What if you’ve been missing one of the most powerful gifts God gave you?
Most people who follow Jesus have heard 1 Corinthians 13 — the love chapter — read at nearly every wedding they’ve ever attended. But Daron Earlewine asks a pointed question in Episode 203 of The Daron Earlewine Podcast: when’s the last time anyone told you to eagerly pursue 1 Corinthians 14? Paul doesn’t whisper it — he says to covet it, to burn with zeal for it. The gift of prophecy. For most believers, that phrase lands somewhere between confusing and scary. In this episode, Daron unpacks exactly what it is, why it matters, and how ordinary people — not just the spiritually elite — can grow in it right now.
God speaks — and He often uses you to do it
Prophecy isn’t about predicting the future or delivering thunderous declarations. Its primary role is to reveal God’s heart to the human heart — through comfort, encouragement, and strength. Daron shares how a retired pastor named Don Polston prayed over him 20 years ago and described an image: a dark cave, and words that would bring light into it. Daron didn’t understand it then. But over the next two decades, God opened doors into bars, secular radio, and Dirt World companies — exactly the dark places those words described. That’s prophecy. Not a magic formula. An image, a picture, a nudge — shared in humility — that God uses to speak directly into someone’s life. And the starting point isn’t a dramatic spiritual experience. It’s the morning cup of coffee, the open Bible, the quiet prayer. The sustainable, structured relationship with Jesus is what dials you in.
You can start today — even if it feels weird
Here’s the practical truth from this episode: prophecy starts with encouragement. Daron calls it prophecy with training wheels. This week, every time you see someone do something well — say it. Be specific. Tell them what you genuinely see in them. That’s the ball rolling. As you grow in encouragement, God drops pictures, words, and impressions into your imagination — and instead of running from them, you share them. Humbly. Curiously. “I’m not sure, but I had this impression.” From there, Daron lays out five practical steps: Scripture saturation, spiritual disciplines, practice in small things, community check (1 Corinthians 14:29), and fruit check. If what you’re sensing produces love, joy, peace, and encouragement — it’s worth saying. You might not get it perfect. But as Daron puts it: you’re doing love wrong too, and you haven’t quit love. Don’t quit this. Listen to Episode 203 at DaronEarlewine.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Questions or feedback? Reach Daron at daron@daronearlewine.com.
Episode Summary:
Most believers have heard 1 Corinthians 13 at every wedding they’ve ever attended. But 1 Corinthians 14? It’s the chapter the church largely skipped. In it, Paul says to eagerly desire the gift of prophecy with the same burning zeal you’d covet your first cup of coffee in the morning. In this episode, Daron, PJ, and Producer Coop wade into the deep end to talk about what prophecy actually is, why most of us are afraid of it, and how something as simple as genuine encouragement might be the training wheels that gets you started. If you’ve been feeling stuck, spinning your wheels, knowing there’s got to be more, book a free 30-minute discovery call at RogueCollectiveCoaching.com.
Key Takeaways:
- Prophecy begins in your imagination. God often speaks through pictures, symbols, memories, and songs — not booming declarations. Understanding how He uses imagination changes everything about how you listen.
- Encouragement is prophecy with training wheels. Start by speaking specific, genuine truth into the people around you. As you grow in that, the bigger words become easier to receive and give.
- Prophecy is received in community, not delivered in isolation. New Testament prophecy is always weighed, discerned, and tested together, which protects everyone from abuse and makes the whole thing more life-giving.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Daron: This is what we get invited into. We’ve got to get over the hump of thinking, yeah, I might do it wrong. Yeah, you might. But you’re doing love wrong too. Here’s the problem. You’re not going to quit love because you want people to experience love. Well, don’t quit practicing or learning the gift of prophecy, because guess what? People need to be strengthened and encouraged all the time. They need to know that God is near them. God’s for them. And here’s the honor of it. Oh my gosh. I get to be a part of that. What an honor.
Created on purpose and for purpose.
