The Goodness in Resurrection

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I have noticed that the Lord tends to talk to me a lot about resurrection and immortality when I am praying for the dead to resurrect. It shouldn’t be surprising, I suppose, as God is interested in teaching us in any and every situation, but this particular time I was praying for an older chicken of ours who had died, God decided to speak to me about His nature, and how our perspective and understanding about God’s nature has EVERYTHING to do with success in consistently raising the dead.

Any follower of Jesus Christ can raise the dead; its not a special thing that only special people do. However, while anyone CAN raise the dead, few people will do it on a consistent, ongoing basis with any notable level of success. It comes down to our mindsets and beliefs primarily about God–who He is and what He is like. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” It is of utmost importance to our faith that we believe God is a rewarder. Ultimately, this verse speaks about God’s nature, in that He gives good gifts. Matthew 7:11 juxtaposes that concept of God’s goodness with evil saying, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” In other words, if evil people know how to give rewards and nice presents, then God who is imminently good is far better even than that! If we want to receive good things from God, then we need to believe that He is good!

The next thing the Lord showed me was about his kindness. Think about how absolutely, stunningly kind God is to allow us to raise the dead. Death is a horrible, terrible thing–and while there are streams of thought that talk about it as a transition and “passing through” to another phase of life, let’s be honest–death is horrible. There is often physical pain, not to mention regret, grief, loss, and heartache. There are a lot of terrible things that surround death, and it was never God’s plan for us to die to begin with!! There’s a reason he told Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil–so they wouldn’t die. Death isn’t just a phase or a step or a bump or whatever. It is an abomination against God’s plan for us because God has plans for hope and a future and for long life and blessings (Jeremiah 29:11), not death–it’s not on HIS plan for our lives. On the other hand, this kind, good, gracious God gives us power over death to destroy it’s works and to bring those who have died back to life. When I thought about that–about God’s kindness, I was brought to tears. There simply aren’t words enough to describe how incredibly good God is. How kind God is. How loving He is toward us.

I asked God while he was showing me this how we go about raising the dead, and you know what He said to me? He said,

“Anyone who wants to learn how to raise the dead must first be convinced of my goodness.”

How can faith for resurrection be built on anything less? If we don’t believe God is good, and that He rewards us, then how can we expect to receive anything from Him? That is being double-minded, and as James 1:6-7 says, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” We all have doubts, but God is trying to bring us to a place where we never doubt His goodness–because when we doubt, it’s not that God doesn’t want to give us anything any longer, but doubt is putting our faith in what God WON’T do–and what we believe and ask for, we can have. This is why we so often don’t receive what we think we are requesting because our doubt actually asks God NOT to give us what we want. As we become convinced in the deepest parts of our soul that God is kind, good, loving, and that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” God isn’t good one moment and evil or hard or bad or angry or anything else the next. The Bible says that He gives good gifts, and is the Father of light, which is synonymous with all blessings and good things, and that He doesn’t change. If he doesn’t change, then evil and darkness and anything less than complete goodness simply doesn’t come from Him.

What’s more, in addition to being kind and good, our heavenly Father is all about life–and not just the kind where we just barely get by, but abundant life. If we can’t grasp even the vaguest of essence of understanding of God’s desire for us to live long, prosperous lives, do we really understand the good news that Jesus paid for our sins and defeated death so that we could live? John 3:16 [paraphrased] says, “God loved the world so much that he gave his only heir, his son Jesus, so that instead of dying we would live forever, immortal and unable for death to touch us.” God is passionate about life. He burns for it. He bled and died for it. For us. For you. God can’t be anything other than who HE is, and getting a revelation of His nature is the first step to raising the dead.

God has formed and purposed YOU to raise the dead. He has designed you to transform the world with your love and to step out in big and small ways without fear to remove the blight of darkness from this earth and instead to extend His light. You are the emissary that God has sent to be the solution to the darkness and pain in front of you. You are the solution to the deaths that happen around you. In fact, you may be the ONLY solution because many even in the church perish for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6), not realizing that God can and will raise the dead. I’ve witnessed it happen. You are salt and light–you are the qualified resurrectionist and God wants to take you to a deeper level, where you are so convinced of His goodness that not even death can stand up in front of you. Go forward and be the game-changer you already are inside.

If you want to learn more about how you can be a resurrectionist, check out the resources below. If you want to grow quickly in this area, I highly recommend five things:

1. Sign up for our Raise the Dead Initiative mailing list here to receive updates, and connect further.

2. Get some books. I have written two books on the subject: Practical Keys to Raise the Dead and Faith to Raise the Dead. Tyler’s books are How to Raise the Dead and The Dead Are Raised, and be sure to check out Father Hebert’s book Saints Who Raised The Dead

3. Join the RDI on Facebook: Raise the Dead Initiative The Raise the Dead Initiative is a group I started to help grow the Body of Christ in this area, and I will eventually develop an RDI teaching curriculum to train believers to pray for and raise the dead.

