Ministering With Signs And Wonders

By Dag Heward-Mills

* * * * *

Copyright 2006 Dag Heward-Mills

Published By Dag Heward-Mills on Smashwords

Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Excerpts from:

Welcoming a Visitation of the Holy Spirit, by Wesley Campbell, Published by Strang Communications.

The Power of Faith, Article in October 1999 issue of Reader’s Digest, author Phyllis McIntosh.

All excerpts used by permission.

E mail Dag Heward-Mills :

info@daghewardmillsbooks.org

evangelist@daghewardmills.org

Find out more about Dag Heward-Mills at:

http://www.daghewardmills.org/

http://www.daghewardmills.org/lci/

http://www.daghewardmills.org/healingjesuscrusade/

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedication

To

Juanita Charity Sackey

Thank you for your invaluable contribution to my ministry, to the production of all my books, and to the building of Parchment House.

Contents

Section 1

Chapter 1. Flowing with God

Chapter 2. The Natural and the Supernatural

Chapter 3. Manifestations of the Spirit Are Given to Every Man

Chapter 4. Phanerosis: Making the Teacher Visible

Chapter 5. Phanerosis: Physical Manifestations

Chapter 6. Phanersosis and John Wesley

Chapter 7. Falling under the Power

Chapter 8. Weeping and Crying

Chapter 9. Shaking and Trembling

Chapter 10. Varied Manifestation

Section 2

Chapter 11. The Names of God

Chapter 12. I Am the Lord That Healeth Thee

Chapter 13. Jehovah Rophe

Chapter 14. The Healing Plan

Chapter 15. Divine Healing

Chapter 16. Healing and Manifestations

Chapter 17. Why God Does Miracles in the Church Today

Chapter 18. Why God Does Not Bother to Heal Everyone

Chapter 19. Understanding Why Some Are Not Healed

Chapter 20. Understanding Why Some Are Healed

Chapter 21. Don’t Deny the Power

Chapter 22. Healing, A Special Gift

Chapter 23. The Healing Anointing Is Our Only Chance

Chapter 24. Healing: The Power and the Fire of the Holy Spirit

Chapter 25. Dimensions of the Healing Anointing

Chapter 26. Characteristics of the Healing Anointing

Chapter 27. Channels of the Anointing

Chapter 28. Laws of the Supernatural

Section 3

Chapter 29. How God Anointed Jesus of Nazareth

Chapter 30. Humility and the Anointing

Chapter 31. Prayer and the Anointing

Chapter 32. A Season of the Anointing

Chapter 33. Jesus Will Do Good to You

Chapter 34. He Sent His Word and Healed Them

Chapter 35. The Works of Jesus

Chapter 36. The Secret behind the Miracles

Chapter 37. With God All Things Are Possible

Section 1

Chapter 1

Flowing with God

To recognize and to flow with what God is doing is very important. You will only succeed by the extent to which you flow with the Lord. Unfortunately, the Lord is not as predictable as we would like Him to be. Human beings love computers and predictable things. We want to be able to say; “This is what God will do!” We want to be able to say; “God will heal this person tomorrow.” We wish we could predict whether God will use this young man and not the other one. However, most of the time, we are wrong. God does not fit into our stereotypes.

You can never tell whom God is going to use. You can hardly tell whether God is going to heal someone or not. It is very difficult to tell whether this person will live long or not. No one can tell if God will use the pastor’s son or a stranger from nowhere. I have seen large families, in which the parents predicted which of their sons would be a priest. They also predicted which son would be a wicked businessman. Surprisingly, the wicked man turned out to be the priest and the priest turned out to be something else.

As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Romans 9:13

This is a Scripture that confuses many people. We wrestle with the fact that God would choose a thief and a trickster. Why would God leave the decent firstborn son, who pleased his father and replace him with this con man?

However, it is important to accept what God is doing and flow with it. If you flow with the move of God, God will be with you. If you fight against what He is doing you will never succeed. After years of walking with the Lord, I have simply lost all confidence in my ability to know what God will do. I just have to trust Him and do what He wants me to do.

I remember praying for a twenty-five-year old lady who was dying in hospital. I knew that God loved her and would never let her die at that age. Unfortunately, she did die in spite of my strong and fervent prayers for her. This was a confusing experience for me because this lady was a faithful long-standing Christian who loved God with all her might. Yet she died in the prime of her life, leaving behind a husband and a child.

Why does God do apparently insignificant miracles in a miracle service when there are really ill people whom we want to be healed? It is these looming questions that caused many of the great healing evangelists to question the healing ministry and eventually fade out.

Ultimately, we belong to God. Paul said, “Whose I am and whom I serve”. He can and will do with us what He wills. We have to grow up in our understanding of God,

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Ephesians 4:15

We must grow up into Him in all things. This means that we must grow up in healings, miracles and manifestations of the Holy Spirit. We must grow up in our understanding of the administration of the Spirit. We must grow up in Him in the workings and the moves of the Spirit.

Align Yourself with God

The failure to understand that God cannot be predicted and stereotyped will be the reason for failure of many well-meaning Christian leaders. What we need to know and understand is: “What is God doing at this particular moment?” This is often different from what we expect God to do.There will be more miracles, more successes, more victories when we get to walk with God. After all, it is God who will do the work. It is God who will build the Church. It is God who will make you successful. The Bible says it clearly: the God who called you is the one who will actually do it.

Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:24

Follow the Visible Appearances of the Holy Spirit

The key to aligning yourself with God is following the Holy Spirit, and the key to following the Holy Spirit is to watch what He is doing and where He is going. Also the key to watching what He is doing and where He is going is to watch out for when He makes Himself visible. Follow the visible appearances of the Holy Spirit. There are three ways you can follow the visible appearances of the Holy Spirit.

1. Ministering healing

This is the great key to a successful healing ministry: Follow the visible appearances of the Holy Spirit. This is the key to the healing ministry: pray for those that God is healing. Avoid praying for people that God is not healing. All your past failures in ministry can be attributed to your doing things that God was not doing. Every time we pray for someone whom God is not touching, there is an impression that God’s power is not there. There is a feeling that there is no anointing. The most successful ministers are those who strictly follow visible appearances of the Holy Spirit.

2. Ministering the Spirit

The key to successfully ministering the Spirit is to watch out for what God is doing. If you can see that God is touching someone visibly, then you simply also touch the person. If the Spirit impresses upon your heart that He is touching someone, touch that person. Leave all the other dry bones that are not rising from the dead. This is the great key to successfully ministering the Spirit.

3. Church growth

The key to having successful church planting is to see where God is visibly working with churches. Your new church is likely to work in a city where God is obviously working to build churches. A city in which large churches flourish is a city where the Holy Spirit is visibly causing churches to grow.

I Do What I See My Father Do

The story of the healing of the paralytic in John 5 proves to us that Jesus did not attempt to do things unless He saw that God was doing them.

In this story Jesus went to the Pool of Bethesda and met a man who had been there for thirty-eight years.

After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.

And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath...

John 5:1-10

This man had been at the pool for such a long time because he did not have any nurses to help him.

I once saw a similar situation in a hospital. There was a man who had an accident that broke his hip joint such that he couldn’t walk. He needed to have surgery but this man didn’t know anybody who could help him. He was not a rich man. He was also not an important person. So every time he was scheduled for surgery, somebody else was given his place. This man continued to lie in bed even though his case needed immediate surgery! Eventually, one year too late, he had his surgery. Unfortunately, his hip joint was frozen and could no longer be corrected.

He was just like the man in John 5. He had no one to help him. But Jesus selected this man for healing and ignored all the others who also needed healing. The Bible says, “In these lay A GREAT MULTITUDE of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered (John 5:3)”. At this meeting, Jesus was surrounded by a large number of very ill people. Would He heal all of them? Did He heal all of them? Did He attempt to line them up and minister to them? The answer is “no”. Jesus simply ignored the large number of sick people around Him and ministered to one person.

Why did Jesus heal only one person? How did He select this man out of the crowd? He followed the visible appearance of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not talk to any of the sick people. Seeing this man and suddenly knowing a little about his condition made him sense that God was interested in that man. We would probably say that Jesus had a “word of knowledge” about that man.

You see, the unspiritual and faithless would say that Jesus just noticed the first person He saw. However, the spiritual person does not operate by chance, luck or good fortune. He knows that God is at work even in his thoughts.

When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith…

John 5:6

As soon as Jesus saw and knew something about this man, He acted on it and ministered healing. Indeed, He was very successful in this case because the man received a stupendous miracle after thirty-eight years of suffering.

Three Great Lessons

There are three great lessons to learn from this experience. Let us learn them by studying Jesus’ comments after the miracle.

The words of Jesus give us direction.

1. I work when my Father works.

In other words, Jesus was saying, “If I see my Father working, I will jump in and work. If I see my Father ministering to someone, then I will minister to him”.

But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.

John 5:17

2. I cannot do anything in the ministry that is from my own ideas. I can only do what I see my Father do.

Jesus was teaching that He restricted His ministration to what He could see the Father doing. Unlike some of us, who want to pray for everyone and heal everyone, Jesus restricted Himself to doing only what His Father did. Jesus knew that He could fulfil the purposes of God better by restricting his activities to what the Father did.

Jesus did not feel embarrassed that He would be allowed to heal only one person. Jesus was not embarrassed by the fact that people would think, “There were not many miracles today.” Jesus did not care about whether people thought He was powerful or not. If God wanted one miracle, He would do no more than one.

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

John 5:19-20

3. Jesus knew that the Father would show Him (make visible) the miracles, the moves and the works the Father was doing.

When God loves you, He will show you whom He is calling and whom He is sending. When God loves you, He will show you whom He is healing and whom He is touching. If the Father is not showing you this love, you will be left to stumble in the dark and experiment with unworkable options. Occasionally, you will find something that works. But most of the time, you will be found beating the air, sweating away to no purpose.

For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

John 5:20

I have learnt one thing. You cannot do anything that God is not doing. If He is not making your church grow you cannot make it grow yourself. If He is not healing you, you cannot be healed. If He is not delivering you, you cannot be delivered. I have learnt and found out that somehow, God doesn’t seem to just do everything for everybody.

The point I am making is that God is always doing something in particular. We must see what He is doing. We must flow with what He is doing. We must move away from what He is not doing!

Chapter 2

The Natural and the Supernatural

I became a born-again Christian in the Scripture Union while I was in secondary school. In those days, the emphasis was on the Word of God. We learnt many important things in the Scripture Union. We learnt how to have a personal "quiet time". We learnt how to study the Bible. We learnt about the importance of the Word of God. We also learnt of the integrity of the Word of God.

Because of such teachings, I had been solidly founded on the Word of God. I do not agree with or flow in anything not founded in the Word. I want things to be Bible-based, otherwise, it is just not good enough. I am grateful to God for this foundational background because that has kept me on the right track up until today.

Of the many things I am constantly learning of in the ministry, one of them is in the realm of the supernatural. The Bible is a supernatural book. There is a supernatural dimension to Christianity. Cut out the supernatural events from the Bible and you are left with a book on philosophy.

It is this very attitude of sticking to the Word that has brought me to the supernatural. You cannot avoid the supernatural if you study the Bible. I am always surprised that there are people who do not believe in miracles and yet are committed Christians. Is it intentional blindness to what is so obvious?

The Bible directs us to a God who is Spirit. The Bible teaches us about angels that cannot be seen in the natural. The New Testament is full of instructions concerning the Holy Spirit. In spite of this, many Christians are left out of the blessings of the supernatural.

Jacob made a very important statement.

And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, SURELY THE LORD IS IN THIS PLACE; AND I KNEW IT NOT.

Genesis 28:10-16

Jacob came to a place, made himself a pillow and lay down to sleep. He had a supernatural experience during the night. When he awoke in the morning he said, "The Lord was in this place, and I knew it not."

This is the testimony of many believers. The Lord is with them and they don't even know it. Angels stand by our side and they are not even aware of it. The Holy Spirit speaks to us and we don't even know it.

It is my prayer, that by the time you finish reading this book, you will say, "The Lord was in this place and I knew it!" You will say, "The Holy Spirit was here and I felt Him."

Surprisingly, the greatest barrier to the supernatural is not demons. The greatest hindrance to receiving the supernatural is not witchcraft power. It is a state of naturalness, if I may use that word.

But THE NATURAL MAN RECEIVETH NOT THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 2:14

The Bible states in very clear terms, that the natural man cannot receive the things of the Holy Spirit. This is because “they are foolishness unto him”. What does it mean to be natural? To be natural means to be a normal human being. It speaks of thinking normally, as a human being should. It is being logical, intelligent, calculating and analytical. The word natural speaks of employing all normal human faculties. It is interesting that it is this very "natural" attitude that cuts us off from supernatural things. I Could Not Receive

Many years ago, I was desirous of receiving the Holy Spirit baptism. I wanted to experience the Holy Spirit baptsim with the evidence of speaking in tongues like everybody else. I was a born-again Christian but I had not received the Holy Spirit and did not speak in tongues. You must realize that speaking in tongues is a very supernatural thing.

I remember once going to a meeting where people were being prayed for to receive the Holy Spirit. Instead of entering the meeting, I observed from outside. All of a sudden, I began to laugh. Hearing them speaking in tongues, led me to laugh uncontrollably. It sounded so ridiculous. I laughed so hard that I thought I had sinned against the Holy Spirit.

Later that year, I finally decided that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was for me! I told a few people that I knew someone in town who could pray for us to receive the Holy Spirit. I remember travelling all the way to town to locate the brother who had agreed to come and pray for us.

How I Received

One Saturday this minister decided to attend our meeting and pray for us. As we gathered in the classroom, I was very hopeful and expectant. After preaching on the baptism of the Holy Spirit this brother prayed for us. He asked those who had received the Holy Spirit to raise up their hands. After looking about the room, I realized that almost everybody had received, except me.

I couldn't believe it! I said to myself, "I organized this meeting. I brought this man from town to pray for us. Yet others who have no interest in the Holy Spirit have received." I just couldn't understand it. To my left and to my right people were speaking in tongues but I couldn't. I was very discouraged. The man of God encouraged us to pray in his absence and told us that God would fill the rest of us with the Holy Spirit. I prayed for several weeks, but to no avail.

One morning while lying on my bed, I routinely asked the Lord to fill me with his Holy Spirit. Before I realized it, I heard a beautiful language coming out of my spirit. I was speaking in tongues! I was so happy that I didn't stop praying in tongues for three hours. I was afraid that the Holy Spirit would go if I stopped praying.

The question is: "Why did it take me six weeks before I received the Holy Spirit?" The answer is in the Bible: the natural man receiveth not! If you are very critical, analytical and judgmental, you are being natural. When you are natural, you will not and cannot receive spiritual things.

The Bible says that supernatural things are foolishness to people who are natural. Who can receive the supernatural? The answer is: spiritual people.

The opposite of being natural is being spiritual or spiritually mature. A truly mature Christian is a spiritual person. A mature person knows God. I'm not talking about academic knowledge of the Bible. Academic knowledge of the Bible does not make you spiritual. As you know, many people study Bible Knowledge and Religious Studies subjects in school, and yet are hardened unbelievers.

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto CARNAL, EVEN AS UNTO BABES IN CHRIST.

1 Corinthians 3:1

Paul is saying here that He could not speak to them as to spiritual people but as to carnal.

Moving out of the Natural State

But strong meat belongeth to them that are of FULL AGE [mature], even those who by reason of use have their SENSES EXERCISED TO DISCERN both good and evil.

