Praying Medic's Blog, page 103

I Give You My Peace

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The Bible says “Ask and you shall receive.” I’ve been asking and God’s been giving me some interesting revelation lately. A few nights ago I had a dream featuring a man who was filled with peace. He happened to be around people who didn’t have much peace. In the dream, the emotions of people were symbolized by boards covered with fabric.

The peace-filled man was able to give others the peace that he had. When he wanted to do this, he pulled out a spray can and sprayed over the fabric of someone’s emotional board. I don’t know what was in the spray can, but it neutralized their fear, anxiety, etc. Then he cut a piece of fabric from his own emotional board and pasted it on the board of the other person and in doing so—he gave them his peace.

Interesting concept, wouldn’t you agree?

One of the ramifications of seeing Jesus as a flesh and blood role model (and not merely as our savior) is that we must eventually get around to doing the things he did. We must live the way He lived. It’s the practical side of being his disciple.

Jesus said to his disciples, “I give you my peace.”

He transferred His own peace to those who didn’t have it. And we must learn how to do this. In addition to casting out demons, healing the sick, raising the dead, working miracles, and proclaiming the kingdom, we ought to learn how to give people the peace that we have—to transfer the peace of God to those who are filled with fear, anxiety and worry.

Of course, a prerequisite is having that peace in the first place. We can’t give to others what we don’t have. So if you’re lacking the peace of God, you might ask Him to give you His peace. Which brings us back to the beginning of the article. Ask and you shall receive.

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Podcast 032: Matthew Robert Payne – Prophetic Evangelism

To open in a new window click this link: podcast 032

In this episode, my friend Matthew Robert Payne discusses how prophecy can be used to reach people for God. Matthew gives a number of prophetic words to people who called into the radio show. 

Resources

Mathew’s Facebook Profile

Prophetic Evangelism Made Simple

Listen or Subscribe

Past Episodes

 

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The High Price of Having a Wrong View of God

 

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My wife was in desperate need of a massage, so she finally scheduled an appointment with a massage therapist. During the 90-minute session, she learned that her therapist like us, is a church drop-out. This message is not meant to bash churches. But it is going to illustrate a few problems within the church. If you ever find yourself needing to help someone who knows Jesus but isn’t attending regular church services, this message can help you to be a little more informed about their situation.

The therapist attended Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa for many years. When she moved to Arizona, at the request of her husband, they began attending a church that taught reformed theology—with an emphasis on Calvinism. One of the main points of Calvinism is the idea that God has predestined some of us for salvation and some for wrath and that our ultimate fate is a matter of God’s choosing—not our own. Not long after they began attending, the couple’s teen-aged daughter decided that God had predestined her to spend eternity in hell. She stopped going to church and gave up on God and has no interest in him today.

The couple began having marital problems and church attendance became an occasional thing. When the therapist’s husband approached the pastoral staff for help with his marriage, he was told that the reason they were having marriage problems was because they had not been attending church regularly. They offered no other help and the couple soon divorced.

One of the main goals of the enemy is distort our view of God and obscure the way in which we believe he sees us. So far the enemy’s plan is working pretty well in this family.

The wrong views of God in this tragic scenario are many. The church leaders are under the impression that regular church attendance is what safeguards our relationship with God and with others. Any failures are assumed to be due to poor church attendance.

Their daughter has come under the belief that God doesn’t love her. She thinks His reason for making her was to discard her like a used paper cup into a fire pit.

The therapist herself loves Jesus. She just hasn’t found a church where she feels comfortable yet. And it’s likely the enemy is going to continue to attack her and her family.

My wife and I see an opportunity to connect with a family that needs a little encouragement and perhaps more importantly—a better perspective on who God is and who they are in his eyes.

God has connected us to many such people over the years. Our ministry has been more to church drop-outs than to any other group of people. Our passion is to encourage them to continue walking with Jesus despite whatever else is going on in their lives. Our specific calling seems to be to help them see God and themselves through the eyes of a loving Father.

We ask for your prayers that God would open doors and open hearts and that we’d have an opportunity to encourage this family and help them see how much they are loved by Him.

Thanks in advance,

~ PM

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Are Miracles, Healing and Deliverance “Peripheral Issues?”

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A common teaching in the church today is the idea that the working of miracles, healing the sick and casting out demons are “peripheral issues” that can distract our attention from the “real issues” believers ought to focus on. Some would go as far as to say that anyone who spends too much time learning about them is deceived. But is this true?

The first thing Jesus did after choosing the twelve was to send them out with instructions to heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead and proclaim the kingdom of God (see Matt. 10: 7-9). And here’s something to consider: This commission came before they had any real training in the miraculous. Their training was on the job—they learned as they went.

After the twelve returned, with reports of the great things they had seen, Jesus sent out the seventy into nearby villages, telling them, “Heal the sick that are there and tell them the kingdom of God has come near you.” (See Luke 10:9.) The seventy were sent into these cities before Jesus visited the cities himself. They went to announce the arrival of the kingdom and the Messiah, through healing and the working of miracles.

To reinforce what he had already told them—before he ascended into heaven—he reiterated in the great commission what he wanted his disciples to do. You may have doubt as to whether the instructions he gave to the twelve and the seventy apply to you, but the the great commission is widely accepted as the instruction Jesus gave to believers of all ages. Mark’s version of the great commission includes these instructions: “These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name …They will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17a,18b)

It seems like the issues Jesus wanted his disciples to focus on could not be any more clear. Rather than being peripheral issues, the working of miracles, healing the sick and casting out demons were intended to be central parts of the work he expected his disciples to do. And nothing has changed since then.

In Luke 10:19, Jesus said, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy.” As one of his disciples, you have all the authority you need to heal the sick and work miracles.  The power you need is provided by the Spirit of God, who lives inside you. You simply need to learn how to release that power. Power is released when we exercise faith. When you’re faced with a need, believe in your heart that the thing you desire will happen, do not doubt, and you will see the power of God manifest.

As I’ve focused on the supernatural manifestations of the kingdom, rather than being drawn away from God, I’ve been drawn closer to him. I’ve learned so much about his ways and the incredible love he has for mankind and I believe the same can be true for you.

Related:

Power and Authority for Healing

Healing 101

Deliverance

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Podcast 031: Praying Medic’s Books

To open in a new window click this link: podcast 031

In this episode, my wife and I talk about the books I’ve written and a few of the books that I’m working on.

Books Discussed:

Emotional Healing in 3 Easy Steps

American Sniper: Lessons in Spiritual Warfare

A Kingdom View of Economic Collapse

My Craziest Adventures With God – Volume 1

My Craziest Adventures With God – Volume 2

Seeing in the Spirit Made Simple

Divine Healing Made Simple

Hear God’s Voice Made Simple

Inner Healing and Deliverance Made Simple

Traveling in the Spirit Made Simple

Power and Authority Made Simple

The Bogren series

Listen or Subscribe

Past Episodes

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Ben Carson on an Islamic President

Ben Carson recently said he would not support a Muslim candidate for president unless the candidate renounced Sharia law, saying that Sharia law is fundamentally opposed to the US constitution.

The media didn’t waste any time attacking Carson over his “islamophobic” views. When questioned again, Carson elaborated but doubled down on his conviction, saying that he is not opposed to a Muslim in the White House as long as they do not support Sharia law, since the president is sworn to uphold the constitution and Sharia law stands opposed to it.

Most people see Islam strictly as a religious belief system. We’ve been taught that it’s just like Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism and every other religion. But among all major religions, only Islam has a code of civil law. Civil laws regulate the behavior of citizens, in the same way the US constitution does. Islam’s code of civil law known as Sharia law.

No other religious belief system assumes control of national governments the was Islam does. In every nation where it has been allowed to evolve freely and work out the ultimate goals of its ideology, it has installed political leaders in government, enforced Sharia law, and outlawed every other religious belief system.

Because Islam assumes control of government and enforces civil law, it is without question a political belief system as well as a religious one. Experts on religion may disagree, but the proof lies in what Islam does when it is allowed to manifest its religious  beliefs without opposition. It always, without exception, assumes control of government.

Sharia Law and the constitution are mutually exclusive to one another. You cannot embrace both of them. Opposition to a hypothetical Islamic US President could be based on a true hatred or fear of Muslims, which is wrong. But one could also oppose the idea because, as Carson said, any Muslim who runs for president who does not reject Sharia law in favor of the constitution would present a clear danger to the principles of liberty upon which this nation was founded. That isn’t islamophobia. It’s a legitimate political concern for anyone who values their freedom.

I’m grateful for people like Ben who refuse to adopt politically correct positions in order to maintain popularity.

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I Am a Rock

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I’d like to take another shot at explaining why sometimes our prayers for healing don’t seem to be effective. Years ago, when John Wimber was first learning about healing, God gave him a vision to explain something he didn’t understand. Here is John’s account of that experience taken from his book Power Healing:

“Suddenly in my minds eye there appeared to be a cloud bank superimposed across the sky. But I had never seen a cloud bank like this one, so I pulled my car over to the side of the road to take a closer look. Then I realized it was not a cloud bank, it was a honeycomb with honey dripping out on to people below. The people were in a variety of postures. Some were reverent; they were weeping and holding their hands out to catch the honey and taste it, even inviting others to take some of their honey. Others acted irritated, wiping the honey off themselves, complaining about the mess. I was awestruck. Not knowing what to think, I prayed, “Lord, what is it?”

He said, “It’s my mercy, John. For some people it’s a blessing, but for others it’s a hindrance. There is plenty for everyone. Don’t ever beg me for healing again. The problem isn’t on my end, John. It’s down there.”

I’d like to have you consider an analogy: If, as John was shown, God’s mercy for healing is not lacking, but available in abundance, then we might see it as something like a vast body of water. Now let’s  imagine that the human body is like a rock surrounded by this water. In order for a body to be healed, it must absorb the water that surrounds it.

We tend to see the problem as one of God withholding His power and mercy for some reason, but that isn’t what’s actually happening. There is plenty of power available. The problem is that in the same way most rocks aren’t porous enough to absorb water, there are many things about the human condition that can make our body and soul unable to receive what God has freely provided. A sponge has many holes in it which can absorb water, and in order for us to receive healing, we must become porous like a sponge.

I believe it is mostly the attitudes of our hearts and the lies we believe about ourselves and about God that prevent us from receiving His healing power. Most people are unaware of the beliefs they have about God that are false. They’re also unaware of things they believe about themselves that are not true. These false beliefs harden us like a stone and they hinder our receptivity. The trick is to allow the Holy Spirit to expose the lies we believe, ask him to show us the truth, and believe what He tells us. We must ask Jesus to heal the wounds in our soul caused by painful events from our past. We must also forgive those who have wounded us, and forget the offenses we’ve been carrying around. As we do these things, we will absorb God’s abundant healing power, which will allow us to live in health and the knowledge of the truth.

Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance. It is laying hold of His willingness.

~ Julian of Norwich

Related:

Why Are Some People Not Healed?

God’s Power Grid

Practicing the Art of Healing

Why is Healing a Process?

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Podcast 030: Melody Paasch – All About Dreams

To open in a new window click this link: podcast 030

My guest on this episode is my friend Melody Paasch, who has been teaching biblical dream interpretation for decades. We both share insights into the dreams we have.

Topics Covered:

Where do dreams come from?
What are the most common types of dreams?
Why do we have night terror dreams?
What do houses and cars represent in dreams?
How can we have more dreams?
Do we actually travel to different places in dreams?
Does God visit us in person in dreams?
What prevents us from hearing God more clearly?

Resources

Melodypaasch.com

Nowinterpretthis.org

Understanding the Dreams You Dream by Ira Milligan

Dream Language by James Goll

The Divinity Code to Understanding Your Dreams and Visions by Adam Thompson

Listen or Subscribe

Past Episodes

Listen to my live show Thursday nights on 1100KFNX

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God’s Perspective on Excellence

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My wife and I were entertaining friends when we got on the subject of writing books. I told our guest I was not the best healer in the world. “If you want to see a really gifted healer,” I said, “Go hang out with David Hogan.”

I’m not the most knowledgeable or the most proficient healer, but with the little knowledge I do have, I was able to write a decent book on the subject, because in all honesty—I’m probably a better writer than I am a healer. There’s still so much about healing I don’t understand. Sometimes I feel unworthy of the questions people ask me. That night I had a dream:

In the dream, I was taking care of patients with a strange medical condition I didn’t know anything about. They had this fluid in some kind of container that was somehow attached to their body. I was supposed to monitor this fluid. I didn’t know what the fluid was and I didn’t know how to monitor it. I felt very uncertain about how I was supposed to take care of these patients. So I did the best I could and tried to make sure nothing bad happened to them while they were in my care. At the end of the dream, I was given an award for providing excellent care for my patients. That was the end of the dream.

When I awoke, I was a little shocked. How could anyone give me an award for providing good patient care when I had no clue what was wrong with my patients, what that fluid was, or how I was supposed to monitor it?

It didn’t make sense.

Later that day, as I thought about the dream, I also thought about the book I wrote and how I still don’t have all the answers to the questions people have about healing. And then it dawned on me what the Lord was saying in the dream. (This is a word of instruction for all of us):

It doesn’t matter to God if you have things all figured out. It doesn’t matter if you can answer people’s questions correctly. It doesn’t matter if you feel pretty clueless about healing or deliverance, or anything else He’s asked you to do. It doesn’t matter if you feel incompetent or incapable. What matters to God is that you do the best you can with the little information and talent you have.

Be a good steward of what resources and knowledge He’s given you and He’ll fill in the gaps of your knowledge and skill. Excellence doesn’t require complete understanding. All it requires is diligence and a sincere desire to serve in whatever way you can.

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Keys to Healing and Deliverance – Steve Harmon

Steve Harmon discusses the keys to successful physical healing, emotional healing and deliverance. Steve’s new website can be found here: Steveharmon.org

If you’d like to check out more teaching from Steve you can do that by clicking on this link.

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