Category: Christian Life

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Christian Healing: Is It For Today?

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In the last post, I laid out the biblical foundation of Christian Healing from God’s revelation of Himself as Jehovah Rapha – “God Your Healer” – up to the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy that healing would be in the atonement of the coming Christ. Although I believe that biblically we can prove that Jesus’ healing gift was not relegated to the future consummation of His Kingdom, we are still left with the challenge of proving that it was Jesus’ intention for healing to continue throughout the church age, now.

We left off discussing the fact that Jesus healed every sick person that was brought to Him. No one who believes the Bible disputes that fact. However, in answering the question of whether that healing would continue today, we must face certain objections that are often raised against divine healing moving forward.

Objection: Jesus Was God! We are Not!

One common objection to God healing today is, “Jesus was God; of course He could heal everyone. We are not!” This objection, however, voluntarily overlooks the humanity of Jesus in the incarnation.

The bible clearly states that although Jesus is God in the flesh, He willingly left His divine attributes aside, and lived life as a human being (see Philippians 2:5-8). Jesus was the perfect example to us of what humanity looks like when we are filled with the Holy Spirit and fully submitted to God. Theologically we call this “Christus Exemplar” or “Christ Our Example.”

As He laid down His divine attributes, we must understand that Jesus was not healing people through His own power as God! He was healing people as man, through the power of God the Holy Spirit, who He then gave to the church as a gift. Through the Holy Spirit, our spiritual DNA is reformed to be just like His!

We see this in the fact that Jesus did not keep His authority to heal for Himself, but He commissioned His disciples to do the same thing:

Matthew 10 tells us:

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.

Matthew 10:1

These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

Matthew 10:5-8

Jesus not only thought it was possible for human beings to heal the sick, but He gave them the authority and commanded it!

Objection: That Gift Was Only For The Apostles!

Again, the critic will argue that the supernatural gifts of the spirit were given only to those original 12 Apostles (or only for the Apostolic Age), in order to get Christianity started, but that the gifts did not continue past the death of the Apostles.

Yet, again, however, scripture itself overturns this argument as Jesus did not limit the transfer of His authority only to the Apostles:

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go, and He said to them…Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

Luke 10:1-2a,8-9

We clearly see Jesus Himself directing non-Apostles to heal the sick! And His healing ministry still doesn’t end there…

Should We Expect Healing Today?

 In His final charge to His disciples before leaving earth, in Matthew 28:18-20, He commissions them to instruct the next generation of disciples to continue in everything He had taught and commanded them!

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

I believe the “all” includes His command to heal the sick. In fact, in his presentation of this same “Great Commission,” Mark’s gospel says:

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Mark 16:15-18

The Great Commission, therefore, tells us that divine healing is intended to pass from one generation of believer to another. It would not stop!

So, should we expect healing today? YES! Not only is healing in the nature of God and the Atonement of Christ. It is also in the commission of the church!

I know many will still object to this fact by twisting minor verses in other places, but the truth is, you have to throw out a lot of scripture to conclude that Jesus does not heal today, through His church, and to believe that He is withholding that gift until His final return.

Objection: Why Are Some People Not Healed?

The short answer: I don’t know. Biblically you can point to many factors which might explain why some people do not get healed in prayer. 

  • It can be my lack of faith as a pray-er (James 5:15). 
  • It can be the person’s lack of faith as the one being prayed for (Luke 8:48, 17:19, 18:42). 
  • It can be the existence of unconfessed sin. 
  • It can be the presence of demonic strongholds. 
  • It may even be a case of the sovereignty of God giving grace to the person, in which their sickness unto death spares them from a worse state (see Isaiah 57:1, with an example given in 1 Kings 14:12-13)
  • There are likely many other reasons people are not healed in the now.

I cannot give a definite answer as to why some people are healed now, supernaturally, and some are left in their state of sickness. All I can say for certain is that healing IS in the atonement of Jesus Christ, and that whether now or at His second coming, every person who trusts Him will be healed completely.

What we cannot do is to say that because some people do not get healed, that it invalidates any healing at all in Jesus’ name and by the power of the Holy Spirit or that we should not pursue God’s grace for healing today. In the atonement, Jesus paid the price for all sin, and yet for whatever reason some people still do not get saved. The fact that some people still die and go to hell does not nullify that Jesus is the Savior of the world.

A Scholarly Explanation

I don’t want to dwell long on this point, but I do appreciate how Sam Storms in his article “Divine Healing” speaks on this issue:

Everything we receive from God finds its ultimate source in what Christ did for us on the cross. Therefore, the question is not whether our bodies receive healing because of the atonement of Christ, but when. We are forgiven of our sins now because of Christ’s atoning death, but we await the consummation of our deliverance from the presence of sin when Christ returns. We experience fellowship with God now because of Christ’s atoning death, but we await the consummation of that blessed relationship when Christ returns. We profit immensely now from the Spirit’s work in our hearts, but who would dare suggest that what the Holy Spirit is doing in this age is all that he will ever do? There is a glorious harvest reserved in heaven for us of which the present ministry of the Holy Spirit is merely the first fruits!

In other words, it is a serious mistake for us to think that every blessing Christ secured through his redemptive suffering will be ours now in its consummate form. All such blessings shall indeed be ours, let there be no mistake about that. But let us not expect, far less demand, that we now experience fully those blessings which God has clearly reserved for heaven in the age to come…

He goes on to say:

To insist that this physical blessing is future is not to detract from the efficacy or value of Christ’s atoning work, nor to deny that God often heals (at times partially, at times wholly) now. It is simply to recognize, as Scripture does, that God’s timing is often different from ours.

Sam Storms, Divine Healing (Oklahoma City, OK: Sam Storms, 2006).

So What Do We Do?

I 100% believe that Jesus is Healer. I believe this from the Bible. I believe this from church history. And I believe it from many personal experiences with healing, today. Does everyone get healed? No. However, I am not discouraged by that to the point that I would stop praying for the sick, and going after the Lord for more!

We must pursue Jesus Christ to heal ALL of our diseases now, with full faith in His atoning work and an unending hope for His miraculous intervention immediately.

We do not need to pray, “Lord, if it is Your will, heal…” He has made it evident that it is His will to heal. We must learn to pray, instead, “Lord, let your Kingdom come; let your healing be done, on earth (now) as it is (now) in heaven.”

As many respected charismatic leaders have said concerning the “already but not yet: it is not a matter of “IF” we can see God’s Kingdom power now, it is only a  matter of “HOW MUCH?” can we have on this side of eternity. To find out the answer, we must pursue Him for healing, in faith, for every sickness and disease we come across.

So what do we do? We lay hands on the sick, pray the prayer of faith, and believe God will be faithful to His promise. The rest is up to Him.

Hopefully this post and the last one have sparked something inside you to pursue the Lord for healing today! In the next post, we will begin to discuss the practical side of praying for the sick by looking at our authority to heal.

If you’re enjoying the content I produce, a little caffeine to keep me going would be appreciated!



© Anthony Scott Ingram 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry!

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Christian Healing: Biblical Foundations

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The topic of healing is one I tend to avoid discussing in theological debate settings. I have seen the power of God to heal on thousands of occasions, both in my own body, through my prayers for others, and through the many believers we have equipped to pray for the sick. To say that God still heals today is a foregone conclusion in my mind, and is therefore not a controversy I feel the need to engage in. My mind is settled, so I tend to leave it to more intellectual, “professional” theologians to debate over.

However, as I believe another healing revival is coming and begin discussing the topic on the blog, it is necessary to lay the biblical foundations for God’s healing work and to know from scripture if we can trust that God wants to heal today.

The Theological Divide

The major problem is that the bible holds God’s divine healing of human sicknesses in the tension of the “already but not yet” reality of the Kingdom of God. This is the idea that when Jesus was on earth He initiated God’s Kingdom with all it’s gifts and promises now (the already), and yet there is still more to come in the final consummation of all things at His second coming (the not yet).

This tension has too often created a dividing line between those believers who hold that God’s promise of healing is for today, and those who say that the promise of healing cannot be claimed for now;  that we must wait for eternity when “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). 

As each point of view digs in its heels, both sides, then, position themselves to make theological arguments to prove that God heals within their position’s time period. As I see it, the problem with taking sides on “when” God heals – now or in eternity – is that the Bible itself refuses to make either conclusion. The answer, biblically is “yes.”

Yes, God heals now AND Yes, God will heal everyone at His second coming. To lay this foundation, we must go back to the beginning of God’s redemptive work in humanity.

Jehovah Rapha

From the outset of God’s personal revelation of himself to the people of Israel, He has declared Himself to be Jehovah Rapha, meaning “I AM Healer” or “God Your Healer.” The Hebrew word “rapha” and it’s derivatives means “heal, cure, and restore.” It is used 86 times throughout the Old Testament, commonly used to describe God’s restorative work in Israel throughout the Old Testament, whether in directly healing His people from disease and afflictions, or in a larger sense of the rebuilding of the nation and cities at various points in their history.

Although space will not allow me to give a thorough overview of God’s restorative practices in the Old Testament and the surrounding requirements which are often attached (repentance, humility, etc.), the point I want us to grasp is that from the beginning, God has revealed Himself as Healer. It is part of His identity. 

It is undeniably part of God’s nature to heal and restore, and history has proven that He is not waiting for the future. He has already been doing so throughout the world, in every generation, and we know that He does not change! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!” (See Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8.)

If God has revealed Himself as Jehovah Rapha, then to disbelieve that He will heal His people is to break the Third Commandment given to Moses: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain…” To do so is to hear His revealed name — God Your Healer — and yet to empty it of it’s power and therefore sin by our disbelief.

Healing in Christ’s Atonement

As the Bible begins to point us to God’s promise of a Savior, who would, both, fully reveal and fully accomplish God’s redemptive plan, we learn that this coming Messiah would not only bring the forgiveness of sins, but would also pay the price to earn our healing. We see this in the prophetic revelation God gives concerning the Messiah, as well as in the expectation of those people who walked in relationship with God throughout the ages. Again, due to space, I will simply give two examples of this here, although many more could be listed:

The Prophetic Revelation from God

In Isaiah 53 we get what is, by many, considered to be the clearest picture of the Gospel in the Old Testament. Though I would encourage you to read the entire passage, I will simply share verse 5 for our purposes here:

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Although many people try to spiritualize this as a metaphor for our brokenness and sinful nature, we will see shortly that this is not how the New Testament writers interpreted it.

The Expectation of God’s Human Friends

Not only did the prophets prophesy that healing would be in the atonement of Christ, but the expectation of those who knew God personally, viewed God’s promise of the healing of sickness and disease to be equal with His promise to forgive sin! 

