last night and this morning, we saw God heal a number of people. Desert Princess and I saw a number of different conditions healed - knees, shoulders, back problems, etc. We are waiting to hear more reports come in. One guy whose knees were healed on Saturday night, was showing me on Sunday morning what he couldn't do - walk down steps without pain.
a completely deaf ear began to open - we have more contending to do, but we are expecting that ear to be opened completely by tomorrow night (at another prayer meeting).
while Desert Princess and I were ministering in the main service, our kids were ministering healing in a Sunday school class and saw a number of healings themselves - like father/mother, like son/daughter.
just so amazed at what God does!!!!
July 13, 2009
July 09, 2009
healings after word of knowledge in church meeting
while ministering this past week in a church, the Lord gave me a clear word of knowledge that He wanted specifically to heal shoulder problems. Before we proceeded into the ministry, a woman spoke up during the Q & A time and said, "I had come in here this morning asking the Lord to give you a word for me DJ and she had problems with both of her shoulders. The Lord however showed up in great power and delivered this woman from all her pain. It was just a powerful encounter that the Lord gave this precious sister.
Others were also healed during that prayer time - some even sent us emails to let us know specifically what the Lord had done for them. Here is what one wrote to us the next day:
"This morning I have less difficulty stretching my fingers of my right hand! Prior to your prayers I was unable to stretch them without a constricting pain. The joints that are fused in my ring and little finger seem to be slightly changed, and the palm of my hand is more normalized. There is a visual change, and the pulling of my fingers into the palm is less of a problem. I believe God has shown me that He is about the healing of these areas, and I am taking His word of knowledge, as spoken through you two, as His will for a healthy and whole right hand. The sensation of cool refreshing water as you prayed, from my elbow to my right hand, was both calming and soothing. (I hadn't realized my elbow was involved until you mentioned it.) It was a feeling I have never experienced prior to your hands-on prayers. Thank you for using your gifts from Him to enable others to know His healing touch!!"
Others were also healed during that prayer time - some even sent us emails to let us know specifically what the Lord had done for them. Here is what one wrote to us the next day:
"This morning I have less difficulty stretching my fingers of my right hand! Prior to your prayers I was unable to stretch them without a constricting pain. The joints that are fused in my ring and little finger seem to be slightly changed, and the palm of my hand is more normalized. There is a visual change, and the pulling of my fingers into the palm is less of a problem. I believe God has shown me that He is about the healing of these areas, and I am taking His word of knowledge, as spoken through you two, as His will for a healthy and whole right hand. The sensation of cool refreshing water as you prayed, from my elbow to my right hand, was both calming and soothing. (I hadn't realized my elbow was involved until you mentioned it.) It was a feeling I have never experienced prior to your hands-on prayers. Thank you for using your gifts from Him to enable others to know His healing touch!!"
July 04, 2009
miracles in the mountains
a group of "treasure hunters" headed out on the streets yesterday in a city in the mountains. After waiting on the Lord for 'prophetic clues', we were armed with 2 pages of details (conditions, places, clothing, names) on our 'treasure maps' and headed out for a couple of hours of 'spilling'.
Here are some of the things that we saw happen (and this list if far from exhaustive):
-blind man begins to see shapes and light (which he couldn't before) when three, 13-year-old boys pray for him.
-the Lord directs me into a bar because someone needed a miracle inside. the woman next to me says that she's paralyzed in the left part of her body because of stroke. I get to pray for her (no noticeable breakthrough at the time). What happened is that God begins to open doors to minister to the others - a word of knowledge for an eye condition, an accurate prophetic word for the bartender, inner-healing stuff for the stroke victim. I was just amazed at God's grace in such a dark place!
- a number of physical healings (some after accurate words of knowledge)
- prophetic words of destiny spoken over many people
I don't remember all the stories - 4 teams were out and I have just highlighted a few of the things that I saw or heard about. All I know is that by the end of our time, everyone had seen God do stuff supernaturally that we could not have done ourselves.
Here are some of the things that we saw happen (and this list if far from exhaustive):
-blind man begins to see shapes and light (which he couldn't before) when three, 13-year-old boys pray for him.
-the Lord directs me into a bar because someone needed a miracle inside. the woman next to me says that she's paralyzed in the left part of her body because of stroke. I get to pray for her (no noticeable breakthrough at the time). What happened is that God begins to open doors to minister to the others - a word of knowledge for an eye condition, an accurate prophetic word for the bartender, inner-healing stuff for the stroke victim. I was just amazed at God's grace in such a dark place!
- a number of physical healings (some after accurate words of knowledge)
- prophetic words of destiny spoken over many people
I don't remember all the stories - 4 teams were out and I have just highlighted a few of the things that I saw or heard about. All I know is that by the end of our time, everyone had seen God do stuff supernaturally that we could not have done ourselves.
accuracy in the word of knowledge
the other night I had an experience with a word of knowledge that was unprecedented for me personally. Normally I get a word of knowledge about a condition (i.e. right knee problem) and I somehow feel/sense it physically. The other night while I was in a meeting with a well-known prophetic minister, I was about to begin ministering to the sick with a friend and wanted to use the bathroom first. While I was in the bathroom, I got a word of knowledge for a left knee problem (in my normal way) but then I "saw" a woman with short-hair, wearing a red-colored long-sleeved shirt and pants. As soon as I walked out of the bathroom, my friend is ministering already and the woman at the front of the prayer line is exactly matching that description AND she is pointing to her LEFT KNEE. I hurried over there to show them what I had just written down in my book. Guess what happened? Yes, she was healed.
As I considered the experience, I think that the level of accuracy in that word was probably related to the fact that we were ministering with/alongside the prophetic minister who is renowned for his accuracy in the word of knowledge. What we call "association", wherein someone can flow in a gift that they normally do not flow in (or to the same level) as they are associating with someone who has recognized gifts in that area. Where is this in the Bible (one may be asking)? Go back and see what Saul (NOT a prophet) could do when he was in the company of the prophets. Fully Biblical and yet in many parts of the Church today - totally neglected and not at all well understood.
As I considered the experience, I think that the level of accuracy in that word was probably related to the fact that we were ministering with/alongside the prophetic minister who is renowned for his accuracy in the word of knowledge. What we call "association", wherein someone can flow in a gift that they normally do not flow in (or to the same level) as they are associating with someone who has recognized gifts in that area. Where is this in the Bible (one may be asking)? Go back and see what Saul (NOT a prophet) could do when he was in the company of the prophets. Fully Biblical and yet in many parts of the Church today - totally neglected and not at all well understood.
June 30, 2009
healings out to breakfast
this morning while out to breakfast with a Lebanese healing revivalist, the Lord gave me a word of knowledge for someone with a problem in their left shin. I asked the waitress and she said no, but would check with others. Finally, she remember one of the busboys had a problem and had him come out. We prayed a couple of times until there was no more pain.
while leaving, I asked a couple of the others who worked there if they needed a miracle, specifically healing. I asked about an upper left arm/shoulder condition that I had gotten a word for, but none of them had that problem.
As we were leaving, one of these women asked if she could get some prayer. She had been struggling with a general fatigue and low energy condition for about a month. we prayed and the Lord just began to touch her and by the end of prayer, she said she was feeling "lighter" and could tell that something had changed.
just remember that when you are at restaurants that the Lord wants to touch people all around you - be that employees or other customers. We've seen Him do things in restaurants now on such a regular basis that it seems unusual not to see something - be that a healing, a prophetic word for someone, etc.
Don't just eat and run, stick around and have some fun (Kingdom fun!)
while leaving, I asked a couple of the others who worked there if they needed a miracle, specifically healing. I asked about an upper left arm/shoulder condition that I had gotten a word for, but none of them had that problem.
As we were leaving, one of these women asked if she could get some prayer. She had been struggling with a general fatigue and low energy condition for about a month. we prayed and the Lord just began to touch her and by the end of prayer, she said she was feeling "lighter" and could tell that something had changed.
just remember that when you are at restaurants that the Lord wants to touch people all around you - be that employees or other customers. We've seen Him do things in restaurants now on such a regular basis that it seems unusual not to see something - be that a healing, a prophetic word for someone, etc.
Don't just eat and run, stick around and have some fun (Kingdom fun!)
words of knowledge and a couple of healings
the other night, after teaching to a group about the 'normal Christian life' (i.e. the works of Jesus flowing through our lives), Desert Princess began to get words of knowledge - she called them out and people began to respond. The first word was a left wrist condition. A woman said she had that problem. At that point, I asked the woman sitting next to her to pray for the healing. She was healed - no more pain. All the other words that she called out were for different people too. She was SOOOO ACCURATE in the word of knowledge and she normally doesn't get words. BTW - I didn't get a single word that night.
Later we also saw a woman with chronic lower back pain healed after a group of us prayed. As for some of the other conditions, I know that others prayed, but I didn't hear about what happened.
Also that night, we went after a couple of serious, long-term issues - one was MS and another a woman who was deaf since birth in one ear and 80% deaf in the other. We didn't see the breakthroughs at that time, but in both cases the Lord was moving and everyone could sense God's power coming. The woman with MS felt something in her legs happening (she felt fire) and it was the first time she had ever felt anything in the 15 years she had been receiving prayer.
may both of these conditions surrender to the Name of Jesus
Later we also saw a woman with chronic lower back pain healed after a group of us prayed. As for some of the other conditions, I know that others prayed, but I didn't hear about what happened.
Also that night, we went after a couple of serious, long-term issues - one was MS and another a woman who was deaf since birth in one ear and 80% deaf in the other. We didn't see the breakthroughs at that time, but in both cases the Lord was moving and everyone could sense God's power coming. The woman with MS felt something in her legs happening (she felt fire) and it was the first time she had ever felt anything in the 15 years she had been receiving prayer.
may both of these conditions surrender to the Name of Jesus
June 29, 2009
treasure hunting - part 2
what's better than a treasure hunt? Answer: 2 treasure hunts in the same day!
another group of Christians had asked if we could come and go out for some "power spilling" and so after our afternoon treasure hunt, we went up for another one in the evening. We decided to head to a local park and after a time of prayer, the Lord had given us another list of "clues" and so off we went.
one of the clues was a small, red children's bike. we walked up to a man w/ his son who had a small red bike. I had a word of knowledge for a headache. his wife (who wasn't there) had migraines. we got to pray for her. I also had a word of knowledge for his mother who was with him, but she was shy and didn't want prayer. while we were with this man, one of our group noticed that another lady was standing nearby with her kids who had holes in the knees of her jeans (which was another clue on our list). We asked her if she needed prayer and she began to open up and we got to pray for her. The Lord also gave us some prophetic words for her, which were meaningful to her. At the end, she asked where my friend who lives nearby went to Church and said she wanted to come!
After this, I approached a young man who was playing soccer - I had a wrong word of knowledge (yes, it happens ALL the time:). That didn't matter - the Lord had us meet him to encourage him, as he was struggling with his mother who was recovering from surgery. I was able to pray with him and the Lord really touched him.
At this point, I saw a large group of African-Americans. We decided to break in and offer to pray for anyone who needed a miracle. The Lord opened an amazing door - one part of our group was talking to this one woman and she said, "if you guys are really from the Lord, you will tell me what's wrong with me". Talk about having to step up and deliver the goods! Anyway, one of the guys presses in and the Lord gives him a word of knowledge about a lower back problem. that was correct!! However, that wasn't enough for her - she asks, "O.K. and what else is wrong"?! Talk about a challenge. This young guy then gets another word of knowledge for her right knee. Sure enough that was correct too! She was sold! That opened a huge door to minister to her and then she is calling her friends over testifying "these guys are from God they told me what was wrong with me"!! (btw - that is always the best when the stranger you are ministering too becomes your promoter! This woman stayed with us for like 45 minutes!
I got to minister to another man and also a woman with her young daughter. The Lord gave me some prophetic stuff for this woman which was meaningful to her. We laid hands on her to release her into an encounter with the Lord. She was struggling with drugs and alcohol abuse and allowed us to pray for her to be filled with the Holy Spirit instead of the other "spirits" she was getting high on.
