Terri's Problem

After losing her balance and falling at home a couple of times, Terri took a tumble from the top of the stairs and landed on her head. The head CT showed both subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhages. She was a trauma transfer to a larger hospital for neurosurgery.

I've never met anyone who was proud of the fact that a life of drinking had destroyed their liver. It's a regret they must live with and most would give anything to do it all over again. Terri had struggled with drinking for years and the battle took a severe toll on her 46 year old body.

While Heidi acted as an IV pole, holding the bag of plasma as close to the ceiling as she could, I asked if she wanted me to get a pressure infuser, so she could do more important things. Like getting the paperwork together so we could hit the road.

I like Heidi. She gives good hugs. Even when your sarcasm is aimed at her.

We fitted the c-collar on Terri so as not to rip the IV out of her neck and rolled her onto the hard backboard. I put a blanket on it first.

As we loaded Terri into the rig, I thought about how I'm growing farther away from my comrades in how we see our patients. Just about everyone involved in her care (except Heidi) had a critical remark about how Terri lives her life.

Drunk. Loser. Psycho. Professional alcoholic.

I looked at her and saw a broken-hearted woman, desperately in need of one person who believed in her.

After getting her vitals and most of my charting done, I told her I saw a lot of people healed in the ambulance and asked if she wanted me to pray with her.

She was delighted. So I placed one hand on her forehead and she gripped the other one tightly as I commanded the bleeding to stop and released the kingdom of God into her broken and bruised body.

As I spoke to her soul about God's great love and compassion for her, tears flowed like a river. I prophesied a better day and brighter hope and healing of her memories. As I declared God's goodness and protection over her, she gripped my hand even tighter.

The yellow pigment of her skin and bruises only told part of the story.

"Thanks so much for praying for me. I know God loves me. I know He's there and I try so hard to do the right things. But I keep messing up. I want to please God. I want to be sober. And I'm scared that this might be the last time for me."

I told her it wasn't about what she had to do to please God. It was about what He had already done for her. I said God has a really bad memory concerning her mistakes. And what she might focus on isn't the mistakes she made, but the awesome love He had for her.

We arrived at the other hospital and transferred her to the bed. I gave report through the snickers, rolling eyes and giggles. Before I left the ER, I gave her a big hug and told her I thought she was awesome. I don't care what they think about Terri or the fact that she was perfectly lucid with a blood alcohol of 0.44.

I really liked her.

Was she healed? I don't know. It's becoming less important these days. I know she was touched by the love of God and that might be what she needed most.

When I stand in eternity, looking back at every moment of my life from heaven's perspective, this moment will appear once more before my eyes. I'll know all the results of our meeting down to the smallest detail.

And just as it's too late for the alcoholic to go back and change everything after their liver fails, it'll be too late for us to change our actions once we're in eternity.

All we can do is wonder.....

What if?

God Wants You Confident - Steve Thompson

There is a subtle difference between arrogance and confidence, as Steve Thompson explains.

Street Healing

For those who have been following my messages on healing, this is where all the concepts mentioned previously are applied in real life. Reading about healing is good, but if we never step out and touch a stranger with the power of God - all we have is vain knowledge that profits nothing.

Jesus was the original street healer. He traveled the streets of Israel on foot, staying wherever he found lodging. During his travels he told people the secrets of their hearts, shared the mysteries of the kingdom of God and healed all who were sick and demon - possessed. This was his style of ministry and it could become yours.

After modeling this lifestyle, he chose 12 disciples, commissioning them to follow his example. He gave them power, authority and some guidelines, which are detailed in Matt. 10, verses 5- 14. In those ten verses, he told them to visit the cities of Israel, inquire who in those cities was worthy, speak peace to the homes that received them, preach on the kingdom of God, deal with sickness and demonic oppression and not to worry about paying for their ministry trip. Things went well. So well, that a short time later he sent out seventy disciples to do the same thing, with a few changes to the plan. (See Luke 10: 1-10)

An important aspect of street healing is geographic; being in the right place is critical. The disciples were given specific instructions where to minister and where not to. While it's true that we could minister just about anywhere, there are good reasons to inquire of God where we ought to minister.