As King David writes in Psalm 103:2-3:

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases…

It is clear from these (and many other passages) that the Messiah would bring about God’s promise of healing, just as He would fulfill God’s promise to forgive sin and restore the creation!

Jesus Claims to Be The Fulfillment of God’s Messianic Promises!

In the New Testament, Jesus is baptized and then goes into the wilderness to fast and pray, and to be tempted by the devil. When He returns from the wilderness, we see the beginning of His public ministry, and in Luke 4:16-21, the first thing Jesus does is stand in the Synagoge in Nazareth and declare Himself to be the long-anticipated Messiah! He read from the prophet Isaiah, where it says,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 

Then, as He finished and people were waiting on Him to teach, He says:

 “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Included in this fulfillment declaration was the promise of healing, pictured in this passage as “the recovering of sight to the blind.” (This again is something some modern scholars try to spiritualize as being blind in our sin, yet the New Testament points to Jesus’ healing of blind eyes as validation of His Messiahship.)

It should be clear from the most basic reading of the Old Testament prophecies that healing was  part of the atonement of the Messiah, because as sin is dealt with, so are its effects.

The Healing Ministry of Jesus

As we move to the New Testament, it is safe to say that Jesus’ healing ministry cannot be contained in a couple of short paragraphs. It spanned the entirety of His earthly ministry, and the gospel writers share many stories of physical healing. However, to give one highlight of His practice, in Matthew 8:16-17, we read this:

That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

It seems that Jesus, in His earthly ministry never left a sick person unhealed. He never prayed, “God if it is Your will, heal this person.” Instead, He took the promise of Isaiah 53 as a literal promise, that He would have authority over all sicknesses, and so he healed everyone who came to Him.

Just as the Old Testament prophesied and hoped that the Messiah would bring healing, Jesus became the fulfillment of that promise. While He was on earth, Jesus did not simply promise healing at the consummation of His Kingdom. He brought healing immediately! 

From the beginning of God’s self-revelation as Jehovah Rapha to Jesus’ revelation as Emmanuel the Messiah, God has declared and proven Himself to be a healing God in the present tense! Physical healing was expected to be in the atonement of the Messiah, and Jesus proved the expectation to be true! We must begin to put our faith in who He says He is, and who He has proven Himself to be over and over again!

I believe there is a biblical basis (not just anecdotal) to believe that healing is not limited to the second coming of Jesus. However, there is still the issue of how healing would be carried on from Jesus’ earthly ministry to the modern day, and there are some objections we must face if we are to claim that Jesus is still healing now.

In This Series

In this series on Christian Healing, we will look at:

Continue Reading in Part 2

If you’re enjoying the content I produce, a little caffeine to keep me going would be appreciated!



© Anthony Scott Ingram 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry!

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My Journey Into Healing Ministry (part 2)

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…Continued from Part 1

To South Sudan

After Randy Clark prayed for me at Voice of the Apostles in 2012, and the conference ended, I went and saw my family for a few days, before getting on a plane to fly to South Sudan.

This trip was the most extreme and difficult mission I had ever taken part in up to that point. Our host told us that our precious time in Uganda would look like life in America compared to what we would face in the remote, tribal area we were working in.

To get there we flew from the U.S. to Nairobi, Kenya, then took a very small plane to Lokichoggio, Kenya. (Each person was only allowed 15 pounds of luggage!) Arriving at that small airport, we were told it should take an hour to reach the border, and less than 1.5 hours, total, to get to Narus, our final destination. As we waited for a few hours for our drivers to arrive, we quickly figured out that something was wrong.

We soon learned that it had poured rain all night, causing the vehicles to be delayed getting us. Then for the next 6, mud-soaked hours, we crawled to the border in our little hatchbacks. Arriving there, we were forced to leave the cars and wade across the flooding riverbed that marks the Kenya-South Sudan border, then deal with an immigration officer who was angry about having to work so late in the day waiting for our team. This was just the start of a rough trip.

The Road crossing the Kenya/South Sudan Border

From there, the next couple of days were marked by team members freaking out over a lack of plumbing, bats circling overhead in the rooms, and rats coming out of mattresses while some of our ladies slept. Finally, after resolving that we are not going home because God had called us there, our team organized ourselves for a morning of prayer and worship. From that moment on, everything changed.

Healing Breakthrough

After praying for the sick regularly for over a year, it was on our third day in South Sudan where my healing breakthrough finally came. As our team ventured out to the mango tree where our host church gathered, most of the team members were talking to some Taposa women who had come around to see the whites.

My attention, on the other hand, was drawn to the old man, sitting alone, at the base of the giant mango tree. When I got close to him, I could see that all the color in his eyes had gone, and that he was completely blind. (I would find out from his family on my return trip the following year that he went blind from alcohol poisoning, after a lifetime of drinking almost a gallon of the local brew each day.)

Suddenly I was overcome by a love for this man (compare to Jesus’ being “moved with compassion in Matthew 14:14). I collapsed in the dirt beside him and laid hands on him and began to pray.

I have no idea exactly what I was saying in this prayer. For the first time, I was being led in healing prayer by the Spirit alone, and prayed in faith, absolutely believing something was going to happen. After a few minutes, one of our Ugandan pastors came and began praying with me. Slowly, over the next 20 minutes or so, we began to watch the color come back to his eyes. As the team gathered around to see what was happening, it was obvious that his sight was getting better.

The blind man in South Sudan – my first healing.

When we first began to pray, all he could see was the difference between light and dark – the same way we can see light and dark if we close our eyes. As we prayed, he began to say things like, “I can see the green on the trees.” “I can see the brown from the dirt.” We kept praying. He began to say, “That one is a black man. This one is a white woman.” It was obvious to all that God was working a miracle.

We couldn’t remain there all day. Arrangements had been made for us to make our way to visit a hospital or prison or something. The trip kind of blurs in my mind now. As we left him, however, I knew the man was going to be completely healed.

It didn’t take long to find out. At the end of the day, as our team met for supper back at our base camp, one of the local pastors we were working with came running into the dining room, very excited. “Pastor Scott, the blind man you prayed for is completely healed. He is walking around the village by himself with no one leading him! Everyone is talking about this miracle.”

We found out from there that each morning this man’s children would bring him to the “church” tree, and sit him in the shade with his jug. They would bring him lunch there at some point, then come back in the evening to collect him and take him home. When he was now walking around without being led, it was sure to capture people’s attention!

Healing Evangelism

This whole trip was loosely planned, because you never know how things will go in the bush of Africa. The next morning, very early on, we sent a local pastor to a village just over an hour away, where we were told the gospel had never been preached. We sent him to ask if we could bring our team and share with the people. The response of the village chief left us amazed at God’s goodness.

He told our pastor that he had been approached by many missionaries over the years, but had never allowed them to come to his village. He didn’t want their stories. However, he then said, “…but I heard about the blind man, and we want those people to come here.”

A couple hours later, we gathered our team into the cars and were on our way. We didn’t have a sound system or any cool media technology. It was just our small group of believers, off to see what God would do.

Once in this unreached village, I was given the privilege of sharing the Gospel with around 40 people who had gathered to hear what we had to say. My first question was, “how many of you are Christian?” All of them put their hand in the air. I was perplexed, but quickly realized my mistake. This was South Sudan. Politically, Northern Sudan was Muslim, but Southern was “Christian” in the Catholic-empire sense of the word.

My question that followed, then, was, “how many of you have ever heard of a man named Jesus.” This time, none of the locals raised their hand.

I began to share from the Bible on who Jesus was, why He came, and how each person can be saved. I told them of how Jesus had worked in his lifetime to get this message to the world, then continued through the early disciples, and now the church. When I gave the invitation, there was quite a bit of excitement as all 40 people raised their hands to get saved by Jesus!

Afterwards, I couldn’t help myself. I began sharing how we had been praying for people all over Narus, our village base of operations, for various issues from wanting to be pregnant, to finding work. Then I shared the story of the blind man, and told them, “we want to pray for you too.”

One of the Taposa we met on this mission.

We decided it was wise to have men pray with men and women with women, due to some cultural sensitivities we had discovered the day before. As eager as the men were to be prayed for, none of them came to me at first. They were waiting in respect as one of the old village elders came to receive first.

This old man walked with the help of a stick, and was very slow. A 10 meter walk took 2-3 minutes for him, unassisted. I patiently waited, out of respect, for him to reach me. He told me how his knees had been very damaged in the fight for freedom and other tribal wars in the past, and asked me to pray.

At the time, I was praying with another gentleman – a very devout leader in his cessationist Baptist church. He was already skeptical of the blind man’s healing, wanting to know if we could verify he was actually blind before we met him; ignoring the fact that we personally watched the color return to his eyes.

I placed my hands on the old warrior’s right knee, while my doubting companion grabbed the left. I prayed. As soon as I finished, the old man tested out his legs, and… nothing.

There was no change to his condition, and he thought that I wasn’t understanding the problem correctly. I assured him I understood the need, and explained to him about the passage where even Jesus had to pray for someone twice (see Mark 8:25). I said, “let’s pray again.” (This received an awkward glance from my prayer partner, but he relented and grabbed the knee again.)

This time, as soon as we finished praying, I asked the man to test them out. He took one step, then took off running around the village center completely healed! I was so excited; I was shouting more than he was. My prayer partner, not so much.

More Healings

The next man to come forward was another warrior with the same issues, and the pattern followed the same. We prayed once, nothing happened. We prayed a second time, and he ran around completely healed.

The third man had major back pain and was unable to lift or work easily. After a couple of prayers the pain in his back completely left. At this point, so did my prayer partner. These healings were challenging his faith to the point that he went to pray with someone else.

The fourth man was different. He, too, was walking with a staff due to worn out knees. I prayed for him once, but by this point his faith was high after seeing all the other healings, that he didn’t check himself before taking off running. He wasn’t healed. He reached the edge of the village center and collapsed in more pain.

The thing you need to understand is that these are a warrior tribe. Every man carries an 8-foot spear and can be very aggressive. They also value their elders. Now we had broken one of them. As everyone’s attention turned to the elder who had collapsed, out of fear for what might happen next, I took off running to the man, praying “God, we broke him worse. They’re going to kill us. Please, You have to heal Him now!”

As I reached the man, I immediately began praying for him again. This time, he listened when I asked him to test it out first, and praise God, he was completely healed.

The one who didn’t test it out first.