Finally, we approached a group of 4 teenagers and asked them if they wanted to see a miracle. They said they did. We inquired as to any physical problem that might need healing. One of them had injured his wrist and let up pray. After praying once, it was like 85% healed. We prayed again and he said all the pain had left. To test it out, he did a 'thumb war' with his friend and beat him twice! (new method of testing to see if something was healed). We also got some prophetic words for the young man. His friend claimed to be an atheist and one of our team got some very accurate prophetic stuff for him - about his musical talents and also his love of literature. He pretty much rejected it all and said we were just good at "reading people". We asked him how his friends wrist was healed - for that he really didn't have an answer.
that was good night in the park!
another group of Christians had asked if we could come and go out for some "power spilling" and so after our afternoon treasure hunt, we went up for another one in the evening. We decided to head to a local park and after a time of prayer, the Lord had given us another list of "clues" and so off we went.
one of the clues was a small, red children's bike. we walked up to a man w/ his son who had a small red bike. I had a word of knowledge for a headache. his wife (who wasn't there) had migraines. we got to pray for her. I also had a word of knowledge for his mother who was with him, but she was shy and didn't want prayer. while we were with this man, one of our group noticed that another lady was standing nearby with her kids who had holes in the knees of her jeans (which was another clue on our list). We asked her if she needed prayer and she began to open up and we got to pray for her. The Lord also gave us some prophetic words for her, which were meaningful to her. At the end, she asked where my friend who lives nearby went to Church and said she wanted to come!
After this, I approached a young man who was playing soccer - I had a wrong word of knowledge (yes, it happens ALL the time:). That didn't matter - the Lord had us meet him to encourage him, as he was struggling with his mother who was recovering from surgery. I was able to pray with him and the Lord really touched him.
At this point, I saw a large group of African-Americans. We decided to break in and offer to pray for anyone who needed a miracle. The Lord opened an amazing door - one part of our group was talking to this one woman and she said, "if you guys are really from the Lord, you will tell me what's wrong with me". Talk about having to step up and deliver the goods! Anyway, one of the guys presses in and the Lord gives him a word of knowledge about a lower back problem. that was correct!! However, that wasn't enough for her - she asks, "O.K. and what else is wrong"?! Talk about a challenge. This young guy then gets another word of knowledge for her right knee. Sure enough that was correct too! She was sold! That opened a huge door to minister to her and then she is calling her friends over testifying "these guys are from God they told me what was wrong with me"!! (btw - that is always the best when the stranger you are ministering too becomes your promoter! This woman stayed with us for like 45 minutes!
I got to minister to another man and also a woman with her young daughter. The Lord gave me some prophetic stuff for this woman which was meaningful to her. We laid hands on her to release her into an encounter with the Lord. She was struggling with drugs and alcohol abuse and allowed us to pray for her to be filled with the Holy Spirit instead of the other "spirits" she was getting high on.
Finally, we approached a group of 4 teenagers and asked them if they wanted to see a miracle. They said they did. We inquired as to any physical problem that might need healing. One of them had injured his wrist and let up pray. After praying once, it was like 85% healed. We prayed again and he said all the pain had left. To test it out, he did a 'thumb war' with his friend and beat him twice! (new method of testing to see if something was healed). We also got some prophetic words for the young man. His friend claimed to be an atheist and one of our team got some very accurate prophetic stuff for him - about his musical talents and also his love of literature. He pretty much rejected it all and said we were just good at "reading people". We asked him how his friends wrist was healed - for that he really didn't have an answer.
that was good night in the park!
treasure hunting - part 1
a group of us headed to a local mall to see what the Lord would do in a supernatural way. before heading out, we waited on the Lord for the "clues" that He would give us about the conditions we would find, people we would meet and even places we should go. If you have read 'The Ultimate Treasure Hunt' by Kevin Dedmon - we strongly recommend it.
by the end of our time, we had found many if not most of the prophetic clues that the Lord had given us on our treasure maps. since there were many of us, I don't even remember all the stories, but here were a couple of things that I saw personally;
- while talking to one young woman who worked in the mall, I got a word of knowledge for an eye problem in the left eye. I asked her what that meant to her. She said her nephew was cross-eyed in his left eye and she was seeing him right after work. we prayed for her to carry a gift of healing to him and instructed her how to pray (i.e. the Lord's Prayer). After praying for her, she said she felt 'tingling' in her hands. we told her - "you've got it, now go and release it". After that I just felt the Lord said she was battling with the pain and unforgiveness due to a relationship. She said, "No". I asked the Lord for a bit more detail and I sensed it happened 6 months earlier and was a good girlfriend of hers. After that, she said, "Yes, that's true". We got to pray for further healing and just encourage her as she had already been releasing her and forgiving her. (note: this illustrates how the Lord will give us more information if we will wait for Him and ask for it)
- we was a woman walking with a cane. one of the women in our group approached them and asked if we could pray for her. she was willing (it was a Catholic family). she had had a stroke and it was affecting the entire right side of her body. two of our team began to pray and the Lord began to touch her and she could feel something happening all over her right side. I asked if we could pray again to bless what the Lord was doing and to ask Him for more - the Holy Spirit increased His presence and the woman got tears in her eyes, as did her daughter. It was so special to see the Lord just touch and encourage this woman. We had her test it out - by walking without her cane. She said she felt more stable and "lighter" as she walked. We also got to minister to another one of her daughters who was really in a painful marriage - the Lord gave us some prophetic words to encourage her and we got to pray. She too was teary-eyed.
these two stories were just some of the "treasures" that the Lord allowed us to find. Some of the people we approached were totally uninterested in receiving anything. there were in fact a lot of people who didn't want anything to do with us in that mall, however, just a couple of encounters make it all more than worth it.
at the end of this time, we loaded up the car and headed up for another treasure hunt - see the next post, for part 2
by the end of our time, we had found many if not most of the prophetic clues that the Lord had given us on our treasure maps. since there were many of us, I don't even remember all the stories, but here were a couple of things that I saw personally;
- while talking to one young woman who worked in the mall, I got a word of knowledge for an eye problem in the left eye. I asked her what that meant to her. She said her nephew was cross-eyed in his left eye and she was seeing him right after work. we prayed for her to carry a gift of healing to him and instructed her how to pray (i.e. the Lord's Prayer). After praying for her, she said she felt 'tingling' in her hands. we told her - "you've got it, now go and release it". After that I just felt the Lord said she was battling with the pain and unforgiveness due to a relationship. She said, "No". I asked the Lord for a bit more detail and I sensed it happened 6 months earlier and was a good girlfriend of hers. After that, she said, "Yes, that's true". We got to pray for further healing and just encourage her as she had already been releasing her and forgiving her. (note: this illustrates how the Lord will give us more information if we will wait for Him and ask for it)
- we was a woman walking with a cane. one of the women in our group approached them and asked if we could pray for her. she was willing (it was a Catholic family). she had had a stroke and it was affecting the entire right side of her body. two of our team began to pray and the Lord began to touch her and she could feel something happening all over her right side. I asked if we could pray again to bless what the Lord was doing and to ask Him for more - the Holy Spirit increased His presence and the woman got tears in her eyes, as did her daughter. It was so special to see the Lord just touch and encourage this woman. We had her test it out - by walking without her cane. She said she felt more stable and "lighter" as she walked. We also got to minister to another one of her daughters who was really in a painful marriage - the Lord gave us some prophetic words to encourage her and we got to pray. She too was teary-eyed.
these two stories were just some of the "treasures" that the Lord allowed us to find. Some of the people we approached were totally uninterested in receiving anything. there were in fact a lot of people who didn't want anything to do with us in that mall, however, just a couple of encounters make it all more than worth it.
at the end of this time, we loaded up the car and headed up for another treasure hunt - see the next post, for part 2
June 27, 2009
Healing on Vacation
My two sisters and I are travelling in the tropics where there is a high risk of Dengue Fever. The other night, my sister suddenly became so sick that she had to run home from the restaurant in the middle of dinner and return to the hotel. She lay on her bed, unable to move even to take medication. She felt achy and exhausted and in a lot of pain.
After about half an hour of feeling very worried and wondering what to do, my other sister and I laid hands on her and prayed and then went out on the porch to worship. 10 minutes later, my sister who had been ill came popping out, full of energy with a beaming grin. "Guess what, girls?!? God healed me!!!!! I am 90% better!" she exclaimed. It was an incredibly rapid turn around. We thanked God and prayed for the remaining 10% and the sickness never returned. Also worth noting, this was the first time she saw God do a miracle.
After about half an hour of feeling very worried and wondering what to do, my other sister and I laid hands on her and prayed and then went out on the porch to worship. 10 minutes later, my sister who had been ill came popping out, full of energy with a beaming grin. "Guess what, girls?!? God healed me!!!!! I am 90% better!" she exclaimed. It was an incredibly rapid turn around. We thanked God and prayed for the remaining 10% and the sickness never returned. Also worth noting, this was the first time she saw God do a miracle.
June 25, 2009
going after cancer again
there is NO cancer in God's Kingdom, we pray for His Kingdom to come ON EARTH as it is in heaven. These truths drive us to wage war against any and all cancer.
Cancer is NOT something God has anything to do with. He is not allowing it for some secret purpose (that consequently, for the people who believe such a lie, is never revealed). He HATES it and opposes it wherever He finds it.
We went after cancer again this week and now we wait to see what has happened. If you read this blog, join the chorus of others who are praying for a precious friend of ours, Chris. There are no other options - it is the Kingdom destroying His cancer, or the cancer will destroy him.
may we be a bold people, full of faith who don't shy back from this affliction that seems to create more fear than almost any other. the Kingdom of God is a far superior reality than this work of the devil. Jesus spent all of His time destroying those works and so should we.
Cancer is NOT something God has anything to do with. He is not allowing it for some secret purpose (that consequently, for the people who believe such a lie, is never revealed). He HATES it and opposes it wherever He finds it.
We went after cancer again this week and now we wait to see what has happened. If you read this blog, join the chorus of others who are praying for a precious friend of ours, Chris. There are no other options - it is the Kingdom destroying His cancer, or the cancer will destroy him.
may we be a bold people, full of faith who don't shy back from this affliction that seems to create more fear than almost any other. the Kingdom of God is a far superior reality than this work of the devil. Jesus spent all of His time destroying those works and so should we.
June 21, 2009
jewish rabbi and mother refuse healing prayer
while walking to my car last night, I got a word of knowledge about a headache in a certain part of the head and asked two women walking next to us if either of them had a headache. the mother says, "I have a headache" and it was in the same spot as the word of knowledge indicated. when I told them who I was and what I felt God wanted to do, the "no thanks" started. They said, we are Jewish and my daughter here is actually a rabbi. (i guess they must have been reformed:). Anyway, I said that was O.K. and that I'd like to pray anyway, but they didn't want anything to do with us.
June 20, 2009
a day of healing and prophetic words
today was a NORMAL Kingdom day - I stress normal because there are way too many "abnormal" days with no healings, no miracles and no prophetic revelation.
It began this morning at a men's Bible Study when I got a word of knowledge for a man's shoulder and I prayed for him and the Lord touched him.
Later in the day I took a large team out in public to pray for the sick and to prophesy over lost people. In about an hour and a half, we saw a number of different people healed and many prophetic words given. We saw backs healed, a shoulder healed, and a man with prostrate cancer felt the Lord do something for him (of course he needs to have it checked again). I think some of the prophetic words for people were the most significant things we saw happen. Some major words of destiny and purpose for people.
why would we want to live any other life???
It began this morning at a men's Bible Study when I got a word of knowledge for a man's shoulder and I prayed for him and the Lord touched him.
Later in the day I took a large team out in public to pray for the sick and to prophesy over lost people. In about an hour and a half, we saw a number of different people healed and many prophetic words given. We saw backs healed, a shoulder healed, and a man with prostrate cancer felt the Lord do something for him (of course he needs to have it checked again). I think some of the prophetic words for people were the most significant things we saw happen. Some major words of destiny and purpose for people.
why would we want to live any other life???
June 17, 2009
man healed during my morning workout
this morning as I was working out on stairs, I see this man limping down and I couldn't miss the opportunity to offer the Kingdom - I'm so glad I did!
So i walk up to the man, his friend and a lady who was there and said, "Do you want the pain in your knee to leave"? He looked a bit puzzled. I sat down next to him, explained that I was going to pray for him. I begin to release the Kingdom of God into his knee and I feel God touching him. I take my hand away and say, "Do you feel the tingling"? He did. I asked him to get up and test it out - after walking down a set of stairs, he turns to me with a shocked look on his face and yells, "NO"! I knew he was healed. He comes back up and sits down next to me again and offers me the other knee. I prayed for that too. As I was praying the Lord's prayer, he joined in! It was classic - and he left with no pain. He was so grateful.
It definitely made my workout better!!!
So i walk up to the man, his friend and a lady who was there and said, "Do you want the pain in your knee to leave"? He looked a bit puzzled. I sat down next to him, explained that I was going to pray for him. I begin to release the Kingdom of God into his knee and I feel God touching him. I take my hand away and say, "Do you feel the tingling"? He did. I asked him to get up and test it out - after walking down a set of stairs, he turns to me with a shocked look on his face and yells, "NO"! I knew he was healed. He comes back up and sits down next to me again and offers me the other knee. I prayed for that too. As I was praying the Lord's prayer, he joined in! It was classic - and he left with no pain. He was so grateful.
