Forwards

December 30, 1999

Jay, and all my brothers and sisters in Christ -

A very brief comment about faith, radical faith, faith as big as a grain of mustard seed, faith to cast mountains into the sea, faith to bind and loose on earth and in heaven...

I used to question how strong my faith is, especially since so many of my prayers *seemed* unanswered. Years later, in examining the 'whys', I found that there were some obstacles to my praying effectively - I offer the following for consideration:

1. My view of God was limited. Even though I accepted Him as the creator of the universe, my early foundation of worldly values made it difficult for me to understand that He has no limitations. I thought I had great faith, but I was placing that faith in a God that I had limited. Reinhardt Bonnke makes a statement that I have allowed to change this thinking, which I paraphrase here: "It is not how big our faith is, but how big our view of God is. A lot of faith in a small God will only produce limited results. With just a little faith in an immense God, miracles can occur".

2. I was not well grounded in scripture, and therefore was not able to effectively determine God's will from his word. I cannot emphasize strongly enough how important it is to pray in God's will, to pray 'from deep calling to deep', to pray in Spirit, and not from the desires of our soul, however well intended.

3. I would (and still do, I am ashamed to say), attempt to pray while there was obstruction of sin in my own life. 1John 1: 9 tells us that if we will confess our sins, he will purify us. Our God is a holy god, and cannot abide where there is sin... we cannot be effective in prayer if the Holy Spirit is not in us.

In later decades, I have been involved both successfully and unsuccessfully in exorcising the demon possessed, in binding and loosing spirits in those requiring spiritual healing, through the laying on of hands. The common denominators in the success were my own meeting of the three conditions involved in the statements above, the sincere desire of the one possessed (or obsessed) to renounce sin and to be healed, and above all, a 'knowing' in spirit that it was God's will that this was to occur. In retrospect, the single aspect most critical in all the failures was my own desire to see someone healed for whom I had empathy, BUT for whom God had not placed a burden *in my spirit*.

Jay, thanks for being faithful in starting this list. I appreciate all the comments from those who are pressing into a deeper relationship with Jesus. God anoint you all with an ever growing awareness of the indwelling of the Spirit.

Greg

p.s. I live under a Naziritic vow ( Nu. Ch. 6, 1 - 8 ). I have only ever met one other brother similarly convicted, and would appreciate contact with others who are or have been similarly disposed. It may even be a possible subject for discussion ( I have been taken to task on this by well meaning and sincere followers of the Way ).

hi,

I myself don't believe this to be true as to taken on another man's sin, I took it as a grain of salt, that you keep yourself sinless and not go into sin just because your brother or sister have fallen into sin. As for the first part I still believe you just don't lay hands on anyone unless the Holy Spirit leads you to, but according to the living bible, the first part of I Thimothy 5:22 is you don't be in a hurry to choose a pastor or elder of a church because you could over look there sin, and it would look like you approve of there sin. I just don't believe God would give us another persons sin just because we lay hands on them, what I meant was if the Holy Spirit doesn't lead you to them and you went on your own accord, that a spirit could jump onto you. for example in Luke 8:32&33, the demons ask to be put into a herd of swine's instead of going out into the deep.Instead of being cast out, they jumped into another body, with this being swine's.

Tina

I must say I do not agree with you [tony]. Healing and tongues are for today! Tongues were given to us as a sign on the Holy Spirit's indwelling. They were given to the Christians after Christ had come and died and was resurrected and assended into heaven. The bible says they were given to for the descendants (for you children and your children's children, etc.). Healing happened both with Jesus and after Jesus left the earth. Jesus healed. It was always his will to heal. People would ask "if it be thy will...", it was always his will!! (look it up...all of the gospels have it). Also, after Jesus had sent the Holy Spirit, the Christians healed people. Jesus said, "Greater works than these will ye do." The works he was refering to was healing the sick, binding the broken hearted, casting out demons, raising the dead, and things like that.

Jesus does want people healed. He wants them set free from the wages of sin (which is death...including sickness, which is partial death). After all, isn't that the whole reason he came? The bible said his strips were to heal us. (isaiah 54:1-5 and 1 peter 2:24). About the laying on of hands: the bible says that believers will...Lay hands on the sick and they will recover!! the bible says it (and that is only one verse). There are others... Healing and the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues are for us today! The word says it...and what it says, I believe!

Serving Jesus!

Melissa

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