Becky Van Koevering: "Women of Warfare"

The following is courtesy of elijahlist.com

"For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical (weapons of flesh and blood), but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds..."—2 Corinthians 10:3-4

I am not a seer or a visionary like my husband David is, but in crucial times I have been led by the Holy Spirit to intercept what the enemy has meant for evil in his efforts to kill, steal and destroy everything God has for us.

In 1980, within a one week period of time, David had turned forty, his mother died a painful death from cancer, and we lost a business to an unscrupulous partner. It was during this time when the enemy spoke to David, telling him that he no longer had anything to live for, and then proceeded to convince him that his only answer was to end it all. So David decided to take out a one million dollar policy on his life and then set out to make the suicide look like an accident.

It was only two weeks prior to this, while sitting in church, when I became very burdened about David and the downward spiral his life was taking. The Holy Spirit impressed upon me to go to the altar that day and totally take my hands off the situation—handing David over to the Lord to do a work in his life. It was at this point when the Holy Spirit helped me realize I was not responsible for David's salvation. And only then—as I completely turned him over to the Lord—could the Holy Spirit have the freedom to do His work in David's life.

I vividly remember the day David had planned to commit suicide. He called me at home and tried to prepare me for what was about to happen. After hanging up the phone, I called out to our two children, Debbie and Joe (who were teenagers at the time), and told them that we must pray immediately because the enemy was out to destroy their father! Our children, both Christians, joined me in the bedroom where we knelt down beside the bed. In our desperation, the only thing we knew to pray was to plead the Blood of Jesus Christ over David and the entire situation the enemy had gotten him into.

When the Enemy Comes in Like a Flood—There's Nothing Like the Blood of Jesus!

When the enemy comes in like a flood, our true recourse is to apply the Blood of Jesus Christ to that situation.

God did answer our prayers, and in the last seconds as David was headed for the bridge abutment, the Holy Spirit spoke to his heart and said this wasn't the end but just the beginning. David had only enough time to swerve the car. Instead of hitting the bridge head-on, the only damage was to the passenger side of the car.

It was after this when David rededicated his life to the Lord!

In the ensuing twenty-eight years, the Lord has miraculously sustained us through many tragedies: the loss of Van Koevering Piano Company after the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers; a tragic house fire; and David's heart stopping a total of twelve times.

I remember once during an airplane flight to a New York hospital when David's heart had stopped for the tenth time. Upon his return home from that hospital, and in a very weakened condition, David asked me, "Did I scare you?" I answered him and said that he couldn't scare me and that he wasn't going anywhere because his assignment here wasn't finished yet.

It has been quite a ride since, and we are now beginning to see the fulfillment of the true calling and assignment on David's life.

We must remember in this troubled day of increased onslaught from the enemy who is out to kill, steal and destroy, that we need to get back to our source of power—the Blood of Jesus Christ!

I am reminded of the words of some timeless hymns that call us back to the Blood of Christ:

"The Church has one foundation, tis Jesus Christ her Lord. She is His new creation by water and the Word. From Heaven He came and sought her to be His Holy Bride. With His own Blood He bought her and for her life He died."

"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' Blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus' name. His oath, His covenant and Blood support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay."

"Come to the shelter's safe retreat; hide you in the Blood of Jesus. Come for the storms around you beat; hide you in the Blood of Jesus. For the storms are raging high; O hide you in the Blood til the dangers pass you by."

"This is all my hope and peace, nothing but the Blood of Jesus. This is all my righteousness, nothing but the Blood of Jesus."

Women of Warfare—With Power

As women of warfare, God is calling us back to our spiritual source—the Blood of Jesus. We are women—some single, some married (sisters, wives, mothers, and grandmothers)—who need to pray the Blood of Jesus over our families daily.