It definitely made my workout better!!!
June 12, 2009
'drive-by' (literally) healing of muslim man
This morning while I was driving home I saw an Egyptian muslim man limping down the street. I pulled up in my car, called him over to the window and asked him what was wrong. He told me his knees had pain - especially his right knee. I opened my car door (the car is still running) and without even asking (except for his name), I laid my hands on his knee and began to pray in Arabic for his healing. After a minute praying clearly in the Name of Jesus, I asked him to walk and test it out. He said, "All the pain is gone - praise God". Then he puts his other knee up to my car door and I prayed again for his knee pain to leave in his other knee. At the end, NO MORE PAIN.
This was literally a DRIVE BY healing - car was running and a car even pulled up behind us and began honking.
This was literally a DRIVE BY healing - car was running and a car even pulled up behind us and began honking.
June 03, 2009
Palestinian muslim has a "God encounter" in the hospital
Last night we went to pray for a Palestinian muslim man who is scheduled for major heart surgery. He was in very bad shape - gasping often for breath, coughing in a way that was disturbing to watch, etc. I explained what we wanted to do and shared some testimonies to what we'd seen God do. Most importantly, I began to declare some of what God was going to do as we prayed.
Basically we know that when Spirit-filled Christians lay hands on sick non-believers something will ALWAYS happen. Many Christians don't seem to expect this, but my thinking is "How can something NOT happen?". We don't know what will happen, but something HAS TO happen.
I told this man and his wife that he would FEEL God's presence as we prayed. I explained that when God's Kingdom comes (whenever and wherever it comes) pain and sickness MUST go. I find it ironic that many muslims seem to understand this aspect of the nature of God's Kingdom better than some Christians do!
Basically I prayed the Lord's prayer over him - I released the PEACE of God into a situation where there was so little peace. I also prayed that God would visit him and send him dreams in the night. During the time I was praying, he began to call out to Jesus as I was praying in His Name.
What happened next had to be witnessed to be believed - this man, who just moments before was gasping for air, coughing and looking very disturbed, is having some kind of encounter with God. He was staring out the window as if we weren't even in the room. His wife was shocked - she asked us, "what is he doing"? "is he sleeping"? To be honest, I had never witnessed such a drastic change in someone so suddenly. At one point, I was even a bit nervous because he didn't even look alive to me! (I saw that he was in fact breathing which relieved my concern).
After a few minutes, he turns to us and begins to declare in Arabic - "I'm so relaxed, so peaceful, I can breathe again...." OVER AND OVER again. His wife was visibly amazed at the change in her husband.
In some ways, we left not knowing what had just happened, but the point is that somehow this man had a powerful encounter with God. We don't know yet about what the Lord did to his heart or anything else. We can't wait to hear the reports as we follow this up.
Basically we know that when Spirit-filled Christians lay hands on sick non-believers something will ALWAYS happen. Many Christians don't seem to expect this, but my thinking is "How can something NOT happen?". We don't know what will happen, but something HAS TO happen.
I told this man and his wife that he would FEEL God's presence as we prayed. I explained that when God's Kingdom comes (whenever and wherever it comes) pain and sickness MUST go. I find it ironic that many muslims seem to understand this aspect of the nature of God's Kingdom better than some Christians do!
Basically I prayed the Lord's prayer over him - I released the PEACE of God into a situation where there was so little peace. I also prayed that God would visit him and send him dreams in the night. During the time I was praying, he began to call out to Jesus as I was praying in His Name.
What happened next had to be witnessed to be believed - this man, who just moments before was gasping for air, coughing and looking very disturbed, is having some kind of encounter with God. He was staring out the window as if we weren't even in the room. His wife was shocked - she asked us, "what is he doing"? "is he sleeping"? To be honest, I had never witnessed such a drastic change in someone so suddenly. At one point, I was even a bit nervous because he didn't even look alive to me! (I saw that he was in fact breathing which relieved my concern).
After a few minutes, he turns to us and begins to declare in Arabic - "I'm so relaxed, so peaceful, I can breathe again...." OVER AND OVER again. His wife was visibly amazed at the change in her husband.
In some ways, we left not knowing what had just happened, but the point is that somehow this man had a powerful encounter with God. We don't know yet about what the Lord did to his heart or anything else. We can't wait to hear the reports as we follow this up.
room full of Gulf Arab muslim men - part 2
Last week I posted about praying for the healing of a couple of Gulf Arab men. One of the men present refused prayer even though I had gotten an accurate word of knowledge for him. Two others let me pray. One said is arm/shoulder felt better, the other one had a chronic foot problem.
Two night ago I went back to see what had happened. The man with the foot problem had been completely healed and had testified to the whole group. It was so unusual that just a week before I was having to really push to get a chance to pray and even then, they wanted to debate on topics like the Trinity. This week, they were all talking about the healing. What was amazing was that I sat there and watched them telling the men who hadn't been there the week before what had happened. One guy is standing in the middle of the room, saying how "God gave DJ a 'revelation' about Abu A.'s back problem, but he wouldn't let him pray, so God healed Abu Y.'s foot problem instead". It was simply amazing!!!!
Interestingly, the man with the back problem who has still not let me prayed, began to tell about a friend who needed a kidney transplant and then the whole group began to say, "why don't you let DJ go and heal him?!" OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABES!!!
God is breaking into the lives' of these men to confirm the words that have been sown into their lives for many years. Let His Kingdom come!
Sidenote: the man who was healed is also a heavy drinker (which is strongly forbidden in islam). In other words, the guy is not a devout muslim at all. The fact that God healed him was a real challenge to the corporate theology of these men. In short, the last person in the room that God should have healed was this man. They know NOTHING of the Grace! However, they are beginning to learn!
Two night ago I went back to see what had happened. The man with the foot problem had been completely healed and had testified to the whole group. It was so unusual that just a week before I was having to really push to get a chance to pray and even then, they wanted to debate on topics like the Trinity. This week, they were all talking about the healing. What was amazing was that I sat there and watched them telling the men who hadn't been there the week before what had happened. One guy is standing in the middle of the room, saying how "God gave DJ a 'revelation' about Abu A.'s back problem, but he wouldn't let him pray, so God healed Abu Y.'s foot problem instead". It was simply amazing!!!!
Interestingly, the man with the back problem who has still not let me prayed, began to tell about a friend who needed a kidney transplant and then the whole group began to say, "why don't you let DJ go and heal him?!" OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABES!!!
God is breaking into the lives' of these men to confirm the words that have been sown into their lives for many years. Let His Kingdom come!
Sidenote: the man who was healed is also a heavy drinker (which is strongly forbidden in islam). In other words, the guy is not a devout muslim at all. The fact that God healed him was a real challenge to the corporate theology of these men. In short, the last person in the room that God should have healed was this man. They know NOTHING of the Grace! However, they are beginning to learn!
Arab woman with chronic back pain 70% healed - tells her doctor!
An Arab woman who used to be a muslim had us come to pray for her because she had had severe back pain for 3 weeks. During that time she had even been hospitalized for 5 days. She could only walk slowly or lay down. When she sat down, I saw her wince in pain. No one could even touch her back it was so painful.
We prayed a few times and first she felt the sensation of coldness on her back and in her legs. This coldness kept going down her legs all the way to her feet. I discerned that there was a spirit of affliction and so I prayed for her to be set free from that spirit.
By the time we finished praying, and we prayed for nearly an hour, she said she was 70% better and that she felt really “light”.
She felt so much peace and all the depression she had been experiencing was gone. She even walked us all the way to our car.
I got a report the following day that she contacted her doctor to tell the doctor about what the Lord had done.
We prayed a few times and first she felt the sensation of coldness on her back and in her legs. This coldness kept going down her legs all the way to her feet. I discerned that there was a spirit of affliction and so I prayed for her to be set free from that spirit.
By the time we finished praying, and we prayed for nearly an hour, she said she was 70% better and that she felt really “light”.
She felt so much peace and all the depression she had been experiencing was gone. She even walked us all the way to our car.
I got a report the following day that she contacted her doctor to tell the doctor about what the Lord had done.
"Divine setup" with Gulf Arab muslim woman
This past week I went to a school function and a Gulf Arab muslim woman sat down next to me. Later an Arab Christian woman, who was a good friend of this woman joined us. Then she recognizes me and says, “I know you from the Bible Study, you are the one with “the Gift”. (Several months ago we had gone to this study and ministered healing and prophesied over a group of Arab women)
After hearing the stories of what happened that day, the muslim woman wanted to know all about healing and prophecy. She asked if we could get together. More than that, she wanted an Arabic Bible and was eager to know more about Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
What is so amazing is that this woman was responding with so much faith having ONLY HEARD the testimonies of what God had done. She hadn’t seen ANYTHING personally at that point. I can't wait to meet with her personally so that she can "taste and see" for herself that the Lord is good!
After hearing the stories of what happened that day, the muslim woman wanted to know all about healing and prophecy. She asked if we could get together. More than that, she wanted an Arabic Bible and was eager to know more about Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
What is so amazing is that this woman was responding with so much faith having ONLY HEARD the testimonies of what God had done. She hadn’t seen ANYTHING personally at that point. I can't wait to meet with her personally so that she can "taste and see" for herself that the Lord is good!
May 31, 2009
healings in our house
last night with a house of people worshipping we saw God release a number of accurate words of knowledge and subsequent healings - a left arm condition, a stomach problem and someone's head. we are waiting to hear about some others who could sense God touching them, but we are waiting to hear if the healings were complete.
It is always amazing when God shows up!!!
It is always amazing when God shows up!!!
May 27, 2009
woman healed in Lebanon of sclerosis
when we were visiting Lebanon back in March for a conference, we prayed for a relative of one of our ministry team members. I prayed for her for several conditions, one being sclerosis of the head. she was on medication for the condition. this week were heard the report that she was healed and that the doctor said she could stop taking her medication!!!
May 26, 2009
offering the Kingdom to a room full of Gulf Arab muslims
last night I visited a group of muslim men who I reconnected with a week ago after many years. they had "heard" the Gospel many times. they all were given Arabic Bibles. there had been a consistent, loving witness to these men for many years. in no way do I minimize all of what was sown, but the question I had going back to see them last night was this, "Have they EVER seen the Gospel DEMONSTRATED in power?" I couldn't remember an instance in my time of ministering to them where we ever saw anything miraculous happen, but I had changed from the man I used to be and so last night was going to be a different approach.
Towards the end of an evening that was full of lively discussions about many different topics, I dropped the bomb in the room, "Hey guys, last week I said I wanted to minister to anyone with pain or any physical problems". This opened up a whole new discussion - I had to really control myself as they wanted to bait me into a religious debate about the Trinity and other 'hot' topics. I was determined to DEMONSTRATE 1st and then in the wake of the demonstration, then I would be willing to talk about this Jesus who has just healed them.
I shared a few testimonies, and also the way God reveals sicknesses/pains through the gift of the word of knowledge. To get started, the Lord gave me a word for one of the men who had pain in the middle of his back. The men all encouraged him to come sit next to me for prayer, but he wasn't willing. (You can't force someone to receive prayer!).
Next another man let me come and pray for a pain he had in his shoulder. I prayed several times - some of the pain left but as the Lord also gave a word of knowledge about his condition (which was also related to a collar bone that had been broken years earlier), I told him that I looked forward to seeing him the following week to see what his condition was.
After that another came with a chronic problem in his right foot - basically a bone problem affecting his big toe. I prayed a few times for him and nothing discernible seemed to happen (not an option as far as I'm concerned). I also got a corresponding word of knowledge for him and told him that I wanted to see what happens over the week until we meet again.
Finally a man addicted to smoking asked me if God could set him free from his addition - I told him He surely could. I said we'd leave that for next week, as I wanted him to see the fruit in his friends lives' first.
By the end of the evening, I went back to man for whom I received the word of knowledge about his back and said that if his friend was completely healed would he be willing to let me pray for his back, he agreed.
Of course, I would have loved to have seen more clear demonstrations of power - more instantaneous healings. A room full of muslim men watching a follower of Christ minister healing - the KINGDOM MUST COME when we are in such situations!!
All I know is that when the debating stopped and the praying began, the evening really got fun. Ministry the old way is way overrated!
Towards the end of an evening that was full of lively discussions about many different topics, I dropped the bomb in the room, "Hey guys, last week I said I wanted to minister to anyone with pain or any physical problems". This opened up a whole new discussion - I had to really control myself as they wanted to bait me into a religious debate about the Trinity and other 'hot' topics. I was determined to DEMONSTRATE 1st and then in the wake of the demonstration, then I would be willing to talk about this Jesus who has just healed them.