Church Planting Made Simple

About this time, the chief, who had missed our meeting due to other commitments returned and began asking his people what was going on. All of the testimonies of how God was moving in salvation and healing through many members of our team overwhelmed him. He immediately asked us to take up a permanent place in their village. They led us to the edge of town where they donated a large plot of land to build a church and anything else we wanted to do (hospital, orphanage, etc.). 

They pleaded with us to stay, so much, that in their limited understanding of what had happened, they thought this power was coming from us, and not God’s Spirit in us. They went as far as to ask if we could leave some of our white women so that they could “mingle the blood” and receive this power. We explained to them that the power was not in us, but in Jesus through God’s Spirit, and that He would do these things through them if they learn to follow and obey him. We promised them that our local pastors would begin coming to work with them regularly in discipleship, then quickly left for the protection and comfort of some of our team.

I can happily report, however, that today, 8 years later, there is still a growing church in that village led by the pastors who took us there in the first place.

Here is the recap video of the entire South Sudan mission. The blind man can be seen at 7:27. Some of the warrior’s knees being healed is at 10:29.

I can also happily say that the senior pastor who hosted us on that first trip, a Ugandan missionary to South Sudan, became a good friend of mine. In fact, he has since began transitioning out of South Sudan (leaving the ministry there in the hands of the other pastors on his team) and is now planting a church in Busia, Uganda, under the covering of Sozo Ministries, the ministry God led me to open in 2015.

Ministering Through Words of Knowledge

It is difficult for me to share how much the healing ministry has shaped my work for the Lord in the years since this first breakthrough.

Upon my return to Haiti, immediately following this trip to South Sudan, healing began happing every week in church services. 

As I returned to the U.S. at the end of 2012, I saw that my opportunities to pray for people were becoming less and less. Deciding I needed to grow in my understanding of this gifting and have accountability to press in for more, I signed up for Randy Clark’s online healing school, which pushed me to continue praying for the sick and growing in the gift. (I am now a member of Global Awakening’s Association of Healing Ministers, and last year I was ordained by Global Awaking — Randy’s Ministry in the U.S.)

It was through Randy’s program that I learned how to receive Words of Knowledge for healing, which has become one of the primary ways I minister in healing (and more).

In 2013, I had returned to traveling around the world with Heart of God (HGIM); Haiti, Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, India, Israel. Little by little the gift continued to grow.

On a 9-day trip to India in 2014, the pastors kept me on a crazy preaching schedule. We did 2 half-day pastor’s conferences, one night open air crusade, and preached in 17 churches around the countryside. Not having time to prepare for each meeting, I really began to depend on words of knowledge to be able to minister. I would spend time praying in the car, on our way to each church, asking God to show me what to speak and what He wanted me to do. 

Inevitably He would speak to me about scriptures I was supposed to share and show me pictures in my mind of how He wanted me to pray and minister to people. Surprisingly, praying for the sick was becoming a large part of what He was showing me to do. In one church He told me beforehand that every person with back pain would be healed. (They were.)

Praying for a Hindu man’s back pain

On that one trip to India, I saw more healings in 9 days than I had seen combined since South Sudan two years prior. As is sadly, often the case, the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit brought in controversy among friends, and unfortunately, this large number of healings led to some challenges within the organization I was working for. As an interdenominational ministry, it was clear that not everyone in leadership believed the same about healing that I did. The Lord began to lead me to check my motives and make sure this calling was from God, and to see where He would take me next.

A New Ministry

The month before my trip to India, I had attended a gathering of the International Society of Deliverance Ministers, invited as a part of Randy’s healing program. There, I received two prophecies which would shape the current era of my life. One prophecy was a confirmation of my calling and concerned a shift in the ministry I was doing coming “very soon,” and the other was about God having “all the funding” ready for my “new ministry.” 

At the time, I held those prophecies loosely, until the following March, when in a season of prayer and by mutual agreement with the leadership, I resigned from HGIM. To be clear, this was not a divisive and angry split. Both sides felt like it was God’s timing, and I remain friends with everyone in that organization!

Immediately I began work on registering Sozo Ministries, Inc. with the state of Texas and working on non-profit status. We took the name “Sozo” because it is the Greek word for “saved” or “salvation” in the New Testament. However, if you look it up in a concordance, it means complete salvation – body, soul, and spirit – meaning that in Christ’s atonement are the promises of salvation from sin, physical healing, and spiritual deliverance from the devil.

Since the foundation of Sozo Ministries in 2015, we have seen over 2000 people healed from various physical diseases.

My Healing Ministry Today

As I now live in Uganda with my family, and lead almost 40 churches registered under Sozo Ministries in Uganda and Kenya, it is amazing to look back and see this journey the Lord has brought me on.

Today, I spend my time not only preaching the gospel and praying for the sick, but training other pastors and believers to do the same. If you have time, you can watch some testimonies on our youtube channel:

HEALING TESTIMONIES

Throughout the year I preach in churches around East Africa (and in other countries as God opens the doors), and see healing happen in every single service.

Sozo pastors plan gospel crusades throughout the year, and I have the privilege of preaching to the lost, and again, in every single meeting people are getting saved and healed.

The largest event I am a part of is the annual Global Outreach mission, in partnership with Living Water Ministries, Uganda. It is my privilege to help train the outreach team in healing ministry, then to lead the healing session at each mega crusade. Last year’s team saw over 600 healings during the three-week outreach. Less than 100 were through my prayers. It came through those who had been in the training and walked out equipped and filled with faith!

The Lord has connected me with other ministries operating in healing and equipping the church for the supernatural, which has allowed me to bring ministers like Kimberly Cleveland of EquipNations and Jim Wietner from the Global School of Supernatural Ministry to help take our work in Uganda and Kenya go higher.

All in all, I can say that being a part of what the Lord is doing in saving the lost and healing the sick around the world is one of the greatest privileges of my life. Looking back at the 16 year old me, I could never have imagined things going this direction, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

To be truthful, in many ways I feel like my journey into healing is still just beginning. The blind man’s healing was less than 7.5 years ago! I cannot wait to see what the next few decades hold.

It’s Your Turn

Hopefully sharing my journey into healing ministry has encouraged you in some way, to pursue God for more in your own life. The Bible encourages us to pursue spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14:1) and seems to imply in many places that you will receive the gifts you ask for. So go after Him for more!

I would also ask you to pray for me. While I am confident that God heals, and see him do so often, I know there is more. I also know the challenges that come from, both, believers and nonbelievers concerning healing, and I need the boldness to remain faithful to God’s calling.

Finally, I will say that if your church or ministry is wanting to learn to operate in the healing gift, or wants to plan a gospel-healing outreach, it would be my pleasure to be invited to speak, or to offer guidance to your team in any way possible.

INVITE ME

As always, if you are enjoying what you are reading on my blog, I would also be honored if you would subscribe to my weekly email below. You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for regular blog updates, and other ongoing #ChristianLife and #GospelLeadership insights!

If you’re enjoying the content I produce, a little caffeine to keep me going would be appreciated!



© Anthony Scott Ingram 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Cover photo by Sozo Ministries, Inc.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry!

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My Journey Into Healing Ministry (part 1)

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Last week I shared a word the Lord has been speaking to me concerning another healing revival that will follow this coronavirus pandemic, and I said I would talk more about the healing ministry in the weeks ahead. Before I start talking about the practicals of healing ministry, I felt like it would be a good idea to give my own background in the healing ministry, to give some credibility to what I am teaching; or at least to show that I wasn’t brainwashed into some psychological mumbo jumbo.

I am a fairly average Christian. Yes, I am a pastor and missionary and all of that, but when I compare myself to the great heroes of the faith, I am usually left feeling un-remarkable. (I don’t recommend you compare yourself to anyone but Jesus, by the way. It works out better for you in the long-run.) Never in my life could I have imagined that God would one day use me in the healing ministry. Now, however, it is one of the greatest joys of my life.

Coming to Faith

Growing up and finding my own faith in Jesus was a journey in itself. My parents had left the Baptist church when I was four, and when I had questions, all the different denominational beliefs from my extended family left me feeling more confused than before I asked. By the age of 16, I knew that my faith in Jesus was real and that I was saved. I had rejoined the church from my childhood. Beyond that, I had no intention of anything in ministry. My life’s trajectory was Texas Christian University’s “Ranch Management” program. I was going to be a full-time cowboy. 

Although this is not the place for my full life story, it will suffice to say that around the age of 18, my course changed as I felt God redirecting my priorities and leading me into the ministry. Instead of TCU, I enrolled in the fundamentalist Baptist college recommended by my pastor. It also happened to be the same school where many of my family members in ministry had gone since the 1920’s. Frankly, it was also the only Bible college I knew of, which made the decision fairly easy to make.

Unbelieving Bible College 

While in that Bible college, my faith really began to be tested and challenged as my hopeful outlook of God’s big plan for the world, was turned upside down by legalist rules and a lot of hypocritical, self-righteous attitudes by some of the students and faculty. Not to mention their belief that the supernatural gifts of God ceased after the 12 apostles died.

As I have discussed many times before, it was during this time that I began reading the book of Acts, not only as a historical record of the early church, but as a book that must either validate Christianity as real, or which would force me to consider that this whole thing was a myth. I began to pray for God to expand my experience to fit my convictions about the Bible, and after a few months of praying, the Holy Spirit of God filled me, just as the Bible promised.

Surprisingly to me, not everything in my life changed at once. Although there was a new, revitalized spirit within me and my optimism of the Christian faith had been renewed; and there was definitely fruit being produced in my life from this change, I was also faced with a lot of controversy and hostility from my peers and the college faculty. Nevertheless, my hunger for the things of God continued to grow.

Healing Enters The Picture

Along with my pursuit of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I also became hungry to see the power of God at work. It was around this time in my journey that divine healing entered the picture.

First, it came through stories from both my grandmothers. On my mom’s side, my grandma has always been the charismatic believer. She has always prayed in tongues and believed God for miracles. Yet for most of my life, I ignored her stories and moved along with my life. (In the worst times, I argued with her from my Baptist education, and hurt our relationship in many ways.) However, over a holiday break in college, she began recounting to me, again, all of the many miracles of healing she had seen over the years. Not only in her own body and in our family, but through former pastors and other believers she used to know. Though these stories were not new to me, I did pay more attention to them now.

It was my other grandma who surprised me with stories of healing. She had been raised in the Church of Christ her whole life, until she married my granddad and moved over to the fundamental Baptist church where I had also attended as a child and again from the age of 16.

This grandma began to tell me of different things she had seen in her own Christian life that her (our) church would not validate, yet she knew them to be true. 

The craziest story she told me was about how when she was young, she was diagnosed with a severe case of appendicitis which was nearing a rupture. The doctors told the family that there was nothing they could do, medically, and sent her home. It was her older sister, however, who refused to accept that answer. This older sister, who was a faithful member of the Church of Christ until the day she died just a couple years ago, took my grandmother out to the barn, laid her down in some hay, laid hands on her and prayed a prayer of faith. My grandma’s pain instantly left, and soon everyone saw that she had been completely healed.

These stories from my own family – people I loved and trusted more than anyone – began to sink into me and stir up that hunger to see God move in these ways again.

More Stories of Healing Today

Following that Christmas break, my faith for healing went beyond just accepting the stories of the past, to being open for the present. This was due in large part to my good friend Bobby returning to college with stories of his own.

While on break, he went back to see his family in Florida, but soon found that circumstances with his parents were quite different than when he left. They had moved from the Baptist church and were now “spirit-filled,” praying in tongues,  and attending a local Pentecostal congregation. The first week home, his parents asked Bobby, and his brother Tommy, who also attended college with us, to visit the church just once, to see that their parents were not crazy.

Bobby came back with incredible stories of not only healing, but mind-reading prophecies, as well. On the healing front, he had watched his grandfather’s swollen ankle shrink back down to normal size through the pastor’s prayer. His grandmother, who had been keeping her arm in a sling, was also prayed for and was able to lift her arm above her head with full strength.

One prophecy was made over Tommy, that he would receive a healing anointing. That evening the pastor called Tommy up to lay hands on an old woman as he prayed. The woman fell down under God’s power and the pain in her back completely left. (She did end up with a minor headache, as she bumped her head on the pew as she went down…)

All of these stories, old and new, built a burning desire in me to see God’s healing power for myself. It didn’t take long.

I Got Healed

A few months went by, and as I have shared in other places, Bobby got us invited to a “revival” meeting at the church of a Nigerian missionary to the U.S. We couldn’t wait to go, based on the pastor’s presentation of the revival as being full of “healings, miracles, deliverances, and more!”

On the first day of the revival meeting, however, I woke up in the morning in terrible pain. My stomach felt like something had broken inside, and I couldn’t deal with it. I skipped class that day to go to the E.R; where I received x-rays and an MRI of my stomach, all to no avail. The diagnosis I left with was the same as I had written on my intake form: “extreme abdominal pain.”

Discouraged and still hurting, I did manage to go to the revival service that night, where we did, in fact, see many incredible things we had only imagined up to then. Demons were being cast out. People were falling under God’s power (although we still struggled to accept that as really from God).

It was at the end of the night that the pastor said something like, “I know some of you came for healing, but we are not praying for the sick one-by-one tonight. We are doing that tomorrow. However, if you are sick, God can still heal you, now,” and he prayed a general prayer over the congregation.

To my surprise, as he prayed this prayer, all of the pain in my stomach instantly left. No trace. And it never came back.

As people were leaving, I went to greet the pastor and told him of my healing. He quickly put me on the mic to share with the dispersing crowd what God had just done, to help raise their expectations for the next night. Needless to say, we made sure to go back!

Years of Charismatic Stagnation

From this time on, my Christian walk remained rather stale. I was still in Bible college, and struggling with the pessimistic Christian culture and the little bits of ongoing backlash I faced there. Nevertheless, I did graduate in 2007 with a Bachelor’s degree in Bible.

Two years before, I had also began interning in the summers with a missionary group in Mexico, and I spent June of ’07 with them. Then, I took my first trip to Uganda with my friend, Micah, in July.

On that trip, we again saw things that piqued our interest in spiritual things: deliverances taking place, healing evangelism at work, etc. Still, it didn’t have any effect on actually bringing me into doing those things myself.

From there I returned to the Texas and joined the staff of Grace Baptist Church as Associate Pastor. I was also invited to minister with another international missionary organization, Heart of God International Ministries (HGIM), on a volunteer basis, which took me back to East Africa multiple times, as well as India and eventually Israel and Haiti.

Again, I believed whole-heartedly in healing, and at times would try my hand at praying for the sick, but never saw healing take place. Despite my desire, I began to think this gift was not for me.

In 2012, the HGIM’s work in Haiti required the long-term presence of the U.S. Team, and I resigned from the church, became a full-time missionary-evangelist, and moved to Haiti for almost a year. It was during this time that I got serious about praying for the sick.

Continual Failure

While living in Haiti, I primarily oversaw the orphanage work of HGIM. However, I was also preaching in church services every Sunday, and often on other days as well. Within the church culture there, it is standard for people to approach the pastor for prayer following every service. As these poor people do not have the financial ability to go see doctors for general health issues, the majority of my praying each week centered on physical healing.

Sunday after Sunday I was praying for neck pain, back problems, recurring headaches, cold and flu-like symptoms (common to the people in the mountains where I was staying), and more. These weren’t “major” healing issues like cancer or AIDS, so for some reason, my mind thought these things should be easier to see healed. They weren’t.

It didn’t matter what I did. Week after week, no one was getting healed. Not once, from March to October, did a single person claim to be healed through my prayers. I didn’t know what was happening. I had been reading every scripture about prayer. I believed that, as James says, that the prayer of faith would heal the sick (see James 5:15). I was praying with all the faith I could manage, yet was met with a continual failure to see healing manifest. I had no idea what was wrong.

My Introduction to Randy Clark

It was at this time that I began looking for mature Christian leaders who had a verifiable healing ministry from whom I could learn.

I read a few biographies of different ministers in the past who had great healing ministries. They were encouraging, but they didn’t teach me how to pray for the sick. I watched some YouTube videos of modern street-evangelists who practiced healing, and I got a few insights from them. However, the turning point was when I found a book on the Apple Bookstore, by two men named Randy Clark and Bill Johnson. The book was called, “The Essential Guide to Healing.”

Despite the fact that these men were quite famous in charismatic circles already, I have to admit I did not know much about them. In fact, had I known beforehand that Randy was involved with that “Toronto Blessing” some Baptist pastors had warned us about, I probably wouldn’t have read the book at all.

As I began the book and read their biographical stories in the first two chapters, much of the spiritual life of Randy resonated with my own upbringing –  charismatic grandparents, faith-filled youth, Baptist education that challenged it all, and a lot more. I immediately knew this was someone I would learn from.

As I continued the book, I learned Randy’s “five-step prayer model” for healing, and I began using it in my post-church service prayers. Still nothing happened…

I also read in the book about “impartation,” or the transferring of anointing through the laying on of hands. (I shared about impartation on my podcast recently, and don’t want to dig into it here.) Suffice it to say, I began to think that perhaps this is what I needed. After all, I had never been part of a charismatic church. Nor had I ever really been mentored by anyone in the ministry, beyond what Bible college tries to teach. 

I began to question my own assumptions, which I had for years, that you either have a gift or you don’t, and that they would simply appear one day, and just work. While that may be true at times, what I found is that most of the time, spiritual gifts are not instant. 

It began to make more sense to me that the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit would likely be learned, built and passed on through the Christian community, from one generation to another, just as it did in the Bible. They are developed in a person as part of their life in the body of Christ. 

Promise of Impartation

One night, as I was sitting on the balcony of the house where I lived in Haiti, I was praying and asking God to speak to me about healing and growing in the gift. I very clearly heard Him speaking to me, saying that “in October, Randy will be doing a conference. If you will go to the conference, he will lay hands on you and you will receive and impartation for healing.”

I got so excited. I didn’t even know Randy Clark would consider coming to Haiti, so I quickly began to look at his website to find out when he would visit! Unfortunately, I discovered that he was not coming anywhere near Haiti.

Instead, what I learned was that at the end of October, Randy would be hosting his biggest conference of the year in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, called “The Voice of the Apostles.” This just happened to be taking place a few days before I was supposed to go to South Sudan with my organization, so I immediately began making arrangements to go.

Confronting My Doubts

During the conference, once again coming into a major charismatic event as an outsider, I began to see and experience things I could never imagine. I questioned many things happening around me, and thankfully, was given quick validation from the Lord almost every time, that what I was seeing was from Him.

There was holy laughter taking place through Rolland Baker, which I strongly doubted, until it was me on the floor laughing. 

There were angelic encounters! I had been feeling a slight tickle on the top of my head for three days, when finally a woman came to me and asked, “Do you know you have an angel messing with your head? I have seen him from across the room for three days, but was never close enough to you to tell you.” Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure what he was doing. (I can tell you that the whole event did mess with my mindset about God and His work, though…)

There were words of knowledge (another gift of the Spirit listed in the Bible) coming from many of the speakers. Again I was skeptical, until Georgian Banov called out “old knee injuries from basketball accidents.” Up to that point, I had very bad knees from middle school basketball. I actually had to quit sports in 9th grade because of it. As I went forward for prayer, I was instantly healed, again!

Impartation

Finally the time came for Randy’s impartation session. Over 8,000 people prayed for the touch of God on their life, and I was beginning to get discouraged that my impartation might not actually come as the Lord had told me. 

As Randy led us into this time, he said “there is no way I can pray for all of you, but I have a team who have travelled with me around the world. If you begin to sense God touching you – you feel electricity in your body, or heat, or you get cold, or you begin to shake – then put your hand in the air and my team will come pray for you.”

As Randy prayed over the room, I told the Lord, “You said Randy would pray for me, but if it comes through his team, I will take whatever You have for me here.” Then my right hand began to shake uncontrollably.

After his prayer, Randy left the platform, and I began to put my hand in the air to receive prayer from the team. Quickly, however, Randy turned back to the microphone and said, “I forgot to say it, but if you are a full-time missionary or evangelist, come up here on stage. I want to pray for you.”

As quickly as I could get there, I climbed onto the stage. I was the second person in line when Randy began to pray for us. All I remember was him putting his finger on my open hands and saying, “Lord, I bless Anthony…” (which he read on my nametag) and I fell to the floor under God’s presence.

Me with Randy Clark in 2013

Two hours later, Randy’s stage crew came to clear bodies from the stage for the next session’s sound check. I stumbled back to my chair, still feeling the weightiness of God’s presence, where I sat with an electric pulse occasionally hitting my body and causing me to jerk. (This lasted for the next week, causing my dad, a long-time paramedic, to wonder what was wrong with his son. He thought I might have had a stroke, or was having micro-seizures.)

Something had definitely happened in Randy’s prayer, though. Could this be what I had been seeking for years? Could this actually be an impartation for healing? I supposed time would tell….

I do not usually write about myself in this way, and would love to hear your feedback in the comments section below.

As always, if you are enjoying what you are reading on my blog, I would also be honored if you would subscribe to my weekly email below. You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for regular blog updates, and other ongoing #ChristianLife and #GospelLeadership insights!