Hebrews 5:14

In this Scripture, the Bible declares that strong meat from the Word belongs to mature Christians. It goes on to explain that mature Christians are those who have their senses exercised to discern or distinguish good from evil.

I have always wondered what this verse meant. One of the laws of interpretation of the Bible is simply to accept the literal meaning of the words you read. This verse simply says that Christians who become mature have their senses alert. The word "senses" is derived from the Greek word, aistheterion, meaning "organs of perception".

God has given you organs of perception. You are expected to use these organs of perception to manoeuver in this life. Here, the Bible is giving us an additional but very important revelation. It is telling us that these organs of perception can also be used to detect or discern spiritual things.

What are the Organs of Perception?

What are the organs of perception? They are the eyes to see, the ears to hear, the nose to smell, the skin to feel and the tongue to taste. If we accept this Scripture at face value, then it is telling us that our eyes and ears can be used, if they are spiritually alert enough, to discern between good and evil things.

I told the Lord, "We need more than one Scripture to form a solid basis for this revelation." The Lord took me to the book of Matthew 13.

Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But BLESSED ARE YOUR EYES, for they see: AND YOUR EARS, for they hear.

For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Matthew 13:13-17

Jesus made many astounding statements. He said, "Blessed are your eyes and your ears." What does this mean? Jesus was speaking about their organs of perception, (aistheterion).

Jesus had just finished teaching them the Word of God yet many could not understand what He was saying. When He said, "blessed are your eyes" He meant blessed are your eyes because they see visions, revelations and the supernatural. When He said, "blessed are you ears" He meant that they heard a little further, the voice of the Holy Spirit and the voice of God. Some could even hear the voices of angels.

At another point in the passage, Jesus said that the people had waxed gross in their heart. The word "heart" comes from the Greek word, "kardia", meaning thoughts and feelings. Their thoughts and feelings, which were organs of perception, had become gross (dull, stupid, fat and inattentive). The Supernatural Moves through Your Organs of Perception

This is the principal revelation I want to bring to your understanding. The supernatural operates through your eyes, ears, thoughts and feelings.

Some of the thoughts that flash in your mind are from God. They are the voice of God ministering direction to you. Jesus made it clear that the Holy Spirit would minister to Christians through their minds.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and BRING ALL THINGS TO YOUR REMEMBRANCE [mind], whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 14:26

"God Spoke to Me…"

This Scripture is saying that the Holy Spirit brings things to your mind. You might have heard great men of God say, “God spoke to me”, or some mighty evangelists say, “The Spirit of God said something to me last night”. I am sure you have wondered, as I did, that God seems to physically "live" in the houses of these men of God. God seems to speak to them all the time, but never to me. They always say, "God spoke to me."

My brother, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would bring things to your mind. However, if your heart (kardia - thoughts and feelings) have waxed gross (fat, stupid, dull and inattentive) you will never know when the Holy Spirit speaks into your mind. You will not know the difference between your own thoughts and those from the Holy Spirit.

Supernatural or Spectacular?

Learn something right here! The supernatural is not always sensational, dramatic or spectacular. The supernatural concerns things that are not natural. My experience in the supernatural is that God uses my organs of perception, of feeling, thinking, seeing and hearing. He will do the same for you. It may not be spectacular or thrilling, but it certainly is supernatural.

Don't Miss the Supernatural

The supernatural is often mistaken for the natural. Because of that, the supernatural passes us by and we do not even realize it. Do you remember the call of the Prophet Samuel?

The boy Samuel was in the temple of God ministering. After lying down to sleep one night, he heard a voice. The voice sounded so much like the voice of his senior pastor that he immediately got up and went to see Pastor Eli. The prophet Eli said, "I didn't call you, so go back." He heard this same supernatural voice three times and thought he was hearing a human voice.

…Samuel was laid down to sleep; That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. And the Lord called yet again, Samuel… And the Lord called Samuel again the third time…

1 Samuel 3:3-4, 6, 8

If the supernatural voice were not similar to a natural voice, then why would Samuel make the same mistake three times? It was the experienced prophet, Eli, who guided Samuel to receiving the supernatural.

Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak, for thy servant heareth.

1 Samuel 3:9, 10

The Widow Couldn't "See"

Many things you have experienced are supernatural. The supernatural is both real and biblical. In the ministry of the Prophet Elijah, you see a widow to whom he ministered.

He prophesied that she and her household would lack no food throughout the period of the famine. That prophecy came to pass! However, secretly she did not believe that the supernatural had occurred in her life.

When her child died and Elijah brought him back to life, she made a very significant statement. She said, "Now I know that you are a man of God."

And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I KNOW THAT THOU ART A MAN OF GOD, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth

1 Kings 17:23, 24

This means that all along she didn't really believe that she was experiencing the supernatural. It looked so ordinary to her.

I Had a Supernatural Call

I have been in the ministry for many years. God has used me to do many things for which I am grateful. For example, you are reading a book that I have written. That alone should tell you that God is using me to some extent. However, I did not experience thundering and lightning and have not seen Jesus in person.

The call of God on my life has simply been a conviction. A conviction to serve Him. A conviction to do my best. A conviction to obey the desires that He has placed on my heart. The Bible is true when it says many are called. Many, many, many people are called.

For MANY ARE CALLED, but few are chosen.

Matthew 22:14

Many people do not respect the visions they see. Many have had dreams, which they take no notice of. Paul said, I was obedient to the heavenly vision. One night, God spoke to me and told me, "Respect your dreams from today." I told the Lord, "But I don't have spectacular dreams!"

The Lord told me to look in the book of Daniel. So I opened my Bible and He showed me that even King Nebuchadnezzer, an unbeliever, respected his dreams greatly. As a result, he was able to receive an instruction from the Lord.

His dream revealed a mighty tree being cut down. If you had a dream where you just saw a tree, would you take much notice of it? Probably not! You may take more notice of a dream where cows were chasing you, birds were flying, and snakes were appearing all over the place.

What did Elijah experience? He experienced the still small voice of God. When God spoke to him He was not in the fire, wind, etc. He was in the still small voice.

And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire

A STILL SMALL VOICE.

1 Kings 19:11, 12

I believe I have a very supernatural ministry. The things I do and have been able to accomplish have been divinely and supernaturally orchestrated.

You Can Feel Your Healing

When the Lord began to use me in the healing ministry, I soon realized that people were actually being healed in the service. Coming from a faith background, I used to sing the song, "I'm not moved by what I feel. I'm only moved by the Word of God." This song is true. We are only moved by the Word of God!

However, you will notice that Jesus could feel tangible healing power flowing out of His body. The Bible tells us that He knew in Himself that healing virtue had gone out of Him. How did He know that? He knew because He felt it. One version of the Bible says, "Jesus became aware that power had gone out of him." Another version says, "And Jesus perceived, that power had gone out of him."

The question that Jesus asked was "Who touched me?" Perhaps the feeling of the power was like an unusual touch. The disciples asked him, "You can see this crowd jostling you and pressing in on all sides. How can you ask who is touching you?" Jesus' organs of perception (feelings) were alive spiritually. He could feel power flowing out of him. He could distinguish between the touch of the crowd and the release of supernatural power.

It is interesting to note that the woman also felt that she was healed. She also felt the power of God flowing into her. The Bible says,

…and SHE FELT in her body that she was healed…

Mark 5:29

In my experience, people often claim to feel the power of God when they receive healing. Some people feel an intense heat or a warm sensation. Others feel a surge of electric power. Many feel the wind of the Holy Spirit, like a blowing breeze. Again, some do not even feel anything per se, but just sense that they are healed. Friends, the power of God is real.

The Shrinking Tumour

I remember a lady who had a lump on her body. During the miracle and healing prayer time, she placed her hand on the lump and God healed her. She later testified on stage that when she placed her hand on it, she felt the lump actually shrinking beneath her palm. She was amazed and so were we!

The Disappearing Gallstones

There was a lady in one of our miracle services, scheduled to undergo major surgery to remove gallstones. She was suffering greatly from cholecystitis. During the healing time, she placed her hand on her abdomen as we prayed. She felt the power of God go through her body. She later testified on stage that she felt she was healed.

The Bible commands us to, "prove all things." After returning to the doctor, the new x-ray showed that the gallstones had disappeared. The doctors had no explanation for this. There was a scan before the miracle time that showed the stones. After the miracle service, there were no stones. By the supernatural power of God a miracle had occurred.

Chapter 3

Manifestations of the Spirit Are Given to Every Man

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

1 Corinthians 12:1-7

Notice that in verse 3, Paul talks about the "manifestations of the spirit." The word "manifestation" used here is the Greek word "phanerosis" which means, "to make visible."

Paul is saying in other words, that the making visible (manifestation) of the Holy Spirit is given for everybody's benefit. Everyone needs the Holy Spirit to be made visible from time to time. ‘To be made visible’, is ‘to be made tangible and available’.

What is the use of a car you cannot see, and money you cannot touch? Thank God for all the cars in Japan and Korea but I need one that I can touch and feel. Thank God for all the money in the banks of America and Germany, but I need some in my hand now. I need money I can touch, hold and spend.

Thank God for the greatness of the Holy Spirit in Heaven. Thank God for the wonders of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. But I need the Holy Spirit practically, tangibly and visibly today.

God knows this need of a comforter who can be contacted. He knows we need a Holy Spirit who is made visible whenever necessary.

Phanerosis: To Make Visible

Phanerosis, which is translated "manifestation" also means: a sign, an expression, a demonstration, the symptom, the appearance and the materialisation of an invisible thing. 1Corinthians 12:7 therefore reads: "The sign, the expression, the demonstration, the symptom, the appearance and the materialisation of the Holy Spirit is given to everyone to profit withal."

God manifested himself in various ways to those who believed in him. This is something God did in the past and is still doing today. What is the use of a car you can't drive? What is the use of a brother you don't see, and can't call? What is the use of a person who claims to be your friend but is invisible? You cannot contact him, you cannot relate with him, you cannot feel him, and you cannot benefit from him! It is of no use.

In other words, the Holy Spirit is alive in us, and there are times when He makes himself visible to the Church. Without the Holy Spirit becoming visible, we will not benefit from Him, as we should.

The phanerosis of the Holy Spirit or the making visible of the Spirit is real. Many times you can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit at meetings. When you sense the presence of the Holy Spirit, He is making Himself visible.

Sometimes in my meetings, I have sensed the Holy Spirit move to the back of the auditorium. Sometimes I sense Him sweep through the balcony and sometimes He is on the stage. Many times I have seen the Holy Spirit on the man of God. I have seen the Holy Spirit bring healing to people in the congregation. There are times that I can feel Him in the car with me and then I start to cry like a baby. I sometimes want to drive alone because of this. When He is present, He does so many things in our lives. He can become real to you today in Jesus' name!

The verse we read says that everyone must benefit from the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. He is given for your benefit. If you have never experienced the Holy Spirit in a visible way, it is not because He is not real. It is because He has never been made visible in your life for whatever reason.

From today, phanerosis is going to happen in your life in the name of Jesus! You will see Him moving practically in your life!

I have seen the Holy Spirit at work in our church. This is what has transformed our church from a classroom church to a worldwide ministry. The Bible refers to the Holy Spirit as rain. Things grow when there is rain. Plants flourish in the rain. The rain of the Holy Spirit is what has brought the transformation to our church. The Holy Spirit has made Himself visible by transforming my little Bible study group into a worldwide ministry.

Chapter 4

Phanerosis: Making the Teacher Visible

The Bible is replete with instances when the Holy Spirit became "visible" (shown, demonstrated, manifested) to believers. How does the Holy Spirit become visible to the average Christian? Through the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit! The principal job of the Holy Spirit is to teach and guide the Church. Every time you are in the presence of the teaching anointing, you must acknowledge the great presence of the Holy Spirit. is being made visible to you. When you read your Bible and begin to have deep revelation in the Word, the Holy Spirit is being manifest.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, SHALL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 14:26

This verse is a great key. When I read from the Bible that God would give us the Holy Spirit as our Comforter, I asked myself, "What is this Comforter going to do for us?"

God revealed to me that the primary way makes Himself visible and relevant to us according to this verse is, "to teach you all things."

Many people don't benefit from the Holy Spirit. The only way some Christians seem to have the visible presence of the Holy Spirit is by the speaking in tongues. But there is more to God and more to the Holy Spirit than speaking in tongues!

When Jesus promised the Holy Spirit, to believers, He promised us a teacher. Watch out for the teacher being made visible. Anybody who wants to get to know the Holy Spirit must experience this important way that the Holy Spirit makes Himself visible to us.

When the Holy Spirit comes, He will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgement. He will also guide us into all truth.

And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

John 16:8-14

The Holy Spirit will also remind us of everything that Jesus has told us in His Word.

…AND BRING ALL THINGS TO YOUR REMEMBRANCE, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 14:26

I want you to know that when Jesus promised the Holy Spirit, He was promising us a teacher! The Holy Spirit must be manifested in your life as a teacher. You do not know the Holy Spirit if you do not know him as a teacher. There are two essential rewards that the Holy Spirit brings to you through the teaching of God's Word.

All Things That Pertain to Life

When the Holy Spirit becomes a teacher to you, he will give you all things that pertain unto life!

According as his divine power HATH GIVEN UNTO US ALL THINGS THAT PERTAIN UNTO LIFE AND GODLINESS, THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM that hath called us to glory and virtue...

2 Peter 1:3

This verse says that, God has given us all things that pertain to life. What are the things that pertain to life? The things that pertain to life are money, cars, clothes, houses, healing, jobs, good jobs, wives, husbands, children, health, education, long life, prosperity, peace, joy in the Holy Spirit, financial blessings, knowledge, wisdom, good pastors, friends etc. You may ask yourself, “How is the Holy Spirit going to give me all things that pertain unto life though the teaching of the Word?"

Look carefully at the verse again. It says that, “God hath given us all things that pertain unto life through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue". In other words God knows that we will receive all things that pertain unto life when we get to know him better. That is why He sent the Comforter. He sent the Comforter to teach us and to give us knowledge. The knowledge the Holy Spirit gives us about God, will lead us into everything that pertains to this life.

You must understand that the Comforter is here to teach you. He is here to manifest Himself as a teacher in your life. That is why you must read and study your Bible!

Perhaps the greatest manifestation of the Spirit is the teaching session of the service. Unfortunately, the teaching part is regarded as the powerless section of the ministration. When people scream, fall and shiver we say, "Oh, the Holy Spirit is at work." This is unfortunate, because the Holy Spirit's primary and visible role is in teaching us His Word.

All Things That Pertain unto Godliness

The second essential reward of the Holy Spirit when He teaches you the Word of God is that He gives you all things that pertain unto godliness! That means you can live a righteous life to please God. You can be spiritual. You can read your Bible and pray. You can be in church regularly and participate fully.

Churches are full of people who want miracles and breakthroughs. If you want a permanent breakthrough then you must believe the Bible because it says, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free," (John 8:32). The principal work of the Holy Spirit is to guide us into all truth. When you allow him to teach you, you will have access to everything that pertains to life and to godliness.

I have a revelation of Heaven. I know it is the most important place to be and I want to go there. I have a revelation of serving the Lord. That is why I want to serve him more. I have a revelation that it is more important to get to Heaven and to serve the Lord than to do anything else. These revelations came to me through the knowledge of the Word.

Thank God for the miracles. Thank God for all the things He is going to do to make Himself visible in our lives. But He comes first and foremost as a teacher, and as someone guiding and leading.