I shared a few testimonies, and also the way God reveals sicknesses/pains through the gift of the word of knowledge. To get started, the Lord gave me a word for one of the men who had pain in the middle of his back. The men all encouraged him to come sit next to me for prayer, but he wasn't willing. (You can't force someone to receive prayer!).
Next another man let me come and pray for a pain he had in his shoulder. I prayed several times - some of the pain left but as the Lord also gave a word of knowledge about his condition (which was also related to a collar bone that had been broken years earlier), I told him that I looked forward to seeing him the following week to see what his condition was.
After that another came with a chronic problem in his right foot - basically a bone problem affecting his big toe. I prayed a few times for him and nothing discernible seemed to happen (not an option as far as I'm concerned). I also got a corresponding word of knowledge for him and told him that I wanted to see what happens over the week until we meet again.
Finally a man addicted to smoking asked me if God could set him free from his addition - I told him He surely could. I said we'd leave that for next week, as I wanted him to see the fruit in his friends lives' first.
By the end of the evening, I went back to man for whom I received the word of knowledge about his back and said that if his friend was completely healed would he be willing to let me pray for his back, he agreed.
Of course, I would have loved to have seen more clear demonstrations of power - more instantaneous healings. A room full of muslim men watching a follower of Christ minister healing - the KINGDOM MUST COME when we are in such situations!!
All I know is that when the debating stopped and the praying began, the evening really got fun. Ministry the old way is way overrated!
childless couple, now has children
a year ago while ministering in a home group, Desert Princess and I prayed for a couple who couldn't conceive. we went back to visit again this past week, and there they were with a new baby. God is so gracious!!!
the husband was also physically healed that same night and his pain never returned.
the husband was also physically healed that same night and his pain never returned.
May 22, 2009
arm healed after woman responds to word of knowledge
during worship this morning, the Lord gave me a word of knowledge about a problem in the upper right arm (not the bicep, but close to it). I called it out at the end of the service and a first-time visitor to the Church comes up to me to say she had fallen and that she had pain in the same place in her right arm. She was probably in her 70's.
We prayed once and it got about 30% better. We prayed again and it jumped up about 30% more. We prayed a 3rd time and at the end she said, "now it's MUCH better". She had had limited mobility in the arm and by the end she was moving it all around without pain. I don't know if it was 100% healed when we were done, but I told her to check with me the following week so we could see what the end result was.
We prayed once and it got about 30% better. We prayed again and it jumped up about 30% more. We prayed a 3rd time and at the end she said, "now it's MUCH better". She had had limited mobility in the arm and by the end she was moving it all around without pain. I don't know if it was 100% healed when we were done, but I told her to check with me the following week so we could see what the end result was.
hearing loss restored
a couple of weeks a couple brought me their daughter who had a 3 year wrist condition, I had gotten a word of knowledge which I wrote down before they came for a wrist problem and she was healed. (see blog post). I had also prayed for the father's hearing loss. He was losing range in his hearing and so we prayed that God would restore it completely. As I was relaying the testimony of his daughter again to the pastor of the Church, he mentioned that the man's healing had been totally restored and that he was hearing all sorts of things he couldn't hear before.
there also happens to be another woman in this Church who has lost a significant part of her hearing (it's hereditary and she wears hearing aids). Both my wife and I have prayed for this woman at different times and until now, no breakthroughs. However, the idea the Lord gave me was to have the guy whose hearing was restored pray for this woman. we are setting it up, but it should happen next week. keep you posted!
there also happens to be another woman in this Church who has lost a significant part of her hearing (it's hereditary and she wears hearing aids). Both my wife and I have prayed for this woman at different times and until now, no breakthroughs. However, the idea the Lord gave me was to have the guy whose hearing was restored pray for this woman. we are setting it up, but it should happen next week. keep you posted!
May 20, 2009
gulf arab muslim "sees" the Kingdom in demonstration
the other night, Texas Ranger and I headed out to visit some old muslim friends. our first stop was uneventful, but it was good to reconnect with some guys I hadn't seen in over 10 years. I told them that when I visited them next week (they meet together once a week) that I wanted to give them "treatment" for any who have pain or who are sick. I am quite sure we'll have some stories to post next week.
after that we went to visit another Gulf Arab friend who may be one of the most unique guys we've ever met - he's a bedouin, which generally means he'd be more conservative - not this friend! basically he is a socialist/communist who knows that the religion of his forefathers is completely false. he asked us if we knew that the prophet of islam has 53 wives! I had heard as many as 23, but he dropped 20 extra on us. however, just because our friend is unconvinced about islam, which is an important step towards Christ, he is also completely secular and is as skeptical of supernatural stuff as any westerner would be.
I told him some testimonies and he needed a miracle in his left eye. he'd lost almost all of the vision and so we had a chance to pray. we got to pray a couple of times and just ask the Holy Spirit to come and touch him. of course we ALWAYS pray for more than just a physical healing - we prayed he'd have an encounter with God, that he would have dreams and visions and basically FEEL God's Presence.
As far as we could tell, after praying for him his eye condition hadn't changed, but he said he felt more peaceful and relaxed. I told him I wanted him to call me the next day because I was expecting a change in the eye (note: I just don't believe that Spirit-filled Christians can ever lay hands on an unbeliever and nothing happens!).
However, to be honest, I was just not satisfied. He hadn't "seen" the Kingdom. Jesus was so clear - if He didn't do "the works of the Father", people were free NOT to believe Him. if we who follow Christ, do not also demonstrate God's Kingdom in POWER, then we too shouldn't expect people to believe our words. As Jack Deere asks, "if miracles were needed in the physical presence of the Son of God on earth, HOW MUCH MORE are they needed in His physical absence"?
At this point, I asked the Filipino maids if either of them needed healing. One of them had been having a problem with kidney pain. It was hurting at that very time. She came over and let me pray. I prayed once - the pain decreased. I prayed twice - it decreased more. After the third time, ALL the pain had gone.
Our Gulf Arab friend had just "seen" the Kingdom come in His house - he even said to her, "now you won't need surgery"!
Obviously our friend is still needing to have his own personal visitation and touch from the Lord. That is what I will be contending for with him now.
after that we went to visit another Gulf Arab friend who may be one of the most unique guys we've ever met - he's a bedouin, which generally means he'd be more conservative - not this friend! basically he is a socialist/communist who knows that the religion of his forefathers is completely false. he asked us if we knew that the prophet of islam has 53 wives! I had heard as many as 23, but he dropped 20 extra on us. however, just because our friend is unconvinced about islam, which is an important step towards Christ, he is also completely secular and is as skeptical of supernatural stuff as any westerner would be.
I told him some testimonies and he needed a miracle in his left eye. he'd lost almost all of the vision and so we had a chance to pray. we got to pray a couple of times and just ask the Holy Spirit to come and touch him. of course we ALWAYS pray for more than just a physical healing - we prayed he'd have an encounter with God, that he would have dreams and visions and basically FEEL God's Presence.
As far as we could tell, after praying for him his eye condition hadn't changed, but he said he felt more peaceful and relaxed. I told him I wanted him to call me the next day because I was expecting a change in the eye (note: I just don't believe that Spirit-filled Christians can ever lay hands on an unbeliever and nothing happens!).
However, to be honest, I was just not satisfied. He hadn't "seen" the Kingdom. Jesus was so clear - if He didn't do "the works of the Father", people were free NOT to believe Him. if we who follow Christ, do not also demonstrate God's Kingdom in POWER, then we too shouldn't expect people to believe our words. As Jack Deere asks, "if miracles were needed in the physical presence of the Son of God on earth, HOW MUCH MORE are they needed in His physical absence"?
At this point, I asked the Filipino maids if either of them needed healing. One of them had been having a problem with kidney pain. It was hurting at that very time. She came over and let me pray. I prayed once - the pain decreased. I prayed twice - it decreased more. After the third time, ALL the pain had gone.
Our Gulf Arab friend had just "seen" the Kingdom come in His house - he even said to her, "now you won't need surgery"!
Obviously our friend is still needing to have his own personal visitation and touch from the Lord. That is what I will be contending for with him now.
May 17, 2009
"power spilling" at a Middle Eastern mall
yesterday my son and a friend headed out to a local mall to do some "power spilling". you never know what will happen, but we knew it was going to be a good time when literally 30 seconds after leaving our car in the parking lot, a word of knowledge comes to me for the guy walking towards us - a Pakstani muslim. we stopped him and asked if he had a neck problem. he did - we prayed for him. it got better. we prayed again. he was healed. I told him as we parted that "Jesus loves you".
a few minutes later as we walked into the mall, another word of knowledge came for a back problem. there were two security guards, both Nepali hindus - a man and a woman. I asked which one of them had the problem. language was a problem so I pointed to the exact spot where the Lord has shown me, and it was for the woman. we prayed for her. don't really know what happened because they didn't understand us well enough to tell us what had happened.
right after that, I ask a Filipino woman employee if she had an arm problem after I thought I had gotten another word - it was a wrong word, but she said she had a foot problem. her foot was bandaged, she had sprained it the day before. I had my son kneel down and pray quickly - she was quite nervous at this point. she said it "felt better". we told her we would follow up with her before we left the mall. as we were leaving, we came back and I this time I asked her manager, an Arab muslim man, if we could help her. I told him we only needed 5 minutes. he said, "take 15 minutes if you need it". she came with us to a place where she could sit down. I got to lay hands on her foot and we prayed once - she felt something happening and then she got up to test it out. It was considerably better. we prayed a 2nd time. this time I felt something happen and when she checked it out, there was no pain. she was completely healed. I encouraged her to give testimony in her Church as to what Jesus did for her!
a while later we were in a nut shop. I got a couple of words of knowledge (for a headache and a wrist problem), but we waited because the two employees were serving other customers in this small shop. I asked my friend to see if the Lord would give him any words of knowledge. a minute later he said, "left ear". I said that I had gotten some different ones but would ask the Lord for confirmation. sure enough I got the same word for a left ear problem and when we asked the 1st employee he said, "no we don't have that problem". I asked if the other employee, an Egyptian muslim man, had that particular problem and to both their surprise, he did. They wanted to know how we knew and so I told him that God has revealed it and wanted to heal him. My friend prayed for the man and I told him it wasn't going to be a problem any more. Then I asked him if he had a wrist problem (one of my original words) and he pointed to his friend who had that problem. we then got to pray for him.
we had a few other encounters with people - one guy was scared when the word of knowledge was accurate and wouldn't let us pray (a Gulf Arab muslim man), and other words we gave weren't right. we left so encouraged though just to have seen God work and reveal things we couldn't know (words of knowledge) and do things we couldn't do (heal people). not a bad day of shopping - btw, I bought some macadamia nuts in the nut shop. they were awesome!!!
a few minutes later as we walked into the mall, another word of knowledge came for a back problem. there were two security guards, both Nepali hindus - a man and a woman. I asked which one of them had the problem. language was a problem so I pointed to the exact spot where the Lord has shown me, and it was for the woman. we prayed for her. don't really know what happened because they didn't understand us well enough to tell us what had happened.
right after that, I ask a Filipino woman employee if she had an arm problem after I thought I had gotten another word - it was a wrong word, but she said she had a foot problem. her foot was bandaged, she had sprained it the day before. I had my son kneel down and pray quickly - she was quite nervous at this point. she said it "felt better". we told her we would follow up with her before we left the mall. as we were leaving, we came back and I this time I asked her manager, an Arab muslim man, if we could help her. I told him we only needed 5 minutes. he said, "take 15 minutes if you need it". she came with us to a place where she could sit down. I got to lay hands on her foot and we prayed once - she felt something happening and then she got up to test it out. It was considerably better. we prayed a 2nd time. this time I felt something happen and when she checked it out, there was no pain. she was completely healed. I encouraged her to give testimony in her Church as to what Jesus did for her!
a while later we were in a nut shop. I got a couple of words of knowledge (for a headache and a wrist problem), but we waited because the two employees were serving other customers in this small shop. I asked my friend to see if the Lord would give him any words of knowledge. a minute later he said, "left ear". I said that I had gotten some different ones but would ask the Lord for confirmation. sure enough I got the same word for a left ear problem and when we asked the 1st employee he said, "no we don't have that problem". I asked if the other employee, an Egyptian muslim man, had that particular problem and to both their surprise, he did. They wanted to know how we knew and so I told him that God has revealed it and wanted to heal him. My friend prayed for the man and I told him it wasn't going to be a problem any more. Then I asked him if he had a wrist problem (one of my original words) and he pointed to his friend who had that problem. we then got to pray for him.
we had a few other encounters with people - one guy was scared when the word of knowledge was accurate and wouldn't let us pray (a Gulf Arab muslim man), and other words we gave weren't right. we left so encouraged though just to have seen God work and reveal things we couldn't know (words of knowledge) and do things we couldn't do (heal people). not a bad day of shopping - btw, I bought some macadamia nuts in the nut shop. they were awesome!!!
May 12, 2009
praying for a muslim friend
this post is really more of a "how to" than a testimony, however its based on hundreds of encounters praying for and with muslims in many different countries.
this week I encouraged a friend to consider praying for a muslim neighbor who was going through a difficult time. the said that the idea was really "scary". i think what makes it so difficult is that we somehow think of how a typical westerner might respond/react if we asked if we could lay hands on them and pray for them. of course, the fact is that most people, even very secular westerners, respond very positively when we pray for them - and many have some encounter that they can't explain.
however, muslims are very different. i can say that in hundreds of situations over many years that I can count on one hand the times that a muslim hasn't greatly appreciated it when we prayed for them. obviously there are cultural sensitivity issues that need to be considered - i.e. women laying hands on women and men laying hands on men for prayer.
Here are some practical things to do/remember:
1) explain what you are going to do - when muslims pray, they are thinking 'ritual'. I simply say that I will put my hand on them and just ask God to come and bless, heal, etc. (whatever the need is)
2) if in public, pray with your eyes open. people are self-conscious and I simply explain that it will look like we are talking. However, when in a private setting, I will often ask my friend to close their eyes and open their hands as if to receive a gift. One of the key things we have learned is that many have actually had a "vision" when we prayed (remember Acts 2 said God will pour out His Spirit on ALL FLESH!)
3) ask the Holy Spirit to come - muslims have not had an encounter with the God of Love - some have had spiritual experiences, but they are generally fear-related. remember how much we have been given - the Holy Spirit lives inside of us and we can ask Him to come and bring His presence.
4) use the Lord's prayer - more often than not, I will use some form or aspects of the Lord's prayer - especially when praying for healing - i.e. "your will be done, in mohammad's lower back as it is in heaven". since I don't have the range of expression in Arabic as I do in English, this is a very helpful, practical way to pray for healing.
5) muslims WILL BE blessed in a way that they have never been blessed before - remember that almost no muslim will have ever received prayer like yours. the way they pray is very formal, often very impersonal. even their 'informal' prayers are largely memorized. in years of workings amongst muslims, I have only come across a handful that talk to God like a friend (and such things would be considered heretical by the islamic establishment)
6) since muslims generally have a worldview that is far closer to the Biblical worldview than the majority of westerners (Christians included), what you are offering isn't something strange to them. whereas it is true that many muslims who live in the west become more and more secular over time, many seem to maintain their supernatural worldview far better than other immigrants. for those who have recently come from a muslim country, they will not think your request strange at all.
7) what if they refuse to let me pray? this can and does happen, but it is usually those who are more influenced by fundamentalist islam that would be this way. in the same way that I would never allow a follower of a false religion to lay hands on me and pray for me (or for my family), I am not put off by those who refuse to let me pray. I understand their concern, but I will usually throw out a few healing testimonies just to really get them to regret what they will be missing out on. that being said, this happens so infrequently that I only mention it to help someone overcome any apprehension they may have if this were to occur.
8) expect that they will have an encounter with God - for years, we focused our praying for muslims on some kind of need for healing. however, what happens if a muslim friend doesn't have a need for healing? we have so much more to offer. we can 'bless' them, their families, their businesses, etc. we can also ask God to let them "feel His love". be sure to ask your friend after you are done praying - "what did you feel while I was praying"? you will be amazed at how often they will have had a 'unexplainable' encounter with the living God. this question is more for you than them! the Kingdom of God is WITHIN you and you have been given AUTHORITY to release it wherever you go.
Here's the bottom line - when a Spirit-filled follower of Christ lays his/her hand on a follower of a false religion and asks God to come and bring His Kingdom, SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN! The Lord is far more interested in reaching your friend than you are - He loves them far more than you do and He is going to do something - it may not always be what we expect, but He will do something!!!
this week I encouraged a friend to consider praying for a muslim neighbor who was going through a difficult time. the said that the idea was really "scary". i think what makes it so difficult is that we somehow think of how a typical westerner might respond/react if we asked if we could lay hands on them and pray for them. of course, the fact is that most people, even very secular westerners, respond very positively when we pray for them - and many have some encounter that they can't explain.
however, muslims are very different. i can say that in hundreds of situations over many years that I can count on one hand the times that a muslim hasn't greatly appreciated it when we prayed for them. obviously there are cultural sensitivity issues that need to be considered - i.e. women laying hands on women and men laying hands on men for prayer.
Here are some practical things to do/remember:
1) explain what you are going to do - when muslims pray, they are thinking 'ritual'. I simply say that I will put my hand on them and just ask God to come and bless, heal, etc. (whatever the need is)
2) if in public, pray with your eyes open. people are self-conscious and I simply explain that it will look like we are talking. However, when in a private setting, I will often ask my friend to close their eyes and open their hands as if to receive a gift. One of the key things we have learned is that many have actually had a "vision" when we prayed (remember Acts 2 said God will pour out His Spirit on ALL FLESH!)
3) ask the Holy Spirit to come - muslims have not had an encounter with the God of Love - some have had spiritual experiences, but they are generally fear-related. remember how much we have been given - the Holy Spirit lives inside of us and we can ask Him to come and bring His presence.
4) use the Lord's prayer - more often than not, I will use some form or aspects of the Lord's prayer - especially when praying for healing - i.e. "your will be done, in mohammad's lower back as it is in heaven". since I don't have the range of expression in Arabic as I do in English, this is a very helpful, practical way to pray for healing.
5) muslims WILL BE blessed in a way that they have never been blessed before - remember that almost no muslim will have ever received prayer like yours. the way they pray is very formal, often very impersonal. even their 'informal' prayers are largely memorized. in years of workings amongst muslims, I have only come across a handful that talk to God like a friend (and such things would be considered heretical by the islamic establishment)
6) since muslims generally have a worldview that is far closer to the Biblical worldview than the majority of westerners (Christians included), what you are offering isn't something strange to them. whereas it is true that many muslims who live in the west become more and more secular over time, many seem to maintain their supernatural worldview far better than other immigrants. for those who have recently come from a muslim country, they will not think your request strange at all.
7) what if they refuse to let me pray? this can and does happen, but it is usually those who are more influenced by fundamentalist islam that would be this way. in the same way that I would never allow a follower of a false religion to lay hands on me and pray for me (or for my family), I am not put off by those who refuse to let me pray. I understand their concern, but I will usually throw out a few healing testimonies just to really get them to regret what they will be missing out on. that being said, this happens so infrequently that I only mention it to help someone overcome any apprehension they may have if this were to occur.
8) expect that they will have an encounter with God - for years, we focused our praying for muslims on some kind of need for healing. however, what happens if a muslim friend doesn't have a need for healing? we have so much more to offer. we can 'bless' them, their families, their businesses, etc. we can also ask God to let them "feel His love". be sure to ask your friend after you are done praying - "what did you feel while I was praying"? you will be amazed at how often they will have had a 'unexplainable' encounter with the living God. this question is more for you than them! the Kingdom of God is WITHIN you and you have been given AUTHORITY to release it wherever you go.
Here's the bottom line - when a Spirit-filled follower of Christ lays his/her hand on a follower of a false religion and asks God to come and bring His Kingdom, SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN! The Lord is far more interested in reaching your friend than you are - He loves them far more than you do and He is going to do something - it may not always be what we expect, but He will do something!!!
May 08, 2009
healing a 4 year wrist problem
while at Church this morning, the Lord gave me a word of knowledge for a wrist problem. I wrote it down and even wrote the date next to it. During the sermon, the pastor had asked anybody who wanted to talk about healing to see my wife and I after the service. So afterwards we had the chance to talk with and pray for several people who needed healing.
After such a dismal night of missing words of knowledge, it was so encouraging when a father and mother brought their teenage daughter for prayer who had a WRIST PROBLEM. The word of knowledge was right!! I told you that if you swing the bat, you will eventually get hits! Before I prayed, I pulled out my notebook and to their shock, I showed them what I had written down just about an hour earlier. Needless to say, we all had incredible faith. We prayed and ALL THE PAIN left her wrist. She was shocked. So were her parents. They tested it out really well and it was completely sound and pain-free. There was still a clicking sound when she moved it. I said, "I don't have clear Biblical support for this, but I don't believe there are any 'clicking wrists' in God's Kingdom. So we prayed again. Guess what? We were right. The clicking stopped when the Kingdom came! (who knew?)
The father next asked for prayer for gradual hearing loss that he was experiencing. I had the daughter lay her hands on his ear (I laid my hand on the other one) and she prayed (I told her to just ask God to bring/release His peace). We felt the Holy Spirit come powerfully and he will let us know in the next few days what happens. He needed to test it out in some of the contexts where he could notice his hearing going.
This was just a great Church service - it always is when the Kingdom comes!!!
After such a dismal night of missing words of knowledge, it was so encouraging when a father and mother brought their teenage daughter for prayer who had a WRIST PROBLEM. The word of knowledge was right!! I told you that if you swing the bat, you will eventually get hits! Before I prayed, I pulled out my notebook and to their shock, I showed them what I had written down just about an hour earlier. Needless to say, we all had incredible faith. We prayed and ALL THE PAIN left her wrist. She was shocked. So were her parents. They tested it out really well and it was completely sound and pain-free. There was still a clicking sound when she moved it. I said, "I don't have clear Biblical support for this, but I don't believe there are any 'clicking wrists' in God's Kingdom. So we prayed again. Guess what? We were right. The clicking stopped when the Kingdom came! (who knew?)
The father next asked for prayer for gradual hearing loss that he was experiencing. I had the daughter lay her hands on his ear (I laid my hand on the other one) and she prayed (I told her to just ask God to bring/release His peace). We felt the Holy Spirit come powerfully and he will let us know in the next few days what happens. He needed to test it out in some of the contexts where he could notice his hearing going.
This was just a great Church service - it always is when the Kingdom comes!!!
praying for Gulf Arab muslim WITHOUT ASKING
sometimes we have to be creative in how we pray for people, especially in public places. I try to approach as many people as I can who I see in wheel chairs. It isn't always possible to get a chance to pray at that time, but at least we can offer to pray and give them our phone numbers. In all honesty, I haven't see very many healings of people in wheel chairs (a few over the last 5 years) but if we don't keep praying, we will never see the breakthroughs.
last night while in the mall, I saw a group of young men, and one of them was in a wheel chair. they were headed into a sporting goods store and so I followed them in. I casually asked the guy in the chair (first in English) what had happened, and asked if it was a car accident. It was (as it usually is in this country). He didn't speak much English and so I switched into Arabic and asked a few more questions. Then I walked away from them.
About 5 minutes later, I walked up again and started to ask a few more detailed questions - did he have metal pins in the leg? etc. He showed me the scars. I asked if there was still any pain associated. There was. At this point, they must have thought I was a doctor. I just put man hand on the area where he pointed to there being pain and just began to pray without even asking. It was just a natural prayer flowing right out of our conversation.
Afterwards, he asked, "are you a muslim?" I said, "no, I am a Christian". I just blessed him again and declared that he would not only walk again, but run! Didn't know I would begin prophesying too! I turned to his friends and said, "Doctors can do alot, but he needs a miracle"! They both agreed and I said goodbye and left.
Funny thing was, another group that was with us approached these same guys a while later and prayed for him again. Not only had this guy NEVER received prayer before in his life from Christians, but then he did TWICE in about a 15 minute period.
How sad that we Christians, who've been given AUTHORITY and have been COMMANDED to pray for the sick, for the most part do not do it!!! Wake us up Lord - show us the Kingdom!
last night while in the mall, I saw a group of young men, and one of them was in a wheel chair. they were headed into a sporting goods store and so I followed them in. I casually asked the guy in the chair (first in English) what had happened, and asked if it was a car accident. It was (as it usually is in this country). He didn't speak much English and so I switched into Arabic and asked a few more questions. Then I walked away from them.
About 5 minutes later, I walked up again and started to ask a few more detailed questions - did he have metal pins in the leg? etc. He showed me the scars. I asked if there was still any pain associated. There was. At this point, they must have thought I was a doctor. I just put man hand on the area where he pointed to there being pain and just began to pray without even asking. It was just a natural prayer flowing right out of our conversation.
Afterwards, he asked, "are you a muslim?" I said, "no, I am a Christian". I just blessed him again and declared that he would not only walk again, but run! Didn't know I would begin prophesying too! I turned to his friends and said, "Doctors can do alot, but he needs a miracle"! They both agreed and I said goodbye and left.
Funny thing was, another group that was with us approached these same guys a while later and prayed for him again. Not only had this guy NEVER received prayer before in his life from Christians, but then he did TWICE in about a 15 minute period.
