For those of us who desire divine healing or who are pursuing a spiritual gift of healing for the sake of others, it is important that we are convinced of God’s constant goodness and his constant willingness to heal. Anything less, produces doubt in our prayers for healing.

Whenever a discussion immerges regarding divine healing, four questions always seem to arise: (1) Does God still heal today? (2) Why does he heal? (3) Is God always willing to heal or just on rare occasions? (4) If God heals today and is always willing, then why are many not healed? Let me share some thoughts on the first three questions and them some thoughts on number four in my next blog.

In Psalm 103, David declared, “Praise the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love an compassion” (Ps.103:2-4). Throughout the Bible, the forgiveness of sins and the healing of disease are linked together and tied to God’s love and compassion. Let me make an extreme statement based David’s inspired declaration. If God does not heal all of our diseases then he does not forgive all of our sins because they are both promised here and are linked together. If healing is for only a few then forgiveness is for only a few but God desires that all men should be saved.

That statement does not mean that if you have asked for healing and have not received it that your sins are not forgiven. What it does mean is that as much as God is willing to forgive our sins, he is also willing to heal our diseases. It also means that if our sin problem has been removed or dealt with, then we should have open access to the healing power of heaven. One of the critical steps in receiving healing or ministering healing is the recognition that God is not only able to heal those who ask, but is always very willing. Remember, one of the names of God is Jehovah Rophi, the God who heals his people. His names reflect his nature and his nature reveals his heart. It is his nature to heal because life flows out of God and life heals. In the sane way that God cannot deny his holiness or his goodness, because that is his very nature, he cannot turn off his willingness to heal because that is his very nature.

In the gospel of Luke, we see Jesus healing a crippled woman on the Sabbath. Of course, the Jewish rulers rebuked Jesus for healing on the Sabbath since, in their minds, healing constituted work and no work was to be done on the seventh day. In reply to the rebuke, Jesus answered, “Should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her” (Lk.13:16)? Notice that Jesus considered her condition a work of Satan and John tells us that the very reason Jesus came into the world was to destroy the works of Satan (1 Jn.3:8).

Jesus also used the word “should” which carries with it the implication that her healing was a moral imperative or an obligation. It was the right thing to do. It was, in fact, part of God’s covenant with Israel (Ex.15:26). In Isaiah 61:1-3, we are told that Jesus came to set captives free and, in this verse, he likened her illness or her condition to bondage. Healing her set her free.

Jesus also felt compelled to heal this woman because of his love and compassion for her. She was a child of God and a daughter of Abraham living under the Old Covenant. The fact that Jesus never turned anyone down who came to him for healing suggests the he felt just as compelled to heal others as he did that woman. Jesus always did the Father’s will and always represented his Father perfectly. When we have seen Jesus we have seen the Father. It is the nature of God to heal; he is compelled to do so out of his goodness, love and compassion; he is also compelled when covenant promises are involved; and his mission through Jesus is to destroy the works of the devil including illness and bondage.

Okay, Jesus healed then, but does he heal now? Of course he does because it is still his nature, it is still the right or moral thing to do, and he still has the unchanging love and compassion for us that he did for her. We too are children of Abraham if we have the faith of Abraham (Gal.3:7) and on top of that, we too are covenant children living under an even better covenant than that woman did.

David’s words out of Psalm 103 really come to mind in the gospel of Matthew. In this account, as a prelude to healing, he declared the man’s sins to be forgiven. The religious leaders around Jesus, thought such words were blasphemy and so Jesus responded, “Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” Then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”      And the man got up and went home^” (Mt.9:5-7).  That moment brought David’s words to life. Disease has come into the world because of sin. When sin is forgiven or dealt with, disease no longer has a legal claim on us. Healing then becomes our inheritance in Jesus.

The Lord’s Supper represents our covenant with the Father through Jesus and has two elements – the bread and the cup. The cup, of course, represents the blood of Christ that was shed for us. “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (Lk.22:20). Hebrews tells us that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Heb.9:22). So the forgiveness of our sins is in the blood and is represented by the cup. But what about the bread? Jesus said that the bread was his body broken for us. Peter echoed that same truth when he said, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (2 Pt.2:24). The wounds are the wounds of his broken body. Those wounds purchased healing for us. Even the Lord’s supper, through the cup and the bread, declares that he forgives all of our sins and heals all of our diseases.

Just as preaching the gospel and forgiving sins marked the ministry of Jesus, so did healing. When Jesus sent out the twelve and the seventy-two to preach the gospel, he also commanded them to heal. In addition, he has commanded us to do what he did and has given the church gifts of healing. Healing is a confirmation that Jesus has taken away our sins – he forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases. Because Jesus died for the sins of the world, healing in his name can even come to unbelievers.

As we pursue healing or a gift of healing, we need to have every confidence that our prayers for healing are pleasing to the Father and that he is willing to answer our prayers. I believe that any serious study of healing in the Bible will lead you to the conclusion that God is willing to heal his people and even desires to do so. Because of that, we can pray for healing with the prayer of faith and have confidence and God will raise up the sick person (Ja.5:15). Healing is part of our inheritance in Jesus!

The next question, then, is always, “So why isn’t everyone healed?” I will share some thoughts on that in my next blog. Blessings today and health in the Lord.