Continue to Part 2…

If you’re enjoying the content I produce, a little caffeine to keep me going would be appreciated!



© Anthony Scott Ingram 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Photo by Sozo Ministries, Inc.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry!

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Another Healing Revival is Coming

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I hear the Lord saying, “There will be a new wave of healing revival coming around the world through the church, because I am moving the church out of apathy to global events.”

Hold, on. Let me take a step back before we get there, though.

I am not a prophet, nor have I ever claimed to be a prophet. What I am is a Christian who can do what Jesus says all believers can do, which is to hear His voice when He speaks to me personally (see John 10:4). Hearing Him is an automatic result of receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit, coming to dwell inside of us. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit would bring everything Jesus has already spoken into our remembrance, as well as teach us new things the Lord wants us to know (John 14:26).

With that clearly stated, I want to share something today that is a bit unusual for my blog. My common practice is to share practical tips for living the Christian life or ideas on how to be a better leader in the gospel. Included in the topics I have shared many times are how you can hear God’s voice for yourself, and practical ways to grow in hearing Him. However, today, I want to share with you a prophetic word from the Lord that He has been pressing into me deeper and deeper over the last few weeks.

This word comes in light of the fact that this coronavirus’ spread has continued to bring fear to the whole world. It has given the spiritual authorities at work behind governments and leaders the ability to creep further and further into the realm of ‘church,’ even taking away some religious freedoms.

Why Has God Allowed This Virus?

Before I get to the prophetic word, let me begin by saying that all of the things going on in the world concerning this disease are not without a cause. What I want to point out, however, is that God is not the cause of this thing. It actually goes all the way back to Eden.

When mankind sinned, in the beginning of our existence on earth, there were penalties that came upon the world as a result. The earth would, from that point on, war against humanity and give hardships as we tried to live our lives. Sickness and disease — forerunners to the ultimate curse of death — were a part of those consequences for our sin. This virus taking over the world now, is a fruit of our sin; not a plague sent by God.

Later in history, at the Tower of Babel, when God divided the nations of men, another action happened in the heavenly realm — one which the Bible talks about clearly, but humans want to ignore. With the dividing of nations, the bible also makes clear that God placed each new nation under the control of other heavenly beings, known as “the divine counsel” (see Deuteronomy 32:7-8 and Psalm 82:1-4). These beings are the “authorities and rulers” the Bible talks about in Ephesians 6:2, which are at work in the world and fighting against the Church. (If you want more information about the divine counsel and the spiritual realm, I cannot more highly recommend the book “The Unseen Realm” by Michael S. Heisner.)

These rulers in heavenly places still have control over the human nations of the world until those nations are brought into submission to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They, aligned with Satan, control the kingdom of darkness, and have control in the world through the sin of the people. When we talk about the coronavirus that is sweeping across the world and causing so much fear and panic, we must understand that whether it is natural, or if it turns out that the disease began in a lab somewhere deep in China through manipulations by men, the real reason that this disease has spread and been causing so much devastation in the world is because the spiritual authorities in heavenly places have desired to use a global pandemic to stand against Christ.

The results of this pandemic are obvious, and I have mentioned some of them before: there is a Spirit of fear that is taking hold, which is stronger than the disease itself, causing people to live in great anxiety, depression, loneliness and more. Suicide rates are up in some of the most developed nations. Even in some of our isolated villages in Africa, there are people afraid to go into their own gardens and plant. That is not the result of the love of God. Those are fruits of the enemy and His schemes!

Looking at my home country, the U.S., I am so burdened every time I read the newspaper about more unnecessary government overreach in the church. Drive-in Easter services, where members did not even get out of their cars, led to arrests and fines from anywhere between $500 and $1,000. One county in California banned singing worship songs on Facebook Live broadcasts. The craziness of this whole mess, and the unreasonable attacks it is bringing against the church continue to be the greatest burden to my mind in this pandemic.

Submission To Authority.

I want to be very clear here. I am not against the government mandated protocols which have been put in place to try to prevent the spread of the disease. I think there is wisdom in washing your hands, covering your mouth and nose with a mask, limiting human contact, and not going out of your house if you do not absolutely have to. This disease is deadly, it is spreading rapidly, and human governments are given by God for our protection (see Romans 13:1-4).

What I am saying is that as a Christian I am not blind to the fact that when a sickness is taking over the world, it is not just a natural phenomenon that we should expect every once in a while. It is absolutely the work of the devil as a result of his authority in the world through sin.

More than that, I believe that as Christians — as those who have been brought out of his Kingdom of Darkness, and serve the Lord in His Kingdom of light — although we do not (yet) have authority over human government, we do currently have authority over this disease in the heavenly, to see it healed by the power of Jesus. This is the promise of Jesus because of His atonement: by His stripes we are healed (see Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24).

It’s Time for the Church to Rise Up

As Christians, we cannot just sit back and ignore this disease; ignore the power of the enemy; and allow the overreach by spiritual authorities working through governments, to suppress the church in any way. We must rise up! 

So what does that look like? Well, I believe there are two keys we must understand biblically and historically. They are summarized for us very clearly in 2 Chronicles 7:14 (emphasis mine):

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

The First Key is Prayer.

We must become a people who stop living like the world and simply waiting on scientists and world leaders to tell us what to do. They do not have the answer. We do. Jesus is still the answer.

We must learn to pray. To shut ourselves in our prayer closets once again and believe Him to overcome every scheme of the enemy at work in the world, so that God’s Kingdom can continue to be established and grow, just as the Bible said it would (see Isaiah 9:7).

The Second Key is Holiness.

The church must come out of living like the world and repent! Holiness is a prerequisite for overcoming the power of the devil. His authority is sin. Yet we have a generation of believers who think that because Christ has forgiven them, they can do whatever they want and it will be ok. That is NOT true! Even if you believe in eternal security and know that you are forgiven in Christ, there are still consequences for your sin in this life on earth. 

Every time we willingly sin, we are empowering the devil in our lives and in the world around us. We are showing that we are not living submitted to the rule of Jesus, but we are still willing to play the devil’s games.

I believe that when the church rises up in prayer and holiness, once again, it will lead to a greater revival than the world has ever seen!

Another Great Awakening

Can you just imagine, with all of today’s technology and the ability to take a message around the world instantly through things like YouTube and Facebook Live, just how quickly would another Great Awakening go around the globe? Just how quickly would a revival spread from house to house, city to city, and nation to nation?

I believe the greatest revival in human history is yet to come! In this season of the devil’s work causing a global pandemic, I am becoming more and more hopeful that the time for this revival is knocking on our door! Whether it is the big one or just another foretaste of that revival, I believe the season is upon us, now!

With all that in mind, let me tell you what the Lord has been speaking to me, repeatedly, over the past few weeks.

The Word the Lord Spoke to Me

I believe the Lord said to me, “I hate this sickness, and I hate that the enemy has used it to bring fear to the whole world. The heavenly forces and demons have used it for a major power grab. They are even overreaching by attacking the church, well beyond just a simple shutdown of in-person services. The devil and his demons think that this disease will expand their grasp in the world for another season. However, in response to this disease, I AM about to release a healing revival in the earth greater than the world has ever seen.

I have already told you that this disease is going to disappear just as fast as it came, not through doctors and medical intervention, but by My power. I will confound the wise. Yet in the wake of this disease, when the world is still feeling the anxiety and fear because of what the devil has done, and wondering if it is really gone, I AM going to show Myself even more powerful than all sickness in the earth.

This is not just going to be a healing revival among those churches who believe in healing already. I AM going to bring healing through My people who have only nominally believed in healing in the past, like those who only know how to pray, ‘Lord, if it is Your will…’ I AM going to show them that it is My will to heal. This will be a move of My power, not limited by the faithlessness of men.

I AM going to bring great increase to the healing anointing on My people, so that in homes and coffee shops, and in grocery stores, and small meetings among friends, simple prayers for healing will be effective. In the most insignificant moments I AM going to wipe out major cases of cancer and heart disease and Alzheimer’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease and polio and Ebola and tuberculosis and others. This will not be done in a major show from pulpits and platforms. I Am going to do it in simple, house fellowships and family prayers. I Am increasing not only the gift on My healing evangelists, but I Am increasing the healing gift in the Body of Christ for My glory! Testimonies will arise from every corner of the earth, in the places you least expect them.

In the wake of this coronavirus, which the devil has used to make his name great in the earth, I AM going to release My healing through My people in such a way that My Name is lifted up for the world to see, and the devil will think twice before using a disease like this for his purposes again. 

You have seen this disease bring death and fear. The healing revival that is about to come is going to bring life and peace and joy and is going to lead many thousands more into My Kingdom than this disease has been able to take out.”

Let’s Get Ready

Again, I have never shared a prophetic word like this on my blog before. Right now, however, I am so convinced that the Lord is going to do this, that I believe the church must get ready. We must pray. We must repent, where necessary. And we must become the voice for what the Lord wants to do in the earth.

Most importantly, we must take this word from Him as an opportunity to see Him working through each one of us. Many of you have never laid hands on the sick to pray for them. I believe this is the greatest season of opportunity to learn. God is about to make healing the sick easier than every before, through simple prayer in His name. Let’s be ready to step out and pray at every opportunity, as we see this new healing revival come!

In my next post, I will share more on the healing gift of God, and how you can pray for the sick with confidence. However, I didn’t learn these things on my own. If you want to learn about healing and grow in the gifting yourself, there are many great books and trainings available to you, that will take you deeper than a simple blog post can. Let me recommend just a few to you here: 

What About You?

Is God stirring something inside you, during this pandemic, that says “I Am still in control! Look and see what I Am about to do!” Maybe you have already seen an increase in healing happening around you!

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

As always, if you are enjoying what you are reading on my blog, I would also be honored if you would subscribe to my weekly email below. You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for regular blog updates, and other ongoing #ChristianLife and #GospelLeadership insights!

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry! You can also donate to my missionary work and ministry through Sozo Ministries, here.

Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash

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Three Valuable Gifts We Have Been Given in This Season of Pandemic

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This COVID19 pandemic has caused much chaos in the world, in such a short period of time. The world is on lockdown, and a spirit of fear is causing havoc all over the place. Businesses are closing. Economies are failing. Death and disease are on everyone’s tongue, while depression and loneliness are setting into hearts. Yet, I do not believe everything is as bad as some people are projecting them to be. In fact, I believe that in God’s redemption of all things, there is an underlying hopefulness that many people are feeling in this season. In that spirit, the Lord spoke to me about three valuable gifts He has given us during this season of pandemic, if we will take the time to utilize them.