How sad that we Christians, who've been given AUTHORITY and have been COMMANDED to pray for the sick, for the most part do not do it!!! Wake us up Lord - show us the Kingdom!
praying for people in a mall in a muslim country
last night we headed out with a group of people to see God's miraculous Kingdom break out in a popular mall. i can't say that the words of knowledge were coming very accurately - I think I got about 5 wrong words before getting one right. Desert Princess was gracious in approaching people to discover that I had missed it again. Finally, we were in a watch shop and I got a clear word for a problem in the upper left leg. I thought for sure it was for the muslim woman standing next to us watch shopping. Desert Princess checked it out to discover I had missed it again! (gotta be honest). I then asked the shop manager, a muslim man from Syria, and sure enough the word of knowledge was for him! (the truth is, if we keep swinging the bat, we eventually will get a hit!). I prayed for him and ALL the pain left his leg. The other employee in the shop was a Christian. Instead of answering his questions, I told him that his co-worker would tell him all about what had happened to him and who it was that had touched his leg - nothing like facilitating a new discipleship relationship!
We did get the chance to pray for several others - and other groups got to see other healings. It's amazing what you can get away with in public in a muslim country - what's your excuse if you're not praying for people in public??
We did get the chance to pray for several others - and other groups got to see other healings. It's amazing what you can get away with in public in a muslim country - what's your excuse if you're not praying for people in public??
healings break out in a restaurant
while out to lunch yesterday, I got a word of knowledge for a woman with a stomach problem. I asked our server if it was for her (it wasn't) and asked if she would check with the other staff. I asked her to feel free to check with her manager first. A few minutes later the manager has come up to ask what we wanted/needed. We explained to her about the way God speaks and she asked for prayer. She sat down and my wife began to pray for her. After that she brought another employee, who needed prayer for a foot problem. She was healed. Next she brought a one of the men who works for her to receive prayer. He wanted prayer for his mother (which we prayed for), but the Lord gave me another word of knowledge about a shoulder/arm problem he was having. He had that specific problem. We prayed and the Lord healed him. Finally, the manager brought another employee and she was the one with the stomach problem (the original word of knowledge). She also had a foot problem that she wanted prayer for. We prayed for her stomach and the Lord took away all the pain. When Desert Princess asked if she could pray now for the foot, she replied, "oh it is already healed". We didn't even have to pray for it.
Talk about a GREAT lunch. We should eat out more often.
Talk about a GREAT lunch. We should eat out more often.
May 06, 2009
doctor says "your baby will die today", Jesus says something else!!!
we were asked to come and minister to a woman who personally is fighting for her own life as she battles cancer and also for the life of her prematurely born daughter who is still in the intensive care unit. the timing of our visit was incredible. even as we are finishing a time of ministering healing prayer for the cancer, the phone rings and the woman is being summoned to the hospital because the words of the doctor were that "your baby will die today". Desert Princess and her friend made arrangements to go to the hospital with the woman and all the while we are declaring "your baby will LIVE and NOT DIE". They went and had the chance to pray for a long time for the baby in the hospital.
needless to say, it has been a week now and the baby is still alive!
So often people hear the pronouncement of a doctor and they treat it like it is a prophetic word from the Lord. I have seen this so many times. At a time when God would have us fight, would have us contend in prayer for a victory, Christians practically have a person in grave because a doctor has made a pronouncement. We MUST agree with heaven - when God says somebody will die, then we can change gears - but until that time, the Divine Command remains unchanged - "heal the sick" (Matt. 10).
needless to say, it has been a week now and the baby is still alive!
So often people hear the pronouncement of a doctor and they treat it like it is a prophetic word from the Lord. I have seen this so many times. At a time when God would have us fight, would have us contend in prayer for a victory, Christians practically have a person in grave because a doctor has made a pronouncement. We MUST agree with heaven - when God says somebody will die, then we can change gears - but until that time, the Divine Command remains unchanged - "heal the sick" (Matt. 10).
"drive-by" word of knowledge for Gulf Arab muslim woman
you've heard of "drive-by" shootings but what about "drive-by" words of knowledge? you are walking past a stranger and then God releases a word of knowledge for a person. It is the easiest of course when it is a single person walking by you (instead of a group) and this is what happened the other day.
we were walking in a mall with some friends and a fully-veiled muslim woman walks past us and a clear word of knowledge comes to me about a problem in the left arm.
I tell my wife and see if she wants to follow-it up (note: I get a lot of these words of knowledge wrong and so I ask her nicely to see if she wants to take the risk to see if I might have gotten it right)
The woman was walking pretty quickly and Desert Princess caught up with her in a shop. Tells her the situation and she asks this golden question, "Did you come after me and follow me all the way into this shop to tell me that God wants to heal me"? Of course the answer was yes, and she did have the problem that the Lord revealed in the word of knowledge (yes, I finally got one right!!!)
While they are talking, a Sudanese muslim woman just jumps into the conversation and asks Desert Princess, "Can you heal anything"? (that was after she assured her that she wasn't a doctor!) My wife got to pray for this woman - however, she said the pain only came at night and so she'd have to wait and see what had happened. As for the other woman, she took Desert Princess' number and said she'd call to arrange a time for healing prayer.
We just have to use these "tools God has given to express God's love" (Jack Deere's definition of the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit) and doors will open, EVEN AMONGST muslims!
we were walking in a mall with some friends and a fully-veiled muslim woman walks past us and a clear word of knowledge comes to me about a problem in the left arm.
I tell my wife and see if she wants to follow-it up (note: I get a lot of these words of knowledge wrong and so I ask her nicely to see if she wants to take the risk to see if I might have gotten it right)
The woman was walking pretty quickly and Desert Princess caught up with her in a shop. Tells her the situation and she asks this golden question, "Did you come after me and follow me all the way into this shop to tell me that God wants to heal me"? Of course the answer was yes, and she did have the problem that the Lord revealed in the word of knowledge (yes, I finally got one right!!!)
While they are talking, a Sudanese muslim woman just jumps into the conversation and asks Desert Princess, "Can you heal anything"? (that was after she assured her that she wasn't a doctor!) My wife got to pray for this woman - however, she said the pain only came at night and so she'd have to wait and see what had happened. As for the other woman, she took Desert Princess' number and said she'd call to arrange a time for healing prayer.
We just have to use these "tools God has given to express God's love" (Jack Deere's definition of the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit) and doors will open, EVEN AMONGST muslims!
May 03, 2009
freedom from demonic oppression
a friend of ours has suffered from seizures for years. there is no medical explanation and they are sure it is a purely demonic affliction. the gift of the discerning of spirits is so important in these days. we have to know what we are dealing with - be it when we are praying for the sick, counseling someone, etc. if it was so simple to discern what is and isn't demonic, then why in the world would the Lord have given His Church this gift.
we set up an appointment to pray and he and his wife came over. since we had prayed before, I wasn't sure what to expect - especially as well because we were having a truly apostolic visitor who I knew we would have pray for him a few days later (which happened last night). However, the Lord showed up and began to give us revelation. I sensed the seizures had their root in a demonic affliction from the "python spirit" (Acts 16:16-19). I had a word of knowledge (or was it the operation of the discerning of spirits?) about something wrapped around the lower spine. My wife also had the same sense. We began to pray and rather than pray for healing, we focused on deliverance prayer. Something began to loosen and leave his body. It moved down his leg and ultimately out of his leg and foot. (why? who knows. that is just how it happened)
This seems to be something that he is being delivered from in stages as a slight seizure was suffered a couple of days later, BUT it was less severe and wasn't accompanied by some of the symptoms that normally accompany them. We prayed again last night.
You know, critics of deliverance ministry point to the way Jesus was able to "heal them with a word" - why do we sometimes see people set free in stages? these same critics would also be the ones who argue that growth in the Christian life comes slowly and gradually as we walk with Christ and practice the Christian disciplines. No argument there. Of course, we long to reach that place in ministry where we too can minister with the same kind of authority and power that Christ had. That's our goal - pray we keep moving in that direction. Until then, we'll take freedom and deliverance however it comes!!!
we set up an appointment to pray and he and his wife came over. since we had prayed before, I wasn't sure what to expect - especially as well because we were having a truly apostolic visitor who I knew we would have pray for him a few days later (which happened last night). However, the Lord showed up and began to give us revelation. I sensed the seizures had their root in a demonic affliction from the "python spirit" (Acts 16:16-19). I had a word of knowledge (or was it the operation of the discerning of spirits?) about something wrapped around the lower spine. My wife also had the same sense. We began to pray and rather than pray for healing, we focused on deliverance prayer. Something began to loosen and leave his body. It moved down his leg and ultimately out of his leg and foot. (why? who knows. that is just how it happened)
This seems to be something that he is being delivered from in stages as a slight seizure was suffered a couple of days later, BUT it was less severe and wasn't accompanied by some of the symptoms that normally accompany them. We prayed again last night.
You know, critics of deliverance ministry point to the way Jesus was able to "heal them with a word" - why do we sometimes see people set free in stages? these same critics would also be the ones who argue that growth in the Christian life comes slowly and gradually as we walk with Christ and practice the Christian disciplines. No argument there. Of course, we long to reach that place in ministry where we too can minister with the same kind of authority and power that Christ had. That's our goal - pray we keep moving in that direction. Until then, we'll take freedom and deliverance however it comes!!!
April 25, 2009
Kingdom comes in Romanian family
yesterday we met with a couple from Romania who had asked for healing prayer. the husband is suffering from kidney failure and the Lord began to touch him as we prayed. as we were praying, the Lord indicated through a word of knowledge that He was working in the left kidney - when we asked, the man confirmed that "it feels really cold right now". this sensation continued throughout our time of prayer. also while praying, I got a distinct word for his left knee. when I asked about it, he said that it was a problem knee - we prayed.
after praying for him, the wife asked for prayer as well - her back was hurting her so badly she could barely move - that was until the Great Physician showed up and took away the pain and restored her mobility. we prayed for her back about 3x, and at the end it was just about back to normal. the Lord also gave a word of knowledge about her left wrist, which turned out to be problematic (carpal tunnel?) - we prayed for that. finally, we prayed for a serious circulation problem in her legs and the Lord began to touch that as well.
all in all, we will need to wait and see what has happened after some more diagnostic tests, especially with the kidneys but God's Kingdom broke into this family yesterday. we were able to really teach them how to ask the Lord directly for their healing - we modeled it and then gave them some practical tools to use. they had a faith in Christ, but their relationship with God didn't seem intimate. we encouraged them to walk with God as a friend.
after praying for him, the wife asked for prayer as well - her back was hurting her so badly she could barely move - that was until the Great Physician showed up and took away the pain and restored her mobility. we prayed for her back about 3x, and at the end it was just about back to normal. the Lord also gave a word of knowledge about her left wrist, which turned out to be problematic (carpal tunnel?) - we prayed for that. finally, we prayed for a serious circulation problem in her legs and the Lord began to touch that as well.
all in all, we will need to wait and see what has happened after some more diagnostic tests, especially with the kidneys but God's Kingdom broke into this family yesterday. we were able to really teach them how to ask the Lord directly for their healing - we modeled it and then gave them some practical tools to use. they had a faith in Christ, but their relationship with God didn't seem intimate. we encouraged them to walk with God as a friend.
April 17, 2009
God visits Omani muslim in 1940's
As relayed by missionary doctor in a 1943 Mission Journal:
An Arab judge (an Omani muslim) who was being healed for a huge leg ulcer had a remarkable dream which considerably affected his life. The ulcer had baffled us for quite a long time. It was surrounded by an area of eczema which seemed to get worse no matter what we did for it. One evening I decided to try painting the edematous area with a triple dye solution and applying a paste of sulphonamide and zinc oxide mixed with shark liver oil to the ulcer area. The next morning when I came to treat his ulcer with this combination of drugs he told me that he had had a vision that night. He said: 'Last night I was worried about my leg. I was afraid that it would not heal, and I could not sleep well because of the burning and itching. The I saw a person in shining clothes come to me and tell me not to worry. He said that the doctor would bring some dark lotion and white ointment and apply them to my leg and it would heal. He spoke to me so kindly that I knew it must be Jesus the Christ who spoke to me. He left me and I felt sure that I would get well, so I fell into a deep and restful sleep. I am sure that this medicine that you have brought will heal my leg'. The remarkable thing is that the leg healed completely in a very short time. Before he left the hospital, he read all the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, and took them with him, back to his home in the mountains. The man's enthusiasm was an inspiration to us all.
