Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

This story is part of a series written in September of 2012 during our trip to Australia to teach on healing.

For 19 years, the people at AccessChurch have been sending teams into the streets of Brisbane to minister to those who are less fortunate. The teams visit hostels, half-way homes, and other locations where the poor and mentally ill live.

We arrived and went to work with the crew making sandwiches, heating up meat pies and filling containers with sweets, like doughnuts. Access also serves hot coffee, Milo and tea. After preparing the food, we loaded it into a van and set off.

Our first stop was a hostel for abused women and children. We set up two portable tables in the parking lot, put out the food, said a prayer over it then began handing it out.

A middle-aged woman named Debra stood next to a beautiful tree; the glow of the street light illuminating it's tri-colored flowers. I asked Debra what kind of plant it was.

“It’s called ‘Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’.” She drew my attention to the white flower and said, “This one’s ‘yesterday.” Pointing to a light purple petal, she said, “This one is today”. Pointing at the dark purple one she said, “And this one is tomorrow.”

I thanked her and asked if she had any pain in her body that she wanted to be healed of. She said she had back pain and a lot of emotional trauma from the recent loss of 3 family members to cancer. I asked if we might pray with her.

I placed my hand in the small of her back, asked the Holy Spirit to touch her and commanded the pain to leave. I asked if she felt anything.

“It feels like electricity going up and down my spine.”

“Why don’t you try to touch your toes?”

She reluctantly agreed, thinking the chronic pain would make it difficult. But she put her hands to the ground with ease. A look of shock came over her when she realized she was healed.

We prayed for healing of her emotions and the power of God began to work in her mind and heart. His presence made it hard for her to remain standing so one of the crew slipped in behind her and prevented her from falling to the ground.

We talked with Debra for quite a while afterward, sharing our experiences and giving her tips on how to keep her healing. My wife and I gave her a hug then helped the crew load the van. It was time to go to another location.

During the first two nights, we’ve seen a number of people healed of chronic pain. We’re having a blast watching God display His power and love to these wonderful people.

Related Posts:
Keeping Your Healing

Access To The Kingdom

This story is part of a series written in September of 2012 during our trip to Australia to teach on healing.

The meeting at Access Church in Darra this morning was simply wonderful. The weather was mild (it’s spring in Australia) and the magnolia trees are in full bloom.

Darra is a small town outside of Brisbane that was devastated by flooding two years ago. It’s not an affluent community, so the flooding robbed what little possessions people had, leaving them struggling just to survive.

My wife and I shared our testimonies of how we came to know Jesus and how we came to walk in the power of the kingdom of God. Testimonies are nice, but we were anxious to see people healed and set free, so we asked if anyone in the room had any pain.

A man named Greg said he had neck pain, so we prayed with him. He felt the warmth of the Holy Spirit touch his neck and eventually, the pain began to subside. We prayed for his wife to be healed of diabetes and internal problems. The glory of God touched her powerfully and brought her peace and joy.

After seeing the Holy Spirit work in this couple, more people began to ask for prayer. One woman with pain in her head, neck and shoulders felt the warmth of God’s power as He removed all of her pain. Another woman felt the fire of God warming the upper part of her body as he healed her.

Several people with heart problems received God’s healing touch including an 8 year old boy named Malachi, who had back pain and a heart murmur. We had our host pray with Malachi. He had only seen one healing miracle in his life, which was the healing of a relative 20 years ago. I had him lay hands on Malachi and he said he felt a wave of power go through his body and out his arm into the boy’s back. A few seconds later the boy’s back pain was gone.

One woman asked for healing of a painful knee condition. I laid my hand on her knee and shared a few healing testimonies. I didn’t make any commands, but the power of the spoken testimony brought complete healing to her knee.

Another woman, who is a nurse, asked for healing of diabetes. As we prayed with her, she began to feel pain in her left shoulder blade. The Lord showed me a vision of her weeping and it seemed like the pain in her back was connected to it. When sudden pain manifests during healing, it’s usually due to an evil spirit manifesting. We commanded the spirit to leave, and the pain moved to her right shoulder blade. Pain that moves around is a confirmation that an evil spirit is at work. We calmly commanded it to leave and a few minutes later the pain was completely gone.

