The Healing Power of Listening

This message is an e-mail that I received from a new Facebook friend, Ravi Kapoor. I was so touched by this display of love, I asked if I might post it here and Ravi agreed. I hope you are blessed by what you read. Ravi's Facebook page can be found here.

One day I received a call from a woman who said her younger son is under deep depression and he has locked himself in a room and is not letting anyone in. I could feel the anxiety in her voice. This woman had got my phone number from a dear friend of mine who had shared about me and my ministry with her. The family desperately needed help and prayer. They wanted me to come in and do something about his son’s situation.

I said, sure I will be there soon. On reaching their house, I sensed the commotion. The parents told me that their son might get angry if he came to know they had called me to help him out. They were not believers. I asked them what their son was good at or was fond of. They told me that he was very good with the computer.

With much prayer, I knocked at his door and kept knocking and calling out his name. After persistent knocking and calling, the door finally creaked open. The young man, Rahul, looked at me warily. I told him that I was working for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and was very interested in learning about computers. He looked at me, rather strangely. I told him that I had heard he was quite gifted in computers and I needed his help. At first he said, I am not free. I told him that I could come another day but then I really needed his help. I reminded him that to get someone as good as he was quite difficult and therefore my urgency. I explained to him that I have been trying to meet him despite his parents telling me that it was not possible to see him. As soon as he heard me say this, he felt needed and asked me to come another day. I came away praising the Lord!

I know I had to tell a lie to meet with this young man. I had to know first what his interests were and then attempt at encouraging him by appreciating his gifts. There was no other way that I could connect with him. He would definitely not been open to counseling or prayer. So how does one get through?

I met him the next day and saw the amazing work he had done on his computer. I appreciated him very much and he loved it. I saw that he needed appreciation since he felt so rejected. I asked him to teach me and he began to teach me. I really had no interest in computers and was finding it difficult to understand since my mind was not on computers. However, I continued to visit him and learn from him. I just wanted to build friendship with him and wanted somehow to get the message across to him that that I cared about him. During those few days of my visit I never once told him about God and His love or my testimony or anything related to Bible. I just spent time with him. I let him get acquainted with me. I just spoke words of encouragement to him.

I was simply trying to get to know Rahul.

Loneliness
After a few days, in the middle of our conversation, I looked at him and said that he looked very lonely. Hearing me say that brought blobs of tears from his eyes. He was so moved that he asked, “how could you see it?” “Yes, I am very lonely and I have no friend” he explained. I asked if I could be his friend. He wept and said, “yes you can be my friend”

I could see the hand of the Lord. The Lord had worked in his heart and prepared his heart to open and share his loneliness and pain with me. He told me how he had gone through rejection. He went on to share about his deepest hurts and wounds. When he finished speaking I sat in silence, knowing I had no great words to offer. After sharing about his pain, he became quiet. We both sat in silence for few minutes. Then, Rahul began to cry. I sat with him, keeping company in his tears, and still said nothing. After few minutes passed, Rahul said, "I have kept all my pain and hurt deep inside my heart and this is the first time I've cried along with someone. I could never be myself with anyone" And with tears he said, ““You've helped me so much. You touched me so much. Thank you, thank you."

The silence had changed something for him. In my ministry I make it a point to listen to people. There are times I say nothing but inwardly I will be praying for the person. I simply listen to what they have to say and let the Lord speak to them.

I love the words of the author Bonnie Grove, “There are astounding lessons to be learned from the act of listening. I have learned that listening is an act of love. It is not passive; it is intentional, engaging with the heart and mind of another person. To listen you must turn off all outside distractions; say "no" to the world rushing by you. A sacred act of deliberate silence and meaningful pause, listening helps people clear a space in their life, heart, and mind in order to simply "be." Our listening is an important gift. I am learning to make it my first response. Through listening I want to provide the stillness God speaks into.”

The words of Henri Nouwen come as another reminder, “True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, to welcome, to accept. Listening is paying full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings. The beauty of listening is that those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking their words more seriously and discovering their true selves. Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully and even dare to be silent with you.”

That's the ministry the Lord has trained me for. To be a listener. Henri Nouwen said, “The Spirit of Jesus in us listens in us to all who come to us with their sufferings and pains.”

A New Friendship
I saw true healing occur when I attentively listened to Rahul and sat in silence with him. I was fully present with him. All I say to a friend in deep pain is, “I AM HERE WITH YOU, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I UNDERSTAND YOU AND YOUR DEEP HURT AND PAIN. I AM HERE PRAYING FOR YOU.”

There began a friendship with him. Rahul was so touched by my love and care for him. I had yet to tell him that this is the love of Christ that accepts, understands, listens, heals and satisfies. I checked what food Rahul is fond of and I used to call him out for lunch and make him happy by whatever he enjoyed. Rahul would call me and ask if he could meet me. Even though I would be far in some area busily ministering to someone, he would insist, “I will come wherever you are. Distance does not matter. I want to see you.” And he would travel far to see me and just BE WITH ME. He was a person who had isolated himself, not seeing anyone but now He began to look forward to seeing me and spending time with me.

In the beginning this young man was not willing to open the door and talk to me and now he loves to spend time with me. How did this happen. It’s HIS LOVE that can penetrate any and every heart. He has the key to all hearts and we need to be available for Him to work through us. Love is very powerful and it will melt every heart." We are to BE His love, GIVE His love, LIVE His love..." like Kathy Troccoli says.

There are many times when we fail to love, when we fail to care about the ones God brings on our way. We tend to be super spiritual, ready to give our advice, impatient, ready to judge and not be people who would listen to the ones who are deeply hurt and wounded. They just want us to be with them. Listening to them. That's what I do and love to do. I hardly speak to the ones in deep pain...I have no explanations.

Henri Nouwen said, “True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, to welcome, to accept. Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully and even dare to be silent with you.”

In one of their books, authors Dee Brestin and Kathy Troccoli say, 'If the church were a heart, its current failure to love is like a massive heart attack. We, as arteries, get clogged with judgment, hate, pride and gossip. How can His lifeblood flow through us toward each other, let alone into a world so desperate for the love of Christ?'

The Night of Depression

I remember, one night at 2 AM, Rahul was undergoing deep depression and I got a call from him and he said “I am much depressed and I can’t take it anymore so I have decided to die. I feel very lonely. No one loves me. I am good for nothing. I don’t want to live anymore. I thought I would speak to you before dying and now I can die.”

I told him, Rahul, the Lord Jesus loves you. You are precious in His sight. He has carved you in the palm of his hands. He replied, “I am tired and I don't want to live.” I could sense he was at the end of his rope. I tried all I could to encourage him. I told him how deeply I loved him and how dear he is to my heart and asked him not to take this decision of committing suicide. He refused to listen. I kept praying asking God to give me words as I spoke to him and God to touch his heart in a way He alone can. After a long conversation, I saw he was not willing to listen. I told him that he can go ahead with his plan and I will not stop him but I asked if he loves me and he said, “I do”, “You know brother I do love you. You mean so much to me and that’s why I am calling you. I asked him if he could do me a favor before dying. He said, I will.