4. Watch/listen to David Hogan’s YouTube Series on the subject of Raising the Dead: Session 1 Session 2 Session 3 Session 4

5. Look at how you can host or attend a Resurrection School in your area. Contact Tyler Johnson via his website at http://www.oneglance.org/ to arrange the event. Tyler is an awesome man of God and good friend who regularly teaches Resurrection Schools to help transform our understanding on the subject of resurrection life. He has Dead Raising Teams around the world who are ready to mobilize in their area to release the abundant life of Jesus Christ.

6. Look for and actively engage opportunities to raise the dead in your area by reaching out to friends when you hear that someone has died.

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Two Audio Interviews: Faith To Raise The Dead

Good Morning Friends!

With the launch of my latest book, Faith To Raise The Dead, I have been blessed to be the guest on a number of radio programs to discuss not just the book itself, but God’s overall desire for us to live in abundant life. Check out these two conversations with the lovely Lisa Perna of Touched By Prayer and my good friend Praying Medic as we discuss resurrection, healing, and much more!

Touched By Prayer – Bring Out Your Dead Praying Medic – Podcast 081: Faith To Raise The Dead

Authority As Sons

The Bible speaks about authority in a number of places, but it begins with our position. The reason we have the right to wield God’s authority is our Sonship (Romans 8:16)—not just as ones who have been adopted in, but legitimate children, made so by Jesus Christ. When Paul spoke to the Romans about adoption, he knew they understood the permanent and irreversibly binding rights and authority a child received when he or she was adopted, but when he wrote to the Jews he was not speaking about adopted children, but rather that we are born from above and are new creations with God’s DNA within us. Jesus spoke the same to Nicodemus, saying he must be re-born from above (John 3:5-8). As legitimate children, we have all of the rights and responsibilities of God’s heirs; we are heirs alongside Jesus (Romans 8:17; Galatians 4:7).

To understand what this means influences both how we use authority and how we live in general, so we need to grasp what the Bible says about sonship with God. Galatians 4:1-2 explains it like this, “What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave although he owns the whole estate. The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.” In other words as God’s children, we have to have others watch over us—and not just other believers, but Holy Spirit and even the angels to help us grow into maturity. In the same way that we wouldn’t let a three year old have full reign of the house, likewise God doesn’t necessarily give us everything without some limitations early on. This isn’t to keep us from things, but to safeguard us until we mature.

This idea holds true when studied out in the scriptures. The New Testament uses a few different words that usually translate as “child”—the words nepios, teknon, and huios. A nepios son is basically an infant or young child and needs constant supervision. A teknon child is like those mentioned in Galatians 4:1-2 above—one who still needs an authority figure to watch over him and help him with daily affairs, but who is no longer a baby. A huios son (or daughter) has become a mature member of his household and is able to wield the full authority he possesses as an heir.

To understand our authority and role as believers we need to know the difference between nepios, teknon, and huios sons. Not all the verses in the Bible that refer to sonship and being children of God can be read the same way. 1 Corinthians 13:11 says, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” The word child here refers to a nepios son—one who is literally a baby and is extremely childish in his ways. Romans 8:16-17 says that we are teknon sons of God, who are older but still need assistance. The verses state, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” The point I believe Paul was making here was that as immature sons and daughters of God that we are still heirs—not having yet inherited the fullness, but that Holy Spirit resides within us and marks us with God’s seal, designating us as His children for all time and allowing us the legal right to inherit the fullness He has planned for us. This is as differentiated from a huios son, which Paul mentions only two verses prior. Romans 8:14 says, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” The word children here is better translated as mature children or mature sons/daughters of God. Even Jesus, when it states that he is God’s only begotten son (John 1:18, 3:16, 3:18; 1 John 4:9), is referred to as a huios son.

Those huios sons and daughters, led by God’s Spirit, are brought into maturity and are able to wield their authority as heirs of God’s estate, and His estate extends beyond the earth into the entire cosmos, even the heavens. (Faith To Raise The Dead, pp 81-83)

The above text is an excerpt from my book Faith To Raise The Dead. I hope it has encouraged and brought clarity to you regarding our authority as God’s children. To learn more, click on the link above or the image below.

Word of the Week – 4-10-17 – Pray Things Through

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This past week I shared a blog post about the Conditional Nature of Prophecy http://www.thekingsofeden.com/2017/04/conditional-nature-prophecy/ , and even as I am asking the Lord what He wants to share this week, I came across a friend’s post on Facebook asking why prophecies sometimes don’t come to pass–and the main reason I believe is that we have to pray them into existence. I also got a call from another friend today who is very grounded in the scripture and versed in things of the Spirit. He and his family have been going through a ton of enemy attacks of late, but it isn’t because he doesn’t know God’s will–it’s because they just need more prayer. While I am sure my friend would appreciate if you said a prayer, I sense there is more behind these seemingly unconnected but related subjects–and what I hear the Lord saying in this is that we need to Pray Things Through!

We all have “stuff” going on in life. And sometimes that stuff can be a LOT. Too much even. But regardless of what is going on, prayer is THE solution to the problem. Prayer is the connection point between our faith and desires and needs and God’s power. When things need to get done in the earth, God’s children get on our knees and pray. I feel very strongly that God is encouraging all of us, in every situation this week, to pray it through. When things get overwhelming, we need to ask God for His peace that bypasses our conscious minds and releases hope and life into our circumstances. We can either let life’s troubles weigh us down or we can trade our burdens and hand them over to Jesus–and take upon ourselves His yoke which is easy and His burden which is light.

I want to encourage you this week to hone in on your prayer life. Take it to another level this week. Seek the Lord over the prophetic words you have received, or if you haven’t ever received one, ask the Lord to share things with you about your life and what He thinks about you. Lift up your family and friends, praying protection, peace, and prosperity over them. Hold up those who have lost loved ones recently, and those who are hurting or broken. Release the peace of God into conflicts, both local and worldwide. I believe that as we seek the Lord in greater measure this week–as we pray things through–that we will see an outpouring of His grace in our lives, families, and the world around us. May the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of the Father, and the Intimate Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14).

Faith To Raise The Dead — The Book Is Out!

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Hey Friends of Eden!

I am super-excited to announce the official launch of our new book Faith To Raise The Dead. This book is designed to help the Body of Christ grow in our understanding of the abundant life Jesus purchased for us. Of the 6 books I have written so far, I am the most excited about this one because I believe God is going to use it to renew hearts and minds to engage His goodness on a deeper level and to encourage faith to raise the dead, heal the sick, and much more!

We will also be doing a drawing for three Resurrection t-shirts on Friday, April 21st via Facebook Live at 6pm PST so be sure to follow along. Just forward your confirmation email to: faithtoraisethedead@gmail.com. Your name will be added to the list and we will draw it Live on the
21st. If anyone who does not win the drawing still wants a shirt, we will provide information on how to get one at that time.

The back cover of the book is as follows: When Jesus walked the earth, he taught his disciples many things, but he only commanded them to do a few: Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons” (Matthew 10:8a). Raising the dead is a pivotal part of Christianity—without resurrection, it wouldn’t exist. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:20 that, “But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died” (New Living Translation).

This book answers the challenge to those commands and to raise up an army of believers—followers of Jesus who are ready to reap the great harvest of all who have died. Through scripture it lays a groundwork of understanding for this miracle, then follow up with practical steps and hard-earned wisdom. God doesn’t need someone special to raise the dead—He needs someone willing. And if this is you, then join the journey to reveal Faith To Raise The Dead.

US Paperback: http://amzn.to/2nX3HHD

US Kindle: http://amzn.to/2nXgdqm

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06Y4CG9BF/

Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Faith-Raise-Dead-Abundant-Life-ebook/dp/B06Y4CG9BF/

The Conditional Nature of Prophecy

I enjoy prophecy. Whenever I prophesy over someone it gives me the opportunity to get a glimpse of how God sees him or her, and it has the ability to shift my perspective toward him or her as well. While it has other uses, including foretelling of things to come, most prophecy is geared toward encouraging people to continue moving forward in life, strengthening them for tasks ahead, and comforting them, as seen in 1 Corinthians 14:3. Many times we might will receive a prophetic word that tells us of the great plans God has for our future, but five, ten, or even twenty years later we find ourselves wondering what happened–why did that prophecy never come to pass? Certainly it is possible someone was incorrect when they spoke, but that is not the only option. I suggest something that is less understood is the conditional nature of prophesy.

I remember a message I heard a speaker share once. I forget who the speaker was, but I do recall he had a reputation as a prophet. He told a story of when he met with a couple who were trying to have a baby and were having difficulty. I don’t even think that was the reason for his meeting, but the Lord spoke to him and instructed the prophet to tell them they were going to have a baby. He began an internal dialogue with the Lord, basically arguing that he didn’t want to say it knowing the trouble they were already having, and not wanting to give them any false hope or encouragement. What the Lord responded back was, “If you don’t say it, it will not happen.”

The term self-fulfilling prophesy is in some ways redundant because the whole reason it even works is because the prophetic utterance carries power with it to accomplish the thing prophesied. When God told that prophet the word was conditional based on whether he said it or not, that is because prophecies carry power and are conditional. If we never release the word to begin with, no power is sent out to make it happen. However, even if we do give the word, there is still no guarantee it will come to pass. Why is this?

We have to remember that we are in a spiritual battle with forces of darkness who oppose us. If prophecy was a guaranteed once-and-done thing, we would simply prophesy everything into existence, once, instead of having to pray over things time and again. The devil and his minions are in the business of destruction, and whenever they can stop God’s will from coming to pass in our lives, they will. This is one of the main reasons we have to pray–and not just pray, but persevere in prayer until the things God has said to us come to pass. So much goes on in the unseen realm that we have to push forward in prayer until we see the answer manifest.

When I hear God tell or show me something, it is not a guarantee that it will come to pass. It is actually an invitation to experience an optional reality, and I have a part to play in whether that reality occurs or not. I like to think of it from a perspective where I imagine my decisions on a timeline as being like a road or path. Imagine that as we walk, every time we come to a fork in the road there are a billion choices of which path to take. On the majority of these paths, things will be largely the same—gravity will still be in effect, the sun will still rise and fall, and we will still have to pay taxes. Some of the things that change, however, are ones that can be decided by prayer and prophesy. If all we do is hear a prophetic word once, the power from that prophetic word will cause some of those roads to blink out of existence—negative outcomes that were prevented through the utterance. However, there are still the greater part of a billion paths left to take, so how do we know which ones will get us to the desired result?

If we stopped at that single prophecy, there really is no guarantee. If we pray into that reality, however, more and more of those paths that won’t bring us the desired result blink out, until all the road that are left are guaranteed to give us that which we seek. Eventually, it doesn’t matter which road we take because all of them are the right one.

Did you ever think about why there are so many prophecies about the coming of the Messiah? I think it was due to the conditional nature of prophecy–if God simply said it once, there is no guarantee it would happen, but as the timeline continued forward He spoke again and again throughout the ages to constantly shift the events that needed to be changed until it brought forth the reality God desired on our behalf.

Seeing a prophecy fulfilled is actually not just about prayer either—it involves action. If I receive a word about becoming a business owner, (and we assume for the sake of this example that it was an accurate prophecy), what happens if all I do is sit there and wait for a business to drop in my lap? I suppose I could inherit it somehow, but if none of my family are business owners then that isn’t a likely outcome. Rather, God is inviting me to come walk with Him on the matter; to join Him in the pursuit. I need to take practical steps to set up the business–coming up with a plan and carrying it out, but all within the context of praying it into existence and continuing to seek God’s wisdom, favor, and blessing as I set out to do what He has given me to do.

The conditional nature of prophesy is only a hindrance to those who don’t understand it—but once we grasp that God is actually wanting to partner with us it becomes more meaningful, and more real. What prophetic words have you received in the past that you are still waiting to come to pass? How can you pray, joining your faith with God’s will for you? What physical actions can you take to work toward that which you seek? Continue to ask, seek, and knock, because as Matthew 7:8 says, “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Grace and peace to you as you engage the will of the Lord!

Sticking Coins to the Wall By Faith

In 2010 I saw a short video of someone sticking a bobby pin to the wall by faith. Stirred and excited by this miracle, I grabbed a nickel sitting on the desk in front of me, turned to the wall and held it there—and literally FELT it pull away from my fingers and adhere to the wall! Not only that, but I felt a burst of energy shoot up my arm as I did so. I immediately called one of my best friends, Hope, to tell her about this miracle. She picked up a penny and did the same and it stuck! I called a few other friends as well and suddenly, we were all sticking pennies and other coins to the wall by faith.

I don’t truly know where this idea originally came from, and varying stories exist as to its origin, but sticking things to walls is a stunningly fun miracle. What can be stuck to the wall? Coins, playing cards, forks, glass bottles, plates, glass beads, flash drives, and more. I have a friend who even did it with a sheet of plywood once! This miracle isn’t limited to walls either, as it works just the same on the ceiling. Once while having a Gem Party at our house, one of the kids present spelled out his eight-letter name on the ceiling in gemstones! Some complain that the paint is the reason they stick, but considering I have seen things stuck by faith to glass, wood, and metal, none of which were painted, I have to say that’s some pretty impressive adhesive paint that works on surfaces it isn’t applied to. All in all, I have found this miracle to be so incredibly amazing because it is a simple, visible demonstration that our faith is able to accomplish the impossible!

I have heard a lot of dissention over the years about this miracle:

“It’s a lying sign.”

“It draws us away from Jesus.”

“It trades the gospel for a cheap parlor trick.”

When I see comments like these I usually just shake my head in amazement at the ignorance some people can dredge up from the depths of their souls. With the many supernatural signs and wonders I have seen, I still don’t understand why God doing miracles in our midst is so offensive to people, or why they think God’s supernatural grace somehow is cheapened by His supernatural miracles. With that said, many ask what this miracle, or even the miracles of gemstones, feathers, oil, manna, or gold dust appearing accomplish.

Does it solve world hunger? No.

Does it get little old ladies out of their wheelchairs? Not directly.

Does it draw us closer to Jesus? Not necessarily, but it can.

So if it doesn’t DO anything, what good is it?

First of all, who said it doesn’t do anything? While this miracle might seem totally silly to some, or fruitless, or pointless, or a deception, or whatever else, it is a great way to exercise and encourage faith. Shortly after sticking that first nickel to the wall (in addition to spending the weekend bouncing around my apartment sticking coins to the wall, excited at what God was doing), I found that when I prayed for people to be healed, more of them got healed than ever before. If you recall, I felt a bolt of energy shoot up my arm, and to this day I believe I received an impartation of faith. I used to pray for the sick before the miracle, but when I did so afterward, my prayers bore more fruit. Suddenly, this pointless miracle isn’t so pointless anymore.

For all the opposition, just as many people if not more have been highly encouraged by this same miracle! I know a woman who was in the hospital years ago getting treated for cancer. I was assigned to be her CNA one day, and we and her husband got to talking about God–whereby I shared this miracle with them and demonstrated it right in their room. She recently got in contact with me again and it turns out that was a very encouraging sign to her in that period of her life.

One of the fallacies that opponents of signs, wonders, and miracles bring up is that they don’t fix things they aren’t designed to fix. Well, maybe they don’t say it like that, but that’s basically what it comes down to. We have to remember that miracles are as varied as snowflakes—they are all different and serve different purposes. When Jesus turned water into wine (John 2:1-11) it was helpful at a wedding that ran out of wine–but it wouldn’t have helped the disciples get across the lake in a storm like translocation did (John 6:21). Miracles are not one-size fits all and what will help in one situation is completely useless in another, so complaining that sticking pennies to the wall doesn’t solve world hunger or heal the sick is absolutely absurd. The next complaint is that this miracle takes time from ministry—although it takes thirty seconds or less to do. I’m not sure how much time it could actually take away from other things unless someone was trying to wallpaper their entire house with coins.

I think some people forget that not all miracles have to have some sort of deeper “ministry” purpose. Jesus didn’t preach the gospel to a single person when he turned water into wine. As for him walking on water? Not only were his closest disciples the only ones to witness it, but he wasn’t originally planning on stopping for them anyway. The only reason he did is because they were freaking out and yelled out to him (Mark 6:48-50).

Some people have gotten so used to a powerless gospel that when God shows up in power, they are convinced it must be the devil. This miracle, as seemingly insignificant as it might be, is still pretty awesome. I see sticking coins to the wall as a bit like a gateway to other miracles. One simple thing can open our hearts and minds to other things. Once I showed a guy this miracle and he was so impressed by it that his next question was, “So can I stick my arm through the wall by faith?” Yes!! That’s exactly it! Let this miracle encourage your faith to do other things! Jesus said in John 14:12 that we would do greater things because He was going to the father, and it starts with the simple things. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us . . .” Miracles are quite often according to the power at work within us—the power of faith. If something simple like this miracle encourages our faith the believe God for more like it did that one man, I cannot think of anything more beneficial—especially for something that takes only a short few moments to do in the first place.

If you want to see other videos and related things on this topic, check out this post on my other website, The Rising Light.

If you are interested in other miracles God is doing, check out the first two books in my God Signs Series, Gemstones from Heaven and Feathers from Heaven.

Lest We Create As Many Problems As We Solve

I’m in love with God, and I’m a nurse. Both of these things color how I view both the world and the Kingdom. There are a number of us in the Portland/Vancouver area in Oregon and Washington that are and have been seeking the Transformational Shift that everyone has been hearing about from God for many years now. I am calling it that because I believe that it will be more than just a ‘revival’ like those of times past, but a true transformation that brings about inner and outward change on all levels at speeds far faster than previously experienced ever before. I believe it will not be abnormal for an individual to go through 10-20 years-worth of inner healing and deliverance in a fifteen-minute period of time with the spiritual technologies and spiritual acceleration that God is releasing even now. And that’s just one example.

With this release, there is a greater perspective that has to come into play—and a greater responsibility that we who are currently aware have to use to help steward this as it manifests in the earth. In order to ensure new wine is not just spilled worthlessly through mismanagement, there is a new wineskin which must be provided. In the same way, while it is not our job to provide either the wine OR the wineskin, it IS our job to partner with God to do what we can do, so that when we have done everything we have been told to do that He will do what ONLY He can do.

As we have been discussing a little of how to move forward to step into the living-out of this new wineskin, there are a few things that I have come to understand as a nurse that I think present an important topic for consideration as we walk out what God is doing in a responsible manner. Please bear in mind that while I truly believe this is important, that it is only part of the puzzle. Many others also have important thoughts to share as we all walk into the Greater Glory that God has for us.

I believe that as we step into this Greater Glory manifestation that is going to include but not be limited to physical healing, we are in danger of creating as many problems as those we solve by applying the power of God to situations. I believe it is important to understand the problems we are in danger of creating in advance in order to adequately prepare to solve those problems before we make them exist.

Take a nursing home for an example: When transformation power hits the building through God’s vessels of Glory, namely you and I, His children, people will get healed. And this at first glance appears to be good, because it is. But let’s look a bit closer at the scenario. Let’s say that some friends and I walk through a nursing home and start healing people, at first a few things happen. Albert the quadriplegic has a total recovery and gets up and walks himself into the bathroom for the first time in over 20 years. Sally the stroke victim is able to eat and drink water that is at its normal consistency without having any danger of breathing it into her lungs. She greedily gulps water without help and then dances down the hallway without assistance in clothing she put on all by herself. This is the first time in 14 years this has happened. It’s a miracle!!

While we are busy rejoicing over the miracles that God is performing (and we SHOULD rejoice), there is another problem. Albert’s wife left him and took all the money with her over 15 years ago. He has no money and hasn’t had a job in over 20 years. He is now 68 and has no practical way of returning to the workforce. Sally’s house was sold years ago to help with her medical bills, and she and her husband both moved into the nursing home together. He died two years ago and her money is all gone. She is 85.

For both Albert and Sally, they are healed, and it’s a miracle from heaven!! But because we healed them they no longer qualify for benefits under Medicare. Both of them have to move out. Certainly, they have a couple days at most to remain there as the administrative staff are talking to a lawyer and are bewildered about how to kick these poor people out of their facility since nothing like this has ever happened before, but they are no longer paying customers and the facility needs the beds. The fact remains that in a day or so Albert and Sally will be homeless and jobless, and with no additional resources. Yes, they have been healed. But now what?

In Albert’s case, there is a vague chance that one of us healers might take him in for a few months, help him get back on his feet, and maybe even help him find a job somewhere. If we let him stay long enough, he might be able to get enough together to get an inexpensive car or similar, buy some clothes and accumulate some other household items and then move into his own apartment elsewhere. In Sally’s case, things don’t look so good. You see, we know that if we take Sally in, she will never leave. She has no place to go. And are we in for that kind of deep commitment? What if she has future medical problems? Medical bills? The small amount of social security she gets doesn’t come close to meeting her financial needs, and she could quite reasonably live for another 10 years or longer. This doesn’t even address her needs for food and clothing. What is SHE going to do?

Let’s pretend that Sally’s needs were met as well. What about the other 30 people in that care facility that we healed and just don’t have enough room or resources for?? And what is the facility going to do now that it has no residents—and thus no need for any of the staff? It might stay open, but it could very well close. We say that God is our Provider, and He is. But it is easy to say “God is big enough” and harder, I think, to choose to cast a vision large enough that it solves the problems we create alongside the problems we solved.

As God comes and keeps on coming, we need to enlarge our vision and ask God for both insight and connections. We need connections because no one can do any of this alone. We all need to help each other and receive the help of one another. And we need insight to foresee the problems we will create and have strategies set in place through divine wisdom and divine counsel to take care of these needs in advance instead of waiting until every emergency hits. In 2 Kings 4, Elijah gave a woman direction from heaven to pour out oil supernaturally and this abundance of oil would solve her financial needs. But with that instruction was another word of direction which told her to prepare by collecting empty vessels with which to contain the outpouring when it started. In other words, when the oil started being poured into jars, it was not the time to be looking for containers. It was time to fill the containers which had already been gathered at God’s direction. We need to ask God for wisdom on how to move forward, because it is now time for us to set our containers in place, because the jar is being tipped and the first drops are coming down even now.

Embrace The Blessing

A decade ago I lived in Pennsylvania and attended a conference in Harrisburg, PA where John and Carol Arnott were speaking. John shared about a horse they were given as a gift. The horse was somewhere in the USA and they lived in Toronto Canada–a great distance away. Eventually the horse got sick and died, and what the Lord showed them was that because they did not embrace the blessing, the enemy was able to come in and kill the horse.

What struck me about this wasn’t so much that the enemy came in and stole–because stealing is an expected action for the enemy. What struck me was that embracing the blessing wasn’t based on embracing something that was convenient, but rather embracing the gift someone was giving whether it was a gift they wanted to receive or not.

A few years ago I had occasion to put this into practice. My father in law had been living with us for a while and was deeply enthralled with Jimmy Swaggart–to the point that anyone who believed in Jesus but didn’t belive in the message of the cross according to Jimmy Swaggart wasn’t really saved at all. It was a frustrating time to be sure, as he got upset when no one wanted to talk about God with him and we simply didn’t want to be insulted every time he discussed God-related things.

One day he gave me a Jimmy Swaggart study bible. I, knowing that under no circumstances ever was I going to read or use this book, politely declined it–multiple times. He was very hurt by this, clearly not understanding why I didn’t want it and convinced that if I gave it a chance that this book would deeply and profoundly transform my life. I was frustrated and didn’t understand how in the many conversations we had up to that point he didn’t understand that I was not interested.

As I thought about it later that day, I remembered the message John Arnott had given–and realized this was an opportunity to embrace the blessing. While I might not prefer the actual item itself, I realized it was irrelevant. The essence behind the gift was a spiritual inheritance from my father in law, and he was attempting to pass down a blessing to someone who had married into his family. I apologized and asked if he would still be willing to gift me the Bible, to which he delightedly jumped up and gave it to me, grinning from ear to ear.

Yet another time I was walking home from work and met a homeless man whom I felt drawn to. I offered him some food I had on hand, to which he replied he wasn’t hungry. As we talked, he offered me some water. While I didn’t really want the water from his canteen, I accepted and he poured me a cup. As I drank the water, I brought out some food and offered to share it with him–and because I had accepted his gift he felt free to accept mine as well. I didn’t realize it until it happened, but was important to him that he wasn’t accepting a handout, so when I received his cup of water it made it acceptable for him to receive something from me as well. Moreover, my wife and I delivered additional food and a blanket to him later that night which he also graciously received–and even mentioned that he had hoped I would return.

There are times in our lives where we refuse a gift and it is right to do so, but there are other times when to refuse the gift is more problematic than it is to receive it–as was seen both with my father in law and the man I met on the street. If we can learn to embrace the blessings behind undesired gifts I believe we will not only reap unexpected rewards, but what we sow we will also reap–and the same grace that we extend to others will be extended to us as well. I believe that when we extend love to the giver and accept these undesirable gifts, we put ourselves in a position to receive more of God’s blessings in our own lives. I pray this message of embracing the blessing will both touch and remain with you as it has with me these many years.

When The Pain Won’t Stop

Last week my wife was trying to go to sleep and she had hip pain that was keeping her up. In and of itself that is a problem, but she is a victim of long-term mercury poisoning, and suffers from a number of additional secondary medical problems as a result—thyroid problems, cognitive challenges that have worsened over time, and massive inflammation to name just a few of the many. It is actually far more common than one might realize due to the use of amalgam fillings in teeth—the ones that look silvery. Without going deep into the medical aspects of it, let me just say that if you have them in your mouth, they are poisoning you slowly whether you know it or not–and many other nations have banned that particular type of filling. We have spent tens of thousands of dollars in the past few years on dental work to remove them so she can begin the process of removing the mercury from her cells, but it is slow going.

At any rate, last week as she lay in bed writhing in pain, nothing I did helped it go away—and I’m pretty good at making it stop. Sometimes massage helps; other times using a chiropractic activator to realign her hips, sacrum, and low back does the job. At times we do energy-work or inner healing prayer and the pain either goes away or at least lessens to a tolerable level so she can sleep. Regardless of the method, that particular night was hellish because literally nothing worked. No amount of massage, adjustments, energy work, or prayer seemed to do a single thing. So we both just cried.

Those of you who know me well know that I am a staunch believer in both physical and inner healing via divine prayer–and that I get decent enough results praying for others to be healed. The one serious difficulty I have had over the past many years, a problem echoed by many faith healers, is that we cannot seem to get our own spouse healed—and on some level it is maddening. It is certainly upsetting, to say the least, and on this particular night it was horrendous. I thank God that she was eventually able to fall asleep and that none of the flare-ups since have been as bad, but she is in constant pain every day, and has been for years.

I am in the middle of a fast that includes, among other things, praying for her complete healing, but there are times when the most we can do simply doesn’t seem like enough. Why? Because the pain still won’t stop. No matter what we do it seems there is still one more problem or cramp or pain or issue that doesn’t get fixed, and it is frustrating. I usually try not to let my wife see me upset about it, and often I think I push down my own emotions on the matter to avoid adding more stress to her (no wonder I’m having low back pain . . .), but it can be really difficult. And because I don’t generally go around complaining about it, especially on social media, it’s something only our friends know–and even then they don’t know the extent to how bad it is at times. Over the past many years I have reduced my own activity to more closely match her ability level because she simply cannot keep up with me between our pre-existing age difference and her gradually increasing joint pain.

I don’t share all this for pity, although if you say a prayer for her that would be nice. I know there are many of you out there reading this who are either that one in pain or the family member of the one who is, and you wish there was something more you could do to make it all better. When this sort of thing happens, there is really only one solution, because giving up is not really a choice. We don’t really have the option of bowing out and quitting. At the end of the day, giving up is the only thing guaranteed to make things worse because even if we give up, the problem hasn’t gone away. The only solution is to continue to press forward and continue to believe in the goodness of God.

Due to a dream I had last week, Sunshine and I went to a meeting last night hosted by Precious Daughters, a local women’s ministry in the Portland area, who had invited Deborah Gliebe of FireGate Ministries International to speak. What I heard greatly encouraged me, but I sensed that this held a theme many of you need to hear.

God is birthing something in you. He isn’t doing it because He is testing you, but He is using all bad things to work them for good in your life. God isn’t done with you, hasn’t given up on you, and is not withholding His goodness from you for any reason. When the enemy comes in to steal, kill, and destroy, it is our job to continue to stand firm and hold up the shield of faith. Ephesians 6:13 says, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Sometimes all we can do is to continue to stand. Sometimes that standing doesn’t look like it is doing a single blessed thing for the situation, but that doesn’t matter. We don’t have a plan B and retreat is not an option.

For every single one of you who is reading this and you are struggling, or you are the spouse of someone who is, continue to stand firm. Gird yourself up with the armor of the spirit, buckling that shield of faith firmly in place. You are strong in the Lord and in His mighty power (Eph. 6:10) and you cannot be moved. He has sent His angels to surround you and lift you up, protect, and guide you. God has set His Holy Spirit to dwell within you, and this same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is even now sending His life-giving flow into your body (Rom. 8:11). God is still the Healer, still the Deliverer, and still the One who gives us hope when we have lost all hope. God has not given up on you—don’t you give up either. And in case you are wondering, no, it isn’t your fault, and no, God does not afflict us with disease.

God is here to minister to your broken heart-—because that is what many of us are experiencing. Our hearts are broken because of the pain we have seen. We have to continue to stand in the gap of intercession and lift up our voices in praise to destroy the powers of darkness when they are in our midst. It is neither easy nor fun, and anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar, but there is grace to make it through, and we WILL make it through. One way or another, we will ALL break through. You are not alone, no matter how bleak it may feel right now. Whatever the situation and whatever the problem, there is a way out. There is a way up, and you will make it—you will live to tell of the goodness of God in the midst of your pain and problems. Continue to stand strong and fight. Continue to pray and pursue wholeness. Continue to pursue because Jesus died to take your pain upon Himself. Jesus literally handed his life over and laid it down to take your infirmity on Him so you would have it no longer. God has never planned this problem for you, but He is standing right beside you and walking you through it.

I decree that even now, fresh hope is rising up in your heart. Fresh grace is being released from Heaven to carry you forward and give you strength to stand. I release the oil of gladness over you right now, flowing upon you even as you read these words. God is binding up your broken heart and is bringing gladness in place of mourning and despair. I command all sickness and disease to bow to the mighty name of Jesus, and I command you to go! I rebuke every unclean spirit and everything that causes infirmity, pain, sickness, and disease and I command you to loose off of those reading this now! I break every assignment of the enemy that is sent against you to destroy your hope and cut off your faith, and decree now that a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit is filling and strengthening you now. I send a fresh fire to reignite the smoldering and extinguished flames within your heart. And finally, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of the Father, and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Cor. 13:14). Amen.

For those of you who want to know more about mercury poisoning and/or are unsure if you are experiencing this problem, this website is a good place to start.

If you are seeking emotional healing and don’t know where to start, you might begin with my blog “5 Steps to Emotional Healing” that outlines a series of things you can to do jump-start the process.

If you seek physical healing and nothing has worked yet, consider my lengthy but informative 9-part blog series Divine Healing That Works. It should provide some keys on how to move forward when what you have tried is not getting the job done.