You are a light to the world! You are “a city that is set on a hill [that] cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). Indeed, you are not called to hide the love, power, and freedom that is inside you. Instead, you are destined to shine brightly so the world can see your good works and bring glory to your Father in heaven.
Today, we want to share ten activations that will help your students grow in their relationships with the Holy Spirit and reveal the light of the kingdom. These activations will challenge them to develop spiritual gifts and usher them into powerful encounters with God.
As your students step out in risk, remind them that nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26). May they be led to shine brightly in your city!
10 Activations
1. Drive-Thru Prayer: Set up a prayer station with a group of friends near a gas station or mall. Make signs inviting people to come receive free prayer from your group, all while sitting in their cars. Be led by the Holy Spirit to pray for individuals’ needs, receive words of knowledge, or share the gospel.
2. Telephone Prophecy: Gather a group of friends and pick one person to prophesy over. Have one person write down a prophetic word for the person without showing it the rest of the group. Ask a different person in the group to read the prophetic word and dance it over them. Next, have another person write down an interpretation of the dance without showing the rest of the group. Ask a different person to draw the person’s written interpretation of the dance. Finally, have someone in the group write down an interpretation of the drawing. Review each phase of the activation and have each person share their part. Take time as a group to reflect and share how the Holy Spirit built upon the original word.
3. Tattoo Interpretation: Take a friend to the beach, a park, or the mall and look for people with tattoos. When someone is highlighted to you, ask if you can interpret the meaning of their tattoo. Without making the person uncomfortable, take a few seconds to ask the Holy Spirit for the prophetic meaning of the tattoo and a word of encouragement to share with them. Share what you hear, using language they can relate to. If the person is open, ask if you can pray for them.
4. Receipt Acronym: The next time you are at a restaurant, find out the name of your waiter or waitress. When you receive your receipt, write down that person’s name vertically on the back. Ask God for a word or phrase for each letter in the person’s name that represents their unique identity, personality, gifts, passions, etc. While being sensitive to the person’s work time, share what you felt like God was saying about them as a word of encouragement.
5. Song of Breakthrough: With a group, pick one person to be activated. Stand in a circle around the person. Invite them to sing a song of breakthrough over another person in the group that the Holy Spirit is highlighting. The song could be a prophetic word, prayer, or whatever He highlights. After that person sings their song, have the recipient stand in the center and sing a song of breakthrough over another person in the group. Continue this activation until each person has an opportunity to sing and receive. Take time as a group to share what each person experienced and received during the activation.
6. Mirror Ministry: Grab a tall mirror in your house and a group of friends. Invite each person to look directly at themsevles in the mirror. If there are any areas (e.g. physical quality, personality, etc.) that the person doesn’t like about themself, invite the person to share that struggle with the group. Encourage them to ask the Holy Spirit what the truth is about that area. Then ask the person to declare the truth over that area. For example, if a woman doesn’t think she is beautiful, have her look in the mirror and declare, “I am beautiful.” Invite others in the group to share positive declarations about the person, releasing freedom and wholeness.
7. Prayer Tracking: Ask God to highlight a leader in your city that He wants you to pray for. Also, ask for words of knowledge about them (e.g. birthday, background, hobbies, passions, prayer needs, etc.). Write down what He shares with you and then take time to research to see if your words of knowledge are correct. Record what the Holy Spirit highlights to you about the leader as you research and begin praying for the leader. Watch news or social media for reports on the leader over the next six months and see God answer your prayers and confirm what He showed you. If you feel led, write the leader an encouraging letter or send them a gift.
8. Giving Gifts: With a group, write down each person’s name on a piece of paper and put the names into a bowl. Tell the group to ask the Holy Spirit what “gift” He wants them to give to someone else in the group. The gift could be a word of encouragement, a healing testimony, financial breakthrough, specific anointing, etc. Have each person pick a name from the bowl, give their gift to that person, and pray over the recipient. Each person should have the opportunity to give and receive a gift. Take time as a group to share what each person received.
9. One-Minute Preach: With a group, ask each person to write down a random object. Place the pieces of paper into a bowl. Using a timer, have each person pick a paper and quickly develop a one-minute message to preach that involves the object on the paper. After 30 seconds of preparation, invite the person to share their message with the group. Celebrate each person as they step out to share a powerful word!
10. Healing Drawing: Invite your friends on a city outreach. Before the outreach, collect paper and utensils to use for drawing and then ask the Holy Spirit what physical problems He wants to heal. Draw pictures of Him healing those specific problems. Also, ask Him for clues to recognize the person that needs that specific healing. As you go on your outreach, use your drawings and clues to find the people God wants to touch. Share your drawing with them what you felt God was saying. Ask if you can pray for them. Watch God use your creativity to bring healing to them.
To discover powerful encouragement and ideas to be activated in the supernatural, check out these blog posts:
