PRAYER UPDATE 1/31/2017 #39. We must boldly declare the works of the Lord. And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus...

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1 1 PRAYER UPDATE 1/31/2017 #39 We must boldly declare the works of the Lord. And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus... Acts 9:29 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: Acts 18:26 Are we ready to really take God at his Word and ask boldly in His name? James 4:2 declares, Ye have not, because ye ask not. I believe God is raising up Prayer Warriors around the world who are moving in faith, boldly asking God for bigger things than they ever have.too many of us have been guilty of praying too small. Why? Because many of us have had a survival mentality. Instead of taking in new territory for our Lord, we have been just trying to hold on to what little bit we have. Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-8, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If we ASK, we will RECEIVE. If we SEEK, we will FIND. If we KNOCK, it will OPEN! And, exactly what will happen if we don t ASK, SEEK AND KNOCK? Absolutely nothing! How many miracles will come our way if we don t believe for them? How many people will have their needs met... if no one prays for them? So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:11 When we believe the Word and speak IT in faith, His Word will not return void. We must be bolder than we have been! God used Paul in a great way because he dared to step forth in boldness in the power of the Holy Spirit. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 1 Corinthians 2:4 The word demonstration in the Greek means: making manifest, showing forth, proof. Paul attempted great things for God and received great things from God. When God used Paul to heal the sick and perform miracles, it was proof that God was visiting that city. All followers of Jesus have received a blank check that has been signed by the son of God. We can fill it in for day old bread and a spoon full of beans, or we can fill it in for the riches of

2 2 glory! It is up to us. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:13 Someone might be thinking, What if I ask for the wrong thing? You won t. When you obey God s Word and work from a renewed mind, you will only ask for those things that will meet people s needs and forward the Kingdom of God in the earth! And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2 David boldly declared in Psalm 118:17, I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD. Let s do it! Let s get bolder with God! Let s take God at His Word and boldly pray for the sick and afflicted! Boldly proclaim miracles in His name! Boldly speak those things into existence that were not, but are now... because of our faith! (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Romans 4:17 PRAYER UPDATE 1/30/2017 #38 Something happens when we pray, regardless of whether we see it or not. What happens if nothing happens? Something will happen! There could be times when we pray for someone and it does not appear that anything happened. However, something has happened! There are miracles. Mark 10:52, And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. And there are healings. Luke 17: 11-14, And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified

3 3 God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. How did the lepers receive their healing? By going. They were not healed while they were just standing there. When Jesus said, Go show yourselves to the priests. The lepers had to go by faith believing that as they obeyed by going, they would be healed. They could have said, But look at me. It s still here. But no, as they went, they were healed. God can heal anyway He likes. If you pray and don t see anything happen, something really did happen. If you pray for someone and he or she is not immediately healed, keep believing, because something is happening! How could I believe this? Because it s God s Word! Matthew 7:7, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Do you believe this Scripture? When we ask, do we really receive? Sometimes or all the time? Is God s Word always true? Romans 3:4 says, Let God be true, but every man a liar. And, let s take another step. Let every evidence we see... be a liar and God s Word be true! Ephesians 3:20 says, Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Do we have as much virtue in us as Christ does? Of course not. But each time we pray, something takes place in the invisible. Something happens. I have to believe this, because God s Word teaches it. It is according to the POWER that works within us. One time Jesus prayed for a blind man s eyes who did not receive his complete healing. What did Jesus do? He prayed again. Fasting and prayer changes things that will not move otherwise. We must never forget that we are not the healer, Christ is the healer. In the beginning, we may pray for 21 people and none of their needs appear to be met. We are not discouraged for we are not looking at only that which is seen. By faith...we look beyond the natural... to the supernatural! If it should look like none of the 21 have their needs met, we don t give up, we just keep thank-