A few of my observations
1. There is no contradiction between the use of medicine and the miraculous - this testimony honors BOTH.
2. Jesus appeared in "shining clothes" - this has been the testimony of nearly every muslim who has seen Jesus
3. The muslim man 'knew' it had to be Jesus because of His kindness - not something islam or their prophet was/is known for
4. The dream (or vision) foretold what would happen the next morning - absolutely proving its genuineness
5. The missionary doctor was most amazed with the leg healing (not the man's visitation)
6. The 'fruit' in the muslim man's life was a hunger to read God's Word - clearly not something satan would have done
An Arab judge (an Omani muslim) who was being healed for a huge leg ulcer had a remarkable dream which considerably affected his life. The ulcer had baffled us for quite a long time. It was surrounded by an area of eczema which seemed to get worse no matter what we did for it. One evening I decided to try painting the edematous area with a triple dye solution and applying a paste of sulphonamide and zinc oxide mixed with shark liver oil to the ulcer area. The next morning when I came to treat his ulcer with this combination of drugs he told me that he had had a vision that night. He said: 'Last night I was worried about my leg. I was afraid that it would not heal, and I could not sleep well because of the burning and itching. The I saw a person in shining clothes come to me and tell me not to worry. He said that the doctor would bring some dark lotion and white ointment and apply them to my leg and it would heal. He spoke to me so kindly that I knew it must be Jesus the Christ who spoke to me. He left me and I felt sure that I would get well, so I fell into a deep and restful sleep. I am sure that this medicine that you have brought will heal my leg'. The remarkable thing is that the leg healed completely in a very short time. Before he left the hospital, he read all the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, and took them with him, back to his home in the mountains. The man's enthusiasm was an inspiration to us all.
A few of my observations
1. There is no contradiction between the use of medicine and the miraculous - this testimony honors BOTH.
2. Jesus appeared in "shining clothes" - this has been the testimony of nearly every muslim who has seen Jesus
3. The muslim man 'knew' it had to be Jesus because of His kindness - not something islam or their prophet was/is known for
4. The dream (or vision) foretold what would happen the next morning - absolutely proving its genuineness
5. The missionary doctor was most amazed with the leg healing (not the man's visitation)
6. The 'fruit' in the muslim man's life was a hunger to read God's Word - clearly not something satan would have done
April 13, 2009
when unbelievers “taste and see” that the Lord is good
It is always our prayer that unbelievers will join us when we gather – last night we had both a muslim man and an American involved in the occult. The Lord began to reveal things prophetically about both of them. At one point, the American was crying as we were worshipping. The fact is there is nothing on the planet that compares to the manifested presence of the Living God – it was amazing to see the way Jesus touched both of our visitors. The Kingdom of God is NOT a matter of words, but of power – both of them saw a number of healings, and also received healing themselves! Both will be coming back for more.
words of knowledge and healings in house meeting
last night during worship the Lord began to release many words of knowledge for healing. Words for a headache, back problems, a right knee problem, stomach conditions, a right foot problem, a shoulder problem and neck pain. Many of the words were confirmed as two people would get the same word of knowledge at the same time. Of course the best way for words of knowledge to be confirmed is for people to step forward and receive healing – we saw a number of the above conditions healed as we laid hands on people. One Arab Christian, who used to be a muslim, came forward for 3 of the words of knowledge. He says he normally doesn’t come forward for ministry but when the Lord reveals three of your conditions all at once, it’s like He’s calling your name. Jesus brought healing to this brother.
pakistani muslim man has "visions"
A Pakistani muslim man who came for healing prayer last week, contacted me yesterday. He told me that he had had a couple of “visions” during the week. I asked him to come over and tell us about what had been happening. He joined us for an extended time of worship and then shared that whereas he had been having visions of his death previously, he had had a couple this past week that spoke of hope and life. The Lord also gave us several words of knowledge – one for headaches in a certain part of the head and also for a back problem in specific location. He stepped forward for prayer for both of those. I don’t remember what happened to the headache, but his back condition was healed. Powerfully, 3 former muslims were also with us last night who testified to the way that Jesus had changed their lives. May this have had a powerful influence on our Pakistani muslim friend – who indicated he’d be back next week for more ministry!!
April 11, 2009
is healing in the atonement?
For some this may be a bit of technical theological question, but it has been a question that has divided many Christians. No Christian disputes the fact that Jesus' atoning work provided for the forgiveness of sin for all who put their faith in Him, but did his suffering (his whippings, beatings and death) also provide for our physical healing?
On a day when Jesus healed ALL who were sick, and cast out demons with a word (Matt. 8:16), Matthew quotes Isaiah 53 to explain what happened on that day - "He (Jesus) Himself took our infirmities AND bore our sicknesses".
This passage has been neglected and others have attempted to explain it away limiting its fulfillment and application only for those healed on that particular day. However, the Isaiah 53 passage cannot be applied partially when it comes to the physical healing aspects and then applied generally when it comes to the forgiveness of sins. This is poor Biblical hermeneutics.
The bottom line remains the same - the reason theologians and commentators try to minimize the importance of this passage has nothing to do with the obscurity of its meaning. Matthew couldn't have spoken more clearly. The reason this passage isn't preached on is because of the EXPERIENCE of those who don't believe that physical healing is provided for in atonement. They haven't seen healing, it isn't a part of their ministry and so they brush over the passage.
However, when people realize that our sicknesses and diseases are also things that Christ provided for in His atoning work, miracles of healing begin to follow their lives. I know this was the case in our own lives and ministry. I initially got a vision for healing but didn't yet embrace it as being part of the atonement. I figured God's love and compassion was basis enough. Something changes however when we realize that healing was something that Christ personally paid for - and there is something that rises up inside of us that says, "He should get all that He paid for"!!
Healing is in fact in the atonement - our infirmities were TAKEN and our sicknesses BORNE by Christ!
On a day when Jesus healed ALL who were sick, and cast out demons with a word (Matt. 8:16), Matthew quotes Isaiah 53 to explain what happened on that day - "He (Jesus) Himself took our infirmities AND bore our sicknesses".
This passage has been neglected and others have attempted to explain it away limiting its fulfillment and application only for those healed on that particular day. However, the Isaiah 53 passage cannot be applied partially when it comes to the physical healing aspects and then applied generally when it comes to the forgiveness of sins. This is poor Biblical hermeneutics.
The bottom line remains the same - the reason theologians and commentators try to minimize the importance of this passage has nothing to do with the obscurity of its meaning. Matthew couldn't have spoken more clearly. The reason this passage isn't preached on is because of the EXPERIENCE of those who don't believe that physical healing is provided for in atonement. They haven't seen healing, it isn't a part of their ministry and so they brush over the passage.
However, when people realize that our sicknesses and diseases are also things that Christ provided for in His atoning work, miracles of healing begin to follow their lives. I know this was the case in our own lives and ministry. I initially got a vision for healing but didn't yet embrace it as being part of the atonement. I figured God's love and compassion was basis enough. Something changes however when we realize that healing was something that Christ personally paid for - and there is something that rises up inside of us that says, "He should get all that He paid for"!!
Healing is in fact in the atonement - our infirmities were TAKEN and our sicknesses BORNE by Christ!
April 04, 2009
muslim man with a cane
Sometimes we DO NOT see the results we are praying for. I am sharing this story to illustrate the fact that things don't always go the way we would like.
I approached a Gulf Arab muslim man today with a cane. I asked him about what the problem was and it he explained he had a rare infection in his heal that caused tremendous pain.
I shared the testimony of another Gulf Arab man who had a similar situation - extreme pain in his foot (related to a tumor, not an infection). I told him how I had prayed and that God had taken away all the pain.
He asked if I did "black magic"? I assured him that I was asking God to bring healing. I had already explained that I was a Christian but they often ask.
I put my hand on his foot and while praying I felt there was something happening. I asked him how it was - if the pain was any less, or if he had felt anything. Nothing he said and went on his way.
With all the healings we are seeing and sharing about, sometimes it is important to also write about the situations where nothing seems to happen.
I approached a Gulf Arab muslim man today with a cane. I asked him about what the problem was and it he explained he had a rare infection in his heal that caused tremendous pain.
I shared the testimony of another Gulf Arab man who had a similar situation - extreme pain in his foot (related to a tumor, not an infection). I told him how I had prayed and that God had taken away all the pain.
He asked if I did "black magic"? I assured him that I was asking God to bring healing. I had already explained that I was a Christian but they often ask.
I put my hand on his foot and while praying I felt there was something happening. I asked him how it was - if the pain was any less, or if he had felt anything. Nothing he said and went on his way.
With all the healings we are seeing and sharing about, sometimes it is important to also write about the situations where nothing seems to happen.
March 30, 2009
thoughts about Baptism in the Spirit
this past week Acts 19:1-7 caught my attention again. It is considered to be a controversial passage because of an argument between an Evangelical and Charismatic interpretation about what kind of "disciples" these guys were - were they not-yet-saved as the Evangelicals contend, or followers of Christ as the Charismatics would argue? Since Luke ONLY uses the term "disciple" to describe Christians (every other time he uses that term), I believe the Charismatic interpretation to be the stronger one. (this whole debate continues because Paul and Luke use the term Baptism in the Holy Spirit in different ways and the problem comes because certain scholars have sought to read Luke through the lens of Paul's writings). In short, Paul uses the term Baptism in the Spirit to refer to the Holy Spirit's work in salvation, whereas Luke uses the term to refer to the Holy Spirit's work in empowering us for service.
With that background, the Acts 19 passage caught my attention for a different reason altogether. These "disciples" have an encounter with the Holy Spirit when Paul lays hands upon them - they spoke in tongues and they prophesied. Charismatics and Pentecostals have emphasized this "secondary" encounter with the Holy Spirit - but in many ways, I think they have been emphasizing the wrong thing. For far too long, the speaking in tongues aspect has been the focus. I don't know about you, but I have had my share of encounters (both personally, and that I have witnessed) where someone tried to get me to speak in tongues (that was before I actually did speak in tongues, as I do now).
I find it interesting that NO ONE in all those experiences ever laid their hands upon me with the expectation that I would prophesy - i.e. see a vision or have dreams (which is what Joel's prophecy in Acts 2 refers to). No one seemed to have that as their expectation and yet, that aspect of Spirit Baptism, namely the release of the prophetic gifts, is in fact the Biblically prophesied and expected fruit. Joel's prophecy said nothing about speaking in tongues - have you ever noticed that? Not that the speaking in tongues on the day of Pentecost (and/or in Acts 19) wasn't what God wanted to release/impart to them - don't hear what I'm not saying. Tongues is important and I want to honor all the gifts. However, we need to put the emphasis on the "greater gifts" - which Paul clearly teaches prophecy to be the gift we pursue the most (1 Cor. 14) - it is the gift we are to "especially pursue".
That all being said, I have personally lowered my expectations when it comes to the prophetic gifts - especially the "seer" prophetic gifts. I too have fallen into a bit of a trap where I think 'the seer prophetic people get "to see", and the rest of us probably won't "see" very often". That isn't what happened to the those "disciples" in Acts 19 - they got to step right into the prophetic "seer" realm - and the important part of this blog posting is that "WE DO TOO".
So what happened after I "saw" this in the text? - two prophetic dreams back-to-back. So much for not "seeing". More Lord - we pray for more!!!!
With that background, the Acts 19 passage caught my attention for a different reason altogether. These "disciples" have an encounter with the Holy Spirit when Paul lays hands upon them - they spoke in tongues and they prophesied. Charismatics and Pentecostals have emphasized this "secondary" encounter with the Holy Spirit - but in many ways, I think they have been emphasizing the wrong thing. For far too long, the speaking in tongues aspect has been the focus. I don't know about you, but I have had my share of encounters (both personally, and that I have witnessed) where someone tried to get me to speak in tongues (that was before I actually did speak in tongues, as I do now).
I find it interesting that NO ONE in all those experiences ever laid their hands upon me with the expectation that I would prophesy - i.e. see a vision or have dreams (which is what Joel's prophecy in Acts 2 refers to). No one seemed to have that as their expectation and yet, that aspect of Spirit Baptism, namely the release of the prophetic gifts, is in fact the Biblically prophesied and expected fruit. Joel's prophecy said nothing about speaking in tongues - have you ever noticed that? Not that the speaking in tongues on the day of Pentecost (and/or in Acts 19) wasn't what God wanted to release/impart to them - don't hear what I'm not saying. Tongues is important and I want to honor all the gifts. However, we need to put the emphasis on the "greater gifts" - which Paul clearly teaches prophecy to be the gift we pursue the most (1 Cor. 14) - it is the gift we are to "especially pursue".
That all being said, I have personally lowered my expectations when it comes to the prophetic gifts - especially the "seer" prophetic gifts. I too have fallen into a bit of a trap where I think 'the seer prophetic people get "to see", and the rest of us probably won't "see" very often". That isn't what happened to the those "disciples" in Acts 19 - they got to step right into the prophetic "seer" realm - and the important part of this blog posting is that "WE DO TOO".
