Praying Medic's Blog, page 112

A Conversation with C.S Lewis

This message is likely to upset a few people, but others will find it encouraging. Let us always use wisdom and discernment in such matters.

A few months ago I ran across a rare audio message by C.S. Lewis. I decided to convert the message into a video which I posted on YouTube. I’m not a whiz at video production and the project took most of the day. During that time my mind became obsessed with the message of this beloved saint whose writings have inspired so many believers. Although I’ve only read a few of his books (The Chronicles of Narnia are still on my list of books to read) Lewis has inspired me more than anyone else with the exception of Jesus himself. The reason he inspires me so is his gift of writing.

Being a writer, I gravitate toward gifted writers. I draw inspiration from them and pick up tips and learn from their examples as I hone my own writing skills. It’s hard to think of anyone who so eloquently and so intelligently wrote about the issues that believers wrestle with. We all need role models and over the years, I’ve adopted Clive (known to his friends as Jack) as the main person by which I gauge my own writing and at times, my own thinking. While writing I often wonder to myself, how would Lewis have addressed this issue? How would he build this argument?

I never had a chance to meet Lewis. He became a member of the great cloud of witnesses in 1962. The day I created the video, I spent an unusually long period of time wondering about him and reflecting on how his life has affected mine. Time itself seemed to stand still that afternoon, and then I went to sleep.

I had a dream that night where Lewis paid me a visit. The purpose of our meeting was so that he could teach me a few things about writing. I did not see him in the way you might typically see someone in a dream. It’s not as though we were sitting at a table talking. I simply knew I was in his presence, the way you know with certainty facts in dreams. I also hid not hear him speak the way you typically year someone speak in a dream. I did not hear that distinctive accent. He spoke to me spirit-to-spirit through the transmission of thoughts.

So there I was in a dream, being tutored by the spirit of one of my favorite men. And what he shared was surprisingly practical.

Mike Parsons has met with a number of people from the cloud of witnesses. According to him, when these saints minister to us, they tend to help people who are engaged in endeavors similar to their own calling. They usually share practical advice on how to avoid certain problems they ran into when they were on earth and involved in their own body of work. They tend to give suggestions about how to accomplish things with expediency and efficiency, to shorten the learning curve for us, so to speak. And that’s exactly what Lewis did.

He told me about how the proper selection of words was critical to being a successful writer and illustrated his point with several stories about the problems he ran into by not choosing the right words. He noted that our choice of words creates either a favorable or an unfavorable experience in the mind of the reader and that the selection of one word or another can make a huge difference in how our writing is perceived. He gave several examples of how the choice of this word or that one created a completely different set of circumstances and told me to choose my words with care.  That’s a brief summary of the dream.

Some would argue that this was nothing more than the result of eating too much pizza. Some would say my mind was working out the issue I was focused on that day. Others would say it was an evil spirit masquerading as Lewis. It’s possible that this was the Holy Spirit or Jesus, teaching me through a persona that I was familiar with. And some would say it was Lewis himself who was granted access to me that night so that he might assist me in advancing God’s plans for my life.

I’ll leave it up to you to decide for yourself. But if you believe that the saints are still alive and engaged in the work of advancing God’s kingdom, you might consider asking the Lord if He would send you a helper, the way He sent me one.

Podcast 006: The Kingdom Driven Entrepreneur

If you received this in an email, or to play in a new window click this link: Podcast 006

Co-hosts Shae Bynes and Antonina Geer interview me on their show the Kingdom Driven Entrepreneur. We talk about how I met Jesus at the age of 38 years old, and what it takes to bring the kingdom of God to the marketplace. I share one of my favorite healing testimonies and we discuss how to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. We talk briefly about traveling in the spirit and persistence in healing and wrap things up with a look at my current and future book projects.

