Encounters at VOA Friday Aug 16, 2013

Today at VOA I was listening to Rodney Hogue give a message on deliverance.  I was a little sleepy and I closed my eyes and a wind of sweet fragrance blew over me.  I opened my eyes immediately and I looked around to see who did that but there was no one in the room that could have done that.  I remember a prophecy given to me by one of the prophets at morning Star Church. They prophesied that the fragrance of the Lord was going to come to me.  I believe this was an angel bringing the fragrance of The Lord to my life.

While sitting in one of the meetings today a man sitting next to me said would you please pray for my shoulders. He had torn rotator cuff's. He said that the Lord told him to ask me to pray for him. So I did. As I prayed for him and I had my hand on his right rotator cuff I felt something pop he wasn't moving his arm at the time. And then I asked him did you feel that he said yes did you and of course I said yes.  God had returned to him freedom of movement in his shoulders and he said that he felt at least 80% or better. I prayed again and I asked him to move the shoulders more and he said that he had no more pain and he had more freedom of movement that he's ever had for a long time.

I also prayed for many people during the impartation service. It seemed like just about everyone I laid hands on to pray for went down under the power. There must've been at least 15 or 20 people go down as I prayed for them. There were a lot of people on the ground during that impartation service.  Probably a few hundred altogether.

I also got to pray for three people after the service regarding Deliverance. Two of them felt heat and power coming into them as we prayed.  I believe that was a sign from the Lord showing that they were delivered from the things that they have asked prayer for. All three of them felt greater freedom and peace after prayer.

Encountering God in Honduras

On June 29, 2013 I took a team of 8 middle aged adults (including myself) to San Pedro Sula, Honduras.  We were off on a short-term mission trip in what has been labeled as the most violent city on the earth for the last two years.  Drug trafficking and turf wars have led to several early deaths in this city.  Pastor Wilmer Godoy from Honduras had invited us to come and minister in this city, saying that the people were hungry for God.  I'll be honest, I don't remember being fearful during our time in Honduras.  I think the hunger displayed by the people of this country overwhelmed any concern I had for safety.  Not that we weren't cautious - we were.

I had spent the months ahead of this trip praying for our team's safety and for God to help us.  I had asked all the questions I could think of prior to going, but you just don't know what will happen until you get there.  I had never been to Honduras, although I've been to a few different Central American countries on short-term mission trips.  My team consisted of mature, well-grounded christians but not very experienced in mission trips.

When we had made the decision to go to Honduras, none of us had the funding in hand.  But The Lord was so good to us.  He provided for all the expenses for each team member, and the funds to host a large crusade meeting.  This is now the ninth mission trip I've been on, and the funding has never been the same twice, but always provided and always enough.  God is so good!  We had to raise over $15,000 in total and it was provided in big and small ways.

During our 8 days there, we ministered in 5 different churches, the San Pedro Sula prison, the San Pedro Sula hospital, the Choloma town square, a neighborhood near the crusade grounds, a market, an orphanage, held a crusade meeting, and held an impartation service for 300 pastors and leaders.   In all we ministered to around 5,200 Hondurans in all these ministry times.  The Lord was moving in all these times as we saw evidence of more than 500 people healed or set free from demonic oppression.  We saw blind eyes opened, the deaf hear, the dumb speak, the lame walk, tumors shrink, knees healed, stomach ailments healed, demons flee, people set free from oppression, arthritis leave, backs healed, and so much more.  It was truly amazing!  And more than 100 people gave their life to Christ! We passed out over 500 ministry manuals for activation in healing and deliverance ministry and we saw several leaders being used to minister healing after impartation.

Above:  Mission team    Below:  Worship service Friday Night

At our first meeting a woman came in a neck brace, having had surgery on her neck a couple weeks before.  As we ministered to her, her neck pain gradually left and stiffness left.  By the time the meeting was over, she had removed her neck brace (not our counsel) and was dancing without any restriction in movement.  God had healed her that day!

On Sunday June 30th, we went to the San Pedro Sula prison.  This was unlike any prison I've ever been to.  There are no guards inside the walls of the prison, and both men and women intermingle in the prison.  When you walk into the prison there are vendors everywhere, barbers, food vendors, and small items like drinks or things you can get in a convenience store.  It really looked more like a small village that a prison.  There were more than 2,000 prisoners in this space built for 1,500.  It was crowded and out of control and unusual.  Later we found out that the prisoners here could be serving time from simple robbery to murder and everything in between.

We made our way to a large open area where the prisoners eat and hold church services.  The church in this prison is a little less than 2 years old and has quickly grown to over 300.  The night we were there  had around 500 prisoners attending.  In this meeting, God gave me some words of knowledge regarding blindness, deafness, knees, and wrists among other things.  One prisoner came up who had lost sight in his left eye through what looked like a machete fight, he had a scar from the top of his forehead down to his jaw right over the eye.  The eye was cloudy and he couldn't see out of it.  That night the team member praying for him literally saw his eye turn from cloudy to clear.  And he could see again out of that eye!  Another prisoner had lost use of his left hand, having a tendon snapped in his wrist from police interrogations.  That night he came running up to the platform for prayer, and God healed him!  He was able to move his wrist around.  He was scheduled for surgery that next week, but now he won't need that!  Praise God!  Two other men were healed from deafness that night, giving testimony to God's healing on the platform.

Monday we visited a children's cancer unit and a children's care unit at a local hospital in the morning and held a pastor and leader conference in the evening.  We prayed for more than 100 children and many of their parents.  15 of these children had some form of cancer.  We prayed for children aged 1 month old to 18 years of age.  Several of the children felt heat as we prayed for them.  Some of them felt electricity moving in their body.  One young man threw up as we cast a spirit of cancer out of him.  One young girl hadn't used the bathroom on her own for 14 days.  A few minutes later her bowels opened and she could go!  Two small babies jumped when casting out the spirit of infirmity, even though they were asleep!