4 4 ing the Lord... keep praising the Lord... keep praying... keep worshipping! Each time we believe... each time we pray... two things are happening! The devil is doing his best to hinder... and God is moving in our behalf. The good news is, we are on the winning side. God is coming through. God is greater than the powers of darkness! If the 21st person we pray for is the first one to receive his or her need met, then let s go back to the first person and start over again and believe God for his or her needs to be met... and then on to the other 20. Mark 11:24 says, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Are we going to believe God s Word? If we are, then we are going to begin PRAISING God for the answer... regardless of what we feel or see! By faith, we are going to send THANKS- GIVING to our Lord for the answer... regardless of what things may look like. (We are going to study this in much more depth at a later date.) There comes a time, when we all, will no doubt, need to put this into practice. We should never keep asking for the same need over and over. After we have asked God to meet the need... it s PRAISE and THANKSGIVING time knowing that God is moving in our behalf. Even though we may not see it. We still praise Him for the answer! That s faith in action! When we move in faith... God moves in response to our actions. There comes a time when we have to move from PETITIONING on to PRAISE and THANKS- GIVING. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalm 100:4 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Philippians 4:6 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 1 John 5:15 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 1 John 3:21

5 5 Suppose... my rent is due next week and I do not have one dollar towards it. I pray and ask the Lord to meet the need. I ask others to pray. Then, I look at in my wallet and there is still nothing in it. What is my next step? Since I have asked, and His Word says I have received, even though I do not see it, my next step is to begin thanking the Lord for answering my prayer and praising Him for moving in my behalf. I must go from a petitioning stage to a thanksgiving and praising stage. To ask for the same thing again or to send in a prayer request for the same thing, would throw me back into the doubt and unbelief stage. What I am saying, by my actions, is that God never heard me in the first place. We are taking these actions according to God s own Word... that when we ask, we receive! We believe... and then begin thanking and praising God for the answer. As we already wrote about, Daniel s prayer was hindered by the powers of darkness for three weeks. His answer was on the way, but it took three weeks before it actually arrived. Our faith grows as our miracles grow. David knew the Lord would take care of the giant because God had already delivered the bear and lion into his hands. We are going to BELIEVE together each day for the 21 fully expecting their MIRACLE to manifest. But, regards of what we see, smell, taste, hear or feel... after we pray... we are going to continue in FAITH in THANKSGIVING and PRAISE knowing that God is still on the throne... His Word is true... and we do RECEIVE what we ask for in His precious name! 2 Corinthians 5:7 states, For we walk by faith, not by sight: PRAYER UPDATE 1/29/2017 #37 We don t have to be perfect for God to use us. However, we must be in right relationship with Him. It s important for us to understand that if we ever sin, or make a mistake, this does not disqualify us from being used by God. The devil will do his best to bring condemnation on us and tell us, Look what you did! God can t use you. You are a flawed, sinful vessel! There is no use in your trying to pray for anyone! God will not answer your prayers! The good news is, Satan is a liar! With God s help we are not going to listen to his lies!

6 6 Although most of us use I John 1:9 to introduce sinners to Christ, it was not written to sinners, but to followers of Christ. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is not a license to sin. It means exactly what it says. But, we can not practice sin or continue in a particular sin and expect to have God s blessings. We must confess and forsake the sin. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Proverbs 28:13 Let s say... I have an argument with Rose on the way to a service to minister to the sick (and it has happened). As I walk through the doors, I ask the Lord to forgive me for my attitude and the words I said. Then, I lean over to Rose and ask her to please forgive me. That s it my friend! There is nothing more to do. I am good to go! I am back in right standing with God (and my wife), and I am again a vessel He can flow through. If a sinful thought should enter into our minds, just before they turn the service to us, we just quickly ask God to forgive us... then go ahead and do greater works than Christ! Don t allow the devil s condemnation to slow you down or stop you in ministering. After all sin is under the blood of Christ, it is gone! Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16 There are times, when our faults need to be confessed. If we do not confess and repent from our faults, they could hinder our own healing, as well as those, we are praying for. The word faults as it is used here in the Greek means: a deviation from truth and uprightness, a sin, misdeed. No, none of us are always perfect in our actions. We make mistakes and will continue to make mistakes. The good news is we serving a loving and forgiving God who is always there for us when we stumble and fall. That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; 1 Thessalonians 4:4...let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity... If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master s use,

