Ministry Training Written & Compiled by Amy Howard
© 2019, Imago Dei Anglican Church KINGDOM Lesson 1 :: Living in the Presence of the Future ______
- Introduction -
Course Objectives
This eight-week course is designed to provide an introduction to prayer ministry. Participants will explore what it means to live as people of the Kingdom of God, be introduced to the four categories of sickness and their corresponding prayer/sacramental responses, engage in discussion and prayer with group members, and will be equipped to effectively and lovingly offer ministry to those seeking prayer. Participants will be exposed to available resources for further study in healing prayer and prophetic ministry, immersed in the scriptures, and have the opportunity to receive and participate in personal, holistic prayer ministry.
Introduction
Kingdom is the second installment of a journey of discipleship into deeper intimacy with God. Encounter God Weekend was a catalytic event that put us in proximity to the power of God through testimony, confession, faith, prayer, and the power of the Holy Spirit. We shed false identities and false names and received freedom from sin and strongholds in our minds about ourselves, and about God. Kingdom class is about taking our freedom in Jesus and leading others into that same freedom.
Covenant is about a relationship and being, while Kingdom is about responsibility and doing. Covenant and Kingdom are the two themes, or “strands of DNA”, if you will, that runs through all of scripture. Not only has God saved us to be someone, but He has also saved us to do something.1 We’ve been saved from sin and condemnation and saved for deep communion with God (Covenant), and good works (Kingdom)—see Ephesians 2:10. We’ve discovered the heart of the Father and our identity as sons and daughters, but along with a new identity comes a new way of living—a new responsibility. Not only is God our Father, but our Father is also the Great King, and every King has a kingdom, and every kingdom has citizens and a culture. As sons and daughters of the King, therefore, we are now tasked with the responsibility of
1 Mike Breen, Covenant and Kingdom, Introduction.
3 representing the King to our spheres of influence and establishing the culture of heaven.
The “Kingdom of God” is the Bible’s way of describing the way life should be: A world without injustice, sin, and evil. It’s the way life is in Heaven, and the way the world will go when Jesus returns establishes his Kingdom forever and restores all things. Christians have been called to bring that Kingdom into the present; we’ve been called to live in the presence of the future, “on Earth as it is in heaven.” The next eight weeks of Kingdom are going to focus on your authority in Jesus as a son or daughter of the King to be a conduit of the future, enforce the justice of God, and live according to the culture of the Kingdom.
A. There are 3 essential elements to a complete understanding of kingdom.2
1. The King. Recognizing that the Father is also the majestic ruler of heaven and earth, and he seeks to extend his loving rule through the lives of all people so that everything might flourish. He has the right to rule, and his rule is absolute – not a democracy – and for our good.
2. Authority. As King, God clearly has the authority to act, but remarkably, he expresses his authority through people who choose to carry the responsibility of representing him.
3. Power. As the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, God holds incredible power. He chooses to use this to express his love to people and, more surprisingly, through the people who carry his authority as King – the Church.
B. The Kingdom of God: The central teaching of Jesus
1. Jesus taught on the Kingdom more than any other topic. The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God are interchangeable names given to the same reality.
2 Breen, Ibid.
4 2. Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom on Earth, and Mark summarized Jesus’ teaching at the beginning of his ministry – Mark 1:14-15, 14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Thus, the heart of Jesus’ ministry was both:
a. The proclamation of God’s action - The “good news” or “gospel” is that the Kingdom of God is near in the person of Jesus Christ. The time of God’s favor begins now: The time of justice on earth and the invasion of God’s rule against the rule of Satan and the curse brought about by sin
b. The demand for a response from everyone who heard: “Repent and believe the good news.”
3. The Kingdom of God is the “Rule” or “Reign” of God (the “Age to Come” – Mark 10:30), which has invaded the kingdom (rule) of Satan (this present evil age – 2 Cor. 4:4), and is the arena in which deeds, signs and wonders are performed. These deeds are the offensive tactics in displacing the darkness. The emphasis is more on the nature of God’s reign than a geographic region.
a. The phrase “Kingdom of God” doesn’t appear in the Old Testament. Scholars agree that the idea of the rule of God is clearly seen in God’s rule over the events of history in general and over the nation of Israel in particular.
4. Jesus brought—and continues to bring—the kingdom, and reveals the kingdom not with fanfare and majestic judgment, but with a tender servant’s heart toward wayward subjects.3 His sacrificial love expressed in his atoning death and resurrection defeats our enemies of sin, death, and the powers of hell.
Note: When you hear “atonement”, think “at-one-ment”, or “covenant”. Throughout the history of the church, Christians have come to call this Kingdom-oriented understanding of what Jesus did for us “Christus
3 Breen, Summary at the end.
5 Victor” or “Christ the Victorious.” Christ overcame the powers of death and Hell, for in his death and resurrection he died and rose for and as us, as the new Adam, and so everyone who is “in him” is made a part of a new humanity, at one with God.
5. Though we still experience the effects of sin in this life, we also experience foretastes of the age to come – it’s the tension of the “already but not yet.”
6. The Kingdom is already here, in Jesus, but is not yet fully here. This is evident in the fact that evils like death, war, famine, abuse, and injustice still occur. The Kingdom will not be fully manifested until Jesus returns to the Earth and sets up his world-wide government, at the beginning of the Millennium.
7. George Ladd, a New Testament scholar, summarizes scriptural teaching on the ages with the illustration above, along with these words:
“In brief, this age, which extends from creation to the Day of the Lord… is the age of human existence in weakness and mortality, of evil, sin, and death. The age to come will see the realization of all that the reign of God means and will be the age of resurrection into eternal life in the kingdom of God. Everything in the Gospels points to the idea that life in the kingdom of God in the age to come will be life on earth – but life transformed by the kingly rule of God when his people enter into the full measure of the divine blessings (Matt. 19:28).”4
4 George Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1974), 48.
6 8. The consummation of natural history is the marriage of Heaven and Earth – they will become one. “With all wisdom and understanding, 9 hemade known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” Ephesians 1:10
9. We live in the tension, or the “overlap” of time between two diametrically opposed ages. The old age is passing away, and though the sting and consequences of disobedience and death have already been overcome and we have the victory, our experience of the curse will not be complete until Jesus returns. At the return of Christ, the reign of death will be completely overthrown, and the government of Jesus will overtake the Earth, utterly abolishing the old systems established by the god of this age (Satan), and his rule. Jesus will then partner with his people to continue the project of the restoration of all things under his gracious rule— and everything will flourish. Until then we live in tension, in the presence of the future; we are between the times of inauguration and consummation, in “overlap.”
C. The Reign (Kingship) God has come in Jesus
1. What Jesus meant in saying that the Kingdom of God had come in him was that he had the authority of God to claim or to take back what was rightfully his. The future age (Heaven) had invaded the present age (Earth) in an all-out war, and in Christ was beginning to displace the realm of Satan.
7 a. “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.” (Matthew 12:28-29)
a. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” (1 John 3:8)
c. “You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” (Acts 10:36-38)
2. In every expression of an earthly kingdom, the monarch is the primary recipient of kingdom benefit (think taxes, palaces, authority, power). The Kingdom of Heaven is radically different, however, in that it exists for the benefit of its citizens.
3. Jesus is the servant-king, who desires above all things for his people to flourish and reach their fullest human potential by being at one with him, filled with his Spirit and waging war against the world, flesh, and the devil. He is a King who is so great precisely because he becomes nothing in order to make us great.
4. As the servant-king, Jesus constantly offered himself as the door to the Kingdom—the portal to the age to come. Jesus sought out those who were broken, hungry, in need of forgiveness, healing, freedom and restoration. He was focused on revealing the heart of the Father, and his own Kingship.
5. His Kingly glory was usually veiled but every now and then he was seen in all his majestic splendor: at his baptism, the transfiguration and the Ascension.
8 6. The Authority of Jesus is shown in his two-fold ministry of proclamation and demonstration:
a. First, he would preach the good news of the Kingdom and the need for repentance
b. Second, he would cast out demons, heal the sick, raise the dead – which proved that he was the presence of the Kingdom, the Anointed One (Messiah or Christ).
D. Kingdom Authority and Power
1. Ekklesia – a Jewish word meaning “called out ones,” or the “assembly,” “congregation,” or “church”. The word Ekklesia is a direct link to the historic people of God—Israel. The Greek meaning of the word pointed to the reality of a ruling council of a city-state who governed under and also along with the King, over the King’s realm. . 2. The twelve disciples represent reconstituted Israel under the Messiah, and the keys to the Kingdom have been taken from the Pharisees and given to the Apostles and their successors.
3. Being in Jesus makes us covenantally “one” with him, meaning we have everything he has. All authority has been given to him (Matt 28:18-20), and so we go and make disciples of all nations and baptize them into this new humanity, reign, and reality. We can walk in the same power that Jesus did as we increasingly know that we embody His authority.
4. Authority simply means “the qualification to act.” Jesus represented God’s authority and acted on his behalf, and Jesus’ disciples chose to receive his authorization to act on his behalf. In the same way, we are commissioned to act on Jesus’ behalf – freely giving what we ourselves have received—forgiveness, freedom, healing, deliverance, and blessing. We bring the Kingdom, we bring Heaven to Earth because we are the presence of Jesus on the earth. He has chosen to exercise his authority through us, his representatives.
5. All power comes from the Holy Spirit who indwells us constantly, and he connects us with the age to come for which we yearn: “the Spirit and the
9 Bride say come” (Rev. 22:17). It is by him, the Holy Spirit, that we “taste the powers of the coming age” (Hebrews 6:4-5).
6. In this class, you are going to learn how to become a conduit of the future, and how to walk in what Jesus saved you for. It is our prayer that you would live in communion with Him, and as you do, reflect and represent him in the Earth, doing what he did and living as he lived.
- Notes -
Recommended Reading: John Wimber, Power Evangelism, Mike Breen, Covenant and Kingdom: The DNA of the Bible, pp. 111-135
10 KINGDOM Lesson 2 :: Living in the Presence of the Future ______
- Scriptural Foundation, Ministry Guidelines -
Introduction
Embodying and bringing to bear the Kingdom of God on Earth is a many-faceted reality. Fasting, giving, intercession, thanksgiving, pursuing social justice, serving, repaying evil with good, holiness of life - these all constitute ways in which we wage war against Satan and his minions. In this class, however, we will be exploring only one manifestation of the Kingdom - that of healing prayer. The study and practice of healing prayer has been sadly neglected in the church—from seminary to pulpit to pew—for many hundreds of years, and for a variety of reasons, but it constitutes one of the primary ways in which Jesus declared and demonstrated the Kingdom rule of God. Thus, we will spend the next several weeks studying and practicing healing prayer as it was presented in the Scriptures, as well as learning some best ministry practices for today.
Scriptural Foundations for the Ministry of Healing
The framework for the following information is a summary of the excellent overview of healing as it appears in the scriptures from John Wimber’s Power Healing (Harper and Row, San Francisco, 1987, pgs 34-43). A complete list of instances of healing in the Old and New Testament from Power Healing is also available in the appendix of this manual. For an interesting study concerning healing in the church from the time of Jesus through today, see “The Healing Reawakening” by Francis MacNutt, Chosen Books, 2006.
A. Healing in the Old Testament
1. Sin results in sickness
“If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” (Exodus 15:26)
11 2. God related to Israel both in a larger context (as a nation), and on an individual level, but the Old Testament has much to say in reference to the prior. It was as a nation that God blessed Israel (the covenants, deliverance from Egypt, etc.)
a. Corporate covenant breaking = corporate curses like illness, poverty, etc. b. Corporate covenant keeping = corporate blessings such as prosperity, health, etc.
3. Most recorded instances in the O.T. of sickness were a result of sin (such as Saul’s insanity, 1 Sam. 17-23), however sometimes no cause is given (see Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20:1-11, and Job.)
4. Yahweh Rapha = “I am the Lord who heals you” in the NIV. Like all of the ways in which God refers to himself before he assumed a human name (“Jesus”), this name describes a reality of the nature of God. And the people of God experience this aspect of God’s nature in limited form in the Old Testament, while it also points to the fullness of the healing character and intentions of God as revealed in Jesus Christ, whose very name meant “God saves” or “God heals”.
B. Healing in the New Testament
1. Healing was always linked by Jesus with the declaration of the Kingdom of God. “Through healing the sick Jesus defeated Satan and demonstrated his rule” (Wimber, Healing). “If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt 12:28)
2. The declaration of the coming of the Kingdom of God was preached and demonstrated by Jesus and his disciples before he died and rose from the dead, and certainly before Paul wrote his letter to the Roman church, where he clearly laid out the “legal” reality of the atoning, propitiating, justifying, sanctifying work of the cross. This addresses a commonly held belief that Jesus only came to bring eternal salvation after physical death to those who believe in him. This is, of course and very importantly, true, but the “good news” that Jesus preached had a present-day (before death) application— which he demonstrated with healing and deliverance.
12 In the later part of I John 3:8, John writes “…The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” This directs our gaze on the glorious reality of eternal salvation directly through our present experience. Jesus came not only for the future, but to destroy every work of darkness, including disease, bondage, and oppression. (See also Luke 7:18-23, Jesus’ proof to John the Baptist’s disciples of his being the awaited one)
a. Sin/sickness no longer exclusively linked. Sickness is seen as an extension/effect of sin, demarcating the kingdom of Satan.
b. Jesus began his public ministry with a proclamation from Isaiah 61:1- making it clear that he had arrived to deliver, heal, and restore those who had been held captive in body, mind, and spirit to the kingdom of darkness.
c. Luke 17:21- The Kingdom/rule of God is within us. The ministry and person of Jesus “brought the age to come into our present evil age (Gal 1:4, Eph 1:21)” (Wimber, Power Healing).
C. The Coming Kingdom
1. The coming Kingdom refers to the time when Jesus actually returns to the Earth and establishes his reign and influence throughout every sphere of life. It is at this time when we will see with our eyes and experience the fullness of that which was begun with the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. It is this reality as are asking for when we pray “Thy kingdom come”. We are praying this coming Kingdom into our present reality.
2. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev. 21:4). All emotional pain, the ravages of sin, physical sickness, and demonic oppression will be gone forever.
3. That which we taste now in part: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17), will, at the consummation of the Ages, be fully realized. Those who have trusted in Jesus in this age, while they only saw “as in a mirror dimly” (1 Cor 3:12), will be made completely whole physically, emotionally, and spiritually, as they
13 behold Jesus face to face. When we see Jesus as he fully is, we will fully reflect his likeness in our whole being.
D. Divisions of Sickness/Healing
Francis MacNutt, a former Catholic priest and experienced minister of healing within the Church, distills sickness into four categories, with four corresponding methods of prayer for each. In the coming weeks, we will use his categories as a format for study, discussion, and group prayer.
1. Sickness of the Spirit a. Caused by: personal sin b. Corresponding prayer: prayer for repentance c. Corresponding sacramental rites: confession, penance
2. Emotional sickness a. Caused by: emotional hurts, trauma, and damage of the past b. Corresponding prayer: prayer for inner healing c. Corresponding sacramental rite: confession, penance
3. Physical sickness a. Caused by: disease or accident* b. Corresponding prayer: prayer for healing c. Corresponding sacramental rite: Anointing with oil.
4. Demonic oppression a. Caused by: open doors such as unforgiveness, stinginess, hatred, bitterness, envy, demonic activity and occult practices, etc. ** Can result in all of the above sicknesses b. Corresponding prayer: prayer for deliverance c. Corresponding sacramental rite: exorcism
*Physical sickness can also be (and often is) linked with the other three forms of sickness. Often inner sicknesses will manifest as physical sickness.
**See Encounter Spiritual Profile
Note: The laying on of hands is not listed above as a sacramental rite, because as such it is associated with confirmation, ordination, or baptism. It is an important and efficacious practice, however, in most of the above circumstances. Certainly, the law of love is the governing principal where all prayer, rites, and actions are concerned. To
14 insist on laying hands on someone who is uncomfortable with such an action (or not in a place to receive it rightly, such as in situations tainted by lust) is generally not only unhelpful, but often erects barriers that might have been avoided. For further discussion concerning the use of physical means (hands, oil, water, etc.) to communicate the supernatural, see “The Good Physician” handout, taken from Back to Christ, by Bishop Charles Fiske; Longmans, Green and Co, London, 1917.
- Notes -
15 - The Interview -
“I never give a person both ears anymore. I just give you one ear, but not my best one.” – Rev. Tommy Tyson, on listening to God while interacting with others
One of the most important things that the corporate body has learned from those who have developed healing ministries in the last sixty years (besides faith and sound Scriptural teaching on healing) is the importance of a diagnostic interview. Sometimes, in more public or rushed settings, this can be as simple as “what hurts”, but what most individuals whom the Lord have used for extensive healing ministry rely heavily on is a more extensive interview, especially when praying for inner healing and deliverance. In an interview, the prayer minister is listening, both to the individual who is hurting, and to the Lord, for a clearer picture of what is wrong, possible causes, and potential solutions (see MacNutt’s sickness categories).
The most important thing that happens in an interview regarding physical healing, inner healing, or deliverance, is that the one being interviewed and ministered to encounters the opportunity to be loved. Love is always the central goal of prayer ministry. This does not mean simply “niceness”, because often there are very challenging realities being presented in any given healing prayer session, some of which do not feel very nice at the time. Providing the opportunity to be loved also does not mean that each person for whom you are praying will necessarily allow themselves to receive that love. The love offered in prayer ministry follows the model given to us by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount, and is echoed in St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians (see 1 Corinthians 13).
Prayer ministers are offering to listen without condemning, and to assist those seeking prayer to reach for the God who loves them unconditionally. We also recognize that love that we offer to the sick and hurting comes from God, not from our own strength or emotions. Therefore we are also free to release the results of this love to God, trusting that He is far more interested in healing people than we can ever be.
Note: Always pray a prayer for protection and help prior to ministry, and a “cutting free” prayer following. This can be done alone, or with another prayer minster. See Blue Card Prayers.
16 Step 1: “Where does it hurt?”’
A. Questions such as “how can I pray for you”, and “where does it hurt?” as well as more specific questions that may follow serve two purposes:
a. The answers will hopefully help you to pray more effectively. b. Asking questions demonstrates to the one being prayed for that they are worth your attention and the time it takes to minister to them.
B. In some situations, it may be appropriate to have the individual asking for prayer fill out a survey such as the Encounter Spiritual Profile, or a family tree.
C. If the person for whom you are praying is not previously known to you, it is also sometimes helpful, during this step, to explore where the recipient is on their journey with God. What is their current relationship (if any) with Jesus? Have they ever been baptized (in water, or the Holy Spirit)? Sometimes direct questions (“so, are you a Christian”) are not as helpful as questions that encourage more description and discussion.
D. During the interview, we are listening on both the natural and supernatural levels. Helpful internal questions to be asking of God: “What are You doing right now? Where are You already at work? How can I best pray for this person? What are Your feelings about this person or their situation? How can I be a conduit of your love to them?”
Step 2: Prayer selection/diagnostic decision
See sicknesses and corresponding prayers on previous handout.
Step 3: Pray, remaining open and attentive to what the Holy Spirit is or is not saying.
It is advisable for prayer ministers to keep their eyes open while praying. This allows for increased awareness of the prayer recipient, as well as any manifestations, Holy Spirit or demonic. Silence is OK! If you do plan on being silent and waiting on the Lord, however, it is often helpful to ask the recipient for their permission to wait silently, so they don’t just sit there feeling confused.
Step 4: Ask for feedback, repeat steps 1-3 if necessary.
17 Questions such as “how do you feel”, and “Is anything coming to mind as we pray?” will help to determine the direction of the prayer. If the one receiving prayer responds “I feel free” or “my knee is totally healed”, take time to thank the Lord together. If he or she responds with something like “nothing seems to have changed” or “I still feel heavy”, this may be a good time to revisit interview questions, or wait on the LORD together.
***We do not tell people that they are free or healed. We leave this to the individual to determine for themselves. Often results of healing prayer emerge over time, and we always want to respect the experience of the individual, leaving room for God to work at His own pace.
Step 5: Give post-prayer directions, blessing.
A. Things to keep in mind:
1. People will often be more likely to be open, honest, and secure if they are in a more private setting. This setting may occur during prayer ministry time in a public worship setting especially if there is a background of white or worship noise to lend itself to private conversation. If part of the goal of a worship service is to have a time for personal ministry, having musicians or sound techs who are sensitive to the needs of the ministry team and those being prayed for is extremely helpful.
2. At Imago Dei, we strongly encourage all prayer ministers to pray in groups of two or more. This is for the safety of both the prayer minister, and the one receiving prayer. We ask that at least one person of the same gender as the person being ministered to be present. If you happen to be praying alone, and the prayer turns toward deliverance, it is particularly wise to politely request at least one more prayer minister to be present. This does not have to be awkward- statements such as “with your permission, there is a member of our prayer team with some experience in this area who I would love to invite into this session” usually work fine. It is often helpful to pray in two’s anyhow, as other intercessors involved may receive words or scriptures from the Lord that the lead pray-er can then use to minister.
3. We also stress the importance of having one obvious leader of a prayer session, particularly when the session involves deliverance. It is important that those on the prayer team are on the same page, and know who is
18 leading the session. This gives the one being prayed for a sense of security, and also a sense of who is in authority. If the team is not in unity (to the best of their ability, with the aid of the Holy Spirit) effective deliverance can easily be undermined by wrestling for control (both by pray-ers and recipients) and confusion. The lead prayer should be guiding the prayer session, checking in visually or verbally with the other ministers for what the Holy Spirit may be saying to them.
4. If you have prayed everything you know to pray, and listened for the Holy Spirit on behalf of the one for whom you are praying, and you still feel like you have had little or no success, do not despair! Several things may be taking place, but you may have no knowledge of which (if any) are occurring.
The individual for whom you are praying:
a. May not be being entirely honest about the situation.
b. May be unaware of underlying causes that need more searching out and/or time to discern.
c. May not be ready to repent/part with the issue/be healed.
d. There may be so much fear and doubt in a situation that the truths of the kingdom cannot be received—issues of faith, etc.
e. A variety of other issues may also be at work. Don’t be discouraged. John Wimber taught throughout his ministry two things that I like to keep in mind:
i. Faith is spelled R.I.S.K
ii. I would rather pray for 100 people and see 1 get healed or set free, than pray for nobody and see nobody set free.
Suggested Reading Assignment: Back to Christ By Bishop Fiske (printed article)
19 20 KINGDOM Lesson 3 :: Living in the Presence of the Future ______
- Sickness of the Spirit –
“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” – James 5:14-20
“The healing of our spirit, in which our relationship with God is renewed and restored, is the most fundamental area of healing. Without doubt the healing of our spirit is the linchpin around which all other areas of healing revolve.” (Wimber, 66.)
A. Sin: The Universal Human Condition The New Catechism of the ACNA asks and answers two poignant questions regarding sin:
1. What is the human condition? The universal human condition is that, though made for fellowship with our Creator, we have been cut off from him by self-centered rebellion against him, leading to guilt, shame, and fear of death and judgment. This is the state of sin. (Genesis 3; Romans 3:23)
2. How does sin affect you? Sin alienates me from God, my neighbor, God’s good creation, and
21 myself. I am hopeless, guilty, lost, helpless, and walking in the way of death.
B. Sins results in an injured party
1. Self 2. Other individuals 3. Groups of people 4. God
Note: Because of the way in which God has linked himself with the suffering of humanity as a result of sin, God himself is always an (and the ultimate) injured party. God has inextricably intertwined himself with both the first, and second greatest commandments: Love of God, and love of our neighbor.
i. Paul’s encounter on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:4)- “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (italics mine).
ii. Matt 25:31-46- God himself is both the injured and the blessed party, he has so united himself with the conduct, experiences, and suffering of humanity.
iii. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Is 53:5)
C. Sins that we have committed, as well as sins that have been committed against us, when not dealt with by the power of the Holy Spirit, create a downward spiral.
1. Sin always creates damage. Sometimes the damage is not immediately seen, or ever outwardly visible.
2. Lack of proper understanding concerning forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation, papers over sin without actually producing healing.
3. Sin patterns create a downward spiral (see appendix)
22 4. Sin can also result in or be the result of generational sin (David’s sexual misconduct, polygamy, Abraham’s lies, etc.)
…“The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generations.” Ex. 34:6-7 (Italics added)
D. The ministry of John the Baptist (repentance) preceded the Earthly ministry of Jesus, and enabled those who had undergone the baptism of repentance to enter into the ministry of Jesus, the in-breaking of the Kingdom of Heaven.
1. “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: ‘A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’’”
2. See also Isa. 57:15.
3. “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. “ (Colossians 3:5-10)
E. What part do we play as prayer ministers and intercessors in the process of healing from sin sickness?
1. The ministry of intercession
2. Helping to discern and identify sin in a compassionate, hope-filled way
a. What are some names for sin that let us “off the hook”?
23 b. How can our own sins (particularly the sin of judgmentalism) interfere with our ability to effectively minister? c. Read James 5: 14-20 together. In what way does James encourage us to deal with our sins? Does this differ from the way in which you have been familiar with dealing with sin in: your personal life? Your church tradition? Your family? What role does the intercessor/prayer minister play in this passage?
- Notes -
24 - The Four R’s -
Leading someone through repentance of sins
1. REPENT
a. Once specific sins have been identified, we must choose to seek the forgiveness of God, which, when we come by faith, is always available. In Encounter ministry, we like to say: “if you can call it “sin”, you can get set free from it!”
b. Acknowledging our sin as sin, and seeking the God who resists the proud but will never deny a broken and contrite heart. (James 4:6, 1 Pet. 5:5, 1 John 1:9, Deut. 30:11-20)
c. Repentance must be done by the individual who has sinned. Encouraging this to take place out loud, with a trusted mentor, prayer minister, priest, pastor, or spiritual director.
“We go into healing prayer as one kind of person, and we come out another. In this action, our will is involved; there are things we do. We kill lusts, we cast off the impure and the unholy, we put on the new. True enough, in His Presence there is grace to do these things, but we do them. You do them. I do them.
From time to time I have someone ask me to pray that God will take from them a habitual sin such as adultery, envy, anger, masturbation, or whatever, and I have to say, ‘no, I can’t pray that way. We will go to prayer right now, and you will look up to God and confess that sin specifically, by name; then you will kill it. You will cast it off like a filthy cloak, and together we will ‘watch’ you do it.’ We then deal with this sin through confession and proclamation of forgiveness, and not just with words or from the head. We ‘see,’ for example, the confessed sin going into Christ crucified. And if there is a block to letting go of this sin, we ‘see’ it.” (The Healing Presence, Leane Payne, Hamewith Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 1995; pg 109)
d. Imagery/the imagination can frequently be a helpful tool if used with wisdom, discernment, and patience.
25 e. Repentance must be coupled with even the smallest gesture of belief. “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14-15).
f. If you or the one for whom you are praying is “stuck,” or cannot reconcile with the idea of having sin that needs forgiveness, directing your/their attention to the sins of the older brother in Luke 15 may be a helpful starting point (legalism/self-righteousness, pride, judgments, fear, self-pity, bitterness and unforgiveness). Ps 139:23 might be a good place to begin: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Test me and know my thoughts.” (Unbound, Neal Lozano, Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, MI, 2003; pg 63.)
g. Areas of sexuality are frequently the most difficult to confess, because they are often covered in the most shame. They strike at some of the deepest, most vulnerable places of our being.
2. RENOUNCE
“I renounce Satan and all of his works and all of his empty promises.” (4th century Christian liturgy during baptism, taken from Unbound, by Neal Lozano).
a. Renunciation is the act of saying, in effect, “I don’t want it to be this way anymore. I’m laying this down. I’m breaking agreement with the enemy in this place of acknowledged sin.
b. Places of bondage, fear, anger, residual pain, etc. are places where the enemy can and surely will traffic.
c. The enemy works on a purely legal system with our hearts and lives.
3. RELEASE
a. The act of extending forgiveness where necessary. We often like to see this as giving/releasing the hurts themselves, the perpetrators of hurt, false labels that have been assumed, lies, and the very self to Jesus on the cross. This may be particularly difficult for some. Take a moment with them to ask God for the grace and power to forgive.
26 Key questions :
- What do you want Christ to do for you? - What does Jesus want you to do?
- Notes -
Suggested Reading Assignment: pgs 61-70 of Healing by Francis MacNutt, and pgs 92-94 of Setting Love in Order by Mario Bergner (S2G &H). What is the “cross carrying” that is described (and takes place) in these two excerpts?
27 28 KINGDOM Lesson 4 :: Living in the Presence of the Future ______
– Emotional Sickness –
“Inner healing is the healing of the inner man. By inner man we mean intellectual, volitional and affective areas commonly referred to as mind, will and heart but including such other areas as related to emotions, psyche, soul and spirit. Inner healing is distinguished from outer healing commonly called physical healing.” – Michael Scanlan
“Inner healing is simply cooperating with the Lord to let him cure and remove from our psychological natures the things that are blocking the flow of the Holy Spirit.” – Dennis Benett as quoted in John Wimber’s book Power Healing
In this session we will focus on prayer for sickness of the emotions, commonly referred to “inner healing” prayer. Much of the material in this first outline has been gleaned from John Wimber’s book Power Healing (Pg 77-96).
