What Prophecy Looks Like

"I'm getting a picture of...a burnt orange room, like with a bunch of posters on the wall. And a bunk bed," said my friend to me in class this morning. We were both in the Prophetics class, and we were practicing how to prophesy over each other (BSSM is a very safe place to do that!). "Does this make any sense to you?" She asked and of course she would, because to her, she only knew what God was saying and had no idea that a burnt orange room, posters and a bunk bed would mean anything profound and encouraging to me.

"Yes," I said, with a growing smile. "When I lived in Canada, my room was burnt orange and I hated the color so much that I covered it with posters." Then I proceeded to tell her that when I was little, both my brothers had a bunkbed that revolved around some of our best childhood memories.

My friend was astonished, because clearly she had no idea that it actually did make sense to me, and more than that, it was very personal--only something God would have known. But prophesying isn't just about being accurate, but using those facts as a message from God to uplift and encourage a person. So my friend continued, and said: "No matter which room you're in and wherever you're at, Jesus wants to bunk with you."

That was an awesome prophetic word, because I was very encouraged about my relationship between Jesus and I. No matter where I am at in life, Jesus wants to be my friend and the bottom bunker. And he used someone else to tell me that, using a specific room and a very fond childhood object to get his point across.

If it weren't for my friend stepping out in faith, listening to God and simply telling me what He was saying, I would have never been encouraged.

So if you're new to the whole "Prophecy" thing, I can tell you a bit of what it is, just as the story exemplifies. First and definitely foremost, prophecy is meant to be used to edify and encourage the church. It isn't something to call out people's sins or condemn them. "But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them." (1 Corinthians 14:3 NLT) Secondly, anyone who knows God's voice can prophecy--even King Saul did while he was chasing David to kill him (1 Samuel 10:9-11).

The thing that scares people about prophecy, though, is whether or not it's accurate. If you're prophesying over someone, how do you know if you're hearing God?

Here's a mind-blower: God's first language isn't English. In fact, we don't know what His first language is--but I can tell you that the most common way He speaks to people is through dreams and visions. Visions (not just an epic experience you see with your physical eye) are most often pictures that you get in your head whenever you ask God about something. That's what my friend experienced! She saw a burnt orange room, posters and a bunkbed. The next step was telling me, and having faith in God that it would edify me somehow in which later He provided the answer.

God also speaks using creation/nature (Romans 1:20), numbers and letters (Genesis 41:26), your senses such as what you see, feel, taste and hear (Acts 2:2), and so many other ways. Never limit Him to one form of communicating with you! You can't put God in a box--trust me.

The red flag for receiving prophecy is when the word given to you is not encouraging. If you leave that person feeling worse than you came, then it was definitely not from God. God is good ALL THE TIME. He would never discourage you.

Lastly, prophecy should be used in the church to edify others more than tongues. "I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified." (1 Corinthians 14:5) Boom! Crazy to think that Paul would put one gift above another, but only because of how important it is to encourage one another!

So take heart, my lovely readers. Prophecy isn't scary. God speaks to you every day. He wants to encourage you, and more-so he wants to use you to encourage someone else! What a happy family of believers we'll be if we learn to do this more often!

And that'll make for a fine, fine life!

The International's Guide to the American Halloween

Hello foreigners (and fellow 'Muricans)! My name is Allison; I'm originally from Texas and am attending Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM) in Redding, California.

BSSM thrives within a multi-cultural atmosphere. People from all over the world (Sweden, Australia, Norway, Argentina, you name it!) come to Redding every year for BSSM.

So it has come to my attention that several of these lovely internationals are unaware of what Halloween is actually like in America, and most of all, why do Christians participate in it? Fear not, my precious heavily-accented unAmericans. I will reveal to you the secrets of our society.

First of all let's get straight to the facts! Did you know that Halloween was originally a Christian (possibly pagan) holiday? It's a yearly celebration on October 31st, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day. It begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, a time in which to remember the dead including martyrs, saints (hallows) and all faithful departed Christians. According to many scholars, All Hallow's Eve is a Christianized feast influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, hence where you get the pumpkins and cinnamon spices and all the like! (Read the facts here!)

Crazy, right? So now that we know a little bit about where Halloween comes from, we can talk about the general disposition of Christian believers. How do they view Halloween, and is it okay to celebrate it? Before I give you my general answers, I'm going to let you know that the real answer lies within your own personal conviction and therefore I have no authority to change your heart on the matter (nor is that my intention)!

So, there are 3 types of views that Christians have here in America about Halloween. Generally speaking.