In the pastor and leader conference we taught on Words of Knowledge, Healing, and Deliverance ministry.  Afterward we prayed for Impartation.  The people were so hungry for The Lord!  Several were weeping uncontrollably as we prayed for them.  Several went down under the power of the Spirit.  Afterward several come up for healing prayer and received healing!  At the end of the meeting the lead pastor of the church we were at came up and said he received a vision as we taught on Words of Knowledge...it was instruction on how they should respond to move in what we were teaching.  The lead women's pastor had a young boy come up and give her a word of knowledge and it was exactly what she had been waiting on The Lord to show her!  Another woman was healed by a young man who stepped out in faith to pray for her!  So the activation of what was taught started immediately after the Impartation service.  Praise The Lord!

 

Tuesday night we went to a church in a neighborhood near Choloma. We danced with the people during worship!  What fun!  During ministry time there were dozens of people healed...from female problems, to migraine headaches, partially blocked ears, depression, asthma, knee and joint problems, hip issues, back problems, demonic oppression, near sightedness, and so many other things.  The presence of The Lord was so intense that it reminded me of the scripture in Luke 5:17b (ASV) "the power of the Lord was with him to heal."  There was at least 40-50 healed in this church of 150 this night, but it was too much to keep track of as we tried to keep up with what The Lord was doing.  People were falling under the presence of The Lord, you would begin praying and the intensity of the presence of God would be so weighty that several began weeping deeply and trembling.  It was intense!

A deaf and dumb young man was healed Friday, and a 70 year old woman who had been deaf in one ear and had 20% hearing in the other from birth was healed that night.  Her mother had been praying for her healing since she was a child and that night God healed her!

Ministry time during Friday's Service

Saturday, July 6th was crusade night.  Having never done a crusade meeting, I wasn't really sure what would happen.  We arrived at the crusade grounds around 6:30. It is an old soccer field in Choloma. Pastor Wilmer told us that they had never performed a crusade event in Choloma.  The stage and the platform and the sound tent were ready to go. The crowd quickly swelled to around 3000, it may have been more, I'm not an expert in guessing crowd sizes.  The local churches had organized buses and transportation. They came with expectation because of the earlier meetings in the small churches and all the testimonies. The music was great. Pastor Wilmer and his young team lit the place on fire. He is so gifted. The praise music lifted the atmosphere to the heavens. He had the whole field pulsating and jumping and dancing.

We began with testimonies of the previous days to encourage them and raise their belief.  We had a word from The Lord before we left the bed and breakfast that morning that was just like the message Jesus sent to John the Baptist in prison. "Tell him what you see. The blind eyes are open, the deaf hear and the lame walk" we already had the blind and the deaf and dumb healed, so we were expecting the lame to walk tonight. 

I gave a salvation message to begin with and then invited people to come and receive The Lord as savior.  Pastor Wilmer led the crowd in the sinners prayer. Somewhere around 75 souls came to The Lord this night!

The morning before I flew to Honduras I had been praying and telling The Lord how thankful I was for the miracles we were seeing in Costa Rica, but I asked Him if we could go to the next level and have the blind see, the deaf hear, and the lame to walk.  No later than 10 minutes after I had prayed this Mercedes Bush had emailed me a prophetic message that the church was entering a season where the blind would see and the deaf would hear.  I hadn't told anyone what my heart's cry was to The Lord.  I took this as a sign that God had given us access to this and I decided to act on it tonight!

I gave a few words of knowledge for people with blindness, deafness and inability to walk to come over to our prayer team.  We were believing God was going to heal these conditions.  Several people...at least 100 quickly went over to the team.  They were swamped.  I then began calling out other words of knowledge and instructing them that God can heal right where you are.  I had the crowd place their hands on their bodies where they needed a healing and then we invited the Holy Spirit to come.  I used commanding prayers and called out other WOKs.  We had the people wave their arms above their heads if they were 50% or more healed after the prayer.  Around 75-80 were waving their hands that I could see.  I then felt led to tell them about more testimonies of people healed over the past week as well as the woman healed of tachycardia in Costa Rica.  We prayed again and invited the Holy Spirit to come and heal.  This time I asked them to wave their hand if they had 80% or more healing in their body.

I then went down to pray for people with our team.  Shortly after going down to pray, the flood gates of testimonies started pouring in.  Pastor Wilmer ran down to tell me that a woman came up to give her testimony that she was healed of a rapid heart beat as I was giving the testimony of the woman healed of tachycardia in Costa Rica.  The testimony of The Lord is the spirit of prophesy.  What Jesus has done before He will do again!  Just believe!

We saw so many healings as we laid hands on people and asked the Holy Spirit to minister to them.  There were at least a dozen people healed of cataracts or blind eyes this night.  A little boy around age 5 who never walked before was brought in a little wagon by his mom.  He came out of his cart and walked for the first time!  Another boy around 10 years old who was deaf and dumb was healed as one of our team members snapped his fingers next to the boys ear as he was passing by.  His mother broke down crying as she spoke into his ears and he tried to repeat her sounds. Wow!

Crusade Night!

The ministry was very difficult because of the sheer number of people and the loud music.  one thing I've noticed in all the hispanic churches i've been in...they only have one setting for the volume...High!  There was every kind of condition imaginable and we had to work as fast as possible. We estimated at least 150-175 healings and deliverances occurred this night overall.  I know it could have been so much more, if we had more people to pray and believe.  The one thing I noticed throughout all these meetings is that some will be healed only as you lay hands on them and pray...maybe that helps them or maybe the Lord likes it to be this way because it makes it more personal and love is an awesome conduit for ministering healing.

I know I will never be the same after experiencing what happened in Honduras.  Already we've had requests to go to several other countries since that week.

We saw so much hunger and desperation for God that is so lacking at home. These people worship so passionately it makes our American worship times look so weak in comparison. They all sing and participate in every song and hang on the words of the message. We hope to bring this fire and this hunger home with us and impart to others what we have seen and experienced.  The people of Honduras blessed us so much.  You know I never felt any danger while we were there.  I know it exists there, but we were so loved and accepted by everyone we came in contact with. Please be praying for Honduras and their people.  On July 20th the president of Honduras dedicated the nation to Christ.  I can only dream that would ever happen in the States.

Thank you to all that prayed for us.  Your reward is just the same as those of us who were in Honduras.  Without your awesome intercession, and the precious blood of Jesus being shed for us, none of this would have been possible.  The team that we had was so wonderful, each of us laying hands on people and being used by Papa!  God Bless You Bob Wyant, Judy McCrea, Dean Addams, Mercedes Bush, Terry Devlin, Kevin Riordan, and Jehaida!

Blessings!

David Bates

Healing Class - Level 2

The last two months my wife and I have been taking a class from Global Awakening.  It's a course offered through Global's healing certification program.   I highly recommend this to anyone interested in pursuing the healing ministry.  My faith has been strengthened and my wife and I have seen The Lord move in miraculous ways.  Sometimes we see immediate results, sometimes the healing occurs over time, and sometimes we don't see anything (at least not yet!).

These are some testimonies that occurred from exercising what I was learning.  I include the victories and the mundane.  Why?  Because that is the reality of the healing ministry.  Sometimes we see things happen right away, and other times we're not sure what will happen.  Have to keep this in mind, its The Lord who heals.  Our job is to pray and believe!  I am going to keep pressing in to this ministry that Jesus declared is ours for the taking!

WOK stands for word of knowledge.  WOKs can come in several different forms.  Some of the ways you can receive a WOK are through an impression (a thought), an impression in your body (you feel something), a vision (mental picture), through smell (I actually smelled vicks vapor rub once when praying for a woman, nobody had this on - it was a WOK for this woman), you can hear something, you can get a taste and you can get one through a dream.   Randy Clark identifies 7 different ways you can receive a WOK.  I have actually experienced WOKs through all of these ways.

Prayer Model & WOK (1)

I went to our neighbors house for dinner.  They had invited me over since my wife and kids were out of town and they thought I could use the company.  Michelle (my neighbor) answered the door and let me in.  I noticed she was limping pretty good and asked her what happened to her.  She told me that she had injured her knee a couple of weeks ago and had been to the doctor to check it out.  The doctor did an MRI and stated that everything looked fine.  The doctor said she had some arthritis and to relax, get off her feet as much as possible, and ice it.  She had been walking on it quite a bit this day and heard her knee pop as she was coming down the steps.  She went back to an emergency orthopedic center to have them recheck her knee.  They said nothing felt out of place or damaged.  I asked her if her mother had arthritis and she said yes (her mom was in the room).  I asked if her grandmother had arthritis and she said no.  But she said her grandfather had arthritis.  I explained to her about generational curses that can be passed down.

I then used commanding prayers for healing, canceling the assignment of arthritis and the generational curse of arthritis.  I commanded cartilage and ligament damage to be be healed.  I then asked if she felt any difference.  No...she said.  I asked her what her pain level was and said it was a "6" out of 10.  I then prayed again using commanding prayers and was also silent in just listening to the Holy Spirit.  I also commanded to pain to leave her body.  I didn't get any other direction at that time.  I re-interviewed her and still no change.  We talked about how The Lord heals sometimes immediately, other times gradually, and other times when we take a step of faith (like trying to do something you couldn't do before).  She received this instruction well.  I then got a word of knowledge regarding exactly where the pain was in her knee.  I pointed to the 2 places where it was hurting and she confirmed that was true.  I then commanded pain to leave those parts of her knee.  Again, no change in pain at that time.  So I told her to continue testing it when she moves around the house.

Prayer Model and WOK (2)

While I was at my neighbors house I found out her mother had arthritis.  After interviewing the mother and daughter I found out that arthritis ran in the family.  I asked the mother if I could pray for her arthritis.  She said yes.  She wasn't in alot of pain at the time I was praying for her.  So I began to pray using commanding prayers and canceling the generational curse of arthritis.  As I was praying for her, I suddenly got the impression to pray for her neck and shoulder area.  So I asked her if she had trouble in that area of her body.  She looked shocked that I would ask her and said yes she does.  She had been getting extreme headaches and getting dizzy.  She had an episode where she got a sudden attack in that area of her body and fell on a coffee table and the headache left her after hitting her head, but that she still gets pain in the shoulder / neck area and also still gets the dizzy spells.

I told her that the Lord showed me to pray for her in that area, that it was a word of knowledge and that if He showed that to me He intended to heal her.  So I put my hand on the area between the shoulders and commanded healing of the vertebrae, nerve endings and return this area to normal function.  She said she felt heat where I was praying.  She felt like the area relaxed and that she didn't have any tension in that area any more.  Her posture changed as well.  She shed a few tears of joy and appreciation to The Lord.

She told me that she had other ailments as well.  She had congestive heart failure, was on a pace maker and had diabetes.  Her heart function was only 35% (not sure what that means exactly other than its supposed to work at 80-100% in order to get the fluids off the body and out of the chest area.)  I prayed for her heart efficiency to increase, using commanding prayers.  And also prayed for her blood sugar level to return to normal.  She didn't feel anything in particular after these prayers and not having any further leading I didn't pray any further.

Prayer Model and WOK (3)

We were visiting family in Pennsylvania during easter weekend.  At a family dinner I noticed that one of my wife's cousins had a horrible limp.  So I asked her what was going on.  She had an accident at work which effected her back and she had to get surgery where they had fused some of the vertebrates together.  She had arthritis in her back and was in extreme pain 8 out of 10.  So I began praying for her using commanding prayers.  I had a WOK about pain down her right leg, which she had.  I commanded the pain to leave and as soon as I did, the pain the moved up from her mid thigh area into her hips.  I then commanded the pain to leave this area, and it moved to the left hip area.  I then commanded the afflicting spirit to leave her body in Jesus name.  She said the pain then moved down into her left leg, around the same area it had been in within the right leg.  I then commanded the afflicting spirit to leave her body and it did.  She was amazed at what was happening.  We then prayed for a creative miracle for her back, asking God to create new parts and remove the metal that was in her back that fused it together.  She was able to test her body and had more mobility than before.  Pain was out of her leg and hip area.  I counseled her about afflicting spirits and how they may try to come back. And instructed her that she had authority in Jesus name.  That night she definitely got relief!

Prayer Model and WOK (4)

Went to visit a family in Georgia, being invited by my brother to pray for some of the congregation at his church.  The husband was on a ventilator that had been set up at his house.  He had a medical bed and ventilator attached through a tracheotomy.  He wasn't able to speak, but could nod his head or blink his eyes.  He had a surgery around the neck area.  We interviewed the wife to find out what had happened and what occurred around the time he had this problem.  After interviewing I just got the impression to pray for creative miracles.  I don't remember what the ailment was now, but it affected his breathing ability (some of the involuntary muscle functions, it might have had some impact on part of the brain area if I remember correctly) and he now had to be on a ventilator to breath.  He has been in this condition for a year.  So I began to pray, at first just speaking in tongues to The Lord.  My wife, brother and I were praying in tongues for this man.  After 5 minutes I began praying for a creative miracle in the neck area, for God to restore muscle function and restore any damaged tissue.  I used petitionary prayers at first.  I then asked him if he felt anything different in the neck area.  He said yes (by nodding).  I asked him if he felt heat.  He said yes (by nodding).  So we began to bless what The Lord was doing.  I then prayed again using petitionary and commanding prayers.  He still felt heat (we were not able to touch him there because of the set-up).  He kept having heat there for several minutes.  I couldn't ask him to get out of bed or do anything different so I wasn't sure how else to proceed.  I told him that The Lord was starting a healing process and to check with his doctor before he did anything different.  I also felt an impression to pray for his stomach area.  He said he felt heat there too when we prayed for his stomach area.  Later I found out that he was having trouble with his digestion system and they were considering putting in a colostomy to help him.

Two days before we came to pray for the husband, the wife had a dream that her husband had gotten out of bed when she wasn't looking.  She had never had a dream about him all during this medical problem.  I haven't been back to Georgia to find out what has happened with this man.

Prayer Model and WOK (5)

We prayed for a senior pastor of the church in Georgia we were visiting.  This pastor is in his 80's and had trouble with energy levels, trouble in his shoulders and other age related ailments.  I briefly interviewed him to find out what to pray for.  I used petitionary prayers asking God to restore strength.  Felt a WOK regarding his legs and prayed for God to strengthen his legs, knees and ankles.  He said he felt better.  He had considered not coming out from his bedroom to have us pray for him because he didn't feel good that afternoon.  That night we went to eat dinner and he decided that he wanted to go eat with us.  We went to a cafeteria and he was able to carry his tray with all the food on it to the table.  His wife later told me that he hadn't been able to do that in months.  Praise God!  When we left the house that night, he was out in the garden clipping flowers!  I love the fact that Jesus touches both young and old...he doesn't age discriminate!

Prayer Model (6)

Prayed for a man who had cancer (stage 3, I think).  He was undergoing chemo treatments.  Has tumors in several locations, including brain and I think in the lung area.  I interviewed him to find out about any significant event that occurred when this started.  Didn't seem to be anything tied to the time when the cancer showed up.  I prayed using commanding prayers, commanding cancer to leave, rebuking its effects.  I commanded the immune system to rise up, blood levels to return to normal.  He felt heat in his head area, felt the presence of The Lord.  I blessed what The Lord was doing.  Not sure what has happened to this man since then as I don't have any contact with him.

Prayer Model and WOK (7)

Prayed for the wife of prayer model 6 man.  I had a WOK about her side with pain.  She said she had pain, but it was on her right side, not the left.  I asked her what it was.  It was her gall bladder.  So I interviewed her about when did this start.  She said around the same time she divorced her first husband.  I asked her about that relationship.  She said there was alot of anger and physical abuse.  I asked her if she had ever told him that she forgave him.  She said she had done that in her heart but never told him that.  I encouraged her to do that if she ever got the chance.  She said she sees him all the time.  I counseled her to do this when her current husband was around and to be led by The Lord when and if she approached him.  I then prayed for her gall bladder using commanding prayers.  She wasn't having any pain at the time but felt God's peace.

Prayer Model and WOK (8)

I prayed for a woman who had arthritis and a frozen right shoulder.  I interviewed her at first to find out what was wrong with her.  She told me all of her issues with arthritis and that she wasn't able to fix her hair and had to use a long wooden spoon to clean her self when using the restroom (TMI).

I began praying for her using commanding prayers, rebuking arthritis.  I then felt that this may be a generational issue (WOK impression) so I asked if her mother had arthritis.  She said no since she died young, but that her sisters had arthritis and her grandmother had arthritis.  So I broke the generational curse of arthritis and then commanded her shoulder to unfreeze.  Another gentleman who was there with me began lifting her arm up, very slowly.  And she said, oh that feels good.  Oh that feels real good!  Oh my that feels better than sex! (Major laugh at this point)  She ended up being able to raise her right arm above her head...Praise God!  She said, you don't understand i haven't been able to to do this for years.  Hallelujah!  Later that afternoon, I saw her again before leaving the church building.  She told me that she couldn't wait to go to the bathroom the next morning!  (Another major laugh!)

Prayer Model (9)

Prayed for a man who came up in a healing line for prayer.  I interviewed him and he said that he had an inner ear infection which cause his hearing to be dull.  I asked him when this started and was there anything significant that happened around this same time.  He said yes he had been in an argument with his son and had pushed him really hard to the ground.  I asked him if he had apologized to his son.  He did.  I then asked if he had repented from anger.  He had not.  So i led him in a prayer of repentance for anger and then led him to forgive himself as well.  I then prayed using commanding prayers for the hearing to open and infection to leave.  His hearing immediately was better.  Praise God!

I have prayed for several others during this class seeing one person healed from arthritis, and another from a curved spine (saw her posture improve after praying for her).  Prayed with many others including issues of hepatitis, migraines, anxiety disorders, colds, lengthening of legs, hip issues, etc.  I feel that my ministry has changed forever after going through these two classes with CHCP.  I getting ready to go to Honduras to minister on a team of 9 missionaries where we will minister to 10,000 over the course of a week.  I'm looking forward to what God is going to do!

Papa is Good!

Friday May 3rd I was flying from Charlotte to Tulsa, with a connection through Houston. When I got to the Charlotte airport @ 4:00am I found out the Houston flight was delayed by 55 minutes. Big time bummer because my Tulsa flight only had a 75 minute layover. So I switched flights to leave Houston 2 hours later than planned. That meant my daughter, who is graduating from ORU this weekend couldn't pick me up at the Tulsa airport. And I just might miss her graduating ceremony they do for all the theology majors at ORU.

Well my Charlotte to Houston flight went a little faster and made up 5 minutes. By the time I got out of the plane and got my bag, there was 20 minutes before the earlier Tulsa flight was leaving...but it was in another terminal! So I started running and walking as fast as I could go. I was asking God to help me make the earlier flight but this looked extremely remote at best. And as I did my best and rushed, I felt an impression that what was I worrying about. I felt God speak to me that why are you acting like an orphan. I'm your father. I own everything. I can get you on that flight. So I stopped rushing and started walking normally.

I got to the gate with 10 minutes until the plane would shut its doors. But I was still booked on the later flight! I asked the gate attendant if I could still make this flight and briefly told her about the delay problems. She was reluctant at first. She said you have 2 minutes before we close the doors. Do you have your confirmation number? I had my boarding pass on my phone, but no confirmation number in that. I fumbled through my email to see if I could find it but couldn't. She then said you have 1 minute.

So I prayed and kept looking. She then said where did you come from? And then she said what flight are you booked on? And then she said I need some identification.

Praise God she got me on that flight! Or really Praise God, God got me on that flight!

I then began to realize a little more that our Father in heaven really loves to surprise us with His goodness. And I feel my heart is a little more convinced that my papa in heaven really cares about all the details of my life. Life is a joy when we do it with Papa!

School of Healing Testimonies

I have been taking a Healing Class through Global Awakening the past two months.  It's been a tremendous learning experience and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in pursuing this gifting.  During the class we were asked to apply what we learned.  So below are testimonies from some of my learning experiences.  The testimonies are about learning to step out in words of knowledge and using a  prayer model that is designed to focus our prayers on the root matter that is causing sickness or disease in others.  Its a journey well worth the venture!  Jesus has called us to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leper, and cast out demons.  Freely we've received, freely give.  Its time to rise up and walk in this authority that the Lord has given us!


Case Study 1 - Prayer Model

Testimony of the Woman with Migraines

I am part of a prayer team that calls ministry partners.  We receive many prayer requests from our ministry partners; some of the prayer requests are explicit and others are not.  Most of the time I do not know these partners, since we have an extensive network.  I called this woman one night and asked her what could I pray for her.  She said that she had horrible migraine headaches and she had spaciness.  I asked her about when the migraines and spaciness started.  She told me they had started 5 years ago.  So then I asked her if there was a significant event that occurred around this same time when the headaches occurred.  She said yes.  She explained that at that time a horrible tragedy happened.  She had been counseling a husband and wife who were in the process of divorce.  During the counseling sessions, she found out they were both cheating on each other.  However the husband didn’t know the wife was cheating and the wife didn’t know the husband was cheating.  Subsequently, the husband ended up finding out that the wife was cheating on him.  So in a fit of rage the husband drove to the boyfriends house, shot, and killed him.  He then went to his house and shot his wife four  times.  She didn’t die but ended up being paralyzed.  The husband in now in jail.  Her migraines started around this time.  

I asked her if she had any un-forgiveness, either towards herself or towards the husband.  She didn’t think so.....believes that she had dealt with any of this in her heart.  She told me that she had left the church where she had been doing the counseling and had stopped counseling for a period of time.  She just recently started doing some of this type of work at another church that they now attend.  

So I told her to just receive, that I didn’t want her to pray right now.  Then I began praying for healing to be released in her heart and forgiveness to be released in her heart toward herself and any others involved in this incident.  I then commanded guilt to be broken off of her.  I was silent for 20-30 seconds.  Then I asked her what was going on.  She said she felt the peace of God surrounding her.  She also said she was so blessed because she is often in the place of ministering to others and rarely in the place of receiving.  When I asked her to just receive, that blessed her immensely.  

I then prayed again, this time commanding torment to leave her and canceling the assignment of torment off of her.  As soon as I pronounced this she began coughing and immediately had relief from headaches.  She was so excited and beside herself.  She was exclaiming over and over, you don’t know what this means, oh my gosh, you don’t know what this means.  She was overwhelmed with joy.  I told her to thank the Lord for what He had just done for her.

Case Study 2 and 3 - Two Words of Knowledge in One Meeting Time

Testimony of Praying for Daughter/Niece - WOKs

On this night my niece and nephew who live in our hometown came over to visit us, pray, and to have dinner.  I began talking to my niece, nephew, wife and 3 daughters about what I was learning in the Healing Certification class.  I told them about some of the miracles we heard of through the various video interviews and then all of a sudden I started getting a headache.  I don’t usually get headaches so I thought to myself this could be a word of knowledge for someone here.  So I asked if anyone had a headache in the room.  My daughter said she did, so we prayed for her and her pain went away.  (WOK 1)

When we get together as a family, we pray for different family needs as the holy spirit leads us.  So as we were praying for family members who were not with us that evening, I started getting another headache which I felt again it was not mine but a WOK.  This time I felt my niece was the one who had this headache.  So I asked my niece if she had one, and she said yes.  So I started praying for her, and her headache also went away.  Praise God!  (WOK 2)

What was interesting about these two incidents was that as I prayed for them, I could feel the headache I had go away at the very same time theirs went away.  I checked with them during the prayer time to verify this phenomenon.  Very cool!

Case Study 4 - Prayer Model

Woman with paralysis

I called one of our ministry partners regarding a prayer request they had sent in.  Mrs. X had paralysis on one side of her body.  So I asked her how this happened...was she born this way or did something happen to her.  She told me that she went in for a routine surgery on her neck and ended up with a blood clot from the surgery.  The clot ended up causing a stroke and she became paralyzed on one side of her body. 

I asked her if she had any bitterness, resentment, or un-forgiveness in her heart because of what happened.  She told me that wasn’t in her heart.

So I prayed for the Lord to minister to her body.  I think I used more petition prayers this first time.  I stopped and interviewed her to find out if anything was happening.  She told me she felt peace, but she didn’t feel anything in her body.  I blessed what the Lord was doing and then I prayed for her a second time.  This time I commanded nerve endings to come alive.  Synapses to fire again, blood flow to increase.  When I interviewed her the second time she could feel a hot stone with electricity moving through her body.  She felt that was rejuvenating things in her body.  She wasn’t able to move anything that was paralyzed at the time.  And nothing more happened at that point.  I prayed again and it seemed that was all that was happening at that point.  So I thanked the Lord for what he did do.  I didn’t feel led to do anything else at this point.  Wasn’t sure what else to do after praying with her 3 times and not seeing any more progress.  I counseled her that the sign she had of the hot stone and electricity was evidence that God was working in her.  And that he may be doing a progressive work in her.  I haven’t spoken to her again but hope to if she comes up in the ministry partner prayer requests.

Case Study 5 - Prayer Model and WOK

Bus Terminal - Cane

Just went to pray with people today. I felt led to go in the bus seating area where Bojangles is. I sat on the chairs and was asking the Lord to lead me to the right one. I sat and prayed for a while (10-15 minutes). And afterward felt led to go sit by a man with a cane and talk to him. I asked why he had a cane and he said he’s had two hip replacements. He used to be a truck driver. I asked if he still had pain in the hips and he said yes. I then told him that I came down to the terminal to pray for people and asked if I could pray for his hips. He said sure, but wait a minute I’m busy and then we can go outside. So I sat while he was texting someone. 

After about 5-7 minutes I noticed he was just staring off into space not texting anyone. So I asked him again if I could pray for his hips and he said yes, but also told me that he was busy. So he bowed his head and I asked the Lord to touch his hips. Commanded pain to leave and asked God to heal his arthritis. He looked up and started talking to me. I asked if there was any difference. He said no. So I asked him on a scale of 1 to 10 how bad is your pain right now. He said a 6. So I said lets pray again. Again I asked the Lord to minister to his body and commanded pain to leave. We were silent for 20-30 seconds. Then he looked up at me and said, wow my pain is much better. Its now a 3. He was amazed. 

I sensed he may have un-forgiveness or bitterness blocking things.  So I then asked him if he had any bitterness or un-forgiveness in his heart toward anyone.  He told me yes, his sister.  He needed help to get a prescription and needed a ride and $22 to help him get the medicine. He was texting her trying to get her help, but she didn’t want to help.  She told him no. He contacted his mom to get his sister to help and so he was upset. I talked to him about the need to forgive and how this is important for us personally.  Bitterness only hurts us, not the other person. He wasn’t ready to forgive right then but was willing to talk with God more about it when he goes home. I then prayed for him again asking God to help him release un-forgiveness and bitterness and to release healing completely in his body. After this he was feeling really good with hardly any pain at all. He told me that he was in misery up until that time and really was feeling bad. 

He then looked down at his phone and saw that his sister had texted him and told him that she would be picking him up. He looked at me and said, you have some power. I noticed that you prayed in the name of Jesus. Are you one of his disciples? I told him yes I was a disciple of Jesus, but only he has power. I told him that Jesus has commanded his disciples to pray for the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leper, cast out demons…freely we received freely give. And that any of Jesus disciples can have this ability. He then wanted to know what church I went to. So I told him. And he asked if I would take him to my church.

So I picked him up the next Sunday, took him to church and then out to lunch with me and my family.  We had a good time and he really liked our church.  He told me that he hadn’t been to church since being a little boy and when I had talked with him he felt that he was supposed to start going again.  He asked if we had bible studies and I told him through home groups.  But that I could meet with him at my lunch break during the week and do a bible study with him.  He said ok.  Woohoo!

Case Study 6 - Prayer Model and WOK

Bus Terminal - Raining

Went to the bus station today to pray for someone there. It was rainy and cold and I was getting drenched on my way to the station. But I felt compelled to go. I asked The Lord to lead me. As soon as I got there a man asked me for money. I told him I had none, but asked if I could pray for him. He said sure. I told him that I am learning how to pray for the sick and asked him if he had any ailments. He said yes and pulled up his coat sleeves to show me a horrible case of eczema. His skin looked like elephant skin.  He said he had it all over his body. 

So I asked him how long he's had it and he said since he was a kid. His father had it, and other relatives...it runs in the family. So I told him that this could be a generational curse and told him that I was going to pray for deliverance from generational issues.  I then began to pray for him and invited the Holy Spirit to minister to this man. He said while I was praying he all of a sudden started breathing in more deeply than before. His chest and stomach area were moving noticeably. I stayed silent for a little while letting the Holy Spirit minister directly to him.  [Although I didn’t think about this at the time, one of the manifestations I’ve learned when a person is getting delivered from generational curses or demonic activity they will have laboured breathing or begin breathing deeply as if something was released off them and they can now fully breath.]

I asked him what was going on.  And he told me that when I had commanded the generational curse to break off him he started breathing deeply.  And this stayed with him for a few minutes.  It was like his lungs were being cleaned out.  I then received a word of knowledge about what was happening. I told him that God was healing his spirit and soul. And that God wanted him to know what God thought about him. That God sees him as a son and not a cast away. He is valuable in Gods eyes and that God wanted to heal the broken image that he had of himself. He asked me how did I know this, because one week ago he was talking to God and he told The Lord that he didn't want to know what anybody else thought about him but just what God thought about him. In fact he posted that message on Facebook just a couple of days ago. I then got to pray with him about deliverance from addictions and other inner healing issues. I told him that the Lord wants to heal the inside and the outside. I spent most of my lunch hour talking with him.  It was an awesome encounter with Jesus!

Case Study 7 - WOK

Eyeshadow and Lashes

Prayed before going over to bus terminal. Asked Holy Spirit to lead me. Prayed for break-through, anointing, ability to minister. Asked God for words of knowledge. As I prayed I saw a woman’s eye, with long eyes lashes and light colored eye shadow. So I walked down to the bus terminal looking for this. I walked the whole terminal and kept looking at each woman’s eyes. Amazingly no one was wearing eye shadow that day! After looking in the last place, I thought ok, I’ll go back to one girl who was wearing long eye lashes and try to look more closely to see if she has some faded shadow on. As I did, another woman who wasn’t there before came into view. She had long eyelashes and a light white colored eye shadow. I introduced myself. Told her this was a God appointment. Asked her what I could pray for her.  She told me she is newly pregnant. So I started praying for her, God to help her anxiety as a single mom (didn’t know this at the time), God to help her with her education, give her a man that will stand with her, and financial provision. After prayer she said everything I prayed was what she needed. She said she felt peace that everything was going to be ok. I counseled with her about church…she has one but hasn’t been there in a while. I encouraged her to go…she’ll find support there.  Wonderful God encounter!

Case Study 8 - WOK and Prayer Model

Encounter at Church Conference

I was attending a church conference where we were all going to pray with others who stood up asking prayer for healing.  I walked up to a man I had never met.  As I walked up to him, I had dizziness in my head (which I do not have).  I asked him why he stood up for prayer and he said that he had dizziness and one of his ears was clogged so that he was hearing through a tunnel...everything was muffled.  He thought he might have an inner ear infection.  

So I told him what I had felt before talking with him and that I believed this was a WOK for him.  I then asked him when did this dizziness begin with him.  He told me it started a few days after he had a really bad argument with his son.  He took a swing at his son.  He said that he did not hit him, but almost did and that his son had fallen backward to the ground.  He told me that he had apologized to his son.  

I told him since this started around that timeframe that we first needed to go through a prayer of repentance for anger and then asking forgiveness from the Lord and then to forgive himself.  He did this.  

I then commanded dizziness to leave, infection be healed and his ear to open.  He felt something open up in his ear when we prayed.  He told me that he could now hear clearer than before; like the muffled sound was gone.  So we thanked God for what the Lord was doing.  I saw him two other times during the conference to which he proclaimed that it felt the healing was continuing, like it was progressive.

Case Study 9 - WOK

Neighbor Girl

I had heard that a neighbor girl had hurt her foot and went to the emergency room.  I asked the Lord which foot as a sign to pray for her for healing.  I had an impression it was the right foot.  I saw her later that day as she had come over to visit with my daughter.  It was her right foot.  So I asked to pray for her and talked to her about healing prayer.  Prayed...she didn’t feel anything and she had a large walking boot on it, was leaving our home to go home.  So I told her to check it out when she got home and try to do something she couldn’t do without pain.  She said she would.

How to Raise the Dead Course

     Recently I took a course through the Wagner Leadership Institute called “How to Raise the Dead.”  Did you know that at this moment in history there are more incidents and testimonies of God raising the dead than any other time in history?  There are more salvations occurring, more nations turning to Christ, more unprecedented miracles occurring than any other time in history.  This blogpost is about some of the lessons I learned during this course.  I believe they will bless you too as you read!

     This course was extremely good for my spiritual health.  I was affected by all the video and audio teachings, particularly with David Hogan, Heidi Baker and Pastor Surprise.

     Honestly, I was challenged by everything that David Hogan had to say.  After listening to his testimony I wondered if I was a Christian.  For those of you who have not heard of him, he is a missionary for the last 20 years to some of the most dangerous territory in Mexico.  I have been very diligent at times and seasons in my life, but not as consistent as what I heard from David's ministry.  So at this season in my life I can use more discipline in most every aspect of my life:  personal devotion time, prayer time, fasting, and physical exercise.  I work full time, have a wife and four daughters so that keeps me pretty busy.  Over the past 6 months or so I have found myself trying to wake at 4:00am or close by...not by my own prompting but I believe God has been waking me then.  Since the course started I have been trying to cooperate more with getting to bed early so that I can get up early.  I haven’t been as consistent as I want in this, but I have definitely been better.  And I can honestly say the presence of the Lord during these times have been wonderful for my soul.  On several occasions I’ve found myself just worshipping in awe of God...barely able to say anything...just gazing at His majesty.

     After listening to David the first week I realized that I needed to get more disciplined in fasting as well.  So I started off on a fast that lasted 14 days.  And then every other day I would fast 1 or 2 meals.  Oh the Lord was sweet to me.  I felt weak during the 14 day fast, but I was able to enter into His presence much more easily.  I also noticed an increase of spiritual awareness and empowerment during that time.  The church I attend has prophetic prayer teams and I was able to participate on these during this fasting time.  I believe the clarity and power of the words the Lord gave me increased during this time.  So I’m encouraged to make fasting a regular part of my life.  I had done this once before when I was younger, but had gotten away from making this a regular part of my life since then. 

     I've also been more challenged by the Lord and now David Hogan regarding standing in faith as to what God has spoken to me, regardless of what others think or say.  Over the years God has given me many words, promises, and prophecies.  Some of these words I wonder - how is God going to do that?  I was inspired with David’s testimony on how he ended up in Mexico and then received a vision for the area he was to go to.  Along the way his wife was discouraged, he had people tell him about the dangers, and others looked at David in disbelief.  I appreciate the attitude David ministered in that he was after pleasing one...and that was God, regardless of those who believed or went with him.

     Another thing that encouraged me is when David said they didn't get some special feeling or an angel appear to them to go after healing and raising the dead.  For the most part, they just are responding in faith to what Jesus declared, that we are called to raise the dead, heal the sick, cleanse the leper, freely we've received, freely give.  I can do that.  Yes, praise God, the Lord does give signs following that confirms His word; but that's not what David is pursuing...he's pursuing obedience to the call of Jesus.  That’s a good perspective.  I can respond in obedience to do that.  We walk in faith, believing and leave the results to God.  That to me is mature faith...I believe the Lord so much and know that He will confirm His word that I will obey what He says regardless of what I see with my eyes.  I also appreciate David’s candidness when he shared that he felt he really failed the Lord and a young boy who he didn't pray to be raised from the dead when he first started ministering there in Mexico.  Despite his failing, God still worked with David...the Lord knows I've failed him many times, but this encourages me to keep presenting myself to God and follow His leading.  We can’t let past mistakes create present failings and lose future destiny.  Let the past be the past...and let today be the day the Lord reigns.

     While listening to Heidi's testimony, I can't help but think about I Corinthians 13 where Holy Spirit reminds us that love has to be the primary motivation behind any ministry.  Personally, I haven't walked in the level of power that David or Heidi have experienced...I've seen God use me in prophetic ministry, some healings, and other power gifts.  Mainly, I have operated in a lot of teaching and preaching mixed with evangelism.  And there have definitely been seasons of burnout.  I like Heidi’s testimony that she has to spend much time in prayer and seeking God each day to find the strength she needs.  With the amount of things on her plate and seeing her renewed with passion each day...to me that is evidence that this woman has High Connections.  And it’s an inspiration...because God can provide day after day all we need to be a blessing in what He calls us to.  I'd have to confess that the main thing that restores me is making intimate contact with God...basking in His love, being touched by His presence when no one else is around.  Hearing His voice speak like no other man can speak to my heart.  

     I get a charge out of seeing the miraculous...but what thrills my heart more than anything is seeing someone really buy into the love of God.  That usually doesn't happen overnight.  You get the initial spark, but seeing someone going after God with hunger and passion, week after week, year after year is what captures my attention more than anything.

     The part of the message from Heidi that struck me the most was when Randy shared how Heidi and Roland are ministering the full gospel message...caring for the whole person; their physical, emotional, spiritual, and social needs.  I love the model they put together in the villages where the widows care for orphans and cook for them, the pastors come and minister the father's heart to the widows and orphans, and the organization helps provide food and other supplies.  That is wonderful success on so many levels.  Maybe what Heidi stated is a key ingredient to full ministry...what does love look like?  I like that question.  I think Holy Spirit likes that question too, cause whatever love looks like is what I believe our Jesus would want to do.

        I really appreciated listening to Surprise's testimonies.  I feel God gave me impartation of faith just through listening to his testimonies.  I love his simple faith in God and I'm asking God to help me operate in this simplicity even more.  I also appreciate how Surprise emphasized how God wants us to enjoy life.  Come into the rest of God and enjoy life!  That has been on my heart the last few weeks and this really hit home for me.

     Regarding raising the dead, seems to me the most practical means of seeing this happen in the U.S. is for us to begin praying for those who die.  Pastor Surprise said that he will pray for all those he comes across.  Some are raised, others are not.  He leaves that to the Lord, but I think he sees result partly because of obedience and willingness to pray.   This attitude and simple obedience by Pastor Surprise has encouraged me. 

     Some of the other Mozambique pastors mentioned that they look for a sign regarding who they should pray to be raised from the dead.  It’s God's economy, so I believe there is room for both methods regarding who to pray for (everyone versus those whom you have a sign about).  I actually see both of these methods working in Christ's life...there are many occasions that is recorded where Jesus heals all who came to Him.  And there are instances where He is directed to the "one".  I prefer praying for everyone as I would not want to assume my accuracy in hearing God or picking up on His signs is more important than following his command to heal the sick, raise the dead, and cleanse the leper.  I had an unusual encounter with the Lord on a mission trip to Mexico several years ago.  In that trip we did a lot of street ministry.  On our first day out, I was appointed as leader of one group.  We headed down the street and the first house we came to looked like no one was home and seemed unwelcoming.  So I thought lets skip that house and go to the next.  My interpreter asked me, "Aren't we going to knock on the door?"  So I said sure go ahead.  There was a pregnant young woman in the home and we ultimately led her to salvation that day.  As our group left this home I heard the Lord say to me..."Don't skip anybody."  All through that day our group spoke with everyone we saw...I remember there were some that we talked with that I thought...oh they are definitely going to come to our meeting that night.  Others I thought...oh they will never respond.  And that night it seemed like everyone I thought would respond didn't and those that I thought wouldn't did.  In fact one man who had such a hard countenance came to the meeting and I ultimately got to lead him to the Lord at the meeting that night.  So this was a good lesson for me to trust more in God's command than my ability to hear. 

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

I pray that your heart is filled with joy during this wonderful season of Hope and a Future!  The Son was given so that we might have Hope that life can be meaningful and everlasting.  And each new day we wake is God's promise that we have a future!  May the Lord bless you during this time and in the new year, may His Face shine upon you, may you have peace in your home, and may the grace of God make a way for you!  May the due of heaven surround you and cover you!  May the presence of God satisfy your deepest longings!  May the Lord answer you when you call!  And may this year be the year you enter into the destiny and dreams that God has planted in your heart!

I have a favorite song that I wanted to share.  The song is called "Hymns" and is beautifully sung by Cynthia Clawson.  It is a wonderful inspiration to me and speaks of the grace, majestic splendor of God, and hearts that were inspired by beauty from heaven.  It speaks of lives that were changed and impassioned with adoration for the King of Heaven...lives that became a sacrifice and a light for generations to come.  This is my desire for you this year and for my family.  May we be inspired to greater passion for Christ!  May this coming year be a mark in time that one day we'll look back to and say "God met me that year and I entered into the Joy of His Life"!

HYMNS

I hear their songsTheir words of beauty reaching deep
Within cathedrals of my heart
Angelic choirs
Reverberate the stained glass windows
Of saints and sinners in their place
Singing out “Amazing Grace”
While in the glory of their faith
I’m drawn to find my part
And sing with all my heart

I know their words
Their thoughts reflecting simple truth
Of testimonies rich in love
Their eyes can see
The mystery of loving kindness
Of chains and blindness torn away
Power found in each new day
The Lord’s compassion on display
His touch from Heaven above
Gave words to speak their love

Composer of my soul
Show me all You show to them
The hymnwriter, hymnsinger
Let me know their eloquence
Let me share their offering
Put the notes in my heart,
The lyrics on my lips,
And let the essence of my life
Be a song that others will want to sing

I see their lives
Like tears that fall upon a page
A mark indelible in time
What sacrifice!
Their hearts poured out like raging water
For sons and daughters to believe
And generations to receive
The harvest white from all their seeds
No greater love sublime
Could change this heart of mine

Composer of my soul
Show me all You show to them
The hymnwriter, hymnsinger
Let me know their eloquence
Let me share their offering
Put the notes in my heart,
The lyrics on my lips,
And let the essence of my life
Be a song that others will want to sing