We must realize today, that wherever our loved ones may be, no place is completely safe—even our churches can be targets. It's great to know, however, that the Blood covering not only works over our families, but also works just as well over our property, homes, cars, jobs, health—in every area of our lives. No evil power can withstand the covering and the protective hedge of the Blood of Jesus Christ!

Another example of the awesome power of the Blood of Jesus happened in December 2007 when the Holy Spirit put a burden on my heart for Judy (not her real name), the daughter of some dear friends of ours. Judy was in the middle of a terrible divorce, and I had been praying for her for several months. But it was in December when my prayers shifted. The Holy Spirit told me that this divorce would end in tragedy if the Blood of Jesus was not applied over this precious daughter and her little ones. The burden was heavy on my heart for a week or more when I asked the Lord to make the proper connection of a time and place.

The very next Sunday we visited a church, and Judy was there with her children, parents, and grandparents. I expressed my heartfelt concerns, and after the service we all gathered around Judy and prayed for the power of the Blood of Jesus to put a shield and a hedge about her and the children.

In February, while we were attending a conference where David was speaking, we received word from Judy's family that her estranged husband had determined in his mind to kill Judy. He had began making plans, even telling the men who worked for him that they could have his business, and then he gave his computer with all of his business information on it to his father.

He acquired a gun and set out to kill both Judy and himself! Tragically, when he made his attempt, he succeeded in crashing into her car, and in the process he ran his pickup truck into a ditch where he could not get out. As Judy called 911 to summon the police and he heard the sirens nearing, he put the gun to his head and committed suicide. I believe Judy's life was spared as a result of the protective covering of the Blood of Jesus applied in December as we prayed over her life.

It was then in July of 2008, when the Holy Spirit again gave me insight through a word of knowledge that Judy was having dreams and nightmares of her deceased husband. Once more I prayed and asked the Lord to make the connection of the right place and time, and I would be obedient. That Friday night we were invited to her parents' home for dinner and Judy happened to be there. When the time was right and the Lord provided the opportunity for us to speak privately, I asked if she was having dreams and nightmares of her former husband. She told me of the nightmares and that the vividness was so real—she could actually smell and touch him.

The Holy Spirit instructed me to tell her that although this man was dead, the demonic spirit that made him kill himself was still trying to attack her through her dreams and in her vulnerability. I advised her to plead the Blood of Jesus over her mind, her emotions, her subconscious, and her dreams before she went to sleep, and then to turn the dreams over to the Lord for her protection. We all came together that night to pray over her and decree that she was set free. Thankfully, the nightmares then stopped.

Isaiah 53:4-5 tells us that when Jesus shed His precious Blood for us at the Cross, He took upon Himself our sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses, carrying them as His own burden. Jesus was wounded and bruised for our sin, wickedness, and rebellion. And He obtained peace and well-being for us through His shed Blood, and by His stripes we are healed and made whole.

As women of warfare, we can stand on the words of Psalm 68:11, "The Lord gives the word (of power); the women who bear and publish (the news) are a great host." Let us learn to take this Word of power and use it!

Becky Van Koevering
Elsewhen Research
Email: david@elsewhen.com

About David and Becky Van Koevering: Becky Van Koevering says her childhood was a "musical adventure" which prepared her for life as the wife of David Van Koevering, a musicologist and instrument builder. They have been married forty-eight years and have two children, Debbie Brown, administrator for their son, Dr. Joe Van Koevering, a pastor, author, and television host for God's News Behind the News in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Now of retirement age (but hardly retired), Becky and David have begun their most recent music project—recording the sounds of the electronic instrument that produces the frequencies of the periodic table of elements—a sound which ushers in a whole new dimension of healing and praise.

A Different Day in America

Bound4Life is a powerful group of nationwide intercessors praying specifically about abortion. Please read this encouraging report Matt Lockett, the Director of Bound4Life.
For His Glory,
Joe and Shirley
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It would kind of be an understatement to point out that today is very different than a year ago. I would like to highlight something extremely encouraging though that has changed for the better. In the past few weeks four separate public polls have been released that surprisingly indicate that the heart of the nation is changing concerning abortion. Gallup, Pew, Rasmussen and Fox have all conducted surveys that indicate that Americans are more pro-life than they were a year ago.