Listen or Subscribe:

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Check out my latest book Seeing in the Spirit Made Simple

If you’re looking for instruction on healing, check out Divine Healing Made Simple

Check out My Craziest Adventures With God

Past Episodes

Seeing in the Spirit Made Simple: First Review – Michael VanVlymen

I was pleased (and honored) to have my latest book reviewed by the man many would say is my biggest competitor. Michael VanVlymen (author of How to See in the Spirit) was kind enough to leave the very first review the day the Kindle version became available.

You might think that because we both publish books that are marketed to the same audience, we would see ourselves as competitors. I don’t believe true competition exists in the kingdom—at least not the kind we see in the world’s systems. I joke around with Jeremy Mangerchine about which of us is going to publish our next book first, but our jousting is only in fun. I believe there is a virtually unlimited supply of all that we need in the kingdom of God. And as more writers show up, the pie is not divided among more players, with each fighting for a piece from an ever-shrinking supply. The pie expands to accommodate more writers, thus there is no lack for any of us. Because God provides all that we need, we can live honorably among our peers, esteeming them higher than ourselves, as we ought. This is one reason why I encourage just about everyone to have a crack at publishing their own book.

There are many books available on seeing in the spirit, but none have been as widely purchased or as favorably reviewed as Michael’s. I’ve enjoyed seeing the acceptance his book has received and I know it’s helped many people grow in spiritual maturity, including me and my wife. I  have nothing but respect and admiration for Michael. He’s a man of class and character, and I owe him a debt of gratitude. Were it not for the idea he first put forward that anyone can see in the spirit, I may never have written my own book, which uses this idea as its main thesis. I sent Michael the manuscript of Seeing in the Spirit Made Simple before it was published to get his thoughts on it. Not surprisingly, his reply was very encouraging. He purchased the Kindle book and left the following review:

FIVE STARS! ONE OF THE BEST! April 2, 2015

By Michael R. Van Vlymen
Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

When I first learned that Praying Medic was writing the book Seeing in the Spirit Made Simple, I was very excited. I knew that if he covered this topic in the same way he covered Divine Healing that he would make spiritual sight accessible to many, many people. With clear instruction well supported by scripture, this book makes seeing in the spirit simple. The exercises in each chapter will help you to engage and develop as well as the numerous examples and testimonies. This is one of the best books written on the subject and I love the way he explains how spiritual sight can work with and enhance our gifts and callings. (healing, prophecy, deliverance, spiritual warfare etc.) Lots of real life examples to inspire and encourage you! I highly recommend this book!

Thank you Michael, I greatly appreciate your support and your friendship!

~PM

Seeing in the Spirit Made Simple

The night that I sent the manuscript of my last book to my editor I had a dream about writing a book on seeing in the spirit. The dream caught me by surprise. I’d ever considered writing a book on seeing in the spirit, but I didn’t waste any time. I began working on the manuscript the next day. The book is now finished and available as an ebook. (We’re working on the print book version which will be available soon.)

What you can expect from this book?

If you’ve wanted to see angels, demons and the heavenly realms, but have been told  you don’t have the “gift” of seeing in the spirit, this may be the book you’ve been waiting for.

For years we’ve been told that seeing in the spirit is a gift given to only a few special people or an anointing that must be imparted to us by a man or woman of God. In this book I present the biblical and physiological evidence which proves that seeing in the spirit is not reserved for only a few special people, but is possible for everyone. Using a Bible-based approach and dozens of testimonies and illustrations I show readers how they can learn to see in the spirit. I’ve also included practical exercises at the end of the main chapters. With a little instruction, a little prayer and some practice I believe anyone can learn to see in the spirit.

If you’d like to check out the book, click this link or the image below.

Podcast 005 Praying Medic & His Wife – When to Outsource Work

 

If you received this in an email, or to play in a new window click this link: Podcast 005

My wife and I discuss some of the inner workings of our art and book publishing business. The subject of today’s discussion is how keeping control of too many tasks can sabotage your productivity and the importance of delegating certain chores to someone else—even when you feel like you can’t afford to.

