Mustard Seed Faith - A Growth Process

This morning's message is about a subject that seems to be poorly understood by most people. The subject is faith. We'll look at faith and how it applies to healing, which is somewhat different than faith for other things.

Healing the sick is something we do by faith. In contrast to traditional medicine, which is a matter of what you know and how skilled you are, divine healing is a result of who you know and what you believe. Simply put; if you know Jesus and you believe He is still healing people today, He will heal the sick through you. Once your relationship with Him is established through the operation of the Holy Spirit, growing your faith in God’s ability and desire to heal is the next step.

How do we develop the kind of faith that heals people consistently? It was in their failures that the disciples of Jesus were given some of the most important lessons from their teacher. When they were not able to heal a boy with epilepsy, they asked Jesus why:

"And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”
So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt 17:14-20)

Jesus said they could not heal the boy because they lacked the necessary faith. The disciples were not completely devoid of faith; they had already worked many miracles by this time. They had adequate faith for healing some diseases, but not the faith to accomplish this particular healing.

Jesus said if they had faith as a mustard seed, they could move mountains. Some teach that Jesus spoke of the size of faith when He compared faith to a mustard seed. They teach that faith which is small can move mountains – if it is pure or has some other quality. But Jesus didn’t use size in this comparison. He didn’t say they needed to have faith as small as a mustard seed, but rather they needed faith that acts as a mustard seed does. Small faith was never applauded by Jesus – instead he often rebuked people for having little or small faith.

In order to understand why He compared faith to a mustard seed, we need to look elsewhere in scripture. The first mention of mustard seed in the bible is in the kingdom parables of Matthew chapter 13, where Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” (Matt. 13:31-32)

The mustard seed though small, grew to be massive in size. Here is the key to how mustard seed faith behaves – it grows. A seed bears no fruit until it germinates and grows into a plant; the larger the plant – the more fruit it bears. Faith must grow before it produces the fruit of healing.

When I began praying for the sick, almost no one was healed. I was discouraged and I wanted to quit. I had almost no faith. All I had was a promise from God; “You pray and I’ll heal”. I had a seed of promise and nothing else. But as we’ve seen, the kingdom of God is about growth.

So I planted the seed and watered it. I watched videos featuring Todd White as he prayed with people on the streets and I saw miracles happen. And the seed sprouted. I watered it with scripture, reading every account of healing in the bible. And it grew roots. God gave me dreams in which I saw myself praying for the sick and they were being healed. Leaves grew from a small stalk that emerged from the ground. I continued to lay hands on anyone who would let me and eventually, I saw some of them healed. Fruit began to appear.

In the beginning I failed to understand what it took to see people healed. I saw others operating consistently in healing and I wanted to know how they did it. Like many people, I misunderstood what faith for healing is and how it operates.

Most of you would call yourself Christians, disciples of Jesus or simply, ‘believers’. You believe certain things about Jesus; the most important is that He is your Savior. This ‘kind’ of faith is the kind that saves us from the consequences of sin, but it’s not the kind of faith that heals the sick. Every Christian believes that Jesus is their savior, and yet that faith does not heal the sick. There must be another kind of faith that heals.

The kind of faith that heals isn’t a belief that God wants to heal the sick. Many people believe that God wants to heal the sick and yet the sick are not healed by their faith. Faith that heals is different from this.

Faith that heals the sick consistently and predictably is the belief that when you are presented with an opportunity to heal someone who is willing to be healed, that God will in fact heal that person of the condition they desire to be healed of through you. Faith that heals is not general. It is specific to the individual in need, the problem at hand and the one praying, which is usually us. Allow me to illustrate:

When the woman was healed by taking hold of the hem of Jesus’ garment, Jairus was in the crowd. His daughter was sick so he came to Jesus for help. After the woman was healed, Jesus had her testify to the crowd. After she testified, a friend of Jairus informed him that his daughter had died. Jesus looked at Jairus and said, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” (See Luke 8:40-50)

The woman’s testimony was needed because Jesus wanted Jairus to hear it and have faith for a something specific. Although believing that He was the Messiah was important, it wasn’t the thing He was after. He didn’t want Jairus to believe that God heals some people or that He raises some people from the dead. He wanted Jairus to believe without a doubt that his daughter would be raised from the dead. Note; Jesus said the girl would be made well, if he believed. The faith Jairus needed to see his daughter resurrected was specific to his daughter and her condition.

This is the kind of faith we need for healing.

When I began praying with people for healing, I seldom expected any of them to be healed. I believed that God wanted to heal some people and some conditions but I didn’t believe He wanted to heal all of them and I thought the person I was praying with wouldn’t be healed. I had a lot of doubts and those doubts involved either the person I was praying with or the condition I was praying for.

I doubted that God wanted to heal everyone and in fact, I thought He would heal just about anyone except the person I was praying with. Because I didn’t know that God wanted to heal everyone, my faith was generalized to some people, but not specific to the one I was praying with. So when I prayed with specific people, my doubts surfaced and I imagined them not being healed. My specific doubts destroyed my generalized faith and no one was healed.

After six months of fruitless attempts at healing, I realized I had to change some things. I noticed that Todd White commanded healing instead of asking God to heal and this approach worked well. Here’s an issue we need to consider. Has it ever occurred to you that when we beg God for healing, we believe that we are more compassionate than God is?

I changed my approach and started to command healing and as soon as I did, I saw people healed – often they were healed instantly. I saw a lot of success with torn rotator cuffs and carpal tunnel syndrome, seeing one person after another healed miraculously.

I began to approach these two conditions with more confidence. After only a few more months I’d seen dozens of people healed with a success rate of around 90%. Because of that success, I began to believe ( I had confidence) that God would actually heal everyone I prayed with who had one of these two conditions. My faith, which was generalized until then, became very specific. There were certain people with certain conditions that I knew in my heart, without any doubt God was going to heal. It was at this point that I began to tell some people they would be healed before I prayed with them. Something had changed in my approach to healing and that translated to greater confidence and better results. I’d like to explain how those changes occurred.

I began with a generalized faith. My general belief was that God wanted to heal “some people” of “some conditions”. This faith was weakened by specific doubts. I doubted that God wanted to heal the specific person or a specific condition through my prayers. Note - doubt comes in one of three areas; doubt about the person who is sick being healed, doubt about healing a certain condition or doubt that God will heal them through you. Doubt in all of these areas must be eliminated if you want to see people healed consistently.