I'd like to specifically highlight the Gallup Poll released last Friday that shows at the beginning of May 2008 50% of Americans identified themselves as pro-choice, and 44% were pro-life. Shockingly and dramatically, the statistics make an immediate sharp reversal. Now a year later 51% of Americans self-identify as PRO-LIFE, and only 42% are pro-choice. This marks the first time that THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS ARE PRO-LIFE.

What could possibly account for this unforseen change?

No doubt there are multiple factors fueling this turnaround. All of them are answers to prayer for the hearts and minds of the nation to change. I'd like to point out a couple of startling facts though that I believe will encourage you.

Last year the Lord led us to mobilize thousands of intercessors to gather for solemn assemblies at every supreme court in America; 51 to be exact. 6,200 Christians gathered for a Silent Siege and worship at every state's supreme court along with the U.S. Supreme Court in DC on the same day at the same time. On April 26th, Passover, we cried out for mercy and pleaded the blood of Jesus over America and our courts. Then following that day we mobilized a team in DC to continue praying in front of the U.S. Supreme Court day and night 24/7 for nearly four months. As summer temperatures soared to 110 degrees intercessors took their stand going up into the gap before the Court.

The statistics show the dramatic reversal coinciding with these two Bound4life events.

I don't believe it's any coincidence, and I know it's answer to prayer. I'm encouraged that these numbers are now supported in multiple ways by multiple polls. A Rasmussen poll shows that a clear majority of Americans now think that abortion is morally wrong most of the time. Let's continue to pray for the nation and our leaders and believe together for a growing MORAL OUTCRY to explode that protects the pre-born and rejects the agenda of death.

Don't forget you can stay in the Bound4LIFE loop.

• Follow the BoundLIFE blog "Moral Outcry".
• Follow us on Twitter @Bound4LIFE.
• Watch weekly "Inside Bound4LIFE" video updates.

Contending for the ending of abortion and revival in Washington, DC and everywhere else,

Matt Lockett

Bound4LIFE Director

Amazing Photo of Shuttle against the Sun

Courtesy of BCN (breakingchristiannews.com)

Aimee Herd (May 16, 2009)

"...In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices like a strong man to run its race..." -Psalm 19

NASA has posted an incredible photo of the space shuttle Atlantis set against the backdrop of the sun.

sun and shuttleThe image is credited to Thierry Legault and NASA, and was taken on May 12th with a "solar-filtered Takahashi 5-inch refracting telescope and a Canon 5D Mark II digital camera." (Photo Credit: NASA/ThierryLegault)

The shuttle appears as merely a silhouetted spec in front of an extensive golden sphere that consumes the background. Another testimony to the immensity and omnipotence of our God and Creator who formed the sun, and Who has given man the ability to gain knowledge enough for space travel.

The first part of Psalm 19 gives an apt description of the beautiful burning star pictured in this photo:

The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
Its rising is from one end of Heaven,
And its circuit to the other end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Source: Nasa.gov

A Mother's Newfound Faith Clears Way for Son's Healing

Courtesy of breakingchristiannews.com

News Release (May 10, 2009)

"From the first day she opened her heart to God, she has never stopped serving Him."

(Nashville, TN)—As mothers are honored today for Mother's Day, one special mother's testimony is a reminder of the faithfulness of God even to a Muslim mother. Bill Kristijanto, co-founder with his brother Ben of Christian band, Bread of Stone recently shared his testimony with major media outlets during Gospel Music Week in Nashville, Tennessee.

