Follow after love and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.

1 Cor. 14:1MEV

Prophets and prophetic people will be revealed in a new way throughout this decade. God is raising up a powerful company of men and women who have been hidden in His presence. This prophetic company will embrace their identity as spokespersons of the Kingdom, releasing powerful, life changing words that will transform lives. There are some who question the need or relevance of prophets and prophetic people in our time. They opt to believe that there is no longer a need for prophecy. They forget that the apostle, Paul, encouraged believers to desire spiritual gifts especially the gift of prophecy. In the Greek text the word for desire is zeloo, from which we get the word “zealous,” which means “to covet earnestly or burn with zeal.” In other words, believers are encouraged to burn with desire for spiritual gifts, especially prophecy. Demonstration of spiritual gifts begins with desire for them.

As you cultivate desire, I would like to suggest 10 practical steps to help you activate your prophetic voice.

1. Faith. God has given a measure of faith to every believer. We are saved by faith and we operate in the gifts of the Spirit by faith. As you release your faith into belief that you can prophesy, your prophetic voice will be activated (Romans 12:3).
2. Study of the Word. The Bible is a prophetic book. The greater your understanding is of scripture, the deeper will be your prophetic utterance. It is also important to understand that prophecy does not contradict the word of God. Prophesying from the scriptures is an excellent way to activate your prophetic voice.
3. Prayer. Prayer is communion with God. Just as in a natural conversation, each person in the conversation has an opportunity to speak, so it is with prophecy. When we commune with God in prayer, there are moments when we pause to hear what God desires to speak to us. These moments are often prophetic, as God reveals the intent of His heart. Prayer activates our prophetic voice.
4. Pray in tongues. When we pray in tongues, our inner man is edified. In other words, a supernatural stirring is released within us. As you pray in the spirit, you will begin to hear prophetic words. Tongues and interpretation are another way to activate your prophetic voice. Prophecy can be released in tongues and interpreted in the corporate gathering when the Spirit of God is allowed to arise (1 Cor. 14:4).
5. Listening. We have natural and spiritual ears. When we open our spiritual ears to hear the voice of the Lord, our prophetic voice is activated as we speak forth what we hear the Spirit speaking (Rev. 2:29).
6. Singing in the Spirit. Prophetic song is another expression of prophecy that can activate your prophetic voice. When you begin to sing a known song unto the Lord, it opens the way for the unknown prophetic song as you access the supernatural realm. Although singing in the Spirit is often released in the corporate setting, all believers can and should sing a new song to the Lord (Isaiah 42:10; Rev. 5:9).
7. Journaling. Taking time to sit before the Lord to listen and write the Lord’s conversation with you, is way to activate your prophetic voice. As you review your journal, you will be able to identify prophetic words that have been spoken to you during these times.
8. Expecting. Every believer should expect to hear a prophetic word from the Lord. Expectation is linked with faith. When you expect to hear a prophetic word from the Lord, allow your faith to be released to hear it and then speak forth.
9. Find a prophetic environment. Not all environments are conducive to activating your prophetic voice. You must find environments where your prophetic voice can be activated and released. Prophetic worship gatherings and prophetic training opportunities are great places to activate your prophetic voice
10. Practice. The more you practice releasing your prophetic voice, the more your accuracy will increase, as will your faith. Look for opportunities to express prophecy. Using scripture, prophesy everywhere. Prophesying in your car as you drive through your city, is an effective way to activate your prophetic voice (Heb.5:14).

These are just a few ways to activate your prophetic voice. The more you arise in faith and prophesy, you will develop greater capacity and accuracy in your prophetic voice. In this decade of the voice, it is imperative for believers to develop their prophetic voice. When we prophesy the word of the Lord, we overcome assignments of the enemy. This decade is about the voice and what we speak. Prophecy and prophetic decrees are key weapons to overcome every assignment of darkness. You can’t afford to remain silent. Let’s get activated. Let’s go.

Dr. Venner Alston is the author of Next Level Spiritual Warfare: Advanced Strategies to Defeat the Enemy. Her book can be purchased on Amazon or wherever fine books are sold.

