Key 3: The Mind Of Christ
This is part 3 of my new series, Unlocking Your Gift Of Prophecy, where I'll talk about having the mind of Christ.
If you’ve not read part 1 and 2 yet, you can find them here:
In this series, we’ve been working through the different ways we become aligned with God, beginning in worship:
- 1Our spirit becomes aligned with God’s spirit.
- 2Our heart (and emotions) become aligned with God’s heart.
- 3Our mind becomes aligned with the mind of Christ.
In part 1, we discussed the importance of being led by the spirit.
In part 2, we talked about the emotional impact of being aligned with God’s heart.
Today, I want to share the third key to unlock your gift of prophecy: the mind of Christ.
Having The Mind Of Christ
In part 1 of this series, I said that the bible commands us to “Love the Lord your God, with all your heart, soul and mind”.
This is how we are to worship him, and it is also how we are to operate in the gifts of the spirit, especially in the gift of prophecy.
As we worship God and spend time in his presence, we align our spirits and hearts, with his spirit and heart.
But we need one more thing to be truly effective: to align our minds with his mind.
If our spirits and hearts are aligned with him, but not our mind and our thinking, then we can still end up with a problem:
We may prophesy with good intentions, but if we’re not careful, a poorly delivered or badly timed word, may actually wound the very people we want to help.
In other words, we can end up bringing a curse, instead of a blessing.
We need the mind of Christ.
Why Having The Mind Of Christ Will Help You Prophesy
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul discusses how God’s wisdom is revealed by the Spirit. He explains how we can only understand what God has done for us through the Spirit, not with our human minds.
He concludes by saying that those without the Spirit see the things of God as foolishness, but the one who has the Spirit makes (correct) judgments about all things.
Those filled with the Spirit are able to make these decisions, because they have God’s thoughts and wisdom imparted to them:
“But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16b)
So, the mind of Christ is something given to us by the Holy Spirit, just as it says elsewhere:
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
While the mind of Christ has a wider application, there are specific things we can do to utilise the mind of Christ and the power of a sound mind, in the gift of prophecy.
How To Prophesy With The Mind Of Christ
For the spiritual gifts, including the gift of prophecy, I believe God can give us wisdom from the Spirit, to know how to use them well.
One way he has done this, is to give his church frameworks to use in various ministries. This has come to the fore in all kinds of areas, from children’s work through to healing rooms.
Ministries like Freedom in Christ and Sozo provide just such a framework and have proven to be powerful for setting people free.
But it’s not the framework itself that does the work. What gives them their power is that they were inspired by Holy Spirit, are spirit-led, and are infused with his presence.
Frameworks have power only because they are:
They are effective because they enable a safe environment for people to cooperate with Holy Spirit, and grow in their gifts.
I believe that you need a framework to help you learn the gift of prophecy.
And I believe that God has inspired me to share one with you…
How The 4 Steps Will Help You Prophesy With The Mind Of Christ
Make no mistake, we must continue to ensure that our spirits and hearts are aligned with God.
Heart, mind and spirit are like the three legs of a stool: remove any one, and the whole thing ceases to function as it should.
"Heart, mind and spirit are like the three legs of a stool: remove any one, and the whole thing ceases to function as it should."
That’s why I'm excited to share the 4 Steps Prophecy School with you today.
The School takes everything I’ve learned about growing my gift of prophecy over the past 25+ years, and distils it into a comprehensive online learning experience.
The 4 Steps form a framework for learning to prophesy, which combines spirit, heart and mind together, in practical prayer ministry.
I have written extensively on the subject elsewhere , but for your reference they are:
- 1Talk
- 2Tune In
- 3Translate
- 4Tell
The 4 Steps will help you separate out the component parts of prophecy, not just in theory, but in practice.
You’ll be able to make sense of your prophetic gift, within the reality of prayer ministry.
In other words, they’ll help you know exactly what to do, when you are actually praying for someone:
You’ll be able to hear God’s voice for them, be sure you’ve heard him correctly, and interpret and share prophecy with them, in ways they will understand.
The Mind Of Christ: Sydney’s Story
But I don’t want you to just take my word at face value.
Over the Summer, I had the privilege of running the 4 Steps Prophecy School in my home town of Guildford, Surrey.
The event was a real success, and I asked some questions of the participants, to get their feedback.
One of those participants was my friend Sydney, and here’s what he had to say:
1
What was your primary reason for attending the 4 Steps Prophecy School?
“To learn how to hear what God is saying today and to make prophecy relevant in my life, as I always thought I had some gifting in that area.
The main reason was to explore the gift of prophecy and how it could impact on my life.”
2
Would you recommend the School to a friend?
“I would definitely recommend a friend as it is very interesting and the course flows from one section to the next, in an easy to follow format.
There are so many practical things to follow on with after the course, as well as learning ways to access Gods presence.”
3
Did you have any “ah-ha” moments during the course?
“Yes - Things that I thought I knew but were pointed out in a different, interesting way.”
4
Anything else you’d like to add?
“It seems like everything in our life we have to make time to do something like being prophetic.
Therefore the practical ways to spend time getting into Gods presence were invaluable.
I would recommend that everybody from housewife to Managing director should do this course.
And by the way I am not advocating that one job is better than the other, just different.”
Sydney obviously got a lot out of it…
…and now it’s your turn!
Unlock Your Gift Of Prophecy In The 4 Steps Prophecy School
The 4 Steps Prophecy School is now open and is designed to take you from wherever you are today, and move you several steps on, in your prophetic journey.
Inside, you’ll be able to learn the gift of prophecy, based on sound, biblical principles, and you’ll get to practice your gift in a safe environment.
And at the end of the course, you’ll have confidence to take your gift and use it to bless others, in your church and in the outside world.
If you’re ready to learn how to use the gift of prophecy, or if you want to take your existing gift to another level, register here.
Question
How do you plan on growing your gift of prophecy?
Have you joined the 4 Steps Prophecy School?
Let us know in the comments below.