Receive the knowledge of His Word!

By His Word you can be free!

You don't have to sin, you don't have to die; you don't have to kill yourself! God is setting you free!

Don't die before your time! God is saving you; He is saving your life and extending your life through the knowledge of His Word.

You are free by the power of the Lord!

You can live a righteous life!

You can do the right thing because the Lord is your helper. He said, "I will send the Comforter, the helper, a stand-by, the strengthener."

He will strengthen you!

You will not fall by the wayside!

You will not die before your time!

He will bring you all these blessings through His Word!

Most of us have never asked the Holy Spirit to teach us personally. I constantly pray for God to give me the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of His Word. I cannot depend solely on sermons I hear. You only retain eleven per cent of what you hear once.

Churches are full of spiritual babies seeking for miracles and signs. But Jesus said it is an evil generation that looks for signs.

And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

Luke 11:29

If you want to be led into a permanent blessing in this life then you need the Holy Spirit as a teacher. If you want to walk into everything that pertains to this life and to godliness, then you need the Holy Spirit to be demonstrated as a teacher in your life.

Life is made up of two compartments, your natural life and your spiritual life. When one side is not working, it affects the other. That is why God has given us things that pertain to the natural and to the supernatural; all things that pertain unto life and godliness - through His Holy Spirit. You will not go far with God until you ask the Holy Spirit to teach you.

Rise through Knowledge

Even in the secular world it is through knowledge that you move into higher positions. Those who are educated rule those who are not educated. The greatest victories that you will ever have will come through knowledge. Those who have knowledge suppress and oppress those who do not have it. The people who know how to make things like aeroplanes, ships and cars, rule the rest of the world.

When the UN was first formed, every country was equally important. Everybody's vote counted.

But with time, you realize that the countries that have more knowledge are dominating those with less knowledge. It is a fact of life. At different workplaces, those with higher education earn much more than those with lower education. What separates the two? What is the dividing line? It is knowledge. Knowledge sets you apart in this life.

It is exactly the same with spiritual things. Knowledge puts you in another category. When you know certain things, you will begin to move ahead in life and in ministry.

Don't cut yourself off from the Teacher. He will be made visible when you apply yourself to the knowledge of God.

Many years ago when I was in the sixth form in secondary school, I used to go for extra Chemistry classes in another school. I had to get up as early as 4 o’clock in the morning. I would open my Bible and read it every day. I remember I was studying about Moses at that time. Everyday I would read something about Moses and I would pray and ask the Lord to teach me His Word. And the Holy Spirit would teach me.

I don't read things just so that I can come and preach them. I have my own personal Bible study and quiet time and I ask the Holy Spirit to lead and teach me. I am only sharing what He has taught me.

You may love miracles but if you really want everything that pertains to life and godliness, welcome the Holy Spirit right now and welcome him to be visible as a teacher! That is phanerosis.

I know and respect Kenneth Hagin very much. At a Winter Bible Seminar in Tulsa, I was astounded as this man simply taught from the Bible everyday. Every morning and evening, it was the Word that had pre-eminence. I respected the power of the teaching anointing even more as I watched crowds gather to receive simple teaching. I had thought that such a great man of God would come breathing fire and miracles. But all he did was to teach and I was so blessed.

Let's get into the Holy Spirit. Let's ask Him to teach us. He will give us knowledge. You are being taught now so that you can avoid making some grievous mistakes.

I dissected frogs, analysed blood vessels, and did so many things when I was in medical school. How has it helped me? Of what use is the frog that I dissected? How is it helping me now? However, this Word that I read has given me wisdom and direction for my life and my church.

It is time to get the knowledge. The Holy Spirit will be made visible to you as a teacher. I see God leading godly and spiritual people into His wonderful miracles, through the knowledge of him!

Chapter 5

Phanerosis: Physical Manifestations

It is very important for us to have the power of God in our midst because the devil is always manifesting his power through his agents.

When there is no power in the church, the members wander off into the occult world looking for help. Often, when people are in crisis and need spiritual help, they do not turn to the church but to the devil.

People don't see power in the churches they belong to. That is why they go seeking for help elsewhere.

We need to have the power of God in the church to cater for the needs of people. We must experience the power of the Holy Spirit at our meetings.

I Felt the Power

I remember experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit some years ago. A visiting minister came to my church. After he had finished ministering, he called my wife and I to pray for us. As he laid his hands on me, I felt the Holy Spirit. I felt like waves of oil were coming down over me. It was a real experience. I had never felt anything like that before. I experienced the phanerosis. The Holy Spirit became visible. I knew that the Lord was anointing me.

Hands had been laid on me in the past but this was the only time I experienced anything like that.

Listed and Unlisted Manifestations

The Holy Spirit manifests Himself to us in several ways. Let's read this Scripture in I Corinthians 12: 8-10:

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

1 Corinthians 12:8-11

This Scripture gives us a list of manifestations of the Spirit. However, there are many other manifestations that are not in this list. They are found scattered throughout the Bible. I call manifestations that are not in this list, The Unlisted Manifestations of the Holy Spirit. As we go along we will see these other unlisted types of phanerosis.

Listed Demonstrations of the Holy Spirit

1. The Word of Knowledge and the Discerning of Spirits

When the Holy Spirit manifests a word of knowledge to you, you will begin to know things supernaturally. This means that you have received the spirit of seeing and knowing. You must pray for the supernatural ability of seeing and knowing things. This manifestation of the Spirit involves seeing and detecting spirits. To be able to discern or distinguish evil spirits you must have the Holy Spirit. The spirit realm is where God lives. That is the realm where demons and angels operate. When you have the manifestation of the discerning of spirits, you will see and detect angels, demons and even God.

A) Jesus had this gift in manifestation.

The spirits of Elijah and Moses appeared to him on the mount.

And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

Matthew 17:2-3

B) Jesus saw and detected angels in the Garden of Gethsemane.

And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

Luke 22:41-43

We see this gift in manifestation also in the life of Elisha.

C) Elisha’s servant's eyes were opened to see the spiritual armies around him.

And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

2 Kings 6:17

Seeing and Knowing

Another name for the combined gifts of the word of knowledge and the discerning of spirits, is what I call "seeing and knowing." Every minister must pray for the grace of seeing and knowing. Because as Shakespeare said, "There is no art to find the mind's construction in the face." This means that you can hardly know the thoughts and intentions of men by looking in their faces.

Seeing and knowing things supernaturally, is a gift that operates in my life sometimes. There are many times that I know things about people supernaturally. The Bible says the Holy Spirit can show us all things.

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

John 16:13

Again the Bible says we have the unction and know all things.

But ye have unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

1. John 2:20

D) Seeing and knowing: Protection

Many years ago, I was the leader of a little fellowship. One day, I came to church two hours before time and noticed one young lady who was sitting at the back. I couldn't help noticing how spiritual this lady seemed to be. She would come to church earlier than everybody else. She would sit alone at the back and intercede for hours. Her prayers were not the feeble whispering kind. They were manly, strong, fervent and intense. She spoke in the tongues of angels and she prayed in the spirit.

On many different occasions I would come to church early and find only this lady interceding intensely at the back. There were times I wondered who was more spiritual: myself or this lady? I asked myself, "Who is the leader: myself or this lady?" Meanwhile, I never said a word to her nor ask her any questions. I wouldn't want to disturb such a prayer time.

However, one day, the Lord said to me, "Cause her to know her abominations."

I said, “What!"

The Lord said, "That girl is a bad girl; cause her to know her abominations,"

I said, “What! It is not possible. This is the most spiritual member of my church. I am even intimidated by her prayers."

I told the Lord, "She is the only one who comes early to pray and she is always there." I thought I was imagining things and the Lord seemed to accept what I was thinking.

But after a while, I felt convicted to obey the Lord. Sometimes, there are things that do not go away. They seem to linger around in your spirit till you attend to them.

In the end, I sat down with this spiritual sister and said; "The Lord says I should let you know your abominations." I was sure that I was wrong about what I was telling her but I still felt I had to.

As I spoke, she looked at me in amazement and began to cry. This lady then told me about her life. She told me that every time she travelled outside the country, she slept with somebody different. She went on to explain to me how she had slept with more than two hundred different people as a young person. She confessed that she was a serial and regular fornicator in spite of the super spiritual front that she always put up.

You see, the gift of seeing and knowing was manifest because the natural appearance was very deceptive. There was no natural way I would know who I was dealing with.

God gave me the grace to see and know. Perhaps, it was given to protect me. I needed to know the kind of person around me. Perhaps, I would have considered marrying her because she looked so spiritual. Perhaps, the Lord wanted her to be delivered from hypocrisy and a dual life style. Through this gift, you will see and know the truth about the people around you. Through this gift, you will minister accurately to those around you.

E) Seeing and knowing: Judas

Jesus knew the people who did not believe in him. There are three groups of negative people that Jesus was aware of.

i.He was aware of people who murmured against him.

When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?

John 6:61

ii.He knew the people who would gang up against him and betray him.

But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

John 6:64

iii.He knew the specific apostle who would betray him.

Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

John 6:70-71

There are many times I have known people who did not believe in me. They would sit in a group and all seem to be eagerly in the flow. But I knew that this one did not believe.

I remember one occasion on which the Lord showed me someone who would be disloyal to me. I said to my associate pastor, "Do you see this fellow?"

He said, “Yes, I do."

Then I told him, “One day he will leave us and betray us."

At that time, there was no sign of any such possibility.

Two years later, what I said came to pass exactly as I had predicted. This fellow left us and spoke bitterly against me. You see, God had shown it to me by the gift of seeing and knowing.

I was prepared for it because God had shown it to me.

I remember one pastor who was totally devastated by the betrayal of one of his dearest friends and associates. We sat together at a dinner table as he recounted his experiences.

He told me, "Whenever this pastor travelled abroad, he would bring me nice gifts."

He continued, "Sometimes he would buy me a neck tie. At other times, he would present me with an envelope containing some dollars or pounds sterling."

He lamented, "I thought he loved me, I thought he was with me, I thought these gifts meant something"

Dear friend, don't forget that Jesus enjoyed dinner with someone who hated him. On the outward, they all looked happy and committed but Jesus knew what He needed to know.

May you have the gift of seeing and knowing manifesting in your life when you need it.

F)Seeing and knowing: Direction

One night, I was in my room praying. It was a Saturday night and I was preparing to preach the next day. The Spirit of the Lord came upon me. I could neither move nor sleep. I was alert and fixed in my chair.

The Spirit of the Lord began to speak to me almost audibly about a rebellious person in the church. He revealed how this person was pretending to be faithful when in fact he was full of rebellion. I was seeing and knowing!

Then He asked me to do certain things in church on Sunday that would expose the hypocrisy. He said to me, "Blow the trumpet with clarity, give a clear command to the troops and you will see what will happen."

The Holy Spirit told me what would happen if I followed His instruction. The next day, I followed the Spirit's instructions to the letter. Amazingly, this rebellious fellow did exactly what the Spirit said he would do and he was exposed.

Within minutes, everything was out in the open and the solution to a long-standing problem had come.

G)Seeing and knowing: The Liars

Leaders are often lied to. There is often no way to tell whether someone is telling the truth. The deceptions of a leader can lead to his downfall. Many leaders depend on what their advisers and informants tell them. When they are fed with untruths, they often make grievous mistakes that lead to corruption and embarrassment. Many political leaders come out of office, only to discover that they were deceived whilst they were in office. They were fed with lies by sycophants and bottom-licking subordinates.

One day, the Holy Spirit manifested through the gift of seeing and knowing. He revealed to me that a particular pastor had been lying to me about many different things. I became fixated in my bed, as the Holy Spirit said, “He is a liar and I will show you five different things that he has lied to you about since you have known him.” Then suddenly He revealed a string of unrelated lies that this fellow had told me. Some of these lies dated back several years.

I was astounded. I had never known that all those things were lies. This revelation came so quickly that immediately after the revelation, I could not remember it anymore. God wanted to show me that the revelation did not come from my mind and that is why I could not remember it afterward. It took time and prayer to bring back the revelation. Later on, all these issues were proven to be lies.

Through the gift of seeing and knowing, I was able to uncover the liar within and eventually root him out of the system.

H)Seeing and knowing: The Musicians

I love to have good anointed music in my services. Anointed music greatly influences the atmosphere and causes miracles to take place.

Years ago, I had a lady who used to sing beautifully in our church. She would sing a solo for me every Sunday. One night, I had a dream. Dreaming is part of seeing and knowing. In the dream, I was in a boxing ring and to my surprise; I was one of the boxers in the ring. I was wearing boxing gloves and so was my opponent. But the even greater surprise was my opponent. Believe it or not, my opponent was this lady singer!

The boxing bout began and the lady fought against me with all her might. I fought back and suddenly the dream ended.

The Lord had supernaturally revealed to me that this lady was fighting against me spiritually. Later, I found out that she was one of the people who criticised me greatly and therefore fought against me with her words. It is possible to withstand someone through your words.

Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.

2Timothy 4:14-15

I)Seeing and knowing: Visions

Visions are also manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Visions are an advanced type of seeing and knowing.

There have been times when the Lord opened my eyes to see visions. There was a time in my ministry when I was experiencing a very strong attack of the devil. The pressure and the deception were so strong that I was at breaking point. One night, while on a journey, I had a vision of Satan. I was awakened at about three a.m. I suddenly saw a tall black being standing to the right of my bed. This being began to laugh and mock at me. Then I noticed the face of this being was the face of someone I had known some years ago. This particular individual had mocked me in the past and had said certain things to despise me.

It was the spirit of a mocker and the spirit of confusion. The Lord showed me the kind of spirit that was harassing my life. Confusion is one of the top strategies of Satan against ministers.

Immediately, I jumped out of my bed like a bullet and I tell you, I was terrified. Unfortunately, there was no one in the apartment where I was living and I was all alone in this place. I was confused and wondered what was happening. I knew that I had seen the devil at close range and that a great evil was determined against me. I felt as though I was all alone in a haunted house. I decided to have communion by myself. I will never forget that midnight communion because I believe it ministered healing to me and also ministered the power of the blood on my life. The blood gave me victory over the devil and all his plans.

The result of this vision was the termination of a particular battle that I had been fighting. Through this vision, the Lord had shown me who and what was fighting against me. I disengaged from fighting against human beings. I became relieved and moved on into my victory.

J)Seeing and knowing: Death

On another occasion, I became ill and needed to take some medication. However at that time of my life, I believed that it was not necessary to take medicine if you were a man of faith. Since I was endeavouring to be a real man of faith, I had decided to go on without taking any medication at all. On this particular occasion I had decided that I would either be healed without medicine or die.

As the days went by, I became more and more ill until I was confined to my room. My family did not know what was happening to me because they thought I was just resting in my room. I was determined to rise and be healed without medicine or die by faith. As time went by, I became fixed to my bed, unable to do anything. I was waiting for God to heal me.

I believe the Lord knew how determined I was to be healed without medicine or die. By this time, the only thing I could do was to turn around in bed. At one point, I turned my head to the right and there on my bedside table was an imp-like creature. I knew at once that it was an evil spirit. I knew immediately that a demon had gained access to my life. I knew that I was in danger even though I did not understand what I could be doing wrong. Immediately I knew I had to take medicine to avoid the devil gaining access to my life. I arose and took medicine at once. Through that vision, God saved me from an untimely death. Through visions and dreams, God can save your life from destruction.