‘This is what I will do in the last days—I will pour out my Spirit on everybody and cause your sons and daughters to prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will experience dreams from God. The Holy Spirit will come upon all my servants, men and women alike, and they will prophesy.

Acts 2:17,18 Passion

God has never intended for ministry to be restricted to the top leadership in the Church. Rather, He desires to raise up a prophetic people from among us all. God’s intent has always been that from generation to generation, believers would be equipped and trained to hear His voice. Our sons and daughters are included in God’s intent to raise up a prophetic people. Not only should believers hear His voice, it is vital that believers be given opportunity in the corporate gatherings to prophesy. Beyond the corporate setting, believers should be encouraged to hear the voice of God and speak forth what God reveals to them whether they are in the marketplace or with their families and friends. Understandably, there is protocol that must observed in every setting, but the key factor is that believers should be encouraged and given opportunity to prophesy.

Why then don’t more believers embrace prophecy? Here are 9 reasons why believers don’t prophesy.

1. Fear of Man. Jeremiah 1:8. God told Jeremiah, “Don’t be afraid of their faces.” Jeremiah was a young prophet of God who could easily have become filled with fear as he encountered the hostile, skeptical facial expressions and elevated status of those to whom he was sent. When you are overcome by fear, its voice becomes louder than the voice of the Lord. Fear causes us to look inwardly and not toward God. We begin to hear only the darkness of our fears, and we can miss what God is saying in that moment. God’s response to us in those moments is: “Do not fear.”
2. Fear of Rejection. Matthew 23:31. Prophets must learn to overcome rejection. Israel repeatedly rejected and killed prophets of God. Fear of rejection will prevent you from prophesying. Not only that, fear of rejection will cause you to prophesy smooth sayings to the hearer(s) when the Lord is saying something quite different. Allow the courage of the Lord to come upon you, and declare the word of the Lord with boldness.
3. Fear of Failure. Many believers don’t prophesy because they are afraid of being wrong. I have often heard believers express their anxiety over not hearing God’s voice correctly, or being afraid that what they speak will be inaccurate. This is a manifestation of an inward perspective instead of being focused on God. We have our senses exercised by reason of use, and we can choose to use our gifts, even though we are afraid of failing. To overcome fear of failure, you must focus on God and keep prophesying. Simply declare what you hear the Lord saying to you.
4. Lack of opportunities. Many denominational churches don’t embrace prophecy. Believing that prophecy is only valid when it is from the ancient past, and not for today, believers are not activated to hear words of prophecy and release them in the corporate gathering. Yet prophecy is a spiritual gift as vital today as it ever has been. Prophecy has been set in the church for the edification, exhortation and comfort of believers and should be included in the corporate gathering.
5. Ignorance. The lack of understanding of spiritual gifts prevents many believers from prophesying. Ignorance of spiritual things is a primary factor leading to believers to not prophesy. Some believers wrongly believe that only certain people can prophesy. A primary characteristic of kingdom culture is prophecy. Study the word of God concerning prophecy. In 1 Cor. 14:1, Paul, the apostle, encouraged the believers to desire prophecy.  Every believer can prophesy.
6. Religious traditions and control. Programs and systems within the church can prevent the flow of prophecy. Tradition and formalism within the corporate gathering can become restrictive. While it is important for the church to have structure and order, there must be allowance for the flow of the spirit of God. When the flow of Holy Spirit is stopped, believers become stagnant.
7. Unrepentant Sin. Believers must walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. When we live according to the desires of the flesh, we are often unable to hear the word of the Lord with accuracy. Sin brings shame and condemnation into our lives. Submitting to Holy Spirit opens our born-again spirit to the voice of the Lord resulting in our rising in faith and declaring the word of the Lord.
8. Prayerlessness. Prayer is communication with God. When we pray, God supernaturally imparts courage and boldness to us. He shares what is in His heart and often gives us words of edification, exhortation and comfort for ourselves and others. When we live without prayer, we can become spiritually dull and fail to perceive the voice of the Lord.
9. Lack of faith. Each believer has been given a measure of grace. Faith is the activation key to flowing in the gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. Our faith is not in ourselves but in God who has anointed us. The opposite of faith is doubt. Reading the word of God and understanding His desire for us to minister as prophetic people helps to build faith in us. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