When I came to you brothers…My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. 1 Corinthians 2:1, 4-5

I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore, you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 1 Corinthians 1:4-7

When Paul arrived at Corinth, he arrived feeling defeated. He had just come from Athens where he had gathered with the cream of the Greek philosophers and had offered his best arguments on behalf of Christ. Paul was a brilliant man who had studied at the feet of Rabbi Gamaliel and had undoubtedly memorized most of the Old Testament and studied its theology thoroughly along with a critique of Greek intellectualism. Now he was presenting sound, intellectual arguments for Christ. For the most part, the philosophers of Athens thought the beliefs he presented were strange and foolish. To his dismay, only a few responded. By the time Paul arrived at Corinth – a center of commerce and pagan religion – he had reconsidered his strategy.

You will notice that he no longer wanted the faith of believers to rest on the wisdom of men, but rather on the power of the Holy Spirit. There is an old saying that goes, “A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument.” If my faith is based on information only, then more information or contrary information can turn my thinking, introduce doubt, and undermine my faith. That is what happens to many Christian college students who have grown up being taught the basic truths of the faith without any significant experience with Jesus. When they arrive in a university classroom with a professor who throws out well-articulated arguments for atheism and quotes numerous “unverified facts” in contradiction to the Bible, these students become victims of men’s wisdom – their own and the professor’s.

In any number of American churches, the underlying theology of their leadership is that spiritual experiences cannot be trusted. Spiritual experiences, they say, open the door to demonic deception. Therefore, an intellectual approach to faith is best. However, the New Testament record seems to speak against that approach.

Imagine, any first century Christian trying to convert Saul of Tarsus with “better arguments” from the Torah. If that had been the best approach to Saul’s conversion, God would have sent a man like Apollos, a brilliant believer from Alexandria who was a powerful teacher of biblical truth. God, however, had something else in mind. He arranged an experience with Jesus on the road to Damascus, three days of blindness, and a moment of healing at the hands of a believer whom Paul would have arrested 72 hours earlier. An experience, rather than arguments brought Saul of Tarsus into the fold.

Then there was Peter. If you read all the gospel accounts of Jesus calling the twelve, you will sense that Peter had heard Jesus preach on several occasions. In fact, in Luke 5, Jesus had just preached a sermon from Peter’s boat when he coaxed Peter to put out into deeper water and let down his nets after a long night of fruitless fishing. When the nets were filled to the breaking point with fish, Peter fell on his knees and proclaimed, “Go away from me Lord, I am a sinful man.” After that, Jesus told Peter he would teach him to catch men and Peter left all that he had to follow Jesus. An experience with Jesus was needed, even after the sermon, to get Peter to fully surrender his life to Jesus. Later, it took a rooftop vision and witnessing the Holy Spirit falling on the household of Cornelius (Acts 10) for Peter to be convinced that Gentiles had been accepted into the kingdom.

Mary Magdalene was one of the faithful followers of Jesus in his early ministry. We are told that Jesus cast seven demons out of her. I am persuaded that the experience of deliverance and the ensuing freedom she felt was what compelled her to follow Jesus. We could go on and on. I’m not saying that preaching and teaching are not important. They are essential. Both provide the framework for understanding God and understanding our experiences with God. Experiences, however, also help us to understand the scriptures in a deeper way Experience is what solidifies what has been learned, so that man’s arguments cannot shake the faith of those who follow Jesus. There are two primary words for knowledge or for knowing in Greek. One means to have information about or to know about something or someone. The other means to have experiential knowledge of something or someone. The one used most often regarding our knowledge of the Father denotes experiential knowledge.

Notice what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth. He said that his preaching or testimony about Christ had been confirmed in them so that they lacked no spiritual gifts. The implication is that the spiritual gifts experienced by the church at Corinth had confirmed who Jesus was for them and had confirmed the presence of God’s Spirit in them.

It’s one thing to be told that the Spirit of Christ now lives in you because you have believed in Jesus. It’s another thing to begin to operate in healing, deliverance, prophecy, words of knowledge, teaching, encouragement, speaking in tongues, etc.  The experience of doing something that you know you could not do without the Spirit of God working in you, confirms your faith like nothing else. It also confirms the faith of those to whom you minister. Paul was very clear that spiritual gifts are given to build up the body of Christ and he urged those at Corinth to eagerly desire those gifts.

Churches that distrust the exercise of spiritual gifts deny their people many experiences that would build faith and intimacy with Jesus. When believers are not hungry for spiritual gifts they deny the body of Christ the strength and life that their gifts would lend to the church. A great number of churches today would not miss a beat in their ministries and worship if the Holy Spirit withdrew tomorrow because they operate in their own gifts, strength, and talents rather than in the gifts of the Spirit.

Of course, many churches will affirm that they believe in spiritual gifts, but they actually believe in only a partial inventory of the gifts. Mercy, encouragement, hospitality, administration, creative gifts and so forth all seem safe enough and carry little risk in their exercise. Those gifts are welcome and have little spiritual aura around them. Healing, prophecy, deliverance, words of knowledge, miracles, and tongues are not so safe and are usually rejected as gifts that “no longer operate” and, yet, those are the very gifts that demonstrate the presence of the Spirit in the most indisputable ways.

I served in churches for many years that limited the current ministry of the Holy Spirit and I have served the last 13 years in churches that pursue and value every gift. Where the gifts operate life happens more abundantly, extreme life change is the norm rather than the exception, and faith grows with every miracle. Paul understood the principle and he would want us to understand that principle as well. “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts…” (1 Cor.14:1).

