Prophetic Art Training Course - Part One

Prophetic Art / Training Course:

Part One

Over the years, The Oasis Church has held creativity / prophetic art training times.  Over the next few weeks, we will be posting some of the course content for those who may be interested in taking their creativity to the next level.  We base our training on the basic principles of art, the "Alphabet" that when put together, enables one to "Speak" using the medium of art.  This may be applied to any art form - fine art, sculpture, photography etc.  

The notes below are meant to be pointers for your own journey, not prescriptions.  Surrender your artistic gift to God as He is your mentor who will lead you on this exciting creative journey, bring refreshing to yourself, and igniting hope in others.  If you have hidden your gifting away, now is the time to unashamedly bring it out.  Paul said, I am not ashamed of the Gospel - the message God uses to bring life to the dying world. God wants to use your gifting for the same purpose, either in your local church or community, or further afield through the internet which can reach the world.  Later, we will be posting some prophetic insights which are applicable to art today, for this new season we are in.

In the meantime, we hope that these simply modules will be part of enabling and releasing you in your amazing gift of art  - Enjoy!

Objectives of this Part One:

• To use art as a tool, to creatively express the prophetic so that God's purposes are achieved
• To generate an understanding of art, the prophetic, and the use of art to express/convey prophetic messages to the church, for the building up and encouraging of the church
• Grow in the knowledge of the “tools” (basic principles of art) and in the exercise of the the gifting
• Practice these abilities for the purpose of God’s kingdom, what He wants (i.e. to give of yourself for Him)
• Probably the most important aspect – be FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT so God can use you!

Key Scripture: Exodus 31:1-6

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts – to make/devise artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship”

This Scripture highlights the following truths. We are personally chosen by God because He is interested in us! He wants us for His purposes and designs. He enables us by filling us with His Dunamis power, His Holy Spirit, enabling us to work in partnership with Him, with His heart, desires, plans, imaginings. God gives us the skills needed for the task. He also gives us the will to improve those skills – after all, with disciplined effort, we can improve! His anointing also increases our ability and knowledge for all kinds of crafts – we're not limited to any one way to create.

In the same way that God imagined and devised a plan in the beginning when He first Created, we are to devise or create through imagination, planning, thinking up, inventing and creating.

God fills us. We have to be filled up with the Spirit of God and His anointing, as this is the key to producing art that is from God's heart. Being “Filled” in the holy Spirit means our hearts being crammed with his Spirit, overflowing, packed! That means we are to be inspired to the point of pouring out ideas at any and every opportunity (Tip:- walk around with a notebook!)

So we should be open to God, to his leading.

Art is a tool to get his message across.

We should be asking God for wisdom, understanding and knowledge of art:-

1. Wisdom: - what to draw, what colours to use, what medium to use – “how best to carry your message across”

2. Understanding - know different techniques which help convey your message (drawing, charcoal, crayons,) and, different methods;

3. Knowledge – get some hints; learn techniques, e.g. perspective, to help you;

BUT it is all tied together with the ANOINTING from God, to increase the impact of your work.

Understanding Symbolism for Prophetic Art

In every aspect of the prophetic there is symbolism that lines up with the symbolism God shows us in the word and Jesus in His parables.

Things like:

• Use of Colours
• Numbers or the amount of things
• Objects like fish or wheat
• Left and right of the object or person
• Animals like eagles are prophetic owls are demonic, Etc.

…have very definite biblical meanings. When doing prophetic art we need an understanding of what the word says about these things. This is the same in understanding prophetic dreams and visions (see note below).

Ice breaker: - getting used to different mediums, and your creative capacity/potential;

1. Blank piece of paper and crayons – then change medium
2. Group picture (Multi media (mags, charcoal, crayons, paints, scissors, glue, children’s things, etc )
3. Feedback

Homework:-

1. Begin asking God for a picture or message to convey through a picture
2. Start making some preliminary sketches of your thoughts, or collecting materials, or cutting out images, or taking photos, etc
3. Begin a collection of art tools and materials (eg, paper, paints, charcoal etc) that you will use, and bring to these lessons;
4. Read through the notes on “Interpreting Dreams & Visions” 
   (You can find this teaching manual at: 
   http://www.theoasischurch.co.za/music?page=shop.browse&category_id=2)
   
   

Creative Day?

How was your day today? Creative? Often we think that in our everyday (hopefully not too mundane) lives not much creativity happens.  This is true if creativity only consists of those Eureka moments, times of origination - coming up with something new - a new joke, solution, product, poem etc. - that has value (Wiki's definition).  If we look at the definition of what it is to be creative:- cre·a·tive/krēˈātiv/

Adjective:	Relating to or involving the imagination or original ideas, esp. in the production of an artistic work: "creative writing".
Noun:	A person who is creative, esp. in a professional context.
Synonyms:	originative - original - constructive - productive Often we think we have to be a genius in order to be creative.  But if we realize that our creativity comes from God, as we are inherently creative, we begin to rely more on His handiwork in and through us, than our own strength or genius.  Creativity is valuable, and our abilities being used is valuable to God and people.  Testimony after testimony bear witness to the fact that no matter how insignificant we feel about our art, it does have an impact, when delivered at the right time and place. If we go around the place, getting caught up in the mundane, and not spending time in God's presence, then our creativity wanes. However, with much faith, time with God, rising to the challenge, not hiding your talents, God ignites what you attempt to do. Therein lies the value, what you have put into your creativity, trusting in God.  Don't attempt to strive at it.  Flow with the Holy Spirit's enabling.

