There are times when our discernment is going to take us to some painful places.
- Through discernment, we see something dark and demonic at work in a situation
- God has shown us His prophetic intention—but we are currently faced with the very opposite of what He has said
- In our prophetic prayer, the Holy Spirit takes us behind the scenes and we are confronted with a need to pray for
When the Holy Spirit took Ezekiel to a valley full of dry bones, it was a bleak and painful environment.
And yet that was the very place he was positioned to participate with God in a resurrection miracle.
The Answer to Your Discernment is in the Secret Place
God did not just give Ezekiel a glimpse of that valley of dry bones. We read that He actually led Ezekiel back and forth among them! (Ezek 1:2)
- Only after Ezekiel was thoroughly acquainted with the painful reality and the impossibility, did God ask him a question:
“Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel answered, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” (Ezek 1:3)
In the physical realm, Ezekiel was looking at something impossible. But he knew that the answer was located in the spiritual realm—in the mind and intention of God.
The answer was in the realm of mystery, hidden in the secret place.
It’s Time to Prophesy to the Bones!
There are things that God wants to reveal and accomplish through you. And in order for that to happen, He is allowing you to be confronted with a difficulty.
- It may be painful
- There may be people who are far from where God wants them to be
- Perhaps you are faced with a barren environment or a problem that is impossible to solve
If you are positioned in a place where what you are discerning is painful, take time with your loving Father, to listen to Him. The answer to the impossibility you face exists, but it is in the realm of mystery.
However, you can use discernment to see it as God sees it, through your intimate relationship with Him.
God spoke to Ezekiel and said, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!” (Ezek 37:4, NIV)
When Ezekiel obeyed God and began to prophesy, those bones joined together and became covered in flesh. When Ezekiel called on the breath, resurrection life entered those bodies and they arose a mighty army.
- The easiest thing to do, when you are confronted with dry bones, in a barren situation, is to focus on, and talk about the problem.
But remember, your God is a Redeemer and there is no need to be afraid. He is the God of the turn-around!
Today, take some time to hear your Father’s intention. Hear the life-giving words that are on the heart of God.
And then, speak in agreement with what He is speaking. Proclaim His whispered words of life. It’s time to prophesy to the bones!
Through your life-giving words in agreement with His, you will see a miracle of transformation take place.
Prayer
‘Father, in the midst of what I see, I turn my heart and my thoughts to you. Only you know the answer to the problem I am facing right now. I come to you in the secret place, to hear your intention and to partner with you. Jesus, You are the Resurrection and the Life.
Now, I choose to prophesy life. I choose to speak a word of life over this situation today. Darkness, be turned to light! ‘Dry bones’ hear the word of the Lord! I declare transformation, according to God’s promise. Nothing is impossible for my God! In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Unlocking the Gift of Discernment eBook
The gift of discernment of spirits is a powerful weapon in times of spiritual warfare, can shift atmospheres, and is of great assistance when ministering freedom to individuals. And yet many who have the gift of discernment have difficulty knowing what to do with what they are feeling or sensing.
Recently updated, ‘Unlocking The Gift Of Discernment’ incorporates wisdom from Enliven Blog as well as additional valuable material on how to be protected as a discerner in times of spiritual warfare.
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Prophetic School Update
- This week, I’ve uploaded a 10-page PDF questionnaire, with further study and journalling questions, to help students discover which of the 11 types of prophetic ministry you are gifted in. We ask the question, ‘What can I do next to develop this gift?’
Our self-paced, video lecture school is a great way to develop your understanding and practice of prophetic ministry. The school also includes a series of lectures on the topic of discernment, along with a master class on prophetic warnings. I welcome you to view the Prophetic School here.
© 2017 Helen Calder Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching
Enliven Ministries: Prophetic ministry for a revival generation
Helen Calder is a prophetic minister and writer, and founder of Enliven Ministries. Helen has a unique gift of equipping in prophetic ministry and prayer. She is known for Enliven Blog (est. 2009), an online resource that reaches thousands of people globally.
Thank you! Perfect timing! I have been in this place – hearing the intention of the heart of God in three specific circumstances, and though I see hints in the natural realm of God moving in them, in recent days it seems everything has come to a screeching halt – even going backwards! I whispered a small prayer for encouragement, then your email was in my inbox and God spoke loudly in response!
Thank you for your obedience – I am starting to fill with faith again and am agreeing with what God wants to do and am expecting to see it – because I see it so clearly in the spiritual realm!
Thank you so much for this message. I always look forward to reading your emails and I believe I was led to this site by the Holy spirit. I can definitely relate to being in a position where God’s intention through prophecy is the exact opposite of what’s happening. I thank you for this timely message because I was feeling discouraged but now I can trust God once more.God bless you and your ministry.
Hi Helen, I know you get a lot of comments here but I was just wondering if you could help me out here. What if you think/ know that God gave you the opportunity to leave your body and astral project or something like that and you decided not to take it? A while back I had this crazy dream (but not really a dream). To sum it up nicely I was caught in a violent sandstorm. Nothing but dust and dirt and sand blew around me and visibility was limits to a few feet. I was in a car with a family who seemed Arabic who were racing away from the storm and next thing I knew they were gone and I was left in the desert alone. I remember I saw two men in armored suits. I thought they were Greeks gods so I yelled at them to be gone (lol now that I think about it I could have been wrong). They gave me this confused/ amused look and disappeared in the wind.
Up until this point everything that I had been seeing felt like a dream. A vivid dream but a dream nonetheless. After this everything got real really fast. For some reason after I yelled at the entities, I found myself on my back in my bed, awake but not awake. Then I was back lying inthe desert starting up at the sky where the sand storm was more violent than ever. And I switch back my room and back to the desert and back to the room. I didn’t know where I was. All the while I felt this violent shaking worse than any earthquake (i guess this is what those new agers refer to as vibrations?) and I could barely move. I peered down as far as my head would allow me to see my belly and there was a bright blue turquoise light emerging. I had my hands already cupped over it but it was trying to come out. It was the source of all that shaking. So I between being thrown between two environments and the hot racing sandstorm, I felt fear, great fear. I knew that blue light was my soul and knew if I let it out I would leave my body and go who knows where. I pushed it back down with all my force it was nearly impossible. The more I pushed the ringer and more painful the shaking got. It was like feeling pins and needles but amplified. I eventually got it back down. The storm settled, the light faded, and I was in my room again “awake”.
In the past couple of months from that point me and my friends were going through this spiritual phase where we saw angels and spirits and I had prayed many times to God if I could astral project or something to that extent. I was young and naive then but I thought it would be nessecary/ cool to do it but when I was finally offered the opportunity I bailed on Him. And maybe that’s what I was supposed to do or maybe not. I really don’t know.
It happened to me a couple years ago and since around that time I’ve let my gifts recede. I was starting college soon and figured it would be best to be able to get a good night’s rest after school being bombarded with “prophetic” dreams or seeing demons to be annoyed by in my sleep or deathly afraid of awake in the dark of night. But the dream just recently came to mind again and wondered, did I do the right thing? Should I have jumped head first into leaving my body? Should I pray for it to happen again and get more involved in finding my gifts again or should I wait until after I’m done with college? I know you don’t have all the answers here but at the very least does God use astral projection on his people to have them learn lessons and what not? Or should I be glad that I didn’t go?
Hello Helen Calber,
I noticed that God has a treasure in store for me. I was sensing spiritual utterances right from infant to adolescent. I thank you for this article are giving me more understanding on discerning spirit.