Healing continues to be a controversial subject in the church world. Many churches believe that healing gifts ceased to operate around the end of the first century while others believe that the Holy Spirit is in full operation today, depositing healing gifts in those who have faith for it. My church believes that God still heals through both prayers of faith and through gifts of healing as well. However, even in the most effective healing ministries around the world, some are healed while others are not. The question of “Why?” always surfaces in the face of that reality. Is it them or is it us or is it something else? Of course, we recognize that faith has a great part in healing prayer…sometimes it is the faith of those for whom we pray and sometimes it is our own faith as we pray. But then the question becomes, “How much faith is required for God to move?”

A look at the gospels gives no hard and fast formula for prayers that heal and prayers that don’t. We know that Jesus could not heal many in Nazareth because there was such little faith in the people for healing. “Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith” (Lk.6:4-6).

And yet, at other times he healed those who had very little idea, if any, of who he was. The lame man at the pool of Bethesda seemed to have no idea about the healing that was coming his way and yet he stood and walked after being an invalid for thirty-eight years (Jn.5). The man born blind, who was given sight in John 9, seems also to have had very little information about the man called Jesus. At times, Jesus responded to faith with a miracle and at other times he imparted faith through a miracle.

As we pray for people to be healed we notice that some who are healed have little understanding of healing and a minimal relationship with Jesus while other spiritually mature individuals who love Jesus and believe in his power to heal are not healed. There is still a great deal of mystery regarding healing and those who pray for it must be willing to live with that mystery. Many believers who want to see people healed,  hold back from praying because they fear their prayer will not bring healing and that the one they pray for will be damaged or offended when healing does not come. When we think that way, we are ultimately believing that our prayer is the determining factor in healing – was it bathed in enough faith, energized by enough fervency, constructed with all the “right” elements? When we reflect on the reality of healing we know it is the Holy Spirit’s decision, not ours, whether healing will flow through us to another and prayer formula’s or volume have little to do with that release. The standard biblical prayer seemed be, “Be healed in the name of Jesus.” So much for long and eloquent prayers attempting to call down God’s favor for healing.

There is one element in healing prayer, however, that deserves our consideration. That is the element of compassion for the one who is receiving prayer. Both the Old and New Testaments reveal God as a God of compassion (mercy, pity). If you chase the word “compassion” through a concordance, the O.T. references to compassion as a quality of God far outweigh the references to compassion as a quality of men. It’s almost as if that quality is such a godly quality that it is rare to find among men.As you track the references about compassion into the New Testament, we often find it attached to Jesus.

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Mt.9:35-36)

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. (Mt.14:14).

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” (Mt.15:32)

Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him. (Mt.20:34)

Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean.” (Mk.1:41).

There are more references, but you get the point. God – whether Father, Son or Spirit – is often moved to act on behalf of men by the quality of compassion. The word is also translated as mercy, pity, his heart went out to someone, etc. Suffering is not an academic subject to God. His heart is truly moved when he sees the suffering of his people. On numerous occasions those who were suffering asked for mercy or pity from Jesus for healing and deliverance and he healed and delivered.

What about our prayers for suffering people who need healing, deliverance, salvation, provision, and so forth? How often do we actually pray out of duty or approach people as if they were a spiritual project? At times, in an effort to grow in the grace of healing, some of us will pray to receive a word of knowledge from God about someone he wants to heal and when we get a leading we go into the community to find the person God has directed us to and we pray for their healing – usually at places like Lowes, Wal-Mart, or Starbucks (my preferred word of knowledge). But, if I’m honest, at times I have been more concerned about my prayer, me feelings, and seeing the healing than I am the actual suffering of the person.

I have talked a lot in this blog about power flowing through us as we align ourselves with God. I am convinced that before we pray, we need to spend a minute or two aligning our hearts with the heart of God for that person. If we believe that God prompts us to pray or puts people on our hearts for prayer, then it stands to reason that as we pray he wants our hearts to match his. We need to ask the Spirit to give us the compassion of Christ for the individual for whom we are about to pray. If fervency is a quality for answered prayer, then feeling God’s concern will generate that passion for the hurting person in our hearts.

Many of us who pray for a lot of people, including strangers, can pray simply as an expression of obedience or for the Father’s approval or to grow in our willingness to take risks. None of those motives are bad in themselves but the far greater motive is love and out of love flows compassion. I’m certain that matching the Father’s heart is a great key to seeing heaven move in response to our prayers or our commands. In the midst of Paul’s discussion of spiritual gifts, including healings and miracles, he drops in a whole chapter about motivations for exercising those gifts. Of course, the motivation he called for was love (1 Cor.13). Before I pray, I need to check my heart to discern my motivation for praying. If it is not love or compassion for the hurting person standing before me, I’m sure I need to realign my heart with the Father’s.

My prayer for today is, “Father give me the eyes of Jesus to see people as you see them and the heart of Jesus to feel what you feel for them. Match my heart to yours and then give me the wisdom of heaven to know how to pray for the people you love so desperately.”

I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. (1 Cor.1:4-7)

In his first letter to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul finds himself writing to a rapidly growing church, but one that is lacking in spiritual maturity. In the beginning paragraphs of his letter, he reminds them of his time with them and how they came to know Jesus. As he does so, he also affirms the work and presence of God in the church at Corinth. In the text quoted above, Paul declared that his testimony about Christ had been confirmed in the believers there. Our testimony about Christ includes who he is, what he did, and what he will do in us and through us. Remember the words of Jesus himself that those who believe on him will do even greater things than he did.

The most vulnerable Christian is the one who has an intellectual knowledge of the truths about Jesus but no personal experience with him. Paul’s testimony about Jesus was undoubtedly confirmed by the presence of faith in the church and, most likely, through life change that these believers had seen in one another. However, the confirmation that Paul points to in this context is the experience of spiritual gifts. The reality of Jesus and his Spirit living in us is often confirmed by the power of his Spirit working though us.