K)Seeing and knowing: Angels

Twenty-one years ago, I was lost at a train station in Europe. Not only was I lost, but I was also greatly behind schedule and about to miss an all-important connection. Suddenly, a man whom I didn't know offered to help me. Strangely, the man took me from where I was through many winding corridors, staircases and tunnels to the exact spot that I needed to get to. This strange white man said he was not going where I was going but spent fifteen to twenty minutes taking me to where I needed to be.

If you know anything about Europe, you will know that this is strange behaviour. As strangely as he appeared, this man disappeared when we got to the platform. I always remember this incident even though it has been many years since it happened. Somehow, I believe that man was an angel according to the verse in Hebrews

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Hebrews 13:2

One day, while sitting on a plane, I had a vision of an angel. He was sitting on my left-hand side wearing a light blue gown. He seemed to be relaxed but on duty. I knew I was seeing an angel on guard and I was comforted on the flight.

On another occasion, a sister was sitting upstairs, on the balcony of our church. The Lord opened her eyes to see a marvelous vision. As I was ministering, I would speak out blessings and words of faith. Her eyes were opened and she saw a large angel standing on my left-hand side. As I would speak the blessings, this large angel would throw out parcels into the congregation. Many people whose arms were outstretched would receive the parcels. There were smaller angels who would take the parcels from the big angel and give it to the people in the congregation.

Angels are real and they accompany us and assist us while we minister. I remember a testimony of someone whose eyes were opened as a man of God ministered. As the man of God was preaching the person saw an angel walking around him. From time to time the angel would whisper certain things in the ears of the man of God and he would smile, nod and continue preaching. The minister himself was not aware of the presence of the angel but thought he was experiencing his natural thought flow.

I was in a Kenneth Hagin service one night when an angel appeared to him. The angel asked him to follow him. Kenneth Hagin followed the angel down the aisle. When the angel got to a particular man, the angel motioned to him to minister to that particular person.

Papa Hagin then told us how the angel had directed him to minister to a particular person. The atmosphere in the meeting was absolutely charged and the service was, for want of a better word, electrifying!

It is real. The manifestations happen to every man to profit withal. We all benefit from the manifestations of the Spirit. It makes a lot of difference to us when we know what is happening in the spirit realm.

L)Seeing and knowing: Jesus

And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

Revelation 1:12-13

Once, I was praying for eight people at a miracle service. The Lord opened the eyes of someone in the meeting and the person saw the Lord Jesus walking behind me. Suddenly, she saw the Lord Jesus move into me and then I was no longer there. She could not see me. She could only see the Lord Jesus laying hands on the people.

One of the people I was praying for testified that she felt an extreme and unusual love when hands were laid on her. This love was Jesus' love for her as he laid hands on her. Amazingly, this lady was later declared healed of cancer.

These are wonderful visions of Jesus that bring encouragement. Once, I met an elderly American lady who said to me, "I saw the Lord walking behind you when you were ministering."

She told me, “I have very real visions."

She continued, "Tonight I saw a rare and unusual phenomenon of the Lord Himself walking behind you as you were ministering.” Then she asked me, "Do you know that the Lord walks behind you in that way when you minister?"

I smiled and told her I didn’t know that.

I remember one day, I was ministering at a little camp meeting in a foreign country. As I laid hands on the people, the Lord opened the eyes of one of our sisters. She was amazed at what she saw. The Lord Jesus was sitting on one of the chairs behind the pulpit. He was observing what I was doing. She was greatly touched by this vision and gave glory to God.

2.Word of Wisdom

The word of wisdom gives you the wisdom to know how to handle complex situations. Wisdom is profitable to direct.

3.The Gift of Faith

This is supernatural faith. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit comes upon me and makes me say certain things to people. It is special faith that, when in operation, is as though God Himself is speaking.

The gift of faith operated in Isaac when he blessed his two sons, Jacob and Esau.

And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed: Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be Lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

Genesis 27:26-29

Up until today, this blessing persists in the life of Israel. It is as though God Himself had spoken these blessings even though it was a man speaking. Watch out for when the Holy Spirit comes on people who speak to you prophetically. It is the gift of faith in operation.

The same manifestation operated in Jacob, when he blessed and cursed his children.

And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.

Genesis 49:1-5

4.The Working of Miracles

I consider the working of miracles to be the gift that causes non-healing miracles to take place. Jesus did several non-healing miracles. In a sense, these miracles are more astonishing than the healings. The book of John contains some of these non-healing miracles:

i.The changing of water into wine

Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,

This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

John 2:7-9, 11

ii.The multiplying of the bread and fish

And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

John 6:11-14

iii.Walking on the Sea of Galilee at night

So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.

John 6:19-20

5.The Gift of Healing

One other manifestation of the Holy Spirit is healing. He is a healing Jesus. If He is present, He can make Himself manifest by healing someone. It happened to the woman with the issue of blood in the Bible and it will happen to you in Jesus' name!

Healing is a manifestation of the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is time for the return of the manifestation of healing in our services! It is time for wheelchairs to be emptied in the church! It is time for cripples to walk in the name of Jesus! That is something only the Holy Spirit can do.

a.The healing of the testes

I remember what happened at a miracle service in South Africa. There was a lady in the meeting whose child didn't have testes (an undescended testes condition). The child was scheduled for an operation in a few weeks. She came forward in the healing line and I prayed for her child as I did for all the others. When she went home, she immediately took off the clothes of the baby and examined the child. To her amazement, the testes had appeared! The testes were right there. That is a miracle from God.

The next day, she came up to me and told me what the Lord had done.

b.Healing of the ear

There was a young man who had a hearing impairment in the right ear. He claimed that he could not hear if somebody spoke to him on that side of his ear. But when he was prayed for, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him and then he realized that he could hear clearly. We demonstrated it right there in church. He could hear clearly from afar.

c.Knee healing

There was a lady who had a knee ailment from childhood such that if she ran for a short distance, her knees would buckle and she would fall down. This happened to her once when she was crossing the road and she was almost hit by a car.

She also said that her knees made certain noises that you could hear if you walked close to her. She was healed in one of our miracle services. The power of God came powerfully upon her while she was concentrating on God for an eye healing. She felt a sense of heaviness in that knee and then she realised that she had been healed. She demonstrated her healing by running around the church. There was no noise and no pain. Her knee did not buckle and she was miraculously delivered.

e.Healing of amenorhoea

There was a lady who sat upstairs during one of our miracle services. She had not had her menstrual period for one year even though she was not pregnant. She just felt the power of God come over her and she started bleeding immediately in the service. She went to the bathroom to check, and came back to testify about her healing.

f.Healing of an issue of blood

I remember another lady who had been bleeding continuously for three months. A woman has her menses for a maximum of five days in a month but she had bled for three months. The bleeding stopped right in the service. Just like the woman healed with the issue of blood under Jesus' ministry, this lady experienced a healing of an issue of blood.

This is what we describe as the gifts of healings in operation. The Holy Spirit is there to heal you and He is there to prolong your life upon the surface of the Earth. The manifestations of healing are real today.

6. Prophecy

Prophecies are words that are spoken under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

There are two types of New Testament prophecy: the simple gift of prophecy and predictive prophecy. The purpose of simple prophecy is outlined in 1 Corinthians 14:3. It is for exhortation, edification and encouragement.

But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

1 Corinthians 14:3

The other type of prophecy is called predictive prophecy. In this type of prophecy, events are foretold by the prophet. The book of Matthew, Chapter 24 is a compilation of several predictive prophecies that Christ made about this world.

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Matthew 24:3

They are one of the powerful mysteries that God gave us. Prophecy is used to direct, help, influence and lead us. I prophesy sometimes when I am preaching

7.Divers Kinds of Tongues

The gift of tongues is the commonest manifestation of the Holy Spirit. It is a wonderful gift because it is a language from the Lord. These tongues are heavenly languages of angels. Sometimes, the tongues are human languages unknown to the speaker who is manifesting the gift. The Bible says we speak in tongues of men and of angels.

Though I speak with the TONGUES OF MEN AND OF ANGELS, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

1 Corinthians 13:1

For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

1 Corinthians 14:2

You need to speak in tongues because there are many prayers nobody should hear. There are prayers the devil should not understand. He should not know when you command angels to kick him. When you pray in tongues, it worries the devil, because he does not know what you are saying.

Once, a pastor who had lived in Norway before, heard me speaking in tongues. As I ministered in tongues, he could hear that I was speaking pure Norgsk (the Norwegian language). The first time it happened, he was not sure whether he was hearing right. On the way home, he told his wife about it in the car. The next day, the meetings continued and he said he heard me speak pure Norgsk again. This time round he was sure about it and he came to testify. I have never been to Norway and I don't speak Norgsk. That was a powerful manifestation of the presence of the Holy Spirit. That is phanerosis right there!

When the Holy Spirit demonstrates His presence in this way, the Lord is giving us a glimpse of glory. He is real!

8.Interpretation of Tongues

This involves the speaking forth of the meaning of tongues that have been spoken. It is not the gift of translation and is therefore not a "word for word" exposé. Interpretation is a gift for everyone who speaks in tongues. Everyone who speaks in tongues must believe in and practise interpreting tongues.

Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.

1 Corinthians 14:13-14

Interpretation greatly multiplies the blessing that you get from speaking in tongues alone.

The Secret to More Manifestations

Somebody asked why these things don't happen anymore. The reason they don't happen anymore is that we don't know about them. The Bible tells us to covet the best gifts. When you desire the gifts, you will have them. God is not going to give you something that you don't desire. Faith cometh by hearing. How can you believe in healing when you don't hear about it?

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

Romans 10:14

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17

But as we preach about it and you hear about it, you develop interest. You begin to desire it. As you desire it, it comes into the church.

I believe that is why I experience miracles in my church. It’s because my church members have been taught about healing. I preach at other churches and I realize where the people have not been taught, they don’t have much flow of miracles. I have seen many miracles in meetings I have had in South Africa, for instance. It is the same in Nigeria. The people have been taught to believe in miracles. It is not the same in many other places.

It is going to happen to you because you desire it. God is not going to give you something you don’t desire, something you don’t like or something you are not thinking about. But when you have the desire, He is going to pour it into your life.

Chapter 6

Phanerosis and John Wesley

The Revivals in England

John Wesley was born in 1703 and died in 1771. He is probably the most well known of all revival preachers. Wesley, a brilliant Oxford fellow and lecturer was converted at age thirty-five and went on to become the founder of the Methodist Movement. John Wesley experienced almost all the same phenomena in his meetings that are taking place today.

In April 1739, Wesley preached at Newgate Prison in Bristol. Wesley records that as he was preaching:

ONE, AND ANOTHER, AND ANOTHER SUNK TO THE EARTH: THEY DROPPED ON EVERY SIDE as if thunderstruck. One of them cried aloud. We besought God on her behalf and He turned her heaviness into joy. A second being in the same agony, we called upon God for her also; and He spoke peace unto her soul…

The next day a doctor who suspected trickery or fraud accompanied Wesley to the prison to see for Himself. He closely observed a woman who:

Broke out into STRONG CRIES AND TEARS. He went and stood close to her and observed every symptom, till great drops of sweat ran down her face, and ALL HER BONES SHOOK. He then knew not what to think, being clearly convinced it was not fraud, nor yet any natural disorder. But when both soul and body were healed in a moment, he acknowledged the finger of God.

Wesley notes:

Many more were brought to the berth. All were in floods of tears, cried, prayed, roared aloud, ALL OF THEM LYING ON THE GROUND. When I began to pray, the flame broke out. MANY CRIED aloud, MANY SANK to the ground, many trembled exceedingly.

Throughout his life, Wesley witnessed such incredible revival phenomena that even though his preaching was the tool God used, he was continually amazed. In an entry in his journal on July 29,1759, Wesley records a number of examples that occurred while preaching:

SEVERAL FELL TO THE GROUND, some of whom seemed dead, others in the agonies of death, the violence of their BODILY CONVULSIONS EXCEEDING ALL DESCRIPTION… a child, seven years old, sees many visions and astonished the neighbours with her innocent, awful manner of declaring them.

Describing the same meeting, Wesley detailed how the power of God then moved out into the churchyard. The people were affected in ways that were beyond what he could describe. One man was “wounded by the Lord” while others tried to hold him up:

HIS OWN SHAKING EXCEEDED THAT OF A CLOTH IN THE WIND. It seemed as if the Lord came upon him like a giant, taking him by the neck and shaking all his bones in pieces…ANOTHER ROARED AND SCREAMED… some continued long as if they were dead, but with a calm sweetness in their looks. I SAW ONE WHO LAY TWO OR THREE HOURS IN THE OPEN AIR, and being then carried into the house, continued insensible another hour, as if actually dead. The first sign of life she showed was a rapture of praise intermixed with a small, joyous laughter…

Four days later:

While I prayed with them many crowded into the house, SOME OF WHOM BURST IN TO A STRANGE, INVOLUNTARY LAUGHTER, so that my voice could scarce be heard, and when I strove to speak louder a sudden hoarseness seized me. THEN THE LAUGHTER INCREASED…

A week later Wesley wrote:

I have generally observed more or less of these outward symptoms to attend the beginning of a general work of God. So it was in New England, Scotland, Holland, Ireland and many parts of England…

The Revivals in America

Jonathan Edwards was born in 1703 and died in 1758. Seminary professor Richard Lovelace believes “Jonathan Edward may well be the greatest American theologian and philosopher – and perhaps also the greatest mind – that America has yet produced.” Edwards had first-hand experience with the manifestations of the Holy Spirit and became the chief spokesperson for the work of revival, trying to bridge the difficult chasm of emotional excess and freedom of the Spirit as evidenced with phenomena. Edward’s wife, Sarah, a mother of eleven children, experienced her own major visitation from God and was incapacitated for seventeen days. Edwards supported and blessed the graces of God in both his wife and others.

It was a very frequent thing to see A HOUSE FULL OF OUTCRIES, FAINTING, CONVULSIONS, and such like, both with distresses and also with admiration and joy.

It was not the manner here to hold meetings all night, as in some places, nor was it common to continue them till very late in the night; but it was pretty often so, THAT THERE WERE SOME THAT WERE SO AFFECTED, and their bodies so overcome, that THEY COULD NOT GO HOME, but were obliged to stay all night where they were…and there were some instances of persons lying in a sort of trance, REMAINING PERHAPS FOR A WHOLE TWENTY-FOUR HOURS MOTIONLESS, and with their senses locked up; but in the meantime under strong imaginations, as though they went to heaven and had there a vision of glorious and delightful objects.

But when the people were raised to this height, Satan took advantage, and his interposition, in many instances, soon became very apparent: and a great deal of caution and pains were found necessary to keep the people, many of them, from running wild.

Chapter 7

Falling under the Power

Apart from the listed manifestations of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12, there are other demonstrations of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Since these are not bunched together in one list, I call them "the unlisted manifestations of the Holy Spirit". One of the commonest unlisted manifestations of the spirit and power of God is falling down. Falling down is often caused by the wine, the wind and the rain.

The Wine of the Spirit

The new wine is often seen as a type of the Holy Spirit. In the natural, over-indulging in wine can lead to falling, shaking and trembling. Similarly, indulging in the wine of the Spirit can lead to the manifestation of the Spirit.

For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh…

Acts 2:15-17

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Ephesians 5:18

The Wind of the Spirit

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

John 3:8

The wind is known to pull down trees and even houses. The wind of the Spirit does the same. It is time to believe that these things are real.

Do you remember when Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit?”

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit...