Hey, welcome back to the Daron Earlewine Podcast. We’ve got the whole crew back for this episode. Kind of. Julie’s not here. She was here last time. The all-male crew. PJ Towle to my right, your left. Producer Coop. And you’re on camera this time.
Darren Cooper: On camera.
Daron: Guys, what I want to do today is go into what we might call the deep end of the pool. We talk on the podcast all the time — we’re created on purpose and for purpose. God’s for us, not against us, and he’s near us, not far away. And a couple episodes ago, I talked about what I believe are three key things to discovering purpose and becoming who God created you to be.
First is getting connected in a relationship with Jesus. That’s foundational. Second is understanding identity — who am I, because of who I am in Christ? Third is learning to hear the voice of God. What’s God saying to me? What am I going to do about it?
The super unique thing about a relationship with Jesus is that he is the one living God. He’s alive. He sends his Spirit to live within us. And I think one of the things a lot of people miss is that Jesus actually said: I’m going to live within you, inside of you, and I’m going to communicate with you. I’m going to guide you by my voice.
Some people might say, oh, that’s weird — charismatic, whatever. But I believe we are spiritual beings in a physical body, and God’s Spirit is able to communicate to us. So today we’re going to talk about a term that might make some people go, that’s weird. Maybe they’ve never heard of it. But we’re talking about the gift of prophecy.
That’s why it’s deep in the pool.
We’re going to reference 1 Corinthians chapter 14. Now, Bible quiz — does anybody know what 1 Corinthians 13 is?
PJ: The love chapter?
Daron: The love chapter. There we go.
So here’s what’s interesting. We’re going to talk about 1 Corinthians 14. Paul is talking about prophecy, and he says this is something you should eagerly desire. Eagerly desire the gift of prophecy. Now every wedding I’ve ever been to — every single one — we talk about 1 Corinthians 13. But I don’t think in all my years of pastoring and going to church my entire life, I’ve ever heard anyone preach a sermon on 1 Corinthians 14. No one has ever told me to eagerly desire the gift of prophecy.
Think about this. Think about if no one had ever told you about 1 Corinthians 13. You’d be following Jesus your whole life and then someone reads it and you go — wait. Wait. We’re supposed to love people? Yeah. Who knew? Why did you leave this out?
That’s exactly how I felt when I got into this scripture. Because it was about a month ago that I taught this as a sermon. I used it with the Dirt Theology community on BuildWitt Connect. And the feedback I got from people was, “Whoa.”
In my own life, what I began to realize is that it’s a travesty I’ve lived this long without this. About three years ago, I began to experience more of what it means to receive and give words of prophecy. The idea that God is near, within, wants to speak, wants to communicate — and oftentimes, how amazing is this — he wants to communicate a word, an image, a memory, a picture, a song, something that encourages and strengthens someone else. He sends it to me to give it to you, so you can know how near God is and how much he is for you.
And no one ever trained me. No one ever said: put this high on the list. Eagerly desire it.
So we’re going to dive in today. I’m going to unpack some of it, and I hope it’s really life-giving. PJ, what’s been your experience with prophecy?
PJ: When I was getting ordained — we’re coming up on 20 years now — Church of God, holiness movement, very similar to Wesley and Nazarene. They had me do a fivefold assessment, and prophecy came up as one of my things. And in front of my community of elder pastors, when they said prophecy, I honestly said: that scares me. And they asked why. I said because I don’t know what it means. Every time I hear about prophecy, it’s always about the end of the world, or I’m some kind of fortune teller. I don’t think we’ve been taught well how to use it.
Daron: Coop, you had a different church background growing up.
Darren Cooper: Growing up, prophecy was a very regular thing. It was like, “I’ve got a word from the Lord for you.” The uber spiritual folks at the church would come up during altar prayer time and say something God told them about you. Did it ever actually hit for me? Maybe a couple of times looking back. But I wasn’t equipped to understand it. And more recently, as we’ve had these conversations and I’ve started understanding it more, I’m starting to see it in bigger and brighter ways.