In several accounts of men and women coming to faith in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit “fell on” or “filled” new believers. The normative experience of many of them was the spontaneous experience of speaking in tongues or prophesying. For others it was an uncharacteristic boldness in proclaiming the gospel, the spontaneous healing of someone they just prayed for, or the experience of driving a demon out of someone who has been afflicted. All of these are manifestations of spiritual gifts. The response of the seventy-two that Jesus sent out to preach was similar. “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Lk.10:17-20).

Jesus had preached many sermons about the kingdom of heaven and the power of that kingdom. He had demonstrated that power through miracles on numerous occasions. He had appointed twelve to be apostles but then chose seventy-two “ordinary” followers and sent them out to do what he had been doing. Imagine being one of those seventy-two who suddenly was given a directive by the Lord to go preach and to do what he had been doing – all by yourself. It would be one thing to believe that Jesus was uniquely anointed by the Father for such things; it would be quite another thing to believe that you, an ordinary follower full of questions and imperfections, could ever do the same. And yet, Jesus’ own testimony about himself was that the Father had given him authority to both exercise personally and delegate to others. I have no doubt that when those seventy-two walked away from Jesus, many carried doubt that what he had commanded them to do could be done.

And yet, they still went out with imperfect faith and risked doing what they had seen him do. I’m sure they tried to recall his words as some formula for healing or casting out a demon. I’m sure that was their initial approach because we all do the same thing as we make our first attempts at healing, deliverance, prophecy, or even evangelism. And let’s face it, we say the words more with a sense of hope than any firm expectation. And yet, Jesus came through for them. They came back rejoicing and full of faith.

In the same way, when the person standing before us is healed or set free from some spirit, something very significant happens within. Suddenly, we believe more that ever that Jesus is who he says he is, that he actually does have power and authority over the enemy, and that he is truly willing to do his supernatural work through us. At that moment, a bit of hope begins to turn into a firm expectation because the testimony we had heard many times about Jesus is suddenly confirmed through a personal experience not just an intellectual position.

In Acts 17, Paul tried the intellectual approach in Athens. He stood on Mars Hill and offered his best intellectual explanations of the gospel and the resurrection of Jesus. At the end of the day, we are told that a few men believed. His next evangelistic effort was at Corinth. Between Athens and Corinth he decided on a very different approach to evangelism. He decided that he would dispense with great intellectual arguments and oratory. He would simply preach the gospel and then demonstrate it.

After preaching, he apparently did what Jesus had always done. He talked about God’s love in Christ and the power of the cross and then confirmed his sermon by healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, and casting out unclean spirits. He wasn’t just showing off or validating his apostleship, he was touching hurting people with God’s love and power. Many who had been touched by a spiritual gift received their own and through their gifts they confirmed who Jesus was for others and continued to confirm who he was for themselves. Experience is a powerful teacher.

I used to get in a hurry when I was attempting some do-it-yourself projects around the house. One night, I hurriedly and carelessly pulled a power miter saw down on my thumb. Now, if I ever get in a hurry or begin to act carelessly around a power tool that experience comes to mind and I quickly repent. I knew all the intellectual arguments for taking my time and making safety a priority. I had read the manuals and watched the DIY programs on television religiously. However, I still ignored those commandments. On the other hand, one brief, personal experience made me a lifetime believer who now rarely wanders from the truth about power miter saws. Experiences with Jesus, through the exercise of spiritual gifts, can have the same powerful effect on our belief.

In churches, where spiritual gifts are denied or minimized, faith tends to be an intellectual exercise. The testimony about Jesus will stand until a more persuasive argument against Jesus is offered or until something happens that doesn’t fit into the “crafted” understanding a person has of Jesus. I think that crisis of faith occurs for many young believers who lose their faith in college. What they were taught at home seems to be trumped by more persuasive arguments offered by impressive, unbelieving professors at the university. One intellectual argument falls to another.

However, if that same student was ever miraculously healed by Jesus, saw his mother’s cancer disappear at a prayer meeting, or his father’s drunken rage turn to love and gentleness, an intellectual argument may challenge him but will not destroy his faith because he has experienced the reality of Jesus, not just heard about it. I’m certain that no intellectual argument about the scriptures would have ever swayed Saul of Tarsus, but a supernatural experience with Jesus changed everything in a matter of minutes.

In spite of the biblical model, many churches still push back against teachings that the Holy Spirit still gives supernatural gifts that often are expressions of power – healing, deliverance, prophetic words, words of knowledge, wisdom, tongues, and so forth. When questioned, they will quickly point to the abuse of such gifts or the potential of deception in the exercise of those gifts. In his letter to the church at Corinth, Paul acknowledged that some abuse and deception was being practiced in the church there. However, rather than shutting down the exercise of such gifts or denying their validity, he taught them the mature exercise of such gifts and instructed them to pray for even more.

The very nature of Christ is expressed through spiritual gifts so that who he is and what he promises is confirmed through those gifts. To deny them or minimize them robs the church of that confirmation through personal, life-changing experiences with Jesus. It prevents unbelievers from having those personal encounters as well. In I Corinthians 12-14, Paul tells the church three times to eagerly or earnestly desire spiritual gifts. It seems that we should also eagerly desire the gifts since they build up the church and strengthen our faith and relationship with Jesus as well. If you hunger for a spiritual gift – go for it. Ask the Father for it. He loves to give good gifts to his children!