I told him that I wanted to meet him only once and after I do then he can go ahead with his plan of dying. He said, 'ok'. I told him I would be visiting his house in the early hours of morning and spend just few moments with him, after which he can go ahead. He said,'ok'

Saved From Suicide
I thanked the Lord for this and prayed with much burden and tears for Rahul the rest of the night. Early morning I went to see him and he cried and cried on seeing me. I allowed those tears to flow. I too cried with him. I said nothing. I was just with him and the Spirit of God touched him and brought healing and deliverance. The Lord rescued him from the spirit of death. I asked him what had happened to him at night and why he was talking like that. He shared that he was so down and felt so helpless and hopeless. One thing that he spoke touched me. He said, “you told me brother that you are there for me and you always understand how I feel and to share my heart with you. You will always accept me as I am so I thought before dying, let me call you and share my heart and tell my brother how hopeless I feel and then I will die.”

I was happy and I told him that he can be honest with me and share whatever he felt. I encouraged him, “I will understand and will be there for you. To accept, care, encourage and lift you.”

People are hurting and they have no one to open up and share their hurt. No one they can trust with what they feel and our struggling with. And Satan takes advantage and traps such hurting and depressed people and they lose control and give in to Satan's plans.

We as believers in Christ should be there for others and speak words of encouragement to them in their hour of need.

I believe when we show purity of love, it is hard to resist. I just wanted Rahul to sense and know I cared for him. I was just by his side. And I think my presence with him brought healing and gave him comfort. The Lord touched him and made all things new.

I read these words somewhere, “Sometimes we give our thoughts on salvation and that's good cause we want the person to know about the Savior who alone can make all the difference. But if we don't care about the person’s state of mind and heart and be wise as to what to speak and allow the Lord to work.”

I have seen in my experience with many people that we will get a lot of respect when we really show we care and we really listen. The more we love our brother, the more we will show His mercy.

I loved Rahul and my love for him made me to speak to him for a long time over the phone at midnight. I forgot my sleep. I prayed the rest of the night for him, knowing when I see him in the morning; the Lord would have worked in his heart. We are to have His love and be His love. It’s easy to speak few words of encouragement and then pray over him on the phone and go to sleep, knowing one has done what was required. But it is difficult to be His love cause to be His love; one gets involved, burdened and doesn’t think of sleep, one's comfort but the other person in pain. I wanted to reflect the heart of Jesus to Rahul.

One is so filled with His love to not let the person go without making a difference. If I had just spoken a few words and prayed for him over the phone and then slept off, I believe the next morning I would have got the news that Rahul committed suicide. Love sacrifices and if we have His love, we will sacrifice our comfort and make a difference. God has brought Rahul on my way and if I am not able to help him out, there is surely something wrong with me.

God brings people on my way and I just love on them. Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you” John 15:12. I pray that we may live lives full of the love of Jesus.

I love the words of Kathy Troccoli when she says, “We must not settle. We have access to His power. We can continually drink from the river of His love. Why don't we take advantage of this? He will take us to higher and greater places if we would trust Him to do so and make ourselves available to Him.'

Praise God, I could share with Rahul about the One, who loved him so much that He gave Himself for him on the Cross. Rahul accepted the Lord Jesus as his savior and today Rahul is a new creation in Christ Jesus, old things are passed away. Behold all things are new. I led him to a church, where he faithfully fellowships and God has blessed him with a good job and he is happy and joyful in Him.

Yay God!

In this video Todd White is on the streets, healing and loving people into the kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God Revealed - A Dream

I've been a Christian for a little over 10 years. In that time, I've learned a great deal about the church. But only recently have I understood anything about the kingdom of God. I've been asking the Lord to show me this mysterious kingdom I read about in the bible. Lately, I've been having dreams in which God has been illustrating different parts of the kingdom. Some of those dreams have become notes. It's always hard to know who to tag in a note, because I write on different subjects. There is a feature you can use to subscribe to anyone's notes, if you wish. Click the blue button under 'subscribe' in the left hand column next to a note and you'll be notified when that person publishes a note.

I had a rather profound dream about the kingdom of God last night. I wanted to share it with you.

In the dream I watched as different people experienced the kingdom of God. I was one of them. The first person I saw was a friend named Pete. He was living as a drug addict, heavily involved in criminal activity. His life was one of watching for the police everywhere he went and living in fear of being arrested. He lived to have his own selfish desires met. It was a life of fear, selfishness and using others. He didn't make a positive impact on a single person. He had no rest and no freedom. It seemed like a miserable life.

Then I saw him enter the kingdom of God. He was dressed in a uniform, sitting on a stool at the opening in a wall. The wall separated a prison and the kingdom of God. The opening was a like a gate, without a door. It was about 4 feet wide. Pete was a guard. He got up and walked around in the kingdom which seemed like an endless expanse as far as I could see. He was exploring this new place. He looked for familiar things like what he experienced in the world but found nothing like those experience.

There was no crime or drugs and no police. Everywhere he went he experienced freedom. He could walk anywhere he wanted and there was no fear or guilt. He was never afraid of getting caught doing something wrong – nothing wrong ever happened in the kingdom. All his needs were met and he was filled with peace. He met the Father who had only good things to say about him. The Father provided everything he needed in the kingdom. Pete went back to the stool and sat at the gate. His new position was to tell anyone who asked how they could enter the kingdom. His life was profoundly changed by his experience. Although the daily problems of his life didn’t immediately disappear, Pete began living from the reality he experienced in the kingdom. The freedom and acceptance he found in the kingdom allowed him to live free in the world. He never lived in fear of anything again.

I was also in the dream. In the world I was looking for acceptance and to be understood by others. I sought popularity and wanted people to like me. That was until I entered the kingdom. In the kingdom, I found immediate acceptance. Everyone I met seemed to instantly understand me. Even more amazing was the fact that they all liked me. I had no enemies and there was nobody I didn't get along with. I never argued with anyone. I made friends everywhere I went. When I met the Father, I encountered absolute acceptance and love. He had an endless list of wonderful things to say about me. I was the apple of His eye. Everything I did was perfect in His sight. He could not be more proud of me. This experience profoundly changed how I lived in the world. I no longer went around seeking acceptance from others. I lived from the reality I had experienced in the kingdom and never again wondered if I was good enough.

Another person appeared in the dream. I don't recall who this person was, but they seemed to be another friend, who lived with the fear of never having enough money. Although they had a good job and invested their money wisely, they lived with a nagging fear of poverty. Thoughts about earning and saving money plagued them continually. This person also entered the kingdom of God.

In the kingdom, they traveled from place to place. Money was the last thing anyone worried about. In fact, there were no worries of any kind in the kingdom. Citizens of the kingdom had piles of cash. My friend found that they could easily get as much money as they wanted from any stranger on the street. Nobody hoarded money. No one cared how much they had or how much they gave away. There was abundance for everyone. This experience in the kingdom profoundly changed the way he lived from that time forward. Experiencing the provision of heaven and knowing that God’s economy never lacked resources, gave him a freedom with money he never thought possible. Their fear of poverty instantly vanished. He began living from the reality he experienced in the kingdom and began to give abundantly with gladness.

I hope you're encouraged by this dream. The kingdom of God is within and around you. I hope we will all live from the unseen reality of God's eternal kingdom.