The testimony of the unique experience was shared as Bill told how he was born with a debilitating stomach problem resulting in a lack of nourishment. After being placed on bottle feeding to help the nourishment problem, a boil developed on Bill's chin preventing bottle feeding. After numerous hours and visits at doctor's offices, his mother, Debora—a Muslim from Iran—allowed someone to pray for him and the boil was gone but the stomach problems continued.

Weeks later a visit from a woman informing Debora that there was someone who "loved her son more than her and His name was Jesus," sparked anger as to how this woman would know more about her son than she. [But], with the love of a mother, Debora sought to find out more about this man named Jesus, and visited her husband Nehemia's pastor, which resulted in weeks of Biblical training and [finally] baptism. As Debora was baptized into the faith with Bill in her arms, Debora's heart became open to God, and healing came upon Bill with the stomach problems removed completely.

"My mother is truly an example of a woman of beautiful faith," said Kristijanto in a recent interview. "From the first day she opened her heart to God, she has never stopped serving Him."

Listen for music by Bread of Stone on ElijahStreams i-Radio. To learn more about the band, follow the source link provided.

Source: Brimstone Services

Mission Aviation Fellowship Inaugurates "New Era" in Missionary Aviation

courtesy of BCN breakingchristiannews.com

Michael Ireland (May 7, 2009)

"This new KODIAK is more than an example of leading-edge technology. It is an example of what God's people can do when they pursue God's will in God's way. The unprecedented cooperation between missionary organizations that made this day possible is a model for 21st century missionary efforts. It is both exciting and humbling to be in the midst of a project that God has blessed so abundantly."

(Nampa, Idaho)—MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) inaugurated a new era in missionary aviation when it dedicated its first KODIAK aircraft on May 2 at its headquarters in Nampa, Idaho. MAF is a faith-based, nonprofit ministry that serves missions and isolated people around the world with aviation, communications and learning technologies. The event, attended by 900 guests, featured a full afternoon of activities to unveil the next generation in missionary aircraft. (Photo: ASSIST News Service)

A media release says the new KODIAK is the first of the next-generation bush planes to be produced under a visionary arrangement between MAF and the manufacturer, Quest Aircraft Co. of Sandpoint, Idaho. This first KODIAK will be deployed in Papua, Indonesia.

A crowd of MAF staff, Christian leaders and Nampa residents participated in the dedication ceremony, as well as an afternoon of activities, the release stated.

"Today's events celebrate a technological achievement that will allow MAF to be more effective stewards of the resources God has given us," said John Boyd, president of MAF.

"But this new KODIAK is more than an example of leading-edge technology. It is an example of what God's people can do when they pursue God's will in God's way. The unprecedented cooperation between missionary organizations that made this day possible is a model for 21st century missionary efforts. It is both exciting and humbling to be in the midst of a project that God has blessed so abundantly."

Paul Schaller, chief executive officer of Quest Aircraft Co., told the crowd, "Serving the needs of the missionary community and those they help is the purpose for which Quest was built. It is gratifying to see it come to fruition with this first delivery to MAF."

Among local leaders participating in the dedication ceremony were Tom Dale, the mayor of Nampa, and Montie Ralston, lead pastor of Boise Valley Christian Communion and a member of the MAF board of directors.

The dedication ceremony marks a milestone in missionary aviation in part because the KODIAK will be significantly less expensive to operate than the planes it will replace in the MAF fleet.

The media release explains that most MAF planes, including the popular Cessna 206, run on aviation gasoline, or 'avgas,' which is scarce and expensive in many of the remote areas where MAF operates. However, the KODIAK is powered by jet fuel, which is more plentiful and much less expensive than avgas.

Over the next few years, MAF will replace 20 of its Cessna 206s with planes that operate on jet fuel, either KODIAKs or Cessna Caravans. Because the KODIAK can carry nearly twice the cargo of the C206, MAF will transport medicine, food and disaster relief supplies much more efficiently, reducing operating costs, the release stated.