About 15 people received healing and deliverance this morning. Nearly all of them felt the tangible presence of God. We shared with the group a little about dreams and helped a few people interpret the dreams they’d had. We made a lot of new friends. We’re looking forward to speaking at Access later this week and teaching more about the kingdom of God.

Brisbane or Bust

This story is part of a series written in September of 2012 during our trip to Australia to teach on healing.

Traiza asked if anyone else was connecting to Brisbane. As she retrieved her bag from the overhead bin, my wife leaned across the aisle and told her we were going to Brisbane. With a look of relief she asked what gate we were supposed to go to for the connecting flight. My wife told her it was D-14. We had about an hour to find the gate and get checked in before the next flight left.

Dallas – Fort Worth is a big airport and neither of us had been there before. We exited the plane, got directions to the sky tram and made our way to the escalator. On the way, we talked with Traiza. She wanted to know why we were going to Brisbane.

Traiza’s story was simple enough; she was visiting a daughter in Brisbane. Ours required a bit more explanation. On the sky tram we told her about my work, the healing miracles and this website. We told her one of our readers invited us to come to Brisbane to teach on healing.

“Can you teach me?” She asked excitedly.

She felt our meeting was a divine appointment. She showed us the rash on her face and explained that she suffers from allergies. She’s been patiently waiting to be healed. I told her we’d be happy to pray for her healing.

We exited the sky tram, negotiated the escalator and pulled our bags to the gate. Now we had a problem to resolve. The ticketing kiosk in Phoenix crashed while processing our boarding passes. It was supposed to issue two passes; one to Dallas and one to Brisbane. But it died while processing our boarding passes, so an agent issued them for us. But she only gave us the one for the flight to Dallas.

The ticketing agent issued our passes and a few minutes later we boarded. We unloaded our gear in the overhead bin and took our seats. A few minutes later Traiza approached. With a wry smile that confirmed some divine shenanigans, she took the seat directly behind me.

The 16 hour flight went rather quickly. The flight crew was very hospitable, serving food and beverages with a smile. Several years ago, Qantas upgraded their 747 fleet with new seats, including a nice Panasonic entertainment screen in the seatbacks and USB ports in the arm-rests. Not needing to worry about killing my phone battery, I listened to Ian Clayton messages between meals and sleeping. We talked with Traiza, prayed for her healing and I gave her a word from God.

We breezed through customs and found our host reading his latest text message. He’s a busy and well – connected fellow. We loaded the bags and headed for his home in the country.

I have to admit, I was freaked out by the right hand steering on his Toyota and the fact that he drove on the wrong side of the road. On the way, we discussed a common interest; the state of the global economy. We were greeted at his house by his two charming children and a hot brekky; English muffins, bacon, eggs Benedict and a cuppa.

Stan's Story

 

Beginning tomorrow, we'll be posting updates from our trip to Brisbane, Australia, where we'll be teaching on healing and releasing the kingdom of God. The first week's activities involve ministering to the homeless. In light of that, this encounter from a few days ago seems prophetic.

Stan approached my pump from his resting place in the shade next to the gas station. 

"Excuse me sir....would you have any spare change for bus fare?"

Stan is one of the millions of men and women who are out of work due to disability, addiction or mental illness. Many spend their days at intersections and gas stations asking strangers for money. I pulled out a few dollars and handed them over.

"Thank you sir. Is there anything I can do for you....Can I wash the windows of your car?"

I told him I was going to wash it when I got home.

"Sir....would do me a favor and please pray for me? I need my disability to go through so I can get some money to live on. Would you pray that God would make my disability go through?"

"I'd be happy to pray with you Stan."

He described the injuries that caused his disability, which resulted from a gunshot would to his head. They included missing part of his brain, a titanium jaw and a coil in his temple. Nothing serious.

"I'm pretty messed up...so I really need my disability."

"Stan....let me ask you a question. I'll pray for God's favor on your disability claim, but I'd rather see you healed. If God would heal you of all your injuries, would you go back to work?"

He smiled.

"Yeah I'd go back to work. I really like working."

"Cool. Then let's pray."

