When learning to prophesy, I often find that people fall into one of two mistakes. They’re paralysed by overthinking or limited by underthinking.

Some people feel they need the entire prophetic word clear in their mind before they step out and share it. Every detail. Every word. Perfectly honed and clear. And unless they are completely certain that what they have is from the Lord, they won’t share any of it. I get that! We do need to make sure we represent God well, and it’s good to have a healthy fear of the Lord when prophesying. But in practical terms, this means that many will simply never speak up. They get so paralysed by overthinking that they’re far more likely to think themselves out of sharing than to step out in faith.

On the other hand, some people get the first thought and run with it immediately. A seed of an idea might drop into their mind, and before you know it, they’re grabbing a mic and speaking it out. And again, I get it. Often the Lord gives me just the first few words, and the rest starts to flow as I begin speaking. But how many times have you heard someone share a word and you’re left thinking, “what was that about?!” Too many people just blurt out the first thing that pops into their heads, without asking any follow up questions. Who is this for? What’s the application? What is the wisdom connected to this word? What is the prophetic future that the Lord is calling people to step into? Or maybe they share a picture, but the interpretation of it is underdeveloped, so it’s not at all clear what’s meant to be done as a result. Like a trumpet call with no distinction between the notes, which fails to get the people ready for battle (1 Cor 14.7–8).

A principle that has helped me comes from an unlikely source. The world of improv comedy.

Improvisational comedy is, as its name suggests, an artform in which performers respond to a prompt – perhaps a scenario, a question, or an idea plucked from the audience – and create on the spot a comedic scene. Think Who’s line is it anyway? It can be absolutely hilarious, or cringe-inducingly awful… There’s not much middle ground, and it’s hard to do well. The likes of Tina Fey and Steve Carrell started out in improv for example.

There’s a principle that improv performers employ known as “Yes, and…” A performer accepts the premise of what the previous person has said (yes) and then expands on their line of thinking (and). This is necessary for the creativity to flow, because if you don’t accept what has been presented to you (yes) it shuts down the process immediately, and if you don’t expand upon it (and) it gives no space for the scene to develop.

I believe this is a helpful principle for growing in the prophetic. Overthinkers do well to employ the “yes” principle. When the seed of an idea drops into their head or heart, instead of over-analysing and questioning everything they need to say “yes” to it. They need to accept the premise, assume what they’ve received is from God, and make a settled decision to move forward on that basis. Otherwise they’ll be stuck in the paralysis of analysis, and never move forward.

Equally, underthinkers do well to employ the “and” principle, asking follow up questions to allow the prophetic word to develop and flow. Is there more to this word? Who is it for? How should I deliver it? What response is the Lord is looking for? And so on… Crucially, these are questions to ask God not yourself! When you end up looking inwards for those answers, you start analysing in a way that cuts you off from hearing God’s voice, and makes it ultimately about you and your performance! No, ask these questions of the Lord, and when an answer comes, quickly accept the premise again (yes), and perhaps ask another question (and).

Now of course there are pitfalls. Overthinkers may ask so many questions that they never step out and share what they’re hearing! Or they could over-embellish the word, taking the initial seed of an idea and adding too much to it. Again, the picture of improv comedy is helpful here, because a performer doesn’t have the luxury of time. There’s a speed of response that is required to keep the scene flowing. The title of Mike Birbiglia’s film about improv comedy is helpful, Don’t Think Twice. Do think – yes. Ask the follow up question. But then don’t think yourself out of it. Get your answers and go.  

Of course I’m not advocating that we say ‘yes’ to every thought that pops into our heads, assuming it’s from God! All the principles of good prophesying apply – is it biblical? Is it edifying, encouraging, comforting? And so on. But I do believe that if we’re filled with the Spirit of God, keeping our hearts pure before him, we’re asking him to speak and are actively seeking to listen, then we should expect that many of the thoughts that come in response are indeed going to be from him.

And certainly, not every word should be delivered immediately. Some weighty words need days or weeks (or more) of incubation and prayer before they’re released. But such words often come through more seasoned prophets, and when I’m getting people started or leading activations, we’re not expecting those weighty words. So I’ll often lead people through the process quite quickly. “Take 20 seconds to ask for an initial idea. Say yes to it – accept the premise. Take 15 seconds to ask a follow up question. Say yes to it. Take another 10 seconds to ask how to deliver it. Ok, now let’s go!” All in under a minute. Indeed, when I’m prophesying, I’m often asking those questions quickly. Who is this word for? Where are they in the room? What is the application? How am I meant to deliver this? I’m asking the Lord, and if an answer comes I quickly say ‘yes’ to it. If no answer comes, I move onto another question.

And I’m also asking, “Lord, when do I begin to share?” For me there usually comes a moment a couple of questions in when I have a few hints of where the word is going and get a sense that it’s time to start sharing. And as I do so, the rest flows.

So, whether you tend to overthink or underthink when it comes to the prophetic, why not try the “Yes, and…” principle? Accept the premise. Ask another question. See where the Spirit takes you.

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