God has given every believer a measure of faith, gifts, and anointings to accomplish his will and purpose. One of the primary gifts given to the Church is prophecy. It has the capacity strengthen the church as each believer advances toward fulfilling their God-given purpose. According to Ephesians 4:11-13, the Church must commit to equipping believers. Obstacles, fears and apprehensions surrounding prophecy can be overcome through faith and commitment to God’s agenda instead. In this decade of the voice, let’s break out of traditions of men and commit to God’s agenda instead. Let us stand as a prophetic people who hear his voice and declare it. Let’s go.

Dr. Venner Alston is the author of Next Level Spiritual Warfare: Advanced Strategies to Defeat the Enemy. Her book can be purchased on Amazon or wherever fine books are sold. Her second book, Prayers, Decrees and Confessions to Defeat the Enemy, can be purchased directly from her website: www.drvjalston.org. Order your copy today!

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and all are parts of one another. We have diverse gifts according to the grace that is given to us:

Romans 12:5,6 MEV

We have entered an era of the mouth. Our words will be vitally important throughout this decade. If we are going to be effective in spiritual warfare and overcome our enemies, we must use supernatural language. This is the language of prophecy, and it is a necessary warfare weapon. When we prophesy, we are releasing supernatural words into the atmosphere. Prophecy means hearing what God is speaking, and then arising in faith to speak forth those words.

Many people acknowledge hearing the voice of the Lord but are reluctant to speak what they hear. They need to trust the voice of God, and realize that what they are hearing is supernatural. When they speak forth the words they have heard, they are making known that which could not be known otherwise. In this era, we must not only hear the prophetic word in our own born-again spirit, we must also say what we hear. Accurate prophecy, declared faithfully and fearlessly, will be a key weapon in overcoming our enemies.

While speaking is the primary and most common means of expressing prophecy, there are other forms of prophetic expression. Here are 9 different expressions of prophecy.

1. Spoken. This is often the most frequent manifestation of prophecy. Personal prophecy involves prophesying to another person. All believers can and must be activated to prophesy. Revelation 19:10 states: “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
2. Songs. Prophecy can be sung. Psalms is a book of prophetic songs sung by David, Asaph, Korah, Heman and other leaders. When our corporate gatherings allow Holy Spirit to arise during the worship time, the prophetic song is often sung. Prophetic songs are supernatural songs which reveal the heart and mind of God. Prophets who lead worship most often express prophecy during this time. Even in personal prophecy, the prophetic word can be sung over believers, the church, cities and nations. Musicians use their instruments to release powerful supernatural sounds to reveal the heart of God in that moment.
3. Writing. The Bible is a prophetic book written by prophetic individuals who were directed by the Spirit of God. Other expressions of prophetic writing are books written by kingdom-minded men and women. Some writings extend beyond the genre of prophetic teaching and are expressed in the form of poetry and novels. The Final Quest (1996), by Rick Joyner, is an example of a prophetic novel.
4. Prayer. All believers should develop the discipline of prayer. Prophetic prayer involves listening to the voice of God and praying what we hear. Issues are discerned prophetically and then released in prayer. Prophecy can be expressed during spiritual warfare, healing and deliverance prayer.
5. Declarations. In this current era, prophetic declarations will be a key manifestation of prophecy. When we speak, we are in a genesis moment. We are creating. Job 22:28 is a key scripture for this era as we express prophecy by speaking forth and declaring the word of the Lord.
6. Creative Artistry. The books of Ezekiel and Revelation are filled with descriptions of Heaven. Through the imagery in these descriptions, we can visualize what Heaven is like. Some believers with the natural gift of art express prophecy through the imagery of their paintings during corporate gatherings. For these gifted believers, their prophetic expression takes the form of art on canvas.
7. Prophetic Dance. Movement can be prophetic expression. As worship goes forth, those who have the gift of dance express prophecy in movement. When Israel crossed the Red Sea, Miriam, who was a prophetess, led the tribes in singing and the movement of dance.
8. Tongues and Interpretation. Powerful prophetic messages can be released when Holy Spirit is allowed to arise among believers. Some may speak in tongues, while others gifted with interpretation of tongues, interpret. Acts 19 and I Cor.14, provide insight and understanding of the function of these supernatural gifts among believers.
9. Dreams and visions. Many prophetic expressions involve words, music, art and movement. However, dreams and visions can also be forms prophetic expression. Just as with verbal expressions of prophecy, God uses dream imagery to reveal His message. Numbers 12:6 states: “If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known to him in a vision, I will speak to him in a dream.” As many stories in the Bible attest, God speaks to prophetic people in dreams and visions.