As I saw more people healed, my generalized faith became specific – I had confidence (faith) that many of the people I prayed with would be healed. The doubts about specific people were being removed. I had also more faith for some conditions than others; my doubts about specific conditions was being removed. And faith for just about every type of condition was greater than it had been; my general faith for healing was growing.

As I began praying for people with neurologic disorders like Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s) I had little faith for those conditions. Over time, my confidence began to grow and I began to see changes in some of those people as well. The same is true for cancer. Like many of us, my confidence for seeing cancer healed was small. I saw cancer as a stronger adversary, for some reason. But as I prayed with more cancer patients and saw some of them healed; my confidence for healing of cancer began to grow quickly. I don’t yet have the same confidence for cancer or ALS that I do for joint injuries, but the more I lay hands on people with those conditions the more my faith grows.

My faith, like the faith of Jairus, was strengthened by watching the power of God at work. Faith can and must grow. Seeing people healed is one of the keys to growth. I don’t think there is a substitute for experiencing the power of God at work.

The strategy for growing your faith is to start with a generalized belief that God heals. From there, you simply lay hands on whomever you can and eventually, you’ll see some of them healed. As you do, your weak, generalized faith will become more specific and stronger. As you continue in healing, you’ll see more types of diseases and injuries healed. You’ll develop more faith (confidence) for specific conditions. If you continue laying hands on people, the strong faith you have for a few things will broaden into a strong faith for many things.

There is a belief among Charismatics that some people have an ‘anointing’ for healing certain conditions such as back pain or migraines. In reality, there is no special anointing. But rather, they’ve recognized the fact that they have greater confidence (or a lack of doubt) for some conditions than for others. If they continue to pray with faith for other conditions, they usually develop confidence for them as well.

It has often been noted (primarily by skeptics) that no one has produced a medically documented case of an amputee who has had a limb restored through prayer. They use this as an argument against healing. In light of all the other valid testimonies of healing it seems like a weak argument. But the question deserves to be answered, “Why aren’t amputees healed in any significant numbers?”

Here’s my answer: I believe the lack of healing of amputees is due to nothing more than a corporate lack of faith specific to healing amputees. The church looks at the amputee as an impossible assignment. Torn rotator cuff? No problem. Multiple sclerosis? Yes, we can do that. HIV? Sure, we’ve seen a lot of people healed of that. But when we face the man or woman with a missing limb, we don’t have the faith (confidence) for it. When YOU believe (when you have a confident expectation) that God will heal a certain amputee through YOU, it will happen.

Jesus commented about the faith of the Roman centurion, calling his faith ‘great’. I’ve never considered myself to be a person of great faith. I thought that if I had great faith, every person I laid hands on who had missing limbs, would have them grow out. I’d be able to walk on water and do many other signs and wonders with great faith. And since these things weren’t happening, I concluded that my faith wasn’t very great.

I had a dream one night about faith that changed my understanding what it is and how it works. The dream was about a man who had great faith. His faith was so great that it could heal the entire city that he worked in. I didn’t realize it at first, but the man God showed me in the dream was me. What struck me most was the idea that it wasn’t the man or even God that had the potential to heal all those people – it was the faith he had which held the capacity to heal an entire city.

In the dream, God revealed something I didn’t know. He explained that my choice to continue praying with people, in spite of dismal results, was really the process of watering and nurturing the seed of faith that He had given me, which grew into faith that today has almost unlimited potential.

I don’t expect to heal an entire city, although that would be a great testimony to God. Such a feat would require me to stay awake for weeks or months on end and everyone in the city would actually want to be healed. God wasn’t speaking about actual healing, but the potential to heal. He was saying that my faith had grown to the point where I had the potential to heal thousands, if I chose to operate in a way that tapped into the faith I now had.

We know that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Heb 11:1) Faith has substance. It’s tangible and it does things, like heal the sick. I see faith as something like the currency of heaven. When we begin our journey in the kingdom, most of us have small faith. Our bank account of faith upon which we can draw out the resources of heaven is small. But as we walk with God and get to know His ways, we begin to trust Him more. As our faith in Him grows, so does the balance in our account. The more we step out and exercise our faith, the more we get to watch God at work. The more He works the more reason we have to trust Him. And trusting Him brings more faith into our account.

Unlike the balance in our bank account, which decreases the more we use it, the balance in our faith account increases the more we use it. Those who have great faith are those who exercise it often. Many of us underestimate what’s possible with the faith we now possess. It’s good to know that whatever level of faith we have today it will increase if we exercise it.

Healing and The Mindset of Winning

I've noticed that some of my friends leave comments like, "Win" after a testimony of healing is shared. We all love the testimony to God's power and goodness. We hate the fact that the powers of darkness still hold people captive. It's our mandate to set them free. There's no question that we are in a war. As Lance Wallnau said, "The objective of war is victory. The goal of victory is occupation." I've walked away from many newly healed strangers pumping my fist, rejoicing in the victory when I was out of view.

The question we might ask is, "What motives do we have in our heart that compel us to wage this war?"

Our words reflect the intentions and motives of our hearts; "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

When our words declare victory over the enemy, it reveals that at least one of our motives is victory itself. Let me say that a different way; for some of us, victory itself is the reason we're in the battle.

One problem with being motivated by victory is that we see the battle in terms of "winning and losing". If we see someone healed, we declare that we've 'won'. If they aren't healed, what do we declare? Defeat.

For some of us defeat is unthinkable. Jesus already won the victory at the cross and the enemy has been beaten and will never be victorious. If one takes this view, the entire 'winning and losing' mind-set shouldn't apply to healing. There is no 'losing' in our warfare. Every battle is a 'win'.

Another problem with the 'winning and losing' mind-set is that it requires us to make a judgment call about our success in healing. If we see evidence that healing has taken place, we declare victory. If not - we either conclude the person wasn't healed or we take a 'wait and see' position.

Having followed up with a number of people who showed no immediate signs of healing, I can testify to the fact that some of the people you've prayed with will show complete healing 10 minutes after you leave. Some will manifest healing an hour later; and some in 2 or 3 days. Knowing this, I've developed a strategy where I tell them I believe they are healed whether they feel anything or not and advise them to believe the same thing. The point is - if you approach healing from a 'win or lose' perspective, you'll be convinced you've lost a lot of battles that you actually won.