7 7 and prepared unto every good work. 2 Timothy 2:19-21 As we walk in the Spirit, our shortcomings and sins become less and less. As we confess and forsake sin in our lives... God is glorified, and we are enabled, by the power of the Holy Spirit to become vessels of honor that our Lord can use to minister to the needs of 21, as well as all those who need His touch that He directs us to. PRAYER UPDATE 1/28/2017 #36 We must not allow our preconceived ideas to hinder people from getting healed. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. Matthew 4:24 This scripture informs us that it didn t matter what manner of sickness it was, or who the person was, Jesus healed them all. I believe one of the main reasons the sick are not being healed today is because we have been putting certain conditions on how we receive answers to our prayers. For instance, we feel we must be in church, or the person has to first be saved, or we need to have a lot of faith or it is not the right time, or everything has to be just right, or we are not spiritual enough, or etc. Nothing could be further from the truth! It s time for us to quit limiting God and allowing our preconceived ideas to hinder or stop the flow of how God desires to move in our lives. We can set the parameters for healings and miracles. The little lady with the issue of blood said, If I may but touch the hem of His garment, I will be made whole. Whose idea was it that if she were to only touch the hem of Jesus garment, she would healed? It was her idea. What happened? She was healed. The centurion said, You don t need to come to my house, only speak the word. Whose idea was it that his servant could be healed without Jesus coming to his house? It was the centurion s idea. What happened? His servant was healed. The people who needed healing, are the ones who made the decision to wait for Peter s shadow to bring healing to them. Was it Peter s idea? No. Did God tell them to do it? We have no record of it.

8 8 Whose idea was it to cut up Paul s clothes and send pieces of cloth to the sick so they would be healed when the cloth was laid on them? Was it Paul s idea? God s? Jesus put mud on the blind man s eyes. God didn t have to use mud, but He just decided to do it that way. Whose idea was it for Naaman to dip seven times in the river of Jordan? It could have been the man of God, Elisha s idea. Here is the truth. We can set situations up for miracles. I believe it is according to our faith. And, when God is leading us a particular way, of course according to our obedience. We have no excuse for sitting back and letting the devil run off with the show. Not when... God has empowered us with ALL we need to go forth and turn the world upside down! And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; Acts 17:6 PRAYER UPDATE 1/27/2017 #36 God will heal people even if they are unbelievers. And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all. Luke 6:19 When Jesus healed the multitudes, do you believe all those thousands of people were in right standing with God? That doesn t seem possible does it? We learn from Jesus ministry that when people are sick and ask to be prayed for, they do not have to be a Believer to receive healing. This means that when we are praying for the sick, we can pray for the physical needs of those who may be lost as well as Believers. We don t know if Aeneas, the man Peter healed, was a Believer or not. But we learn from the Bible that after he was healed, all the people in two cities turned to the Lord when they saw his miracle. God uses miracles to bring people to Him. The little lady who came for her daughter to be healed was not a Jew. We have no record she ever converted, even after Christ cast the devils out of her daughter. More than likely, we would think she did, but we really don t know.

9 9 God will heal people even if they do not serve Him after they are healed. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; Matthew 12:15 It stands to reason that though everyone was healed, it is doubtful if all of the thousands who were healed, decided to follow the Lord. God will heal crippled legs even though He knows the people who are being healed are going to go places they should not go. He heals them, knowing fully well they are not going to follow Him. We can understand this as when God saved us, we didn t quit sinning the day we were saved. There was still some of the old life left over. And even though God has answered many of our prayers, there still may be times when we sin. Demon possessed people don t have to want deliverance. Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. Mark 1:24 Though the demons did not want to come out, when Jesus spoke, they obeyed. The person who is possessed by the devil doesn t have to be in agreement in order to receive deliverance. Demon(s) inside a person have to not only listen to us, they must obey when we use the authority that Christ has given us. There are times when we may cast out a devil and after being delivered, the person wants the demon(s). He or she, can invite the demon(s) to come back in. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Luke 11:24-26 It is our job to destroy the works of Satan. Christ left us this mandate... and it is time we use it to forward the kingdom of God on the earth. PRAYER UPDATE 1/26/2017 #35

10 10 It is normal for believers to do greater works than Christ. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Mark 16:15-18 Heal the sick. Raise the dead. Cast out devils. Jesus tells us, He has given us this power to use freely to minister to the sick at anytime and anywhere. Of course this is not about us. It is about His authority and power working through us. What we say is not as important as what we do. Jesus said we as Believers are to lay hands on the sick and they will recover. In Mark 16:18, our Lord doesn t even tell us to say anything. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. John 14:12 Jesus said, Get ready for greater things! Not only are you going to do the same things I did, but you are going to move up to a higher level! You re going to do even greater things! Greater in Greek means: greater, larger, and stronger. How about it? Are we ready to do greater things than Christ did? And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: Acts 19:11, Are you ready to believe God is going to do special miracles through you? Why? So we can receive the glory and have a big following? No, a thousand times, No! But only for His glory, so God s Kingdom can be forwarded in the earth! So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. Acts 19:12, This sounds like revival to me! Was Paul the only one who moved into doing greater works than Christ did? Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. Acts 5:15 Are you ready for your shadow to be anointed? But you might ask, how many people were really healed this way? One or two? Let s read the next verse. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks,

11 11 and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one. Acts 5:16 The Bible says a multitude came to Peter. That s not ten, twenty, or a hundred, or even two hundred people. I believe this means thousands of people who were sick and demon possessed came and they all left healed. How many of them were healed? Every one! Isn t this what we are believing for today? Miracles, signs and wonders are our inheritance in Christ. Think of all the miracles God did in Old Testament times and then add all the miracles of the New Testament. We have quite a heritage don t we? The Bible lets us know that doing greater works than Christ did when He was here on earth... is our inheritance. As His children, we are joint heirs with Christ. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ... Romans 8:17 However, something else is true. Most of the Church has lost the supernatural and miraculous aspects of the Gospel of Christ. We have allowed... the Gospel of Christ to become so diluted, we are walking in the natural far more than the supernatural. In order to step out into the realm of miracles, signs and wonders, we must believe for God s power be manifested in and through us. Then... it is time to step out in faith, believing God is going to use us to do greater works than Jesus did while He was here on this earth! Welcome to the greater works movement. Are you ready for it??? Are you ready to do greater works than Christ did? I believe this is one of the reasons God is bringing us together from all around the world. God wants His people prepared and ready to move into this last day movement. I believe... we have been ushered into a supernatural move! I believe... that for such a time as this, God is raising us up to do greater works than Christ! No, it is not for the timid or the shy. It is for those who are ready to move forward... violently in the Kingdom of God and take what God has for us by force!!! And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12 Can God count on us??? Will we storm the gates of hell? Will we... believe for God to do more than guide doctor s knives? Will we... believe for God to perform miracles instead of surgeries? Will we... pray for the sick and afflicted until everyone single one of of us are healed and

12 12 made completely whole? Will we... stand and not back down... nor compromise the truth of God s Word? If we WILL... then, we must be FAITHFUL now in PRAYING for others... because IF we remain FAITHFUL in this little thing... God WILL move mightily in our behalf!!! God is watching us... For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. 2 Chronicles 16:9 PRAYER UPDATE 1/25/2017 #34 I am going to share several prayer thoughts with you today. Praying for the sick is not complicated. We don t always need to know if the person is lost or saved. We don t always need to know if people have faith. And we no longer need to wonder if is God s will to heal them. Acts 14:10, Paul Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. Paul told the person who was crippled, Stand up on you feet. That s a pretty simple prayer, isn t it? And, what happened? The man started leaping and walking! We notice that Paul didn t even say the name of Jesus, just stand up on your feet! Miracles and healings do not happen according to... how long... how loud... how intense... we pray. In fact, praying long prayers, often seems to pray us into unbelief. It is like we are not ready to nail it. Instead, we keep beating around the bush, flaying away... instead of speaking the word and getting the job one. There is no exact formula for healing the sick. Once we are determined to personally experience victory over sickness and disease, or in the lives of others, nothing can stop us (or them) from receiving our answer. Christians often look for some kind of special formula. But the truth is, what you say is not nearly as important, as who says it. Devils don t listen because you say it right or hold your mouth just right as you pray. The powers of darkness listen and obey because you are connected to Jesus and you are coming in HIs authority and power!

13 13 We need to change the way we have been believing. Hebrews 11:6, But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Can we please God if we do not have faith? According to Hebrews 11:5, without faith it is impossible to please God. We need to remember that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. The word diligently in the Greek means: to seek out for one s self, beg, crave, to demand back, and require. When we diligently seek the Lord, what we believe for is what we will get. We need to be direct in our prayers. You can tell a person that he or she is going to be well in 30 days. So be it. That s a progressive healing. Or you can believe for a person s healing right now. Which do you like better? That s what I thought! We must not limit how we minister to the sick. We could speak to the sickness. Or God might tell us to do something that may seem very unorthodox to us. We might tell the sick person to go home and eat something he or she has not been able to eat since becoming sick or to do something they have not been able to do. Who knows how God may direct us, if we stay open for whatever direction He may lead us. We must free God from our little box. Instead of us telling God how to get the job done, we need to listen to the Holy Spirit and move with God s healing flow. The Lord may be moving in a way to take care of the need that we have never thought of. We may not even pray when we are ministering to a sick person. We may just speak the Word and they will be whole. There is no scripture that tells us this can only be done one certain way. God is unlimited in the ways that He works, His mighty wonders to perform! God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend. Job 37:5 PRAYER UPDATE 1/24/2017 #33 We do not need a special atmosphere for healing to take place.

14 14 But Simon s wife s mother lay sick of a fever... And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. Mark 1:30-31 No, Jesus didn t need an anointed praise team or band or healing music being played in the background to set the stage for Peter s mother-in-law to receive her healing. We have no record that our Lord said anything. Jesus just walked into where Peter s mother-in-law was lying in bed, took a hold of her hand and what happened? Immediately, the fever left her and she rose and started fixing supper for them! Sometimes ministers think they need everything just right before someone can receive his or her miracle. The truth is, we don t. No one has to announce our entrance... that God s man or woman of faith and power for the hour has arrived! But, on the other hand, when we walk into a place, the atmosphere should change for us. The devil should know immediately who we are and now that we are in the house... things are different. Schambach told the story of something that happened when he was a young man working with A.A. Allen, He said he had been in the backseat of a car working for hours to cast the devil out of person. Finally, Allen came by the car. Said something like, You haven t got the devil out yet. Get out of the car, I will take care of it. In just a few moments, after Allen got in the car, with the demon possessed person, the devil was cast out and that individual was delivered. Schambach asked Allen, How did you do it when I couldn t? What did you say?allen didn t want to tell him. He evaded the question until finally Shambach said, Look, I work with you here, I have a right to know. Allen turned to Schambach and said, I simply told the devil... A.A. Allen is here now, you have to go! It all comes back to knowing who we are in Christ and what we possess. The more complicated we make someone receiving their healing or their miracle, the easier it is for the devil to win. So, we must keep it simple. The Bible does not instruct us to counsel demons out, but we are to cast them out. One good determined Come out, is worth far more than a thousand hours of counseling. God wants to use us in ministering to people s needs. That s what this ministry and vision is all about... reaching out and ministering to people through prayer and faith at their point of need. If you pray faithfully for 1 month, you will have prayed for 630 people: 2 months= 1,260 peo-

15 15 ple, 3 months=1,890 people, 4 months= 2,524, 5 months= 3,155, 6 months= 3,785, 7 months=4,417, 8 months= 5,048, 9 months= 5,679, 10 months= 6,310, 10 months= 6,310, 11 months= 6,941, 12 months= 7, additional days= 105 for a total of people we prayed for for the year= 7,677!!! What a powerful prayer ministry!!! What a tremendous blessing you can be to several thousand people, just by praying faithfully, for only four months!!! We don t need anything from this world in order to pray for the 21 people each day. No, we don t need to build a ten million dollar mega church... go on television with an annual budget of one hundred million or anything else. What we do, does not cost us anything, but... a small amount of our time each day, and... a relationship with Christ... a submission to our Lord and His Word... a faith and trust that He hears us and that He is going to answer our prayers regardless of what the needs are. Amen? Amen! Is it worth it??? You judge... from the people whose lives are being changed... because of... PRAYER!!! PRAYER UPDATE 1/23/2017 #32 We never need to ask God if it is His will to heal anyone we are praying for. It is always God s will to heal the sick... regardless! We do this because we understand what God says in His Word. Since no one is healed automatically, and God does have healing for all, God expects us to pray in faith, addressing the need... expecting to receive. Even when people are 100 years old, if they are suffering, we can pray for them to be healed. They don t have to be sick to leave this old world. As I have already wrote, God does not send sickness to bring people home to be with Him. You ask, Does the Bible teach what you are sharing in this message? If it didn t, I certainly would not be writing about it. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Psalm 103:1-3 How many of our diseases does He heal? ALL of them! The same God who forgives us of ALL of our sins, also heals us of ALL our diseases. Does God say I can forgive you of little things, but not big. Of course not! He forgives us of

