How to pray effectively We all pray, but do we pray well? People often say to me “I pray but nothing happens, why is that? Is God ignoring me?” No. The book of James says, “You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (Jas 4:3) But what does this mean and how do I fix it? Well, recently, I ran into someone who needed prayer and the result was (what I call) a textbook perfect example of how to interact with God in prayer. Allow me to explain. When I pray, I’m usually praying for someone else’s needs (this is called supplicating prayer). Supplicating prayer is powerful because it is unselfish since the focus is on someone else. Praying for ourselves is fine, but when combined with other factors, such as fasting, a pure intent and whether other people are praying for you, it is even better. I often say that healing prayer is 95% dependent on God and 5% on me (but I have to leverage… Read More »Post #4
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We are body AND soul Although we don’t see it, a sick soul can cause a sick body. The amount of people who ask me for prayer for physical issues that actually have a spiritual component to them is incredible. What do I mean by this? Well, we are made of body and spirit and while we cannot see our spirit with our physical eyes, we know it is there. This why a sick body can cause a sick soul and why a sick soul can lead to a sick body. “But John” people say “how can you say that? There’s no physical evidence or proof that a soul exists!” Well, just because we can’t see feel or touch something does not mean it doesn’t exist. There are things that we know to exist that are completely immaterial. “That’s impossible!” people say. Oh really? How about gravity? Gravity is immaterial, yet no one would deny that it has great effect on us. Interestingly, although we can measure its effect on material things, we can’t measure… Read More »Post #3
Post #3
Forgiveness vs. Reconciliation Christ forgave everyone; why can’t I? One of the hardest things to do, whether it’s in a prayer session or in life, is to forgive. This is because we look at forgiveness through our lens, not in God’s. Here’s an example. Let’s say that you do something to me and I forgive you. Forgiveness does not mean that you were right, and I was wrong. It does not mean that you and I will be best friends from now on. Nor does it mean that I have persuaded you towards my way of thinking and I will “feel” better. In fact, these conditions more closely describe reconciliation than forgiveness and the two are distinctly separate. This is why we can have forgiveness AND reconciliation, forgiveness and NO reconciliation, but we can’t have reconciliation without forgiveness. Forgiveness is a decision, not a feeling. Jesus forgave everyone but I seriously doubt he felt better after doing so because He was nailed to a cross. It’s also important to note that forgiveness involves 2 people… Read More »Post #2
Post #2
Introduction I didn’t do it. In fact, I didn’t do any of the things that you are about to read. I was there, and I saw them happen, but I didn’t do them. The fact of the matter is, I can’t do any of these things, only God can, and the good news is, that you can’t do these things either. In fact, I’m hoping that this ministry will give you the confidence to go out and “not do” even greater things! Does that sound weird? Maybe it is because something weird is going on. What do I mean by this? Christians all over the world are praying for one another and miracles are occurring. In churches, homes, shopping malls and at bus stops. Just open up your favorite browser and search for “street healing”. As I’m writing this, I did and found over 450 MILLION (million – with an “M”) hits. That’s more than the population of the United States! Something weird is definitely going on! But this isn’t exactly new either. Read the… Read More »Post #1
Post #1
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Depending on what the prayer request is, I may ask whether a parent, spouse or blood relative can be present when we pray. Here’s why: Parent: In Genesis 2:18-20, Adam was given the duty to name all of the animals. When he did, he received authority over them, thus fulfilling God’s wish in Gen 1:26. Since we name our children, we have not only legal and moral authority over them, but biblical authority. Many times I have prayed for someone, saw no results, and then invited one or both parents into the prayer session and then healing occurred. I have also heard of exorcists inviting parents in to pray over the energumen (the possessed). Why? Because they have authority that no priest, bishop, exorcist, or deacon has – Biblical authority. For example: “In the name of Jesus Christ and under the power and authority as this child’s parent, I command this arm to be healed.” Spouse: Marriage is not a man-made invention – marriage was created by God. Man and women were created to love,… Read More »Why do I need someone else present to pray?
Why do I need someone else present to pray?
I would have to say yes, but admittedly, I have a prejudice opinion. Why? because I’ve seen God heal over one thousand people. But, you weren’t there and you didn’t see it. I get that. Trust me, I fully understand this is a hard concept to grasp. It is even for some Christians, much less the stray non-believer who somehow wandered to this page and may be reading this right now. But all apologetics has to start somewhere so I’ll take the easy way out and start with an explanation from a Christian viewpoint. Why does God heal? Ah! Now we arrive at the most important question – why. Simple; He loves us! And healing is just one of the many tools in God’s toolbox that He uses to try to fix us. God loves to fix things. He fixes the weather, He fixes relationships, He fixes job situations and He fixes broken hearts. But no matter what God fixes, He does so for one reason and one reason only – to draw people to… Read More »Does God Still Heal People?
Does God Still Heal People?
Okay…maybe these aren’t from God, but they are things that came to mind during my prayer and prayer is where we go to meet God so take them for what they are and treat them as you would anyone else’s private revelations. If something here is meaningful, terrific. Okay…maybe these aren’t from God, but they are things that came to mind during my prayer time and prayer is where we go to meet God so take them for what they are and treat them as you would anyone else’s private revelations.
Things God Told Me (aka my prayer journal)…
Let’s look at four healing stories in the Bible that demonstrate four different levels of faith. The shallow end of the pool of faith is found in Mark 9:17-29. LEVEL ONE FAITH: “IF YOU CAN…” “And one of the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; and wherever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has he had this?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water,… Read More »What role does Faith play in prayer and healing?