In Matthew 13, we're told that Jesus faced opposition when ministering in his home town. When the skeptics questioned him, he replied,

“A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief."

Many of us have experienced the disappointment involved in ministering to our families and friends in our home town. Those who know our past are likely to doubt that God would use us.

Jesus set the stage for the disciples so their ministry would bear fruit. The work of God in the hearts of those we visit should precede our ministry to bring the desired outcomes. In Acts 16:7, it was recorded that God opposed the apostles' ministry trip to Bithynia. We don't know why, but it's likely that region wasn't prepared yet, while a different region was. I'm not suggesting that we need three dreams and a vision about a certain city, before we begin healing. But as our ministry grows, it would be a good idea to periodically ask God for detailed information on where we can be used most effectively. "If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask."

Another aspect of street healing is relational; Jesus instructed his disciples to inquire who in these cities was worthy. Have you every considered what he meant by this?

Not only did Jesus tell them there were certain places to go, he told them there were certain people who would receive them and others who wouldn't. How many of us have been frustrated by an experience where we poured all we had into a group of people and it seemed all our labor was for nothing? God has certain people in mind whose hearts have been prepared. They're ready for us to to reveal God's love and grace to them, but we must find out who and where they are.

Once we've found an opportunity to minister healing, I've found that it's a good investment of time to spend a few minutes (at least) getting to know the one God wants to touch. In previous messages we've discussed how ministry flows through relationships. Many people have been burned by religion at some point in their past. Many of those wounds came at the hands of believers who cared more about being right than being loving, or their goal at the start was merely to win another convert to increase their score.

Shallow Christianity hurts people more than it helps them. If we take a few minutes and listen to the one we want to see healed, we demonstrate compassion, which was the fuel that propelled Jesus in everything he did. As we get to know them, they begin to trust us. As they trust us, we have a better chance of being able to minister to them and perhaps disciple them. Remember, Jesus didn't ask us to make converts or merely heal. He asked us to make disciples and discipleship requires relationships.

Revelation and Observation
There are basically two ways we can find people who need healing. The first is the most obvious; as you travel during your day, look around and see if you notice anyone wearing a cast, a splint, an immobilizer, wearing dark sunglasses inside (possible blindness), wearing hearing aids, walking with a cane - particularly a white cane with red on it (indicating total blindness) or sitting in a wheelchair. Simple observation will reveal hundreds of people a week that you could provide healing to. Now consider all the people you'll meet in a week who talk openly about migraine headaches, back pain, fibromyalgia, cancer treatments and other medical conditions. If you added them to the list, the number of people you could minister to would be rather large.

A number of times in the last few years, I woke from a dream in which I was praying with someone for a certain condition. Later in the day, I would usually find them and pray with them. There have also been times when I suddenly felt the presence of God come over me out of nowhere. Sometimes it happens when I'm at the grocery store, other times I've been in line at a coffee shop. Usually, when I close my eyes, I see the word 'headache' or some other condition and I frequently see an image of the person. The goal here is to find them and ask if they want to be healed.

God will heal people that you find, regardless of how you find them. Private revelation through words of knowledge is a great way to locate people with conditions that aren't obvious by looking at them. If you're sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, you'll find it easy to hear, see or 'just know' what God wants to do. Receiving a word of knowledge for someone isn't a guarantee they'll be healed. I once had an accurate word for a woman at Starbuck's who had migraines, but when I approached her, she wouldn't let me pray for her. If you're wondering why God would give a word of knowledge, knowing it wouldn't be received, consider that it might have planted a seed in their heart. Maybe that woman went home and had a dream about a stranger approaching her with a word of knowledge and that stranger happen to look exactly like Jesus. (Don't underestimate the craftiness of Jehovah sneaky)

Two By Two
Jesus sent out the seventy in groups of two. Have you ever wondered why? I didn't, until I began this journey into healing and not long after, it became obvious.