Another problem with seeing healing in terms of 'winning and losing' is that you'll inevitably go through times when no one seems to be healed . It happens to everyone. If your motivation is victory and you aren't seeing it - you'll be tempted to quit all together, because it's just not worth it any more.

As I thought about this issue, one last thing came to mind. Jesus was motivated by something other than winning. The bible says "He saw the multitudes and had compassion on them" not "He saw the multitudes and desired victory".

Compassion and love were the things that motivated Jesus. They should be the things that motivate us. Every time we pray with a stranger - the goal is to demonstrate the love and compassion of God toward them. If they are healed - great...let us rejoice. But if they aren't or if we aren't certain they were healed, we've still demonstrated love and compassion if not the power of God. I've prayed with hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people who showed no signs of healing. Every encounter was a blessing to the one I prayed with and none of them were a loss for our side.

Most of the motives we have for healing the sick are good ones. Some are better than others. Love is the best motive of all.

A Discussion About Faith For Healing

This is a discussion on faith for healing the sick. In summary - faith that heals the sick consistently is not generalized, but specific. It isn't merely believing that God heals the sick, but rather it's a confident expectation that the person you are praying with is going to be healed of the condition they have. The issue we struggle with most is not faith, but doubt. Our doubts tend to be about the question of whether God will actually heal the person we are praying with. When doubt about the specific person and condition we're praying about is replaced with confidence, we will see people healed consistently.

Todd White - Words of Knowledge & Timing

Todd White teaches on words of knowledge and how to wait on the Lord for the right time.

Watch one, Do one, Teach one

dis·ci·ple

[dih-sahy-puhl] verb, noun

1. a learner, pupil, disciple


There's an old saying in EMS;

"Watch one, do one, teach one."

The idea is that most of the tasks we do aren't complicated. After watching a demonstration, we should be able to do one. After doing one or two, we should be able to teach someone else to do it. That, in a nutshell, is how you make a disciple.

Today I transported a precious little girl, who was about a month old. Nothing serious. But on the way, I got to talking with her mom, who told me she'd been praying for a few things. One thing led to another and pretty soon we had a church meeting in the ambulance again.

She told me she was a nursing student and we talked about working in healthcare and how it open doors to people who need prayer. I told her some of my stories and the next thing you know she asked how I got people healed.

I had her put out her left arm so I could pretend I was healing her and demonstrate what I do. She said, "It's funny, I actually need healing in my left wrist." She had carpal tunnel syndrome and was having moderate pain at the time. I told her I would get her healed and explain as I went.

I told her about inviting the Holy Spirit to touch people. She seemed to get that pretty easily. I commanded pain and inflammation to leave and for ligaments, nerves, tendons, muscles and bones to be healed, then asked what she felt.

"It feels warm."

I asked if it still hurt. She flexed it and said it did. So I explained that it's okay to pray in the same way three or four times because some healing takes a bit longer. I prayed again and she continued feeling heat as the pain gradually subsided.

We talked about healing and some other problems she was going through and we prayed some more. I told her about this website and gave her a card.

With the enthusiasm she had and after witnessing her own healing, I wouldn't be surprised if she finds herself teaching others how to heal the sick.

Watch one.
Do one.
Teach one.
That's how we make disciples.

Marketplace Healing 101

We’ve been making a lot of trips to the hardware store since moving into our new home. This trip was a big one. We need a special light bulb for my daughter’s new lamp and a bolt and a couple of nuts for one of our beds. We hadn’t been in the store two minutes when I saw a woman approaching. She was riding in an electric cart for people with disabilities. I noticed she had an immobilizer on her left foot.

I walked up to her, asked her name and introduced myself. I told her that I noticed that she had an immobilizer and asked what happened. She said she had a severe sprain and was going to see her doctor after she was done at the hardware store. Her teenage son was with her.

I turned to him and asked if he knew about Jesus and his ministry. He said he did. I talked about how he went around Israel healing the sick, giving sight to the blind and casting out demons and told him that he gave his disciples the same authority. Then I asked if he’d ever seen a miracle. He said no. I told him that healing the sick is something any believer could do and I believed his mom’s foot would be healed.

I asked if I could pray over her foot and she agreed. I put my hand on her foot and had her son get in a position where he could see what I was doing. I asked the Holy Spirit to bring his power and presence and touch her then commanded the pain and inflammation to leave. I explained to her son everything I did as he looked on with interest.

After the first time I commanded pain to go, she felt heat in her foot. After the second time, it began to spread to her ankle and lower leg. After commanding it to leave a third time, she said the pain was pretty much gone. I asked if I could remove the immobilizer and have her stand up and check it out. She agreed, so I unfastened the Velcro straps and took the immobilizer off. She stood up and said she felt a little pressure on the sides of her foot, but the pain was gone.

I gave her some instruction on how to keep her healing, encouraged her son to consider learning more about healing, left them with a card for the website and told her to contact me if she had any questions or wanted to share her testimony.

Todd White says, "it’s a show and tell gospel". We give people information about God and his love for them and demonstrate it by displays of power. It’s not complicated.

One light bulb - $3.59

One bolt and two nuts - 32¢

Releasing the power of God and discipling his children - priceless

Brandon Lee on Authority For Healing

On a recent trip to Mexico, Brandon Lee took a few minutes to instruct a group on the basics of our authority to heal the sick. During the trip many people were healed. For more on Brandon and what happened on the trip, check out his blog post here.

The Word of Knowledge

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom, through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another the gift of faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit...."

(1 Cor. 12:7-10 )

The word of knowledge is supernatural revelation, by the Holy Spirit, of certain facts in the mind of God about something we do not presently know. It is information about a past or a present situation that is true. The word of knowledge is considered by some to be one of three revelation gifts, which serve as spiritual eyes and ears for the church. The others are the word of wisdom and discerning of spirits. It’s important to note that the word of knowledge is given to benefit others, as are all the gifts of the Spirit, except tongues - which edifies us.

Just as a word is a fragment or part of a sentence, a "word" of knowledge is a fragment or a part of God's knowledge of a situation. He gives us a piece of information to aid in bringing something to pass concerning that situation. Once we receive God’s revelation, it’s our responsibility to ask what He wants us to do with it. If we lock it away in our hearts we hinder the work He wants to do. His desire is to bless us so that we, in turn, might bless others.