Listen or Subscribe:

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Samantha Bennett: The Organized Artist Company 

Bonnie Glendining: The Thriving Artist


Past Episodes

Get Published

If you’ve ever dreamed of having your writing published in a book, but never found a way to do it, this may be the opportunity you’ve been looking for.

I’ve decided to publish a book featuring the work of independent writers, with two goals in mind: The first goal is helping people to hear the voice of God. The second is to showcase the writing of my friends. The book will be a compilation of essays contributed by people like you.

My Proposal:

You write an essay that provides insights, advice, observations or experiences that will help people to hear or recognize the voice of God and submit it to me.
I’ll select the best essays and pay for the winning contributors to work with an editor who will help them fine-tune their essays.
I’ll provide the formatting and cover design and publish the compiled works as an ebook on Kindle, iBook, Nook, Kobo and Smashwords.
Contributing authors will have a short bio included in their section of the book with links to their website or other works.
The contributing authors can promote the book as a group.

You do not need to be a published author or blogger to have your writing considered. This offer is open to anyone.

How it Works:

Email me with your essay as an attachment.
Include the words Get Published in the subject line of the email.
Submissions can be sent to admin @ prayingmedic.com. (Remove the spaces before and after the @)
The deadline for submissions is June 30th 2015.
The minimum length of the essay must be at least 500 words. The maximum length is 5,000 words.
The preferred format for the essay is Microsoft Word, but I will accept other formats.
All contributors whose works are selected to be published will be asked to sign an agreement allowing me to publish their work.

If you know anyone who might be interested in submitting an essay for consideration, please share this message with them.

 

Grief and Freedom – Cherieann Riley

Cherieann Riley shares another golden nugget of revelation with us. 

Last week, I was just standing in the kitchen, and Dad spoke to me. He told me that I was carrying grief around with me. He told me that it grieves me to be at odds with people, especially when it is not coming from me, that it grieves me for them to not understand me, to be offended, or believe wrong things about me, which leads to a relationship between me and said person that is not what it could be. And that I carry this grief around with me.

He also told me, not just that it was just time to let it go, which, I had been feeling grief coming to the surface over the past few weeks, and letting Dad do that, but in this conversation, Dad told me he wanted more than that for me. He wanted to deal with the root of the grief itself. Which very simply was that I needed to let go ENTIRELY of what others thought of me. That if I did, I would experience a great freedom I had been asking for. A freedom that he himself walks in.

He went on to share about the freedom he walks in. That people believe a lot of wrong things about him, but that it does not phase him in the slightest. That he isn’t held captive by it adversely affecting him. It does not impact who he is, cause he doesn’t get any piece of who he is from what other people think of him.

He told me his heart for me is to be free. That if I would partner with him better and let go of what others thought of me in the slightest, and stop holding onto grief and being grieved in the first place, that my freedom would soar and other things would be released in my life that are being held back by this grief, and that I would see an acceleration in various ways over my life.

Beloved ones, I can say a lot of true and wise things to you, but I cannot compete with the Holy Spirit in how he can do revelatory things when he speaks to you. When Dad speaks to you, with that revelation there, his words are not mere words. I love sharing these stories with you. But your freedom will come when you hear Dad’s words for yourself. My heart in sharing anything with you is to encourage you to go deeper on your own walk with Dad, not to replace that walk itself.