PJ: When people would come up and say, “I’ve got a word from the Lord for you,” I would always think: can you just go back to Him and tell Him to give it to me directly so I know it’s actually from Him and not just you being a woo-woo Jesus person? We’ve set ourselves up for skepticism.
Daron: And prophecy can absolutely be abused and misused. I don’t think you should ever come up and tell somebody “God told me” — because at best, you’re in faith, believing, hoping you heard something. A much more loving and humble approach is: I’m not sure, but I had this impression and I wanted to share it with you.
And there’s a discerning part. We’re told to discern the spirits. The key piece we’ll talk about a little later is that prophecy is given and received in the context of community — not as a solo, unchecked declaration.
There’s a book I want to recommend: The Familiar Stranger by Tyler Stanton. Phenomenal resource. And he makes this point — we’ve had negative experiences with prophecy, so we say, forget it. But let’s go back to 1 Corinthians 13. Have you ever had a bad experience with love? Given or received? Of course. But you don’t give up on love. So we don’t want to give up on this gift that we’re told to eagerly pursue.
Here’s what I want to say first and foremost. There are transcendent moments in the gift of prophecy. But here’s where it all starts: a structured, sustained relationship with Jesus. That is the baseline.
The word eager in the Greek literally means to covet or to burn with zeal. Paul says, I want you to covet and burn with zeal for this gift. For me, one of the things I covet and burn with zeal for is my first cup of coffee in the morning. Do you guys ever go to bed thinking about how you get to drink coffee in the morning?
PJ: Oh yes.
Daron: That kind of eagerness. That’s the energy Paul’s pointing to.
So I get up in the morning, get a cup of coffee, go into my office, sit in my chair, and get into the Word of God. I journal, pray, and listen. I do this almost every morning. If you hear this episode and think you’re ready to start speaking words of prophecy, go work on the sustainable, mundane, often routine relationship with Jesus first. That dials you in. Don’t feel guilty if you’re not there yet. No one’s a hundred percent.
PJ: And the season matters. Little kids at home — it doesn’t happen the way you want it to. You have to give yourself grace.
Daron: Totally. Is it a regular part of your life? That’s the question. We’re not chasing transcendent fireworks. We’re building a structured, sustained relationship. Because you can easily chase the high of a spiritual moment — a church service, a revival — and that becomes the high you keep chasing instead of the cup of coffee and scripture every morning. The quiet, the prayer, the silence. Maybe not as sexy as the awesome high experience. But that is what lays the foundation for the other moments.
Think about a marital relationship. You might go on a vacation — just you and your spouse, amazing dinners, everything is wonderful. But that was a weekend. And then you get home. And there are 51 other weeks where it’s the mundane, ordinary love.
PJ: Bono reference incoming.
Daron: Every episode.
I’ve had a few prophetic experiences that were transcendent and changed my life. The first one I can clearly remember was about 20 years ago. I’d been going through about six months of really seeking God, wondering if I even had the Holy Spirit. Not seeing the same things as others, not speaking in tongues — all of that. Eventually, someone said: you need to go connect with this retired pastor named Don Polston. He has a Monday night gathering.
So I go. Small church, about 150 people. Don is there. He says: tonight we’re going to talk about receiving the Holy Spirit. And I thought, I came on the right week.
He teaches, invites people up for prayer. Maybe 20 people come forward, including me. He goes down the line — laying hands on people, anointing with oil. People are falling out, speaking in tongues. All of the fireworks are happening. I’m thinking this is going to be amazing.
He gets to me, prays, and I’m waiting to fall over or speak in tongues — something. Nothing dramatic happens. But as Don’s praying for me, he starts talking about how my words will be like fire, like a bright light. He says he sees a dark cave. And in this cave of darkness, your words will bring light.
I had no idea what that meant. I walked to my car and I was frustrated. Six months of seeking and I get “fire words in a dark cave” and no ecstatic experience.
But then in that moment, the Spirit said: what are your spiritual gifts? I told Him my understanding of them, and He said: go use your gifts.