1. The Enthusiasts. The Christian who highly promotes Halloween. They normally celebrate it like any other American does, by dressing up as anything (even the scary things!) and going door to door for some tasty goodies. Often times (but this certainly doesn't mean every enthusiast) mischief goes down in the neighborhoods. For example, perhaps a fun game of throwing toilet paper on someone's house (also called TP'ing). The enthusiasts decorate their front yards with all sorts of jack-o-lanterns and black cats, and sometimes love Halloween more than Christmas or Thanksgiving! Woah!

2. The Opportunists. One of the most common views in America, the opportunists believe that Halloween is a great chance to dress up as your favorite anything (character from a show, a snack from your fridge, etc...) and not be made fun of! Halloween is also used, among these viewers, as a great opportunity to fellowship with events called Trunk-or-Treat, Harvest Parties or Hallelujah Night. These events are held at churches where pastors and leaders will coordinate fun games and hand out candy to anyone no matter the age! Again, this is the most common view of Halloween to the Christian American. Innocently fun!

3. The Shirkers. Those that shirk Halloween are probably those that view it as a holiday of evil. Given, it is easy to see this holiday as the "Day of Satan" while many people frolic around the streets as demons and witches and mindless zombies...The Shirkers avoid decorating their houses and leave the lights off to be sure no trick-or-treaters try to trick or treat them that night.

So these are the three main views of Halloween in the eyes of American Christians. Founded from the Christians that are Very Much Okay With It (Enthusiasts), Okay With It (Opportunists), and those that are Very Much Not Okay With It (The Shirkers). You may fit into one of these categories or you may not! But the point of all this is to let you know what it's like in America. Whether or not it should be okay is up to you and Jesus.

Either way, I will be dressing up as a ninja, frolicking around my friends trying to find KitKat bars and Reese's to last me an entire year. Because the point of life anyway is to have fun with Jesus no matter what day it is!

And that's a fine, fine life! (And a year's supply of goodies.)

Jesus Moves in a Pizza Place

There's a small pizza place here in Redding, California called Westside Pizza. I heard about this place from my BSSM (Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry) friends and that it was the place to go for all BSSM students on Friday nights. Last night was my fourth night.

So this small and totally unassuming place, when packed to the brim of hungry-for-Jesus students, quickly becomes a nesting ground for the manifestations of God and His miraculous signs and wonders. Yup. Pretty insane for an ordinary pizza business, eh?

So anyway, I was expecting something to happen last night. God reminded me that I had once wanted my eyes to be healed (pretty bad astigmatism in the left eye), and so I decided that if someone called out healing for eyes, I'd take it. Sure enough, someone did.

Now I'd never been the one to be healed before. I haven't really thought so seriously about it since I've never had any sort of serious sickness or injury. So to be on the receiving end of something for healing was the weirdest feeling. Will my eyes tingle? Will my eyelids heat up? Will I suddenly see angels shoving new eyeballs into my face?

I took my contacts out as, what they say, a "prophetic act" and had many people come pray for my eyes to be healed--but they didn't. Light looked obstructed and words were hard to read from only a few feet away. I was prayed for several times and everything still looked the same. By the end of the night, the staff formed a "Fire Tunnel" (this is where people make a tunnel and pray for you as you walk between them, and its the most epic thing).

With as much confidence as I could muster, I told God, "By the end of this tunnel, I am going to see." But...by the time I was halfway through, I changed my mind. I said to Him, "Even if I can't see by the end, I'm going to praise you and still love you just as if I could." By the time I reached the end, though, I definitely still couldn't see, and had cried in a friend's arms telling her the change of heart I had during the whole thing.

Then I went to one of the staff that works at Westside Pizza (seriously, these people are amazing Jesus freaks) and he had prayed for my eyes about four times before something started to happen. Completely regardless of my sight, I felt God's presence unexpectedly come upon me and I fell to the floor (it was more like a gentle...floating-like descent in slow motion. Pretty rad, Jesus). Then, I started to laugh on the floor like a lunatic because I thought it was funny God had done that to me, and then I started crying because I realized He was doing something in me, and then I was laughing because I was crying, and then I was for sure crying because I couldn't understand it and became overwhelmed (the human mind can't logically comprehend the emotions you feel when God is doing something in you, because God is entirely beyond your human understanding).

After about five-ish minutes, I sat up and an alumni from BSSM prophesied over me, asked what had happened and if I could see clearly yet (which was a nope). Then she said probably the most profound thing I've ever heard about any God encounter I've ever had: "Even though your eyes weren't healed, I believe that something happened inside of you to where you can now see spiritually."

Commence more crying.

Even though this whole thing started with the smallest thought ("Hey, maybe my eyes will heal tonight"), God had a completely different plan that had done so much more to me than what perfect eyesight could have done.

I would rather be partially blind the rest of my life if the eyes of my spirit-man would remain open to all the things God has in store for me.

Good thing is, God is a good God and He will heal me when I least expect it when it will be the most beneficial to me.

I look forward to that, and that makes for a fine, fine life!