16 16 everything. It is the very same with sickness and disease... He heals us of everything. And the LORD will take away from you all sickness... Deuteronomy 7:15 ALL means ALL! It s that simple. No matter what is wrong with us, Jesus can make it right. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 1 John 5:14, Since we have already seen very clearly that it is always God s will to heal the sick, we are always in His will when we are praying for the sick. When it is our time to go, God doesn t need a cancer to kill us to take us home. We can just draw our feet up in the bed, like the men of God of old, and give up the ghost! Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. Genesis 25:8 When we begin to pray asking God if it is His will to heal someone, we soon find ourselves praying in doubt and unbelief. If we really don t know if we should pray for their healing, we will not know how to pray. So instead of being filled with faith, we will be filled with indecision and unbelief. So now that we all understand the truth, we will never again pray like this, God if it is your will... to heal so and so, do it. If not, well, I don t know, I guess... just leave them sick! As we pray for the 21 people each day. Let s pray in FAITH knowing that it is God s will to heal every single one of them! PRAYER UPDATE 1/22/2017 #31 The sick people we are praying do not always have to have faith to be healed. (Part 2) When we minister to sick people, we must not focus only on their need, what they are going thru and how much they need their healing or miracle. It is important for us to understand that what is taking place now, is between Satan and the powers of darkness and us. God is backing us. It s true... we have His Word... we have His Spirit... we have His anointing... and He is ready to perform the work through us. But it is up to us... as to what happens next.

17 17 The sick person we are preparing to pray for, is where the spiritual battle will take place. Notice that James 5:14 doesn t say the elders who have the gift of healing. From the use of the word elders, we are led to believe that the word elders, speaks of maturity. From what we are instructed to do in this scripture, it lets us know that elders are men and women who walk and live in the miraculous. It must have been their normal mode of operation to often, pray for people who have little or no faith. There are ministers, who before they pray for anyone, want to make sure that person has enough faith, before they pray for them. This is not the most important thing. The crux of the matter is, do we have enough faith? Like the elders, we must move forward and pray for those who ask for prayer. Jesus recognized people s faith, but it wasn t something He always relied on. He had enough faith for thousands of people, in one service. It s interesting how we sometimes look at things. If we pray for someone and they do not receive an instant healing, we are quick to say, They didn t have the faith. But when we pray for someone and they are healed, what do we do? We take the credit for being God s man or woman of faith and power for the hour. This seems like a double-standard to me. Whenever Jesus saw faith in someone, He recognized their faith and congratulated them. If they didn t have faith, He still fixed the problem. In Matthew chapter 17:20-21, when the disciples couldn t cast out the devil, whom did Jesus blame? The person that was demon possessed or his father? Did Jesus say, I know what your problem is. You have been in all these healing crusades with me and still you don t believe in me! Is that what our Lord said? No! What did He do? He blamed His disciples for not having enough faith to take care of this need. He looked at the group of preachers He was raising up and let them have it....o faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. Matthew 17:17 Jesus didn t say, I know it s rough out there and hardly anyone has enough faith to be healed. I understand what you have been going through. Don t feel bad. No, Jesus said, What s wrong with you guys? It s not the people s fault. It s your fault. Your problem is, you don t have the faith to meet the needs! You need to add some more prayer and