Lou Gehrig's Disease Healed

This testimony was published on the Christian Healing Ministries website. Go here for the original story.

Often we are asked whether we have ever seen certain very serious illnesses healed, such as Down’s Syndrome (we do know of one). One of the sicknesses we are asked about is ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Back in 1977 our team prayed in Toledo, Ohio, for a woman who has ALS and she was notably improved, although not totally healed, in the two days’ time our teams prayed with her, but, so far as we know, she was not totally healed. (If you wish to see what happened to her, her partial healing is captured on our video “The Healing Ministry in the Church.”)

Well, finally, I met a man who has been healed of ALS. His name is Don Jaeger (from Winter Park, FL), and he was kind enough to write out a description of his healing from which I take the following salient points. During the summer of 1992 he was diagnosed with ALS, which is ordinarily fatal and whose downward progress is steady and irretrievable. (Two of the top experts in central Florida, an EMG specialist and a neurologist, agreed upon the diagnosis.) Then Don went to hear Canon Jim Glennon (author of Your Healing is Within You) and came to believe in Jesus’ healing him of ALS. They prayed for him at his church and he had his first religious experience – a warmness and peace – that convinced him that he would be cured. He continued to seek medical counsel and physical therapy, as well as attending weekly healing services at his church.

During this time, he continued to believe that he was being healed, and, while waiting in a neurologist’s office, he received what he felt was an irrefutable sign that he was healed when he became very warm and a “total encompassing, utter peace came over my body.”

A month later, he asked for a sign that he had been cured and that time would prove it. He was at his physical therapy session, and they asked him to lift some weight with only his lower legs to establish a base-line for further exercises. With his lower leg weakened through muscular atrophy, and with absolutely “no strain, or hanging on the handles, I lifted the maximum weight of 220 pounds. This word flew all over the center.”

Later he went to the Cleveland Clinic, one of the best hospitals in the U.S. specializing in ALS. The doctors there put him through three hours of tests and one said, “The people in Florida may not believe me, but I see over 150 cases of ALS a year and you show no signs of ever having had ALS.” Don then threw away his brace and went snow skiing. “As a reminder of my illness, I still have a weakness and pain in my left leg and right hand.” After his healing he dealt with fear that the ALS would return but “through God’s help I no longer have that fear.” So, praise God, this is the first report I have ever received on the healing of ALS. (Don says he knows of another man who was also healed of ALS.)

Shoulder Healed Through Forgiveness

This is the testimony of a young woman who was healed of chronic shoulder pain. She was healed several times, but the pain kept returning. While in the healing rooms at Bethel church, it was suggested that unforgiveness was the cause. After forgiving her coach and releasing the bitterness she was holding onto, she was healed and the pain hasn't returned. I had the same experience myself a year ago. When a person is healed, only to have the condition come back repeatedly, it may be helpful to explore these types of issues.

Healing For a Co-worker II

On a day when my regular partner took a sick day, I worked with someone I didn't know very well. Cindy (not her real name or picture) and I were having a slow day. We were five hours into the shift and hadn't run a call. We talked about a lot of different things. One of my favorite things to talk about?

Dreams.

I shared a few of the crazy dreams I've had about healing people. One of the latest was a dream in which I transported someone from a car accident. My patient had severe crush injuries. Although, I'd never do it in real life, I didn't provide any medical care for this patient. By the time we got to the hospital, all his injuries were healed. I didn't even pray for him. It was the presence of God in the ambulance that healed him.

I know - crazy dream, huh?

The subject of healing dreams led to the subject of healing itself. I told her some of the stories I'd seen of people being healed. That prompted her to tell me about the car accident she was in a few years ago that left her with chronic pain between her shoulder blades, even after physical therapy.

In healing, it's always helpful to build a bridge of understanding before asking the person if they want to be healed. It took several hours, but I gained her trust and when I asked if she wanted to be healed she was comfortable having me pray for her. I explained the process then put my hand on her back and commanded it to be healed.

And it was.

We talked the rest of the shift about healing and the things God has been doing in my life. I didn't preach at her or ask her to say the sinner's prayer. I didn't feel the Holy Spirit leading us in that direction. It was a low - key afternoon of simple conversations about everyday life. It just so happens that my everyday life is a little more supernatural than it once was. In getting her healed, I opened the door to the kingdom of God. It's her choice to decide if she's ready to go in. Perhaps she will. Maybe she won't. The Holy Spirit is more than able to guide her if she's ready.

I'm gradually coming to the awareness that I'm a role model for others. I'll confess I'm a little uncomfortable with that. I've been comfortable as a student thus far. But now people are asking me the questions. I'm being asked to demonstrate healing for others and to consider teaching classes. Like it or not, when we operate in some type of calling whether traditional medicine, divine healing or something else, we naturally become role models.

If we are to be role models in healing, perhaps healing should become a lifestyle. It certainly was the lifestyle of Jesus. He knew it would take a consistent demonstration of healing if His disciples were to believe they could also do it. I don't think anything is different today. For others to believe they can heal the sick, some of us need to make it our lifestyle.

It seems like people are catching on to healing and that's good. It shouldn't be about one person doing something unusual. Healing should be a common thing practiced by many of us. At some point in the future it should become the norm.

My desire is to see more people healed on the job. That's one of the reasons for writing these stories. It's going to require more of us to leave the safety of the boat and walk out on the water. I hope you'll take a step of faith and heal someone today. If you do, send me an e-mail.

We'd love to hear your story.

This week I ran into her and asked how she felt. It's been two months since she was healed and the pain has not returned.

Freeing The Prisoners

I've been turned down more in recent days when I ask people on the street if I can pray for them. The funny thing is - the people who don't want me to pray for them are often Christians. They usually tell me about the church they go to then offer a reason why they don't need my prayers. I've decided not to engage in debates. I don't try to convince them to let me pray with them. I smile and continue looking for people who want to be free.

I'm not as discouraged as I once was. It used to be more painful to be rejected, but I'm gradually accepting the fact that some people are comfortable with their pain, sickness, fear or whatever imprisons them. They've made a choice and I need to honor it. Apparently, God knew I was feeling a little rejected yesterday, so He gave me a dream last night to help illustrate the reality of His kingdom.

In the dream I was traveling to different locations. My job was to facilitate the closure of prisons. People in the areas I went to had voted to close certain prisons and to let the prisoners go free. My job was to make sure the prisons closed on time without any problems. I was a representative who had been given the authority to close the prisons. I went to many different prisons and helped in the process of of getting them closed.

Near the end of the dream, I went to one prison and asked if it was to be closed. I was told that I had no authority to close that one yet, because the people had not yet voted to close it. This was the end of the dream.

I asked God to help me understand the dream. Here's what I heard:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
(Isaiah 61:1 - See also Luke 4:18)

God has been speaking with me lately about freedom; specifically about our choices and His decision not to overrule them. As an evangelical I was often taught about the sovereignty of God. I've leaned hard on this idea over the years, but I'm finding lately that the more I lean on it, the more it seems to be failing me.

The Old Testament often uses the title "Sovereign Lord." It was brought to my attention that this name was previously translated, "Lord Almighty". I hate long debates about theology, so I'll get to the point: I think many of us (myself included) have a faulty belief about the sovereignty of God. I've been under the impression that God always does whatever He wants, with little or no regard to what humans want. I think this belief is wrong.

