I’ve been reviewing a book by Jonathan Welton entitled The School of the Seers. It is a book about the gift of spiritual discernment and the ability to see into the spiritual realm. I know several people with that gift. It manifests in several ways but from time to time or nearly all the time these individuals can see angels, demons, and other symbolic things in the spiritual realm as if having an open vision. Whether what they see is literal or symbolic of something that is literally operating in the spiritual realm is up for debate but God definitely shows them spiritual realities in real time.

Welton says something interesting about words in the spiritual realm that is worth considering. “On one occasion when I was praying for the sick, I saw something unique about the woman I was about to pray for. Before she told me what illness she was suffering with, I saw spears stuck in her from all directions in the spirit realm. They were about ten feet long and literally stuck out of her in every direction….the woman told me she had anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, Epstein Barr virus, and many other similar ailments…Some of the spears had writing on them which explained what they were and how they had arrived there (such as hate, disappointment, and fear).

We spent some time forgiving individuals who had hurt her, releasing word curses, and dealing with many heart issues. As we processed these issues, the spears were being removed by the Spirit…The Lord gave me an insight into why I see so many swords, spears, and other weapons stuck into people in the Spirit. We see in Ephesians 6:17 that when words are in the hands of the Holy Spirit, those words are the sword of the Holy Spirit, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Simply stated, in the spirit, words equal swords – so with our mouths we also wield swords….we can use words in a destructive manner which literally stabs and injures others” (Johnathan Welton, The School of the Seers, p. 85-86, Destiny Image Publishing).

We know that that the tongue has the power of life and death, but most of us still tend to only think of hurtful words causing injury in the natural realm by wounding emotions and battering self-esteem. But what if something literally happens in the spiritual realm that effects us in the natural? In his book, Welton said that when people would approach the woman, they would rake the spears which created tremendous pain in her soul. Because of that, she kept her distance from people. After his prayer, and the spears being removed by the Spirit, her physical illness symptoms disappeared and she was able to hug and connect with other human beings without fear of pain.

What if we saw our words in the spiritual realm either literally wounding people or injecting life and strength into them? What if we saw them as slicing and stabbing like swords or spears of the enemy or as pellets of life-giving water splashing over them, healing old wounds and reviving their souls? Would that temper our words? Would that prompt us to always be dispensers of healing instead of pain? James tells us that fresh water should always flow from our mouths rather than salt water. Fresh water gives life to green plants while salt water brings death.

We did a study on James a few weeks ago and looked at the verse instructing us to resist the devil. Developing a habit of always building others up with our words and speaking blessings over them is a powerful way to wield a sword against the enemy. Speaking over ourselves in the same way is also a powerful sword. Spiritual warfare is primarily done with words because words carry power and authority. We should be aware of that 24/7 not just when commanding demons or commanding healing over a person. Ours should be a lifestyle of speaking life, removing spears, and healing the slashes of the enemies swords in every person we connect with.

Sometimes, people wonder why sinners and broken people were so drawn to Jesus. I believe it is because he always spoke life over them and they were drawn to that source of life. Be blessed today and be a constant source of blessing to those around you just as Jesus would do.

Faith is first trusting in the character of God. All of his promises and our expectations for those promises rest on His character. When we pray “according to his will,” our first level of prayer is simply asking for things that are aligned with his general values and principles as revealed in scripture. If God commanded a thing in scripture or if his Word calls us to a certain thing then we can always pray for it with the expectation that our prayer pleases the Father and that he is willing to do what we ask. Praying for the salvation of another person is always according to God’s will because God desires that all men should be saved. Praying for a heart that loves my enemies is according to God’s will because Jesus taught me to love my enemies. God always has a heart for those things so I can always pray for those things with an expectation that God will move in response to my prayer.

When I pray, I can expect God to act because of who God is. I must also be open to the possibility when I am praying from his general will and from my own desires that some conditions in the spiritual realm may prevent God from acting on my prayer. That doesn’t mean that God isn’t all-powerful. It means that God has sovereignly placed limitations on himself that allow men to act with free will. I may pray for a person’s salvation and God will work in that person’s life to produce faith and repentance, but ultimately, he will not force his will on that individual. Think of how many people heard Jesus preach and even saw his miracles but refused to believe. Many of the miracles were performed expressly so that men might believe in Jesus, but many still refused.

There is another level of meaning to “according to His will,” however, that allows us to pray with absolute confidence not only in the character of God but also in the outcomes. When we hear the Lord’s voice and he directs us to pray for ourselves or another person for healing, protection, provision, etc. we can pray with absolute confidence because God has already determined to do the thing. He is only waiting for us to pray so that he can release his power into that situation. Learning to hear God and taking time to hear him, even before praying, is going to increase the number of prayers we see answered and will increase our faith for answered prayers and miracles.

Many of us have prayed for miracles and have not seen them or have seen only a few. Because of that, when we do pray we have little expectation of God moving in supernatural ways in response to our prayers. However, if we would seek God in the matters of when to pray and what to pray over a situation, we would see more answers and learn to be more effective in prayer. Wise kings in the Old Testament inquired of God before going into battle. They would ask if they should fight, when they should fight, and how they should fight. God would tell them to go into battle right away or to postpone the encounter. He would also give them a strategy for the battle that insured victory.