1. Time

One of the biggest complaints I hear from Christians all the time, and on every continent I travel to, is “I want to pray…” or “I want to read my bible, but I just don’t have the time.” However, one of the upsides to self-isolation and global lockdown is that you have been given the gift of time, to do with as you please.

You have been given a gift, which, if taken advantage of, will help you to grow your personal walk with the Lord in deeper ways than you can imagine. This is what I shared in my last post, concerning three ways you can grow your relationship with God during this season.

You have time for the secret place.

As I have shared elsewhere, there came a point in my own life when I was desperate to grow in hearing God’s voice and abiding in the secret place with Him. Fortunately, it came at another point in my life where I was given the gift of time. I was living in Haiti, house-sitting for some furloughed missionaries for a few months, and could not speak the language. After my translator/assistant would go home around 4pm every day, I was alone. Deciding to take advantage of the situation, I sat on the balcony every night with a journal in hand, and prayed, refusing to leave that place until I was certain I heard the voice of God. As time went on, I gained more confidence of what I was hearing, and have kept up the practice of prayer journaling ever since.

If you want to learn to hear God’s voice and abide in the secret place, now is the perfect time to do so!

You have time to read.

Many times in the past, I have tried to do a bible-in-a-year reading plan, only to get to Leviticus and give up. Now, I have read the entire bible, multiple times over the years, but not usually in big chunks. Already, in this season however, I have read entire books of the Bible in one or two sittings. I have also spent a lot of time reading a great biography on William Branham, and invested time in taking Logos MobileED courses. In seasons like this you have the opportunity to really dive in, read, study, and grow yourself, if you will use it.

We have to utilize the gift of time.

If we are honest with ourselves, the truth is that even when we are not in a crisis, most of us have time for our spirituality, we simply do not make it a priority. In this season, however, I want to encourage you, do not waste this precious gift God is giving you. Turn off Netflix, and stop the endless facebook scrolling. Do something that is going to benefit you!  

2. Financial Accountability

Another gift we have been given through this crisis, although not nearly as comfortable as the gift of time, is the ability to take a close look at our finances and eliminate a lot of fluff. As many people are getting cut back on hours and pay, or even fired from their jobs, it is giving us a reason to pause and not just look at the national or global economy, but also our family economic status.

As we look at what are necessary expenses versus what is an extra luxury that we don’t need, many of us are finding that the comfort bubbles we live in are not sustainable. This isn’t just big expenses, either. I have talked to friends who are taking a deep look at whether they actually need subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, AppleTV+ and a YouTube streaming service. At what point are we throwing our money at things which are unnecessary?

Now, I am not saying that comforts and little luxuries are bad. I am simply saying as we take account of where our money is going as things get tight, we will all likely find areas of excess that need to be cut back on.

What about charity?

When we look at the financial crisis following closely behind this pandemic, another thing that goes out the window fast is our charitable giving. I have heard from many pastors who are struggling to pay church bills and ministry expenses because tithes and offerings were the first thing to go when we went on lockdown.

The same thing is definitely true for those of us on the mission field, living completely on support. My family has lost a significant amount of support over the last month, as many of our donors are struggling to get by.

My question, however, is about our calling to be faithful to finance God’s Kingdom. As we look at our financial situations as families, we must decide if tithing and supporting churches and ministries is a “first priority” for us, or only something we do when we are living in abundance. 

I am not writing this to shame anyone into giving their tithes and offering. I am saying that we have each been given the gift of financial examination, and we ought to use it. (Matthew 6:21)

3. Social Media and Technology

Another gift that too many of us take for granted, a lot of times, is the gift of social media and technology. It has been so ingrained in our daily lives for the past decade, that we think nothing of moving from one technological item to another. For instance, I wake up and make coffee first thing. Then I grab my iPad and open the Day One Journal app and type out my daily prayer journal with the Lord. From there, I open my phone and check WhatsApp and Facebook messages while I eat breakfast. I’ll check the news on Apple News or another phone app. Then I’ll move over to my computer to work on whatever the day holds. Today, that meant recording a sermon for one of our ministry partner’s Easter Convention online, then getting this blog posted to WordPress.

None of these things are abnormal in our daily lives, however, as believers, we must come to the conclusion that these things are gifts God intends us to use for His purposes; gifts that the earliest disciples couldn’t have even imagined.

What is incredible – and which was impossible just a few years ago – is that as soon as churches were told to close for a season, we all moved online and simply kept going. I am tuning in, every week, to the online services of some small, village churches in Africa, broadcasting on Facebook live. I am tuning into entire conferences being streamed from the U.S. I am seeing new online courses popping up every day. And these are all things I am utilizing myself for our ministry.

A pandemic unlike any before.

Looking back at every great pandemic in the past – whether Spanish Flu a hundred years ago, or the black plague in the middle ages – I can honestly say I don’t know how anyone survived. The lack of information they had, compared to the amount of instant communication we share today is mind-boggling.

At no other point in history could humanity have been isolated in our own homes, and yet still be living in community, with face-to-face communication with friends and family. Facetime, Zoom, Skype. These are gifts to this generation.

Gifts for the Kingdom of God

They are also gifts that I feel very strongly, God wants us to use for His Kingdom and His glory. I am seeing a stark contrast in my facebook feeds between my ministry-leadership friends, and my unbeliever friends. The ministry leaders are doing their best to share words of encouragement and live video teachings to bring people’s faith to Jesus. The unbelievers are discussing how to order more beer from Alexa, and posting endless rants about the government or other pet issues.

It is the middle ground that has caught my attention though. It is the people who are believers, but not “professional” ministers. I am seeing so many of them trying to step up and use social media to lift up Jesus, while so many others are getting lost in posting quiz results, TicTok lip syncs, memes, and forwards, that simply take up time and space.

Just as we need to analyze how we spend our time and our finances, we also need to take a look at how we are utilizing social media and what we are promoting with this gift.

A Personal Rebuke

This morning, the Lord rebuked me for my own online activities. Despite the fact that I am constantly blogging, doing live videos, and sharing encouraging messages in personal communications, yesterday I also engaged in a long, back-and-forth discussion…argument maybe… about politics and religion, and whether the government has a right to tell churches to close. This morning, however, the Lord spoke very clearly to me, saying, “That is not the message you are called to carry. Yours must be voice for salvation, healing and deliverance. That is your message: Christ alone.”

If we are to recognize that social media is a gift, and an extension of our voices and our personalities, we must be conscious of how we are representing ourselves and our Savior, when so many people are simply looking for online distractions from reality.

This is a Call to Mindfulness

Obviously, you have the choice to decide how you live your life in lockdown. I am simply making some suggestions. As believers, however, I think there is a clear call on us, biblically, to be mindful of what we do. We are called to be people who redeem the time, steward resources well, and lift up Jesus in all things. In this season, we have been given these gifts. Let us be those who use them for His glory!

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below, and as always, if you are enjoying what you are reading on my blog, I would also be honored if you would subscribe to my weekly email below. You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for regular blog updates, and other ongoing #ChristianLife and #GospelLeadership insights!

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3 Ways To Build Your Relationship With God in Times of Isolation

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Right now, the world is in isolation and quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak, causing a lot of unrest in the world. One of the more deadly side-effects of this mandatory social distancing is the feeling of loneliness which consumes too many people. As I have been praying for many people who are feeling isolated and alone in this season, I felt the Lord’s presence stirring in me the greatest promise Jesus made when He left this earth. That is, “I am with you always…” (Matthew 28:20).

Personally, as an introvert, I was social distancing before it was mandatory. However, I know that many of you need personal interaction and relationship to keep you going. So I do pray that you are not being led into depression and anguish during this season of isolation. However, I want to remind you that you are not alone. The Holy Spirit is with you, and is ready to engage with you as a friend if you will give Him the opportunity.

With this in mind, I want to share three ways we can build our relationship with God during this season.

1. Get Comfortable in the Secret Place

One of the topics I talk about most is having relationship and hearing God’s voice. That is because I strongly believe that Christianity truly is, as the old cliche says, a relationship, not a religion. Over the years, my own relationship with the Holy Spirit has grown incredibly personal, and I have learned to discern His voice speaking to me on a daily basis. That is not only a promise for “prophets.” Jesus said that all of His sheep would know His voice and follow Him (John 10:27).

While I have coached many people in hearing God’s voice for themselves, too many people miss the most important part, and that is to take time to practice hearing Him. There are many great teachings on how to hear Him speaking. There are many books that give keys to grow in your ability to hear. There are many leaders who can lead in times of activation, allowing you to have the experience yourself for the first time. Yet, none of those things will make you any more effective at hearing the Lord speak, if you do not take time daily to sit down in a quiet place and listen.

Years ago, I read the book “Four Keys to Hearing God’s Voice” by Mark Virkler. The simple principles he shared shaped my ability to hear the Lord speaking to me personally, in ways I never imagined possible. One of the things he shares is the need to write down everything God tells you in a practice called “two-way journaling.” Basically, you ask God a question, then write down what you feel the Holy Spirit speaks. Since 2012, this has been my habit of prayer journaling, and it has allowed me to focus on the Lord, and to hear Him speaking to me on a daily basis.

Again, these keys I learned would not have made any difference in my life, if I didn’t take the time to practice them regularly.

Right now, as you are staying home, limiting social interaction, and trying to balance your sanity with social media and binge watching television, I don’t want you to miss this great opportunity to spend time with the Lord in prayer, and to get comfortable in the secret place with Him. He is right there with you, and ready to speak. Take the time to listen. Even if you have never been able to sit in a position of prayer for more than 10 minutes, you have ample time to try, again and again, until the secret place is somewhere you don’t want to leave.

I promise you, once you learn to fellowship with Him in private, and the joys of knowing Him so personally, even the return of normal life in a couple of months will not keep you from returning to the prayer closet again and again.

To learn more about hearing the Lord speaking, you can find my four-part blog series on Hearing God’s Voice here, here, here, and here. 

2. Dig Deep in the Word of God

Another aspect of Christian life that too often gets neglected in our busy routines, is engaging with the Word of God. I know that many of you do spend time daily in the Bible, and that is great. Yet, what I have found in this season of isolation is that God has given us time to go deeper in the Word of God, and learn from Him the principles of the Christian life.

Of course we should be reading our Bibles continually, and seek to know what is there from cover to cover. Some of you read through the whole Bible every year! Our ministry, Sozo Ministries, just shared a Bible reading plan that will take you through the entire New Testament in 21 days, as a free resource during this time. Those things are great, but I am talking about going deeper in our understanding of the Word of God.