I believe God is all powerful; that is to say He has the ability or power to do anything He wants. But I believe He honors the will of man much more than I've been comfortable with.

In my dream about closing prisons, a group of people had not yet voted to close a prison. Their decision was to keep it. And their decision had to be honored. Although God gave me authority as His representative to close some prisons and free the captives, that did not give me authority to overrule the free will of others. And this seems to be the main point God wants me to understand.

I've heard people teach that it's OK to cast demons out of people against their will. In studying the ministry of Jesus, I don't see that lived out. I'm often surprised at how low- key and unobtrusive the Lord was in ministering to people. He often simply asked, "What do you want from me?" In ministering to those oppressed by the enemy, Jesus first inquired, then gave according to what was asked for. He honored the desires and free will of others. Jesus didn't use His authority to violate the free will of those who were in bondage. He delivered those who wanted freedom.

In another recent dream, God spoke to me about having authority over all the power of the enemy. (Luke 10:19) We do without question, have a great deal of authority in Christ. Using it properly seems to be the thing we struggle with. Perhaps the most common problem is not knowing the authority we have or not walking in it. Less common, but still problematic is choosing to wield our authority at a time when restraint might be the better thing.

Thanks for your time.

(Feel free to leave comments)

Bill Johnson on Healing

If you need a little motivation or encouragement to heal the sick and help destroy the kingdom of darkness. This might do the trick.

An Apointment With Healing

This is the testimony of a woman who suffered traumatic injuries from a fall while mountain climbing. (The story is told by her husband) Due to age and other risk factors, she was deemed ineligible for surgery. With no other options, they began looking for a divine healing appointment. Bill Johnson happened to be visiting their town for a healing seminar. Her husband made an appointment to bring her to the church the next day to be healed, and she was.

Healing For a Co -Worker

(Stock image - not the actual ambulance )

What does a believer do when a co-worker is injured on the job?

Here's what one person did:

Nine months ago one of our ambulances was involved in an accident while on a call. The truck was severely damaged. Both crew members suffered injuries and had to take time off work to recover. Tonight I was talking with one of them about healing. He's a believer like me, but he hasn't seen the miraculous healings that I have. He asked me what I do that's different from others who don't see consistent results when they pray.

I explained that I command healing instead of asking God for it. I pretended his wrist was injured and demonstrated my method on his wrist.

He reminded me about his injury from the ambulance crash last year. He said he still has back pain even though he went through physical therapy. I said, "Why don't we get your back healed and you can watch how I do it."

So there we were in a parking lot, surrounded by ambulances. Just a few blocks from a major hospital. All the high tech medical equipment and education in town couldn't take away his back pain. I commanded pain and inflammation to leave and discs, tendons, ligaments and muscles to be healed and bones to be aligned. And in a couple of minutes he was healed.

I followed up with him the week after I prayed and asked how his back was doing. He said it was great. He hiked the Skyline trail at Mt. Rainier the next day and has plans to climb to the summit.

Tom Fischer Healing (East Coast Style)

This is my friend Tom Fischer on the streets of Philadelphia demonstrating the power of God and sharing the message of the gospel with a group of skateboarders.

Who Will Be Healed Today?

As I drove to work I wondered...

Who will be healed today?

God has been doing more miracles lately when I ask people if they want prayer. It's not an occasional thing anymore, but a lifestyle.

We checked the rig and went in service on a slow morning where everyone seemed to be in quarters.

...would it be someone with a foot injury?

...or back pain?

Our first call was for a woman who fell while attempting to cross the busiest street in town. She didn't make it far. We found her lying half on the curb and half in the street in the pouring rain. We quickly put her on a backboard and in the rig where it was dry.

I got her medical history and asked what happened. She was walking with a cane because she has decreased feeling in her right foot from neuropathy. She couldn't feel the irregularities in the sidewalk and tripped. She had an appointment to see a specialist the following day. He would do a procedure on her foot and she'd be using a walker after that.

I asked if I could pray for her foot to be healed. She said, "Get over here and take my hands. Let's get this done!"

I placed my hand on her foot and commanded it to be healed. I told the nerves to come back to life and spirits of disease to leave then asked if she felt anything. She said she could feel the swelling in her foot going down and in a minute or two it felt normal in size, but she had numbness in her foot. I commanded the sensation in her foot to be restored. She felt a wave of sensation going down her foot and the numbness was leaving.

Lying on a hard yellow board in the back of an ambulance, I can only imagine what was going through her mind.

I looked in her eyes. "In case you didn't know it, God really loves you."

I didn't need to tell her. With tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, she softly said "I know He does".

Who will be healed today?

The choice is ours. If we don't lay hands on the sick, the answer is 'nobody'.

47 Days In a Coma

This is the heart warming story of a woman named Lindsey. Shortly after the birth of her fifth child, she was admitted to the hospital with bleeding from her uterus. Two surgeries later, she wasn't doing much better. Her condition deteriorated and she was placed on life support. When all medical efforts to save her life failed, the power of prayer ignited her family. Her doctor confesses that her recovery was nothing less than a miracle.

Miracle In The Ambulance

I've waited two years to write this story.

My adventure down the rabbit hole began with a book written by a cardiologist who prayed for his patients and saw some miracles. I happened to pick up the book at a Goodwill store.

It challenged everything I believed about God.

Did God still heal people today?

Would He do it through me?

Would I have the guts to ask my patients?

Would they want me to pray for them?

Would He actually heal someone in the ambulance?

Would anyone be crazy enough to believe it really happened?

I've had so many dreams about healing people I've forgotten most of them. I've probably prayed for a thousand patients and haven't heard back from more than one or two. I've seen unexplained changes for the better in critically ill patients that made me wonder if God was healing them. But I can't say that one patient has been healed miraculously in the ambulance yet.

Today would be different.

We responded on what would be a boring call for most of us. A little old lady with the flu.

How exciting.

I suggested that there wasn't anything the hospital could do for her, but my objections were overruled. She was going with us. While loading her in the rig, I got her medical history. She was pretty healthy except for severe scoliosis, arthritis and a torn meniscus in her left knee. It was the torn meniscus got me excited.

About a month earlier, I prayed for a young woman at a grocery store who had the same problem. I saw her in a wheelchair leaving the store and asked if I could pray for her. After a few minutes of prayer she was healed. Having done it once, I believed my little old lady would be healed, too.

I told her about the healing at the store and asked if I could pray for her. She was delighted. She had limited range of motion in her left knee with severe pain when she flexed the joint. I had her relax and placed my hand on her knee and commanded it to be healed. I asked if she felt anything. She said it felt very warm. I didn't have to ask her to flex the knee, she did and her jaw dropped open. All she could say was "how did you do that?" She had full range of motion with no pain. She grabbed my hands and thanked me repeatedly. After a short celebration in the back of the rig, I asked about her back. She told me about the chronic back pain and that she used to be 4 inches taller than she is now. I asked if I could pray and she agreed, so I placed my hand on her back and commanded it to be healed. She felt heat going down her back. She was on the way to having that healed, too. She talked about the goodness of God all the way to the hospital.