Success and humility don't always walk hand in hand, though they do make a handsome couple. One of the problems we encounter in healing is the tendency for pride to sneak into our lives when miracles happen - and miracles will happen, you can be assured of it; if you don't give up when the first ten people you pray with aren't healed.

If there are two pairs of hands resting on someone when they're healed of cancer, who gets the credit? One reason for doing ministry in tandem is to prevent us from getting a swollen ego. The honor and glory belongs to the Lord. Having several people involved can act as a buffer between us and pride, preventing opportunities for it to take root.

Another reason is that we all struggle at times with obedience or consistency. Having a ministry partner can minimize the effect of those days when your faith is weak or you're in rebellion. Your partner should be praying for you and you should be praying for them. Healing is warfare, whether we know it or not. Once you begin to heal the sick, the enemy is likely to take notice and bring some trouble your way. Don't be afraid, it's mostly a fear campaign to get you frightened enough to quit.

I have a few trusted friends who are gifted with discernment. Our time together is always beneficial. They're attentive to the small details of my spiritual life. They usually detect the 'gunk' the enemy has tried to hang on me since the last time we met. They clean up my armor and I clean up theirs. When you're in battle, you're doing to take a few firey darts from the enemy. Don't go into battle alone. Having a partner can and should be a great benefit to all of us.

My primary partner for ministry is my wife. There are a lot of good reasons to consider involving your spouse in your ministry. The enemy would like to ruin as many of us as possible. How many ministries have crashed and burned after a scandalous affair? I don't want to give the enemy an opportunity to destroy me or my marriage, so whenever possible, my wife and I minister together. She has the password to my e-mail accounts and all my social networking profiles. When I'm on Facebook, she's usually a few feet away on her computer or she's looking over my shoulder. Not because she doesn't trust me, she's just interested in what I do and she wants to protect me from potential dangers.

If you'd like to try healing but don't like the idea of going alone, treasure hunts are a good option. They're a great way to help newbies get started. You spend a little time as a group praying and receiving information (words of knowledge) then go out and find the people who match the clues. Sometimes it's healing, sometimes an encouraging prophetic word. One benefit is that through these experiences, believers quickly realize after finding people who closely match the things on their list, they know they're hearing from God accurately. This is very similar in concept to the command Jesus gave to "inquire who is worthy".

Faith, Authority and Presence
In previous messages, we discussed the process of how we actually heal the sick. If you want a refresher, Healing 101 is a good overview.

Jesus healed in many different ways. Sometimes he commanded it, sometimes he healed with a touch and other times he declared a person was healed. I'd encourage you not to rely too much on one method of healing. Jesus didn't and his flexibility was used powerfully.

Healing can happen as we operate out of faith, which releases God's power to heal. Some of us operate primarily out of faith, and a lack of doubt or unbelief. But faith isn't the only factor to be considered. Some healers have great faith, but lack an understanding of their authority.

I have a lot of friends on Facebook who, largely due to the teaching of Andrew Wommack and Curry Blake, have come to a powerful understanding of the authority the believer has over sickness. These folks are a pretty amazing group. They have a confidence and tenacity you don't see elsewhere in healing. They know their authority and operate well in it, commanding sickness to leave. They tend to operate as a kind of spiritual police, arresting sickness and disease and enforcing the principles of God's kingdom here in the earth. But faith and authority aren't the only ways to heal.

There is a third way in which healing can happen. Some of us carry the presence of God with us in a way that releases healing on a regular basis, often without our awareness and without a single word being said. I became aware of this phenomenon a few years ago, when some of my patients 'mysteriously' began getting better during transports in the ambulance. Some of these transports were nothing short of miraculous. I remember one call, where a comatose patient with almost no blood pressure who was expected to die soon, had an unexpected increase in blood pressure and came out of his coma before we got to the destination. I was so busy providing medical care, I didn't have time to pray for him.