Some purposes for the word of knowledge:

• To lead people to Christ
• To give direction in ministry
• To reveal sickness to those operating in healing
• To restore the believer back to fellowship with God
• To provide encouragement

The word of knowledge can come in a number of different ways. Some hear the voice of God speaking, while others receive a word through dreams or visions. A word of knowledge for healing often presents as a sudden pain in our body that we don’t normally have. Learning to receive a word of knowledge comes by developing sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The revelation gifts are relational – as we develop a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit, we grow in our awareness of how He communicates with us.

Examples of the word of knowledge from scripture:

Jesus frequently operated in the word of knowledge. He told two of his disciples to go into a village and get a donkey that no man had ever ridden before, telling them where to find the donkey. (Luke 19:30,31) While talking with the woman at the well of Samaria, Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband...” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. (John 4:16-19) In this case, the word of knowledge revealed the identity of Jesus to the woman.

Peter received a word of knowledge in a vision, when God revealed that the gospel was for Gentiles as well as Jews. As he pondered the first bit of information, the first Gentiles arrived at his front door. God told him that three men were looking for him and that he should meet with them, doubting nothing. (Acts 10:9-20)

Ananias received a word of knowledge in a vision concerning a new believer named Saul of Tarsus: “And there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias… so the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” (Acts 10:10-12)

There are words of knowledge recorded in both Old and New Testaments. Through a word of knowledge, Samuel told Saul that the donkeys that were lost had been found. (1 Sam. 9:19,20) When the king of Syria was making war against Israel. The Lord spoke to Elisha through a word of knowledge to reveal the enemies plans. (2 Kings 6:9-12)

The word of knowledge can encourage us. Jezebel was out to kill Elijah. Out of fear, Elijah ran and found himself sitting under a juniper tree, begging God to let him die. Thinking he was the only prophet left, God encouraged the prophet by telling him, "I have 7,000 in Jerusalem who have not bowed their knee to Baal." (1 Kings 19:18)

In the realm of healing, a word of knowledge isn’t a guarantee that the individual will be miraculously healed. It serves to make us aware that a condition exists, and that God would like us address it. Until we take action, it’s just information. If we don’t enforce God’s will concerning the word given, nothing will change. One of the first words of knowledge I received was for a man with Lou Gehrig’s disease. I believe he will eventually walk again, but after two years of prayer, he’s still paralyzed, living in a nursing home. Some things require more persistence than others.

Some of us see individuals that God wants to focus on as they become highlighted in a spotlight, making them stand out from the crowd. I sometimes receive words of knowledge in dreams. Some are very specific, with the name of the person and their condition being revealed. In some dreams I’m discussing the condition with them on Facebook.

A word of knowledge may be given to encourage us to pray for a condition we wouldn’t normally have faith to heal. I received a word of knowledge in a dream about healing people with birth defects. When I returned to work after two days off, my first patient was a girl with Down syndrome, which I wouldn’t normally have faith to heal. One day I developed a sharp pain in the back of my hand, but I had done nothing to injure it. I began to ask people around me if they had pain in their hand, but no one did. I finally told my EMT partner about it. He told me he had pain in the exact same spot in his hand for a week after falling out of a tree when the branch he was holding onto suddenly broke. I prayed for his hand and it was healed.

One of the more unusual words of knowledge I received was about a problem I had while replacing the timing belt on my car. After putting everything back together, it wouldn’t start. I checked the service manual and looked at the timing marks again, but couldn’t find the problem. I closed my eyes and asked God what the problem was. In a vision, I saw the camshaft gear and noticed it had two timing marks. I was aware of only one. The mark I used was the wrong one. After locating the other timing mark and making the correction, the car ran perfectly.

If you’d like to operate in the word of knowledge, ask God to reveal things to you and spend time getting to know His ways. The revelation gifts are relational and time is the commodity of relationships.

Authorty To Heal

When someone mentions the word "Authority" in a discussion about God or the church, what type of things come to mind?

For many of us, we think about people in the church who hold places of authority, such as pastors, bishops or priests. Some think about the authority God has over His creation. In this message, we'll discuss the authority the average Christian has in the realm of healing.

If you're like most of us, at some time in your life, someone you respected taught you how to pray. That first prayer may have sounded something like, "God, please bless mommy and daddy and my family and our dog, Buster....in Jesus name, Amen!

When you were older, your style of prayer probably changed. Some of us developed a bit more desperation. "God I really, really need this job! You know how much it means to me, so please hear me and make this job happen now!!....in Jesus name, Amen!

Some of us use a variation on something Jesus said about prayer, believing there is virtue in accepting the outcome, regardless of how it works out: "Lord, if it's your will, please heal gramma of cancer, but if it's not your will, give me the grace to accept her sickness and death."

It's true that Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done..." finishing with, "Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done." But I would politely suggest that this is model of prayer has absolutely no relevance to healing.

The question before us then is, what is the biblical model of prayer in regard to healing?

When Jesus was summoned by the Roman Centurion to heal of his servant, the soldier recognized the authority Jesus had over sickness. Because he understood authority, his faith was able to apprehend heal his servant. No prayer was involved; Jesus spoke a word and the servant was healed. It was a simple transaction involving the faith of the Centurion and the authority of Jesus. There are a number of other healings involving Jesus that occurred in this manner. (See Matt. 8)

If you review all the individual healing accounts recorded in the New Testament, you'll find that not once did anyone ask God (the Father) to heal someone who was sick or possessed. Some people begged Jesus to heal them. But Jesus never begged His Father to heal anyone. He simply spoke a word of healing, touched them or in some other way transferred healing power to them.

The Plan
A few key passages from the New Testament reveal the plan Jesus had for his disciples in regard to healing and deliverance. It's actually a simple outline for ministry:

In Matthew chapter 10, Jesus chose 12 disciples and commissioned them to be sent out. (The word apostle means, literally 'one who is sent'.) He gave them instructions to heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead and preach the gospel of the kingdom.

In Luke 10:19 he gave them authority over all the power of the enemy: "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

In Acts chapter 1: Jesus told them, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Jesus told his disciples His expectation of their ministry: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."

In these passages, Jesus gave His disciples clear assignments for healing. He gave His expectation of the kinds of things they would do and He gave them the power and authority to do them. Let's take a closer look at the power and authority He gave them.

Authority
What kind of authority do Christians have over the enemy? The Greek word found in Luke 10:19 that is translated 'authority' is the word, ἐξουσία (exousia).