About a hour after dropping her off at the emergency room, we responded for another little old lady who tripped and fell.

How exciting.

I instantly linked this woman. She had a beautiful Scottish brogue. I asked where she was from and she said, Glasgow. She gave us a sad history of a misdiagnosed injury to her left leg. She'd developed severe pain in her lower leg and was told she had shin splints. They never bothered to take an x-ray. She began physical therapy and the pain got worse. She had another exam and an x-ray they realized she had a fractured tibia. The pain in her lower leg and ankle was so bad she wouldn't let anyone touch it.

We got her loaded. I got down next to her and explained what happened on the previous transport. She was so glad to have me pray she almost kissed me. I placed my hand on her leg and invited the Holy Spirit to join us.

Her hands went up in the air immediately and she began praising God.

Very loudly...

In the ambulance....

I'm so glad my supervisor wasn't there.

In less than a minute the pain was almost gone. She said it was a 1 out of 10. I kept praying, thinking I could make it leave completely.

She kept praising God, louder and louder.

We dropped her off at the emergency room. I have no idea what she told them. I never want to find out.

So far in this little adventure, I've been keeping the healing thing a secret. (There hasn't been much to tell anyway) But if it keeps going like this, it won't be a secret for long.

Evangelism 101 - Overcoming Fear

My friend Joel Jackson did a short message and demonstration on overcoming fear in street healing and evangelism. Check it out.

Cancer Defeated By Prophetic Declaration

This is the testimony of a man whose mother was healed of uterine cancer. He made a declaration of healing over his family and God honored it.

Why We Lose Our Healing

If you've seen someone healed by the power of God, chances are you know someone who also lost their healing. In this video Pete Cabrera discusses the problem of how we lose our healing and how to get it back. The short story is this; it's a battle. The powers of darkness that bring sickness and pain don't stop their assault because someone told them to leave one time. When someone is healed, the enemy often brings the pain or sickness back.What are we to do? The same power that brought healing the first time will heal it returns. Rebuke it and command it to leave in the name of Jesus. If it comes back, do it again. Stand on the promises of God.

Prophetic Hot Tub

My wife and I spent a romantic weekend alone to celebrate our anniversary. Jesus went along and made our vacation nicer than we expected. This is the third story of how God touched people that weekend.

Early in the morning, my wife and I decided to soak in the hotel's hot tub. But we weren't alone. A family of four children and their mom were there. The two youngest children who were about 10 years old were in the hot tub with us. As I rested, God gave me a vision for the boy. I saw him building things with Tonka trucks. Then I saw large yellow construction equipment like backhoes and bulldozers. It seemed like God was telling me the boy likes to build things. I began a conversation with him about breakfast then asked if he likes to build things. He said he did. That led to a conversation in which I told him that God would probably open doors for him in construction. He was surprised that I knew this information, but was glad I shared it with him.

I gave his sister a similar word about her love of dancing. God showed me a vision in which she appeared as a young lady of about 20 years old. She was moving gracefully as a ballerina. I suggested that God may bless this endeavor if she pursued it. She was happy but surprised to hear this coming from a stranger.

Their mother was amazed at the fact that I knew these things about her kids. We sat with her and talked about prophecy and the healings we’d seen that weekend. Eventually she asked if we would prayed for her vision to be restored. She’s was far-sighted.

Then she asked me to pray for her older son who had symptoms of a cold. To be honest, I didn’t expect a cold to be healed by prayer. It seemed off limits for some reason. But I prayed with the same faith as all the other times this week. The boy told his mother (Jessie) that his nose, which was sore and runny felt a lot better after I prayed for him.

Before we left she had me give her oldest daughter a word. I saw her windsurfing off the coast of an island like Hawaii (which turned out to be her favorite place). In the vision I saw that she had confidence on the board and the look of determination. She was moving fast. Then I saw the front of a thin boat, like a kayak and a paddle going through the water. I gave her some insights from this vision and she was encouraged by it. Her mother said it described her very well.

Earnestly desire the best gifts, especially that you may prophesy.....

You never know who will be blessed.

He Has Anointed You

This little video profoundly impacted my life. The song reveals a simple yet amazing truth; we have been anointed to heal the sick, bind up the broken hearted and bring freedom to the captives. Through the actions of a handful of normal people like you and I, cities and nations will be changed. Darkness will become light. Despair will become hope. Hatred will become love.

Thanks to Heather Clark for the music and the folks at Extreme Prophetic for their loving obedience.

Healing At The Car Show

It was a hot summer day, so we decided to visit the car show. My wife and I love old cars. My dad took me to antique car shows and race tracks when I was a boy. He built hot rods with his brothers in the 50's. His was a '35 Ford 5 - window coupe. They put studded tires on them in the winter and raced them across frozen lakes. (And they call firefighters crazy for going into burning buildings)

My dad taught me a lot about fixing cars. I've never made a serious attempt to restore one, but my wife and I have a dream of one day restoring an old piece of American cast iron. I saw a few cars that were for sale at the show, but they were just a little out my price range.

As we rode the shuttle van from the parking lot to the casino, where the show was being held, I talked with my wife about who we'd find and what they would be healed of.

I can't help it. He's taken over my soul and become who I am. He lives in me. I'm not the man I used to be. I love seeing people healed and watching God on the move.

As we walked up and down between rows of beautifully restored classics, I was looking for someone with a cast, splint, immobilizer or in a wheelchair.

I'm not gonna lie.... the '41 Willys got my attention for a while. It was for sale. But I wasn't buyin'.

My daughter and I were having fun looking at the cars together, when I saw a woman limping through the crowd with a leg immobilizer on. I thought I'd found who I was looking for. But she was walking toward the main entrance of the casino and before I could get there, she and her sister vanished inside. Rats!

After a few hours in the hot sun some of my family took refuge in the beer tent. My daughter and I found shade in the food tent next door. After a bite to eat, I joined the rest of the group in the beer tent.

We talked about the cars we'd seen. I pointed out the purple and yellow Willys to my wife and told her it was for sale. As I turned around to find another car to show her, I saw the woman with the leg immobilizer sitting at a table directly behind me.

It had to be a divine set up.

So we went for it.

I got her attention and introduced my family then asked about her injury. She had torn ligaments and tendons and open sores from a moped accident. I told her about some of the healing stories we've seen. She let us pray over her leg. The pain was 5 out of 10 at the start. She said she felt tingling almost immediately. I commanded her ligaments, tendons, nerves and muscles to be healed while my wife prayed in tongues. In a few minutes she said all the pain was gone. This woman was a believer. She was very grateful that we asked to pray for her.

As I left the beer tent to meet my daughter, she pointed to a girl about 10 years old sitting in a wheelchair with soft cast on her leg. My daughter was grinning from ear to ear. I went over and introduced myself then asked how she hurt her leg. She had the same exact injury that the other woman had. I pointed to her and said she had just been healed then asked if I could pray for her leg. She agreed. Her pain was 3 out of 10 when I started. She immediately felt tingling. In a minute or two her pain level was down to 1 out of 10.