Surely there are things the Holy Spirit has whispered to you, that have made you think, “I really need to look into that.” Maybe it is a deep doctrinal truth debated for ages, or it could simply be a small personal curiosity about something in the Word. Either way, you have now been given ample time to dive into the Word and find out. I am talking highlighters, Bible dictionaries, concordances and commentaries! It is a great season to put on your Bible-nerd glasses, and get moving.

The good news is, you don’t have to have a study full of wall-to-wall books. In the days of internet, you can find many commentaries and bible study resources available online for free!

I don’t know how deep you want to take your Bible study, but what I want to encourage you in your journey in the Word is to go in prayerfully and trust that the Holy Spirit will guide you and teach you in this time. This, too, should be a relationship-building time with the Lord, as He speaks to you personally through His Word!

You can find my post on the R.E.A.P. Bible Study Method here, as well as my two-part series on keeping a Scripture Reading Journal, here and here.

3. Become Your Own Worship Leader

The third thing I have found necessary in times like these, is to create a routine of worship by yourself. With churches closed down to the public and now broadcasting online, it is easy to just watch the worship, rather than engage in our own. However, when we realize that worship is an activity which should invade all that we do, then we can learn to be our own worship leaders.

This doesn’t always have to be singing, although singing is one of the easiest ways to engage in worship. That is why King David filled the tabernacle with musicians and singers who praised the Lord 24/7.

For me, I have taken time in the last few weeks to pull an old hymn book off the shelf, and sing through some of the songs I learned when I first joined church as a teenager. I have also taken up the hobby of learning to play a penny whistle, which I ordered from Amazon over Christmas last year. Playing songs that stir my heart toward the Lord in my solitude has been an enjoyable experience, and I can feel His presence surround me as I play and sing.

The truth is that worship is a form of spiritual warfare, and it changes the atmosphere around us. If you are isolated in this season, and feelings of loneliness and depression are taking hold, worship may be the easiest way to remove yourself from that funk and be drawn into His presence afresh.

Don’t hesitate to switch off Netflix and turn on a YouTube worship channel. Sing along. Lead your family or your kids in praises. Just because we cannot “go to church” does not mean that we cease to be the church. Let’s learn to worship the Lord, even more, in our private lives now, as a way to build that relationship with Him, which will last for years to come!

You can find an Apple Music playlist I created called, Warfare Worship, here.

We Have Time To Engage

To be sure, there are many other ways you can seek to engage with the Lord and deepen your relationship with Him in this season. You might decide to fast. You might spend time creating prophetic works of art or writings. Perhaps you still lead small groups or video chat sessions for intercession. All of these things are great, and there are so many more ways that I can’t even begin to give a complete list.

No matter how you engage with the Lord, my prayer for you in this season is simply that you do. Do not miss the opportunity you have been given, to give the Lord time! I have never met a Christian who lives with too much time on their hands. Busyness always seems to pull us away from relationship with Him. In this season, however, you have been given the gift of time to spare. Let’s choose not to squander it!

If you are enjoying what you are reading on my blog, I would also be honored if you would subscribe to my weekly email below. You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for regular blog updates, and other ongoing #ChristianLife and #GospelLeadership advice!

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry!

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Presence or Power: What do you seek?

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I love encounters with the Lord. I love to see people getting filled with the Holy Spirit or receiving new impartations of gifts and callings. It is an exciting thing to see people encounter their Father in such a real way. After wrapping up a series of blog posts on encounters with God (part 1, part 2, part 3), and spending a week preaching at our ministry’s annual Pastors’ Conference, where so many of our leaders were touched by the Holy Spirit, I am stirred up with a passion for the presence and the power of God to work in people’s lives.

Nevertheless, I am also reminded that too often those seeking an encounter with the Lord get their priorities wrong. Too many people desire the power of God, and all of His benefits, yet reject His abiding presence in their lives. So the question for us today is, “what are you seeking: presence or power?”

The Presence and Power of God on Display

As you read through the Old Testament, the people of Israel had some very tangible signs of God’s presence with them. They also saw His power at work, daily. Through the plagues in Egypt, God delivered His people from Pharaoh. After Moses led the people out of captivity, God’s presence manifested as the pillar of cloud and fire. He powerfully provided for them with manna from heaven and water from the rock. After the tabernacle was built in the wilderness, the whole place was filled with smoke – what we might call today, “the glory cloud.” Then, God commanded Moses to build the Ark of the Covenant, which would represent God’s physical presence wherever it was carried. Their lives were full of both God’s presence and His power.

For the life of an Israelite in those early days, you could not escape from the public demonstrations of both the power and the presence of God. However, as much as they enjoyed the powerful provision God gave to them, they began to distance themselves from His presence.

Rejecting the Presence

In Exodus 19, God tells Moses that He will descend on Mount Sinai and speak to the people. When the day came, there was fire and smoke covering the mountain. God warned Moses to set boundaries around the mountain so that people could not touch the glory and die. He then issued to Moses the ten commandments. Yet, the people’s response was not to rush close. The Bible tells us

“Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.’ The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.”

Exodus 20:18-21

Although the people believed in God, and had benefitted from His power. His presence was terrifying. They were face to face with a God who was beyond their control, and so they fled.

They sought a God they could control.

As the story continues, we know that Moses returned up the mountain into God’s presence, to receive the law from God. Meanwhile, the people of Israel decided to build the golden calf – a god they could control – and bowed down to worship it, instead (see Exodus 32). 

Replacing God with man.

Unfortunately, this rejection of God’s presence marked the people of Israel for generations to come. A culmination point came after the time of the Judges when the people called on Samuel to appoint for them a King. 

“But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.”

1 Samuel 8:6-7

Desiring the Power

Although the people did not want God’s presence – they rejected Him personally – it didn’t change the fact that they wanted His power to work on their behalf.

Over and over again, when the people were defeated by enemies or had troubles in the nation, there was a cry to God to rescue them. We find another story, along these lines, when the nation was utterly defeated by the Philistines in 1 Samuel 4.

“Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines?”

1 Samuel 4:1-3

Their answer to the defeat is what makes the story interesting. Their response is, “Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” They called for the ark, which symbolized God’s presence, but they were only interested in the power.

Losing the Power?

As the Ark comes into their camp, the people cheer, and even the Philistines are disheartened, because they know the testimonies of God’s power in the past. However, they encouraged themselves that they should not become slaves to Israel and they rose up to fight.

“So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. And the ark of God was captured…”

1 Samuel 4:10-11

Israel (symbolically at least) was left without both the presence and the power of God. And the Philistines rejoiced! 

Capturing God’s Power?

“When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon.”

1 Samuel 5:1-2

Dagon was the main god worshipped by the Philistines. He was a false idol, erected in statue form, in a large temple built for him. Now notice what the Philistines do. They bring the Ark of the Covenant – the thing that symbolized God’s presence – and they try to use it simply as a source of power. They bring it into Dagon’s temple, and try to set the God of Israel in the shadow of their false idol. Just like Israel, they wanted His power, but not His presence.

God, however, will not sit subservient to any human idol, and on the first morning Dagon’s statue is laid facedown before the Ark of the Covenant. After the Philistines return the idol to its place, God destroys it.

“When they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.”

1 Samuel 5:4

Plagues then begin to come upon the Philistines, until they put the Ark on a cart and send it on its way back to Israel.

Still Rejecting the Presence

If we follow the story along, the people of Israel are happy for the Ark’s return, yet they still reject the presence of God which it represents. They do not bring it back to the tent of meeting as God had commanded Moses. It is moved from house to house, bringing both blessings and death, until King David brings it to a place of honor in Jerusalem.

Unfortunately, this isn’t simply a story about an ancient people and their God. It is the same story for too many in the church today! Many people who call themselves Christian, want nothing to do with God. They simply want His power and blessings in their lives.

I have a friend who is an active homosexual, and lives a lifestyle of hedonism. He wants nothing to do with God, does not like Jesus, and hates the Bible. Yet if you have a conversation with him about faith, he will tell you, “I was saved at 6 years old at First Baptist Church, and ‘once saved always saved.’” You cannot convince him that his rejection of God’s presence in his life nullifies the power of salvation. He will not accept that to have God’s power, he must also accept God’s presence (and authority).

False teachings abound

My friend’s story is an extreme example, but it is not unique. If we look at major theologies being promoted, you don’t have to search very far before you find Christians peddling the blessings and power of God, without needing His presence.

Take the prosperity gospel for instance. While I believe God promises to bless and prosper His people, it is always tied to their relationship and submission to Him. Not so with this theology. For them, if you give something to God financially, then you tie His hands, and He has to return that money to you with interest. Plant your seed of faith, and God has to grow you a tree.

Example after example could be given, where we seek to control God, rejecting His presence but receiving His power.

No King but King Jesus

I believe it is time for a new generation of believers to rise up, and stop playing games with God. We have to stop seeking His power for our own benefit, and start seeking His presence to guide our lives.

The cry of the early church was, “no King but King Jesus.” This was an absolute rejection of Caesar and the worldly ways of power and prestige. They traded everything to know Him.

The payoff? They received Him! They were filled with the Holy Spirit, guided by Him daily, and through Him, changed the world! When they sought His presence, and allowed Him to be God, they found that His power comes along, as well.

He is not a God to be controlled. We cannot manipulate Him in some way to make His power work for us. We must return to the place of wanting Him. When we do that, we will find our blessings are not just from Him. They are Him.

He is the reward of our salvation. He is our hope. He is our joy. He is our blessing. Even heaven is not heaven, if He is not there.

What about you?

I don’t know about you, but I just want Him. I am tired of wasting time, going after a blessing. There has to be more than simply pressing in for a breakthrough. Why do we need another conference that promises a method or program to get God’s power to work in our lives.

I just want Him. I want His presence. I want His love, and His touch on my life.

How about you? Have you traded His presence to pursue His power? Is your goal to submit to Him and let Him be God, or are you trying to control Him for your own benefit?

Truly, it is time for the people of God to stop going after His power, and instead become a people marked by His presence!

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you want to read more about personal encounters with the Lord, and how they can shape your life, I would like to recommend the book, “Hosting the Presence” by Bill Johnson.

As always, if you are enjoying what you are reading on my blog, I would also be honored if you would subscribe to my weekly email below. You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for regular blog updates, and other ongoing #ChristianLife and #GospelLeadership insights!

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry!

Photo by Igor Rodrigues on Unsplash

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The Anatomy of an Encounter with God (Part 3)

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As we have already seen, there is a lot that goes on in an encounter with the Lord. He sovereignly determines when and how He is going to meet with you. Then when He does, He changes your life. He takes control; convicts you of sin, and issues a calling. These are vital experiences to live the Christian life. Now, as we wrap up this series, we want to look at the effects of an encounter with the Lord. Once again, we will continue looking at Saul’s experience in Acts 9.

