OVERVIEW. Prophecy is to hear and speak God’s voice on behalf of an individual or group. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit that is meant for all believers. Throughout the Bible, from Moses to Paul, the admonition and prayer is that we all would desire the gift of prophecy. It is for the upbuilding, encouragement, and consolation of believers. As followers of Christ, we get to practice and grow in it; it’s not something we’ll get right all the time. Even when we get it wrong, if shared and received well, it can increase our intimacy with God and relationship with others.

PRACTICE.
Small group gatherings such as life groups are perfect opportunities to practice hearing God for others and sharing in a safe community. Use the following steps to practice prophesying when face-to-face with others. Remember, some helpful safety rails are to not share any dates, mates, direction, or correction. We’re also holding all prophetic words loosely and weighing them against the word of God, which actually better honors the gift and the sharer.

• Ask God to bring an individual to mind or highlight a person.
• Begin to pray for them by yourself; prophecy comes from a heart posture of love and care. You can use Colossians 1:9-11 or other crafted prayers to help.
• Ask the Holy Spirit, “What do you want to tell them?” Listen to the Holy Spirits’ response. You can always ask if there’s more to share or for clarification about what a picture or word may mean. But it’s also important to not try to analyze or worry about a word being perfect or complete. 
• Humbly and graciously share the word with the individual.
• Ask them if that feels accurate or impactful to them. This helps to encourage them to weigh the word aloud. (It can also build confidence as you continue to hear God and share with others. If we miss it, talking about how the word lands can also build trust between both individuals. Sharing a word from God is a gift, not a reflection of us or our relationship with God.)
• Then pray together using the word or response as a launching pad. 

FURTHER PRACTICE. Receiving and sharing prophetic words is absolutely something you can do at any point! In your daily time with the Lord, you can ask him to highlight an individual or begin to pray about someone who is already on your mind. Then after asking the Holy Spirit what he wants to tell them that day, you can simply text, call, or message them with the prophetic word as an encouragement! It is just as powerful to receive an unexpected message from someone’s prayer as it is to hear in person.