At first, I shrugged it off as wishful thinking, until I had a dream that revealed something I wasn't aware of. In the dream I transported a man who was severely injured in a car accident. I didn't provide any medical treatment or pray for him. When we arrived at the hospital, the doctor asked what I did during the transport. I told him I didn't do anything and said I thought the patient was healed. And in fact, he was healed. I knew that the presence of God in the ambulance had healed all his injuries, without my direct involvement. This dream was God's way of letting me know that He was in fact healing people, even though I wasn't aware of it.

I can't explain why God would heal people we haven't prayed for and not others, except perhaps that it may be an answer to their own prayers or the prayers of others and the meeting with us is just a point of contact with God's presence. But I'm open to other suggestions. The subject of God's presence which comes and goes is an issue of some confusion in healing circles. Perhaps I'll write on that subject in the future.

In practice, we can lay hands on people or stand a few feet away, and we'll likely see the same results. We can command healing silently, or out loud and we'll probably see the same results. I love Pete Cabrera's illustration of this principle, when he commanded a plastic spoon to heal and two people were healed, by holding onto the spoon. Lisa Fitzgerald-Adams released healing bubbles on someone who had an injury from skateboarding. I've heard testimonies of healing that came by speaking the word of God over the sick. I see no reason why we should limit healing to a certain method. Be creative and let God amaze you.

The streets and shops you visit are full of people who desperately need to know God cares about them. All around you, crippled people struggle to cope. Blind people are robbed of fully experiencing the abundant life Jesus died for. You are the one who can release the power of God that changes those circumstances. Street healing is easy, it just takes a little compassion, a little faith, a little boldness and a desire to see God's love in action. This is the model Jesus gave us. Anyone can do it.

How To Be Effective......

Ryan Rhoades is one of the leaders of a group that has re-discovered the biblical model of healing given by Jesus. This group has taken divine healing and deliverance to the streets and they've seen great things happen.

Recently, I've become friends with Ryan and we began discussing a problem that's common to those who operate in healing. How do we go to the next level and make disciples, and not just healthier people who don't know about the kingdom of God?

We're all coming to the same conclusion; that discipleship requires relationships to be established and love to be demonstrated on a continual basis. Ryan does a nice job of explaining the process in this video.

Can A New Christian Heal The Sick?

I was impressed by this video, because it demonstrates a principle some of us may find challenging. There's a common belief that we must meet certain qualifications like having training, ordination or mentoring before we can effectively heal the sick. Some believe you must have the gift of healing and not everyone does. In this video a woman who meets none of these qualifications and has only been a Christian for 22 days is used (much to her own shock) to heal the sick.

(English subtitles are provided)

A Day In The Life....

I came to Phoenix, Arizona a few weeks ago to take a paramedic test. On Sunday morning I was sitting in the hotel lobby with my computer, checking Facebook and having coffee.

I noticed there were a lot of teenage girls in the lobby wearing softball uniforms. It turns out there was a tournament in town.

Sitting at the table next to me were a woman and her teenage daughter, who had a uniform on. I heard the girl mention to her mother that she was having a lot of shoulder pain. I know, I'm a terrible busybody. I just want to know everyone's business.

I turned toward the girl and and asked if she wanted to be healed. She smiled and asked how that would happen. I told her I pray with a lot of people who are healed of different medical problems.

She said, "sure!"

I asked some basic questions; how long she had the pain, how bad it was on a 1 - 10 scale & checked her range of motion. Then I placed my hand on her shoulder and commanded pain and inflammation to leave and for ligaments. muscles, bones, tendons and nerves to be healed.

I asked if she felt anything different. She said her shoulder felt warm, but there was still some pain. So I placed my hand on her shoulder again and thanked God for the healing then commanded healing a second time & asked what she felt.

She said the heat was more intense and the pain was almost gone. She was surprised at how quickly she had been healed.

I talked with her and her mother for about 20 minutes. I shared some God stories & showed them my healing blog on my computer then told them if they wanted to learn more about healing they should check it out. The girl's mother happens to be a paramedic. She's seen people healed in her church, but wanted to know why some people lose their healing.

I taught them what I knew about spiritual battles and healing and that if the pain came back, not to receive it, to stand on her healing and remember the enemy might try to convince her she wasn't healed.