A. What is being addressed in prayer for inner healing?
1. Emotional and psychological hurts retained as bad memories, intrusive thoughts, or nagging negative or anti-scriptural feelings.
2. These hurts form barriers (i.e. strongholds) to growth in faith, hope, and love.
3. Often lead to sin, relationship trouble, emotional problems, and even physical illness.
4. If left unaddressed by the healing love of Jesus, are frequently passed down through the generations as generational curses/sins.
B. Three categories of damaging experiences
29 1. Experiences that come as a result of being born into a sinful world, such as inherited diseases, poverty, accidents.
a. Beyond our control b. Form basic anxieties, feeling isolated, helpless in a hostile world
2. Wounds inflicted by others (parents, family members, friends, acquaintances, strangers).
a. Can be intentional or unintentional b. Frequently involve failed aspects of relationships with fathers and mothers c. Also involve incidents like mental, physical, and emotional abuse, rape, incest- leaving victims enslaved to rage and anger toward the one(s) who violated them. d. Can be as seemingly simple as hurtful things said or done by peers in grade school, teachers, siblings, etc.
3. Damage that comes from sin we commit- these sins frequently result in guilt feelings even though the ones who have committed these sins have repented. There is a need for the forgiveness of God to penetrate the heart
a. Behavioral sins such as fornication, adultery, homosexuality, abortions. b. Sinful attitudes- greed, competitiveness, jealousy. c. Poor choices (not necessarily sinful), frequently resulting in anger, shame, etc. d. “Older brother” issues (Luke 15)- pride resulting in resentment and bitterness when our over inflated expectations of ourselves are unfulfilled.
C. The Goal of inner healing What does emotional healing look like? Orthodoxy, orthopraxy, & orthopathy
1. The ability to experience the full range of human emotions without fear, shame, or condemnation. This means the removal of blocks that prevent us experiencing certain (or any) emotions, i.e. those who live as sons/daughters, not as orphans (see orphan/ son & daughter handout), and experiencing and accepting emotions for what they are.
30 2. The reconnection of the head with the heart. Our ability to not simply have information about God, but also to experience that information at a heart level.
3. Having emotional reactions instinctively work correctly. This does not mean simply counting to ten whenever we’re angry in the hopes of not responding to a situation in anger. Anger, per this example, is an emotion, neither right nor wrong, and healed and right-functioning anger is just one emotion that helps us live out a full and free life in Christ. Healed emotions help point us to truth, and work together with right actions, whether about ourselves, or God, or others, in any given situation.
4. The ability to respond in the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to the information we receive through emotions. Both the information and the responses are subject to the truth of God, rather than our experiences. (Rom 8:1-2; 12:3). Inner healing should help to re-educate us (via the word of God) as to who we are in Christ. Who we are, who God is, and how we experience these realities, comes into alignment with the Word of God and the saving work of Jesus Christ.
D. The ministry of Inner Healing: freeing us to be able to choose to believe what is true
1. Healing memories
a. “It is impossible to correct dysfunctional attitudes and emotions that result from past hurts without in some way changing how we cope with the painful memories of those bad experiences. These attitudes and ways of thinking, so deeply embedded in our hearts, subconsciously hold us back from believing what God says is true about us.” (Wimber, Power Healing pg 86)
b. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” Eph 1:3-4
c. Healing the memories happens by way of God repackaging the memories through the lens of his presence, purpose, and love. He
31 takes away the power/sting/shame of those memories. Memories includes both: 1. Surface memories 2. Root memories
d. Repentance and receiving/extending forgiveness close the wound. Every conflict requires one, the other, or both.
e. Faith: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor 5:17)
E. A note about children
1. Children are particularly vulnerable to emotional wounds (intentional or unintentional). As parents, not only do we seek our own healing so as not to pass down patterns of wounding, but we also act as intercessors on behalf of our children, that they might be fully at rest in the love that they need and we seek to give.
2. Wounds can begin as early as conception (see conception to birth prayer sheet)
3. Wounds can occur in the womb- and it is very possible for the Lord to heal wounds received in the womb!
4. Children themselves are often wonderfully responsive to healing prayer- both when they are aware and or participating, and when they are not (i.e.- sleeping, at a distance from the intercessor, etc.)
– Notes –
32 – Praying for Inner Healing –
Helpful tools during prayer for inner healing
1. Peaceful environment
2. When addressing issues in prayer does not lead to freedom, consider the possibility of a root memory or emotion
3. Making use of the imagination is often helpful. (i.e. encouraging the one being prayed for to see themselves with Jesus during the memory, asking Jesus to enter the memory, see themselves handing people/sins to Jesus on the cross, seeing themselves “taking off the old and putting on the new”, etc.)
4. Listen! Using both our ears and our spirits to listen is essential. We grow in discernment, but the power of God is always available to the believer in prayer.
Note: Memories can be tricky things. We must be careful not to suggest memories of events that may or may not have happened, but rather to work with the memories and events as presented by those to whom we are ministering. Our job is not to evaluate the truth or value of memories; our job as prayer ministers is to welcome Jesus into them, to heal and restore
33 34 KINGDOM Lessons 5-6 :: Living in the Presence of the Future ______
– Demonic Sickness –
Unless otherwise noted, much of the material for this week’s session has been influenced by or quoted from Neal Lozano’s book Unbound: A practical guide to deliverance (Chosen Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 2009).
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; He has come to his people and set them free” -The Song of Zechariah, Luke 1:68
There is much information available in the Christian and non-Christian worlds of literature, media, and education in regards to deliverance from the influence of evil spirits. Unfortunately, much of it (even in the Christian realm) focuses on the sensational, the graphic, and even the demonic itself.
The focus of deliverance ministry is, and always should be, love; the kingdom of God breaking in on the kingdom of darkness, and setting sons and daughters free to live out their identity in Christ. The measure by which we evaluate the success of deliverance ministry is, in part, freedom from bondage to and undue influence of evil spirits. But success in deliverance ministry is also giving the ones to whom we minister the opportunity to feel safe and loved.
Some key passages (of many)
Is. 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.”
Colossians 2:14-15 “He forgave all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
35 Luke 10:19 “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”
Rom. 8:38-9 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
A. Basic underpinnings of deliverance ministry (taken from Unbound)
1. Because of Jesus, we have hope and can ask for the blessing we need. 2. Jesus is our hope; He is our Savior. 3. Jesus saves us from sin and from Satan’s plan for our lives. 4. Jesus reveals to us our hearts so that we can repent. 5. Jesus gives us the power to forgive and to renounce the enemy in our lives. 6. We have authority over the devil in the name of Jesus. 7. God wants to bless us by revealing who we are, so we might fulfill our destiny.
The Christian life is one of ongoing deliverance. This involves identifying places of influence that he enemy has, areas of compulsion, fear, hopelessness, bitterness, control, then allowing Jesus to free and heal those places, and holding that ground by the power of the Spirit and an increasing knowledge of God.
“When we assist others in deliverance, we are helping them to take responsibility for their lives and to respond in faith to Jesus.” (Lozano, Unbound)
B. Common snares of deliverance ministry (Lozano, Unbound):
1. Undue focus on Satan and his works
Focusing on Satan and his work results in fear, a less-than-loving environment for ministry, emphasis on darkness instead of light (eyes filled with darkness, vs. eyes filled with light-Matt 6:22), focusing on the demon and not the person, being fascinated with manifestations and what demons are saying, focusing on the confrontation and not the person.
2. Pride
36 When we think that we are the ones the demons are submitting to, or blaming everything that goes wrong on Satan when we have yet to evaluate our own lives honestly in light of our state of humility, repentance, and trust in the LORD. This also opens us up to undue emphasis on the minister, instead of on Jesus.
3. Going where one is not welcomed
When we try to bring significant deliverance to ones who are not saved or even repentant, not ready to be free, simply wanting attention, or not willing to take ownership. Even if you discern an evil spirit, it is not necessarily an indication that the afflicted person wants to be free (see Leanne Payne on lethargy of the soul, S4A, note also Judas Iscariot, Luke 22:3).
4. Casting out the demon but not discovering and sealing off the entryway - Interviewing can frequently be very helpful in this area
5. Failure to discern whether or not the one who is receiving ministry is actually saved and submissive to the Lordship of Jesus.
6. Failure to give follow-up instructions.
7. Failure to bring filling and blessing.
8. Judging failure or success simply on whether or not a demon was driven out of a person
C. Deliverance Ministry
Deliverance is ongoing in the life of a believer, much of which is accomplished by the grace of God being applied to our hearts, minds, and lives through spiritual activities such as the study of scripture, prayer, confession of sin, worship, and receiving the sacraments. The renunciation of the devil, and the breaking off of the power of evil spirits through renunciation and command is what is addressed below. This often takes place best in a 2-3 person team, with a clear leader, while others are serving as intercessors and support. Someone having discernment should submit it to the leader at an appropriate time (list taken from Unbound)
37 1. Do everything possible to create a welcoming environment. Be in a spirit of prayer (or get into one!), although the session may or may not begin with an actual verbal prayer.
2. Interview
a. “Tell me what’s going on?” “What would you like Jesus to do for
you?” Be ready to listen for quite a while. Sometimes it takes time for a person to say what is going on, or articulate what they’re really trying to say. Listen throughout, and if possible, write down possible strongholds, areas of bondage (hatred, bitterness, compulsions, traumas, fixations, insecurities, fears, phobias, envy, pride, envy, self- hatred, etc.). Listen to both the person, and to the Holy Spirit.
b. If not using an interview form, once a general picture is communicated, ask about the person’s parents. Listen for patterns, connections between early experiences, modeling, etc, and what was described earlier.
c. Find out person’s current circumstances related to areas of desired freedom. Is the person attending church? Receiving counseling? Involved with godly support/friends?
3. Determine whether or not this person is a good candidate for ministry at this time.
a. Deliverance during trauma (emotional/psychological) is not always helpful. Seeking consultation from the person’s therapist may be useful.
b. Good questions to ask: has anybody ever labeled this as something else (i.e. schizophrenia, paranoid psychosis, particularly if you suspect something psychological is at work)? Are you on medication right now? Have you ever been hospitalized?
c. It’s ok to determine that you might not be the one to help! The person may relate to you in a way that is unhelpful (manipulative, controlling, experiencing similar areas of struggle that you are currently experiencing serious weakness in)
38 4. Listen for insight in 4 areas:
a. Why has the person come? Is the person truly ready to surrender? If this does not become obvious, it can be appropriate to ask!
b. Are there spiritual obstacles?
1. Any involvement in the occult can be an obstacle, but also may be the root. Every form of witchcraft (Ouija boards, séances, tarot readings, psychic hotlines, horoscopes, voodoo, etc) must be renounced. They often serve as seals on other spirits, and usually will not leave on their own even as one pursues the Lord (because they have been invited). They must be told to leave.
2. Curses: negative things spoken over the person by themselves or others that have taken root in a person’s mind, will, or emotions. Parent/guardian statements such as “you’ll never amount to anything,” “you were a mistake”, I wish I’d never had you”, or self-inflicted curses such as “I want to die” or “I hate myself.”
c. Does the person know the Lord?
“Tell me about your relationship with the Lord.” “When you think of God, what comes to mind? Whom do you picture?” “Have you ever had a conversion experience?” “What are some things the Lord has done for you?” The person may make verbal statements about God, but not be surrendered to him.
d. Is there a need for repentance?
1. Many people seek deliverance because they have repented, but have not yet gained freedom. Sometimes sin has been renamed or rationalized, and must be confronted.
2. Sexual sins leave bonds between individuals where evil spirits may operate.
5. Summarize the interview
39 a. Repeat back what you have heard, what you understand, and share any insights from Holy Spirit, or intuition. (note: the interview may be much simpler if you know the person well, or if the person is well acquainted with his/her needs at the time)
6. Verbalize how you would like to proceed, with the person’s permission.
a. Ex. “Let’s begin to pray. First, let’s ask Jesus to set you free. Then, I’d like to lead you first in a prayer of repentance and renunciation (and/or forgiveness). Are you comfortable with this? You can simply repeat after me, and I will pray based on what you have shared, and where I feel that the Holy Spirit may be leading. If there is anything you don’t agree with, please tell me - only pray what is true for you. If you would prefer to say some of these things in your own words, please feel free to do so. After I start us off, you can continue as you feel led.”
b. We find that the use of holy water is particularly helpful during deliverance ministry. Ask permission of the recipient before you do, and when helpful, feel free to offer a short explanation.
c. Sometimes it is helpful to offer a suggested area of prayer, and then let the person address Jesus with the pain, forgiveness, difficulties, etc.
d. Forgiveness from the heart may be difficult until areas of bondage have been renounced and the power broken
7. Renounce each area of bondage in the name of Jesus: the person must verbalize these things him/herself.
a. Don’t cast out spirits until they’re all renounced (helps keep manifestations to a minimum)
b. After each spirit is renounced, break the power of the spirits in Jesus name “I break the bondage of fear in the name of Jesus.”
8. Take Authority
a. “In the name of Jesus I break the power of every spirit that (name) has renounced and any related spirit, and I command them to leave now in the name of Jesus.” It is also appropriate to have the one who is being
40 delivered pray this prayer. Sometimes visible or tangible signs of spirits leaving are obvious, and sometimes they are not. Other times, conflict with the evil spirit will surface again.
9. Ask whether anything is coming to the person’s mind? Whether they feel anything?
a. Never tell people that they’re free; that is for them to tell you (and hopefully others!). Some will express freedom, sometimes you will need to go back to the interview!
b. Remember, “the major focus of deliverance ministry is helping the person make the proper response to the Lord as He exposes the heart.” (Lozano)
c. We are teaching by example - looking to God!
10. Prayer of thanksgiving
a. “Thank you Jesus, for setting me free from a spirit of suicide.” “Thank you, Jesus, that I have forgiven my father for abusing me”.
b. If the person is not yet free, this will expose the afflicting spirit (Lozano). This is a good time to see if there might be an unaddressed root (then repent, renounce, forgive, etc this root).
c. Blessing and encouragement are important.
11. Blessing: prayer for fresh (or first) infilling of the Holy Spirit.
a. Speak words of affirmation and blessing.
b. Fill with the light of Jesus the void where the enemy has resided.
c. Give parting instructions - encourage them to get involved in a small group, have them cleanse their homes of anything that represents the kingdom of darkness, destroy occult items, etc.
d. Instructions that will help them walk out their freedom.
41
D. Manifestations (Lozano)
1. Make sure this is really a manifestation of an evil spirit.
2. Take authority over the devil in a simple and firm way (example: “I command you, spirit, to be silent in the name of Jesus Christ”).
3. Act immediately on the authority you have taken. Help them regain control over themselves. “Jill, take control of your body and mind in the name of Jesus. Open your eyes.”
4. Seek to understand what’s going on.
*do not command the spirits to leave, or keep binding them if the person is unconscious, unresponsive. Keep speaking in love.
– Notes –
42 KINGDOM Lesson 7 :: Living in the Presence of the Future ______
– Sickness of the Body –
A. Overview of the healing ministry of Jesus (as summarized from John Wimber’s Book Power Healing, Harper and Row Pub, San Francisco, 1987).
1. Jesus used healing during his earthly ministry as the number one illustration of the in-breaking of the Kingdom of Heaven.
2. Jesus disassociated the Jewish assumption that there was always a connection between intentional sin and sickness, although there were many occasions where he did either associate the two, or use healing as the proof of choice that a person’s sins had been forgiven (see Mark 2, the healing of the paralytic.)
3. The Gospels contain 26 accounts of the physical healing of individuals (remember, too, that large crowds came to Jesus, and “he healed them all” (Matt 8:16). See Power Healing appendices S1A.
B. The New Testament contains three categories of physical sickness healings.
1. Organic disorders
a. “Those in which damage to the body tissue or structures can be observed or detected by a physician. Organic disorders include congenital defects (defects from birth such as Down’s syndrome or congenital heart disease), infections, traumatic injuries (such as fractures), toxic disorders ( those caused by contact with agents such as drugs, chemicals, pollutants, and so on), endocrine disorders (for example, thyroid and adrenal gland problems), neoplastic disorders (benign and malignant tumors), degenerative disorders (the breakdown of systems from age—for example, osteoarthritis), and cardiovascular disease (for example, strokes and heart disease). Organic disorders may result from life-style problems, for example, smoking, which in many instances leads to chronic obstructive lung disease, cardiac disease, and cancer.” (Wimber 130)
43 b. Ex. From scripture: fevers, an incised wound, nervous system diseases such as paralysis, blindness, deafness and defective speech, and a fatal head injury.
2. Functional disorders
a. “Those in which there is definitely a disturbance in the way the body is functioning but the offending organ or organs appear to be structurally normal.” (Wimber, 132). Examples include some headaches, backaches, stomach disorders, high/low blood pressure, IBS
3. Mental Illness
a. “In mental illness personality and emotional disturbances result from brain disease, emotional factors, or demonization. Jesus regularly healed illnesses in this category.” (Wimber, 134)
C. Faith
1. Jesus never refused to pray for a sick person when asked. Asking itself is a gesture of humility and faith.
a. The faith of the centurian (Matt 8:5-13) is a good example. Three characteristics mark his faith: humility, belief in Jesus’ authority over creation, and belief in the power of Jesus’ word (Wimber 141). “Faith is the medium through which God releases his healing power. Most divine healing comes as a result of someone’s faith in God. After healing someone, Jesus frequently said, “your faith has healed you.”(Wimber, 141).
2. Three avenues of faith:
a. The one receiving prayer (see Paul in Lystra, Acts 14:9-10).
b. Friends and relatives (see the centurian’s servant, Jairus’ daughter, the paralytic lowered through the roof).
c. The one praying for healing.
44 3. “Whose faith is most important for divine healing?” The answer is ‘anyone who has faith’ in Jesus for miracles.” (wimber, 142)
4. Note: our faith is weak, and broken. Fortunately, our faith is not in our faith, but in God’s character. Our faith is built as we grow in our understanding of God’s character, as well as our intimacy with him.
D. Patience, Compassion, and Authority
1. Most healings in the N.T. took place immediately, but not all (see Mark 8:22-26 when Jesus heals the blind man in degrees).
a. “One of the great discoveries in my life has been that when a short prayer doesn’t seem to help, a “soaking” prayer often brings the healing we are looking for. Over and over I have checked the effect of prayer by asking groups how many were totally healed when we prayed a short prayer and how many were improved. The number of people who experience some real improvement usually outnumbers those who are totally healed by five to one. This led me to realize that a short prayer usually has some physical effect (and always a spiritual effect) upon a person, but that most of us need more time when we pray for the sick.” (Francis MacNutt)
2. “Most physical healing is a process, because sometimes there are other factors—emotional, psychological, demonic—that must first be dealt with.” (wimber, 145-6).
3. Grateful stewardship of the small things. “It’s not the Devil that made your headache ‘a little bit better.’”
E. Not everyone is healed
1. There is a scriptural precedent for people not being healed a. Paul himself, Timothy (I Tim 5:23), Trophimus (I Tim 4:20), and Epaphroditus.
2. There are many reasons that people are not healed when prayed for. Some include:
a. Some people do not have faith for healing (Jas 5:15)
45 b. Personal, unconfessed sin creates a barrier to God’s grace (James 5:16)
c. Persistent and widespread disunity, sin, and unbelief in bodies of believers and families inhibit healing in individual members of the body (I Cor. 11:30)
d. Because of incomplete or incorrect diagnoses of what is causing their problems, people do not know how to pray correctly.
e. Some people assume that God always heals instantly, and when he does not heal immediately they stop praying (Wimber 152)
3. The “Already Not Yet”
4. Luke 11, and Luke 18 serve as models for persistence in prayer.
5. “Our standard of faith and prayer for healing is not our present experience. Our standard is God’s heart, which is full of grace and compassion.” (Wimber, 159)
*See MacNutt appendix, S6B, for a more in-depth look at why healing does not occur.
F. Guiding principles (Wimber, 170-2)
1. God wants to heal the sick today
2. Corporate ministry and ministry equipping is important
3. Our trust in God is demonstrated by action
4. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit
5. It is important to be in loving relationships with our brothers and sisters
6. God wants to heal the whole person, not just specific conditions
46 KINGDOM Lesson 8:: Living in the Presence of the Future ______
– Introduction to Prophetic Ministry –
“Most people would seek the gift [of prophecy] if they understood how much Jesus wants to bless His people by the power of the Spirit. He wants to speak His word into our hearts and affirm our identity in Him… prophetic blessing speaks deep into a person’s heart. God knows my name. He knows who I am; He understands me like no other. Encouragement comes because God speaks to the meaning and purpose of my life.” - Neal Lozano, Unbound.
Is. 43:1- Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name, you are mine.” (Italics mine)
A. What is prophecy?
1. Prophecy is the testimony of Jesus: “At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” Rev. 19:9-11 True prophetic ministry will always bear witness to Jesus- who he is, what He is like, how He sees us, how He feels about us. It will always be in line with His nature.
2. Prophecy is a gift of the Holy Spirit for the church (1 Cor 12). Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these
47 are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
3. Prophecy is a manifestation of the imminence of God. (Psalm 145:18) “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” It is through the prophetic ministry that we experience what God is like toward us, how He sees us. Earth-bound wisdom prevents us from hearing and believing true words of prophecy- “the truest thing about you is what comes up under pressure” or “the truest thing about you is who you are at your weakest” This is utterly false, and incompatible with our identity as the new creation.
B. Who can prophesy?
1. Everybody Acts 2:17-18- “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on my menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy.”
2. Prophetic unction is a manifestation of the Holy spirit, given diversely to the body. There will be some people who operate through different manifestations of the gift of prophecy.
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[d] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[e] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” 1 Cor 12:4-11
48 3. Those who are asking. Paul exhorts us to pray for the gift of prophecy. There is a quantitative relationship between what we are operating in (gifts) and what we are asking for (intercession, intimacy with Jesus). 1 Cor. 14:1- “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them, they utter mysteries by the Spirit. But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy.”
4. There are also individuals anointed by God to function primarily in the office of prophet within the church. 1 Cor. 12:28- “And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.”
C. Why bother prophesy?
1. It is considered a crucial way that we walk out “the way of love” by the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor. 14:1 “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.” “31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.” (NIV) or the NLT refers to them as “the most helpful gifts”. (1 Cor 12: 31).
2. Often times we are dismissive about this later passage, taking it to be damning by small praise the usefulness of tongue speaking. However, not only is Paul not deriding the gift of the Spirit which is tongues, he is in fact also emphasizing the importance of prophecy to the church and the world. How many of us have experienced the imminence of God through a person, service, sermon, or song?
D. How do I prophesy?
1. We must begin with heart posture of listening. In general, we like to be heard more than we like to hear. From the time we are children, we are seeking to make our voices heard, and knowing that what think and feel, and how we express our thoughts and feelings, matters to those close to
49 us, establishes much of our sense of self-worth. For some of us, this process was stunted by rejection or deprivation, and finding our voices- an expression of what Leanne Payne refers to as our “true self” is part of our own healing process. It is from that place of security, however, that we begin the journey into Christian listening. We practice listening in many ways, including (among many others) Scripture reading, listening prayer, and the practice of active (not passive) silence. Developing a listening heart is a process.
Jesus stated in John 10 : “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
2. We must believe that he is the good shepherd, and that his sheep know his voice. If you are a born-again follower of Jesus, you can hear His voice. Many of us, unfortunately, are not growing in confidence that this is true. We are waiting for an audible voice from Heaven, or some sort of Holy Spirit in-breaking for God to prove to us that we are capable of hearing Him, and that He actually wants to speak to (and through) us.
In reality, this is born of a subtle testing of God, reminiscent of the Devil’s temptation of Jesus in the wilderness: “if you are really the Son of God….”. It is as though we are saying something to the effect of “if I am really clean enough to use as a vessel for your word”, or “if you really want to say something to me, you will prove yourself by…”. When in reality, we have been made clean by the blood of Jesus (VERSE) and will never be more righteous than we were when we first believed, and He has promised to make Himself known to us
JOHN 14: 15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.
50 Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
emphanizo meaning to show openly, appear, or declare plainly, exhibit to view; to show one’s self, to indicate, disclose We can be confident that we are His own, and that He manifests Himself to us.
3. The primary way that we learn the heart and language of the Father is through reading the Scriptures. And not reading only, but believing that the Word is alive- that God himself is speaking to us. When we are not passive observers of Scriptures, but recipients on an intentional heart level. Ephesians 1:17- not just a random prayer, but geared toward what Paul expressed in verses 1-16.
4. What does the voice of the Holy Spirit sound like toward us? “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23
5. We ask. James 4:2 – you do not have because you do not ask
a. Three ways to earnestly desire the gift of prophecy (abridged, from Mike Bickle’s Growing in the Prophetic):
i. Asking in prayer- “Holy Spirit, what are you saying/doing?” “Holy Spirit, release your power in me!” With a quiet, expectant heart posture.
ii. Give expression to the impressions we receive.
iii. Be grateful for the small things as we cultivate a lifestyle of watching and waiting. We must repent of despising the little acts of the Holy Spirit
b. Four ways to see what the Father is doing:
51 i. We may receive the prophetic whisper or impression from God. This can happen ahead of time, but the Spirit usually grants these in the moment that we are ministering to people. We pay attention to the Holy Spirit’s impressions and promptings on our heart to walk in righteousness and avoid quenching the Spirit
ii. The Spirit may allow us to feel a physical sensation or pain that may correspond to how He wants to heal someone. The spirit sometimes allows us to feel a physical sensation (fire, wind, and so on) or a physical pain (sympathetic pain) that corresponds with how He will touch others
iii. We may observe the Spirit’s presence resting on someone as we see obvious outward manifestations such as their lips quivering, their face flushed, their body trembling, or simply their tears falling
iv. The Holy Spirit may show us what He is doing by giving us a prophetic dream or vision about a person before we minister to them.
c. Types of prophecy in the church: Foretelling, forth-telling, encouragement, exhortation, building up, direction, warning
E. False Equations regarding the Prophetic Ministry:
1. Character Equals Anointing (the idea that spiritual gifting endorse character, or character produces spiritual gifts)
2. Anointing Equals diving endorsement of ministry style
3. Anointing equals 100 percent accuracy
F. Helpful thoughts regarding the prophetic ministry (not biblical distinctions) taken from Growing in the Prophetic
52 1. Simple prophecy- everybody can do it, usually within the scope of encouragement, comfort, and exhortation.
2. Prophetic gifting- believers who regularly receive impressions, dreams, visions, or other types of revelation. Often symbolic, these can be in the form of parables and riddles, still often lacks clarity in understanding
3. Prophetic ministry- Believers whose gifting has been recognized, nurtured, and commissioned for regular ministry in the local church. Still a symbolic element, but through the process of team ministry, it is possible to discern much of the interpretation and application of their revelation. Dreams, visions, angelic visitations, audible voice from heaven, sometimes receive detailed information such as names, faces, dates, and future events, sometimes operate in healing, miracles, deliverance, may in private expose un-confessed sin, give simple prophecies yet also give direction and correction. “It is vital to distinguish between simple prophecy and prophecy that has authority. Every believer is able to prophesy on a simple level. However, to prophesy with authority is much weightier, and should not be done publicly without the confirmation of the leaders of the church, who are responsible before God to oversee the church’s life
4. Prophetic office
1 Corinthians 13:9: For we know in part and we prophesy in part…
53 Bibliography, books and material for further study
Bergner, Mario, Setting Love in Order, Hamewith Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 1995.
Fiske, Charles, The Right Reverend, D.D., LL.D, Back to Christ, Longmans, Green and Co, London, 1917.
Frost, Jack, “Experiencing the Father’s Embrace”, Teaching DVD’s and Manual, Shiloh Ministries
Leech, Kenneth, Soul Friend, Morehouse Publishing, Harrisburg PA, 1977.
Lozano, Neal, Unbound, Baker Book House Co., Grand Rapids, MI, 2003.
MacNutt, Francis, Healing, Ave Maria Press, USA, 1974 (2006).
Payne, Leanne, The Healing Presence, Hamewith Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 1995; pg 109.
Smith, Martin, Reconciliation: Preparing for confession in the Episcopal Church. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc., USA, 2007.
Wimber, John, Power Healing, Harper and Row, San Francisco, 1987. www.christianhealingmin.org (Judith and Francis MacNutt’s web page)
54 APPENDIX MATERIALS
Key Scripturesi Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— because the LORD has anointed me to bestow on them a crown of beauty to proclaim good news to the poor. instead of ashes, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, the oil of joy to proclaim freedom for the captives instead of mourning, and release from darkness for the and a garment of praise prisoners, instead of a spirit of despair. 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor They will be called oaks of righteousness, and the day of vengeance of our God, a planting of the LORD to comfort all who mourn, for the display of his splendor.