Graphic design

HAVING FUN WITH THE MANY APPS THAT ARE OUT THERE.  TAKING SIMPLE PICS AND ADDING LIFE TO THEM.

Creativity

Try to do something creative daily! Whether it's actual art, or the way you reach solutions. Leave a problem and come back to it later - sleep on it. Suddenly you will find an answer.
We all have a measure of creative ability. We just have to awaken it, bring it to life.
Start now, ask God to help you be more creative about life. 

Recent and current Prophetic words for artists

We’ve just had an amazing time with Cape Town artists at the “Kings and Priests” prophetic time at the Father’s House Christian Fellowship.  The prophetic nuances coming through included: 

• God wants artists across all mediums to collaborate with one another, to encourage and strengthen each other.  There is increasing hopelessness in the world as the striving of worldliness has left people having hope deferred.  Faith has taken a knock and adversity has worn people down.  Many creative people have laid their gifting down in the struggle to just make ends meet, a survivor mentality overshadowing the anointing and kingly authority.  God is saying it’s a time to rise in one’s authority, to turn mountains into blessing; to let adversity mold your character, not oppress you; to find solutions through faith; to become problem solvers in times of hardship. 
• God is looking for young, anointed, prophetic leaders who will be beacons to the next generation.  They will enable them to push on despite much discouragement in the world around them.  God is saying he will raise them up; He will be a Father to the fatherless.  This generation who are coming after the Generation “Z”, a nameless generation, will experience the father heart of God directly for themselves as God moves supernaturally through their lives.  Fathered by God they will have a strength and boldness to overcome. 
• God is raising a community of creative people who will not shrink back, who will not be ashamed of the gospel, or of their works declaring and depicting the gospel in the world, through the world and for the world.  He will rise up artists, musicians, photographers etc., who will make a mark and be “trend setters” in the world.  He is setting His mandate for them in place, robing them with a fresh mantle and authority for the task.  Many are in a place of equipping which feels like being in the desert.  Many feel they have been overlooked, pushed aside.  The intimidation of the world has had an effect on them, causing them to pursue other careers, other ventures and initiatives.  But God is saying there are fresh and new horizons to explore, to pick up their tools again.  Out of time spent in God’s presence he will birth new inspiration and plant seeds that will germinate and multiply what was the least, of no consequence. 
• God is emphasizing again the prophetic nature of art and artists, but requires of them purity and being set apart, untainted by world trends.  He wants to inspire a new sound and colour from heaven, where artists will pick up the pulse of heaven, and portray just what God tells them to, without colouring or flavouring it with what the world thinks is cool.  Out of this will come a unique sound and colour, not necessarily pleasing to the eye as the world would have it, yet unmistakably powerful, anointed, life changing with an eternal impact. 
• God, through a release of creativity in and through the church, is adorning and beautifying the bride of Christ afresh.  The church walls have been bare for too long.  God is anointing with a spirit of wisdom, knowledge and understanding (Exodus 31) – the Holy Spirit poised to teach and impart.  He is speeding up the process of teaching the language of art so artists can communicate their message with clarity.

These are some current prophetic words that have come through for artists, creative people and the church.  Please forward them to those who you know will need a word of encouragement!

God creates- why don't we follow His example?

I am siting in a coffee shop in Pietermaritzburg (KwaZulu-Natal South Africa), looking at people walking past, having coffee talking to other people, doing business. Different shapes and sizes, different characters. Some laughing and joking some serious. It is then that the thought came to me, "God must have had so much fun creating all of us".
Let me clear up something. I do not believe in the "big bang" theory and that my forefather was a monkey! I believe that God created the earth as it is stated in Genesis 1 - God created the earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th day.  But as we look at nature and the animals I can not help but think that God must have had fun creating and still is having fun creating (I can't help but wonder if it is not His way to relax as it is for us seeing that we are created in his image.)

With my mind thinking I am reminded of a statement that I heard a prophet make last weak. Everybody is creative and can create something. We all have been brainwashed to believe that art or music needs to sound this way or look that way to be art. But this is untrue. If we allow God to inspire us to draw and all we can draw well is a stick man draw your stick man to the best of your ability. The funny thing is that you will know the meaning behind your piece of art and somebody else could have some other interpretation of it, and it can inspire somebody. I saw some art that this prophet has done. She just applied water colour to paper,  and followed Gods instruction as to how to move it around - wow how beautiful, and there was a story behind every picture.

I took up the challenge this lady left us with, grabbed my camera and took some pictures. The picture that is with this blog is one that I did (would be interesting to hear what God is telling you about this picture, let me know) and it was so much fun to let my mind go and think how I can take different pictures and combine it into one with a message.

I believe for too long we have allowed the unsaved to dictade to us what is art, music. I believe it is time for us as believers to start allowing the creative juices from heaven to flow in us and to start creating art and music inspired from heaven.

This morning I want to put the challenge out there. Sit with God for a hour and ask Him to help you write a poem, song, picture, any piece of creative artwork and put it on your blog for us all to see, and comment on.

Lets take the creative world back from the devil. God creates and so must we!!
I pray that God will bless you with some awesome creations.

 ShortURL: http://christianblog.com/9c28
Ruann

Still to come

Some questions we all have regarding creativity that we'll be exploring include:
"What is the creative process?"
"How do we overcome lack of inspiration?"
"How can I enhance the effectiveness of any piece of art that I do?"
"What role does the Holy Spirit play in my art?"
"How do I know if my work is prophetic or not?"

So watch this space for more....