We would do well to approach critical situations in our lives and the lives of those we pray for in the same way. As we hear from God, our prayers will be more on target and more effective. Since we are instructed to pray without ceasing, we need to have an ongoing dialogue with the Lord as well.

However, if I haven’t heard from the Lord, it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t pray. If a situation is on my heart and I know that I am praying for something that is consistent with God’s will, then I should pray as I feel led or as my experience directs me. However, if I’m not seeing the hand of God soon, I may want to press in harder and ask God to show me if there is something getting in the way of that prayer being answered. It may just be timing, but spiritual conditions may be getting in the way. For instance, before praying for healing or deliverance, we often ask a person if he is holding bitterness and unforgiveness toward someone who has wounded him. Unforgiveness gets in the way of many prayers being answered. If there is persistent, unrepented sin in the life of an individual that may also get in the way. Even curses give demons a legal right to resist the blessings of God in a person’s life so those things need to be revealed and dealt with before our prayers will have the effect that we desire and that God desires.

I don’t want to give the impression that I have all this figured out. I still jump into prayer without asking God what and how I should be praying. I still go into spiritual battle at times without inquiring of the Lord. He is gracious and frequently moves on my behalf, even when I don’t seek his counsel first. But I am growing in this area and know that hearing from God, before I pray rather than after, is the most effective way to pray and for my faith and understanding to grow.

I need to acknowledge that hearing from God is not always a clear voice in my head. Sometimes it is just a strong feeling or confirmation in my spirit or my heart that God wants to do something. I know some people with a gift of healing who see an “aura” around a person God wants to heal at that moment. Others are alerted in dreams that God wants them to pray for a certain person about a certain thing. God’s direction comes in many forms but the key is to look for that direction as we pray or, even better, before we pray. As we do faith grows. Be blessed today in all that you do.

In my previous blog, I talked about the nature of faith and, especially, the faith for miracles. One question that always comes up in relation to faith and miracles is, “How much faith is enough faith?” That question seems to be a natural response to several statements made by Jesus in the gospels regarding answers to prayer. To the Roman centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.” And the servant was healed in that hour” (Mt.8:13, RSVP). To two blind men Jesus said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.”  And their eyes were opened” (MT.9:29). In another place Jesus told his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mk.11:24).

In these verses and others, Jesus related answered prayers and miracles to the measure of faith one possessed. The question then becomes, “How much is that measure?” Is it some faith, more faith than doubt, or absolute faith that is required? Unfortunately, I think the answer is, “It depends.” For instance, there are several miracles in which a man was healed who had no faith at all because he didn’t even know who Jesus was or what he was about to do. The man born blind in the gospel of John (chapter 9) seemed to be as surprised as anyone that he was seeing. He told the leaders of the Jews that he didn’t know much about the man who healed him; he only knew that he was healed. The lame man at the pool of Bethesda (Jn.5) thought Jesus was going to help him into the water. He had no faith for healing because he wasn’t anticipating healing at the hands of Jesus – and yet he was healed. And then there was the father of the boy who had a demon that kept casting him into fire and water. When Jesus asked the man if he believed that he could heal his son, the father declared, “I do believe, help my unbelief” (Mk.9:24). Here was a man who had some faith that was mixed with some uncertainty. And yet, Jesus healed the boy.

From these examples it seems that perfect faith is not always required for answered prayer or for miracles. Indeed, I question whether we can even have “perfect” faith because as Paul argues in Romans 7, our flesh wars against our spirit. Our flesh will inject doubt and the enemy will whisper doubt even when our spirit believes. Again, I frequently find myself in the position of knowing that God can do anything but not being sure that he will act in a certain circumstance. Knowing that God wills something is not the same as knowing that he will do it in the way and in the timing I desire. God is often willing to do something but does not because the conditions have not been met for answered prayer or a miracle.

James says that we have not because we ask not. So…much of the time asking is a condition for receiving. Sometimes a significant level of faith is required because the person offering the prayer or receiving the miracle should have significant faith because of the opportunities for faith and trust that God has placed in his or her life. To whom much is given much is required. There are simply times when we should have matured in our faith but have not because we have been casual, we have quenched the Spirit, and we have persisted in unbelief. We are double-minded because we have chosen not to do the things that would help us grow in the Lord. James tells us that a double-minded man will not have his prayers answered (James 1:7). On the other hand, those new to the faith or encountering Jesus for the first time are not required to have much faith or any faith to see a miracle or have prayers answered in powerful ways.

Unrepented sin, unforgiveness, double-mindedness, idolatry, etc. can all get in the way of answered prayers and miracles. While knowing that, we must still be careful not to judge or blame someone because, at other times, the reason a miracle does not occur is simply a mystery. I know amazingly godly people who have prayed with great faith for a miracle of healing and have not received it while others with little faith and a ragged life have been healed.

That leaves me again believing that our first position of faith is always in the goodness and faithfulness of God. I can always be sure of that. My second position is an expectation that he will do the very thing I am asking because I know it is consistent with his will and nature. At the same time, I know there are mysteries that surround some circumstances so that I may not see a miracle at that moment. So what do I do in in that circumstance? I continue to trust in the goodness of God and keep praying for the miracle while I ask for a revelation of anything that is getting in the way of that prayer being answered.

In my next blog, I will share some thoughts on growing in faith. Be blessed.