I saw Ryan Rhoades point his finger at a woman in the hospital then he made the sound of a gun being fired. The woman jumped but didn't see what he was doing. I did the same thing to this girl's ankle. The moment I said, BANG, she flinched. And with a startled look on her face, she said "Hey, How did you do that? It's all better!!" I told her I didn't do anything, Jesus did it. Her grandmother began to tell her about the stories of Jesus healing people that she knew about from Sunday School. We thanked them and went our way.

All the cars we saw were once just average cars for their age. A little rusty, a little worn out, dripping oil, and not running like they should. Someone came along and purchased them. But in buying them, the goal was total restoration. Lovingly replacing everything broken and making something beautiful is what restoring cars is all about.

The divine mechanic has the tools and know-how to fix every broken part of our lives. He has an endless supply of new hearts and other parts to replace the bitter, failing ones we carry around. He's the master mechanic laboring continually, rebuilding us into a perfect re-creation in His image.

Christian Cults In The Electronic Age

What do you think of when I mention the word 'cult'?

For many of us, names like David Koresh, Jim Jones and Joseph Smith come to mind; those mysterious men of the past who led well-meaning people into religious error. In the world of modern magnetic personalities, today's cult leaders have a new face and a new agenda. No longer a man who leads people with unorthodox teaching, today's cult leader is more likely to preach the cross of Jesus and teach on the triune God. They also don't pass out poison Kool-Aid, but if you follow them long enough, you may end up in an early grave from exhaustion. Take a short quiz and see if your hero is leading people down a crooked path.

1) Do you follow the teaching of someone with a public forum or ministry that you consider to be particularly insightful, inspiring or gifted?

 2) Does that leader promote the idea that the church has lost it's focus and that He's been given an assignment from God to re-establish it?

 3) Does the leader claim to have a special revelation, anointing or mantle of authority given to him that qualifies him in a special way to restore God's original purpose for the church?

 4) Does this leader discourage people from learning from other leaders?

5) Do you encourage others to follow this leader?

 6) Do you meet with friends who follow the same leader and read or listen to his messages?

 7) Do you distribute the materials prepared by that leader to others? (mp3's, podcasts, videos, internet links, books, etc)

 8) Do you find yourself frequently quoting this leader?

 9) Does the leader come under criticism from other Christian leaders on a regular basis?

 10) Do you find yourself defending the leader or his teaching before others?

 11) Have you lost friends over your support of the leader and his ministry?

 12) Do you know people who followed the leader then left and have been criticized for leaving?

 13) Does the leader promote any type of activity that he believes is necessary to remain in right relationship with God?

 14) Do you wonder if your spiritual activity is good enough to please God?

 15) Have people familiar with the ministry ever used words like brainwashing, indoctrination, legalism, performance, or similar words to describe the teaching or activities of the group?

If you answered yes to most of the questions above, you may be following someone who could be considered a cult leader.

The Leader
Cult leaders don't wake up one day and decide they're going to start a cult. The ones I've observed seem to be oblivious to what they're doing. Most of them may actually have good intentions. They seem to have wounds from past encounters in the church. In dealing with the pain, rejection or disillusionment they start a campaign to set things right. These leaders are always visionary people, with a goal of either re-establishing something lost, or bringing to the church something new. From a wounded soul arises a need to be publicly justified. The driving force behind their movement is a bruised ego. These men and women are genuinely gifted and inspiring individuals with a quirkiness that others find admirable.

Though I follow the teaching of different leaders, the ones I follow have one thing that sets them apart from those I would consider to be cult leaders; they're all accountable to someone else. The model for church leadership involves different people with different functions providing a system of checks and balances. Whether elders and bishops or apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers - all church leaders should function in relationship with others to keep egos in check. Without exception, cult leaders believe they are accountable to no one, except God. They resist correction or instruction from anyone.

The Follower

Though some may not know God, followers of modern cults may be genuine disciples of Jesus, who are saved by grace. Many embrace a biblical world - view. Unlike cults of the past, many followers today are likely to be refugees from evangelical or charismatic churches. Having been poisoned by mainstream Christianity but not wanting to give up on God, they believe they've found a better path. Sometimes critical of the mainline church and it's lack of enlightenment or it's laziness, they have a strong need for accomplishment and acceptance and like the social involvement of the new group's activities.

Loyalty
The leader demands obedience to what he believes is the call of God. He expects loyalty to the group, it's vision and activities. Followers study the approved teachings and know them well. They refuse to entertain ideas contrary to the teaching of the leader and tend to engage in long arguments in defense of that position. Loyalty among these groups is deep. When a member leaves the group they tend to be treated as a traitor, losing the friendships they had inside the group.

Controversy

I'm a person who enjoys discussing controversial subjects. God is doing some amazing things these days, much of it dripping with controversy. Seeing life from another's perspective can be healthy. The give and take builds healthy relationships. But with cult leaders there is no give and take. They tend to be rigid and unyielding in their position. You'll find little compromise among their followers.

The Internet has given a new spin to fringe Christian movements. The controversial teachings that were once closely guarded secrets are now widely publicized on blogs, websites and social networks. Public debate is inevitable with teaching that flies in the face of conventional Christianity. Members tirelessly defend the group's position against anyone who questions it. If the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and willing to yield, a swirling vortex of arguments and accusations may be an indicator that something is wrong.

Exclusive Teaching
Cult leaders have a set of unique ideas they expect their followers to know and follow. The teaching revolves around what they've learned through special revelation or their own life experiences. In general, they disdain the teaching of others, referring to them as erroneous, unenlightened, unbiblical, apostate, or in some way unworthy of serious consideration.

In developing their material, leaders nearly always have a biblical basis for their teaching. Some are excellent bible scholars. But in every case, they'll manipulate scripture to support a new doctrine. Some take an obscure passage and make a major teaching out of it. Others deny the validity of certain passages. Often they point to the passage in question and claim it wasn't in the original manuscript, being added later or they question the translation. Cultic teaching always deviates from the word of God in some way.

The Persecuted Few
While not universal, today's leaders often point to some real or perceived persecution they've endured. They may suggest you'll likewise be persecuted for following them. The common perception of persecution provides an experience the group can rally behind.

Diets
Oddly enough - nearly every cult will establish some teaching on diet that's out of sync with mainstream Christianity and the teaching of scripture. Today's groups also have much to say on what you should or shouldn't eat. Some advise you to eat certain foods or supplements. You can even purchase them from the leader at a price. Others either require fasting or deny the biblical basis for fasting. If a leader takes a hard position on what you should or shouldn't eat and when, ask questions.

Two ErrorsThe two errors the church has dealt with historically are legalism and gnosticism. Legalism is the idea that God's grace is not enough to keep you in right standing with Him. Gnosticism is the pursuit of esoteric knowledge outside the natural realm.

The New GnosticsGnosticism has been around since man first walked the earth. We've always desired to know the deepest truths of the universe. But there's the nagging problem of discerning between knowledge and truth. They're not the same thing. There's no shortage of people today who claim to have received special knowledge that will enhance your life. But, there's usually a price tag attached and what they give you is often a pile of rubbish. I'm as fascinated by the supernatural as anyone. But I'm surprised at the lack of discernment the church has in evaluating supernatural experiences and so-called higher knowledge. The problem is that some have jettisoned reason and scriptural revelation in favor of the spiritual, regardless of where it leads them.
Performance Groups
Paul's letter to the church in Galatia addressed the fact that after he brought the gospel of grace, men came after him teaching that grace was good, but they needed more to remain in good standing with God; obedience to the law. There will always be leaders telling us we need to do something to please God.

