If you are one called to lead worship, this word will really help you as you develop your own unique talent and sound.
Dean Mitchum is the Director of Worship Ministries for Christian International, Bill Hamon's ministry, and has these wise words for worship leaders on filling your prophetic song quiver with arrows:
Now read on to find out how you can do just that! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
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What makes you a great psalmist is not your way with an instrument or song, but your way with Word and Spirit upon your instrument or song.
Too many people want to be prophetically spontaneous in worship—but there's a whole lot more to it than spontaneity. Though we are spontaneous in and out of prophetic seasons, the preparation for this is not spontaneous at all. It is taking the time to be trained, activated and by reason of use, develop a ministry flow.
I like to compare it to an archer filling their quiver with arrows. In order to pull an arrow from the quiver, the arrows must already be made and stored for use. Prophetic song arrows are formed by filling your quiver with three things: Scripture, skill and Spirit. At the right time, these three elements come together to form prophetic songs that hit the mark or target when released.
How to Fill Your Prophetic Song Quiver
1. Start with Scripture
Col. 3:16, "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."
Like any word from God, it starts with and is anchored to Scripture. In this verse, using spiritual songs to teach and admonish is accomplished by letting the Word of Christ dwell in us. By filling ourselves with the Word we will have Scripture to draw from. We will have reference to sing from. During prophetic times, God will remind us of Scripture. Then we can use that as the seed to sing the song. It will also keep us aligned with God's truth and integrity, guiding us to sing what is good and excellent.
Here are also three practical ways to fill your quiver with the Word: Read your Bible regularly, listen to sermons and listen to audio versions of the Bible. You'll be amazed with how much this helps in filling your quiver for recall.
2. Develop Your Skill
Ps. 33:3, "Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy."
Recently, I was teaching on the skill of the psalmist and I gave my own definition of the word "skill." In the context of ministry, I define skill as the ability to perform ministry without causing distraction.
Believe it or not, there is a floor and a ceiling when it comes to balancing this skill. If you are below the floor level, you are not able to play the chords or stay on time with the music without causing distraction. If you are above the ceiling level, your overplaying can cause distraction as well.
Proper skill level could be the discipline of practice combined with the wisdom of composure under great talent. Or the ability to play less on purpose because it fits the need of the music.
Skill is the handling of the bow and arrow just right. It forms the delivery method for the arrow, and the arrow is the song that pierces the hardened heart and destroys powers of darkness.
Several ideas for filling your quiver with skills include: know the chords and scales for any given key, practice spontaneous singing from the Scripture on a regular basis, and practice playing spontaneous chord progressions.
3. Be Filled with The Spirit
Eph 5:18-19, "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord..."
I love this Scripture because it gives the complimentary side to singing with the Word. Filling your quiver with the Spirit is easy if you are filled with the Spirit. The Spirit leads us in confidence, knowing when to play or sing a prophetic song. As a prophetic people we believe that God leads us by His Spirit to share what He wants. He speaks to our hearts and spirits and we respond to Him.
Another way God leads us is when we are called upon by leadership who are also following the Spirit. King David established musicians who would prophesy at his direction (1 Chron. 25:1-3). This is another reason to be filled the Word and with skill—that when the Spirit leads us directly or by leadership, we will be ready.
It is much easier to minister prophetically through song when we know how those songs are formed—when we know what goes into filling our prophetic quivers.
The Holy Spirit will, in the moment of His grace, illuminate a situation that needs a prophetic song, and He will show us the target and entrust us with our skills to release God's Word through a song. Then we can confidently reach into our quiver and skillfully deliver a Scripture-strong, Spirit-filled song of the Lord. (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
Dean Mitchum, Worship Leader
Vision Church at Christian International
Email: dean@deanmitchum.com
Website: www.deanmitchum.com
Dean Mitchum serves as the Director of Worship Ministries for Bishop Bill Hamon of Christian International and as the Worship Pastor for Apostles Tom and Jane Hamon of Vision Church@ CI. He is a powerful, prophetic psalmist specializing in writing for the current moves of God, playing prophetically, and leading worship that changes the atmosphere. Dean is the author of Apostolic Kingdom Praise, The Tabernacle of God, and along with his wife Lisa, is the co-writer of more than 100 worship songs. Dean and his wife Lisa have been married 32 years and have five children and four grandchildren. They make their home near the beautiful emerald coast on the Florida panhandle.
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God is raising up many new prophetic psalmists and worship leaders in our day. They will carry new songs from Heaven to prepare the way of the Lord and what He wants to release!
