms what God is already saying to you.

So if the word sits well, great receive it , if not, just let that one go then, the person made a mistake, no big deal.

When we have the Holy Spirit inside of us, we have the ability to discern for ourselves, whether this is Gods word to us or not. So whether the word is from some big famous prophetic person or someone doing it for the first time, we should still weigh it.

Someone with years of experience can make a mistake and someone who is doing if for the first time can be spot on - we just don’t know. So we weigh it for ourselves.

Don’t be weird

You might have been put off prophecy because the way it’s been used in the past. Maybe you’ve met prophetically gifted people whose character and manner are off putting. Maybe they haven’t acted with love or just been a bit weird!

So when we’re giving a word, we don’t need to change our voice or speak more loudly, to emphasise what we’re saying. If it’s God’s word for that moment, it’ll cut straight to the heart even if you whisper it.

Be open to the fact you might be wrong … “I have a sense, God might be saying ….” is a great way to start. Then it just leaves it open for the other person to weigh it.

Don’t use spiritual language that doesn’t make sense.

Think about how you are saying it as if you were speaking to your neighbour next door, that you’re gonna see everyday.

No hatch, match or dispatch!

Don’t prophecy about about pregnancies, marriages and deaths - really not helpful!

Cut to the chase

When you’re giving a word - cut to the chase, what is the essence of the word?

You don’t have to describe everything you see or sense, or have some big long intro into how you came about the word - you know how people often do . “ oh I was on my way to church this morning, and I happened to take a different route, I don’t normally go this way, but today I did and then I saw someone who looked just like you and it reminded me of this dream I had and thats how I know this is for you….” Blady blady blah!

What is the essence, what is God’s heart, that’s all that matters.

If you have a bit of time, you may pray about it - how can I give this word in the most helpful and clear way - uncluttered, that will communicate God’s heart. What is the essence.

Prophesy potential not the problem

And what I mean by this is, sometimes God might reveal something to us about the person - maybe they are struggling with insecurity, maybe that they have shame. But this isn’t necessarily the thing God is wanting you to say - if they are feeling these things, they already know full well and they don’t need you to tell them!!

That would be prophesying the problem.

But prophecy is speaking Gods heart into a situation, and God sometimes lets us in on something, so we understand the situation we are speaking into .

So if God gives you a sense of something like that, the next thing to ask is, so God what is your perspective on this. How do you see the person, what do you want to say. - that’s the word to share.

Sometimes we think we need to say everything that comes to mind but that not the case.

Shawn Bolz says : See people as God sees them and prophesy them into their full identity in God.

Traffic Light method

I find the traffic light analogy helpful - and there’s often 3 stages in how we process with the HS what we are sensing.

So the first thing is the initial sense/revelation we may get. This is the red light - so we are not going do anything at this stage.

This could be a word of knowledge, an impression, a feeling, a word, a thought (any of the ways God might speak!)

Sometimes, the information we get may appear negative, remember we don’t prophesy the problem. This might be just something God is alerting us to so we understand the context.

It may be that God speaks to us through a picture that means something to us, but would mean something different to the person. Again, we may not share this picture, this may just be about how God is speaking to us for this situation.

When you have a sense of something, its always good to ask the HS - is there anything else?? often we might get a series of things.

Interpretation : This is the amber stage, so still we don’t act, we stay still, its where we can say.."ok, thank you God for that, now in the light of that, what is it you want to say to them".  This bit is actually the prophecy.

Prophesy is communicating God's perspective on a situation, speaking God's heart into the situation. So this is the amber stage.

This is the prophesying the potential bit!

Application - Green light : So after we've received an impression or word and we've asked God for an interpretation, the next thing is the application.

We need God’s wisdom for this.

There are generally three options, pray it, shelve it or give it. Occasionally you may get a sense for someone and God is actually just prompting you to pray it.  Or it might be that you have a sense of something but it doesn’t quite feel the right time to share it or it doesn’t fully make sense yet - then shelve it, keep it there and wait, or most likely it might be appropriate to give it.  

Once we’ve worked this out, then we are on green, we can go!

Story of breakout - woman who’d had 3 children taken from her - message of hope.

OK, so now we are going to give this a go.

And so today, to help us with this, I thought we would use photos again today. I’m going to talk us through this and then if we sense God has given us something, then we can give the photo and the word to someone. But as I said before, there’s absolutely no pressure to. But let’s maybe each start the process, and see how we go.

Practical

So trusting that God is with us, he loves us and he has good things for us this morning.

There are a number of photos on your table - if one of you would just like to spend them out over the table for all to see.

Now I’d just like you to ask God to draw one of those to your attention, that he might want to speak to you about. Have a look around. You may not know why you like a particular one, but you just do. Just see of one catches your eye. There’s no rush, take your time. If you don’t think you have good photos on your table, feel free to nick another tables!

If you are at home, we have chosen an image for you so you can still join in.

Now that you have your photo - have a look at the image and familiarise yourself with it.

Notices anything in that photo that strikes you. How does it make you feel? Does it remind you of something? Does it bring a memory up? Does it cause you to think of a particular scenario? Be aware of anything you think, feel or see right now.

Think through how you would describe this image.

What encouraging word might God want to speak through this image for someone? Let your mind go free, let your thoughts flow. What might God be saying that would strengthen, encourage or comfort.

Take a moment now to distill what you have been thinking. What is the essence of what you feel God might be saying. Are there any thoughts you’ve had, that were just for you, what’s the main point of what you sensed.

Before we leave this space - just ask God if there’s anything more he would like to add. Keep asking that question, until you don’t get a sense of anything extra.

OK, so now you have the image, and the word.

Have a look around the people on your table, or further a field if you like, and ask God who this prophetic word may be for.

Don’t be put off if you think the person looks abit scary! You may get a sense that it’s someone, but not quite know why. Something about them, might catch your eye, something they are wearing maybe. Maybe it’s someone you spoke to earlier. Someone you’re heart feels drawn to.

If you are not sure who it’s for, feel free to guess! Or you may just ask God if it’s for yourself??

And now, if you have a sense of who it might be for, and you feel happy to do this, take a moment to share it with this person. You might like to take it in turns as you go around the table.

If you have done this kind of thing before, you might like to be kind and choose to go first to get the ball rolling.

If you receive a word, please do weight it, like we said - and whether it’s feels right or not- thank the person for their courage and kindness in sharing it!!