What I didn’t know was that within a decade of that prophetic word, I would feel called to go into bars — those dark places — and take the gospel there. A few years after that, God opened the door for me to launch a show on the number one secular radio station in town. And then another five years after that, He invited me out into the marketplace — into these dirt world companies — to use my words to bring light.
Don Polston saw an image. A dark cave. Words that bring light. And looking back 25 years, that was God saying: I’ve created you on purpose and for purpose. This is where it’s going.
PJ: Bro was on it, man. And you can only see it looking backward. That’s the thing — the prophetic word is often an essence, a feeling, an image. You don’t understand it in the moment. You keep walking the path, and eventually you look back and go, holy cow. That was real.
Daron: Exactly. These words of prophecy encourage, comfort, and empower. That’s what Don’s did. That’s what Dave’s did.
Fast forward to about three years ago. I did some training with Dave Gibbons to develop what we now do with Rogue Collective Coaching. Dave uses something called the flow consult. You tell your life story, a couple of other things, and then he and the people in the group offer words of prophecy — though he doesn’t necessarily use that term. He says: listen with your physical ears and your spiritual ears. If you get a word, a picture, something — share it.
When I went through mine, Dave said something like: it’s like you’re an F-16 fighter — nimble, fast, on a mission. But you’re not alone. It’s like you’re also an aircraft carrier, bringing resources and launching other people. He saw golden rings. Something about helping people with great wealth figure out what to do with it. I don’t know if that’s entirely playing out now with some of these companies we work with, but he gave me all these words. And when I heard them, something inside me confirmed: this is true.
PJ: And knowing your story — obviously we see it in reverse — but that’s what makes it so powerful. You’re told something in an image, a vibe, that you might not fully understand until you’ve walked the path a little longer.
Daron: Exactly. And then there was this other experience. During the Dave Gibbons training, on a Zoom call, there was a guy from South Korea living in Sydney, Australia. He was going through his flow consult and all I could see was Batman in Sydney. I couldn’t shake it. I told myself: I need something else. Give me something else. But I just kept seeing Batman in Sydney.
At that point I hadn’t put the pieces together. So I just said: Sam, I don’t know, but I think there’s something about you. I think you’re Batman.
As I said it, I started putting the pieces together out loud. You come from a very wealthy family. You’ve had struggle in your relationship with your father. Your whole life you’ve had these super creative ideas and you build businesses and things. It’s kind of like Bruce Wayne. Batman uses all his wealth and creativity to save the city.
And Sam sat back and said: there’s no way you’d know this, but my favorite thing is superheroes. I’m a huge comic book guy.
I’ve stayed connected with Sam on social media, and over the past three years, he’s reconnected with his father. He’s using his creativity and resources in new ways. It’s happening.
That’s prophecy. Not “thus saith the Lord.” More like: I don’t know, bro — Batman. Does that connect? Does it help you step into your destiny?
[MID-EPISODE INSERT — ROGUE COLLECTIVE COACHING]
Daron: Hey, sorry for the interruption, but I wanted to take a moment to invite you into something. If you’ve ever felt stuck, like you’re spinning your wheels, thinking there’s got to be more — that feeling is right. You do need to discover your purpose. And I want to help guide you into who God created you to be. That’s exactly what we do with Rogue Collective Coaching.
If you’re curious — or if you know it’s time to take action — here’s what to do: go to RogueCollectiveCoaching.com and click the button that says Book a Discovery Call. Jump on a 30-minute conversation with me. We’ll talk about where you are and whether Rogue Collective Coaching is your next step to becoming who you were born to be. RogueCollectiveCoaching.com. I can’t wait to chat with you.
Daron: Here’s the scripture. 1 Corinthians 14, verses 1 through 5:
“Let love be your highest goal, but you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives, especially the ability to prophesy. For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you’ll be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You’ll be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious. But the one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them. A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but the one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church. I wish you could all speak in tongues, but even more I wish you could all prophesy, for prophecy is greater than speaking in tongues unless someone interprets what you’re saying so that the whole church can be strengthened.”
The Amplified Version says it this way:
“Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire this love. Make it your aim, your greatest quest. And earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual endowments, especially that you may prophesy.”
