I love being part of a team when I am releasing prophetic words to people. I usually find that when I am with another person, what we hear as a combination far outweighs what I hear just on my own. The Bible verse from 1 Corinthians 13:9 “For we know in part and we prophesy in part”, is certainly accurate.

When our team give prophetic words to people who come forward for a prophetic word at the end of a church service, I love the fact that we operate in pairs. We team up with another person. The combination may well be a newer team member with a more experienced or seasoned team member. I often find that I tend to quickly receive a prophetic word for someone and release it to them. Usually I begin with just a single word or image or thought. I ask God to show me more. Usually I receive a little more of the picture but my experience is that when I open my mouth to share with the person receiving the prophetic word, that much more comes as I speak. Then my team member usually shares and then God shows me more and confirms what the other person has shared. I find that this creates a greater depth and ‘weightiness’ (almost like you can feel the power and truth) to the prophecy.

Prophesying as a team, whether as a couple or a larger group, helps to spur us on and encourages us as we build a far larger picture for the person. It can be likened to God revealing and expanding the picture further.

It also helps as far as accountability is concerned. There is someone else, apart from the person receiving the prophecy, who has heard what has been said. This is another reason why we encourage everyone to record every prophetic word on a recording device, like a phone.

I have found over the years though, that there are certain ‘protocols’ or guidelines or things to be aware of, especially if you are prophesying in a larger group of people. It can become quite messy if everyone just opens their mouth and starts speaking whenever there is a pause.

These guidelines include:

1. Flow / timing – stick to the topic on hand. If you ‘get’ something for the person, but it doesn’t ‘fit’ the flow at that moment or it doesn’t ‘add’ to what is being said, wait. Keep your mouth closed. View it as though you are creating and colouring in a picture as a group. Before you speak, ask yourself “Does it confirm what the Holy Spirit is already saying?” Also ask yourself, “Is now the right time to speak?”
2. It is not about you!! Keep your mouth shut unless it ‘adds’ to the picture that the group is creating. It is not about you and your agenda. Know when to be quiet.
3. Keep it short. Do not repeat (unless that is what God is saying for a particular purpose). Realise that you are a group and need to operate as a group. The first person should not take all the time prophesying and leave nothing to say or no time for anyone else. Work as a group.
4. Only say what God gives you to say. Don’t interpret and try to apply the revelation.
5. Realise that the timing of when you release the word is just as important as what you say. Wait for the prompting of the Holy Spirit in when to open your mouth.
6. Keep your eyes open. When prophesying – I encourage you, please keep your eyes open and see what God is doing for the person. Looking into the person’s eyes when you are speaking has a far greater impact than speaking with your eyes closed. I realise some people close their eyes so as not to become distracted with whatever else is occurring around them. If that is you – then practice, practice, practise not becoming distracted with your eyes open. In a group setting, it is even more important to keep your eyes open as you can then see and sense what the Holy Spirit is doing and see who He is on to speak next and when etc.
7. Position yourselves in a circle so that everyone in the group can see everyone else.
8. Have fun. Enjoy the process. Remember that the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 14:3 that “prophecy is for encouragement, strengthening/edifying and comfort”.

I encourage you, if you have never prophesied before in a team with someone else, give it a go. You may well find, like I do, that your prophetic words have a lot more depth and completion.

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

Every week I list 5 prophetic activations/exercises under children/family, group, beginner, intermediate and advanced. The purpose of these exercises is to practice to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and see and sense God and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: Choose a public figure from another country, example Kim Jong-un – the supreme leader of North Korea. Have a photo ready that everyone can see. Outline the guidelines for prophesying – that of everything we say has to be encouraging, building up and comforting. Encourage everyone to ask God what He loves about Kim Jong-un and what God’s heart is for Kim Jong-un. Then ask everyone to take it in turns to share the words that come to mind for Kim Jong-un. Some children may wish to also draw a picture of how God sees Kim Jong-un. Finish with praying a declaration over what was said and that Kim Jong-un will become the person God sees him as.

2. Group Activation: Break into smaller groups of 5-6 people. Choose someone to receive the prophecy. Then practice hearing from God as a group and sharing along one central theme, noting the timing and what people feel is important to say. At the end, have group members share their experience and how they felt during the process. If time, choose a different team member to be the receiver and repeat the process.

3. Beginner Activation: Ask God to show you two other people who would love to grow in the prophetic. Practice prophesying in pairs over the third person and then swap around so every person gets an opportunity to receive a prophetic word. Record the prophetic words and listen to them back, paying particular attention to the flow. Share with each other how it felt to prophesy with another person etc.

4. Intermediate Activation: Ask God to show you someone else to write a prophetic word with. Choose someone or a group or an issue to prophesy over. Come together and craft a prophetic word as a joint prophecy, spurring each other on. When you are both content with the finished prophetic word, submit it to the person or group concerned.

5. Advanced Activation: Ask God to show you someone else or several other people you can team up with to prophesy over a crucial issue currently before policy makers in your country eg abortion in Australia & New Zealand. Ask this person if they will join you and spend time together seeking the Lord on the issue and then prophesying together about it. Ask God if there is anything further He requires of you in regard to the issue you have prophesied over.