Prophecy is a supernatural gift given to the Body of Christ for edification, exhortation and comfort. This supernatural gift manifests in differing ways. When believers arise in faith and release prophecy in the manner they have been gifted to do, we overcome the enemy. Let us not neglect this important gift. It’s time to prophesy. Let’s go.

Dr. Venner Alston is the author of Next Level Spiritual Warfare: Advanced Strategies to Defeat the Enemy. Her book can be purchased on Amazon or wherever fine books are sold. Her second book, Prayers, Decrees and Confessions to Defeat the Enemy, can be purchased directly from her website: www.drvjalston.org. Order your copy today!

But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, exhortation and comfort.

1 Cor. 14:3 MEV

Scripture encourages believers to desire spiritual gifts, especially prophecy. In this context, prophecy refers to a God-inspired, God-breathed message you receive directly, or which is spoken to you through someone else. While many believers have gained understanding of prophecy, there are many who do not understand this valuable gift that has been given to the Body of Christ. The lack of understanding of the gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy, has created a reluctance to embrace this revelatory gift. If the Church is to move into her full identity and expression on Earth, we must understand and embrace prophecy. Here are 9 reasons believers must develop the supernatural language of prophecy.

1. Prophecy releases God’s power. Whenever we speak, we are creating something. Words are powerful and creative. In the book of Genesis, when God spoke to the chaos, order appeared. When you prophesy the word of the Lord, you are releasing God’s creative, healing and restorative power into the chaos of human history.
2. Prophecy is revelatory. Prophesy reveals hidden truths. Revelation releases supernatural capacity to see what is hidden that God desires to reveal.
3. Prophecy releases faith. As you speak words of prophecy by faith, your faith will increase. Words of prophecy are not mere human words; they are the words of All- Powerful God. We prophesy by faith, and as faith arises, you believe that God not only speaks, He performs His word.
4. Prophecy exhorts. When you release faith filled prophetic words, encouragement is released. Prophecy fills the heart of the hearer with the presence and faith of God. These powerful, supernatural words have power to break down the bondages of discouragement.
5. Prophecy comforts. Prophecy releases comfort and consolation. Prophesy brings comfort into the heart of the hearer. When comfort is released, the hearer is renewed in faith to believe that God is with them.
6. Prophecy activates restoration. Prophecy reveals God’s intentions toward you and releases God’s supernatural power to restore (repair) whatever is broken in your life. In Psalm 23, David declared, “He restores my soul.”
7. Prophecy rebukes darkness. In Genesis God spoke and light appeared. When you speak words of prophecy darkness breaks and the Light of God appears.
8. Prophecy edifies. To edify means to build up. When you prophesy you are built up and strengthened in faith. And you build up the faith of others.
9. Prophecy allows expression. When you prophesy, you demonstrate the gift and anointing of God. Believers are to be equipped and trained to function in spiritual gifts and callings. When believers do not have opportunity to prophesy, they can become spiritual stagnant and frustrated.

You were created in the image and likeness of God. This image includes intellect and choice, which give you the capacity to commune with God. Expression of the gift of God is a vital component of your spiritual growth.  Hebrews 5:14 tells us, “we have our senses exercised to discern good and evil.” The meaning here is the more believers have opportunity to exercise hearing the voice of God and communicating what they hear, the more they will experience growth and maturity. Your spiritual identity and God-designed purpose are activated through prophecy. It’s time to arise in faith to release the voice of the Lord in prophecy. Let’s go!