I asked the Holy Spirit to whack him good and heal his injuries, take away his pain and set him free. I felt like I was standing in a 50 knot wind as my body swayed back and forth under the power of God.

Stan thanked me for the money and for praying with him. I put the nozzle away and got in my car. My daughter asked who I was talking to.

No one special.

Just another guy who desperately needs the Master's touch.

Todd White - Power & Love

Todd White discusses our identities as sons and daughters of God at the New England School of  Power & Love.

Healing School (Free Admission)

September 14 &15 2012

September 14 - Starts at 6pm

September 15- All day starts at 9am

Location: Professional office bldg 6. 1007 Gould Dr. 

Bossier City, La. 71111

Seating limited. RSVP Contact Glen Hartline or Ian Parker

whartline@comcast.net  (318) 455-6585

Cowboy Healing

 This is Cheryl Fritz's video from the Fair on August 16th.The man in the video had back pain until his leg was grown out. After this, a whole bunch of guys (18-25 years old) gave their lives to the Lord, COWBOY-STYLE. That was their description of getting down on one knee all together and praying!

Re-arming The Saints

A few weeks ago I had a dream:

In the dream, people received a six digit numerical code. (No - it wasn't the mark of the Beast) The code specified what type of body parts a person would receive while they were being assembled. The codes that had been assigned to some people were incorrect. I was involved in the assembly process. The people I worked on had received the wrong code and as a result, the wrong type of arms. Based on what I knew about their calling, gifting and the types of arms available, I had to re-arm all of them.

The dream seems to be referring to my calling as one of "arming" the body of Christ. When I think of "arms" I often think of weapons, equipping and training. The usual context of that language is in equipping the body of Christ for ministry. (See Eph. 4:11-12)

In the dream, there was a problem. The code was a six digit code, which probably represents a number given by man. People had been assigned the wrong codes and as a result received the wrong arms. I would interpret that as an error on the part of leaders in arming the saints and misidentifying their calling.  My job was to remove the arms they had and give them the ones they needed.

The dream is a revelation on correcting others - particularly in the area of ministry. This is a strange subject for me, since I gave up on correcting others years ago. While I enjoy teaching those who are willing to learn, I don't enjoy correcting people. But this dream is definitely a call to make corrections in others. And I don't think it's just for me. I believe this is a word for others who are similarly called to train and equip the saints.

I'm not certain about how leaders have misidentified the calling of people, but I have a hunch. It's common for us to want others to walk in the same type of calling that we do. What father doesn't want his son to take up the family business?

The value we place on something is personal, yet we tend to project our values onto others. Pastors desire to train and equip more pastors. The same is true for evangelists and prophets. I suspect that herein lies the problem.

I once knew a man who pastored a small church. In talking with others who knew him, it became obvious that he was called as an evangelist and apostle, but he wasn't walking out that calling. He was miserable in the role of pastor. He got excited and energized every time he traveled outside the US and operated as an evangelist, yet he never fully embraced that calling and instead, accepted the pastoral role he'd been given.

This man's ministry is an example of how we tend to fall into the habit of operating in things we're really not called to. There are many reason why we do it - mostly out of convenience or following the traditions of men.

The solution proposed in the dream was to re-arm people based on what was known about their true calling, their true gifting and what arms were available to them.

It's been my experience that before we can effectively correct others, we must have a relationship of mutual trust and respect. Yes, we can speak correction to anyone we want, and many of us do, but correction from strangers is almost never heeded. That type of correction bears no fruit and often creates bitterness, mistrust and resentment.

Having a relationship of mutual trust and respect with someone allows us to speak words of correction in a way that it can be received. And it's only when correction is received that it bears fruit.

The calling and gifting of others are matters that require God's counsel. Once we've established a relationship of trust, we can ask God what areas of ministry a person is called to and what type of gifts they have that will help them operate in their calling.

Arming them for their calling is a matter of understanding how the weapons of warfare function and how they aide us in operating in our calling.

If a friend is called as a prophet, we would do well to encourage them to spend time developing the ability to see visions, receive words of knowledge and words of wisdom, since prophets are people of revelation. These weapons (arms) help them walk out their calling.