With its fleet of 122 bush aircraft, MAF serves in 55 countries, with an average of 242 flights daily across Africa, Asia, Eurasia and Latin America. MAF pilots transport missionaries, medical personnel, medicines and relief supplies, as well as conduct thousands of emergency medical evacuations. MAF also provides telecommunications services, such as satellite Internet access, high frequency radios, electronic mail and other wireless systems.

Source: Michael Ireland—ASSIST News

James Goll: "God's Healing Delivery Systems"

Courtesy of elijahlist.com

This week's communiqué is more on the teaching side versus the personal ones that I have brought to you in recent weeks. I want to drive a stake in the ground that even though we have had some setbacks, we are not giving up on "divine healing." I will not drop the bar of my understanding of God's Word to match my experience. I will continue to contend for the fullness of God's fruit and gifting to come together in this generation, and that our experience matches the Word.

With this in mind, I am bringing you a teaching on God's Healing Delivery Systems. Let's keep striking the arrows to the ground (see II Kings 13) until we see a great increase in all areas of healing and deliverance—not just one area—in all areas! Remember, it is by His stripes we are healed! It is ours. It is done! His work is perfect and complete!

In Christ Jesus our Lord..anticipating!

James W. Goll

GOD'S VARIOUS MEANS
Removing Blockades

God wants us to be well! But, God has more than one assembly line available to Him by which He delivers the finished product. Obviously, conditions must be met in order to receive from the Lord. A knowledge of the Father's love, faith in the completed work of the Cross of Christ, and patient abiding in the Word of God are but a few of these essentials.

In some situations, we try to "box God in" on how He will heal us. God has various means to utilize, to restore, or to bring us to proper health. Ignorance, unbelief, prejudices, and presumptive thinking are blockades that must be removed for the stream of God's healing power to flow to and through us.

II Kings 5:1-14 tells us of the preconceived ideas Naaman, the leprous and valiant warrior, had concerning "how God through the prophet would heal him." Verse 11 states, "But Naaman was furious and went away and said, 'Behold, I thought, "He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper."'" The directions given by Elisha were to the contrary though. "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean."

Due to Naaman's preconceived ideas and his prideful and prejudiced ways of thinking, he almost missed out on the very thing he was seeking—cleansing, healing, and restoration. Naaman turned away in rage (verse 12), but his faithful servants prevailed upon him to go and wash himself in the Jordan River. As Naaman humbled himself and did the little act of foolish obedience, his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was made clean (see II Kings 5:14).

Let us also drop our prejudiced, prideful ways of thinking, humble ourselves, and receive as a little child!

Three Channels of Healing Love

The highest form, other than the climactic resurrection of the dead and receiving our "glorified bodies," is Divine Health.

3 John 2:1 states, "Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers." Good health is the mark we all desire.

In God's healing delivery system, there are at least three major channels:

1. The natural and nutritional.
2. Science and the medical arts.
3. Divine, supernatural healing.

Each of these areas are valuable and much dissertation can be done to expound on each of these separately. But, the focus of this teaching is to highlight the variety of means God uses in the divine, supernatural approach.

Primary Verses on Healing

The following are some of the classic Scripture verses on healing that one should study, learn and meditate upon.

1. Exodus 15:26, "If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put upon the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, AM YOUR HEALER."

2. Psalm 103:1-5, "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy Name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit; Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle."

3. Isaiah 53:5, "But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed."

4. I Peter 2:24, "And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the Cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."

5. Matthew 8:16-17, "When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: 'He Himself took our infirmities, and carried away our diseases.'"

6. Mark 16:16-17, "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

7. I Corinthians 12:9, "...and to another the gifts of healing by the one Spirit."

8. James 5:14-15, "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him."

Biblical Methodologies

Communion - The Lord's Supper

Read: I Corinthians 11:27-34. God has, to a larger degree, bound our physical well-being to our ability to relate spiritually to the "flesh and bone" aspect of Christ.

