Hi there,
I see this thread has lapsed a bit and not sure if anyone still following, but just read and wanted to comment on an earlier up point Giggorata made: “Prophetic words also sounds amazing, and also rather psychic. I wasn’t sure if the Church allowed that sort of thing... but maybe God does?”
Yes absolutely- God knows us individually and wants to speak to us and reach us very much. He loves to use his believers (flawed rabble as we are!) to be his hands and feet in a hurting world. Sometimes through a word he gives for someone else who needs it. It does take faith and courage on behalf of the believer to deliver it though! I have been in this situation with total strangers and I can tell you it’s daunting - it takes guts!
For ref I am a Christian (born again, saved as a teenager now in my late 30’s) I will give a couple of examples of specific words he has given me to give to others, which may seem psychic, but is actually just from learning to recognise God’s voice, listening and trusting him. Both took place at New Wine Christian festival a few years ago. The first was a dream I had 2 weeks before the festival, it was a strange and detailed dream involving someone’s work place (not mine), the situation there and the relationships with colleagues who were all Muslim ladies. The end of the dream showed that prayer would lead to huge breakthrough in the difficult situation there and change it for good. It was peculiar but I didn’t really think anything of the dream as it didn’t relate to anything for me. Anyway I was sat at the back of one of the teaching talks at New Wine, the room was half full, about 30 people there. Suddenly God put a pressure on my heart and drew my attention to a lady sitting on her own 4-5 rows in front of me. God told me clearly that the dream I had 2 weeks ago was for her (a total stranger) and he wanted me to go tell her(!) I squirmed in my chair for a while and felt a bit sweaty palmed and uncomfortable (what a nutty mug I am going to look like if I’ve heard wrong!!). After a while there was a break in the talk and opportunity for people to get up and go for prayer if they wanted. I heard the Lord say ‘so what are you going to do?’ So I said ok Lord, I’m going to be brave (risk looking nuts) and go tell her. I don’t know who was more shocked her or me when I spoke to her and told her what God had said and told her the dream - that it not only matched the exact details of her work place, the situation she was facing and her colleagues, but gave her the answer to prayer she had been seeking for months. She cried and hugged me. I was dumbfounded! God had given me this message without me knowing, something he planned and known and put me in the same room as the person who needed it. I felt the most incredible boost to my faith I think I’ve ever had. The second was on a different day at the festival, I was at another teaching talk which had an open session of praise and prayer at the end. I felt to go up and just join in with praying for people who had gone up. I felt led to pray for a lady who looked to be in her 50’s, she was standing with eyes closed and I just came next to her and started praying. God showed me she had a weight of grief concerning her sister and that I should pray to encourage her and that the burden of grief be lifted. Again felt a bit nervous but gently said what I felt God had shown me and she was surprised and said yes, it was right! As we prayed I felt God’s spirit move powerfully on this lovely lady and she felt a weight had been lifted from her heart about her sister.
Another time I was wandering TK Max eyeing up the bargains when God stopped me in my tracks and pointed out a man’s winter coat on the rail (not quite the shoes I had been browsing for!) he was very clear in directing me to buy it. The next week there was an elderly man at our church and God said the coat was for him(!), as it turned out his home was in a very poor state with little heating, it was winter and his only mode of transport was a bicycle. He was bowled over by the coat (it fitted perfectly and even had lots of zippy pockets which he loved!) and that God had known about his need to help keep warm and sent him help. My husband and I have been good friends with the man ever since, about 15 years now. I can honestly say that living your life in a walk with God through his son Jesus is the most wonderful, exciting, amazing, surprising, sometimes nerve wracking, incredible thing in the world and I wouldn’t swap it for anything!
The bible is also full of examples of people hearing God’s voice and responding to his spirit leading, in both Old and New Testaments. Well known examples being Moses hearing God’s voice and following his leading to speak to Pharoah ‘let my people go’ and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. I love the example of Daniel telling Nebuchadnezzar his dream (Nb’zzar told his advisors he needed an interpretation for a troubling dream and they said, ‘ok, tell us the dream’ and he said no, you will tell me FIRST my dream, and if they did not they would be put to death), they all cried this was impossible but Daniel knew and trusted God who showed Daniel in perfect detail what Nb’zzar’s dream was and it’s interpretation, and thereby saved him and the rest of the king’s advisors from a sticky end. God gave the Prophet Jonah a message for the people of Nineveh (though he said nope and ran off initially, brief stint in whale(!) and then delivers God’s message - love this example as is so human to muck things up but God loves to use us anyway! :D)
There is absolutely, absolutely nothing special about me. I am an ordinary mum who watches too much tele, loves a good laugh and eats way too many biscuits. I think God uses anyone who is willing to believe, listen and respond to his gentle prompting.
This is my experience and matches how he spoke to people in the bible too, which is a voice to our hearts rather than an audible voice in our ears though this also can occur. (My first experience of hearing God was an audible voice). He really does love us and want to draw us close to him and made a way for this through his son Jesus who bore ours sins when he gave his life on the cross.