John 20:22

Do you remember when the Holy Spirit came into the upper room as a mighty rushing wind? The Holy Spirit operates like a wind. Recently, at one of our miracle services, I was laying hands on all of the people who had come to the altar. One of my pastors later testified, "I had never felt what I felt on that Friday."

He went on, "As you approached me, a wind began to blow on me. It was a supernatural wind."

He marvelled, "The Holy Spirit is so real."

I believe in ministering the Holy Spirit through breathing. The Holy Spirit is real.

The Rain of the Spirit

Rain is known to pull down trees and houses as well. Many people run from approaching rainstorms. God says He will come to us in the form of rain.

Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

Hosea 6:3

Examples of People Falling under the Power

The occurrence of people "falling under the power", can be found throughout the Bible.

a. The falling of the priests at the dedication of the temple

It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; SO THAT THE PRIESTS COULD NOT STAND TO MINISTER BY REASON OF THE CLOUD: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

2 Chronicles 5:13-14

The Bible records that the glory of the Lord at one time filled the temple so much so that the priests, the trumpeters and the musicians couldn't stand anymore. They all went down because of the glory of the Lord. These things happen. They are real. The glory of God can be manifested at different levels. It can come over you to a point where you can't stand. You must pray to experience the power of God so much so that you cannot stand. You must believe God to experience His glory in that way because it is a good thing. I want to experience the glory of God.

You should desire to get to the place where these people did in the book of Chronicles. At a time when they were worshipping, the cloud of glory filled the place so much so that the trumpeters and the priests could not stand. It was not that they did not want to stand. It was not that they decided to lie down.

b. The falling of the soldiers who arrested Jesus

Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I AM HE, THEY WENT BACKWARD, AND FELL TO THE GROUND.

John 18:3-6

What happened as soon as Jesus said "I am He?" The attackers went backward and fell to the ground. Everybody fell under the anointing. There was no usher to support them. There was nothing to protect them as they went backwards and fell down. Wow! You realize right there that the Holy Spirit was in action. That alone should have frightened them enough.

c. The falling of the Apostle Paul's entourage on the road to Damascus.

Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.

Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. AND WHEN WE WERE ALL FALLEN TO THE EARTH, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Acts 26:8-14

Paul described how he and his companions fell under the power on the road to Damascus. When Paul's companions saw the light around them, they all fell to the ground. That was a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

When people fall under the power, everybody wonders if it is real. No matter how many times people see it happen they still watch and wonder.

Sometimes you can see from the way people fall under the power that something unusual has happened to them. Some kind of power has struck them! I keep wondering about it myself even though I see it happen over and over again.

I remember I was speaking to a lady whom I had prayed for. Later, she told me what had happened to her when I was ministering to her. She described how she had fallen down during the ministration.

I asked her, "Do you normally fall under the power?"

She said, “I never fall, I am not the falling kind." She thought that there were some types of people who were prone to fall under the power.

She continued, "I never fall, I don't fall. But this time I fell and I fell again and again. I fell so many times not knowing what was happening to me. I was completely powerless to control myself and stand on my feet. I simply could not stand when you touched me."

It is indeed a wonder. Falling under the power will make you wonder what is going on. Falling under the power is a sign and a wonder. People who fall under the power are not necessarily healed. When people fall, they may be healed or not healed. They just fall.

d.Balaam's ass fell at the sight of the angel of the Lord

And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.

Numbers 22:27

The falling of Balaam's ass at the sight of the angel refutes allegations that when people fall under the power they are psychologically induced to do so. How could the donkey have been psychologically manipulated to fall down at a particular time?

When the donkey came into contact with the spirit realm, he simply fell down. This is what happens to many people. They are not manipulated or psychologically induced to fall down! They just have a spiritual experience that makes them fall down.

f. Eli fell at the mention of the ark of the Lord

And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

1 Samuel 4:18

This experience of falling down also does refute the allegation that if people are made to fall down by the Holy Spirit, they will not hurt themselves. Some people would say that if the power of the Holy Spirit makes someone fall down, the person should come to no harm. However, we have seen numerous cases of people falling under the power and getting hurt.

This is nothing new and Eli even died after falling under the power and breaking his neck. It is important to have good ushers to prevent people from getting hurt when they fall under the power.

g. Ezekiel fell at the sight of the glory of the Lord.

As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Ezekiel 1:28

h. The Apostle John fell at the sight of the Lord

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last...

Revelation 1:17

To "fall as dead" means that Apostle John dropped to the ground suddenly. To "fall as dead" is not a composed and dignified fall. To "fall as dead" means to collapse uncontrollably to the ground. When the power of God is moving, you will see many people fall to the ground as though they are dead.

i. Daniel fell as God spoke to him

So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.

Daniel 8:17

Daniel also fell under the power when he came in contact with spiritual things. Daniel was a prime minister and he was highly placed in society. But he fell under the power when he came in contact with spiritual realities.

Dear friend, there is enough evidence in the Word of God for you to accept this manifestation of the Spirit. Ministers must flow in the reality of God's power. Understand the Word of God and you will experience the richness in all that God has for us.

Chapter 8

Weeping and Crying

And Elisha came to Damascus; and Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither. And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?

So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Ben-hadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the LORD hath shewed me that he shall surely die. And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept.

And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child. And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The LORD hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria. So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover. And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.

2 Kings 8:7-15

Weeping and crying is one of the commonest manifestations of the Holy Spirit. It is something I have seen over and over as the anointing of the Lord comes on people. I believe that this phenomenon of crying is one of the deepest human emotions. It is not easy to artificially induce crying and weeping. It is usually an involuntary expression and reaction to something. I have tried to make myself cry. I once wanted to cry while I preached because I realised it had a powerful effect on the listeners. I tried and tried but never succeeded even once in bringing out any tears.

However, I have noticed how people begin to weep when the Spirit ministers to them. I notice, commonly, how many people start crying when I lay hands on them. There were times when I myself would start weeping when I laid hands on certain people. I have often wondered why this happens. I think the answer is in the text above.

When the Spirit ministers to a person, the Lord shows and reveals certain things to the person that touch the deepest emotions within. The person starts weeping uncontrollably because of what he sees or realises so clearly.

Under the anointing, Elisha stared at Hazael until he was embarrassed. Elisha then began to cry. Hazael asked Elisha why he was crying and Elisha simply told him what he was seeing. As Elisha looked at Hazael, he saw a horrendous murderer who would unleash a reign of terror on the people of Israel. The realisation of how brutal and murderous this man standing before him would be, touched the deepest part of Elisha’s heart and he began to cry. “…and the man of God wept. And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel.”

Elisha then described the details of the terrible deeds this man would do in the future. He saw him setting their homes on fire and killing their young men. He also saw how he would tear up pregnant women and kill their children. “…their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.”

I once laid hands on someone and immediately perceived the secular ambitions of the person. A voice kept stirring within me and saying, “What else do you want? What else do you crave for? What are you looking for in this life? Am I (the Lord) not enough for you?” The futility of this person’s life as he focused on the world and all it had to offer was so strong upon me that I began to weep uncontrollably. I had not been thinking about those things but as soon as I laid hands on this person, my spirit was flooded with these thoughts and feelings. I was overwhelmed with this emotion and I wept pitifully over this fellow.

This is exactly what happened to Elisha. He was overwhelmed with the thoughts and feelings of what Hazael was going to become and do in the future.

… And when he (the Holy Spirit) is come, he will reprove (convince) …

John 16:8

The Holy Spirit has the power to convict us of certain things. It is not a strange thing to break down emotionally under a strong conviction.

The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness. And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure. Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

Isaiah 33:5-7

Chapter 9

Shaking and Trembling

Shaking People

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Acts 9:6

Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

Jeremiah 5:22

When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.

Habakuk 3:16

And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.

Daniel 10:11

Shaking Houses

And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

Acts 4:31

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

Acts 16:26

There are a lot of shaking experiences recorded in the Bible. You will often find some kind of shaking experience when the Spirit of the Lord moved. Sometimes people trembled like leaves and at other times, there were earthquakes. Because these experiences are not arranged together in a list, they often go unnoticed. They are very much a part of the work of the Holy Spirit.

I have noticed how people shake, tremble and even convulse when the Holy Spirit is in manifestation. Is it any wonder if this frail human vessel trembles and shakes in the presence of the Almighty God?

It is easy to criticize these things from afar. However when you experience the power you will realise how real it is. I remember interviewing a gentleman who was shaking uncontrollably.

I asked him, “Has this happened to you before?”

He said, “No, never.”

He continued to shake and tremble uncontrollably.

“Are you surprised at what is happening?” I asked.

“Very surprised, I have always thought people were pretending and making things up but now I know it is real.”

Dear friend, is it a strange thing if somebody trembles at the power of God?

Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence…

Jeremiah 5:22

Chapter 10

Varied Manifestations

1.Manifestations of Joy

Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is in manifestation, there are sometimes demonstrations of joy. The obvious manifestations of joy are, smiling, laughing, dancing, running, jumping, clapping, singing and even crying.

You don’t need to be very educated to know that these are expressions of joy. Should it be any wonder if you see any of these manifestations of joy because the Holy Spirit is at work?

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them… And there was great joy in that city.

Acts 8:5, 8

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Romans 14:17

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

1 Peter 1:8

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.

Psalm 126:2

Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

Nehemiah 8:10

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

Ephesians 5:19

What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

1 Corinthians 14:15

Don’t be surprised if you see people laughing uncontrollably in the Holy Spirit. Don’t criticize anyone if you see him or her running about in ecstasy. They are full of joy in the Holy Spirit. These are simply manifestations of the joy that is promised us in the Holy Spirit.

I remember watching a man of God as he ministered. He preached in a certain church for six weeks. Meetings took place every morning and evening. No matter what he was talking about people just started laughing. They just broke into uncontrollable laughter and received the Holy Spirit as he preached.

The Bible says “When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter...” (Psalm 126: 1, 2).

It is wonderful to see laughter in the Holy Spirit. It is a wonder. I see God anointing you with holy laughter!

Joy Brings Srength

The joy of the Lord is your strength. When you are down and depressed, you are weak.

Depression is loss of hope. It is depression that makes people think of killing themselves. When you have lost hope in an extreme way, then you begin to think of killing yourself. You want to die because there is no hope. A Christian who is full of joy is different from a depressed Christian. God wants to give us a revival of joy in the Holy Spirit!

2.Being Struck Dumb

And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season...And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.

Luke 1:20, 64-66

Another manifestation of the Holy Spirit is when He strikes you dumb. Zechariah was struck dumb for a while because He did not believe the angel.

Once, I remember when Kenneth Hagin was struck dumb right in the middle of his message. He became speechless and could not finish his message. We all sat there in amazement, as Brother Hagin stood speechless for over twenty minutes.

God is just showing us that the Holy Spirit is here. He is invisible but He makes Himself visible through these manifestations. This is what we call phanerosis: the making visible of the great invisible Holy Spirit.

3.Being Struck Blind

Paul was struck blind. Interestingly, Paul experienced several manifestations of the Spirit during his conversion experience.

There was a “falling to the ground”.

There was “trembling”.

There was an experience of “being struck blind”.

And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Acts 26:14

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Acts 9:6-9, 17

4.Screaming

And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

Mark 1:22, 25-26

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city.

Acts 8:5-8

Do not be surprised when you see screaming, shouting, and crying people lying on the floor in a service in which the Holy Spirit is in full manifestation. I would prefer to be like Jesus than to follow the dictates of some starchy, crusty, “immune to God,” Christians. Jesus had screaming manifestations and so will I.

5.Heat and Burning

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Matthew 3:11

John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

Luke 3:16

To baptise with water means to pour water on you or to put you into water. To baptise with fire means to pour fire on you or to put you into fire. If you are baptised with water, you will feel cold and wet. It is quite clear that if you are baptised with fire, you will feel some heat.

I have heard different people testify of a burning sensation or the feeling of “heat” all over their bodies. I have also heard people testify of feeling heat on specific parts of their bodies. Usually, these experiences indicate that the Lord is baptising you with fire. Many times, people are experiencing healing when they feel the baptism or pouring on of fire.

I remember a time I used to feel heat and a burning sensation in one of my hands. This was a strange experience to me because it kept recurring and I didn’t know what it meant. This experience of heat in my hand kept recurring. Looking back, I realise that it was the period of time when I began to operate in the healing ministry. I believe God was baptising or putting fire on me and that is why I was feeling this heat in my hand. After God has baptised you with fire, you will be able to walk in the anointing that destroys the yoke.

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 2:3-4

Have Faith that This Is That!

When the Holy Spirit arrived on the day of Pentecost, there was a great uproar in the city. Some people thought that the people speaking in tongues were drunk. Others thought that the disciples were mad. I am sure there was a large group of people who just didn't know what was happening.

Apostle Peter, at the Lord's prompting, rose up in the midst of the confusion and boldly declared, "This is that!" What did he mean by "this is that"?

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But THIS IS THAT which was spoken by the prophet Joel...

Acts 2:14-16

This is that which was spoken of by the Prophet Joel. One of the greatest keys to flowing in the supernatural is to believe that what you are seeing is what you have believed for. Peter could have doubted that he was seeing what the Prophet Joel had spoken of. Instead, he boldly declared that he was seeing the supernatural.

The Prophet Eli had to point out to Samuel this same truth. He had to tell Samuel, "This is that!" The voice you are hearing is the Holy Spirit. When you have "this is that" faith, you will be able to accept the supernatural happenings in your life. When you hear the voice of the Spirit speaking to your mind, you will no longer say that it is just a thought.

One time while I was ministering, a young lady began to scream, twist and squirm. She had to be held down by four strong men. As I ministered to her, she suddenly became still and collapsed to the ground. I wondered to myself, “What has happened now?” The Holy Spirit said to me, "This is that!" This is Acts 8:5-8 reenacted.

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city.

Acts 8:5-8

That was a sign of evil spirits coming out of people and screaming and tearing them to the ground. This is what occurred, after Jesus prayed for someone oppressed by an unclean spirit.

And they brought him [the child] unto him: and when he saw him, straightway THE SPIRIT TARE HIM; AND HE FELL ON THE GROUND, AND WALLOWED FOAMING. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

Mark 9:20-27

After ministering to a young boy, he screamed, convulsed and fell down as though dead. What was happening? Some modern analysts would have said, "This is postictal sleep. This is a temporary relief." But Jesus said, "This is it. He is healed."

God told me, "This is what Jesus experienced." When the lady screamed and jumped around, the Holy Spirit told me, “This is what Jesus saw."

We Had Cast out All but One

Many years ago in secondary school, I was involved in casting out thirty-six demons from a young student. For four hours, we struggled, trying to deliver the girl from evil powers. Of the thirty-six demons, all had fled with the exception of one. We were left with only one to cast out! We commanded the spirit to go out but somehow we could never bring ourselves to believe that this girl had actually been delivered.

The patron of the Scripture Union was called in. He was an older and experienced Christian. After arriving, he said to the spirit, "I command you to come out in the name of Jesus." After that he asked the girl (just as we had been doing), "What is your name?" She responded normally just as she had been responding to us. He then turned to us and said, "She is alright."

"What!" I thought, "Is that all?"

You see, this older Christian believed that this was it! This was the deliverance! She was free. Her freedom was proved in the weeks following. After believing that this is that, you must prove all things.

PROVE ALL THINGS; hold fast that which is good.

1 Thessalonians 5:21

Accept supernatural things but prove them. Flow with them, but test them. I like to call people and ask them, "How come you fell under the power when I prayed for you?"