Dr. Venner Alston is the author of Next Level Spiritual Warfare: Advanced Strategies to Defeat the Enemy. Her book can be purchased on Amazon or wherever fine books are sold. Her second book, Prayers, Decrees and Confessions to Defeat the Enemy, can be purchased directly from her website: www.drvjalston.org. Order your copy today.

How busy are you? Do you find yourself being overwhelmed with family, ministry or work place responsibilities? Is it possible to prioritize your life in a way that allows you to prioritize the “matters” clamoring for your attention? How can you mind the matters in your life without losing focus on the kingdom of God? Renewing your mind daily is the key to gaining the mind of Christ in every circumstance.

Renewing Your Mind

The Apostle Paul encouraged believers to be continually renewed in the spirit of their mind. What does it mean to be renewed in the spirit of our minds, and how do we accomplish this? First, let’s understand what it means to renew something. According to Merriam Webster, renew means “to make like new; to restore to freshness, vigor, or perfection.” As an example, when we sleep, we renew our strength. From a spiritual perspective, to renew means to be revived, reset, regenerated and restored. To be renewed in the spirit of your mind is to allow God’s perspective to direct your course of action in life matters.

The 7 Benefits of Renewing Your Mind

1. Strength. When you experience renewal, you receive strength from Heaven.
2. Joy. The stresses of life can rob you of joy. Joy is connected to strength. When our joy is renewed, our strength increases.
3. Peace. When you walk in peace your mental and spiritual attitude creates a sense of well-being. When you choose to walk in peace, the stresses of life cannot overwhelm you. Reading the word of God, and prayer and meditation on His word help you to walk in peace (Isaiah 26:3).
4. Focus. When your mind is renewed, your thoughts align with God’s thoughts. You see your situation from God’s perspective. This is a way to experience mind over matter. Life will always have moments when you feel overwhelmed. When this happens, we can lose perspective and focus.
5. Trust. God is committed to helping you overcome every obstacle confronting you. Trusting God is relying on His ability to bring you through difficult times and work all things together for your benefit (Romans 8:28).
6. Love. The assurance that God is with us in difficult times, helping and sustaining us, demonstrates His love for us and increases our love for Him. No matter what you experience in life, God is greater than any difficulty.
7. Grace. When you are overwhelmed with life matters God’s grace is available to help you. No matter how overwhelmed you become, remember that God’s grace is able to sustain you.

 Gain a New Perspective

To renew your mind means to gain a different perspective. It means to gain heaven’s perspective. In Isaiah 55:8, God declares: “For my thoughts are not our thoughts nor are your ways My ways.” We all have responsibilities that create a sense of dread in us. Let’s face it, some people enjoy doing household tasks like laundry, washing dishes and the like; but many don’t. Perhaps you enjoy the work you do each day. You find your work meaningful and rewarding. Every day is a new adventure and you eagerly look forward to it. However, many people don’t share this experience. The thought of going to work fills them with dread. Rather than time seeming to pass quickly, time seems to stand still. When you are experiencing these feelings, this is a signal that your mind needs to be renewed. You need to come back to the place of freshness. This is the place where you gain God’s mind.

Mind over matter is really about having His mind over every matter. It is seeing things from God’s perspective, trusting Him, loving Him as you experience His grace. His love for you is more powerful than life matters. When life overwhelms you, find God’s promise for you in His word. This is how you receive His mind. Mind over matter is more than walking in human wisdom. it’s walking in the wisdom of God. As you trust God, you will experience His peace, strength, and joy, and you will discover focus and good success in your life. Let’s go!