Strong's concordance gives the following definitions of this word:

1) Power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases
a) leave or permission
2) Physical and mental power
a) the ability or strength with which one is endued, which he either

possesses or exercises
3) The power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege)
4) The power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed)
a) Universally:
1) authority over mankind
b) Specifically:
1) the power of judicial decisions
2) of authority to manage domestic affairs
c) Metonymically:
1) a thing subject to authority or rule
a) jurisdiction
2) one who possesses authority
a) a ruler, a human magistrate
b) the leading and more powerful among created beings superior

to man, spiritual potentates

d) A sign of the husband's authority over his wife
1) the veil with which propriety required a women to cover herself
e) The sign of regal authority, a crown

Power
What kind of power did Jesus give His disciples? The Greek word translated 'power' in Acts 1:8 is the word δύναμις (dynamis).

Strong's concordance defines this 'power' as:

1) Strength power, ability;
a) Inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth
b) Power for performing miracles
c) Moral power and excellence of soul
d) The power and influence which belong to riches and wealth
e) Power and resources arising from numbers
f) Power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts

Summary
Both these definitions speak of power and authority that reside with the one who has them. While they are tied to the ultimate authority of Christ, they may be exercised by us as free agents of the kingdom.

The authority we have is the legal right to do what Jeusus commanded us to do. The power we have is the anointing from God to heal through the operation of the Holy Spirit in us.

If we know His commandment is to heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead and preach the kingdom, and we know that the power and authority has been given to us to do these things, why would we need to ask God to do them for us?

Most of us have been taught incorrectly about healing by someone we respect. But it's never too late to correct our course, once we know we're going in the wrong direction. There are many well - meaning church leaders who don't understand what Jesus intended His church to do in this area. I would remind you that Jesus said the responsibility for building the church rests with him. (Matt. 16-18) The responsibility of church leaders is to train and equip the saints for the work of ministry that they're called to (Eph. 4:11)

If you haven't yet begun to exercise this power and authority, there's no time like the present. You'll never know for sure if what I've said is true, until you test it out. Read up on this matter and ask God to confirm His plan for you. If you have fears, questions or concerns, send me a message and I'll do what I can to help.

Demonstration of Laying On Of Hands

John Mellor teaches on healing while a woman is healed of neck pain.

If God Heals Then Why Am I Sick?

It's fair question to ask - If God heals, then why am I still sick? Pete Cabrera answers the question using an analogy that boils down to the issue of our authority to over sickness and the proper exercise of that authority.

Street Healing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How To Be Effective......

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

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

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

Healing the Deaf and Mute

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

Mike Rogers & Joan Hunter Heal The Sick

Joan Hunter has been in the healing ministry for over 40 years. In this video, she demonstrates how to heal a number of different conditions.

The Biblical Basis For Healing

I never thought I'd write this message. I'm grateful and humbled to have the opportunity to share with my friends these thoughts on a subject I so dearly love. As a former atheist, I'm the last person anyone would expect to write about divine healing. Even as a Christian, I was skeptical of the miraculous for years. But one night, all that changed as God appeared to this skeptic and said,

"Yes, I still heal and I'm going to use you to do it."

As Christians, we're instructed to carry the gospel of grace to the world as Jesus and His disciples did. Wherever the gospel goes it's to be confirmed by demonstrations of God's power. (See Mark 16:20 and Acts 14:3) One of those demonstrations is healing. When I became interested in healing, I noticed something I'd never seen in the gospels before. Jesus healed a lot of people. That's not a big secret, but it's easy to miss just exactly how many people he actually healed. As I studied His life, I realized that there wasn't much else Jesus did that we could call 'ministry'. He taught in the synagogues and preached the kingdom as people followed him. But He spent an enormous amount of time engaged in and teaching people about healing. The more I studied His life, the more I knew there was something important missing from mine.

The Old Testament is rich with passages that taught God's people about His character and nature. Each of God's names describes something about Him that was unknown to them at the time. In Exodus 15:26, God revealed that one of His attributes concerned healing:

“If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”

God revealed dozens of things about himself through His names. Now He wanted them to know that along with being Jehovah Jireh (the Lord who provides) and Jehovah Shalom (the Lord who is their peace) He was also Jehovah Rapha - the Lord who healed them. Healing is one of God's unchanging attributes, for God's plans may change, but He himself never changes. (Mal 3:6) If God's nature was to heal then, He is still our healer today.

Jesus came to give His life as a ransom for many. His death demonstrated God's unconditional love for us and His desire to forgive. He came to reconcile those who were alienated and redeem that which was lost. He came to teach those who lived in darkness. And He came to reveal the Father's heart to His creation. Nowhere is the father's abundant mercy and compassion more clearly seen than in the healing miracles performed by the Rabbi who called himself the 'son of man'.

When Jesus suffered beating and death on the cross, he not only obtained salvation for us, but He obtained our healing from sickness and death. In Isaiah 53:5, the prophet declared the things the Lord would suffer and how His suffering would benefit us:

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

With His suffering and death, Jesus purchased our healing. But healing, like forgiveness, must be obtained by those who want it. In the same way we are given the ministry of reconciliation, whereby we assist others in being reconciled to God, we’re also ministers of healing, whereby we help others to obtain mercy from God in the form of healing. God has always used man as His agent to enforce His will upon the earth.

In John chapter 5, we read that Jesus did nothing of himself, but only what He saw His Father doing. Apparently, Papa was into healing; Jesus healed everywhere he went, even when it got him in trouble. He healed all who came to Him. No one was turned away. It was often said that all the sick from the villages were brought to him and He healed them all. I find that incredible. It was God's will to heal anyone who wanted it.

In healing the multitudes, it's likely that he healed a few people who thought sickness was part of God's plan for them and others who believed they had something to learn from their disability. Healing destroys these ideas. Jesus brought the kingdom of God to earth and wherever the kingdom goes, it destroys belief systems that are opposed to it. In life we will have tribulation. God allows our character to be refined through testing. Jesus didn't miraculously solve all the problems of those he ministered to, but He always healed the sick, raised the dead and cast out demons - without exception. One might argue that God uses hardship for a divine purpose, but it's hard to demonstrate from scripture that sickness is a part of that process.