Anyone who believes in the present day ministry of miracles will quote John 14:12, eventually and probably often. “He who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also, and greater works than these, because I go to the Father.”   We often quote this verse but rarely take time to break it down, so lets take a closer look.

Jesus begins by defining who would do the works he did. He did not say, “my apostles, those who have been following me for three years, a few super-Christians,” etc. He simply says, “He who believes in me.” The NIV translates the phrase as, “Anyone who has faith in me…” The potential for doing what Jesus did, and even greater things, rests in every believer. The potential rests there because the Holy Spirit indwells there. Jesus said that his promise was true because he was going to his Father.

The promised event that would occur as Jesus returned to the Father was the sending of his Spirit and the power that would attend the Spirit. In John 16, Jesus told his disciples, “It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (Jn.16:7). After his resurrection and ascension back to the Father, Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received power after the Spirit had fallen on them. After the power of the Spirit was released, miracles began to happen.

Anyone who has the Spirit of Christ has the potential to do the works of Christ. What were the works? Preaching the Kingdom, healing, cleansing lepers, raising the dead, calming storms, walking on water, feeding the multitudes, etc. The works of Jesus were the very things that destroyed or reversed the works of the devil, which is the very thing Jesus came to do (1 Jn.3:8). It’s important to notice what Jesus did not say in John 14:12. Jesus did not say that those who believe could do the works he did, but that they would do the works he did. Jesus has an expectation that those who have faith in Him will do the very things he did while he was on the earth – and even greater things.

Many evangelicals have cast this verse as a promise of extensive evangelism. They say that the verse will be fulfilled when we have reached more people than Jesus was able to reach while he was on the earth. In their version, the “greater works, ” would simply be more evangelism. There is no doubt that Jesus has called us to reach more people, but that alone does not constitute the works that Jesus had been doing. The miraculous works of Jesus accompanied and facilitated evangelism, but were not simply the preaching of the good news alone.

In addition, the idea of doing “greater works” is not just quantitative in nature. It is not just doing more of what Jesus did. The word translated as “greater” in the text is mizon. It is used numerous times in the New Testament and always carries the idea of quality vs. quantity. Jesus didn’t say that believers would do more things than he did; he said that they would do even greater things than he did.

If Jesus had that expectation, then we should also carry that expectation. I said earlier in this blog that every believer has the potential to do greater works. The potential for all things in the kingdom is released not only through faith that God can do something but also through expectation that God will do something. Most believers have no doubt that God can do anything, but have been taught not to expect God to do those things. That is why the potential has not been released in many or most believers in the western world.

It is a simple verse. It is straightforward. If we take Jesus at this word, believers should be doing what he did and doing even greater works. Whenever the works of Jesus are not occurring, something is wrong or incomplete in those who believe. The problem is that much of the church believes that when the works of Jesus are occurring, there is something wrong.

Let me encourage you to not only believe that God can do miracles, but to ask the Holy Spirit to give you an expectation that he will. The needed transformation in the church will probably not come from the pulpits down, but from the pews up. In other words, most pastors will continue to preach what they were trained to believe in seminary. If they begin to preach something else, they will most likely be asked to step down. When the ordinary believer begins to walk with the expectation of miracles, God will honor that expectation and as those who sit in the pews on Sunday, begin to move in the power of God, leadership may be changed by their testimony.

Regardless of leadership’s expectation, we must honor the Savior’s expectation for his people and his expectation is for every one of us to be doing the works he did. Be blessed today and expect!

The Old Testament is full of types and shadows pointing to greater realities to come. The Passover Lamb of Exodus pointed ahead to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Moses, who mediated between God and Israel, pointed to Christ as the mediator between God and man. Egypt pictured sin and bondage. The Promise Land of Canaan was a type of salvation – the destination of God’s people and a land flowing with milk and honey which looked ahead to the abundant life that Jesus promises.

The Promise Land, as a foreshadowing of our salvation, is always instructive in the arena of spiritual warfare. Rodney Hogue, in a teaching on deliverance, pointed to the twenty-third chapter of Exodus for some of that instruction.

I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you.     Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land. (Exodus 23:28-30)

Nearly every preacher I have ever heard invites the unbeliever to come to Jesus for peace, the abundant life, and the “easy yoke” of the Savior. These are, indeed, promises made by Jesus to those that would follow him but it is only part of the story. Many come to Jesus with an expectation that as soon as they climb out of the baptistery, life gets easy, blessings flow without measure, and tragedy is always on a far horizon. When “all hell” breaks loose, they wonder what is wrong and where Jesus and all of his peace and blessings went.

We sometimes pitch the Christian life like a 1981 recruiting ad for the Navy that said, “It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure.” Of course, the add showed proud men in crisp, white uniforms standing in long lines, powerful ships launching gleaming fighter planes, and navy seals skirting across the open water in high-powered, high-tech assault vessels.   Everyone looked strong, happy, incredibly competent, and totally unafraid. There, of course, was truth in those images – but it was not all the truth. When those sailors were fighting 40 foot waves in frigid temperatures in mid-ocean and when those seals were cold, hungry, and hugging the ground as enemy fire lit up the night around them, the adventure was not so clean, crisp, or glamorous. The Christian life also launches us into war that is not always so clean, easy, or peaceful.