What I didn't know was that at the next table there was another teenage girl who had a friend with an injured shoulder. As I got up to leave, 5 girls, all wearing uniforms approached me and asked if I could get their friend healed. I asked if they'd ever seen a miracle. They all said, 'no'.

I looked around and it seemed everyone in the lobby including the staff behind the desk were looking on in anticipation as I explained what was going to happen.

I asked the usual questions - she'd injured her shoulder a few years ago and it never healed, so she lives with the pain. I placed my hand on her shoulder and commanded it to be healed and asked the Holy Spirit to bring his presence and power upon her then asked if she felt anything.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you feel any different from how you felt a few minutes ago?"

She said, "Well... I feel really warm and kind of tingly all over."

"That's the power of God healing you."

I prayed a second time and asked the Holy Spirit to bring more of His power upon her then asked what she felt.

"Now my shoulder feels a lot better and I'm getting really hot....like all over." She began to giggle. It was obvious she was happy to feel God's presence touching her as she was being healed. Her friends looked on in amazement.

I spent a few minutes explaining that anyone who is a disciple of Jesus can heal people like this and taught about the spiritual battles involved in healing and told her what to do if the symptoms came back. I told them to friend me on Facebook or visit my blog if they wanted to know more about healing and the works of the Holy Spirit.

Before I left, I prayed with one more person; an older man who just had hip replacement surgery and a hernia operation what wasn't healing very well. He was actually the first person I noticed that morning who might need healing. He walked into the lobby using a cane.

As I was writing this story for a Facebook post, another woman and 3 friends approached me and asked if I was the one who healed the girls this morning. I said I was and spent the next 30 minutes praying with her for fibromyalgia, gluten intolerance and a few other conditions. As I prayed, she felt the power of God touch her and she began to cry. I shared with her some of the things I shared with the girls.

This was just the beginning of an amazing day with Jesus. After praying for these people I went back to my room to have breakfast with my wife and tell her what had happened.

We planned to look at homes in the Phoenix area and decided to check out the home show at the convention center. Before we got in the front door, we prayed with a woman who had back pain. A short time later, we prayed with and talked to a wonderful man who had a torn rotator cuff. He was very interested in hearing about what God was doing through us in healing.

On the flight home, we talked with the woman in the seat next to us about healing for at least an hour. She had so many questions.

After we landed in Seattle, just before midnight, we picked up our car and drove to a gas station & talked with a man we saw at the airport in Phoenix, 3 hours earlier.

The interesting thing about this man was that when I first saw him in the airport, I sensed a peacefulness and confidence about him that no one else had. Our conversation eventually turned to the subject of healing. His wife has multiple sclerosis. I gave him a card to the website and told him to e-mail me if he wanted us to pray for her.

On the drive home, I marveled at God's wisdom in setting up so many divine appointments. He wants to touch others through every one of us. I hope you this message inspires you to touch someone with His love today.

Pulmonary Embolus Healed

This is the testimony of Linda Larson who was hospitalized at Vanderbilt hospital in Nashville, Tennessee with multiple blood clots, including some in her lungs. She testifies to the healing power of God and shares the reaction of her doctor.

Wound Care Follow - Up

Most medics would rather watch paint dry than transport a patient for wound care. We prefer burning houses, car accidents, or any call that's bloody or messy (except delivering babies).

Jeff is a gentle, funny man who happens to be a quadriplegic due to a tumor on his cervical spine that doctors deemed inoperable. After spending time in a nursing home, he was able to return home, with the help of friends and nurses who care for him.

Each of the walls in his bedroom has a Seattle Seahawks jersey hanging from it. He showed us a picture of himself at a game he attended courtesy of two free tickets from Matt Haselbeck. As we loaded him, we talked about his travels while in the army and how much he loved living in Germany. Jeff is one of those guys who's easy to like.

I told him he should let me pray for him to be healed. He said, "that's my plan - to get healed and get back to my normal life." He had no idea what my plan was, but like so many others, he doesn't accept his condition as permanent, though his doctors have no real hope for recovery. In spite of that dismal prognosis, Jeff is full of hope and life.

