Last Thursday I left for Chantilly, Virginia to attend a conference entitled, “Prophetic Gathering 2010.” Woo hoo! Sounds exciting doesn’t it? I was honored to be invited to this special conference and made arrangements for our little Princess. You see, manly Boaz had already scheduled a hunting trip for the same dates as this conference — so that left me hunting for some trusted caregivers for our daughter. Thankfully, my brother and SIL were gracious enough to watch and care for her. Princess had an awesome time with them and everything went fine without a hitch. Especially since she has never been without both of her parents overnight!

So, what does a person do at a conference like this? Glad you asked. It was actually a time of activation. We had awesome speakers like Tom and Jane Hamon, Jim Laffoon, Jim Critcher, and Manny Carlos. If you google Jane Hamon, you’ll find a lot of her books, teachings, etc … ANYWAY, I took a lot of notes, but the REAL stretching came on Friday! I was shaking in my boots (ok, well – sandals). We had to pair up with a stranger — pray, then listen to hear what God shared with us about this person — then tell the person. Oh my! I was really uneasy — fearful that I wouldn’t hear from the Lord!

It was great to receive confirmation that I did actually hear from the Lord with different individuals. It was totally new for me to do this, but I learned to recognize God’s voice even better. I also found that it was much easier to “prophesy” over someone I didn’t know! Me and my friend Angie (you know, my giggly friend at Laughter Does the Heart Good) both discovered that it was much more difficult when we knew someone’s “stuff” — like for each other. On a funny note, Angie and I both ended up praying for the same woman at different times in our training exercises. After I prayed for this lady, she pointed at Angie and said, “She heard the same thing for me.” Talk about confirmation! Angie and I were so excited. It really helped us a lot and catapulted us forward in our understanding.

Jane Hamon gave an example of how God uses this gift to encourage the Body. She sat next to a man on an airplane who tried to make small talk with her. When he found out she was in the ministry, he began yelling at her — spewing anger. She started asking the Lord, “Please show me what is making this man so angry.” After the guy calmed down, she said, “The Lord is so sorry for the way the priest mistreated you. That was not God’s heart towards you. And He wants you to know that He has His hand on your son.” Apparently the man’s son was in a cult. The man’s mouth dropped open and I think he wept (trying not to add to her story). The man decided that he had NEVER met her God and wanted to meet Him. Hallelujah!

Jim Critcher really gave us a lot of meat to chew, but this point really stood out to me. Remember in the Old Testament when God provided manna for the Israelites to eat?

Exodus 16:11-20

11 The LORD said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’ ”

13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. 16 This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’ ”

17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed.

19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

Jim pointed out how the manna became stinky and full of maggots when someone tried to collect it. I love that he used this as an analogy. He said we need to collect our OWN “manna” (revelation) from the Lord. He said that some revelation has a shelf life — not one size fits all. Wasn’t that a great point? It really spurred me to seek the secret things from the Lord! Does it spur you?

We should use prophetic gifts to 1) point people to Jesus, 2) strengthen the believer, and 3) build up the church. We need to WALK the TALK.

Tom Hamon pointed out how God’s Words are Spirit and Life! We can release a CREATIVE force in someone! Isn’t that exciting?

There is so much more, but unless you are hungering to operate in the prophetic you’d find it boring I’m sure.

Some had asked about the conference so I wanted to put a little bit out there.

I am so in love with our Lord. I am excited! Are you?

1 Corinthians 14:1
[ Gifts of Prophecy and Tongues ] Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.