Perhaps the most contentious issue within the contemporary Church of today is that of personal prophecy. Its goal is said to be to help individuals to understand and consequently realise God\’s ultimate purpose in their lives. It has been claimed by many that this practice can be highly comforting and can indeed greatly edify and exhort any individual who practices it.

As human beings we are all naturally prone to error and can be fundamentally limited with regards to the language we have at our disposal. This is where this practice is said to come in, as God makes things clearer through his speaking to us. The biggest criticism of this area of the Church is that it is far too spiritual, almost new age in fact, but it has been argued by many that the Bible is explicit regarding its importance.

Nonetheless there exist many tales within the Bible which appear to give credence to this practice. The first recording is found when God revealed to Adam that he will perish after he had taken fruit from the forbidden tree. In the New Testament, there are similar examples such as, for example when Joseph and Mary were known to have received \’prophetic words\’ whilst they were in the temple.

At a basic level this activity is quite similar to talking in tongues. This is because they share the common aim of being beneficial to the individual alone. However, in reality it can appear in many guises. For example some relate how they felt the words bubbling up in them from within. Others tend to receive the words through visions.

Vital to the understanding of the process is being aware that it is mean\’t to personally guide each different person rather than to be used within teaching. In actual fact almost no teaching is involved surrounding the practice of receiving prophetic words.

There are many different ways of receiving a prophecy. Some examples naturally begin with the meeting of a gifted prophet. Others, however, are often said to receive through dreams. Regular prayer sessions and strict studies in the work of the Holy Scriptures can help someone to be ready to receive.

Personal prophecy then is said to be a gift from God that will help individuals to flourish and define themselves throughout their lives. It is claimed that it is actually an indispensable tool and that in reality no period of history has been without it.

While growing up, one phrase that was always stuck to my mind is the phrase Living is giving. Almost every spiritual leader, success guru and people in positions of influence agrees that giving is an essential part of life. But why is that? Many people have heard of the phrase living is giving, but I wonder how many of them actually have a complete understanding of the significance of giving in the lives of human beings.

The general understanding of the concept of giving is a very shallow and basic one. People who give and contribute on a regular basis will understand what it truly means to give. For those who dont, their perspective on giving will be a very shallow and generalized one.

The way the world and society generally views giving causes misunderstandings on many levels. It is the general belief that giving only means to try to be being helpful, sympathize with others and being the good guy.

People view giving as a way to ‘get into’ heaven, to collect good karma, to be rewarded something in return in the future etc. Not to say that any of this isnt true at all, but these are just very small parts of giving.

Not only is it a very narrow perspective of giving, it also encourages the false assumption that by giving, the giver actually loses something without getting anything in return. The focus is solely on the transfer of ownership of the item, or the loss of the time and/or effort of the giver.

That is not true at all. All of us get something back in return immediately upon giving. The act of giving genuinely makes human beings feel naturally happy, proud of themselves and significant. It gives a feel good boost that you cannot get anywhere else. It has positive effects and healing properties for every part of your being.

In addition, giving also puts you in a frame of mind that you are already abundant. How does it work? Think about it, when can a person give? Only when he or she has got something to give. If you have nothing to give, you cant give. Thats the only logic. When you give, it can only mean that you already have something.

Every time you indulge in the act of giving, what you are doing unconsciously is telling yourself that you already ‘have’ it. If you give time it means you have time, if you give money it means you have money. Because there is evidence of this (the fact that you gave it), your brain will infer that you are indeed abundant. Gradually you will develop the belief that your life is filled with abundance. Through that belief you will naturally attract more and more abundance into your life.