So what happened after I "saw" this in the text? - two prophetic dreams back-to-back. So much for not "seeing". More Lord - we pray for more!!!!
March 27, 2009
God doesn't disappoint when we want to "spill" (part 2)
continued - I had gotten a word of knowledge for this couple standing next to me in line (to get food) and who were now sitting at a table near us. The others who were with us were a bit discouraged about the lack of what they had seen happen (they had gotten a number of accurate words of knowledge for people, but no one would let them pray for them).
I asked the others, "who wants to follow up a word I got for those over there sitting at that table"? Two of them jumped up wanting to go for it. (when people get hooked on "power spilling" they get hooked!!!). The word of knowledge had been for a spiritual problem wherein one of them had been (or was being) attacked by demonic forces. They went to check it out and sure enough it wasn't just for one of them - but for two of the 3 at the table (another had joined the couple) and also for one of the girl's sisters' who lived in Lebanon.
I went over at one point to meet the man who was there and got another word of knowledge for him - a Gulf Arab muslim guy. The other girl was a N. African muslim and the 3rd was a Lebanese Armenian Christian woman. The muslims were intrigued with the revelation and the prospect of healing - the man arranged for one of the women with us to go and pray for his muslim mother who needs healing. The N. African muslim woman wants to come to a meeting to "encounter God".
Finally, the Orthodox Christian woman probably had the most remarkable encounter. While I was sitting talking to them, I got the word "St. Teresa". I asked if that meant something to her. With a shocked look, she said that she and her sister had gone several years before to some sort of shrine for St. Teresa, but instead of going to pray and seek God like others who were there, they were there mocking the beliefs of others. They took all these pictures, but of none of the religiously significant things. When they got their film developed, it had all come back BLANK. She and her sister both felt it was a sign from God in which He was indicating His displeasure with their posture that day. Then here she is 2 years later getting the name "St. Teresa" from a complete stranger. She knew God was again trying to get her attention. After her muslim friends left, she comes over to us to ask if God could heal her sister who had been under the care of a psychiatrist for more than 10 years. I said we'd arrange to have someone go and minister to her in Lebanon. She was the one who was being tormented by the evil spirits (the original word of knowledge).
God just doesn't disappoint when we want to "spill" in His Name!!!!
I asked the others, "who wants to follow up a word I got for those over there sitting at that table"? Two of them jumped up wanting to go for it. (when people get hooked on "power spilling" they get hooked!!!). The word of knowledge had been for a spiritual problem wherein one of them had been (or was being) attacked by demonic forces. They went to check it out and sure enough it wasn't just for one of them - but for two of the 3 at the table (another had joined the couple) and also for one of the girl's sisters' who lived in Lebanon.
I went over at one point to meet the man who was there and got another word of knowledge for him - a Gulf Arab muslim guy. The other girl was a N. African muslim and the 3rd was a Lebanese Armenian Christian woman. The muslims were intrigued with the revelation and the prospect of healing - the man arranged for one of the women with us to go and pray for his muslim mother who needs healing. The N. African muslim woman wants to come to a meeting to "encounter God".
Finally, the Orthodox Christian woman probably had the most remarkable encounter. While I was sitting talking to them, I got the word "St. Teresa". I asked if that meant something to her. With a shocked look, she said that she and her sister had gone several years before to some sort of shrine for St. Teresa, but instead of going to pray and seek God like others who were there, they were there mocking the beliefs of others. They took all these pictures, but of none of the religiously significant things. When they got their film developed, it had all come back BLANK. She and her sister both felt it was a sign from God in which He was indicating His displeasure with their posture that day. Then here she is 2 years later getting the name "St. Teresa" from a complete stranger. She knew God was again trying to get her attention. After her muslim friends left, she comes over to us to ask if God could heal her sister who had been under the care of a psychiatrist for more than 10 years. I said we'd arrange to have someone go and minister to her in Lebanon. She was the one who was being tormented by the evil spirits (the original word of knowledge).
God just doesn't disappoint when we want to "spill" in His Name!!!!
God doesn't disappoint when we want to "spill" (part 1)
A few days ago a group of us headed out together wanting to "spill" His Kingdom on people. It was a bit of a slow start - however, a Gulf Arab muslim with MS let us lay hands on him and pray. He wanted to debate a bit about islam vs. Christianity at one point, but I deflected that and said, "let's see what happens with your condition in the wake of this prayer and THEN we'll talk". Jesus said that if He didn't do the Father's works, people were free not to believe His words. (Jn 10:37 - see for yourselves)
A while later I got a word of knowledge for a knee problem - asked the only 2 people in one shop who had the problem. One woman did - my son laid hands on her and God healed her knee (she wanted to know where we went to Church, so she could attend). That's the kind of response we always want to see in the wake of a healing!
In the next shop we went into, the Lord gave me a word of knowledge for this muslim man's back. He let us pray. He said it felt better after prayer.
All in all, we felt things were going really slow (which was even more the case for the other two groups). As we regathered in a food court, I explained that we don't go home discouraged because God always breaks in - even at the last minute. I had gotten one final word of knowledge for a couple sitting near us and what happened next....? (see next blog post)
A while later I got a word of knowledge for a knee problem - asked the only 2 people in one shop who had the problem. One woman did - my son laid hands on her and God healed her knee (she wanted to know where we went to Church, so she could attend). That's the kind of response we always want to see in the wake of a healing!
In the next shop we went into, the Lord gave me a word of knowledge for this muslim man's back. He let us pray. He said it felt better after prayer.
All in all, we felt things were going really slow (which was even more the case for the other two groups). As we regathered in a food court, I explained that we don't go home discouraged because God always breaks in - even at the last minute. I had gotten one final word of knowledge for a couple sitting near us and what happened next....? (see next blog post)
March 18, 2009
when the whole room's been healed - all muslims!
the other night I was visiting a Gulf Arab muslim friend who had been touched through healing prayer. He had had a major surgery and was in excruciating pain. After we prayed for him, the pain just left. His brother had also been healed when we prayed for him. A family friend (another Gulf Arab muslim) had also been healed after we prayed for him. So we are sitting there and I learn that the brother's girlfriend (a Gulf Arab muslim too) had been in a bad car accident and had had surgery on her knee. I asked how it was and she said it was painful when she did certain things.
I asked her to come sit in the chair next to mine as I wanted to pray for her. At that moment, ALL THREE GUYS BEGAN TESTIFYING how God had healed them when we had prayed for them. Talk about a cheering section!!! Anyway, I got to pray for her and the Lord began to move on her knee. She could feel the presence of God. She got up and began to test it out and testified to there been a marked difference. She said it felt more stable and that something had definitely changed.
From there, the invites get coming - one guy's mother needed prayer and the other man's wife also did. I love it when healings, lead to more healing appointments. Lord, let your Kingdom Come!!!
I asked her to come sit in the chair next to mine as I wanted to pray for her. At that moment, ALL THREE GUYS BEGAN TESTIFYING how God had healed them when we had prayed for them. Talk about a cheering section!!! Anyway, I got to pray for her and the Lord began to move on her knee. She could feel the presence of God. She got up and began to test it out and testified to there been a marked difference. She said it felt more stable and that something had definitely changed.
From there, the invites get coming - one guy's mother needed prayer and the other man's wife also did. I love it when healings, lead to more healing appointments. Lord, let your Kingdom Come!!!
March 12, 2009
when the Lord speaks a name again!!!
this morning while praying for several cancer patients in a local hospital, I asked a group of nurses if anybody needed a miracle. as I walked into the room, I got a word of knowledge for a right shoulder problem. The head nurse had that problem and so we prayed for her. I felt like one of the nurses was going to unlock some prophetic word. An Indian name came to my mind (all the nurses were Indian). They told me that the name was for another nurse who wasn't on duty at that time. However, the one who the Lord used to trigger the word agreed to 'carry a gift of healing' to this other nurse for me. I laid hands on her hands and she felt God's presence. I can't wait to hear what happens after she prays for the other nurse.
Also, the presence of the Lord was so strong on the different patients we prayed for. Of course, we will need some time to see what has happened, but they all felt His power coming into their bodies.
Basically, when Holy Spirit-filled believers lay hands on the sick, something will ALWAYS happen. How could it not?
Also, the presence of the Lord was so strong on the different patients we prayed for. Of course, we will need some time to see what has happened, but they all felt His power coming into their bodies.
Basically, when Holy Spirit-filled believers lay hands on the sick, something will ALWAYS happen. How could it not?
March 10, 2009
another name is given prophetically in Lebanon
it has been a while since the Lord revealed someone's name to me. A year ago when we were in Lebanon, I had the most amazing encounter ever with names - the Lord gave me two names during one memorable breakfast (for the server and her brother). While in Lebanon this past week, we met the two young boys from Russia. As we were sharing some things with their Lebanese uncle, the Lord gave me the name of one of the boys. I can't say that this turned out to be significant in terms of sharing the Gospel with them, but it sure woke me up again to the fact that the Lord wants to speak accurate words to us - if only we will attune our ears to listen.
more Kingdom stuff than we've been able to keep up with
to be honest, it has been hard to keep up this 'miracle log record' because so much has happened to so many of us in several different countries. having hosted several ministry teams over the past month or so, we simply can't even remember all the ways He has released His power - we focus much of this blog on the healings, but we often don't write about the encounters that the Lord giving people. Also we haven't been able to keep up with the different prophetic words that have been accurate.
This is clearly a season where God is moving and in spite of the fear that the global financial crisis has been producing, there is simply no crisis in the economy of God's Kingdom. Maybe that is where we need to get our focus once again! We know that is what we should be doing - may we walk in the Grace to do it.
This is clearly a season where God is moving and in spite of the fear that the global financial crisis has been producing, there is simply no crisis in the economy of God's Kingdom. Maybe that is where we need to get our focus once again! We know that is what we should be doing - may we walk in the Grace to do it.
bangladeshi muslim men healed
while walking past a group of Bangladeshi muslim men, I got a word of knowledge for an ankle problem - no one had that problem, but someone had a knee problem. (btw - I don't mind getting words of knowledge wrong all day long when God redeems them!!!). I prayed for him two times and his knee was healed - talk about a guy who thoroughly checked out his knee - like literally a few minutes of testing it out. That guy told all his friends and I got Sanctified Surfer to join me - he prayed for a guy's back and after praying a couple of times, he was healed also.
What a testimony to all of these muslim men who saw Jesus' power to heal them! May the Lord lead them to other believers who will be able to explain to them, in their own language, more about the Kingdom that touched them.
What a testimony to all of these muslim men who saw Jesus' power to heal them! May the Lord lead them to other believers who will be able to explain to them, in their own language, more about the Kingdom that touched them.
March 08, 2009
Kingdom comes in Lebanon - miracles in the mountains
After our time in Beirut, we headed up into the mountains of Lebanon to get in a couple days of skiing and see more of God's power released. As has been our experience each year we go there, God moves and lives are touched. Because we were caught in a snowstorm initially, we made the most sitting in the ski lodge praying for anybody who would let. We shared about all the miracles that the Lord had done down in Beirut, and this opened door after door to pray for different people. One of the first people we prayed for was an Egyptian muslim man who was healed in a ski shop. We prayed for a number of Lebanese Christians who God also touched - we got to pray for some foreigners who were there as well. Each night we would pray for people in a restaurant that we visit every year. One Lebanese monk who came to meet us wanted to learn how we prayed for the sick. He had a ministry of deliverance himself, but was so hungry to learn how we prayed for healing. He even asked us to come back and teach the monks who are under his oversight how to better pray for the sick. I can't believe the kind of opportunties that our Father gives us!!
I left the mountains with a level of heartsickness however because there were a number of people that we prayed for that weren't healed (at least not at that time). I am thinking of 3 deaf you people (teenage/early 20's) who we didn't see breakthrough with. There was also a man blind in one eye who lost his sight in the 80''s during the war. He also wasn't healed. God's word tell us clearly that the "deaf will hear" and the "blind will receive their sight". I know what God's will is and we refuse to let our experience (i.e. these deaf and blind not healed) water down or change the clear words of Christ. We go back to that place of contending for the 'normal Christian life' - which is that we do the works of Jesus. Lord, I long to be normal!!!
I left the mountains with a level of heartsickness however because there were a number of people that we prayed for that weren't healed (at least not at that time). I am thinking of 3 deaf you people (teenage/early 20's) who we didn't see breakthrough with. There was also a man blind in one eye who lost his sight in the 80''s during the war. He also wasn't healed. God's word tell us clearly that the "deaf will hear" and the "blind will receive their sight". I know what God's will is and we refuse to let our experience (i.e. these deaf and blind not healed) water down or change the clear words of Christ. We go back to that place of contending for the 'normal Christian life' - which is that we do the works of Jesus. Lord, I long to be normal!!!
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