It Only Happens to Women?

During one miracle service, I asked a pastor, "Have you ever fallen under the power?"

"Yes!" he answered.

"Were you surprised?" I asked.

"Very much!"

"Why were you surprised?"

He laughed and said, “I thought it only happened to women." He continued, "When you called me forward to pray for me, I said to myself, this thing will never happen to me.” I came up there with a posture of resisting any such fall. But before I could realize it, I was on the floor."

The power of God hit him and he had no more defenses. He experienced for himself the reality of the anointing.

If It's Real, It's Real!

One lady told me, "You have prayed for me many times and I have never fallen under the power. I didn't believe much in it." I myself could sense that she didn't believe much in the power of God. When you lay hands on people you can sometimes tell whether they are receiving or not. Some come up with such a natural attitude that you can see that they are cut off from the supernatural. Like Jacob, God is in the room, but they don't even know it!

When it got to this lady's turn to be prayed for, the power of God went through her and she fell to the ground.

She told me later, "I was so surprised."

I asked her to stand up again and I prayed for her a second time. She fell right to the ground like a domino. I sensed that she was surprised so I wanted her to be doubly sure that the power of God was real. I prayed for her the third time. She crumbled to the ground for the third time.

Then I asked the ushers to lift her up again.

She narrated, "After the third time she had decided that this will never happen again!"

"I will not allow myself to fall again."

I didn't know what was going on in her mind, but I decided to pray for her again. As soon as my hand touched her, she crumbled vertically to the ground. She lay on the ground as someone unconscious for several minutes. She was later assisted to her seat. I saw her staggering away, helpless under the power of God.

My friend, the supernatural is real. When you move out of natural, human thinking, you will begin to receive and experience the supernatural power of God.

Section 2

Chapter 11

The Names of God

Jehovah Rophe is one of the names of God. In this chapter, I would like to share some important things about Jehovah Rophe. God has always introduced himself by different names to different people. These different names show the different attributes of God and illustrate the diverse ways He demonstrates His power to His creation.

God has different attributes even though we simply refer to Him as “God”.

Agape, Phileo and Eros

For instance, the word “love” is translated from three different Greek words: Agape, Eros and Phileo. Agape love is the God-kind of love. This kind of love will continue to love in spite of any negative situation. Phileo love refers to brotherly love. If you hear someone say, “I really love my friend John,” he is probably referring to phileo love. However, it is usual to think of eros love (the physical love of passion) when a man says, “I love you” or “I want to make love to you.”

Agape refers to the God-kind of love. The God-kind of love is the love that loves someone unconditionally. Agape is what you find in John 3:16, “For God so loved (agape) the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish …” However, you will notice that all three kinds of love are translated “love”, in our English Bibles.

The Names of God

Different names are used for the Lord in the Bible. He introduced Himself differently to Abraham and Jacob. And He used another name when He introduced Himself to David. All through the Scriptures God uses different names as He appears to different people.

Elohim

In the very beginning of the Bible, God’s name is mentioned repeatedly. The name of God that is used in Genesis Chapter One is “Elohim”. Elohim describes God as the Creator. Creativity is an aspect of God’s character. Man’s creative ability is from God. The power of invention is God-given. When man was created in the image of God, he was also blessed with God’s creative nature. The creation story therefore reveals God’s creative nature.

El Shaddai

Later on in the Bible, we see God introducing Himself to Abraham.

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the ALMIGHTY GOD; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Genesis 17:1

The name of God used in this Scripture is “El Shaddai”. El Shaddai means “the mighty one with a lot of breasts”, or “the mighty breasted one”. You see, the breast meets every need of the baby. It is the baby’s cereal, milk, porridge and drinking water. A baby on breast milk does not need to take in anything else. So when God introduced Himself to Abraham as El Shaddai, He was saying that, “I’m the Almighty one who has everything that you would ever need.” I see God giving you all that you will ever need!

Ehayeh Asher Ehayeh

Later, God confirms the name “Jehovah”, the Hebrew “YHWH”, which is the equivalent of “I am”, the promise-keeper, to Moses.

And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

Exodus 6:2-3

His name “Jehovah” is combined with other words to reveal the many aspects ofHis promise-keeping nature and the different ways He fulfils His promises.

At another time, we see God revealing Himself to Moses in a different way. He described Himself as, “I am that I am,” which in Hebrew is “Ehayeh Asher Ehayeh”.

And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Exodus 3: 13, 14

“I am that I am” means “the God who is existing”. But it also means “the Lord who keeps promises”. God was going to bring Moses and the Israelites into the Promised Land and He was telling him, “I’m the God who keeps covenants and makes agreements. I don’t break my agreements.”

We see God therefore in the Scriptures, introducing Himself in different ways as different situations came up.

I am teaching about how God introduced Himself as Jehovah Rophe: God the doctor, God the specialist and God who heals the sick.

Chapter 12

I Am the Lord That Healeth Thee

…if thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: FOR I AM THE LORD THAT HEALETH THEE.

Exodus 15:26

When God saved his people Israel from Egypt, He introduced Himself to them in this verse as “the Lord that healeth thee”. The Hebrew words for the phrase “God that healeth thee,” are “Jehovah Rophe.”

The name “Jehovah Rophe” means, “the Lord your doctor’, ‘the Lord your physician”, or “the Lord your healer”. So you could use these three words to describe God as “the Lord your doctor, your physician or your healer”.

When God introduced Himself here in Exodus, He was saying, “Let me show you a new aspect of myself; let me show you another side of my nature. I am Jehovah the physician, a specialist.” He is the Lord your healer and your specialist! I want you to know that you can experience God’s healing in your life if you want to.

When we talk of healing, most of us begin to think of physical ailments only. However, there are many areas in our lives that need healing. God wants to heal our very lives. He wants to come into our lives as Jehovah the specialist.

My dear friend, you must believe that the ability to be alive is from the Lord. As a doctor I’ve been to many hospitals and mortuaries. The last time I was in a mortuary for a post mortem, there were about eight people there. There were four adults and four children. There was also a little child who was just about four years old. If you find yourself alive, you should know that it is God who has allowed you to be here.

The breath in you, my brother, is from the Lord. It is God who keeps you from getting sick. He said He would prevent the diseases that are on the Egyptians, from coming to you. This means that the fact that you don’t get a particular disease means that Jehovah Rophe, the Lord that healeth thee, has prevented you from getting that disease.

You may have seen a thousand people die but God is telling you to believe in him for a miracle of long life because He is the Lord God that healeth thee. Let your heart be fixed on him. Trust in him. For He is Jehovah Rophe. “I am the Lord that healeth thee.”

Chapter 13

Jehovah Rophe

In this chapter, I would like to explain to you in detail the meaning of Jehovah Rophe. What does “Rophe” mean? “Rophe” is a Hebrew word that means “to heal”, or “to repair”.

1.“Rophe” means “to heal.”

“To heal”, means “to become or make something healthy again”, “to cure somebody who is ill”, “to make someone feel happy again”, “to put an end to something or make something easier to bear.”

That is the meaning of Rophe. It means “to heal and to restore health.” Most of us only know of common diseases like malaria or flu. There are many aspects of healing which go beyond having a physical disorder. In fact many diseases have no physical cure, especially diseases that have to do with the mind and the emotions. God is able to heal the complex burdens of the human race.

As you can see, “to heal” also means, “to make someone feel happy again”. It also means to make something easier to bear. This amazing dictionary definition of the word “to heal” opens up many new dimensions to the healing ministry.

2.“Rophe” means “to repair.”

“To repair”, means “to mend something that is broken, damaged or torn”; it also means “to say or do something in order to improve a bad or unpleasant situation”.

When God revealed Himself as Jehovah Rophe, He was saying that “I am the Lord that repairs”. You sometimes regret some of your actions. You wish that things hadn’t happened the way they did. But God is introducing Himself as the one who can repair. God desires to repair his damaged and blotched handiwork. He wants to repair broken men and restore them. This is because men are the crowning glory of His work. God has pledged to repair completely the Earth and all His creation. He will indeed improve this bad situation.

3.“Rophe” means “to restore.”

“To restore”, means “to bring back a situation or a feeling that existed before” or “to bring something back to a former condition, place or position”.

When God manifests as Jehovah Rophe, He is bringing back a feeling and a state of well-being that existed before.

4.“Rophe” means “to mend.”

“To mend”, means “to repair something that has been damaged or broken so that it can be used again”, or “to improve in health after being sick”.

God is repairing your life so that you can be used again for His glory. God is repairing your broken life and your damaged relationships so that His glory will be manifested fully in your life.

5.“Rophe” means “to fix.”

“To fix”, means “to repair or correct something”.

Jehovah Rophe means, “I’m the Lord that mends every situation and the Lord that fixes things”. Many of us have situations in our lives that need some fixing and adjustments. God introduces things in our lives to adjust and correct certain things that have made you go in a certain way. He makes adjustments. He restores things and brings you a great blessing.

I see the Lord correcting every crooked situation in your life.

6.“Rophe” means “to cure.”

“To cure”, means “to make someone healthy again after an illness”, and “to make an illness go away”. It also means, “to deal with a problem successfully”, or “to stop somebody from behaving in a particular way, especially in a way that is bad”.

God is in the process of making you healthy again. God is the one who has the power to make an illness go away and to deal with your problem successfully.

Chapter 14

The Healing Plan

Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.

Jeremiah 17:14

The human being is a very special creature. After creating the Heavens and the Earth, God created the crowning jewel of His handiwork––man. You need only to study a little anatomy, physiology or biochemistry to understand the awesomeness of God’s creation.

There are so many bio-chemical reactions and cycles that go on in the human body all the time. The body is filled with many chemical compounds, hormones and enzymes, which are constantly involved in amazing reactions.

I always remember the first time I saw a woman delivering a baby. I marvelled at how God had designed the human body to bring forth children. It is both fantastic and miraculous. Man is indeed God’s best creation.

When Sin Entered

God put man in the Garden of Eden because of His love for the best of His creation. Unfortunately, things went the wrong way. Adam sinned and God had to apply His divine rules against Adam. This is because He is a just God who applies rules fairly and equally to all.

This is unlike the justice of men that is often hypocritical and partial. Primitive governments apply the rules, laws and institutions of justice only to their enemies. The police and the military are agents who carry out the personal wishes of the ruler of the day.

In my country, as well as in many other nations, there are people who would not be in prison if another government were in power. There are prisoners in jails everywhere who are praying for a change of government. They know that a new government will apply the laws differently and free them from prison. This is why many developing nations have little or no confidence in the courts of law.

God, however, is a just God who applied the rules even to His own dear creation. He said to them, “Now that you have crossed the line you can’t stay here; you have to go out.” Consequently, Adam had to leave the beautiful garden that God had made for him. As a result of the sin of disobedience, much of the Earth was destroyed and is still being destroyed. This Earth will eventually be totally destroyed and be replaced with a new Heaven and a new Earth!

When sin entered into the lives of Adam and Eve, many changes took place. The first thing that man noticed was his nakedness. They had not noticed this before. Adam, now sent out of the garden, found himself at the mercy of the elements.

With sin now in their lives, death was at work in their bodies. People, who would never have grown old, began to grow old. Eyes, which would never have faded, began to fade. People, who would never have died, had to die. We would have lived forever! They decided to make some clothes for themselves. When the Lord came along, He saw that His creation had made clothes with leaves and He knew that these clothes would not last long. The Lord therefore helped His creation by finding some skin to clothe them. This was God’s first step to helping fallen mankind help himself. He has been helping ever since. The wisdom to create and discover medicine is part of God’s grace to help mankind. Every medical discovery is part of God’s plan to somehow rescue man from his own ways.

Christ the Redeemer

Throughout the ages God prepared a plan to redeem and rescue his creation. This plan is summed up in Christ the Redeemer. There were many predictions in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah who would heal and deliver. The coming of Christ to this Earth was predicted long in advance. This is one thing that separates Jesus from leaders of all other religions. His coming was predicted. The prophets detailed His purpose, His life and His death long before He arrived.

Isaiah predicted that there would be someone who would take up our sorrows, our grief’s and the chastisement of our peace. He foretold that someone would come to take away the things that disturb our peace of mind in this life. This person would take up our sicknesses and bring us healing through his stripes.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Isaiah 53:4

God has expressed in his Word over and over again, his heart’s desire to heal his creation. He is very concerned with the repairing of his creation, which is and has been, lost to the devil.

… If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am THE LORD THAT HEALETH THEE.

Exodus 15:26

I want you to know that long ago, God introduced Himself as “Jehovah the specialist doctor”. He is revealing Himself to you as Jehovah the cardiologist, the paediatrician, the gynaecologist and Jehovah the physician specialist. The Lord is your surgeon.

Today, God is introducing Himself to you as Jehovah your doctor. He is whatever type of doctor you need. If you need a surgeon, He is a surgeon. If you need a physician, He is a physician. The Bible says, “I am the Lord that healeth thee.” God has always been concerned about healing and restoring His people.

When Jesus Christ came into the world, He went about doing good and healing all that were sick. He cleansed the lepers, made the lame to walk and opened blind eyes. He healed all that were oppressed of the devil.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth WITH THE HOLY GHOST AND WITH POWER: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Acts 10:38

Jesus’ surname was not Christ. Many people think that Jesus’ father and mother were called Joseph and Mary Christ. Jesus was Jesus, without the name “Christ” when He started out in ministry. However, His reputation for healing became so strong that after a while, people began to associate Him closely with the anointing. That was why they referred to Him as “Jesus Christ” or “Jesus, the Anointed One”.

Thank God that every time the church drifts away, God brings us back to the truth. God is leading me to preach and teach about the healing anointing. 38.5% of all the narrative verses in the Gospels, talk about the healing miracles of Jesus Christ. Virtually 40% of all that Jesus did, had to do with healing. Healing is therefore not a side issue or a secondary subject in the Bible. It is not something that is supposed to be an afterthought. It is a main and central theme of the gospel.

God is a healer. Jesus is a healer. God introduces Himself as “Jehovah Rophe” and Jesus came along with the anointing of the Holy Ghost to heal. Somebody may say we don’t need healing. But that is not true. We need healing more than we need anything else. The devil has done so many things that have twisted our lives into a ball of confusion, hurt, pain and disease. But God wants to repair our lives and bring them back to a certain road of well-being.

Some of us need our personalities to be repaired. Some of us need our hearts to be healed. Others need their bodies to be healed. We need to preach about healing because healing is a major part of the gospel. Without it, the Church is not the Church. It is something else. Remember, that when John sent to ask Jesus whether He was the Messiah, He told them to describe the miracles they saw to John.

And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.

Luke 7:19, 22

All pastors should be able to say, “Go and tell them that the blind are seeing, the deaf are hearing, and the lepers are being cleansed. That is the sign that authenticates the genuineness of the calling of God.

I spoke to a woman who had attended a meeting conducted by the Prophet Braham, a great man of God.

When it was her turn in the healing line, she stood in front of him and he ministered to her. She told me how she heard a sound like the purring of an engine by the side of the prophet as he ministered to her. The prophet often spoke of the presence of an angel as he ministered.

The prophet said to her, “You couldn’t have a child, go home and have your baby.” She went home and she had the child. She had been married for years and had been unable to have a child.

A year later, she gave birth to that child. And that is the only child she ever had. There is real power available for miracles and healings!

Chapter 15

Divine Healing

Divine healing is the healing that comes from God. This is in contrast to the healing that man engineers for himself. With our limited minds, we can see only sections of the problems of the human race. Many people do not appreciate the complex problems of the human race. There are several situations in our lives that need the touch of God. What is God trying to heal? What is He repairing and fixing? Divine healing covers all the aspects of healing. The following is a short list of some of the aspects of divine healing.

1.Divine healing affects birth defects and genetic disorders.

And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

John 9:1-2

There are many illnesses we fight which are simply inherited from our fathers. For instance, diseases like hypertension, diabetes, asthma, sickle cell disease, mental disorders, mental retardation etc. are received effortlessly by children from their fathers and mothers. Through no fault of theirs, people wake up to the realities that they have inherited conditions and illnesses that they did not contribute to. In the ministry of Jesus, you find healings of conditions that were from birth.

God’s power of healing can save you from inherited illnesses.

2.Divine healing affects emotional illnesses.

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,

Luke 4:18

Surprisingly, Jesus’ reference to healing in this Scripture is not about healing heart failure (congestive cardiac failure) or heart attacks (cardiac arrest). Jesus’ healing ministry specifically mentioned the healing of the broken-hearted. The broken-hearted are people with emotional problems. To have a broken heart is to suffer from deep disappointment. To have a broken heart is to have a devastating experience that leaves a person without hope, faith or love. The Greek word for broken heart is “santribo” and it means “to be shattered”.

Our lives are full of shattered dreams and hopes. Christ came into the world to save men from their shattered dreams and aspirations.

He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

Psalm 147:3

What does it mean to have a broken heart? Broken hearts result from disappointments. Sometimes a man promises to marry a lady but disappoints her. This man may end up marrying someone else. Many ladies are devastated by the twists and turns of unfaithful and lying men.

What you hoped would never happen is what has happened. God is healing any disappointment you have. He is repairing your heart. He is healing all disappointments.

Sometimes you apply for a job and get interviewed. It seems as if you were just about to get the job but for some reason you were not able to get it. If you allow God to heal your disappointment, you will one day look back and thank God for taking you through.

He is also healing the hearts of all those who have lost their positions in life. Sometimes you lose a position in life and this affects your finances, your comforts and the quality of your family life. God is healing the hearts of such people.

I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

Psalm 41:4

Sin has an effect on our spiritual well being. Sin affects your soul. All of us have sinned at one time or the other. There are some people who can’t sleep because of their sins. God brings healing for all your mistakes.

God heals all our diseases and now He is saying that He is going to heal your soul. He’s going to heal your inner man. Some of us are emotionally disturbed. Some of us suffer from the disappointments of men. You cry out, “My soul, my soul, why art thou perturbed?” God is saying, “I am the one who will heal your innermost parts.”

Did you know that the psychiatrist is the doctor with fewest answers? Almost every mental patient is given something to make him calm down and sleep. The psychiatrists know very little about why these mental conditions develop. But God reaches to the innermost parts and brings about healing. Medicine cannot do it. But God has a way of healing that disappointment and restoring the soul.

He restoreth my soul…

Psalm 23:3

I remember meeting a man who said, “I’ll never trust another woman.” I asked him why, and he answered, “One day, I went out and came home unexpectedly in the middle of the night.” He said to me, “I found my wife in my bed with another man. Both of them were completely naked.” He told me, “I exercised self-control, but I could have killed them both. I drove them out of the house without their clothes and called the police.”

As I talked to this man, I realized that his heart was very disturbed. He could not relate normally to women anymore. He hated all women and had decided never to get married. There are many men like that. There are also many women who cannot relate normally to men because of what they’ve been through.

God can give you healing and change you on the inside. I’m a doctor myself. The medicines that psychiatrists give often only sedate the patient or improve their mood. But there is no real healing for the psychological and emotional problem. But God introduces Himself as a healer in the book of Exodus.

And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

Exodus 15:26

He said, “I am the Lord your doctor, the Lord your healer, the Lord your physician.” God is introducing Himself to you as a healer. Will you receive Him as your healer? Will you receive him as your doctor and as your physician? He will heal your soul. He is Jehovah Rophe.

3.Divine healing affects our behaviour.

And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

Mark 5:2-3

My psychiatry lecturer taught me that most people have some amount of abnormal behaviour. Sometimes people do not have full-blown manifestations of madness but there is some amount of abnormal behaviour in their lives. Today, a whole range of words and definitions have been developed in order to adequately describe the varied levels of behavioural dysfunction. Some people are said to be eccentric, which is a polite description of an odd, queer, off-centre, erratic and strange person.

One of the commonest problems is fear or paranoia. Many fearful people live abnormal lives because of various fears they constantly entertain. Others are depressed to varying degrees at different times. Some people suffer from rage disorders, sexual disorders, personality disorders, delusions, hallucinations, mania, and ultimately schizophrenia, which is full-blown madness. Most of us live between the ranges of normalcy and full-blown madness.

Divine healing tackles the full range of problems that afflict us. Through the Word of God, we are saved from behavioural patterns that were useless and self-destructive.

4.Divine healing cures us from the effects of death.

…but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

2 Corinthians 7:10

When tragedy strikes, there is a sense of uneasiness and fear that is difficult to shake off. There is a sinking feeling that is difficult to get rid of. The heart is sick and broken when a loved one is suddenly and tragically plucked away. Only God can heal the futility, depression and heartache that are associated with death. Many people do not recover from the death of a loved one. Some live in constant bitterness and depression for the rest of their lives. Indeed, only God can heal such feelings of hopelessness and uselessness.

5.Divine healing cures us from the effects of futility.

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 1:2

The uselessness of life is something that God takes away by his power and his anointing. Sometimes you look at life and ask what it’s all about. You find yourself struggling and unhappy. We often think that when you get certain things like cars, marriage etc. everything will be okay. However, every man will come to the same conclusion that Solomon did: vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Indeed all is vanity. Life on this Earth can be defined as building a series of sandcastles that are soon washed away. Have you ever wondered why rich western nations have the highest suicide rates? The emptiness and hollowness of riches stares them in the face and they know that Solomon was right. All is vanity. Many kill themselves because there is no meaning to this life.

God’s power heals us of the futility of this life.

6.He will permanently heal the nations of the world.

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were FOR THE HEALING OF THE NATIONS.

Revelation 22:1-2

Many nations need healing. Rwanda needs healing and so does Burundi. Sierra Leone needs healing. During the civil war in Sierra Leone, rebels cut off the hands of many civilians. Since the Liberian civil war over ten years ago, there is still no electricity in the capital city, Monrovia.

Nigeria is divided. Northern Nigeria has become an Islamic region. There is tension between the north, the south and the eastern parts of Nigeria.

It is not only poor African countries that need healing. The countries of Israel and Palestine for instance need healing. America is divided by colour: black and white. India and Pakistan fight constantly whilst many nations live with poverty, war and famine. Thank God that He has leaves that will heal these devastated nations. It is clear that no political, economic or military remedy can ever heal the nations of the world.

The Bible says the leaves will be shed to the nations to bring about a permanent healing.

Chapter 16

Healings and Manifestations

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

As a pastor and also as a doctor, I can tell you that we need the healing touch of God. As you come before the presence of the Lord, your heart must be open to receive healing for your diseases and ailments. I have seen many miracles of healing in my life and ministry. Just believe that you will receive these miracles in your life too.

Most people think there is healing power when they see manifestations of the Spirit. They only believe in the presence of the power of God when they see people fall and shake. The power of God works through faith.

Follow your faith. Healings do not depend on manifestations of the Spirit. Healing depends on your faith. Walk by faith, and do not link healing to the presence of manifestations of the Spirit.

I have had meetings where there were strong manifestations of the Spirit but no healings. Recently at one of our Camp Meetings, I ministered under a strong anointing. At a point, I was so tired that I had to sit down to pray for the people. The anointing was so strong that everybody who came forward to be prayed for just went down under the power. Soon, the area around my chair was littered with fallen bodies.

On another occasion, I remember a man who had had a stroke and was paralyzed on one side. I did not even know that he was in the church service. This man had actually lost his job because of his paralysis. The power of God was very strong at this miracle service. He was not even aware that the healing power of God was working in him. He just realized that he could move his leg and arm again when he waved at someone on his way home. The power of God moved his body. I want to tell you that Jesus is alive!

The Miracle Baby

I love to tell the story of a 31 year old lady who received a powerful miracle healing.

She got married in 1991, and had her first pregnancy in 1993 that turned out to be an ectopic pregnancy. She was operated upon and her right fallopian tube was cut off on the 1st of August 1993. She had a second pregnancy in 1994 that was also an ectopic pregnancy but this time on the left side. She was operated on and part of the left tube was cut off (the doctors tried to save a part of the tube). In 1995, she had a third ectopic pregnancy! She was operated on and the doctors still tried to save the tube. In the first week of August 1996, she had a fourth ectopic pregnancy and this time the rest of the left tube was taken off. Her doctor then told her that the only way she could have a child was by a test-tube baby or by adoption. Being a doctor, I would have given the same recommendation.

A year later, during a Miracle Service I held at the Grace Bible Church—Soweto, South Africa, God did a wonderful miracle for Patricia. During the ministration, I asked all those who were sick to place their hands where their illnesses were. Patricia placed her hand on her stomach. Her husband was not sitting with her at that time so he ran to her to make sure she was praying. He thought she would not pray about their situation because it looked so hopeless.

Patricia said, that she felt she was the only one being spoken to. She testified that when she placed her hand on her abdomen, she felt the power of God coming all over her. She said the sensation she felt was difficult to describe but she knew within herself at that moment, that God had touched her! The best description she could give of the healing power was a feeling of “sweet pain”.

After this healing experience, she went to see her gynaecologist (the leader of the team of doctors who operated on her), claiming that she was pregnant. She was driven away by the doctor who told her that she needed to see a psychiatrist! This doctor told her she was developing a mental problem because he knew it was not possible for her to get pregnant. But Patricia was so sure that she was pregnant, and she went to see other doctors. It was eventually proved that the impossible had happened: she was actually pregnant!

There is no medical explanation for this miracle because a woman cannot conceive normally if she does not have fallopian tubes.

When I returned to South Africa on the 26th of September, 1998 to hold another miracle service in the same church, an excited and overjoyed Patricia Haborone came up stage with her miracle baby, to give this testimony of what God had done for her. She named the child “Odirile”, which means—“He (God) has made it”!

You know, just like the woman with the issue of blood, Patricia felt something. It is possible to feel the power of God and the unction of God. Somebody might ask, “What is that feeling like?” It is very much like a normal feeling because it is a feeling.

The supernatural and the natural are almost the same. I was preaching about the supernatural power when Patricia felt the anointing. When some people feel the anointing, they dismiss it as something natural. I see God healing your barrenness and turning it into fertility. Believe it and receive it in Jesus’ name.

Hear the voice of the Spirit ringing in your heart and telling you that you are no longer barren but now you are bearing a child. He is telling you that your rivers have been healed so that you can be fruitful. Just receive it and take it as your own because God is doing it for you. God is healing your finances right now. Poverty is being replaced by dignity. Your dignity is being restored in Jesus’ name.

God is bringing you honour. He is fixing for you what has been spoilt all these years. God is repairing the waters of your life and the rivers of your home. Thank God for the healing anointing.

Chapter 17

Why God Does Miracles In the Church Today

Nine Reasons Why God Does Miracles in the Church Today

1.God heals so that his glory is revealed.

When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

John 11:4

2.God heals so that his works will be manifested.

Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

John 9:3

3.God heals to confirm the preaching of his Word.

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. And these signs shall follow them that believe … they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Mark 16: 15, 17, 18

4.God heals in order to help people believe in him.

Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.

John 14:11

5.God does healing miracles in order to help people repent and change their ways.

Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

Matthew 11:20

6.God does miracles to authenticate his servants.

Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

Acts 2:22

Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.

John 10:25

7.God does miracles in order to destroy the works of the devil.

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3:8

8.God does miracles to announce the arrival of the Kingdom of God.

And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Matthew 10:7-8

9.God does miracles so that more people will attend church and follow his servants.

And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

John 6:2

Chapter 18

Why God Does Not Bother to Heal Everyone

Six Reasons Why God Does Not Bother to Make Everyone Believe through Miracles

1. Many people believe in the Word of God even without seeing miracles.

Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

John 20:29

2.Some people (but not all) believe when they see miracles.

Then many (not all) of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.

John 11:45

3.Some people do not believe even when they see miracles.

But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

John 12:37

4.Some people even hate you after they see miracles.

If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

John 15:24

5.People require different catalysts to help them believe.

For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

1 Corinthians 1:22

6.The chosen method to bring salvation and repentance is preaching and not healing.

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

1 Corinthians 1:21

Chapter 19

Understanding Why Some Are Not Healed

There are some common misconceptions that exist about the healing ministry. Without understanding these, they will linger in our subconscious minds and influence our thinking.

God is not trying to make everybody believe through miracles.

It is true that God heals so that people will believe. But on the other hand, there are people who believe the Word of God without seeing anything.

Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

John 20:29

There are many people who don’t see any miracle but believe in God. But there are some people who have to see a sign before they believe. Maybe there are people who have to be on their deathbeds before they believe in God. Some people have to lose everything before they succumb to God’s love.

There are people who only get saved in prison. But you don’t have to wait for that. Blessed are those who have not seen any of these things but yet they believe.

The reality is that not everyone who sees miracles believes in God.

Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.

John 11:45-46

Only a few people believe in God when they see miracles. It would be nice if there were many more miracles but the fact is that miracles are only going to add a few more people to the faith. Some people do not believe no matter what they see. They can see the dead rise before their eyes and yet they will still not believe. Abraham told the rich man: “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31).

In fact, some people will hate you because of the miracles they see. There are some people who hate me because I preach the truth. Look at this Scripture:

Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet. But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.

These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him. Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

John 9:15-25

The miracle Jesus did, however, brought about a surprising division. You would have thought that a classic miracle that could not be disputed (the healing of a man born blind) would make everybody believe.

If God was trying to make everybody believe by miracles then He failed here. The fact is that no matter what God does, certain people will never believe. God is therefore not in a hurry to impress anyone. I know that there are people who will still not believe what I preach even if they see an angel appear by my side as I preach.

I heard of a man of God who had fire appear over his head in a halo when he was preaching. Do you think that everybody believed in his ministry? Certainly not. We must understand then that miracles or no miracles, the work of God still goes on Those who will believe will believe with or without the miracles.

That explains why one of the greatest evangelists of our time, Billy Graham, can preach to large crowds of people without any miracle occurring. The Bible says that people are saved by the foolishness of preaching and not by the stupefying nature of miracles.

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

1 Corinthians 1:21

Preaching Is God’s Method for Salvation

God has determined that people should be saved by preaching and not by miracles. Dear minister of God, keep on preaching; just keep on preaching! Evangelise and tell the truth because it is the method by which God has determined that people should be saved.

We have miracle services in my church. We see God doing miracles. We witness the power of God moving but we know that God is not trying to take away our common sense. We know that He is not trying to take away medicine. We know that He is not trying to displace doctors. Above all we know that He is not replacing the need for powerful preaching.

I believe that God has His reasons for healing. Decide today to allow preaching to affect you. Decide to believe the preaching of the Word.

And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Revelation 9:13-21

As you can see, the people in this Scripture refused to repent in spite of all that happened to them. God knows that people will not repent even when they see certain things. This is unfortunate but it’s real.