Water Baptism

Read: Romans 6:3-6; Mark 16:16. Perhaps some Believers have never experienced freedom in habitual patterns of sin because they've never identified with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ through a New Testament water baptism. This is not an option and is commandment of Scripture that should be fulfilled.

Calling for the Elders and Anointing with Oil

Read: James 5:14,15; Mark 6:13. Be prepared to act on God's Word! Be ready to obey God's Word and anoint with oil the sick, acting in faith as you release the Holy Spirit's anointing.

Laying on of Hands and Prayer by Believers in General

Read: Mark 16:16-18; Matthew 19:15. All Believers have as their prerogative to believe God's Word and pray for the sick through the laying on of hands. God is looking for hands to use.

Can the Lord work through your hands?

By the Spoken Word

Read: Luke 7:1-10. The greatest faith, according to Jesus, rests solely in the "Word."

There were three types of people who came to Jesus for healing:

1. Those who came for personal healing.
2. Those who brought someone else for healing.
3. Those who came for someone else, but only sought the word of Jesus, stating they would be healed.

Jesus' Garments; Peter's Shadow

"And wherever He went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged Him to let them touch even the edge of His cloak, and all who touched Him were healed."—Mark 6:56

"As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed."—Acts 5:15,16

These formed a "point of contact" for the one in need. The Lord will use such "tools" with us as we are led by the present tense voice of the Holy Spirit.

Handkerchiefs and Aprons from Paul

"God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them."—Acts 19:11-12

Notice that these were called "special/extraordinary miracles." They were done this way either by revelation or because there was no other way for Paul to contact them.

Levels of the Operation

There are various levels of operations, such as the Gifts of Healing and Working of Miracles. See the Study Guide on Releasing Spiritual Gifts for more on this subject.

1. Instantaneous - Matthew 8:3; Mark 1:31
2. Gradual - John 4:52; Mark 8:22-25

Confession

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."—James 5:16

Confess your faults to another and experience cleansing and healing. This opens a gate of humility, and thus God's grace appears on the scene.

Healing Release through Angelic Activity

"Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, waiting for the moving of the waters; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.

"A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, 'Do you wish to get well?'

"The sick man answered Him, 'Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.'"—John 5:2-7

(For more on this subject, see the lessons on the "Ministry and Function of Angels" in the Study Guide Understanding Supernatural Encounters.)

Many Valid Healing Styles

Soaking Prayer Approach

"They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When He had spit on the man's eyes and put His hands on him, Jesus asked, 'Do you see anything?'

"He looked up and said, 'I see people; they look like trees walking around.' Once more Jesus put His hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, 'Don't go into the village.'"—Mark 8:22-26

Bringing the presence of God into an individual's life over an extended period of time and seeing progressive healing occur through the patient process is often termed "soaking prayer."

Five Stage Healing Model

This is an integrated approach to healing which involves a dialogue-prayer combination as taught in the book, Power Healing, by John Wimber.

This Five Stage technique is presented in full in Lesson Three in my Study Guide on The Healing Anointing.

Faith Healing

1. By the faith of healer—the one ministering.
2. By the faith of individual—coming with the need.
3. By the faith by others who bring the one in need.
4. By exercising faith in the Word of God expressed through prayer to God alone.

Acting Out Specific Directions

This might be by putting fingers in ears, placing mud in the eye, or telling someone to dip in the pool as Jesus did. In this manner we wait to get specific direction and then "Listen and obey."

"Slain in the Spirit"

Resting in the Spirit, overcome by power, the "glory fall," etc. Many different terms have historically been used to describe this overwhelming experience.

This experience is when one gently or powerfully "falls in the Spirit" into a resting position where God's presence and healing moves upon your being.

"Lengthening of Legs and Arms"

There are numerous and various healing techniques that may be utilized and which may authentically release the power of God to flow into an individual. This may include simply sitting a person in a chair and asking the Lord to give a Holy Spirit chiropractic adjustment, as He adjusts and repositions or heals the leg or arm.

