These protocols apply to all forms of ministry: prophecy, praying for healing, inner healing, deliverance, and any other ministry interactions.
The first priority of any ministry interaction is that the recipient feels loved. No matter the miracles that may happen, if the recipient does not feel loved by God and the minister, then the ministry time was a failure.
We guard the honor of the recipient.
We always let the recipient judge our prophetic words. Even if we are 100% sure we are right, we let them have an opportunity to say we are wrong.
In general, we should not give explicit prophetic words that talk about marriage, births, or deaths. If we clearly have such a prophetic word, we should describe exactly the picture/word we received and explain the potential for a symbolic, rather than literal, meaning.
We are sensitive to the potential for embarrassment with prophetic words, some types of sickness, or discussions of the past.
The recipient controls whether the ministry goes or stops. We should check with the recipient at reasonable intervals to see if they want to continue. Most people do not want more than a few minutes of prayer that goes nowhere (by human understanding). This is connected to the principle that God is sovereign, and we should be cautious of trying to make a healing happen to placate our own pride.
Be extremely cautious about physical touch, particularly between males and females. In all cases, only touch the recipient after asking permission. Generally, we only touch shoulders or hands while praying. Don’t rub, poke, hit, push, or pull any person. If you feel the Lord is asking you to perform a prophetic act that involves touch, clear it with the supervising ministry leader before doing it.[1]
If the Lord is moving powerfully,[2] be ready for a person to fall. Falling is a normal response to a powerful work of the Lord, but it can be injurious if precautions are not taken to keep the recipient safe.
If you have the space, praying for the recipient while they are seated is always safe.
If you have a ministry team, have a person larger than the recipient positioned behind the recipient to catch them if they should fall.
If you are praying one-on-one, then position yourself to the side of the recipient so that you can catch them with one hand if they start to fall.
Be ready to be wrong. We know in part and we prophesy in part. Sometimes the recipient is stubborn or needs the scales to fall from their eyes to recognize the value of our words. Sometimes we’re just wrong. Either way, if the recipient rejects our ministry direction, it is fruitless to keep pushing in that direction. Even if you know from outside sources that the issue being raised is true, the recipient’s denial is a clear sign that they are resistant to receiving ministry in that direction.
Some types of ministry belong only in the context of ongoing relationships. When we land on issues of discipleship,[3] those should be taken out of a prayer ministry and into a pastoral context.
It should not be shameful if we don’t get the answers we seek during prayer. The Lord’s ways are higher than our ways and we never fully understand all that He is doing.
[1] If you cannot honor your leaders by letting them tell you “no,” then it is not fear or the Lord or righteousness that motivates you, but pride. When a matter is escalated to a leader, the responsibility to hear and move with the Holy Spirit shifts to that leader. If you refuse to get approval for a restricted action or if you disobey the instruction of the leader, you are participating in the sin of rebellion.
[2] Other manifestations are usually present during power ministry: shaking, laughing, crying, screaming. Or, if you see other people falling during ministry.
[3] The core issues of discipleship are the saying yes to Jesus, yes to the Holy Spirit, yes to the Father, no to the world, no to the flesh, and no to the devil. Matters of unforgiveness, unrepentance, active sin, idolatry, witchcraft, and division in the heart are all discipleship issues. There are other points of maturation as a Christian that also should be restricted in a ministry setting, such as instruction on theology or Bible studies.