Here’s the question: what do we really eagerly desire? Tyler Stanton makes the point that in the North American church, when we’re looking for a church, we want good music and good teaching. And generalize it further — I want to go to heaven. I want to be a good person. And honestly? All of that is pretty self-focused.
But what if what I eagerly desire is to be a conduit of encouragement, hope, and strength to others? Because Paul, and Stanton makes this point: nowhere in the Bible are we told to eagerly desire good teaching. That doesn’t mean it’s not important. It means what are you focused on? If you’re only consuming, you miss the beauty of being invited to give.
PJ: And I think it’s easier to desire good teaching because you can sit back and critique it. But prophecy — you have to wrestle with it. Like you wrestling with “Batman.” You wanted something else. That wrestle is the work.
Daron: You’re right. And what’s the bigger risk? Not speaking. Because look at what The Message says in verse 3: “But when you proclaim His truth in everyday speech, you’re letting others in on the truth so that they can grow and be strong and experience His presence with you.”
We’re told 365 times in the Bible: do not be afraid. Why don’t people disciple others? Fear. Why don’t people speak words of prophecy? Fear. I might do it wrong.
But here’s the thing — this is what we’re invited into. We’ve got to get over that hump. You might do it wrong. Yeah, you might. But you’re doing love wrong too, and you haven’t quit love.
Darren Cooper: And I think the wrestle changes everything. When you approach it the way you’re describing — curious, humble, “I might get this wrong” — when it does land, it’s just stunning. Like you connected with Sam. You can see how it played out. God brought you into his life through something that felt weird in the moment. Beautiful things come from that approach. But when someone says “God told me what I’m doing, and I’m going to tell you no matter what you think” — we’ve completely missed it.
Daron: And that’s why people are scared of prophecy — because that version is all they’ve seen.
Tyler Stanton tells a story in his book about a service where a speaker said something like: I think there’s somebody here thinking about taking their life, and God wants you to know he sees you. After the service, a man came up and said: I don’t know how you knew that, but I left a suicide note on my desk at home. I came here as my last moment to just make sure everything was okay.
I’m not telling that story as a guilt trip. I’m telling it because words of prophecy, they come to you from the outside. Have you ever had a whole thought hit you out of nowhere and you ask, where did that come from? Test it. Would sharing this with PJ be in line with the Word of God? Does it produce love and encouragement? Is it consistent with the fruit of the Spirit? Okay, then take the risk.
For that man, he was steeped in depression and darkness, feeling completely alone, ready to end his life. And for someone who shouldn’t have known — to say it anyway — and for that man to hear: God sees me. That’s the power of it.
Darren Cooper: So often, I am completely focused on what’s in front of me. My job, my dreams, my task. And when you’re locked into your own lane, it’s like when your kid comes up to you and says, “Hey, Dad” — “Give me a second, bro.” And 99.9% of the time, that’s where we are. Prophecy requires us to look up. To look around. To say: God, what’s in my space right now? What does PJ need today? What does Daron need today? And if I’m so focused on my own thing, I’ll miss it entirely.
This is a wake-up call for me. How often has God been like, say the thing — and I’ve been too focused on myself to hear it? I think that’s why the morning foundation matters so much. Get up, have the coffee, get in the Word, say: not my will but yours be done. So that during the day, I’m open enough to be nudged.
Daron: That’s it exactly. Here’s a breakdown:
The primary role of prophecy is to reveal God’s heart to the human heart.
The Hebrew word navi — prophet — literally roots in the idea of one who is called or appointed to speak on behalf of another. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4 to live a life worthy of our calling. So we’re called by God, commissioned by Him, and able to speak on His behalf. That’s a heavy weight. And an amazing honor.
Sometimes prophecy includes future events, warnings, or correction. But most often it’s comfort, encouragement, strength — calling people back to God’s fullness and faithfulness.
So where does prophecy happen? In the gift of our imagination. This is something Jamie and Donna Winship have helped me understand deeply. As humans, we’re the only beings on earth given imagination. Erwin McManus says: human beings are uniquely gifted to create the future. And that happens in the imagination.