The account of Israel taking Canaan (the promised land) should alert us to that. First of all, like salvation, the land was given to them by God. It was theirs by grace. But one problem existed; the land was full of hostile tribes who were not ready to give up their parcel of ground. The land had been deeded to the Hebrews, but they had to go take it from enemy hands. God promised victory and promised that he would go ahead of Israel into each battle but they still had to face an enemy who knew how to use a sword and often who had much more battle experience than they did. According to the book of Joshua, it took years and dozens of battles to secure the land and enjoy all of its abundance.

That is a picture of sanctification – the process in which we become more and more like Jesus and walk in more and more of his promises. In one sense, salvation is experienced as an event – the moment a person truly surrenders his or her heart to Jesus. Sanctification, however, is a life long process that often includes some real battles.

The interesting thing about the passage from Exodus 23 is that it points to a “principle of occupation.” God only frees us in areas that we are ready and willing to occupy. Those of us, who are involved in spiritual warfare and deliverance, typically want to free a person from every stronghold and every demon in one sitting. But we also know that driving out a demon may not always be in the best interest of that person and that sometimes, even when we try, we just don’t get it done.

Jesus tells a parable of a man who was demonized and received deliverance (Mt.12:43-45, Luke 11:24-26). The demon stayed away for a bit, but then returned to inspect his former dwelling place. Jesus said that the demon found the “house” clean and in order and so returned and brought seven other demons with him that were even more wicked than the first. The point of the story seems to be that any unoccupied house or territory invites tenants, and the new tenants may be much worse that the former.

In Exodus 23, God promised that he would go before Israel and give them victories over their enemies but would not do all at once. He said that to clear the land that Israel could not occupy and develop would simply turn agricultural fields into wild thickets, where wild animals would take up residence and become too numerous for Israel to manage. As Israel became stronger and more adept at war, God would then give them more of the territory he had promised. In our terms, God may not set us free and give us spiritual territory within us that we are not willing or able to occupy – to fight for, to maintain, and to develop. Hogue pointed out that the grace of God might keep us where we are until we are truly ready to hold onto our freedom or healing.

It is counter-intuitive, but not everyone wants to be healed or set free from sin and demonic oppression. Sometimes, when praying for people, praying over people, or in commanding spirits, the will of the individual is a greater obstacle than the spirit, the sickness, or the situation. Many want to be freed from the painful consequences of sin, but not the sin itself. Others have had their lives defined by an illness or brokenness so long that they have organized their lives around those things. To be healed or set free may be more frightening than inviting to those individuals because it represents the unknown. Israel was enslaved in Egypt, but their lives had become predictable and in some degree manageable. They thought they wanted freedom, but as soon as they faced the unknowns of the wilderness they wanted to go back to what they knew. They were not yet ready to occupy the new territory of freedom.

As we pray for people and minister to them, we may want to take measure of how ready they are to occupy – fight for and maintain – any new territory the Lord gives them. Some simply do not know how to fight and must be taught how to fight and cultivate the new ground that has been given to them. Others may not be sure they want it. We may need to ask the Holy Spirit if that is the situation and what to do about it. We may want to help them explore their hearts and their will in the matter.

I am certain we need to teach people how to fight and maintain freedom before casting out demons, because that demon will eventually return or others will drop be to see if there is unoccupied territory in the heart of a person. That space must be occupied by the things of God and the individual must be willing to fight to guard those things when the day comes. God is willing fight with us and he assures the victory, but we must take up a sword and fight. Let’s be sure that we know how to do that and teach others to do so as well. As Paul said, we have to fight the good fight. After all, it’s not just a job, it’s an adventure!

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.

Sometimes you have books on your shelves because they are great reads and you plan to read them from cover to cover again some day. At other times, you have books that you read once and now they function as reference books. Those books have sections you refer to for reminders or for re-sharpening your thoughts in certain areas of life or faith. One of those books for me is Deliverance from Evil Spirits by Francis MacNutt. He takes a little more academic approach to the subject than most books on deliverance but it is worth the read theologically and practically. He is a former Catholic priest so his perspectives are interesting in that regard but he teaches and ministers healing and deliverance to churches around the world and across the board.

I like what he has to say about evangelism. “The Gospel is not meant merely to teach doctrine, but necessarily includes the power to free, save and to heal. After preaching in thirty countries, I believe that peoples of every culture are willing to hear the message of Christ’s salvation. Whenever we preach that God, in love, sent his son, Jesus Christ, to free the human race from sin and evil, people will respond eagerly. In the days when I taught homiletics in seminary, I thought the preacher’s problem was to figure out how to make the Gospel relevant to the needs of contemporary people. Now, I realize the Gospel is in itself relevant, that it does appeal. But I was not preaching the Gospel fully because I did not fully understand the need for power to heal and free people from evil spirits…Only when we are able to free the oppressed and heal those suffering from the curse of sickness can we really preach Christ’s basic message: The Kingdom of God is at hand and the kingdom of Satan is being destroyed” (p. 66).

I myself have come to believe that a partial gospel is no gospel at all. Biblically, salvation is not just the forgiveness of sin but is closer to the idea of Shalom or peace in the Hebrew language. Shalom includes everything needed for a blessed life: absence of conflict, flourishing relationships, health, prosperity, protection, a sound mind…and more. Jesus promised his followers an “abundant life.” That carries the flavor of Shalom and abundance is more that just the forgiveness of sins. If my sins are forgiven but I am still oppressed and tormented by demons or suffering at the hands of some debilitating disease then the abundant life seems fairly impoverished.

Often we point to the glory of someone enduring sickness or disability while still maintaining their love for God and still praising Him as a purifying and sanctifying grace from heaven. I agree that their ability to endure and praise is a grace from God but we need to be careful not to declare that the sickness or disability itself is a grace or a gift from God.