18 18 fasting to this. Matthew 17:18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. So where are we at now? We are ready to move forward in faith... praying for the needs each day of 21. Do they have the faith? We don t have a clue do we? So, what are we going to do? Are we going to wait until some day we find out if they have the faith? No. We are going to pray... now... in faith... believing the Word of God! For, when it comes down to it, our faith... is really, all it takes... to get the job done!!!...for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Matthew 17:20 PRAYER UPDATE 1/21/2017 #30 The sick people we are praying for do not always have to have faith to be healed. (Part 1) It s very important we understand this. This one truth will revolutionize how we pray for the sick. For many years, most of us have believed this was true. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why we are having so few healings in our churches today. Let s look a few examples of this in the Bible... Matthew 8: 5-7 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. Wait a minute, Jesus. What about the servant s faith? The servant may not have enough faith to get healed. What should we do? There s no problem here. If the servant didn t have the faith, the Roman Centurion had the faith for him. We are all familiar with the woman from Canaan who had a daughter who was possessed of the devil. In Matthew 15, it tells how she cried after Jesus to heal her daughter. The disciples wanted to send her away. Jesus told her, It isn t fit to give the children s bread to dogs. She said, That s true, but Lord, the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master s table.

19 19 Jesus said, Great is your faith: it will be as you believe. The Bible tells us her daughter was cured that same hour. Was it the daughter s faith that delivered her from the demons? I don t think so. But someone does have to believe. Someone has to have faith. But it doesn t always have to be the person being prayed for. Would it be good for people to have faith for themselves? Of course it would! But, many times, people do not have the faith needed to be healed. We have examples of this in the Scriptures. What about the four men who brought their friend to the house where Jesus was preaching, took the roof off and lowered their friend down through the hole into the room near Jesus? The Bible tells us that Jesus, saw their faith. Did the man on the bed have faith Or, was it the men who lowered him down to Jesus? How about when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead? Was it Lazarus s faith that brought him out of the tomb? Was it his sister s faith? No, if they had the faith, he wouldn t have died. No, it was Jesus s faith that raised Lazarus from the dead. It would be good if we all had the faith to make ourselves whole. But, often we don t. Did the crippled man in Acts 3:6 have faith to be healed? Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. The crippled man wasn t even asking to be healed. He was asking for money. He was not sitting there in faith waiting for Peter to heal him. What was the secret to this man s healing? Who had the faith? Peter said, Such as I have give I thee. In the name of Jesus... It was not the man s faith in Jesus name, but Peter s faith in the name of Jesus that made the man whole. James 5:14-15 further clarifies this, Is any sick among you? 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: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. What is the responsibility of the person who is sick? He or she is to call for the elders. Does the sick person need to have faith? No, it is responsibility of the elders to have faith. Is it the sick person who prays the prayer of faith? No. If it were, there would be no need to call the elders. It doesn t say the sick person s faith will raise him up? No. it is the prayer of faith

20 20 made by the elders. The Word doesn t say the sick man even needs to pray. According to James 5:14, it is not the sick person s responsibility to have faith. This means a number of things, but important to this message, it means that you and I can have faith for other people to be healed even if they do not have it. It is our responsibility to heal the sick. Jesus desires for us to destroy the works of the devil. We are the ones involved in this spiritual warfare. Are you ready to do it like Peter? Let s give such as we have. From our faith... the anointing will flow... the power of God will go... Into lives of those who don t even know... that there is a God in Heaven, who is ready... His mercy to show. PRAYER UPDATE 1/20/2017 #29 Christ gave us authority over sickness and demons. Thus, both must go when commanded! We have a problem. It s how we pray. I believe that a major reason the sick are not being healed is because we need to change our method of praying. One of the things we have been doing wrong is we have been talking to God about Him doing the healing. Nowhere in the Bible does it tell us to talk to God about healing the sick. However, this is the way most of us approach the problem. But Jesus told His disciples in Luke 10:9, And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. And we Christ s disciples in these last days. So, we do not need to beg or plead with God when we seek a healing for someone when you and I have been commanded to lay hands on the sick and rebuke the sickness and/or demons. Matthew 10:8 says to us, Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. What have received? Empowerment! Authority! Commandership!