Divine CONNECTIONS are Made

As the story of Saul progresses, he leaves the place of encounter and is led to Damascus, where he doesn’t eat or drink for three days. Then the Bible says,

“Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ And he said, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.’”

Acts 9:10-12

Saul had received the calling from the Lord, during the encounter. However, that experience alone was not enough. God ordained another member of the body of Christ to come and help Saul discern what happened during that encounter.

In the same way, when we have an encounter with the Lord, He will orchestrate others to come alongside us, to help us work through the revelation. Sometimes these will be short-lived relationships. Other times, these people will play a large part in the rest of your life, as you live out the plan of God for your life.

CONFUSION Arises Around Your Past 

As God called Saul, and then worked to bring him together with Ananias, there was a problem. Ananias knew who Saul was. He knew Saul had been on a crusade to exterminate Christ-followers.

“Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.’”

Acts 9:13-14

The sad reality is, it is difficult to move beyond our past, when everyone around us knows our life story. Even Jesus, who never sinned once, was met with skepticism when He preached in Nazareth. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” Jesus’ response was, “a prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown” (Matthew 13:57).

Personally, I grew up in a town of less than 3,00 people. Everyone knew everyone else’s business. The person I was as a teenager, all-to-often, is still the same reputation people look at me to have, 15+ years later. As one of my old, favorite bands sang, “You’re always 17 in your hometown.”

When God calls you out of who you were, and leads you on the next step in your journey through a supernatural encounter, it may be difficult for others to accept. People will watch with skepticism, to see if what you are saying is true. Like Ananias, they may not be willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, until God undeniably proves what He is doing in you.

(For a current example of this, look at Benny Hinn. He is claiming to now reject the prosperity gospel, and saying he will never fleece God’s flock again. Most people are doubtful, and waiting to see what happens.)

You are COMMISSIONED in the Work You Have Been Called To

No matter what others may think, say, or do concerning your experience, the undeniable evidence of an encounter with the Lord, is that He will publicly commission you to go out and fulfill the call He puts on you privately. God told Ananias of Saul:

“‘I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’ So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’”

Acts 9:15-17

The Damascus road experience was a private encounter, where even those with Saul did not hear what God was speaking. However, when God sends Ananias, Saul is publicly recognized according to God’s calling on Him. He is prayed for, and filled with the Holy Spirit, which enabled him to fulfill the call.

For many of us, this public commissioning does not happen three days after our encounter. For some people, it may even take years or decades. However, the evidence of the encounter will come the fruit is borne.

For me, God had clearly spoken to me about an apostolic calling on my life in many different ways. There were prophetic words from others. There were random encounters, that I wondered later if they were angelic. There was a vision or two. All the time, God telling me that I was called as an apostle. My problem was that in my Baptist upbringing, we didn’t believe the apostolic gift was for today. I argued with God about this issue, plenty. However, in His timing, we launched Sozo Ministries International, where I serve as the apostolic overseer, equipping the leaders and planting churches in East Africa.

Your private calling from the Lord will lead to a public commissioning, eventually.

You Walk Away with CLARITY

As you deal with the reality of what you experience in your encounter with the Lord, and God works things in the public sphere, the final effect is that you will get clarity on the direction of your life. For Saul, this clarity was physical, as well as directional.

“And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.”

Acts 9:18-19

Saul received his physical sight back. More than that, however, as God continued giving him divine connections in the other disciples, Saul was able to learn and grow in the gospel. He got clarity through the things he learned, and by the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and it changed the course of his life.

The same is true for us. When God grants us a supernatural encounter with Himself, it is always to deepen our relationship with Him, and guide us further on our journey. We get clarity in our identity in Him. He clarifies our need for relationship with Him. And we walk away with a clear vision for our future, whether immediate or long term.

What is the Result?

“And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’”

Acts 9:20

Saul of Tarsus met God on the Damascus road, and the result was that, as the Apostle Paul, he took the gospel to the gentile world in power. 

The result of your own encounter with God is that He will give you everything you need to fulfill the calling He places on your life. You will be filled with the Holy Spirit to levels you couldn’t imagine before. You will begin to experience power and gifts flowing through you, which you didn’t know possible. He will guide you into your destiny, until HIs revelation to you is completely fulfilled.

Pursue the God of Encounters

This whole series of posts has been unique among my blog posts, in that, unlike reading the Bible or planning a discipleship program, having an encounter with God is not something you can initiate or plan for. It all depends on Him. However, that doesn’t mean that there is nothing for you to do.

What I would encourage you to do is NOT to pursue an encounter. Although we all need them, and desire to have them, the encounter itself is not the goal. Instead, pursue the God of the encounter. We must desire Him, more than we desire power or gifts. If we will seek His presence, daily, even hourly, then it won’t be a surprise when He grants you a powerful experience with Himself. Seek Him, and see what happens.

What About You?

As we wrap up this blog series, I would love to hear from you, with any stories you have of your own encounters with the Lord. It may be dreams, visions, angelic visitations, or even a face-to-face encounter with Christ. If the Lord allows you to share, I invite you to do so in the comments section below.

If you want to read more about personal encounters with the Lord, and how they can shape your life, I would like to recommend the book, “Defining Moments: God-Encounters With Ordinary People Who Changed the World.“

As always, if you are enjoying what you are reading on my blog, I would also be honored if you would subscribe to my weekly email below. You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for regular blog updates, and other ongoing #ChristianLife and #GospelLeadership advice!

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry!

Photo by Christopher Campbell on Unsplash

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The Anatomy of an Encounter with God (Part 2)

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What happens when we have an encounter with the Lord? In part 1, we discussed that God alone chooses ‘when’ and ‘how’ your encounter will happen. In this post, however, I want to explore what actually happens when God shows up. There seems to be some elements of an encounter with the Lord, that appear over and over again in scripture. Today, we will look at three of them.

We will continue with Saul’s encounter with the Lord in Acts 9, as we explore these things.

Element 1: God takes CONTROL

The first thing that happened when the great light surrounded Saul and his men, was that Saul lost control of himself. Acts 9:4 tells us that Saul fell to the ground, and verse 8 tells us that he was no longer able to see.

This is a common theme when the Lord shows up. We see the same thing with every time a prophet of the Lord is called into His presence. In Revelation 1:17, John tells us that upon viewing Jesus, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.” The same thing happens to the priests in the Old Testament, when the Ark of the Covenant is brought into the temple:

“And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.”

1 Kings 8:10–11

One other example, and possibly my favorite, actually happened with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, when the soldiers came to arrest Him. 

“Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.”

John 18:4–6

In many cases, the presence of God overtakes our own ability to control our bodies. When we lose control, there is no other option, except to submit to Him.

Element 2: We are overcome with CONVICTION

The second thing that happens in an encounter with the Lord is that our sin is brought into clear focus, and a strong conviction from the Lord leads us to repent.

In Saul’s case, we see this as Jesus speaks to him: “And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ And he said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting’” (Acts 9:4–5).

Saul had been a self-righteous Pharisee his whole life. He thought that his persecution against the church was an action in defense of God and true religion. However, when this encounter takes place, the error of his ways becomes very clear. God doesn’t beat around the bush. Saul’s actions were a direct sin against the Lord Himself.

Other Examples

This element of an encounter, too, is repeated over and over in scripture. When God shows up, it is to restore righteousness in the people He is touching. Take Isaiah’s encounter for instance. He is taken into the heavens, and he sees the Lord sitting on the throne. All the angels are there, worshipping. And what is Isaiah’s response?

“And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Isaiah 6:5–7

When we have an encounter with the Lord, it is because He wants to draw us closer to Himself, and take us further in our lives with Him. In order to do that, He has to bring us to a full “heart check,” wherein we realize our sin, make confession, and come out purified.

We see this same thing in Zechariah’s dream of the high priest, Joshua:

“Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Remove the filthy garments from him.’ And to him he said, ‘Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.’”

Zechariah 3:3–4

In an encounter with the Lord, either He convicts us and makes us clean, or there is judgement leading to death. There is no other option. His goal is to have deeper intimacy with us, but His presence demands our holiness.

Element 3: We discover our CALLING

The final element that happens in an encounter is that the Lord will reveal more of His plan for our lives. Again, He is taking us further on our life’s journey with Him, and He wants to use us.

For Saul, this element came in through his instructions of what to do next. Jesus said, “but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do” (Acts 9:6). God then commissions Ananias to pray for Saul, saying, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:15–16).

It was through this encounter that Saul is changed from a persecutor of the church, to an Apostle to the gentiles. His destiny was revealed.

In the grand scheme of things, those three days being blinded and out of control were but a tiny speck of time, compared to the lasting impact Saul (now Paul) had on the Kingdom of God. God had to grab control, and convict him of sin, so that Paul could be sent out to fulfill the calling on his life.

For some people, the calling that comes in an encounter with the Lord is simply the calling to be saved, and follow Jesus with their lives. For others, it is a calling to be better husbands or wives, and serve Him through their family. Some are called into careers and professions that will impact the world. Many are called into the ministry, with a promise of reaching nations.

While some of these things may sound “bigger” than others, the truth is that an encounter with God will change your life, personally, for the better. His calling will be the greatest adventure of your life, if you accept what He is asking of you.

Seeking Your Encounter

Once again, these three elements on an encounter are always evident when the Lord shows up. God wants to take control of your life, convict you of your sin, and call you into your destiny. And we should desire Him to do all of those things.

In the next post, we will explore the effects of an encounter, but for today, I want to encourage you, to begin to pray and ask God for your own supernatural encounter with Him. It doesn’t matter if you have had other encounters in the past. There is always more for those who ask Him (see Matthew 7:11).

Pray for more. Pray for visions or visitations. Ask God to show up and meet with you. He promises that we will find Him when we seek Him (see Jeremiah 29:13).

Each time I have had encounters with the Lord’s presence, I have been left hungering for more. I’m sure you will, too. I would love to hear about your experience in the comments! Make sure and tell us how these elements of an encounter appeared in yours.

Find out More

If you want to read more about personal encounters with the Lord, and how they can shape your life, I would like to recommend the book, “Defining Moments: God-Encounters With Ordinary People Who Changed the World.”

As always, if you are enjoying what you are reading on my blog, I would also be honored if you would subscribe to my weekly email below. You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for regular blog updates, and other ongoing #ChristianLife and #GospelLeadership advice!

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry!

Photo by Christopher Campbell on Unsplash

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