The life of Job is often used as an illustration of how sickness can be used by God for His divine purpose. That debate won't be settled here. But I would like to mention one undeniable truth that came from Job's experiences. The agent of Job's affliction was revealed to be Satan - not God. Jesus said He came to give life and that more abundantly. He then said that it was the thief who came to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10) Jesus is the agent of life and Satan is the agent of death. In calling His enemy a thief, He revealed that Satan's activities are unauthorized or illegal. The fact that stealing is illegal, doesn’t stop people from committing robbery. There are agents authorized to fight that illegal activity. Sickness is likewise illegal and unauthorized. That doesn't prevent the enemy from breaking the law and causing sickness. In the same way police fight crime, which is illegal, we are commissioned to fight sickness. Healing is a matter of enforcing God's laws and His kingdom on the earth.

Healing is an act of mercy on the part of God, to relieve suffering, pain and even premature death. It comes to us through grace, which is freely given to all who accept it. In the same way that salvation is freely given and not earned, healing is freely given. In other notes, I discuss why it seems that God doesn't want everyone healed.

Jesus taught His disciples to heal by example. After choosing the twelve, He gave them power and authority to heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead and preach the gospel. (See Matt. 10) That was their commission. A short time later, He commissioned the seventy with the same instructions. Their task was to travel through the towns of Israel, meet strangers, build relationships and if they found any who were sick, demon-possessed or dead, they were to fix the problem and preach the kingdom of heaven. In regard to healing, there were no illnesses or people excluded. The only restriction was geographic; they had to remain in Israel's borders, because the gospel went to the Jews before the Gentiles. This was what Jesus intended His church activities to look like. As amazing as the ministry of Jesus was, He told his disciples, they would do even greater things:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. (John 14:12)

Objections
The most common objection to modern healing is the doctrine of cessationism, which teaches that miracles and manifestations of the Holy Spirit ended with the death of the original apostles or a few centuries later when the New Testament cannon of scripture was established.

Some point to the fact that early church leaders suffered illness. They use this as evidence of a decreasing emphasis on healing as the gospel spread and that once the gospel had been preached sufficiently, there was no more need for confirmation by signs and wonders. A similar idea is that once the New Testament cannon had been established, there was no further need for the miraculous.

This line of reasoning is flawed in a couple of ways. First, it assumes that the only benefit of healing is to confirm the message of the gospel. The truth is; healing is an observable demonstration of God’s character. God is merciful and part of His nature is to heal the sick. We see what the invisible God is like when we witness the miracle of healing. If God stopped healing, would we not conclude that His nature had changed?

The second problem with cessationism is that its adherents make a series of assumptions; none of which are supported in scripture itself. A cornerstone of cessationism is the observation that sickness was present among early church leaders. From this they infer that healing began to decline, causing the church to live with sickness as the ‘apostolic age’ came to a close. But the narrative passages mentioning the illnesses of Paul, Timothy and Epaphroditus don’t elaborate on whether their illnesses were chronic or acute or if they were eventually healed. There is no direct teaching to support the assumption that healing decreased in the early church.

The third problem for cessationism is that healing miracles, including resurrections are still happening today. Iris ministries based in Zimbabwe, has documented hundreds of resurrections while bringing the good news to the most impoverished nation in the world. If healing had ceased centuries ago, this would be impossible.

Many denominations in the church still deny healing today. Religious traditions die hard. The major hurdle for most of us is daring to believe the word of God instead of what well – meaning leaders tell us. It’s a process of renewing our minds to the plain truth of scripture and lining up our hearts with the heart of the Father.

The other issue is identity. Many of us believe we are powerless sinners, saved by grace; unworthy of the high calling to heal the sick and raise the dead. God has given us power and authority, but we’ve never seen that power in action. We’re called to be God’s ambassadors, enforcing His victory over sickness and death, but we’ve never seen a common cold healed. We are commissioned to cast out demons, but our friends and family suffer the torment of the demonic as we watch in helplessness. God has given every believer authority and power to conquer all these things. What we’ve done in the past does not dictate what we’ll do in the future. We are more than conquerors and we are the ones who must enforce the victory Jesus won for us at the cross.

I once stood opposed to God, but now I'm His servant and friend. I once was opposed to healing, but now God heals through me almost daily. At times He has healed people I haven't even prayed for. His presence follows me, his Spirit works in me and His loves flows through me to all whom He loves. Once you put your feet upon the path of healing like I have, you'll never want to live any other way.

Learning To Dance With God

In these two videos Brian Fenimore teaches on learning how to partner with God in ministering to others.

Kris Valloton - Perseverance For Breakthrough

In our pursuit of healing, we may arrive a place where miracles happen so often that we feel like a failure when they don't. The reality is that all of us will eventually find someone with an illness or some situation that requires years of praying persistently before we see breakthrough. Kris Valloton shares some insights on the value of perseverance in prayer.

Removing Demonic Homes - To Bring Lasting Freedom

This message was originally published here by More Than Conquerors Deliverance Ministry.

The Mobile Intensive Prayer Unit does not accept donations. This is a labor of love and God meets our needs without accepting donations at the present time.

Tony and Sheryl Cossey, who operate More Than Conquerors Ministry would greatly benefit from your financial support. They did not ask me to post this message or request. I'm doing it because I see both the fruit of their ministry and their need.

If you feel led to make a donation to their ministry, I know they would be blessed.

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Mailing address:


Tony & Sheryl Cossey
c/o MTC Deliverance Ministry
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Springdale, AR 72766

What exactly is a demonic home? A demonic home is a fleshly environment by which gives it access and ability to live in a person. This is not a physical home, but a spiritual home. A root of bitterness for example, will create an environment or place in that person's life by which demonic spirits can enter and dwell among. God's Word tells us not to give Satan a foothold or as the KJV says, "a place to the devil."

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. (Eph. 4:26-27)

If we go about casting out demons, but fail to remove the "place" that we've given to the devil (or his demons), then they still have a home within us. Jesus described a demon as a strongman who is armored and keeps his home, but by removing his armor (and take away his home), we can spoil his goods (the area of the person's life that was once held in bondage). Jesus went on to tell us that demons like to return to their homes:

When a strong man armed keepeth his palace [or home], his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.... When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith,I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
(Luke 11:21-22, 24-26)

Demons cannot just come back and reenter a person without having a home there. That is why it is so important that we minister to the whole person, and figure out what is the root to their bondage, then minister to the root so that the demon has no home to return to.