Luke 4: 14-21 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
John 20:19-23 19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
i Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
i
Suffering and the Ministry of Healing
– Amy Howard –
What we so often miss as a Christian community is how to suffer well. A few years ago, this was driven home to me in a conversation with an out of town friend of ours who had come to visit- I'll call him Andy. Andy brought with him tidings of a mutual friend who, we knew, had recently reconciled himself to his life-long struggle with same sex attraction, and "married" his male lover. We'll call our mutual friend Greg. The difficulty for me and my husband lay not in that this was a new revelation- we had known of our friend Greg's pain for years- but in Andy's freshly minted response to the decisions of our friend. Andy had witnessed, over the course of years, the deep suffering of our friend. Andy had watched Greg's romantic relationships with women implode, and the deep craving for the masculine somehow, if even temporarily, soothed in relationship with other men. Andy could not explain fully the source or sources of our Greg's suffering- he knew only that the desperate loneliness of a life supposedly condemned to singleness, for our friend, seemed unbearable. The apparent unfairness- the injustice- of the whole situation had driven Andy to a new perspective. One in which he had decided he could no longer oppose- name as sin- the homosexuality of our friend. Who was he to judge such evident suffering?
Suffering well is a theme much neglected by western culture- outside as well as within the church today. We might still love the ideas of nobility, honor, courage in the face of pain. But we have no confidence in our own ability to be steadfast- no sense that such character and hope has been built into us that we might bear the weight of true suffering unto a more glorious end. And from our own fear of our own cowardice, we certainly cannot judge the suffering of others. Who are we to tell somebody else to suffer?
And so often, the journey up, out of, and through same sex attraction, gender identity issues, and other forms of sexual brokenness, truly involves a measure of suffering. Mario Berger, in his book, "setting love in order" wrote poignantly about an evening of suffering early on in his journey into sexual healing. He recalled a Friday night when he found himself utterly alone. Like many people journeying from a realm of broken identity, addiction, or dysfunction, community is a desperate lifeline. The sponsor-sponsee relationship, where a phone call is often the lifeline between a despairing dive back into an addictive cycle. The nightly meetings and constant
ii business to build, encourage, and even helpfully distract and redirect and reshape habits of mind, soul, and body. But Mario recounts an evening early on in his journey when he found himself desperately alone. The final meeting for the week ended Thursday night, and after work of Friday, the excruciating hours between the distraction and fellowship of 5:00 Friday to 9:00 Sunday morning stretched before him into an eternity of seconds. He describes his descent into the personal suffering of temptation and aloneness, eventually resorting to taping a band-aid over his door to prevent himself from running to the nearest gay bar. The place of desperate clinging to the cross during those hours was palpable.
The journey to wholeness is often (and not just for the sexually broken, but all of us who are, in the words of the author of Hebrews, "seeking a better country"), fraught with trial, self-denial, personal failure, and loneliness--for truly, no one bears the actual cross but he or she is quite alone. And lest we be tempted or intimidated by cultural volume to believe these difficulties to be unique to the sexually broken, a good portion of these are sin-boundaries God asks of all single persons. The pain of aloneness can be very real and often acute, but no more real for the person healing from homosexuality than the unmarried college student. The reality is, suffering will come to us all......
I am often surprised afresh by the audacity of St. Peter in his first epistle. St. Peter was writing, we know, to a group of early believers who were in the throws of terrible injustice and suffering. These communities were the victims of the horrific persecutions of Nero. Who can say what it must have been like, to live daily on the precipice of humiliation, suffering, loss, and even death for themselves and those they held dear. Certainly not I, in the comfort of my air conditioned, well-caffeinated western Christianity. What word would anybody dare bring to such a suffering people. Are we not friends to sufferers at our very best silent but present companions? And yet. And yet the Apostle who himself had abdicated the suffering incumbent upon persecution for Jesus' sake, had the nerve to speak, and not only to speak, but to instruct, teach, encourage those who were suffering the very fate he had at one time thrust aside. And what had he to say?
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ". 1 Peter 1:13
There are so many possible pitfalls when it comes to addressing suffering through the lens of the healing ministry. When we suffer, the most natural thing is to fix our gaze on the end of that suffering- the healing of illness, the reordering of desire. Within and without the church, we also often encourage suffering for the wrong things, creating the idea that God only and ever wants us to suffer. And lastly, those things which, when suffered, have actual potential to unite us with Christ, we often dismiss, avoid, transfer, or reason away.
Suffering well involves seeing suffering through the lens of Christ. There is very much an ultimate way in which we will be given grace when Christ is ultimately revealed to all creation. But there is a now-grace, when Christ is revealed in our circumstances. This is the crux of the inner healing ministry- to allow for encounter with Christ in the places of our heart wounding- trauma, abuse, neglect, pain. We are constantly inviting Jesus to reveal himself in the very memories themselves. And from that vantage point, our suffering is not just "building character", or "being healed", but forging a reality- an intimacy- a friendship with a suffering God
“Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ [f] and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead”. Philippians 3:7-11
In the words of Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury during the 1960's and 70's - "Like the Christ, the Church is sent to execute a twofold work in the face of the sufferings of men; to seek to alleviate them, to heal them, and to remove them, since they are hateful to God--yet, when they are overwhelming and there is no escape from them, to transfigured them and use them as the raw material of love. So in every age Christians have fought to remove sufferings, and have also borne witness to the truth that they can be transfigured and can become the place where the power of God is known."
And so it is with the healing ministry, looking both outwards, and inwards, at the suffering of sexual and identity brokenness. Our mission is first to minister, love, and pray unto the healing of wounding, forgiveness of sin, reordering of desire, and remaking after the very image of God. And secondly, to bear witness to the transforming union with Christ available in the midst of our present suffering. We will, like Peter, encourage ourselves and those to whom we minister to have a “Fixed gaze”; not on the healing of our present circumstances or sufferings, but on the reality that Jesus is coming, both to these circumstances themselves, and ultimately to the entire Earth itself, when Heaven and Earth are fully united at his physical return.
There is most certainly a difference between the pursuit of Buddhist nirvana- the relief of suffering by somehow not feeling it, (or our Western solution of medicating, marrying, ignoring, renaming or denying the sources of our pain), and the Christian baptizing of suffering into union with a suffering God. Oh, union with the Christ! Is there any one thing which can both ignite and satiate the unmatchable hunger of the human- body and soul? And this is what He offers us, if we would desire it. This is the invitation for a culture, bending under the weight of suffering, displaced and hemorrhaging human identity. We will share in the very nature of God, if we can only hold still long enough, with just enough soul-yes, to be loved into being- often in the very places of our deepest wounding.
III The Good Physiciani
Jesus Christ was the Good Physician. Even those who stumble at the other miracles of the Bible, believe in the Gospel stories of Christ’s healing power, however they explain the facts. The records of His gracious deeds run so closely through the narrative that they are like threads woven into the cloth from which cannot be cut out without destroying the garment. The picture is plain. Jesus Christ went about through the fields and hills of Galilee restoring into harmony with the beautiful world about Him the disease-laden bodies of the multitudes of sick folk who came to see Him. He was first known as the Healer. The Good Physician had a company of pupils who watched Him at His work. He was like a surgeon in a clinic, with the eyes of his students fixed upon him. Everywhere the little company of His disciples went with Him on His errands of mercy. Because of their presence He seemed to hold himself in. He did only what an overflowing pity compelled Him to do; and He did it in such a way as to teach while He worked. He wanted to instruct that little band of followers and make them understand His method and see its significance. As the tide of patients swept in upon Him the disciples noticed a strange thing about the Master’s work of healing. They had come to believe that all power was given Him, and yet He exercised that power only within limitations. They ha come to believe that He could heal by a word; yet with the crowds pressing Him He chose a slower, plodding way. For the multitudes did indeed besiege Him from every side. The demands upon His skill spread like a conflagration. Half the countryside flung themselves upon His vitality and sympathy. His patients were of all classes, all disorders, all shades of faith, all varieties of gratitude and ingratitude. They crowded around Him till He hardly had time to eat or to sleep. So they came and so they were healed. What, then, was the remarkable thing the Twelve Disciples learned as they watched the Divine Healer? This first: That instead of healing them all by a word, instead of willing cures by the wholesale, He took His patients one by one. And then, second – and we need to fix our attention upon it – that that as each individual came to Him for treatment, He always made use of material things in effecting his cures. Remember that the apostles believed in His power to heal; believed that He might have healed all who came by the simple exercise of that power, without any assistance from without. What must
iii have been their thoughts when they saw how He chose to work? Some material object seemed always to be the medium through which the healing was effected. Now it is the common clay; now the waters of Siloam; now His own body; His hands; the saliva from His lips; even His garments. There was a man born deaf and with an impediment in his speech; Jesus took him aside from the multitude, put His fingers in the man’s ears, touched his tongue. A blind man came to see Him: He spat on the ground, made clay of the spittle, anointed his eyes and sent him to the pool to wash. Out of all the recorded miracles of healing there are only five which were not accompanied by the use of some material object or physical agency; and in each of the se cases there is a special reason for the variation from His customary method. Usually, ordinarily, He used material helps; and of the numerous other miraculous cures of which there is no detailed record, it is said that “He laid His hands upon them and healed them every one.” Now mark. He did this in spite of the apparent peril of arousing among the people a dangerous superstition. We know how easy it is for ignorant people to attribute a cure to some special object. Pilgrimages to the shrines of saints are not unknown to-day, and many cures have been attributed to the virtue of holy relics. There was always that danger when Jesus the Good Physician wrought His cures: the danger that instead of attention being fixed upon Himself alone, it might be fixed upon the things He used, and the cure be attributed to some healing quality of the particular clay or water; it might be supposed that there was virtue in the touch of His garment; men’s minds might be directed away from the Healer; they might forget Him and remember only the material He employed. Why, then, did He persist in His method? Must not the apostles have asked that question again and again? What did He mean? There they were, students in the clinic, watching the Master at His work, feeling that He wanted their attention, and that He had some purpose in arousing their questioning. Why did He do it in that way? We can thing of but one answer. His purpose was to accustom the disciples to the use of material things in the conveying of physical gifts of healing, till at length they could grasp the thought that in the same way He meant to make use of material things in the conveying of spiritual gifts. In other words, He was preparing them for a great principle of the Christian religion, viz., the sacramental principle, that grace is conveyed to the soul “through channels.” The things of earth are used to bring to men the gifts of heaven. Through things visible we are brought to an appreciation of things invisible. So as they question in their hearts, He speaks to them by and by of baptism; He tells Nicodemus that one must be born again of water and the Spirit.; at the close of His ministry He sends out His disciples to administer baptismal grace in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Again He tells them that their life must be fed from Him; that except they eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, they have no life in them; and when there has been time for the thought to sink into their minds He takes bread and wine, blesses it and tells them that this is the Body and Blood of which He has spoken. When the day comes the He ordains them to send them forth as the Father had sent Him, He lays His hands upon them and breathes on them, that in the very act their faith may be stimulated to believe in the fact of inflowing grace. Here then we have the source of the sacramental system: Christ Himself. He it is, and no one else, who ordains that spiritual grace shall come through material channels: the water of baptism a laver of inward spiritual purification; the bread and wine of Holy Communion the mystical means of imparting the life of Christ; the laying on of hands as the appointed method of the coming of the Spirit of strength and comfort; all outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual grace given us. Sometimes men have objected to the Church’s insistence on the sacraments as though sacraments were substitutes for individual devotion to Jesus Christ, ceremonies and forms that smother personal piety, something to bring the Church and the clergy between the soul and God and hindering union with Christ. Of course it is not in this way that the Church preaches the sacramental principle. Church doctrine, after all, is Bible truth. Sacraments are really Christ’s appointed means of union with Himself; blessed channels of grace by which love may be fed and union with God made perfect and devotion to Him kept alive. “Back to Christ,” we hear men say; back of churches and creeds and sacraments to Jesus Himself. But when we go back to Christ we find ourselves in the very atmosphere of Church teaching. He and He alone is authority for our doctrine. Call the sacramental system absurd, if you will; but remember it originated with the Lord Christ Himself. Whether you understand the need of it or not, it is His method; and when you object to it your objection is not against the Church’s plan, it is against Christ’s own scheme of salvation. But why did Jesus Christ establish such a system? Why does He not always give life to the soul without such helps? We may suggest three reasons. First. Because it is the simplest way to bring us to a realization of spiritual things. For our sakes grace is brought to us through external channels. We are not disembodied spirits; we are here in the body, with all the drawbacks of a bodily existence. Glimpses of heaven open to us, and then we fall back to earth; the soaring spirit is held down by the flesh. So by Christ’s sacramental method, faith is stimulated by sense. As in the miracles of healing the touch of the hand, the finger on the tongue, the clay on the eyes, the water of the pool, aroused the faith of those who were to be healed, made them ready and expectant, helped them to feel that something was being done for them – so now, there is something we can see, touch, taste, handle, that faith may be quickened. The outward symbol is a pledge to assure us of grace given, as well as a means to its reception. And not only an aid to faith, but a test of faith. It is enough for us that Christ has given the command; the faithful follower obeys, whether he understanding or not. It is to be expected that one who submits loyally and obediently to a command or expressed wish of Christ should receive a blessing.
