Before the session

Read this through. Come ready to give and receive a word. Do not overthink it — the whole course has been building toward this evening.

Prophecy is for three things

Paul gives us the brief for prophecy in the church in one sentence. It is worth memorising.

"The one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation." (1 Corinthians 14:3)

Three purposes. That is the whole scope.

Upbuilding. Making someone stronger than they were. Giving them Scripture, truth, vision for who God says they are.
Encouragement. Putting courage back in someone. Breathing into a flame that is fading. Reminding them they are not alone.
Consolation. Comforting a grief. Speaking peace into a hard place. Meeting someone in their sorrow with a word from God.

Upbuilding, encouragement, consolation. That is the brief. You will not go wrong if you stay inside it.

What prophecy is not for, according to Paul:

Predicting when someone is going to die.
Telling someone who to marry.
Exposing someone's sin in public.
Impressing people.
Telling the future for the sake of spectacle.
Controlling other people.

If a word you are about to speak is not inside upbuilding, encouragement, consolation, pause. Test it again. It may still be from God. But the threshold for speaking it is much higher.

A simple posture for speaking

When you have received something you believe God wants you to speak to someone, try this posture.

1. Speak tentatively. You are not an Old Testament prophet with "thus saith the Lord" authority. You are a New Testament believer participating in the gift. Say: "I think God might be saying," or "This could be from God; take it to Him," or "I sense He is showing me —". Tentative does not mean uncertain. It means humble.

2. Speak briefly. Most prophetic words should be under a minute. If you find yourself five minutes in, you are probably preaching, counselling, or projecting.

3. Speak from Scripture where you can. The best prophetic words are stitched with Scripture. Quote the verse. It gives the word weight that your own voice cannot carry.

4. Speak to the person. Not to the room. Not to the leader. Not to impress. Turn, look at them, speak to them.

5. Speak, then stop. When the word is given, stop. Resist the urge to elaborate. Give the person space to receive.

6. Hand it over. After you have spoken, say something like "Take that to God. Test it. Keep what comes alive." This reminds them — and you — that discernment belongs to them.

Receiving a word

Receiving is its own practice. Most people are so nervous about whether what they are about to hear is right that they forget to actually listen.

When someone is about to speak a word over you:

Settle. Slow your breathing. You are not being x-rayed. You are being blessed.
Listen fully. Do not start rehearsing a response. Let it land.
Receive with your body. Many people close their eyes, or bow their heads, or hold out their hands. A small posture of receiving helps.
Thank the person. Whatever you received, thank them for risking.
Test later, not immediately. Do not reject a word in the moment. You cannot hear clearly while your defences are up. Take it home. Write it down. Sit with it for a few days. Run it through the four tests from week three. Keep what survives.

What to do with a word that does not land

Sometimes a word will be spoken over you that you cannot receive. It does not fit who you are. It does not line up with Scripture. It feels off.

That is fine. It happens. The one who spoke is not infallible. You are not required to believe every word spoken over you.

The most gracious response is: "Thank you. I'm going to take that to God and test it." That is all. You do not need to correct the person in the room. You do not need to make a scene. You take it home, you test it, and you set aside what was not Him.

But — and this matters — do not reject a word simply because it is uncomfortable. Some of the best words God has ever given you will feel uncomfortable, because they are calling you into something larger than your current life. Discomfort is not disqualification. Distortion is.

Common mistakes, gently named

If you have been around prophetic practice for a while, you will have seen these. Name them privately in yourself before the session.

The word that is really advice. You know what you think the person should do. You are now presenting it as "God is saying." Stop.
The word that is really envy. You resent this person. The word sounds like a correction. It is probably your resentment.
The word that is really self-promotion. You liked being the one who heard. You want to be the one who heard again. Stop.
The word that is really a sermon. You want to teach. Teaching is a different gift. Teach when you are teaching; prophesy when you are prophesying. Do not collapse the two.
The word that is really too vague to help. "I sense God loves you" is lovely but not really prophetic. Be as specific as you have been given. No more, no less.

What this session will look like

Tonight is a practice session. You will be paired up and given time to listen for God on behalf of each other. Then you will speak what you have received. Then receive what is spoken to you. Then swap partners and do it again.

The ground rules are simple, and they come straight from Paul:

Upbuilding, encouragement, consolation. Nothing else.
Spoken in love. (1 Corinthians 13 is the floor.)
Tested before spoken. (Four tests from week three.)
Brief. Scriptural where possible. Handed back to the person to test.

This is New Testament prophecy. Simple, loving, tested, shared.

Before you come to the session

Come having prayed 1 Corinthians 13 over your own heart this week.
Come expecting to hear something for someone else in the room, even a short sentence.
Come expecting to receive a word from someone else. Bring a pen — you will want to write down what is spoken over you.

Speaking It Well