Let me say this … you can begin now to start activating the prophetic streams from within your belly, coming out of dormancy into the front line of what God is doing in the earth today. You can move from pathetic to prophetic and declare a new sound in this generation.
But it starts within your belly and mouth.
To activate something is to start it off, trigger it or set it in motion. Prophetic activations are spiritual exercises that use words, actions, phrases, objects, Scripture verses, worship songs and dance, prophetic prayers and more to trigger the prophetic gifts. Activations help believers in every area of life and ministry to flow freely as they are commissioned to release God’s Word in the earth. They set in motion prophetic utterances, songs and movement that bring great blessing to the members of local churches, ministries and the world.
Activations are designed to break down the barriers of fear, doubt, timidity and ignorance that hinder and prevent people from operating in prophecy. They also provide people with an opportunity to minister—some for the first time—in a safe and loving environment.
Activations rekindle and fan the flame of ministries that have become stagnant in the prophetic flow. We all need times of rekindling and reignition. Prophetic activations will reignite believers and churches to prophesy.
Motionless churches need to be set in motion. Prophetic activations can get us moving again.
“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God, which is in you by the laying on of my hands” (2 Tim. 1:6, MEV).
I was exposed to prophetic activations in 1989 through the ministry of Drs. Buddy and Mary Crum of Life Center Ministries. I invited them to our church. They activated, trained, confirmed and launched us in prophetic gifts and ministry. Since then I have seen the growth of our prophetic groups and teams over the years. However, there have been times when we have become stagnant, and we have had to break through into another level. But we knew how to use the activations to stir up our gifts and bring revival when needed.
Now I travel all over the world—alone or with my prophetic team—activating believers in prophetic ministry. Some of those who are in prophetic ministry at my church have become so strong in the prophetic anointing that they have launched their own international ministries. They too travel the world preaching and teaching, and activating and releasing prophets among the nations. God is always challenging us to come higher and expand more.
There are many creative ways to activate believers. I have placed over 100 of them, organized into categories, throughout the chapters of my book, Prophetic Activation. Activations should be simple and fun. Saints should enjoy moving in the things of the Spirit. People of all ages can be involved.
Activations bring a new excitement to any church and they can be a catalyst for revival and glory.
The value of different activations is that they break your limitations and give you the ability to operate in different ways. Don’t be limited to your favorite way, but move in different ways and administrations. The prophetic anointing must never become boring and routine but should always be exciting and new. God has many surprises for us, and the prophetic anointing will always release new things.
With the diversity of gifts present in the body of Christ, activations are important because we want to see people operate correctly and accurately in their unique prophetic anointing. We don’t want to release people who could potentially do damage and harm to others. We need training—and sometimes correction—in operating in prophecy.
Activations provide a safe environment to help people learn how to operate in excellence in this important area. Although prophecy comes from God, it is released through human vessels, and therefore it can be tainted and sometimes delivered inaccurately. As 2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “we have this treasure in earthen vessels.” Prophetic activations are not designed to make everyone a prophet—only God can call and commission a prophet.
Activations are simply designed to stir people to grow in whatever level they are called to. There may be people participating and leading activations who are prophets, some with the gift of prophecy, and some who have the spirit of prophecy as a result of being filled with the Holy Ghost, but there also may be people who are psalmists, minstrels, intercessors, counselors, preachers, teachers and dancers. Activations will stir them and cause them all to move more in faith and inspiration.
Prophetic activations will raise the prophetic level in a church, region or territory. This level is measured by how many mature prophets are ministering in a region, how many believers are operating prophetically in a region, how many churches are operating in prophetic ministry in a region, and the level of prophetic intercession and worship in a region.
The Prophet Samuel is an example of how one person can influence a region. When Samuel was born, there was no prophetic activity in the nation (1 Sam. 3:1). By the time Samuel anointed Saul, there were companies of prophets ministering (1 Sam. 10). In 1 Samuel 19 we find Samuel at Naioth in Ramah standing over the prophets. The prophetic atmosphere was so strong that everyone who came into this atmosphere began to prophesy. Samuel was responsible for developing emerging prophets in Israel. The Bible does not give us the details of this training.
There probably was musical and scriptural training involved, and possibly impartation from Samuel into the lives of the prophets. Samuel brought prophetic ministry to a new level in Israel, which outlived him and continued in generations to come. This is what I intend to do by releasing to you these activations that have been so instrumental in my personal walk with Christ as well as in the life of my church. {eoa}
Excerpted from Prophetic Activation by John Eckhardt (Charisma House, 2016). To purchase the book, click here.
Apostle John Eckhardt is overseer of Crusaders Ministries, located in Chicago, Illinois. Gifted with a strong apostolic call, he has ministered throughout the United States and overseas in more than eighty nations. He is a sought-after international conference speaker and has authored more than twenty books, including Prophet, Arise!, Prayers That Rout Demons, Prayers That Break Curses, and God Still Speaks. Eckhardt resides in the Chicago area with his wife, Wanda, and their five children.
Charisma House has published 12 New York Times best sellers including The Mystery of the Shemitah by Jonathan Cahn, Fasting by Jentezen Franklin, 23 Minutes In Hell by Bill Wiese, and The Seven Pillars of Health by Don Colbert, MD.
Ron Allen 
Charisma Media Staff 
Abby Trivett 