If a man opens his heart wide in loving response to the wish of another, that person’s spirit inevitably enters. We see this sacramental act of receiving the spirit of another in every child who obeys, from a glad love, his father or his mother, in every student who tries hard to fulfill his great master’s will for him; in every friend who from love tries to please his friend.ii
Our Lord asks us to seek grace this way. It is a love test and faith test – and we obey. Second. We are souls in bodies, because the body is the expression of the soul’s life. We shall always be souls in bodies; in the life of the world to come the soul will have that through which its life is expressed. Therefore the redemption of the soul will be the redemption of the body as well; and it is fitting that the gift to the soul should come through physical channels, so that every part of our nature may share in the bestowal of grace. Third. Perhaps there is still a deeper purpose. May it not be that all creation is to share in the plan of redemption? St. Paul seems to suggest the fall of man involved the whole created universe, which “groaneth and travaileth in pain,” waiting for its redemption and ours. So nature, itself to be redeemed, is made use of in God’s redemptive work, as the Holy Spirit, through natural elements exalted to a spiritual efficacy, ministers to the diseases of the soul. Who can tell how far this thought may carry us? Does it mean that this world, purified and become a scene of unfettered spiritual activity, shall be the new heaven and the new earth of the seer’s vision? Does it mean that we have lost something of the romance and poetry of redemption when we forget the mystery of nature in our effort to exalt the mystery of grace? Does it mean that in going back to Christ we have found the source of mystery in each? It is He who gives nature its beauty and its charm. Back of all that we see is God the Unseen; God and His spiritual hosts. Every pleasing prospect is, as it were, the expression of His presence, the moving of the robes of those whose faces see God. And back of the sacramental water and the sacramental bread and wine is the same Christ. He charges them with power. He fills them with grace. In Him is the current of life for which they are they conveyors. So we pass from symbols to the thing symbolized, from the outward form to the inward reality; and we talk, trembling yet joyous, in the very presence of God. Perhaps it may be only a fancy; but it is a beautiful fancy, this thought of a sacramental system. A poet-priest has expressed it more beautifully than any words of ours can put it. He tells how, one Saturday afternoon in midsummer, he stood on the shore of Otsego Lake, looking on: “a scene for which quiet and soothing beauty can hardly be surpassed. Before him lay the mirror of the Glimmerglass; warm lights threw a flush upon the skies; the day was going away; the omens of evening were already in the clouds; the woods were reflected in their native colors along the silent shore. But below was more that what met the eye. Through and under this exterior beauty voices could be heard, speaking of the mystery of the natural world. It has been said of the study of nature that it is hardly profane to characterize it as a means of grace. Here are depths which no man has yet sounded. Whence, and how, came this wondrous, beautiful world; by what bond and to what extent is it so related to man as to sympathize with him in his sorrows and partake of his hope – what poet, what philosopher, what theologian has told us the whole truth on these points?iii On the following morning the visitor found himself at an early Eucharistic celebration in the church on the lake. Here another mystery confronted him, like the other too deep to search out; the mystery of the coming of the Lord in Holy Communion. Both mysteries are of God; one in the order of nature, the other in the order of grace. This lover of nature was a lover of God and as he thought of both he reverently asked many questions. May not the mystery in nature pass onward and upward to the mystery in grace? May there not be relationships between them more intimate than we suppose, too subtle for us to comprehend? And may not this be the true explanation of the sacramental system? May not the mystery in grace be more deeply felt when interpreted by the mystery in nature? At any rate it is the same Hand which beckons to us in both, and in both is stretched out to comfort and bless.
Fiske, Charles. “The Good Physician,” in Back to Christ: The Wonder of His Life, i the Romance of His Religion, Forgotten Truths of His Teaching, Some Practical Applications of His Gospel, (New York: Longmans, Green and Co., 1917), 30-40.
Slattery, Charles Lewis, The Light Within: A Study of the Holy Spirit, (New York: ii Longmans, Green and Co., 1915)
Birdsall, Ralph, “The Church,” in Fenimore Cooper’s Grave and Christ Churchyard, iii (New York: Frederick H. Hitchcock, 1911), 64.
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Pornography and Its Addiction by Drew Edwards Summer 2014
Introduction by Kathi Smith, Senior Editor
Dr. Drew Edwards is a nationally known healthcare researcher, author, clinician and consultant. He is also a forensic expert in the neurobiology of addictive disease. We have the privilege of having him on CHM's board of directors. His expertise in the area of addictions has been such a blessing to our staff and prayer ministers. He has taught numerous times at our Schools of Healing Prayer® and has published many articles on addiction. We have asked him to share a clinician's understanding of pornography.
The major civilizing force in the world is not religion, it is sex.—Hugh Hefner, Founder of Playboy
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.—Jesus, Matthew 5:8
Pornography is nothing new. It has been around for thousands of years. The fact that it is now readily accessible, convenient, affordable, anonymous, and has penetrated popular culture so deeply and yet seemingly so easily, is cause for alarm. Pornography's devastating and corrupting impact on the human heart is tearing individuals, marriages, families, and our social fabric apart. Regrettably, pornography is now commonplace in our sexually liberated, "anything goes" culture. But we do not lose faith, because God is stronger than our weakness and any temptations we will face. The Apostle Peter, who was Jesus' closest friend, proclaims the hope we have in Christ in 2 Peter 1:2b-4:
…Then know how to know him better and better. For as you know him better he will give you, through great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: And by that same mighty power He has given us all the other rich and wonderful blessings He promised; for instance to save us from the lust and rottenness all around us and to give us His own character.
(Living Bible)
PORNOGRAPHY DEFINED
The word pornography comes from the Greek word porne, which means harlot, female captive, prostitute, or sexual immorality. Webster's definition is obscene or licentious writing or painting, while the American Heritage Dictionary defines it as written or pictorial matter intended to arouse sexual feelings. In the New Testament there are 26 specific references to porne or sexual immorality. The Apostle Paul reminds us of the danger of sexual sin.Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and
vi greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these.
—Colossians 3:5-8
Jesus radically raises the bar in regards to adultery, to include lust.But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
—Matthew 5:28
Lust is looking at, or thinking about another person as a sex object rather than one made in God's image. Jesus wants us to realize that both the act of adultery and lust for another person are sinful. He calls us to view all human beings as persons of worth and value. For men, we are to honor and respect women, not use them for our sexual fantasies or personal gratification. Clearly pornography is antithetical to the teaching of Jesus.
THE BIOLOGY OF ADDICTION
Medically speaking, addiction is brain disease. We have the imaging technology to observe and measure changes in the brain function of addicts. The specific area of the brain affected by drugs, alcohol and porn is the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway. Often referred to as the "pleasure pathway," it is located in the midbrain and regulates the neurobiological processes essential to our survival via our perceptions and emotions. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter (brain chemical) that produces feelings of both pleasure and reward in the brain. Eating, drinking and sex are the primary survival drives in all mammals. For example, when we are hungry our interests narrow. If food is not forthcoming, we become preoccupied and then obsessed with attaining food. Nothing else matters to a starving person. When food is consumed, dopamine is released and the hunger switch is turned off and we quickly return to homeostasis or normal functioning. Addiction hijacks or fools the brain's reward system. Addicted people have a narrowing of interests, become preoccupied and eventually obsessed with attaining their "drug of choice." It becomes a singular focus. All other interests and goals become secondary and their lives become unraveled, unmanageable and out of control. Like drugs and alcohol, pornography produces similar neurobiological changes in the brain.
THE BRAIN HIJACKING PROCESS
God created men and women differently. A man's sexual response is almost always initiated visually. Pornographers know this and have created a billion dollar industry by seducing men. Accordingly, the following section deals exclusively with the male response to pornography. When a male sees a pornographic image or video, especially the high definition sex videos, his brain and body respond as if he were seeing the real thing. Neuroscientists call this reaction "mirroring." In plain language, mirroring allows the user to not only view pornography, but also to physiologically, emotionally, and mentally participate in the sexual experience. This occurs via a complex cascade of biological changes. Viewing pornography increases both testosterone and dopamine levels in males. It then creates heightened sexual interest, sexual tension and lust—and while these are subjectively pleasurable, they are not satisfying. In a state of heightened sexual arousal the porn user will surf the net (sometimes for hours) until he finds a sex scene or porn star to complete his sexual cycle. Biochemically, orgasm is the result of a very large dose of endogenous dopamine, which in turn, releases a bolus dose of endogenous morphine into his pleasure center. Nothing comes close to this feeling. This dose of "morphine" also shuts down the anxiety and stress producing mechanisms in the amygdala, a small structure in the midbrain.
Simply stated, pornography delivers intense sexual arousal and orgasm independent of love, affection or a sexual partner. As a Christian, let that sink in for a minute. A man can experience the highest level of physical pleasure by looking at his computer. No disease, no fear of pregnancy, no prostitute, no relationship, and it is virtually free and almost always anonymous.
LONG-TERM EFFECTS
Because porn produces an intense physiological and emotional response, a neuropathway is created. By repeated exposure to porn, the pathway become deeper, wider and harder to ignore. As a result it is easily provoked or triggered. The sights and sounds of porn are embedded on the brain like a virus on a hard drive that cannot be erased. These images are easily recalled and produce arousal and lust. Research shows that when teenagers or young men view pornography regularly, they are more likely to:
Begin sexual activity, including intercourse, earlier than same-age cohorts Believe that promiscuity is normal and harmless Believe that the most gratifying sexual satisfaction is possible without love or true affection Believe that being married and having a family are undesirable Believe that marriage is sexually confining Develop sexual compulsions and addictive behaviors Believe that deviant sexual practices are common and normal
A SPIRITUAL DISEASE
Like a parasite, pornography attaches itself to our God-given desire for intimate communion with another person in the form of marriage. This healthy desire for relationship is what Jesus himself placed in us before the beginning of the world. Nothing less than this kind of pure love will ever satisfy our true desire. Pornography will never satisfy the God-given desire for real love.
God made us for His pleasure. His desire is be close to us, but even more importantly, He wants us to know Him and His perfect love. Pornography is a counterfeit form of this love. It contaminates and overwhelms people with lies. It denies the fact that true love and communion within the covenant of marriage exists at all. Satan whispers, "God is lying to you and keeping secrets and real pleasure from you."Our struggle is not with flesh and blood, but with the spiritual enemy of God who wages war against our souls.
—Ephesians 6:12 THERE IS HOPE
If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction to pornography: Surrender your life to God, acknowledge that you need God's help, and that you are unable to get healing from this issue alone. Remember this sin thrives in secrecy and isolation.
Acknowledge the sin and ask God to forgive you. Forgive yourself and ask God to cleanse your thoughts, memories and feelings. Ask God to change the things that you desire, changing them to his desires for you. Address those things that trigger lust and remove them from your life. Talk about your struggle and be accountable to someone you trust, someone you care about and someone whom you know cares about you. When you speak with that person, you need to be open and honest with them, and then ask them to hold you accountable in your areas of weakness. When you are tempted, respond by fleeing and removing yourself from the situation. Ask your accountability partner for help. Seek counseling from a Christian counselor with experience in pornography addiction. Seek intercessory and healing prayer to remove any spiritual strongholds and unhealthy soul ties. Address unresolved wounds and resentments from your past (inner healing and forgiveness prayers).
On a personal note, I am very grateful to Christian Healing Ministries for having the courage and faith to battle the darkness of addiction through fervent prayer and fearless teaching. I now understand that when Jesus said he came to "set the captives free," one of the things he was talking about was spiritual bondage of addiction. We press on, remembering the words of our Lord Jesus: "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." —John 16:33
Facing Anxiety before God From Setting Love in Order by Mario Bergneri
After receiving so much help from Pastor Brown, from Leanne’s class, and from repenting and being filled with the Holy Spirit, I had a most incredible experience with God one weekend. It was Thursday afternoon, and classes were cancelled for Friday. Three long nights and two empty days awaited me before Sunday morning came and fellowship with other Christians. Sitting in my comfortable little apartment in Ohio, I began to feel the dread of being alone for such a long time. The sexual arousal linked to this anxiety resulted in homosexual temptations. I knew full well that if I left my apartment, I would surely have a sexual fall. Deciding to stay at home that evening, I watched a little television and did some reading. When Friday morning came, again deep anxiety and overwhelming homosexual temptation gripped me the moment I awakened. Except now these feelings seemed to have grown worse over the night. That morning during my devotions, I heard God say to me, “I love you, Mario.” At the end of that prayer session a deep God-given assurance filled me: If I could make it through until Sunday morning without a sexual fall, then never again would my body be devoured with homosexual temptation like this. I just knew it. Aligning my will with God’s will and deciding a sexual fall was out of the question, I took out a Band-Aid and placed it over the inside of my front door and the molding around it. Then I promised God I would not break that seal until Sunday morning came, no matter how anxious or sexually tempted I became. As Friday afternoon and evening progressed, the temptation and anxiety grew worse – something I did not think possible. I cleaned every corner of my apartment, straightened files I hadn’t looked at in years, wrote letters to old friends, made long-distance phone calls and, above all, practiced the presence of Jesus. Friday night was spent primarily tossing and turning in what seemed like the longest night of my life. The Band-Aid seal was still on the door.
vii Saturday morning came. Now I faced a spotless apartment, orderly files, and a stack of letters written to people I hadn’t corresponded with in years. All I could do was pray, read, and practice the presence of Jesus. Inside me the gnawing anxiety and forceful homosexual temptation still raged. That afternoon, all alone in my living room, I read aloud and performed a one-person play, The Passion of Lady Bright, by Joe Orton, a gay playwright. The play tells the story of an aging male homosexual who is no longer young enough to attract bedfellows. His walls are covered with the signatures of all the one-night stands he has brought home over the past twenty years. As the play unfolds, he tries to remember the faces attached to the hundreds of signatures that adorn his walls. Some he remembers; while others he cannot. It is a sad play, but a truthful one, as in the end he realizes he is an aging homosexual with no one to love. In the play, Lady Bright is really a burned-out old queen living in a monologue, utterly alone and without hope. After finishing the living room performance of this play, I fell to my knees in horror. Crying out to God, I begged, “Dear Lord, please don’t let me become another Lady Bright.” At that point, I remembered one of my most frightful memories from the gay lifestyle. It was Christmas Eve, four years earlier. Several friends and I went out for a drink to one of our favorite gay bars. The city was covered with a layer of freshly fallen snow, and large flakes quietly and slowly dropped from the sky. As we walked from our car to the bar, a church bell struck midnight. “Hey, it’s Christmas morning,” one of my friends said. “Merry Christmas.” Just as we approached the front door of the bar, it swung open and out stumbled a drunken older homosexual man. He fell on the snow-covered sidewalk, let out a profane expletive, managed to return to the upright position, and then staggered past us. The same friend who had wished us all a Merry Christmas contemptuously sneered, “How would you like to be that old fag on Christmas morning?” As he said this, a shocking stillness came over me. With piercing sincerity I spoke out the thought I knew we all feared. “In thirty years, I am going to be that lonely old fag on Christmas morning.” Without a doubt, if we continued as we were, we would all one day become Lady Brights or old trolls hiding in the shadows of gay bars. What we become when we live our lives apart from God is horrible. Although I now struggled with homosexuality, I was not alone. I was not living in the arid monologue described in Orton’s play. There but for the grace of God went I. I thought to myself, Better to be suffering before the cross than to end up alone and hopeless. The words of Job 13:15 rang in my ears, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” Even if my present temptations never let up, I would stand before the cross and hurt, till kingdom come if necessary. Unable to form any words to pray, my painful, anxious loneliness became my prayer. There, in the midst of unbearable suffering, I resolutely decided to obey God. That is exactly what God was waiting for me to do. Although my will was still feeble and in need of much more healing, I had exercised it in concert with God’s will. God’s presence abiding with me empowered me to do what I had previously thought impossible. With Christ, I faced the fear of loneliness, anxiety, sexual temptation, and abandonment I never before could face. This was a turning point in my healing as I voluntarily died to my old self and identified with Christ in His suffering. When Sunday morning came and I broke the Band-Aid seal on my door, my true self, the self in union with the resurrected Christ, was more firmly established as the center of my soul. The next week I came into a powerful new realization of Christ living in me. It has changed my life. And never again did I have to face a gut- wrenching three-day weekend like that.