I certainly am responding to all that Dad shared with me. It is a wondrous thing that he knows you so well and he is always inviting you to go further up and further in, to more Love, more Freedom, more of the desires he put in your heart in the first place. He can be trusted. ♥ #radiant #adventureswithDad

Podcast 004 Jeremy Mangerchine Interview – Part 2

If you received this in an email, or to play in a new window click this link: Podcast 004

In part 2 of my interview with Jeremy Mangerchine we discuss how to develop your unique voice, how having expectations can lead to disappointment, and how perfectionism stifles creativity. We also discuss the degree to which God controls us and he shares the one doctrine about God that he hates most. Jeremy gives us a preview of the book he’s currently working on, we talk about the things he and his wife do to preserve their marriage, and wrap things up with a discussion about what it takes to live a supernatural life. Part 1 of this interview can be found here: Podcast 003

Listen or Subscribe:

Check out Jeremy’s book The Longest Bridge Across Water

If you’re looking for rest, check out his book The Quitter’s Manual

His Needs Hers Needs by Willard Harley

Past Episodes

Inverse Rapture – Martin Best

This message was written by Martin Best, a prophetic friend who lives near Shelton,  Washington. We welcome any insights you might have on this prophetic word.

First as a point of clarification I don’t believe in the pre-tribulation rapture any longer…but I had several very interesting dreams last night – part of one I shared this morning – and here are a couple of scenes from one just before I woke up (3-13-15)

I was in a large Hotel/Church/Convention center in what I believed to be Phoenix, Arizona. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of people there and I began to speak to them about what God had been laying on my heart for this season.

Just after I started speaking, the lights went out and there was what could best be described as a spiritual seismic event. When the lights came back on I found myself in another part of the complex standing up against the wall with writing (in white script) over the upper parts of my chest and body.

As I was slowly able to move again, I began to make my way back to the central part of the complex, and I noticed something very strange. All of the “believers” were there, but it appeared that all of the non-believers had disappeared.

In what could best described as a “time stood still” moment, Holy Spirit began to speak to me. He said:

“I have removed all of the others from your presence for their protection, for my children have failed to do what I have entrusted them to do – to love, to heal, to deliver, to bring the kingdom to the lost and so much more. The writing on your body represents the lost opportunities, those missed or ignored divine appointments that I set for you, it is not a point of commendation or even conviction but a notice to you, so you can make a difference.”

Tears were flowing down my face as time started again, as Holy Spirit showed me the wonderful blessing I had missed by being a blessing, but hope began to stir in my spirit at the same time.

I ran through the complex, grabbing folks by the arm saying “come with me, follow me”…and the throng of people began to flow into the central open space of the complex.

I grabbed a microphone and began to speak…sharing with them what Holy Spirit had said and shown to me…and I asked a simple question:

“How many of you have let opportunity and divine appointments with brothers, sisters, parents, spouses, and so many other slip by – believing that there was going to be more time to share the gospel, to bring healing, deliverance and the promises of the Kingdom? Look around how many of those that were with you earlier are not hear any longer? Papa says He has them, but we have to quit “going” to church and start “being” the church…to live the gospel instead of only preaching the gospel…”

While not everyone seemed to understand, a large number of them did and they fell to their knees, asking God to show them the missed opportunities, committing to Him to change and asking for His intervention.

Then I heard Holy Spirit say:

“This is the start of the Great Awakening”

Yelena’s Healing

I stood at the nurse’s station reading my patient’s chart as her nurse took care of another patient. Looking at the face sheet I noticed she was born in Romania and that she was a Christian. My partner, who is a lot more curious than me, went into her room. Glancing at her history & physical I saw that she had fibromyalgia and multiple injuries from a car accident, which required extensive physical therapy. She suffered from depression and had a long list of prescription medications. The physician who wrote the report also noted that she used a walker. My partner came out of her room. I asked if she spoke with an accent. “Not that I can tell,” He replied. “She sounds like everyone else.”

After receiving report from her nurse I went into her room. We talked for a few minutes but I couldn’t detect even the slightest trace of an accent.  “You must have moved to the states when you were very young,” I said.

“Actually, I moved here when I was fifteen.”

“Really? So what happened to your Romanian accent?” I held out the hospital face sheet and pointed to the line where is lists her country of birth.

“Oh that,” she said with a smile that lasted only a moment. “After I moved here I was beaten every day in school because of my accent. I figured I could avoid being beaten if I learned to speak perfect English. Ten years after moving here my English was so good I got a job teaching English.”

Yelena had a good sense of humor. We joked with each other as we got her on the gurney. After we had all her personal belongings secured, including her walker, we wheeled her toward the elevator. As we drove toward the destination hospital, the conversation took on a more serious tone. Sensing she had been through a lot of abuse, I asked about her past.

She told me about being beaten and raped many times as a child. Once was by a man whom she later learned was her father. “As I got older I became interested in gymnastics. I was really good and started to do well in competitions. It made my father so mad he tried to kill me by throwing me in front of a train. I thought that I could leave it all behind by moving to the US, but somehow the problems followed me.”

Though she talked a lot about how her husband abused her, she told me about the day he took her to church and the pastor gave a message that cut her to the heart. She got saved that day and asked her husband if he told the pastor about her life. He had not. The Holy Spirit gave him a message that seemed to be just for her.

Later, she was drugged and raped by a man and his wife and afterward, her husband blamed her for it, saying it was her choice to meet with them. She said that although it was a blessing that her husband got her saved, he had been a terrible husband. After she was crippled in a car accident and went through physical therapy he started stealing her pain pills and became addicted to them. His addiction made him more violent toward her. From her perspective, things couldn’t get any worse.

Seeing all this pain and trauma, I felt like it was time to bring Jesus into the meeting.  I looked into her eyes and said, “You know what…I have a way to get you healed of the painful emotions from all that abuse.”

“And how I are you going to do that?”

“Jesus is going to do it.”

A huge smile appeared on her face. “I know all about Jesus…I’m a Christian. “

“I know you are,” I replied. “But you don’t know how badly He wants to heal you, so let me share a couple of stories.” I told her about my emotional trauma and how I was healed then shared the story of the woman who was healed of back pain from a car accident. “Most people know that the bible says ‘By His stripes we are healed.’ But the Bible also says He bore our griefs and sorrows. All your grief, all your sorrow, and all those painful memories were taken by Him on the cross. And if He already bore them for you, then you don’t need to bear them anymore.” She was excited at the possibility of being healed by Jesus. “I can get you healed, Yelena. All we need to do is let Jesus take away the painful emotions. If you’re ready, I’m going to ask you to remember the most painful memory you have.”

“I’m ready.”

Her most painful memory was connected to the time she was drugged and raped. It wasn’t the incident itself that troubled her. She had little memory of what happened. What bothered her was the fact that her husband blamed her for it. I asked her to recall a time when her husband said it was her fault then asked what emotion she felt.

“Guilt.”

“Okay, Yelena, repeat after me. Jesus, I ask you to take this guilt from me and heal the wound in my soul from it.” She repeated what I said and began crying so I gave her a minute to compose herself before continuing. When she was ready I began round two. “Okay, let’s do it one more time. There you are with your husband in another argument about the time you were drugged and raped. He tells you it’s all your fault. What is the strongest negative emotion you feel?”

She began crying again. “Shame.”

I had her give the shame to Jesus. When she stopped crying I said we need to do it one more time. I rehearsed the scene with her husband accusing her. “What emotion do you feel this time?”

With her mouth hanging open in amazement she said, “Nothing. Nothing at all.” That freaked her out. “I can remember all the times he accused me, but I don’t feel the pain anymore. It’s gone.”

“That’s because Jesus healed you. Yelena, you’re going to be spending a few days going through treatment. It might be a good idea while you’re there to let Jesus heal the rest of those wounds. You can do the same thing we just did by yourself. Bring up any painful memories, identify the emotions you feel and ask Jesus to take them from you.”

We arrived at the mental health facility and unloaded the gurney. She got off and got in line at the registration desk. Before we left she gave me a hug and thanked me. I’m finding that emotional healing (at least in some cases) is not as difficult as it seems. Jesus can make it pretty simple.