21 21 We need to stop asking the devil to go and start commanding him to go. We need to stop asking sickness to go and start commanding sickness to go. When we declare, by His stripes you are healed, indeed we are recognizing Christ s sacrifice which empowers us. But in that declaration, we are not asking God to do the healing for us. Rather, we are speaking the Word of God for healing over the sickness by the authority given to the righteous. Matthew 17:20 says, And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. We are to have faith as disciples today as the first disciples did. We are to know our empowerment as Peter did in Acts 3:6-8,...but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. When we recognize our place in God, we can begin speaking to sickness, and the sickness will go. If we know what the sickness is, we can speak directly to it, such as, Cancer, I command you to go now in the name of Jesus Christ. If we don t know what the sickness is, we can prophesy to the sick person, Body, be healed in the name of Jesus Christ. When we command healing in this way, we are in effect prophesying the mandatory obedience of the sickness or illness condition to leave. This is what Ezekiel did to those dry bones. He prophesied to them. Ezekiel 37:4 says, Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Jesus also spoke to the demons in people and told the demons to go. Matthew 8:16 says, When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: With what did Jesus cast out the spirits? With His Word. How many sick people did He heal? 10%? 50%? He healed them ALL! Let s read the next verse in Matthew 8:17: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. If Christ Himself took all our infirmities and bore our sickness, then why do we want them? Why do we put up with being sick? If Christ went to the cross and took all my sins and nailed them to the cross, this means I don t have to keep my sins. If Christ took away all my sickness, this means I don t have to keep my

22 22 sicknesses. Both salvation and healing are made ours by the finished work of Jesus Christ. And included in that finished work, is the authority heal and deliver others as His disciples of the Church of His first disciples. Matthew 10:1 tells us, And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Old testament and new testament, our irrevocable license to do these good works is everywhere. Psalms 107:20 reads, He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. There is power in the Word! God send His Word and what happened? His Word healed His people and delivered them. Romans 10:8 says, But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; Jesus is the Word; the Word made flesh. And He has empowered us with His authority. So when we speak the Word of faith and in faith, we are declaring the power of Word with an authority that sickness and demons must obey! PRAYER UPDATE 1/19/2017 #28 We do not need to feel a special anointing to defeat the powers of darkness! (part 2) Before we move on, we can learn something else from Samson. We have said, or have heard it said, that God will not give someone the anointing or His power if He knows that person will eventually turn against Him. This certainly is not true. Was God surprised when Samson sinned? Even though God knew that Samson was going to really mess up, He still anointed and used him. We see this in many people s lives in the Bible. Therefore, we can forget the idea that some people are not anointed because God knows they will not remain faithful. And, if you have felt that God is not anointing you because He cannot trust you with His power, you now know this is not true. You are anointed! We are anointed! What is the anointing sent to do then? In Luke 4:18 Jesus said, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.

23 23 The Bible says in Isaiah 10:27...the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. 2 Corinthians 1:21 states Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; So what are we supposed to do with the anointing? We are to preach the gospel to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, preach deliverance to the captives, open the blinded eyes, and set at liberty those who are bruised. In other words, we are to do the same works as did Christ. When? Whenever we see something that needs to be done, we are to do it - anytime, anywhere and anyplace! Are we guilty of trying to keep these works in, through and by the church, when they also need to be done openly and randomly in the streets and in the marketplace; at Walmart, Mc- Donalds, Costco -- anywhere there is a need? Yes and yes! And isn t that what Jesus did, He performed His works anytime and anywhere? When you do this as well, you are testifying for Christ without words. God has given you His power to go about doing good, right where you live. He has raised you up to heal the sick, help the poor, befriend the broken-hearted, cast out demons, and raise the dead! This is not something that for which we wait; for the Spirit to move us before we move. What did Jesus do? He was always ready to reach out in compassion and meet those needs. We don t have to wait until we feel spiritual. We don t have to wait for any feeling. We don t have to wait until we believe we have received an anointing. We are anointed, whether we feel it or not. Let s just do it! Let s do the works of Christ! Don t we know we are saved, even when there are times we may not feel saved? It is the same with the anointing. We are anointed even when we may not feel anointed. We learned from Samson that the anointing has no feeling. God has given us a job to do, and part of this job is to heal the sick. God isn t telling us to go out and lay our hands on the sick, and then He does not heal them. When we do our part, God will then do His part. Preachers sometimes think they must have a special anointing before they can pray for the sick. You and I already have this anointing. All we need do is take God at His Word. If He says to do it, then we must do it. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Mark 16: 20 We don t have to wait for a word. It has already come to us. It is in the Bible. All we have to do is put the Word into practice in our own lives.