Illness, pain, tragedy, birth defects, and demons are not from God. They are a result of sin, which has never been God’s will. They are a result of a distorted universe that was also twisted by Adam’s sin. Adam’s sin and the resulting curse was the work of Satan. John tell us that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and so we see Jesus break the power of sin, restore our relationship with the Father, heal the sick, remedy disabilities, raise the dead and drive away demons.

Jesus and his followers always preached the kingdom and then demonstrated it or they demonstrated the kingdom and then preached it. They always did both. Power without forgiveness will simply send a healthy man to hell while forgiveness without power leaves a saved man tormented. Paul tried only persuasive words (making the Gospel relevant) when he preached on Mars Hill in Athens. If you check Acts 17, the results were very disappointing. Then he moved on to Corinth where he later confessed, “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (I Cor. 2:1-5).

After Mars Hill, Paul reconsidered his strategy and determined that the simple message of grace and forgiveness coupled with a demonstration of God’s grace through power was the way to go. After all, that had been the strategy of Jesus in his own ministry as well as the one he commanded when he sent out the twelve and the seventy-two to preach, heal, and cast out demons. We would do well to follow that pattern whether we are preaching to thousands or to one. Even Paul had to be reminded.

I need reminders to keep it simple and stay on point. I need reminders to pray for boldness to share the gospel but also for an anointing to demonstrate power not just for me but for my church and the church universal. You really can’t improve on Jesus. That’s why I like to look back at books I have often looked at before because the yellow highlighted sections call me back to things I need to be reminded of. I encourage you to go back and look at the yellow highlights and notes scribbled in the margins as well. Blessings today in all you do.

All of us who minister deliverance or healing or who share the gospel or counsel believers have experienced the frustration of doing our best and then seeing nothing change. Sometimes self-doubt creeps in as if we failed in the moment and at other times we simply wonder what went wrong. I was browsing through an old book on my shelf written by a man named Don Basham entitled, Deliver Us From Evil. If you think healing and deliverance has just begun to be practiced in the church, many were doing these things in the 60’s and 70’s.   Don’s book was first published in 1972. He and a few others like Derek Prince were leading lights in renewing this ministry to the contemporary church.

Don’s book is basic and simple. I like that. The other reason I like it is because it reminds me that, as Solomon said, there is nothing new under the sun. Our current experiences mirror his and his thoughts and experiences confirm that we are still on the right path. I think I’ll share some of his wisdom with you in my next few blogs.

In his book, Basham states, But knowing that Satan and his demons are defeated is one thing: appropriating the benefits of that belief is another. The more I was thrown into this strange ministry, the more complex it seemed to become. Why, for example, should deliverance achieve such spectacular results in one tormented person and fail miserably with another. Gradually, I began to see that there were certain contributing factors, certain requirements or conditions for deliverance. To a large degree, success was determined by whether or not the one seeking help was willing to meet the conditions (p. 147). Basham then goes on to list six of those conditions. Our experience at Mid-Cities confirms his list so I will share it with you and as I do I will make some of my own comments related to his.

1. The person must desire deliverance. I agree. We must recognize that many people only “sort of” want deliverance or want deliverance from one thing but not another (like a sinful relationship). That mindset continues to give the enemy a legal right to continue to harass that individual. Deliverance is most effective when the individual is done with sin and Satan and hates what both have done in his or her life. Everything in the person’s life must be placed under the Lordship of Jesus…not just some things.

2. The person must be willing to admit that he has a demon. Basham’s point here is that, in many cases, the individual must acknowledge that his condition is not just physiological or genetic but that there is a sin component that may have demonic origins. With the sin component comes personal responsibility to repent and renounce that behavior as sin. I’m not sure that the individual must be convinced that he has a demon but he should be open to the possibility. He or she could read my book or any number of books on the topic to understand the reality and possibility of demons if that is an issue.

3. Those ministering deliverance must take authority in the name of Jesus. If we ever believe the deliverance depends on us, our ability, our holiness, or our methodology we will fail. Demons have no regard for us but on for the one whom we represent. We act in the authority and power of Jesus. We must always remember that and make sure that the demons know whom we serve.

4.  It helps to get the demon to name itself. I agree with Don’s statement in principle. If you get the demon’s name it typically comes out easier. It reminds me of kids playing in the yard. When the mother yells, “You kids get in the house,” the kids will usually drift in over the next few minutes as if “you kids” may not have included each one of them. However, when momma says, “Billy Ray, you get in here this minute!” more and quicker action follows. You may know the demon’s name by his fruits – anger, rage, lust, fear, rejection, etc. or the Holy Spirit may reveal the name to you. At times you can command a spirit to reveal his name but he may resist and he may lie. Getting the name is helpful but not necessary.

5. The afflicted person must renounce the demon. Basham makes a good point when he says that repentance of the sin is necessary but renouncing the sin and the demon carries more weight. Repentance says I don’t want to do this anymore. Renouncement says I hate this and want nothing to do with it ever again. I have seen demons persist in the face of anointed and experienced members of a deliveranceteam until the afflicted person gets angry at the demon and commands it to leave with absolute conviction. Half-heartedness on the part of the afflicted still gives the enemy a place.

6. The person must forgive. Unforgiveness is an open door for the enemy. Jesus told us in several places that if we don’t forgive others, the father won’t forgive us. Unforgiven sin gives the enemy legal access to us. Typically, we need to explain biblical forgiveness to people as a decision rather than a feeling and that forgiving a hurtful person doesn’t necessarily mean giving them access to us again. It is simply a decision to no longer require payment for the wrongs done and to release all judgment to God. But it is absolutely necessary for deliverance to be successful.