When I say God speaks to your imagination, churchy people might think that sounds weird. But can you conceive of anything in your entire life without using your imagination? If I say think of an apple, you picture an apple. God speaks in that same space.
In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18:
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Where do I see Jesus? I see Him in my imagination. That’s where He meets us.
I’ve been reading a new book by Leanne Payne. She coined this phrase: the unseen real. She distinguishes it from the unseen false — and here’s where it gets powerful.
The unseen false is where depression and anxiety live. All we’re doing is imagining what’s false. The worst-case scenario. The fear. We spend a lot of time there without even realizing it. But there is also the unseen real — the unseen true. And that’s the space we’re trying to inhabit with prophecy.
She writes: it’s easy, especially for modern people, to regard the supernatural world as somehow less real than the world we behold with our senses. As 21st century Christians, we live in a materialistic age where systems of learning have long based their conclusions on scientific truth alone. These presuppositions have misled many generations, blinding them to the truth of God in the unseen real.
So part of what we’re doing when we eagerly desire this gift is asking: is there a spiritual realm? Is it real? Is it true? And how much time am I spending in my imagination trying to experience the unseen true — rather than the unseen false?
Because if it’s unseen, you can’t see it either. But if I come into your life with a connection to the unseen living God, I may be able to speak on His behalf into your life. That’s the gift of prophecy.
Tyler Stanton describes it like this: it often starts as a thought entering your mind from the outside. A picture. A symbol. A memory. A song. Something from outside comes in. That’s revelation. Then you ask God: what are you saying about this? That’s interpretation. Then: is this for me? Is this for PJ? Should I share it or is it just for me to sit with? That’s application.
And in all of it, we want to be humble in our language. “Words God might be saying.” “Does this resonate with you?”
I’ll share a personal example from when I was preparing to preach this message. I woke up with a very vivid image. It was like a dream, but I was awake. Something God had been speaking to me. And this poem-like sentence came into my mind — more poetic than I usually think. I wrote it all down. And then I thought, I’m getting ready to preach on this today — would it be perfect to share?
And I felt the Spirit say: that was just for you. Thank you.
So I go, okay — was just giving me this image, this poem. I needed that. But there will be other times where I’ll get something similar, and He’ll say: that’s for PJ.
PJ: How cool is that. That we get to play in that sandbox. And if you share it when you weren’t supposed to, it’s not a disaster. He’s not going to smite you. He might just say, hey, next time that one’s just for you.
Daron: Exactly. It’s a sandbox, not a minefield.
Stanton also makes the point that prophecy surrenders to love. And that’s why 1 Corinthians 13 comes before 14. Paul says above all things, desire love. And there’s something important here. There are times when your gift of discernment might be stronger than your gift of prophecy. You might see something inconsistent or hypocritical in someone’s life. And you might feel the urge to deliver a correction as a “prophetic word.” But you have to check your spirit: am I sharing this in love, or am I sharing it to get a one-up? Is this strengthening or condemning?
This is where so much spiritual trauma comes from — when correction gets wrapped in religious authority instead of humble, loving community. That’s not what this is. We’re curious together. We’re figuring it out together. All wrapped in love, leading people to a beautiful place.
And think about this — Jesus taught in parables. Those were words of prophecy coming from God’s mouth. But he didn’t boom them out like declarations. He said: it’s kind of like this. Can you see this? Like a field. Seeds being cast. He painted pictures in people’s imaginations. That’s the spirit of what we’re talking about.
All right, here’s the practical. How do we grow in this?
First: Scriptural saturation. If you want to know what God’s saying to PJ today, you have to know what God has already said to all of us. Get in the Word. Not out of duty, out of opportunity. I’m going to get in the Word because He has something for me today. And the more I know what God has said, the more I can discern whether something I’m sensing is consistent with His character.
Second: Spiritual disciplines. Stillness, solitude, silence. We use these in the Rogue Way training. God shows up in the still small voice — not in the storm. And I really wish He would just use a bullhorn sometimes. I’m going 10,000 miles an hour. I’m caught up in everything. But He doesn’t yell.