Bergner, Mario, Setting Love in Order: Hope and Healing for the Homosexual, (Grand i Rapids, MI: Hamewith Books, 1995.) 92-94.
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ENCOUNTER SPIRITUAL PROFILE
Family: 1. Is there anyone in your present family who is a 6. Were there major sins committed against you in your Christian? Anyone from past generations that you know childhood by a family member or by any other person? of? (ex. Grandmother, Aunt or Uncle, etc.) Sexual abuse Physical abuse 2. Have you or any person of your family been involved in Verbal abuse Rejection the following? Abandonment Hinduism Islam
Baha’i faith Jehovah’s Witness Personal: Buddhism Krishna 7. With what areas of obedience to the Word of God do Mormonism Christian Science you habitually struggle? Prayer Fasting 3. Have you or any person in your family been involved in Meditation Tithing any of the following? Self-control Faith Cults of any type Rebellion-1 Sam. 15:23 Submission to authority Calling the dead/spirits Psychics Fellowshipping with believers Horoscopes New Age Growing in Christ-likeness
Palm reading Fortune-telling Supernatural work of the Holy Spirit Good luck charms Magicians 8. Have you had a problem submitting to those in Dungeons & Dragons Superstitions authority to you? Martial arts Yoga Parents Employers/Bosses Out-of-body experience Predicting the future Pastors Government/Laws Ouija boards Transcendental Teachers Secret order groups Meditation
4. Have any tragedies been repetitive in your family?
Fire Murder 9. Have you ever participated in or been a part of any of Poverty Financial Ruin the following sexual sins? Abuse Incest Fornication Adultery Divorce Rape Homosexuality Molestation Untimely Death Lust Incest Masturbation Bestiality 5. Are you aware of the existence of any ancestral sins, Sexual fantasizing Pornography such as the following ones? Telephone/cyber sex Violence Sexual abuse Desire to see others’ nakedness Alcohol abuse Drug abuse Exhibitionism (wanting others to see your nakedness) Sexual immorality Adultery Fascination with occult movies Use of witchcraft or sorcery (including
13. Do you have any of the following problems preventing 10. Do you have any of the following addictive/destructive you from having a normal physical condition? habits present in your life? � Internal organ problems � Stealing � Chronic illness � Sleeping disorders � Low energy levels � Alcohol addiction � Dyslexia � Forgetfulness � Attention deficit disorder � Prescription drug abuse � Major disease(s) � Illegal drug abuse � External physical problems � Violence � Sense impairment � Smoking � � � Envy/jealousy Lying � � Manipulation Eating disorder � Relationships: � Frequent tardiness Breaking promises Give a one or two word answer to describe the following � � Bad attitudes Excessive computer play � Gambling (good, bad, not applicable) � Addiction to video games � Adult movies � Being argumentative 1. Your relationship with your mother: � � Obsessive indulgences Addiction to TV � 2. Your relationship with your father: � Seductive behavior Selfishness/greed � 3. Your relationship with your children: � Dirty language Disorganization � 4. Your relationship with your spouse (if married): � Excessive foolish talking Making light of things 5. Your relationship with any other significant
individuals in your life: 11. Do you habitually experience any of the following 6. Your social life: emotions, thoughts, feeling or dispositions? 7. What is the one thing you hoped would not be � Anxiety/fear � Bitterness asked in this profile?
� Anger � Confusion � Being critical of others � Apathy � Perfectionism � Loneliness/isolation � Feelings of inferiority � Pride/superiority � Rationalizing � Chronic counseling
� Indecisiveness � Racism � Hatred of someone (who? ) � Long periods of depression � Unforgiveness (toward whom? )
12. Do you experience any of the following spiritual encounters? � Nightmares � Demonic visitations � Premonitions � Déjà vu experiences � Demonic visions � Fearful or unclean thoughts � Demonic/driving thoughts in your mind
Curses, Vows & Judgments:
14. Curses are words spoken against you by someone. They are usually a result of rebellion against authority (Gen. 3:14-17, Mark 11:20). Have you any knowledge of curses at work in your life, past or present? (e.g. teachers, employers, public leaders, or spiritual leaders speaking negative words over your life, such as “you are cursed because of your dad.”)
15. Vows, oaths, and swearings are promises or pledges made (James 5:12). Have you any knowledge of vows or oaths at work in your life, past or present? This includes words spoken by you. (e.g. “If it takes every penny I have, I will get you back.” Or “I’ll go to hell rather than live with them.”)
16. Judgments are negative conclusions about a person that are projected into his future. Usually these are precipitated by the person’s condition or performance. (Matthew 18:18) Do you know of any made against you, past or present? (“You are stupid.” “You’ll never do anything right.” “You’ll never amount to anything.” “You’re lazy, ugly, dumb.”)
CONCEPTION TO BIRTH PRAYER (by month)
CONCEPTION
Have the person cup both of their hands together.
Father, I invite you to come into this conception where the egg and the sperm were joined and formed ______(name). Hear him call your name. Before you were born, I called you… from your birth I made mention of your name. You were chosen by me before the foundation of the world. I wrote all of your days in my book of life before you were formed in your mother’s womb. I knew you and I set you apart and gave you a destiny. I created you because I desired to have a loving relationship with you forever.
Heavenly Father, I ask You to release ______from any harmful effects stemming from his/her conception and anything wrong in his/her parents’ relationship. Fill the moment of conception with all the love and joy that You always wanted him/her to have. I know that You desired and planned his/her life with an everlasting love, stretching back to the foundation of the world. Please let him/her know this in the very depth of his/her heart. Let him/her know You longed for them. If there is any darkness in his/her heart, fill it with Your light and love. Free him/her from every feeling of rejection and worthlessness. Let him/her know beyond the shadow of doubt that he/she is Your child. Fill him/her with all the mother’s and father’s love that they needed and missed. In Jesus’ name, Amen. (Do you feel or see anything?) (Do you want to share it?)
FIRST MONTH You are in your first month. The Lord is fearfully and wonderfully knitting you together in your mother’s womb. Heavenly Father, I ask You to go into this womb and heal any genetic problems or generational bondages that may have come down through generational lines. Heal any predisposition to (identify the weakness) that may have come down through ______’s parents or grandparents. I ask You through the power of Your Holy Spirit to set him/her free. I take the Sword of the Spirit and cut you free from any predisposition to ______. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I command any spirit not of God to loosen your influence and hold upon ______. You are an intruder upon his/her life. I command you to go to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, that He might deal with you as He sees fit. Father, in the empty place, fill it with Your truth, Your power, and Your light. Fill this womb with the power of Your Holy Spirit in the form of warm, golden oil or light so the baby lives, moves, and has its being in You. Let your Holy Sprit be the buffer between any negative thoughts, emotions, or words that may come from the mother or father. In Jesus’ Name Amen.
SECOND MONTH
You are now in the second month. How are you doing? By the end of this month it is evident that you are a boy/girl.
Heavenly Father, reassure ______that he/she was wanted by You and that You planned for him/her to be a male/female. Reveal to ______that You created him/her on purpose. The Lord says to you, ______, “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you and approved of you as My chosen instrument. And before you were born I set you apart. I am the one who made you, I formed you, and I will help you. Do not be afraid.”
THIRD MONTH
You are in your third month. On your 50th day you changed from an embryo to a fetus.
Heavenly Father, I ask that You would place within ______all the gifts, talents and tools that he/she will need to become the person You called them to be. As ______continues to grow and develop, let him/her feel safe and at peace knowing You are present. x FOURTH MONTH
You are in your fourth month.
Thank you, Father, that you set ______apart and called him/her by Your grace. Breathe into ______with Your Holy Spirit and awaken his/her spirit. Fill each heart with joy. Your mother begins to feel your movement for the first time. John the Baptist leaped for joy in Elizabeth’s womb and was filled with the Holy Spirit when he heard Mary’s voice.
FIFTH MONTH
You are in your fifth month and your mother is beginning to show.
How are you doing?
We thank You, Father, for ______’s mother. Thank you for the life she is nourishing. Thank you that all the internal organs have developed properly and are functioning normally. Father, I claim healing of emotions for ______and his/her mother. I thank You that your word says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.” You are love, so I ask you to drive out any fear that may be present right now.
SIXTH MONTH
You are in your sixth month.
Heavenly Father, I bind ______’s body, soul, and spirit to Your will and purpose for their life. I bind ______’s mind, will, and emotions to Your will. I bind him/her to the truth and to the blood of Jesus Christ. I bind your mind to the mind of Christ that the very thoughts, feelings and purposes of His heart would be in your thoughts. I bind your feet to the paths of righteousness that your steps would be steady and sure. I bind you to the work of the cross with all of its mercy, grace, love, forgiveness and dying to self. In the name of Jesus, I call back any harsh words or word curses spoken over you while you were in your mother’s womb. I loosen their power and effect. Their assignment against you is cancelled. Lord, I ask that You would replace those words with Your words of Truth.
(Pause) How are you doing?
SEVENTH MONTH
You are in your seventh month. You are hidden from the world but not from God. All your body parts are completely developed. Your eyes are open and your lungs now carry oxygen. Your hearing is completed.
The Lord says to you, ______, “Your frame was not hidden from me when I was forming you in the secret place. I intricately wove you (as if embroidering with various colors) in the depths of the earth (a region of darkness and mystery.) I saw with my eyes your unformed substance and in my book all the days of your life were written before they ever took shape.” You were in God’s mind and He planned your very birth.
EIGHTH MONTH
You are in your eighth month. You and your mother are closely connected. You’re growing fast and things are getting a bit crowded. As you and your mother anticipate your arrival, so is the Lord waiting with expectation upon your arrival into this world.
You are always on His mind. “How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts towards me. O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand.”
NINTH MONTH
You are in your ninth month. You have reached your fullness of time, normally a period of 280 days. It is time for your birth. Jesus is there to help deliver you. Jesus said, “A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come, but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.” His word says, “You brought me out of the womb, You made me trust in You, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast upon You, from my mother’s womb You have been my God.”
Are you willing to be born? To these parents? For Jesus’ sake?
Heavenly Father, I ask You to heal any fear or pain ______may experience during the birth process. Release him/her from any guilt that could be associated with the mother’s pain.
Are you able to ask Jesus to help you be born?
Lord Jesus, I ask you by the power of your Holy Spirit to come and receive ______into the world.
NOTE: If the person was not a full-term baby, stop before the ninth month (usually the month at which the person was born) and revise as the Holy Spirit leads. No matter what kind of birth it was—normal with head first, breach birth, head wrapped with umbilical cord, Cesarean section, instrument birth, Rh blood factor complication—God’s presence can take the fear of birth away. If the newborn child was ill or in an incubator, or mother was ill, and so the child was separated from the mother for some time, had surgery, or any other additional trauma, let Jesus meet those needs. xi
MASONRY RELEASE (Also includes prayers of release from many other related occult organizations)
If you or someone you love is a descendant of a Mason, CHM recommends that you pray through the following prayers from your heart. Please read it through first so you know what is involved. It is best to pray aloud with a Christian witness or counselor present.
Father God, Creator of heaven and earth, I come to You in the Name of Jesus Christ, Your Son. I come as a sinner seeking forgiveness and cleansing from all sins committed against You. I honor my earthly father and mother and all of my ancestors of flesh and blood, and my parents and/or ancestors of the spirit by adoption, and my god-parents, but I utterly turn away from and renounce all their sins. I forgive my ancestors for the effects of their sins on me and my children. I confess and renounce all of my own sins. I renounce and rebuke Satan and every spiritual power of his affecting me and my family.
I renounce and forsake all involvement in freemasonry or any other lodge or craft by my ancestors and myself. I renounce witchcraft, the principal spirit behind freemasonry, and I renounce Baphomet, the Spirit of Antichrist and the curse of the Luciferian doctrine. I renounce the idolatry, blasphemy, secrecy and deception of Masonry at every level. I specifically renounce the insecurity, the love of position and power, the love of money, avarice or greed, and the pride which would have led my ancestors into Masonry. I renounce all the fears which held them in Masonry, especially the fears of death, fears of men, and fears of trusting, in the Name of Jesus Christ.
I renounce every position held in the lodge by any of my ancestors, including “Tyler,” “Master,” “Worshipful Master” or any other. I renounce the calling of any man “Master,” for Jesus Christ is my only Master and Lord, and He forbids anyone else having that title. I renounce the entrapping of others into Masonry. I renounce the effects of Masonry passed on to me and my family through any female ancestor who felt distrusted and rejected by her husband as he entered and attended any lodge and refused to tell her of his secret activities.
1ST DEGREE
I renounce the oaths taken and the curses involved in the First or Entered Apprentice degree, especially their effects on the throat and tongue. I renounce the hoodwink, the blindfold, and its effects on emotions and eyes, including all confusion, fear of the dark, fear of the light, and fear of sudden noises. I renounce the secret word, BOAZ, and all it means. I renounce the mixing and mingling of truth and error, and the blasphemy of this degree of Masonry. I renounce the noose around the neck, the fear of choking and also every spirit causing asthma, hayfever, emphysema or any other breathing difficulty. I renounce the compass point, sword or sphere held against the breast, the fear of death by stabbing pain, and the fear of heart attack from this degree.
In the Name of Jesus Christ, I now pray for healing of ______(throat, vocal cords, nasal passages, sinus, bronchial tubes, etc.) for healing of the speech area, and the release of the Word of God to and through me and my family.
2ND DEGREE
I renounce the oaths taken and the curses involved in the second or Fellow Craft degree of Masonry, especially the curses on the heart and chest. I renounce the secret words JACHIN and SHIBBOLETH and all that these mean. I cut off emotional hardness, apathy, indifference, unbelief, and deep anger from me and my family. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray for the healing of ______(the chest/lung/heart area) and also for the healing of my emotions, and ask to be made sensitive to the Holy Spirit of God.
xii 3RD DEGREE
I renounce the oaths taken and the curses involved in the third or Master Mason degree, especially the curses on the stomach and womb area. I renounce the secret words MAHA, BONE, MACHABEN, MACHBINNA and TUBAL CAIN, and all that they mean. I renounce the spirit of death from the blows to the head enacted as ritual murder, the fear of death, false martyrdom, fear of violent gang attack, assault, rape, and the helplessness of this degree. I renounce the falling into the coffin or stretcher involved in the ritual of murder. I renounce the false resurrection of this degree, because only Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life! I also renounce the blasphemous kissing of the Bible on a witchcraft oath. I cut off all spirits of death, witchcraft and deception. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray for the healing of ______(the stomach, gall bladder, womb, liver and any other organs of my body affected by masonry), and I ask for a release of compassion and understanding for me and my family.