Dr. Venner Alston is the author of Next Level Spiritual Warfare: Advance Strategies for Defeating the Enemy. To purchase your copy or to learn more about VJ Alston Ministries, contact https://drvjalston.org

Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents] but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.  –Ephesians 6:11-12 AMP

In 2017, the Barna Group conducted research concerning how Americans pray. This was their conclusion. “Prayer is not only the most common faith practice among American adults (79% have prayed at least once in the past three months), it is also one of the most complex and multifaceted.”[2] The bible references many types of prayer including devotional, worship and intercession. Spiritual warfare prayer is another type of prayer. While some believers attempt to avoid the realm of spiritual warfare, the reality is that the powers of darkness are committed to hindering your prayers.When this happens, you must engage in a dimension of prayer that forces the enemy to release your provision, health, peace, or anything else he is attempting to steal from you.

What Is Spiritual Warfare Prayer?

Spiritual warfare prayer, or warfare prayer as is it referred to by some, is the dimension of prayer that addresses issues of unanswered prayer. This dimension of prayer brings us face to face in the spiritual realm with demonic hindrances attempting to hold back manifestation of prayers we have prayed. A good example of these types of demonic hindrances can be seen in Daniel 10. In this chapter, Daniel has a supernatural encounter with an angelic messenger sent to him by God. Upon arrival, the angel informs Daniel that on the first day that Daniel prayed, he (the angel) was sent with a response but was hindered by the Prince of Persia. He goes on to tell Daniel that one of God’s war angels, Michael, was sent to help him break through. The dimension of spiritual warfare is a weapon capable of pushing back the powers of darkness attempting to stop the flow of blessings in your life.

Engagement

Our weapons of warfare are designed to overcome the enemy. In a natural war fought on earthly battlefields, strategies and weapons that will defeat the enemy are used. The soldiers on the battlefield are thoroughly trained in the use of their weapons. The same principle applies to your spiritual battles. We have been given spiritual weapons to war against and overcome the powers of darkness. Apostle Paul shares this truth in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. You must learn to use your spiritual weapons of war to defeat the powers of darkness. Effective engagement not only requires knowledge of your weapons, it also requires a commitment to use them. You have been provided with a powerful arsenal of weapons. Some of our weapons are:

1. Shield of Faith. Our shield of faith protects us from the fiery darts of hell that come against us daily. Romans 10:17 states: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” As we spend time in the presence of our Father and reading the word of God, our faith increases.
2. Truth. We are instructed to wear truth like a belt firmly wrapped around us. We are commanded to walk in personal integrity and moral courage. Jesus declared: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). Truth overcomes every lie of the enemy.
3. Righteousness. In ancient wars, soldiers wore breastplates which served as protection for their chest area. The chest is the area where the heart lives. Righteousness is the breastplate which guards our hearts from evil.
4. Gospel of Peace. When you wear the shoes of the gospel of peace, you are able to stand firm-footed against the enemy. By having the good news of the Gospel as a firm foundation, you overcome instability.
5. Helmet of salvation. Our minds must be delivered from ungodly thoughts and behaviors. As we are delivered, we must develop the mind of Christ, thinking His thoughts, evidenced by a commitment to revealing the Father as Christ did.
6. The sword of the Spirit. The Word of God is our weapon that helps us to know God’s will. Knowledge helps us to understand how the kingdom of God operates and overcomes ignorance. Jesus used the Word of God to defeat the enemy in the wilderness. We too must learn to use the Word of God to continue to defeat the enemies of the Kingdom.

You are a heavily-armed soldier equipped to overcome every power of hell that comes against you. With these same weapons, Jesus overcame every assignment of the enemy that came against him. You have been empowered through Holy Spirit to win every battle. As you commit to learning to use your weaponry, stand in faith, you will experience victory after victory, and your life will shift to the next level. Let’s go!

Dr. Venner Alston is the author of Next Level Spiritual Warfare: Advance Strategies for Defeating the Enemy. To purchase your copy or to learn more about VJ Alston International Ministries, contact https://drvjalston.org

[1] Alston,V (2019). Next-Level Spiritual Warfare: Advance Strategies for Overcoming the Enemy. Chosen Books.

[2] The Barna Group. Silent and Solo: How Americans Pray. August 2017. Retrieved from https://www.barna.com/research/silent-solo-americans-pray/