Being Open—Not Closed—A Great Key

We Must Learn to be Faithful

Be faithful in the little we presently receive—stepping out in faith that a greater increase of His anointing will come (Luke 16:10-12).

We Must Drop Our Prejudices

We must drop our prejudices against particular streams, styles, and techniques. Let's not strain at a gnat and swallow a religious camel!

Let's Always be Christ-Centered

Let's always be Christ-centered, giving praise and honor to the glorious Lord Jesus Christ, and lift up the One who suffered on our behalf. Remember the lesson of Numbers 21:6-9. Whoever looked at the bronze serpent upon the standard lived. Let us lift up Christ and cause people to look to Him!

Remember, ultimately, it is not the "healing techniques or models of delivery systems" that bring God's cure to bear. It is the person and presence of Jesus as it says in Matthew 4:23:"And Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness..."

Amen! Let God's Healing Anointing flow through His many different delivery systems in Jesus' name!

Thanks for Praying and Caring!

James W. Goll
Encounters Network and PrayerStorm 
Email: info@encountersnetwork.com

Bill Johnson: "Learning to Host the Presence"

Courtesy of elijahlist.com

One of the greatest privileges in life is to learn to be a person that God will rest upon. He already lives in every born again Believer. But He doesn't rest upon all of us. One way I like to say it is, "He is in me for my sake, but He is upon me for yours." When He is upon us, it especially changes others around us. Jesus modeled this lifestyle in the story of His baptism in water.

When Jesus was baptized, He came out of the water, the Heavens opened, the Father spoke, and then the Holy Spirit came upon Him as a dove and remained. "John testified saying, 'I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of Heaven, and He remained upon Him'" (John 1:32). If, in the natural, I have a dove sitting on my shoulder and I want to go about life without it flying away, how am I going to live? Every step would be with the dove in mind.

As we become faithful in learning how to host the presence of the Lord, it is important to understand that there is a tension between two realities: He has been given to us without measure, yet what we enjoy on a daily basis has been "measured" to us according to our faithfulness. In other words, we have access to the unlimited measure of God's presence, but He doesn't entrust Himself to untrustworthy people. All of the measurements are set up on our end of the equation. He typically entrusts us with the measure of the presence we are willing to jealously guard.

We are to become His resting place—the place from which the exploits of Heaven are accomplished. For when the Lord rests upon a person, there is actually an atmospheric shift that takes place wherever that person goes. How do you think Peter's shadow healed people? Our shadow will always release whatever overshadows us. When we learn to host the presence of the Lord, we get more breakthroughs by accident than ever used to happen on purpose. That is a possibility for every Believer every day.

One of the conflicts we face in learning to host the presence is sometimes found in the very lessons we learned from the previous seasons. Believe it or not, those principles sometimes war against the actual presence of the Lord upon us. We are to use principles to plan by, but we must learn to live from the presence. And if there's a conflict between the two, presence always wins out over principle.

For example, I may be accustomed to aggressively pursuing the will of God for my life. My key verse might be Matthew 11:12, "and the violent take it by force." Living by principle has me apply what I have learned up to this point—violent faith. But in this story, the presence of God may be leading me to "receive the Kingdom as a child" (Luke 18:17). If you live entirely by principles only, you will make assumptions in certain moments and seasons that are entirely based on Scripture, but they will be in conflict with the Spirit. In this example, both violent faith and childlike faith are Biblical. It is the Holy Spirit who knows how we are to respond in each particular season or in a given situation.

We are supposed to be well grounded in what God has said so we can discern what He is saying. It is the presence of God that gives me access to continuous ongoing faith, because faith comes by hearing, not having heard. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). Learning to host the presence of God provides the atmosphere of the heart where faith becomes natural and normal.

Let's commit ourselves to become the resting place of God.

Bill Johnson
Bill Johnson Ministries
bjm.org and ibethel.org