While there are definitely spirits of lust, anger, and so forth, there are also fleshly homes that are created by which they dwell. A spirit of bitterness cannot enter and dwell by itself, it must have a fleshly 'hook' or 'home' by which it dwells.

Examples of Demonic Homes
Please understand that these are only examples, and not every case is the same. Some bondages may be different than the examples below even though the same demons may be at work. These examples are only here to give you an idea of how demon homes work.

Lust and Pornography
Pornography and lust are known to be rooted in a lack of love. If a person grows up not feeling loved, then there's a good chance they will turn to pornography or lust to fulfill that need which was never met by their parents or family. Let's say that we're about to cast out a demon of lust in somebody; let's first look at the flow of bondage here:

An unmet need to be loved and appreciated CREATED a fleshly bondage to pornography WHICH IS a demonic home THAT CONTAINS a nest of demons (lust, pornography, perversion, etc.).

First we need to minister to the root cause to the fleshly problem, then we need to clean up the fleshly problem itself (which is the demonic house), and then cast out the demons. The person must come to learn how they are loved, accepted, and appreciated by their heavenly Father. Then they need to repent and renounce their bondage to pornography, lust, and so forth. Then it is time to begin casting out the demons that have been holding the person in bondage.

Rejection
Next, let's take a young man by the name Joe. Joe has been rejected as a child by his peers, and today has a terrible bondage to rejection, thus making it difficult to create meaningful relationships with others. Joe feels all alone, and even when others aren't rejecting him, he perceives even a simple "no" as a form of rejection. Joe has difficulty receiving correction because he perceives it as an attack on him personally. As a result of feeling rejected, Joe naturally fell into a bondage to rebellion, which set him up for further rejection. Those are just a few of the things that Joe struggles with. We could go about casting out the demon of rejection, or we could minister to the root of Joe's problem. With Joe's situation, the flow of bondage looks something like this:

A deep wound that was created when others rejected him CREATED a fleshly bondage where Joe felt worthless and worthy to be rejected WHICH BUILT a stronghold of self-hate, self-rejection, and so forth WHICH WAS a demonic homeTHAT CONTAINED a nest of demons (rejection, rebellion, self-hate, etc.).

A similar flow of bondage may look something like this:

A deep wound that was created when others rejected him CREATED a fleshly need to be accepted and a stronghold of rejection (or a way of perceiving yourself as rejected) WHICH WAS a demonic home THAT CONTAINED the demons of rebellion, rejection, and so forth.

Bitterness
Let's take a woman by the name Susan who was molested by her father when she was a young girl. Ever since then, she's had a terrible time feeling clean inside, and establishing genuine and meaningful relationships. Such a bondage plays havoc with marriages all the time, as it makes it very difficult for the wife to truly bond and enjoy physical and emotional intimacy with her husband. We could start out by casting out the demons which entered in through the molestation, OR, we could minister to her in such a way that brings true and lasting freedom. Susan's flow of bondage might look something like this:

A deep wound and feeling "used" that was created because of the molestationCREATED a feeling of unforgiveness and hatred towards her father (and often men in general) WHICH IS a demonic home THAT CONTAINS spirits of hate, anger, resentment, and so forth.

Our first step is to deal with the wound, and let Susan know that she had a right to hate and be angry with her father for the terrible thing which was done to her. It is a right that God gives us, but He also asks us to yield that right to Him. God's Word tells us to let God avenge wrath (see Romans 12:19), for when we give Him that right, He says that He will repay. Much of the problem with unforgiveness is that we don't really believe that God will bring justice to that situation. Susan must realize that although her father is off of her hook, he's still accountable to God for his actions. Susan has also lost sight of what Jesus has done for her, and what a steep and terrible price that Jesus paid for her own sins. Dealing with the unforgiveness root will tear down the demon house, so that when the demons are cast out, they have nowhere to return to.

Exceptions
Sometimes you cast out demons first, depending on what the Holy Spirit leads. There are valid situations where it is best to get rid of the demonic factor first so that you can more clearly deal with the root issues. Sometimes demons must be cast out before the person can freely receive healing to their damaged emotions. However, use caution when going after the demons up front, as the they love to return when their fleshly house still exists. This is why I generally like to take the safe route (laid out in this teaching) as a default method, unless the Holy Spirit prompts me otherwise. However, be prepared for the Holy Spirit to lead otherwise, because there are times when I believe it is necessary.

In any case, when you're finished with the deliverance process, then both the root should be cleaned up as well as the demons cast out. Whatever steps are taken to get there may vary, but that should always be our goal when ministering deliverance and inner healing.

Understanding Bondage
Whenever you find yourself casting out the same demons from the same person over and over again, then there's a good chance there is a demonic home which the demon keeps returning to. I like how Charles Kraft describes demons as rats which feed off of garbage in our barn. We can keep on casting the rats out, but unless we clean up the garbage by which they are feeding, then they will keep coming back. Balanced deliverance ministry is typically focused on cleaning up the garbage even more than casting out the demons, because it is the key to ministering true and lasting freedom. I'm not saying that casting out the demons isn't important (it is VERY important!), but if we keep on casting out the same demons and they keep coming back, what good are we doing?

This is why I highly encourage every deliverance minister to take the time to study and learn the roots of the popular spiritual bondages. Make it your mission to understand what brings on various bondages to lust and pornography, anger problems, and so forth. Yes, there are demons involved in most of these situations, but there are also fleshly roots that we need to minister to, so that when we cast out the demons, they do not return. It is vital for deliverance ministers to take the time to learn and understand the bondages that are plaguing many people today so that we can effectively minister genuine and lasting freedom.

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Healing Ministry Flows Through Relationships

I've been asked, "Exactly how do you walk up to a complete stranger in a store and heal them?"

Every person we'll ever do anything with is a stranger to us at one time. Everything we do from the time we meet them is either building or destroying a relationship. If we intend to heal a stranger, at minimum we should probably learn their name. Personally I think we ought to go much further, but it's a start.

You could stand on a sidewalk with a loudspeaker announcing your desire to heal people and command them to be healed from ten feet away. You might even heal some people. I don't know if it would qualify as effective ministry.

It's difficult to receive ministry from a stranger. Most of us want to know something about the one representing God before we give them our time and our ear. When a stranger speaks at a church they're introduced by someone who knows them and their expertise or credentials are presented. It's part of our culture.

A few years ago I met a man whose writing inspired me. I liked the stuff he wrote so much that I began bugging him by e-mail. He was very gracious; patiently answering some of my questions and encouraging me to find the rest of the answers on my own.