So the question is: do you have any stillness? Any solitude? Any silence in your life? If the answer is no, this is going to be tough to grow in. Maybe in your current season, it’s a walk. Maybe it’s driving in silence instead of music. Give God some room to say something.
Third: Practice. Obedience in small things. Here’s what Tyler Stanton calls prophecy with training wheels. It’s just encouragement. That’s it. Start with this: this week, every time you see someone do something well, say something. Call it out. Be specific. Tell someone what you genuinely see in them. That hits them similar to prophecy, because you’re telling them the truth about themselves.
As you get in the flow of encouragement, it gets easier for God to drop a picture in. And instead of running from it, you say it. I see you kind of like a big tree — bringing shade and resources and adventure to the people around you. Does that connect with you at all?
That’s the ball rolling.
Fourth: Community check. New Testament prophecy is weighed in community. 1 Corinthians 14:29. You are not on a solo journey. Share it in community and let it be discerned together.
Fifth: Fruit check. Does what you heard — or what you’re about to say — produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control? Does it produce the fruit of the Spirit? If not, pause.
PJ: I’m processing a lot of this right now. And it’s really applicable to the season I’m in. I had a conversation with my almost 17-year-old son last night about the little things. When you do the little things, when you follow through — that’s how I know I can trust you in the bigger things. And that’s how God treats us too.
About six months ago, I went into a situation praying for revelation on something. I got it — but not in the way I wanted. And when I came out of it, I was ready to go, burn things down, fight, tell people. And I got a very clear sense: no. This is for you right now.
Daron, you literally just read my mail. Because we are in a trust recession right now as a culture. And if we can learn to be encouraging — if we can practice prophecy with training wheels — everybody can take one step down that road. It’s incredibly applicable right now.
Daron: And I want to just say this to you, PJ. Knowing some of your life story — you have never struggled to perceive inconsistency, hypocrisy, or inauthenticity in leadership circles. God has given you a real gift to see that. But you’ve also experienced pain from speaking when you probably shouldn’t have. And I think it’s really cool to see the place of maturity you’re in now. God’s saying: you weren’t wrong then. You’re right now. But this one’s just for you. And you’ve grown in the humility and patience to sit with that.
PJ: That’s growth.
Daron: That’s how prophecy is done, by the way.
Darren Cooper: I think what stood out to me most, reading 1 Corinthians 14 through the old lens — it was always one of those chapters where you’re like, is this almost over? Let me go back to chapter 13. But what Daron helped us see today is that this chapter isn’t ethereal or hard to achieve or only for the elite. It’s for you and me. And the encouragement piece — the training wheels — is so beautiful because I know when someone encourages me with specific, genuine words, it makes me want to run through a brick wall.
I was on a client call earlier today and at the end I just said: man, I’m really glad you’re doing this. I’m glad you’re putting yourself out there. And you could see him light up. When you get to receive that and give that — that’s a game changer.
Daron, you took a hard conversation in the spiritual realm — one that most people find complex and confusing and even scary — and you made it practical. You showed us a new way. And I’ll encourage you: keep breaking this down. This is life-changing material.
Daron: Thank you for that. And here’s something worth noting: the word encouragement literally contains the root word courage, which means heart. When you encourage someone, you’re putting heart back into them. And if prophecy is sharing God’s heart and character, then encouragement is putting God’s heart on display for someone else to absorb. Beautiful stuff.
Listen, you may have questions about this episode. We would love to field them. The easy place to reach out is daronearlewine.com. Thank you for downloading this episode. Love to hear your feedback. Share it with someone who needs it.
And I want to thank all the Blackbird Mission monthly donors who help our nonprofit continue to produce material like this — books, resources, all kinds of things to awaken people to become what they were born to be. Appreciate you all.
I can’t wait to talk to you again on the next episode of the Daron Earlewine Podcast. Until we do, remember this: God’s for you, not against you. He’s near you, not far away. And He has created you on purpose and for purpose.