During his stay at the nursing home, he developed a decubitus ulcer (bed sore) on his buttocks. He'd been receiving wound care, which was shrinking the ulcer. He was being seen today to check on the progress of the wound's healing.

We left him on our gurney for the exam and rolled him toward us while the female doctor and nurse examined his backside. They were impressed. The wound was almost completely healed. I told Jeff any time a 50 year old man has a couple of women tell him that his backside looks good, he should consider himself fortunate.

We drove Jeff home and put him back in bed. He let me pray for him, so I commanded the tumor to leave.

Will he be healed?

He didn't exactly get up from bed and do a touchdown dance. He didn't feel anything when I prayed with him. I won't know what happened unless I run into him again. Maybe Jeff's plan to be healed and my plan to get people healed will meet and be consummated.

If that happens, you'll be the first to hear about it.

So keep praying.

And DON'T quit.

People like Jeff are counting on us.

Skype Healing With Praying Doctor

Dr. Isam Nemi, an anesthesiologist and faith healer, discusses with a Fox News reporter the power of the Holy Spirit and some unusual sounds heard while he prays with people over Skype.

Dr Nemeh's website can be found here.
(http://drnemeh.com/)

Healing the Deaf and Mute

If you've never healed the deaf or mute, but always wanted to, check out this instruction and demonstration. It's not as hard as it looks, because God's power does the work.

Lyme Disease Healed

This is the wonderful testimony of a woman healed of Lyme Disease. If you or someone you know suffers from it - there is hope for healing in Jesus.

The Graduates

Today is a special day for me. I have two children and both are graduating from high school today.

Where does the time go?

I remember that snowy day in March, when I first held my little five - pound bundles of joy, all wrapped up in pink and blue. It was the beginning of the grandest adventure; I was now a father.

The question most dads ask is, "What kind of father will I be?"

18 years later, my little blessings aren't so little. My son can easily whip me in a game of basketball. My daughter has biceps almost as big as mine from years of swimming.

The question I'm asking myself now is, "Are they ready?" Or more precisely, "Have I made them ready?"

I believe I've done all that I could to get them ready. Now it's up to them to use what I've given them - for better or worse. I'll always be their dad and I'll always pray for them and give them advice (when they ask for it). But now it's time for a little testing. It's time to inspect the first crop of fruit. Yesterday I saw a small sample.

My son was complaining of a painful big toe, which he injured playing soccer. He said it hurt pretty badly and wanted to know if one of us could get him healed. I looked at my daughter. She smiled and stepped forward. It was her time to shine and she knew what to do.

Before she laid hands on him, her brother said, "This is going be a real test for you, because I'm not joking, my toe is killing me. "

She placed her hand on his foot and spoke to the injury, commanding it to be healed.

It wasn't the most eloquent prayer. But with the grace available to a nervous teenage girl, amped on caffeine, she threw together a prayer she thought I'd approve of. Afterward she had him check it out. There was a little pain left, so she commanded it to leave a second time and he checked it out again. This time all the pain was gone.

My son walked around the house with a huge smile on his face the rest of the day. My daughter came over, gave me a high five and beamed with joy. I gave her a hug and told her she really did it. She asked if I was praying, too. I told her I wasn't. She believed me.

It's important for our kids to know that we approve of them. It's also important to set the right examples. They're going to imitate us more that we know.

Today I'll be at their graduation ceremony. They have a good start on their education but more learning lies ahead...and not all learning is equal.

What we learn in high school has a purpose. It's a foundation. We need to build upon it. The lessons of life will come and we must master them if we're to have a blessed life and be a blessing to others. Today I learned that my kids have a decent chance of achieving some pretty high goals, if they choose to pursue them. But it's their choice. All I can do is set examples and hope they follow.

I'm very proud of my kids, but they aren't just my kids, they're my disciples. I know God will do amazing things with them. We can all see good fruit and make disciples if we consider our ways carefully, do the most needed things and set examples for those who come after us. This is how disciples are made.