I was one of the instructors at WorshipU in Redding, California where students come from around the world to grow in their walk with God through encountering God’s Presence in worship. The students also spend time building character and a foundation for longevity as creatives.
It’s such an awesome privilege to see what Brian and Jenn Johnson are building as they unite worship leaders to pour into students at this school and to see so many lives changed.
All of my core classes at WorshipU were centered around activating the students in the supernatural as they create. In this setting, I find that most students have never understood how the supernatural can be integrated into their creative process.
I wanted to write this blog not only to share about this process, but then to activate you so you can see God move as you create.
Why Teach on the Supernatural?
Let’s first take a look at Scripture.
Wherever we see creativity expressed in the Bible, we can see the supernatural released. For instance, Bezalel was filled with the Holy Spirit in order to create the ark of the covenant and all the different items that would host the presence of God (Ex. 31). This ark was where the priests met with God. In other words, what they created wasn’t simply beautiful works of art, but it carried the spiritual reality of God’s protection and Presence.
Let’s look at another example. In Numbers 21, we see that Moses was in a crisis because the Israelites were grumbling against his leadership. So, snakes were sent to kill the people. Moses asked God what to do and He told him to create a bronze serpent so that when people looked at it, they were healed. Here we have evidence that what we create for healing can impact others even if we don’t pray, but simply follow God’s instructions. He anointed his art to heal and this precedent is for us to follow.
Today, most of us don’t have the means in our homes to sculpt like Moses did, but we do have paper and art supplies to create supernatural art that can heal people because we believe in our divine partnership with God.
People may get tripped up wondering if this is biblical, but we find in passages like Numbers 21 that we are called to bring life supernaturally through what we have available or what we have cultivated.
If we are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), then we are called to host the supernatural through what we create.
Jesus modeled this by healing people through His words from afar (Matt. 8:5-13), through setting a prostitute free by a prophetic act (John 8:6), and by putting mud in a blind man’s eye (Mark 8:22-26).
In fact, when David was young, he would play music, which delivered people like Saul from a demon (I Sam. 16). This means that anointing can rest upon us because of how we have cultivated creativity with God in the secret place.
We don’t know what David played because it’s not about copying what people create, but about Who they are connected to as they create and why they create.
God wants us to excel in creating, using heaven’s wisdom and cultural advancement
Let’s also take a look at how our culture has changed and how this impacts the supernatural in what we create.
We are living in a day when creativity in music, art, photography, film making, culinary, dancing and other creative forms have advanced and become more accessible and widespread because of the internet and modern technology.
This means that an anointed song, written in the Presence or a painting created in worship or under God’s direction can not only heal one person, but many people through social media or streaming.
This also means that we need to be aware of the many streams of reaching people and be innovative as we create in His Presence. Thus, we need to learn the world’s systems so we can access more influence for the Kingdom. We are called to gain favor both with God and man as Jesus did.
Let’s take a look at Daniel and his friends: “To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds” (Daniel 1:17). Daniel had supernatural wisdom that flowed from God and he was well versed in the culture and learning of that day.
So, while I was teaching students at WorshipU, I wanted to help them understand their call to operate out of divine partnership with God as they create. I also wanted to teach them how to reach the culture by connecting with them in relevant ways with excellence.
Just as WorshipU is creating a culture for others to encounter God supernaturally and culturally, so we need to be creating Kingdom culture in our church, small group, or business where we cultivate excellence and release the supernatural.
Miracles through Student’s Creating at WorshipU
Neck Healed
I had a word of knowledge about neck pain during my first class and Clarice stood up and then I asked her to look at a picture of the happy Jesus, which I had created. As she looked at it, she was instantly healed, which is just like Moses’ bronze serpent in Numbers 21. The very act of looking at it began the process of healing through Jesus’ word that we are called to go and and heal the sick through Jesus’ mandate (Matt. 10:8).
Clarice had been in a cheerleading accident where someone fell on her head and she had never been able to move or turn her head to the left. She began to move her neck around easily on either side and the tears flowed! Instantly she was healed!
Ankle Healed
Victoria from Mexico had sprained her ankle twice in three years and the doctor’s prognosis was that she would have pain and weakness in that ankle for the rest of her life. Lyn, one of my arts teachers and I had a word of knowledge regarding feet and legs and she stood up and told us she had a 6 level pain in her ankle (on a scale of 0-10, with 0 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain). So, she looked at the painting that Lyn had done in worship of a horse running free and my happy Jesus and immediately she was healed and could move her ankle all around without any stiffness or pain! All of us were amazed and thanked Jesus that He healed her ankle.
Happy Jesus heals!
Emotional Healing
So many students at Worship U received emotional healing and breakthrough as they created for one another in writing and art exercises. For instance, one person drew a waterfall with a black circle on the right side and then a red dot in the middle. As one of the students gave this painting to his partner, the true meaning of why God showed him to paint this piece was revealed as she came up to me after class.
She told me that she had had a still born baby one year ago and was petrified to have another baby. This picture represented God’s water washing her womb and that she could believe for having another baby! With tears in our eyes, we both cried because God is better than we can ask or imagine!
Students Create and see healing
We then began to empower students to see others get healed who were sick as they created, so there were people who danced, sang prophetic songs, or painted as they partnered with the Holy Spirit to bring the Presence of God through what they created. Student’s backs, hips, headaches, and other issues got completely healed as they created in God’s presence like Moses and David did. Healing through partnership with God’s Presence is for every believer.
I also taught them how to prophesy over people for breakthrough by asking the Lord for a picture they could create to encourage them.
Now it’s Your Turn!
As you know, one of my core values is risk and stepping out after we hear such amazing testimonies- so now you get to participate in doing the stuff with Jesus.
Take a moment and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with His Presence and anoint what you create. Now, take some time and create something to give away to someone today. It could be a poem, a picture, a song, or whatever God shows you. Then give it to someone, asking them what it means to them personally. If they are sick, ask them what level of pain they are experiencing and then creatively ask God to heal them. If they are just looking for encouragement, share what the Holy Spirit shows you for them.
Let’s learn to be supernaturally creative and change those God brings us. If we are called to influence culture and supernaturally create, we must start with those He sends us!
Have fun and send me any testimonies you may have!
Remember, you are Born to Create!