One day I wrote something that provoked him. I received an unexpected reply that has provoked me ever since.

This was his reply:

"Some time ago, I had this image of a network of islands in a vast sea, connected by a variety of bridges. The islands are people, and the bridges are the relationships. Some of the islands have many bridges, some just a few, and a few islands have no bridges at all. And the bridges are of all varieties. There are some rickety footbridges, some rope bridges or narrow wooden bridges. Some are just a fallen log. Others are well-made stone bridges, and there are a few modern steel or concrete bridges.


“No man is an island,” or so John Donne says. Nobody is completely self-sufficient. I may produce quite a lot of what I need on my island, but there are some things that I’ll need from others. Besides, if I get by with only what I can make myself, then I subject myself to a very primitive lifestyle: no cars, no cell-phones, no laptops or toilet paper: none of these can be produced without heavy industry.

If I want coffee, I can trade some of the things I make on my island (let’s imagine I’m a carpenter) with someone else for their coffee, but only if I have a bridge. But not just any bridge. I need to have a bridge that I can carry my wood furniture over: the rope bridge won’t do. In fact, the fallen log is out, and many of the narrow wooden bridges. The guy with the coffee can make use of most of the bridges, but my work requires a bigger bridge. The stonemason on the next island over needs really strong bridges.

I heard Rick Joyner say one time that when God sends him somewhere to minister, he’s always interested to see how they receive him. If they recognize him as a pastor or ministry leader, then there’s a certain amount of ministry he can bring. If they receive him as an author and a teacher, then there’s more he can bring. If they can accept him as a prophet, still more, and if they welcome him as an apostle, then he can bring the entire arsenal for them.

Rick is looking to see what kind of bridge exists between himself and the people he’s ministering to. If it’s a smaller bridge, built with less trust or less understanding of the things of God, then he’s able to bring less ministry over the bridge, perhaps just the ministry of a pastor. After a number of visits, perhaps the bridge is strong enough to support apostolic ministry.

If I don’t have any relationship with you at all, then it will be very difficult for me to minister to you, to strengthen you, encourage you, to equip you for the assignments that God has given you. Likewise, it’s nearly impossible for me to receive any strength or encouragement from you. There are people I know professionally; most of them don’t have a bridge with me that would support a prophetic word or a revelation from scripture.

When I speak with a group of people, the first thing on my agenda is to build relationship with them. I only have a few minutes with them, maybe an hour, so we have to work fast; I do that work with jokes, stories, illustrations. Fortunately, I have a teaching gift from God and the Holy Spirit loves to inhabit them: He makes the job much easier and faster, but it still takes time, and if I hope to carry something of value to them, I must have a bridge to do it!

Even Jesus saved his heavy revelation for the Last Supper, after Judas had left to collect his 30 pieces of silver. Only there among his eleven most trusted friends did he share his most significant secrets. Those were the only relationships that were able to bear it.

For a more scriptural example, let’s look at 1 Corinthians 3: It’s my opinion that this is essentially what Paul is saying: “Your end of the bridge isn’t substantial enough for this ministry.” They were acting like “mere men” which prevented him from teaching them weightier subjects. Same with Hebrews 5. The seven sons of Sceva may be an example of the bridge of relationship breaking because they tried to carry too much weight over it, but Stephen certainly is such an example.

Recently, I needed to bring a very strong word of correction to a brother in Christ. I actually had the word two years earlier, but the word was heavy enough that our relationship couldn’t support it. We built a relationship over those years, and eventually he invited me to speak into his life on that subject, and when I did, our relationship supported the weight of the word: he made the needed changes in his life (it took a few years), and we’re still friends. Now we both speak into each others’ lives.

Now the question is whether you and I have enough of a relationship to support this much meat? It’s not really a lot of weight, but then, we don’t have a lot of experience relating to each other either. "
[End of e-mail]

I thought about his words for a long time.

I thought about people in the church who can't receive correction from leaders, because they've never established a relationship strong enough to support a word of correction. They go from one church to another.

I thought about the sidewalk evangelist who brazenly walks through town condemning people to hell, without every stopping to ask their name or demonstrate one act of compassion.

I think about street healers who go around healing injured people just to gather testimonies to share with anyone who will listen....and leave without anything else being said.

I came to this conclusion:

Ministry Flows Through Relationships

We must learn how to develop bridges of relationship with people if we hope to ministering healing (or anything else) to them. Even if it's a small bridge, they must have a reason to trust us. Healing may just be the beginning of their life in the kingdom. After healing or deliverance they'll need to be discipled. Who does that? It might be us if we have the relationship to support it. We need an approach to ministry that's relational. What kind of model do I use?

I look at Jesus when I think about how we should minister. He healed people in a variety of ways. Sometimes the sick came to him. He didn't need to establish who he was in those cases. The sick knew he had the power to heal. All he did was release the healing to them. But we're discussing a different type of ministry here. One in which the person we want to minister to knows nothing about us. In those cases we need to do something to give them a reason to let us into their world.

My favorite encounter is where Jesus met the woman at the well of Samaria in John 4. Here's a brief overview of their encounter:

• Jesus departs from Judea and heads toward Galilee, passing through Samaria. (verses 3-4)
• He meets a woman at the well and asks for a drink (verse 7)
• She is offended at his request (verse 9)
• They discuss the nature of water. (verses 10-15)
• Jesus gives her a prophetic word about her current boyfriend and previous husbands (verses 17-18)
• She recognizes him as a prophet (verse 19)
• They discuss religious practices (verses 20-24)
• She brings up the subject of the Messiah (verse 24)
• He reveals that he is the Messiah (verse 25)

Jesus took a perfect stranger and in a few minutes of conversation (with the help of some divine revelation) convinced her he was the Messiah. We don't need to convince anyone we're the Messiah, our task is much easier. We need to convince them that we care enough about them to have God bless them with his healing power.

My suggestion is simple. Take a few minutes to get to know the person you want to heal. If they have an obvious injury ask how it happened. Ask about the weather or their children. Ask them about anything you might have in common with them. If you see sadness ask what it's about. If you sense fear ask that they're afraid of. Listen to what they say and respond (out of compassion) if it seems appropriate.

Take time to establish a bridge of trust before attempting to minister to someone. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Original Post: "Ministry Flows Through Relationships":