If a person is called as an evangelist, we might help them become trained in healing and miracles, since healing and evangelism make a powerful combination.

Leaders who are able to correctly discern the gifting, calling and weaponry of others and who can successfully correct them are an invaluable resource to the body of Christ.

Metal Rods in Back Disappear

This man had metal rods in his back. He came to a healing service where Randy Clark asked people to raise their hands if the wanted to be healed of metal in their bodies. This man raised his hand received prayer. The metal (apparently) is no longer there.

Ian Clayton on Transrelocation

Ian Clayton is a pioneer in walking out the supernatural life of the kingdom of God. One of the things he's experienced often is spiritual transportation. He has traveled frequently both in the spirit and in his physical body to different locations. In the podcast below, he shares his observations on this fascinating subject.

Click on the Podcast below Ian's picture to hear the message.

Related messages:
Traveling In The Spirit

Dean Braxton's Story

This is the testimony of Dean Braxton, who suffered cardiac arrest at St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way, Washington. Dean's heart stopped for 1 hour and 45 minutes. During that time he went to heaven twice. Dean recalls what he experienced in heaven. The doctor in charge of the resuscitation discusses the miracle from a medical perspective.

When God's Kids Grow Up

As I mowed the grass in the sweltering heat, I thought about my spiritual discontent.

Again.

I watched a video last night featuring Greg Hawkins, the executive pastor of  Willow Creek church, who discussed the trend of committed, born-again Christians leaving traditional churches in large numbers. Wanting to know what was behind it all, pollsters like George Barna have been collecting data from studies and have reached several conclusions - one of which I'll discuss in this message.

The most startling fact uncovered is that most of the people who are leaving the church are not lukewarm, marginal Christians, but those who are the most committed to living for Jesus. The sold-out, on- fire children of God are seeking greener pastures in which to rest.

Five years ago - this revelation would have shocked me. But today, it confirms what I've seen happening among my friends and it sheds light on what I've experienced in my own life.

In 2008, when I first began having dreams - many of them took place in church buildings. I'd dream about praying for people to be healed or I'd be prophesying at a church service. At that time, my wife and I attended an AG church regularly. The church dreams didn't last long. The church we attended had a lot of problems and God called us to meet with people in different locations and soon, my dreams took on a different setting.

The church dreams ended and instead I was praying with people in ambulances, stores, streets and hospitals. Literally anywhere but in a church building. I knew God was calling us out of that setting, and into the community at large, but we had a hard time giving up our church life.

Over the years, my wife and I have tried to find a church to attend, but haven't been successful. We don't have an ax to grind against the institutional church. Yes, we see a number of problems with the traditional church scene, but we also see some positive things that a traditional church setting can provide. We just can't find one that meets our  particular needs. One of the problems is that we seem to have outgrown most churches and the things they teach.

Most churches are great at helping new believers become rooted and grounded in the truth of scripture. While some folks may be content to study the bible their entire lives, others require a bit more diversity. Some churches have nothing to offer beyond basic bible teaching. So when a church successfully nurtures it's members into maturity and they require training and equipping beyond the basics, where do they go?

Many believers today have discovered their identity in Christ and are fully capable of teaching with authority and operating in the power of God. They're not beginners any more. They're seasoned veterans. As their numbers have grown - it's become apparent (to me at least) that the manifestation of the sons and daughters of God spoken of in Scripture may finally be here. God's kids have grown up. And unfortunately for church leaders -  they've nearly worked themselves out of a job.

The body of Christ now needs advanced training and equipping and leaders are late in responding to that need. A few (Bill Johnson for example) have seen the need and developed advanced curricula. To their credit, Bethel has made their school of supernatural ministry curriculum available to others, but a better approach would be for local fellowships to develop and implement their own.

The need for more challenging instruction might explain the boom in conference attendance. Many people find that two or three days of immersion in worship and advanced teaching is more helpful than digesting weekly sermons.

The present challenge to leaders is to recognize the need for advanced training and equipping and ask God for the resources and insights on how those needs can be met. If the needs of the sheep are not met, they'll continue to head for the exit sign.

Here's the interview with Greg Hawkins: