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.