HOLY ROYAL ARCH DEGREE
I renounce the oaths taken and the curses involved in the Holy Royal Arch Degree of Masonry, especially the oath regarding the removal of the head from the body and the exposing of the brains to the hot sun. I renounce the Mark Lodge, and the mark in the form of squares and angles which marks the person for life. I also reject the jewel or talisman which may have been made from this mark sign and worn at lodge meetings. I renounce the false secret name of God, JAHBULON, and the password, AMMI RUHAMAH and all they mean. I renounce the false communion or Eucharist taken in this degree, and all the mockery, skepticism and unbelief about the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. I cut off all these curses and their effects on me and my family in the Name of Jesus Christ, and I pray for ______(healing of the brain, the mind, etc.).
18TH DEGREE
I renounce the oaths taken and the curses involved in the eighteenth degree of Masonry, the Most Wise Sovereign Knight of the Pelican and the Eagle and Sovereign Prince Rose Croix of Heredom. I renounce and reject the Pelican witchcraft spirit, as well as the occultic influence of the Rosicrucians and the Kabala in this degree. I renounce the claim that the death of Jesus Christ was a “dire calamity,” and also the deliberate mockery and twisting of the Christian doctrine of the Atonement. I renounce the blasphemy and rejection of the deity of Jesus Christ, and the secret words IGNE NATURA RENOVATUR INTEGRA and its burning. I renounce the mockery of the communion taken in this degree, including a biscuit, salt and white wine.
30TH DEGREE
I renounce the oaths taken and the curses involved in the thirtieth degree of Masonry, the Grand Knight Kadosh and Knight of the Black and White Eagle. I renounce the password, “STIBIU MALKABAR” and all that it means.
31ST DEGREE
I renounce the oaths taken and the curses involved in the thirty-first degree of Masonry, the Grand Inspector Inquisitor Commander. I renounce all the gods and goddesses of Egypt which are honored in this degree, including Anubis with the ram’s head, Osiris the sun god, Isis the sister and wife of Osiris and also the moon goddess. I renounce the Soul of Cheres, the false symbol of immortality, the chamber of the dead and the false teaching of reincarnation.
32ND DEGREE
I renounce the oaths taken and the curses involved in the thirty-second degree of Masonry, the Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret. I renounce Masonry’s false trinitarian deity AUM and its parts; Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. I renounce the deity of AHURA-MAZDA, the claimed or source of all light, and the worship with fire, which is an abomination to God, and the drinking from a human skull in some Rites. YORK RITE
I renounce the oaths taken and the curses involved in the York Rite of Freemasonry, including Mark Master, Past Master, Most Excellent Master, Royal Master, Select Master, Super Excellent Master, the Orders of the Red Cross, the Knights of Malta and the Knights Templar degrees. I renounce the secret words of JOPPA, KEB RAIOTH, and MAHER- SHALAL-HASHBAZ. I renounce the vows taken on a human skull, the crossed swords, and the curse and death wish of Judas of having the head cut off and placed on top of a church spire. I renounce the unholy communion and especially the drinking from a human skull in some rites.
SHRINERS (America only — doesn’t apply in other countries)
I renounce the oaths taken and the curses and penalties involved in the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. I renounce the piercing of the eyeballs with a three-edged blade, the flaying of the feet, the madness, and the worship of the false god Allah as the god of our fathers. I renounce the hoodwink, the mock hanging, the mock beheading, the mock drinking of the blood of the victim, the mock dog urinating on the initiate, and the offering of urine as a commemoration.
33RD DEGREE
I renounce the oaths taken and the curses involved in the thirty-third degree of Masonry, the Grand Sovereign Inspector General. I RENOUNCE AND FORSAKE THE DECLARATION THAT LUCIFER IS GOD. I renounce the cable-tow around the neck. I renounce the death wish that the wine drunk from a human skull should turn to poison and the skeleton whose cold arms are invited if the oath of this degree is violated. I renounce the three infamous assassins of their grand master—law, property and religion — and the greed and witchcraft involved in the attempt to manipulate and control the rest of mankind.
ALL OTHER DEGREES
I renounce all the other oaths taken, the rituals of every other degree and the curses involved. I renounce all other lodges and secret societies such as Prince Hall Freemasonry, Mormonism (which is largely based upon Masonry), The Order of Amaranth, Oddfellows, Buffalos, Druids, Foresters, Orange, Elks, Moose and Eagles Lodges, the Ku Klux Klan, The Grange, the Woodmen of the World, Riders of the Red Robe, the Knights of Pythias, the Mystic Order of the Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm, the women’s Orders of the Eastern Star, and the White Shrine of Jerusalem, the girls’ order of the Daughters of the Eastern Star, the International Orders of Job’s Daughters, the Rainbow, and the boys’ Order of De Molay, and their effects on me and all my family.
I renounce the ancient pagan teaching and symbolism of the First Tracing Board, the Second Tracing Board and the Third Tracing Board used in the ritual of the Blue Lodge. I renounce the pagan ritual of the “Point within a Circle” with all its bondages and phallus worship. I renounce the occultic mysticism of the black and white mosaic chequered floor with the tessellated border and five-pointed blazing star. I renounce the symbol “G” and its veiled pagan symbolism and bondages. I renounce and utterly forsake the Great Architect of the Universe, who is revealed in the higher degrees as Lucifer, and his false claim to be the universal fatherhood of God. I also renounce the false claim that Lucifer is the Morning Star and Shining One, and I declare that Jesus Christ is the Bright and Morning Star of Revelation 22:16.
I renounce the All-Seeing Third Eye of Freemasonry or Horus in the forehead and its pagan and occult symbolism. I renounce all false communions taken, all mockery of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary, all unbelief, confusion and depression, and all worship of Lucifer as God. I renounce and forsake the lie of Freemasonry that man is not sinful, but just imperfect, and so can redeem himself through good works. I rejoice that the Bible states that I am a sinner and cannot do a single thing to earn my salvation, but that I can only be saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and what He accomplished on the Cross of Calvary. I renounce all fear of insanity, anguish, death wishes, suicide and death in the Name of Jesus Christ. Death was conquered by Jesus Christ, and He alone holds the keys of death and hell, and I rejoice that He holds my life in His hands now. He came to give me life abundantly and eternally, and I believe His promises.
I renounce all anger, hatred, murderous thoughts, revenge, retaliation, spiritual apathy, false religion, all unbelief, especially unbelief in the Holy Bible as God’s Word, and all compromise of God’s Word. I renounce all spiritual searching into false religions, and all striving to please God. I rest in the knowledge that I have found my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and that He has found me.
I commit to burn all objects in my possession which connect me with all lodges and occultic organizations, including Masonry, witchcraft and Mormonism, and all regalia, aprons, books of rituals, rings and other jewelry. I renounce the effects that these or other objects of Masonry, such as the compass, the square, the noose or the blindfold, have had on me or my family, in Jesus’ Name.
Holy Spirit, I ask that You show me anything else which I need to do or for which I should pray so that I and my family may be totally free from the consequences of the sins of Masonry, witchcraft, Mormonism and paganism. (Pause while listening to God, and pray as the Holy Spirit leads you.) Now, dear Father God, I ask humbly for the blood of Jesus Christ, Your Son, to cleanse me from all these sins I have confessed and renounced, to cleanse my spirit, my soul, my mind, my emotions and every part of my body which has been affected by these sins, in Jesus’ Name!
I renounce every evil spirit associated with Masonry and witchcraft and all other sins, and I command in the Name of Jesus Christ for Satan and every evil spirit to be bound and to leave me now, touching or harming no one, and I send you to the feet of Jesus Himself, so that He may deal with you as He sees fit. I command you never to return to me or my family. I call on the Name of the Lord Jesus to deliver me and my family of these spirits, in accordance with the many promises of the Bible. I ask to be delivered of every spirit of sickness, infirmity, curse, affliction, addiction, disease or allergy associated with these sins which I have confessed and renounced.
I surrender to God’s Holy Spirit and to no other spirit all the places in my life where these sins have been. I ask You, Lord, to baptize me in Your Holy Spirit now according to the promises in Your Word. I take to myself the whole armor of God in accordance with Ephesians chapter six, and rejoice in its protection as Jesus surrounds me and fills me with His Holy Spirit. I enthrone You, Lord Jesus, in my heart, for You are my Lord and my Savior, the source of eternal life. Thank You, Father God, for Your mercy, Your forgiveness and Your love. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen. *These Freemasonry prayers are taken from Unmasking Freemasonry - Removing the Hoodwink by Selwyn Stevens, Jubilee Publishers, PO Box 36-044, Wellington 6330, New Zealand. (ISBN 0 9583417-3-7). Copying of these prayers is both permitted and encouraged, provided reference is made to their origination, as noted here. Freemasonry prayers from The Unmasking of Freemasonry by Selwyn Stevens, available from Dove Ministries, PO Box 48036 Blockhouse Bay, Auckland, New Zealand. xiii
I renounce all fear of insanity, anguish, death wishes, suicide and death in the Name of Jesus Christ. Death was conquered by Jesus Christ, and He alone holds the keys of death and hell, and I rejoice that He holds my life in His hands now. He came to give me life abundantly and eternally, and I believe His promises.
I renounce all anger, hatred, murderous thoughts, revenge, retaliation, spiritual apathy, false religion, all unbelief, especially unbelief in the Holy Bible as God’s Word, and all compromise of God’s Word. I renounce all spiritual searching into false religions, and all striving to please God. I rest in the knowledge that I have found my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and that He has found me.
I commit to burn all objects in my possession which connect me with all lodges and occultic organizations, including Masonry, witchcraft and Mormonism, and all regalia, aprons, books of rituals, rings and other jewelry. I renounce the effects that these or other objects of Masonry, such as the compass, the square, the noose or the blindfold, have had on me or my family, in Jesus’ Name.
Holy Spirit, I ask that You show me anything else which I need to do or for which I should pray so that I and my family may be totally free from the consequences of the sins of Masonry, witchcraft, Mormonism and paganism. (Pause while listening to God, and pray as the Holy Spirit leads you.) Now, dear Father God, I ask humbly for the blood of Jesus Christ, Your Son, to cleanse me from all these sins I have confessed and renounced, to cleanse my spirit, my soul, my mind, my emotions and every part of my body which has been affected by these sins, in Jesus’ Name!
I renounce every evil spirit associated with Masonry and witchcraft and all other sins, and I command in the Name of Jesus Christ for Satan and every evil spirit to be bound and to leave me now, touching or harming no one, and I send you to the feet of Jesus Himself, so that He may deal with you as He sees fit. I command you never to return to me or my family. I call on the Name of the Lord Jesus to deliver me and my family of these spirits, in accordance with the many promises of the Bible. I ask to be delivered of every spirit of sickness, infirmity, curse, affliction, addiction, disease or allergy associated with these sins which I have confessed and renounced.
I surrender to God’s Holy Spirit and to no other spirit all the places in my life where these sins have been. I ask You, Lord, to baptize me in Your Holy Spirit now according to the promises in Your Word. I take to myself the whole armor of God in accordance with Ephesians chapter six, and rejoice in its protection as Jesus surrounds me and fills me with His Holy Spirit. I enthrone You, Lord Jesus, in my heart, for You are my Lord and my Savior, the source of eternal life. Thank You, Father God, for Your mercy, Your forgiveness and Your love. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen. *These Freemasonry prayers are taken from Unmasking Freemasonry - Removing the Hoodwink by Selwyn Stevens, Jubilee Publishers, PO Box 36-044, Wellington 6330, New Zealand. (ISBN 0 9583417-3-7). Copying of these prayers is both permitted and encouraged, provided reference is made to their origination, as noted here. Freemasonry prayers from The Unmasking of Freemasonry by Selwyn Stevens, available from Dove Ministries, PO Box 48036 Blockhouse Bay, Auckland, New Zealand. xiv xv xvi xvii xviii
The Heart of an Orphan The Heart of Sonship
See God as Master IMAGE OF GOD See God as a loving Father Independent / Self-reliant DEPENDENCY Interdependent / Acknowledges Need Live by the Love of Law THEOLOGY Live by the Law of Love Insecure / Lack peace SECURITY Rest and Peace Strive for the praise, approval, and accep- NEED FOR APPROVAL Totally accepted in God’s love and justified by tance of man grace A need for personal achievement as you seek MOTIVE FOR SERVICE Service that is motivated by a deep gratitude to impress God and others, or no motivation for being unconditionally loved and accepted to serve at all by God Duty and earning God’s favor, thus increasing MOTIVE BEHIND Pleasure and delight a sense of shame and guit CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINES “Must” be holy to have God’s favor, thus MOTIVE FOR PURITY “Want to” be holy; do not want anything to increasing a sense of shame and guilt hinder intimate relationship with God Self-rejection from comparing yourself to SELF-IMAGE Positive and affirmed because you know you others have such value to God Seek comfort in counterfeit affections; ad- SOURCE OF COMFORT Seek times of quietness and solitude to rest in dictions, compulsions, escapism, busyness, the Father’s presence and love hyper-religious activity Competition, rivalry, and jealousy toward PEER RELATIONSHIPS Humility and unity as you value others and are others’ success and position able to rejoice in their blessings and success Accusation and exposure in order to make HANDLING OTHERS’ Love covers as you seek to restore others in a yourself look good by making others look bad FAULTS spirit of love and gentleness See authority as a source of pain; distrustful VIEW OF AUTHORITY Respectful, honoring, you see them as minis- toward them and lack a heart attitude of ters of God for good in your life submission Difficulty receiving admonition; you must be VIEW OF ADMONITION See the receiving of admonition as a blessing right so you easily get your feelings hurt and and need in your life so that your faults and close your spirit to discipline weaknesses are exposed and put to death Guarded and conditional; based upon others’ EXPRESSION OF LOVE Open, patient, and affectionate as you lay your performance as you seek to get your own life and agendas down in order to meet the needs met needs of others Conditional & Distant SENSE OF GOD’S PRE- Close and Intimate SENSE Bondage CONDITION Liberty Feel like a Servant / Slave POSITION Feel like a Son / Daughter Spiritual ambition; the earnest desire for VISION To daily experience the Father’s uncondi- some spiritual achievement and distinction tional love and acceptance and then be sent and the willingness to strive for it; a desire to as a representative of His love to family and be seen and counted among the mature others. Fight for what you can get! FUTURE Sonship releases your inheritance!
- Taken from “From Slavery to Sonship,” by Jack and Trisha Frost
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