While many fringe groups today agree that the blood of Jesus is enough to pay for our sins. Those same groups also suggest that you may not be a true disciple without meeting their definition of discipleship, which always includes something you must do.

Every cult based on performance has some work that needs to be done. Following one of these leaders will always be a busy life full of doing this and going there. Long time followers suffer physical and mental exhaustion from pursuing the nebulous goal of reaching as many people as possible. It's a game of numbers. If you make contact with so many people, you're a 'good disciple'. You become a hamster in a cage that never rests. If not, you're labeled as lazy and disobedient.

Experience
I consider myself to be a Christian mystic. I've had some 'interesting' spiritual experiences. (All of them with biblical precedent) I generally keep them to myself, but I share some with a few trusted friends. I'm not trying to teach others to experience them. I'm not doing anything to seek them but asking God in our time alone to develop a deeper relationship with Him. When I experience something new I ask God about it, search the bible to find what it says on the matter and take it to friends for their advice. It's a safety net that will hopefully prevent me from falling into gnostic error.

Lately I've struggled with the notion that I should be praying for more people. I've wondered that if I don't lay hands on someone everywhere I go are my efforts good enough to please God? I've come under the influence of people promoting the agenda of works - based acceptance by God. I know better than to believe this stuff, but it's crept into my life ever so slowly.

I have friends who've been in the healing ministry for years who have lived under constant guilt when they didn't have time to honor all the requests to pray for "just one more cancer patient." If they take a weekend off to be with family, they worry that people will die. They avoid friends for fear of being asked to pray for another person. They dread opening their e-mail. They've felt intense pressure from leaders to perform at the highest level of efficiency every moment of every day. They live under constant guilt.

There's a subtle deception taking place in all this. It's the idea that we can't be wrong as long as we're do something good. I'd suggest that our motives and relationships are more important than we think. I'll leave you with a few questions to ponder:

If we lead others into deep spiritual knowledge, but in doing so cause them to fall into darkness, how have we helped them?

If we're healing people to collect a pile of testimonies, how is God glorified in what we're doing?

If we see people as mere 'targets' for our ministry, are we truly revealing Jesus to them?

If we suffer a nervous breakdown and alienate our friends and family from years of frantically doing the work of the ministry, who wins in the end?

Satan is a cruel task master.

Be wise as serpents and gentle as doves.

(And keep sending me your prayer requests - I haven't come close to being overworked yet!)

Torn Achilles Tendon Healed

Sarah is a runner who was sidelined with a torn Achilles tendon. She went through physical therapy and conventional medical treatment but still wasn't able to run. Shorty after being healed at Bethel Church, she was off and running again.

Healing 101

This is a message with practical advice for those interested in learning to operate in divine healing.

To share on Facebook as a note go here.

Relationship
In my experience and in what I've learned from those who have successfully ministered healing over dacades, a common message comes forth: To operate successfully in divine healing it's imperative to establish a strong, active relationship with the Holy Spirit. All of what we do must be led and powered by the Holy Spirit. As we minister healing to others, we're not primarily about healing. We're ambassadors of heaven facilitating new relationships with those who may not know God. If we don't know His ways, we can't share Him with the world. Establishing and maintaining the relationship is the first order of business. The authority to heal comes from Jesus. He gave his disciples authority over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). If you're not His disciple yet, become one. Ask Him to come into your life and the Holy Spirit will come and reside in you. You will have the power and authority to heal the sick and raise the dead.

My first bit of advice to those who desire to heal is to to get rid of daily distractions and seek the face of God in solitude. Unplug your television for six months and use that time to rest in God's presence. Sing, worship, pray, let God show you visions, do some fasting, have dreams and get acquainted with God in ways you haven't before. As your relationship with God grows so will your anointing for healing.

My second bit of advice comes from a friend (Brian Fenimore) whose been in healing for decades. Don't ever try to heal while remaining detached from the presence of the Holy Spirit. You can heal the sick on faith alone. Many people do it. But what they end up doing is building a kingdom for themselves and eventually their ministry collapses. After a successful run, they find that people aren't being healed and they wonder what happened. Always invite the Holy Spirit to participate and lead the encounter and do with the person what He wants done. Ministry with the Holy Spirit is a dance. He leads, we follow.

Faith To Heal
Healing comes through faith. It's that simple. Children can be used as healers because they haven't been poisoned with doubt. Replacing doubt with faith is critical to healing. As my faith has grown, the frequency of miracles increased.

Reading Scripture
When I began in healing, I found every passage in the New Testament that had to do with healing and I studied and memorized it. Then I went through the Old Testament. Reading scripture passages about healing is a faith building experience. Study, study, study. Then rest in the Holy Spirit and let Him apply it to your spirit.

Learn From Others
Many people have done healing before you. They all have lessons you can learn from. If you know people who operate in healing, go with them when they minister. If healing is happening at a certain place make a point to be there and witness it firsthand. If you need healing, find someone to do it. My own healing made a profound imact in my faith to heal others. Read books, watch videos - especially testimonies of healing and instruction. Many people who operate in healing have mp3 and podcasts you can listen to. Devour all you can stomach, then rest in the Holy Spirit and let Him sort it out.

You'll find many different methods of healing out there. All of them work - but none are foolproof. I saw an approach I liked so I borrowed it, then adapted it to fit my personality. It works for me. Don't get hung up on following a certain method. Develop your own, as I did. In fact, you might consider using different methods at different times. Jesus used a different method nearly every time, probably to confound those who think one method is best.

A word of caution: if anyone claims to have figured it all out and they tell you not to bother studying from anyone else but them - beware. They have an agenda you don't want to be under. Don't be impressed by their numbers. Most people in healing have decent success, but nobody has 100% success.

Assessment
This is something I do as a medical practitioner, but it's also helpful in healing. I ask questions of the person before I begin:

1) Ask about the onset of symptoms - when and how it happened.

2) Ask about severity of pain on a one to ten scale. This is very helpful in evaluating the progress of healing. If the pain was 8/10 at the start and a few minutes later it's 5/10, you're making progress.

3) Ask about limitations in activity or range of motion.

4) Ask how long they've had the symptoms.

5) Ask about treatment they've had. Antibiotics damge the immune system, so commanding the immune system to be healed may be in order. Radiation and chemotherapy also damage the body. You may need to command that damage to be healed.

Don't be discouraged by what you hear. It's just information so that when they are healed, you know what they were healed from.

Just Do It
Healing doesn't happen unless you get started. Lay hands on anyone who will let you. Friends, family, co-workers and strangers. When I order food at a restaurant or coffee shop they usually ask, "Is that all you need today?" I reply, "That's it.... unless you know someone who needs healing." I often find people with headaches or other things to heal. When I'm shopping I look for canes, casts, immobilers, splints, wheelchairs and people hobbling along in obvious pain. These folks are usually open to healing. Introduce yourself, build some trust and ask if you can help them through healing. If they say no, bless them and keep going.

