My Journey to Here

Pastor Jan Rodgers

There was a time when I could not have said this about myself: “I am called by God; chosen to represent Him and speak into people’s lives”. 

My nature was to shy away from putting myself out there as a leader, let alone declare that ‘I am called’. Even though I had a wonderful Christian upbringing and knew God’s love for me, I often struggled with low self-esteem. 

In my mid-late teens, I was encouraged to read scriptures from The Bible that spoke of God’s purposeful creation of me, and speak them over myself (such as Psalms 139:13-16).  At first, I struggled to accept what God was saying about my value was true. But over the years I have come to believe it as I’ve digested His word through the Bible, through Him speaking to me personally, and through others speaking into my life. Through those things, a passion has also grown within me to live in God’s truth myself and to help others do the same. 

Although I’ve had a far from perfect walk with God, I’ve always remained in Church.  My grandparents & parents set an example to ‘not neglect gathering together’ (Hebrews 10:25) and I’m sure this greatly helped me to stay in relationship with God and grow my passion for the Church – what Jesus calls His ‘Bride’.

I’ve had significant encounters with God throughout my life, many of which were in Church or at Camps and Conferences. A couple include being physically healed as a teenager and having a significant visitation dream as a young girl. These encounters all contributed to a resolute faith within me where it’s impossible to deny God. I love Him! And growing closer to Him is the best thing I, or anyone else could do.

Soon after Sheridyn and I were married we had a prophetic word spoken over us that we were called to full-time ministry. My immediate response was panic, and I exclaimed out loud “he’s got the wrong wife!” 🙊 I see now this was perhaps that old low self-esteem rearing its head, yet despite our other objections, we took the step of faith and obedience, left our jobs, left our home, and set off to Bible College.

Over the years God has lovingly poured revelation upon revelation into my life about how He loves me to be me.   He simply asks me to be me as I allow Him to use my life to minister to others.  Once He said to me “Jan, who are you to limit what I want to do through you?”. In other words, stop saying “I can’t do that” and instead try “‘if that’s what You want to do through me Lord, then I’m available”. This usually means doing things when I’m scared - but I’d rather do that and live in adventure with God than in a stay in a comfortable and somewhat boring existence saying no to God’s many invitations.

Following Bible College, we returned to the workforce which for me was as a Secretary and Receptionist.  We still served in the church during that time, and a few years later opportunities arose for us to step into leading a church.  This was not an easy ‘yes’ (it rarely is!)  By this time, we had a toddler and a baby, so my primary role and joy was Motherhood. It would have been easy for us to put off the call to church leadership then, however we chose to step out ‘doing it scared’.  My passion and prayer was for my family to love God and love His Church, rather than begrudge God and His call. 

It was in my 20’s and 30’s that I began to learn more about the prophetic and begin practicing it. I would nervously respond to a pounding in my heart or sweaty palms to speak a word over someone, or even to the whole church. To my surprise, I would often hear feedback that God had ministered deeply in people’s lives because of that obedience. This would give me more courage to push through my nerves or doubts. The passion began to grow deeper in me to speak God’s Truth into people as I saw their lives being strengthened and set free from lies of the enemy. God created me with the desire to encourage others, and I learned He was simply expanding that desire and gift in me.

Prophecy is a wonderful gift that we are all encouraged to desire and ask God for (1 Corinthians 14).  A prophetic word has the power to strengthen, encourage and comfort someone.  I would usually receive a word for someone by either seeing a picture in my imagination and a feeling to encourage them with a couple of words around that picture. Or I might sense a few words coming to my mind or spirit, and then step out to encourage someone with those words.  As I’ve done those first steps, usually more words begin to flow. Other times, I’ll have a scripture come to mind that I feel to share with a certain person. I’ve learned that no matter how simple the word, picture or scripture may seem to me, it can be something of great significance to the other person.  This is a real encouragement to step out and share - may this encourage you to prophesy!

Over recent years, I’ve felt much more of a stirring toward speaking prophetically to the Church -  The Body of Christ - than only to individuals. As I’ve been praying for the Church or preparing a message for the Church, I would feel a strong stirring in my spirit that God was wanting to speak to us all. I began to notice the same prophetic word would be released by a more prominent Prophet, reflecting exactly what I was feeling or had just preached.  I had others encouraging me to back myself in this whole area and to declare ‘prophetically’ when I felt this strong stirring.

Prophet Steve McCracken called out the ‘Office of Prophet’ over my life in the last year. In this I had the same choice as other times through my life - either respond to this with a ‘yes’ and do it scared or run the opposite direction with an attitude of ‘no thanks’ or ‘I can’t do that!’

My heart’s cry in life is to love God and to respond ‘yes’ to Him whenever He asks. I don’t always get this right! (Help me Lord ;). But my prayer is that I can be a blessing to God’s Church and the spheres of influence He has given me, as I respond to Him. I pray that you too will have the courage to say yes to God even when you’re scared, and to desire the prophetic – to speak God’s word over others’ lives and see them strengthened, encouraged, comforted and set free.