7. A person must repent of any persistent sin. This was not in Basham’s list, perhaps because it is so obvious, but it needs to be stated. A person must repent of his or her sins because unrepented sin gives the enemy a legal right to harass. We are in agreement with the devil in that slice of our lives if we do not repent and renounce the sin…and any sins of the Fathers that we are aware of. Sometimes people rationalize a particular sin as being “a little sin” or they hold onto a sin that gratifies them or makes them feel powerful or significant. You must explore those possibilities and move them to a sincere acknowledgment and repentance of sin in their lives. Secret sin continues to give the devil a foothold.

If those conditions are not met, you may not accomplish much or anything in your attempts to minister deliverance. Sometimes, individual’s want to start commanding right away without discovering where the enemy has gained entrance and whether or not the person’s heart is aligned with the Jesus. That is like a doctor jumping into surgery without an MRI, a CT scan, or a thorough diagnosis. Not a good idea. If the person’s heart is not right, you may gain some temporary deliverance but more than likely that spirit will return and sometimes bring others with him. Take your time with the diagnosis. It will save you time with the treatment.

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:1-6).

Most of the Christians I know have longed for the gift of healing at one time or another. The idea of imparting supernatural healing to someone who is suffering or dying stirs something in us because Jesus is in us and healing is his nature. Paul tells us to earnestly desire spiritual gifts so it is a good thing to desire that gift and others because it is through those gifts that God wants to manifest his love and grace – both to the church and to the world. So, let’s draw some lessons from this account.

Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, opens the curtain as Peter and John are going up to the temple to pray. In this account we discover that the Jews had set times of prayer throughout the day. In Daniel 6:13, we are told that the prophet regularly prayed three times a day. Peter and John were men of prayer and apparently had a discipline of prayer in their lives which is one major key to receiving spiritual treasures from the Lord. They were going up to the temple at 3:00 which was designated as a time of prayer for the Jews. That time also coincides with the time Jesus died on the cross. You can make your own connection.

On their way, they were accosted by a beggar who strategically had his friends or family bring him to the temple gates just before this designated time of prayer. It was strategic because anyone entering to pray would want to enter the temple in the good graces of God and giving to the poor might just set them up for a blessing. Peter and John lived under a blessing so I’m certain that their motive for healing the man was not that.

Notice that the two apostles were going up for a designated time of prayer. I’m sure they were focused on things they wanted to bring before the Father, getting into the temple on time, and maybe even finding a place in the shade. It is almost certain that there were many other beggars and disabled men and women who had strategically staked out the same area, but the lame man caught Peter and John’s attention. Although these two were set on a mission of their own, they were alert to the possibility that God might want to do something else while they were on their way. I believe that as they learned to be sensitive to God, God would direct them to speak, pray, heal, preach, etc. as he directed. Jesus told us that he only did what he saw the Father doing (Jn.5:19) which is a sensitivity I believe God wants every follower to develop.

I believe many of us (myself certainly included) do not experience what we hope to experience when sharing our faith or praying for healing because we are planting seeds in ground that has not been prepared. We are planting in places where God has not already been working. It’s not wrong to plant in those places, its just not always productive. Jesus sensed God’s leading and involved himself where God had already been working. Peter and John were doing the same thing I believe and sensed that God was directing them to a certain man. When we know God has directed us, we can have faith for a miracle.

In this story, the man was expecting a little financial blessing but God had a greater blessing in mind. Directed by the Spirit, Peter declared healing over the man in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Peter was very specific about the name as if to leave no doubt about the source and authority for the healing. As people began to respond to the miracle, Peter and John were again careful to take no credit for the healing but to point everyone to Jesus. That is also a key to walking in power. As a result of their faith, their prayer life, their sensitivity to God’s leading, their willingness to have their plans disrupted, and their willingness to point others to Jesus through the miracle, God was able to entrust a greater measure of the miraculous gift of healing to them.

Interestingly, they didn’t pray for Jesus to come and heal the lame man as we probably would. Instead, Peter said, “What I have (possess) I give to you. In the name of Jesus….walk.” Peter possessed a gift of healing that resided with him. After all, Jesus told his followers to go, preach, heal, and cast out demons. He told them to do so because he had given them power and authority to do so. That same power and authority is still available to those who have the Spirit of Christ within them today.

I do believe that there are those who have a gift of healing and, like Peter, the gift resides with them. The rest of us can offer prayers of faith for healing at any time. In that moment we might ask for Jesus to come and heal but I also believe that many times the Spirit releases a gift for a given moment that does not reside with us. Many of us get a prophetic word, a word of knowledge, or a spike of faith on occasion that doesn’t seem to be available most of the time. I believe healing can be the same but when it is released for a specific moment, we can command healing just as Peter did. When we occasionally in a gift, it is also likely that we have the gift in seed form that can develop into a gift we can frequently call on if we nurture the gift and risk exercising it as it develops.

If you hunger for a gift or if God has put a desire for a gift on your heart, remember the lessons of Peter and John – a discipline of prayer, a growing sensitivity to the direction of the Lord, a willingness to be detoured or inconvenienced, a willingness to point all eyes to Jesus, and the faith to exercise the gift when you feel directed by God – even if healing does not always occur or a prophetic word is not always on target. We grow in these gifts as we grow in all parts of life. When desiring a gift we should do three simple things: pray, pursue, and practice. If you hunger for a gift, then go for it. See what God does.