Don't beg or plead with God to heal anyone. This may be the most common mistake people make. God has already given us authority over sickness disease and injury. It's in our covenant. It's an eternal promise. Command sickness, disease, inflammation, pain, darkness, depression, or unclean spirits to leave. Command organs, blood vessels, nerves, ligaments, tendons, bones and other things to be healed.

Persistence Pays Off
Don't be discouraged if nothing happens the first time you pray. Do it again.
Don't be discouraged if nothing happens after a second time. Do it again.
Don't give up if nothing happens after a third time. Do it again.

Most of the healing I've seen has come after 4 or 5 sessions of commanding the healing to happen. Be persistent. Don't quit. The second most common mistake in healing is giving up too soon. If you see any change in symptoms or severity of pain after 3 or 4 times, keep going. You're making progress. If you move it at all, you can eventually get it to go away completely.

Healing's Limitations
Healing is not the final answer to life's problems or issues and it's irrelevant to healthy people. When you find yourself surrounded by a crowd of people with no healing needs and healing is your only weapon - you have nothing to give them. Spend a few months in a college dorm and see how your healing ministry goes. Personally, I love the prophetic life. It's a gift that can be used in any situation with anyone. Dream interpretation is another great tool to have in your arsenal. Consider other gifts God might want to use in your life. Remember my advice on building your relationship with the Holy Spirit? If you're tuned in to what He's saying, you'll know which gift He wants to use and how He wants to do it.

Love and Compassion
If we heal out of any other reason than love and compassion, we gain nothing for ourselves, the kingdom or those we heal. I'll be blunt; there are many people in healing today who are doing it for questionable reasons. For some it's turned into a game of numbers - "How many people can I get healed today?" For others it's about making a name for themselves. Some are out to make a living off it, seeing it as a step toward full time ministry. Some do it to write books about healing or produce media to sell. God will heal the sick through people who have less than pure motives. Ask yourself if you'd like to be one of those people. Jesus healed out of love and compassion. My advice is to follow His example in everything you do.

Emergency Room Healing

I was on duty at a fire station the morning the twin towers were destroyed and the fire community lost friends and family. I'll never forget the incredible pain and heartbreak I went through as the men and women of our department gathered around the television and watched the tragedy unfold. This post is dedicated to the memory of them with a hope for healing and a better tomorrow.

When we're in pain, many of us go to a hospital for treatment. But we all know someone who still has chronic pain even after being treated by a doctor. Given that healing is supposed to be our job as medical providers, I'm puzzled at how many nurses and doctors live with chronic pain. This story is about four such people, all of them nurses, who were delivered from their afflictions on the same weekend.

I was working last weekend, which happened to be Labor Day weekend. On four consecutive days I had the opportunity to touch four different people who labor hard comforting the sick and who suffer from their own aches and pains.

On Friday, while picking up a patient at one of the area hospitals, I ran into a friend in the ER hallway. Kelly (not her real name) is the kind of nurse that paramedics naturally like; a competent nurse with a cheerful disposition and a wicked sense of humor. I’ve known her for years and always enjoyed her compay. When she was diagnosed with cancer, I got to know her a little better.

She went through the usual regimen of chemo and radiation with a smile, which is hard to do. Cancer treatment can be brutal. She’s a survivor and a living testimony to the advances in medicine. We were talking in the ER hallway, when she asked what I was up to. I shared with her some of the healing miracles I’ve seen lately. She told me she has plantar fasciitis in both feet and lives with constant pain. She asked if I would pray for her feet to be healed.

I knelt down on the floor and place my hands on her feet and commanded them to be healed. A minute later she said all the pain was gone and she was rejoicing - rather loudly. She yelled out, “How did you do that?” I told her I cheated. “It was God and He loves you very much.” We talked for a few minutes. I gave her some tips on how to keep her healing but I had a patient to see. So we hugged and went back to work.

The next day I was back at the same hospital. I asked a nurse if Kelly was around.

“She’s not here today, she’s on call. Can I leave a message for her?” I told her I was there to see how Kelly’s feet were doing. When I mentioned that she was healed of plantar fasciitis she asked me to repeat what I just said. I told her again that Kelly’s feet were healed. Her mouth dropped open. “Will you pray for my feet, too? I have plantar fasciitis in both feet.”

(God perfected the wicked sense of humor)

I asked her how bad the pain was and how long she’d had it then knelt on the floor and placed my hands on her feet.

She said in a surprised tone, “Are you going to pray for me right now?"

(She thought I would go home and pray for her later)

I jokingly asked, “Do you want to be healed right now?” She said yes, so I commanded her feet to be healed. A minute later she was jumping up and down with tears streaming down her face. “I can’t believe it, this is a miracle!!” I informed her, “You just got healed by a Jewish carpenter who died 2000 years ago."

She was overwhelmed with gratitude. Tears of joy ran down her face. We talked about God’s love for her. I gave her a short lesson on how to keep her healing and told her if the pain comes back, not to accept it, but to rebuke it and command it to leave.

On Sunday, I was back in the same emergency room picking up another patient. I was telling the charge nurse, who is also a long time friend about the miracles. She said, "you know, it's funny, but I'm having pain in my foot. It just started a few days ago." She's been training for months to run a half marathon. I asked if she wanted me to pray for her foot. She said, "I'd love it." So I took her foot in my hands and commanded it to be healed. She hugged me and said thanks. We both went back to our labors.

On Monday, I had a fourth opportunity. I was in a different hospital, talking with the staff while waiting for a patient I'd be transporting. Due to paperwork and other issues we often arrive before the patient is ready to go. I asked one of them if she was a swimmer in college. (She had big shoulders and biceps like a competitive swimmer)

She said, "No, but it's funny you asked, because I was thinking about swimming today. I can't go to the gym anymore and I want to keep in shape" When I asked why she wasn't going to the gym, she said she'd broken the 5th metatarsal bone in both of her feet.

This had to be a setup....

I softly repeated, "broken bones in both feet?"

She shot me an inquisitive grin. "Yeah, why?"

I got up and motioned for her to follow me. I walked down the hallway away from the nurse's desk. When we were far enough away, so that no one else could hear, I explained what happened earlier this weekend. "You can certainly pray for my feet," she said.

So I did.

Very quietly.

I tried to appear as if I was merely looking at her feet. I'm not sure she was even paying attention as I whispered the commands for healing. After a few minutes I left and she went back to the nurse's station. I met my partner by our patient's room. We loaded her on the gurney. He saw what I was up to and asked, "Did she get healed?" I told him I didn't know.

As we were preparing to leave, she came over to us. "By the way, I wanted to thank you - my feet feel wonderful." She smiled and left.

I got into medicine in 1982 so I could help heal the sick and injured. 28 years later that dream is finally coming true.

I'm not really special or gifted. I just stepped out of my comfort zone and miracles met me there. If you're not seeing the miraculous, begin today as I did. One person and one miracle at a time.

IHOP Coming To The United Kingdom

For ten days at the end of October and the beginning of November, Wes Hall, Cory Asbury, Laura Hackett, and a team of musicians, singers, and students from the International House of Prayer of Kansas City will be in the UK to encourage the Body of Christ there.