Building a Strong Prophetic Heart: Teen Mentorship

Adia Peterson
KingdomFive! Founder

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good? 
Deuteronomy 10:11-13 

Strong, solid and sound prophetics begin, not with the speaking, but with the heart. Beliefs, attitudes, mindset and character are essential keys to prophetic fortitude.  In fact, the condition of our heart is so important to the Lord, He addresses it in scripture more than 900 times! As you are mentoring and empowering your young giant to serve the Lord, emphasize the importance of growing in strength from the inside out. See Proverbs 20:7 for more clarity on this. Before He strengthens their gifts, He will condition their heart. He will work to ensure they can sustain destiny and bear up under the weight of their calling. Remember Mr. Miyagi from the original ‘Karate Kid’ and his famous command to "Daniel-son"--'Wax-on, wax-off...' What seemed so futile, became the foundation of Daniel’s greatest defense when he was in the fight. He couldn’t become a master until he learned first, the true "heart" of the sport. 

Connecting Heart to Prophetics for Your Teens
…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, Ephesians
Fact: young people are inherently expressive, and are constantly communicating, verbally or non-verbally. They are figuring out their own feelings, establishing their opinions and beliefs and working to distinguish their individual identity. Combine that with a developing prophet or prophetic teen and hashing through all of that takes on an even greater dimension! The question becomes, how do I help them navigate through all that they are feeling, hearing and experiencing?  How can I mentor them to hear accurately, to speak and represent the Lord soundly, and reliably?  

Luke's gospel admonishes that a good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, brings forth good, and an evil man, evil. For out of the abundance of his heart, his mouth speaks!  There’s a prophetic connection here that I believe is valuable for prophetic mentoring. We know that communication is a major element of effective prophetics but if our words are the fruit--what is the seed? As you are developing your children to be reliable messengers for the Lord, emphasize relationship over expression, character over talent, prayer over preaching, and worship over platform. Everything internal will become the basis and foundation for all they express externally. Keep in mind, however impressive their outward expressions may be, the focus of their mentorship and development should be those things which build and strengthen the heart-the core of their beliefs and faith. Let’s take a look at some quick talking points you can use to work through these principles with your teen. 

1. Spirit first. For every dream your teens have about how God will use them, or for how they would like to be used in His kingdom, teach them about spiritual strength and health before all of the other principles. Their public success starts with their private commitment to excellence in their relationship with the Lord.  Regular prayer, daily scripture study, worship at home, etc. are all things we know will help our kids grow in God but here’s the reality—we as the parents and leaders have to set a structure for how they will do this. You will have some kids that are very self-motivated, but others will need an abundance of direction and insight. See Daniel 6: 3, Matthew 6:33 for support.
2. Establish a routine of heart service. Help them evaluate their priorities and establish a routine that gives them stored up interest for a later time. Their constant, regular time with God will give them a treasury of strength to rely on at any moment. If relationship is primary, they will not have to worry about having a dispensation when it’s time to speak or perform for God publicly.  Consider Daniel 6: 10- …he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before His God, as was his custom since early days. And also Proverbs 22:6.
3. Don’t let matters of the heart go unsettled. We can compartmentalize, yes; and at times we absolutely should to get a job done. But when it comes to being used by God matters of the heart have to be settled. If your teen is struggling with character issues, emotional instabilities (beyond the norm), conflict, unforgiveness, etc. face them head on! Don’t allow their gifts and talents become a mask, hoping that the condition of their heart will just improve itself. Work with them in getting the healing, deliverance and freedom they need in order to move forward.
4. There’s no shame in working it out. It can be confusing to hear from God that there are inner areas that need work when everything on the outside seems to be functioning just fine. Your teen may not be aware that their heart issues are that big of a deal, particularly if their gift expression is still very much in high demand. Your guidance in helping them give time and attention to character development is invaluable! Make sure they understand there’s no shame in working on who they are and needing to grow and mature in certain areas doesn’t take away from the anointing God has given them. On the other hand though, stress how much allowing heart issues to linger can negatively affect their outward expressions and dispensation from the Lord. 

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