We need to believe the preaching of the Word when we hear it. We do not have to look for signs before we believe.I will never forget a certain man I visited on his deathbed. He was about forty years old. He told me that if God would give him a second chance, he would leave everything and serve him. But it was too late. The miracle healing power of God does not exist to eradicate sickness from this world.

Is God Trying to Eradicate Sicknesses from the World?

Some people think that God is trying to eradicate sickness from the world through preachers. God is not trying to remove the diseases of this world through anointed ministers. His anointed apostles and prophets are not agents for the eradication of all known illnesses. If that were so, then God has failed in his quest to do so. I want you to read this passage:

Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.

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. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

And all the people saw him walking and praising God: And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.

And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?

Acts 3:1-12

You will notice that this man had been laid at this Beautiful Gate of the temple for many years. The Bible says he had been lame from his mother’s womb. His family and relatives had carried him there many times to ask alms from those who entered the temple.

A few weeks earlier, Jesus Himself had been walking through this Beautiful Gate of the temple. He had preached in this temple many times. Why didn’t Jesus heal this man Himself? Why didn’t Jesus eradicate all diseases from Jerusalem? If God is trying to eradicate illnesses from the world, why did Jesus not wipe out all crippling diseases when He was here? Obviously, God does not seem to have that goal.

I have watched as many people go back from miracle services still sick. I remember watching a programme on CNN when Pastor Benny Hinn was being interviewed about people who do not get healed in his miracle services. There have been documentaries that are highly critical of Benny Hinn and Reinhard Bonnke. One of the chief criticisms is about the many people who remain unhealed at their services.

In London, there was even a demonstration by cripples against a famous healing evangelist. If all cripples were healed at his services, they would plead for prayer and not demonstrate against his ministry. This confusion comes about because we do not understand what God is doing and what He is not trying to do. That was Jesus’ explanation about why He healed only one man at the Pool of Bethesda.

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

John 5:19-20

Do not be disappointed when God does not heal everyone. Do not be angry with God when only one out of several sick people is healed. Jesus said, “I and my Father are one, and He that has seen me has seen the Father.”

…he that hath seen me hath seen the Father…

John 14:9

What we saw Jesus do reveals what the Father is doing. If you want to understand God, understand Jesus.

Jesus is not trying to heal everybody. But He is trying to save every soul. Jesus gave his life for the whole world. He invited everyone to Heaven. Your life on this Earth is very transient anyway.

The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16) Everlasting life does not depend on your kidney, liver, your blood, your skin, eye, brain or leg.

Jesus Himself walked on this Earth. He knew that there are many reasons why people are sick and there are many reasons why God heals. There are equally many reasons why God doesn’t heal. God is trying to give you everlasting life. Jesus came to give you everlasting life. He loves us very much and He does not want any of us to perish.

God is not trying to replace doctors, hospitals, or medicine.

Paul moved around with a doctor: Luke! There were also times that Paul instructed Timothy to do certain things for his health’s sake.

Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.

1 Timothy 5:23

Jesus did not close down the Bethesda Hospital. Neither did He say it wasn’t a necessary centre.

God Is Not against Medicine

Unfortunately, extreme faith teachings have given the impression that God is against medicine. They have left us with the impression that God would like to replace all medical personnel with pastors. They left us with a feeling that to take medicine was sinful or unspiritual

For instance, there was a time when many people were being healed through the faith revival. At that time, many ministers would not touch medicine. It was unheard of for a truly spiritual person to use medicine.

I heard of a church in which over forty-five people died because they refused to take medicine. There were little children who needed medication, but because of their parents’ belief in faith healing, they rejected all medicine for their children. Eventually, the pastor himself became ill but refused medication. By and by, he was brought to church in a wheel chair, still refusing medical help until he died.

This kind of thing throws the healing ministry into confusion. We all tend to move away from an area of confusion. This is why many have turned away from the healing ministry–– confusion. But there is real healing power. In spite of the confusion, you cannot discount the reality of God’s healing power.

The Power of God versus Medicine

There are reasons why we think the way we do now. In this book, I would like to help you to understand the place that the power of God and medicine have in your life. You will understand the place that common sense has in your life. God is not trying to replace hospitals and doctors with pastors and evangelists. God gave the wisdom for medical science. Both streams of healing are ordained of God and are not contrary to each other.

I cannot explain why divine healing takes place the way it does. I do not claim to know or understand everything. No one does! The Bible says the secret things belong to the Lord but those that are revealed belong to us.

The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 29:29

Again the Scriptures tell us that we look through a glass dimly. This means that when you look through a glass, you cannot see things clearly. It is not everything we know and we shouldn’t pretend to know everything because we do not. We definitely do not understand everything because we are looking through a glass.

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

1 Corinthians 13:12

Balance between Medical Science and God’s Power

All this does not mean that God doesn’t heal. He does heal and if you believe in him you will actually see people being healed. You will see miracles! You will witness the power of God in manifestation! We have to understand the balance between medical science and God’s power.

God does not want you to do away with common sense.

In the book of Genesis, chapter 3, we read the account of Adam and Eve and how they fell into sin. Adam and Eve found out that they were naked. The Lord decided to help them because you could get sick from being unclothed. Diseases like pneumonia, common colds, skin diseases all come from being inadequately clothed. God began to show them how to look after themselves. He gave them wisdom and showed them how to use skin to make clothes for themselves. That was the first thing that He did when He realized that man had fallen to the mercy of the elements. He knew that man was now going to be subject to diseases, sicknesses, and all sorts of things that were not there before the fall.

Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Genesis 3:21

Power and Wisdom

The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the power and the wisdom of God.

But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1: 24

Jesus Christ was not just powerful. When you become a Christian, Jesus comes to help you by being the power and the wisdom of God in your life. Christians become unbalanced when they just take the power of God and leave out the wisdom. You need both the power and the wisdom, if you want to make it in this life. Medical science can transplant hearts today and solve many problems. Many children would be dead from various diseases like malaria, convulsions, and measles if there were no medicines.

God has given us the wisdom to think and to have common sense. One time, Jesus told his disciples to go aside and rest awhile. He told them to rest.

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

Mark 6:31

Why did Jesus tell his disciples to rest? There are many diseases that come from not resting. My wife is always suggesting that I rest. It is common sense to rest when you need to. Jesus ministered to the sick but He did sensible and practical things too.

Chapter 20

Understanding Why Some Are Healed

1.God heals so that his glory is manifested.

When Jesus heard that, he said, THIS SICKNESS IS NOT UNTO DEATH, BUT FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

John 11:4

This verse shows that God heals for his glory to be revealed. When we have miracles in the church, it is because God wants us to get glimpses of his glory. He wants us to see his power. He wants to show us that He is the Almighty God and that there is no problem too big for Him to solve.

2.God heals so that the works of God might be made manifest.

Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: BUT THAT THE WORKS OF GOD SHOULD BE MADE MANIFEST IN HIM.

John 9:3

Sometimes the problems we have are going to lead to the greatest blessings in our lives. God is going to use that thing to bring a great miracle into your life. I see that miracle coming into your life! God wants to make manifest His works; He wants to do His work.

3.God does miracles to confirm His Word.

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 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. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, THE LORD WORKING WITH THEM, AND CONFIRMING THE WORD WITH SIGNS FOLLOWING. AMEN.

Mark 16:17-20

God heals to confirm the Word of God that has been preached. Miracles have a primary function of confirming the preaching of the Word of God. This is different from eradicating all the diseases in the community. Confirming and affirming a sermon preached by a pastor is quite different from eradicating polio, measles or small pox from a community.

4.God does miracles to help some people to believe.

If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

John 10:37-38

Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.

John 14:11

Some people just want to see a miracle so that they can believe. Such people just need a miracle. When they see the works they are utterly and completely convinced about the truth of the Word.

5.God does miracles to show approval of His servants.

God does miracles, signs and wonders to show his approval of the person who is preaching. God is not trying to make pastors into doctors. He is not trying to use the evangelist to eradicate malaria, sickle cell disease, hypertension, and diabetes from the entire community. He does miracles to show his approval of his servants. These miracles therefore have specific functions. God is expressing his approval of his servants.

Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, A MAN APPROVED OF GOD AMONG YOU BY MIRACLES AND WONDERS AND SIGNS, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

Acts 2:22

How did God approve of Jesus Christ of Nazareth? He approved of him by miracles, wonders and signs. That is the way God approves of his servant.

I’ve been at places, where I have seen God approve of me with signs and wonders. I remember once I was at a place preaching when I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit in my ear. He said to me, “Today, I will honour you.” The Lord did such wonderful miracles at this place. He did this because people who did not really honour me surrounded me.

All ministers of God are sometimes invited to churches where they are honoured. Sometimes an invitation is just a formality from someone who thinks he must invite you back. They may not really believe in you or like you. They may not approve of your ministry. But God can honour his servant with miracles.

Jesus preached the Word. He said He was the Bread of Life, The Way, The Truth and The Life. God approved of Him and showed that He was speaking the truth by performing signs and wonders.

This also explains why people fall under the power. It is a sign. People love miracles. People love a display of power. The display of power shows God’s approval of the man of God. They know he can shout out a sermon but it is not that easy to conjure a miracle.

6.The Lord destroys the works of the Devil.

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3:8

You need to understand that there is a devil that rules this world. This is obvious when you look at the chaos in the world: the dictators that are imposed on different nations, the wickedness that is manifested, the inequalities that exist in the society, the starvation, the hunger, the sickness, the diseases and the sufferings of many people prove that the overall ruler is a very wicked person. The Bible calls him the “god of this world”.

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

2 Corinthians 4:4

Is it not true that you judge the type of leader in a nation by the things that go on in the nation? There is a song we used to sing:

He’s got the whole world in his hands

He’s got the whole wide world in his hands

He’s got the whole world in his hands

He’s got the whole world in his hands

The words of this song cannot be true because the Bible clearly says that Satan is the god of this world. The devil said that the kingdoms of this world had been handed over to him:

And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

Luke 4:5-7

Some of the kingdoms in this world are Ghana, England, America, Iran, Kosovo, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Israel, Nigeria, Liberia, Cameroon, Angola, and India. The devil showed Jesus some of these kingdoms. Jesus refused to bow to the devil and so He was not given the control of the nations of the world. They stayed within the hands and the clutches of the devil.

God is Almighty and reigns over all things. However, the devil is the one that controls this earthly world now. He said He could give it to whomsoever He would. This is why Germany for instance, may be developed but there is also a lot of unhappiness among the people. Switzerland may have a lot of money but there is a lot of pain, sorrow and depression there.

Of course we know that one day “the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and He shall reign forever and ever, (Revelation 11:15).

The devil is the one ruling the world today. He causes the diseases and the sicknesses in this world. Jesus cast out devils from many of the people that He healed. So many problems are caused by the devil. Until you get to the root of the problem you often do not get them solved.

This is why Jesus is in the healing business. This is why we believe in healing. We can never stop believing in healing. I have seen many miracles in my ministry.

I want to encourage you to believe in miracles because miracles are real and I see miracles happening to you right now! Jesus is the Sun of righteousness with healing in His wings.

Chapter 21

Don’t Deny the Power

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: 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.

James 5:14-15

The Bible teaches us in these verses what to do when we need healing. This verse teaches that God has the power to heal our sicknesses. Unfortunately, there are some people and some churches, who do not accept, recognize, preach about or mention the power of God. There are many good ministers who would talk about good Christian virtues like love, patience etc. but do not go on to talk about the power of God.

The Bible has warned that in the last days there will be some people who will have godliness but without power.

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS, BUT DENYING THE POWER THEREOF: from such turn away.

2 Timothy 3:1-5

According to this Scripture, those who deny the power of God can be godly. Such people will preach about the love of God and will extol Christian virtues but be silent about the power of God.

Cut out the Miracles?

I believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is real. May I make a suggestion? Take a pair of scissors and cut out all the pages and parts of the Bible that talk about miracles. You will find out that you are left with virtually nothing. The pages of the Bible are replete with miracles. God is a God of miracles and power. You cannot separate the service of God from His power.

In this modern age, people have gradually moved away from the power side of God. People have withdrawn and become more sceptical. As people have become more and more educated, they have moved away from the supernatural.

Unfortunately, people who believe in miracles are seen as weird and unbalanced. Some have taught that it is poverty and backwardness that make people believe in supernatural power.

Because medical science is so advanced, many have thought subconsciously that miracles are no longer needed. Most Christians do not call for the pastor to lay hands on them or to anoint them with oil when they are sick. We more naturally go to see a doctor.

God is not against medicine. Neither is he against common sense. God is fully aware of the development of medical science and common sense. But He is the same yesterday, today and forever. That means that He is still a healing Jesus, ready and capable of much miraculous power demonstration.

Chapter 22

Healing: A Special Gift

Many of us do not realize the link between the temptation of Jesus Christ and the preaching of His first message in the synagogue when He said that the spirit of the Lord was upon Him.

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,

Luke 4:18

When Jesus was taken up to the high mountain, He was shown all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. In other words, the devil gave Him a vision. Now, Jesus had come to this world to save us and to rescue humanity. He was planning to reach everyone. But in a moment of time, the devil showed Him all that He was coming to suffer for. The devil said: “Listen, let’s make a deal. I will give everything to you right now. You can have it all now. There is a quicker, shorter and simpler way. You do not have to go through all the struggles you have to go through with the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Jesus saw an opportunity to win the whole world but He turned it down. When He came out of that temptation and went to church, Jesus began to preach. His first message was, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me.” Jesus was announcing that He was going to accomplish the work He had to do (salvation of the world) by the power of the Spirit of the Lord that was upon Him. Jesus was saying that He could accomplish what He had to accomplish without bowing to the devil and without going in another way. He said that God had anointed Him to heal the broken-hearted.

Different Kinds of Anointing

There are different kinds of anointing. There is an anointing for healing. The healing anointing is peculiar to the New Testament. It is a special anointing that God has available for His church. The healing anointing is a peculiar anointing made available to His church.

Many people think that the Old and the New Testaments have many miracles. However, a closer look at the Old Testament will reveal very few healing miracles.

The miracles of the Old Testament had to do with the preservation of the nation of Israel.Of all the prophets, Elisha was one of the few who ever ministered to someone who was sick. In the book of Genesis, chapter 20, Abraham also prayed for Abimelech to receive healing under some special circumstances. The rest of them did mainly miracles that had to do with the preservation in time of war. Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Elijah never ministered healing to anyone. Isaiah and Jeremiah came around preaching and teaching. Healing did not occur in their ministries.

Healing: A Sign to John the Baptist

The whole Bible is supernatural but when we speak of healing, we speak of the Christ. When John the Baptist sent a message to Jesus asking if he was the Messiah, Jesus sent back a message saying that the blind were seeing, the deaf were hearing and the dumb were speaking. He said that lepers were being cleansed, and the dead were being raised. He knew that John the Baptist would understand that the healings were the sign of Christ. He knew that when that message was delivered to John the Baptist, he would know that a new era had begun. The sign of the Messiah was clear.

The Old Testament ministers predicted the healing anointing on Jesus but none of them actually ministered healing. That is why Jesus announced that he had been anointed by the Spirit of God to preach and to heal.

Healing: The Closing Prophecy of the Old Testament

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings;

Malachi 4:2

The Old Testament closed with a prediction of healing. The prophet Malachi saw hundreds of years into the future and predicted that there would arise the Sun of righteousness who would be the light of the world. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” But how would we know who the real Messiah was? The prophet said He would have healing in his wings! Is it any wonder to you that the main characteristic of Jesus’ ministry was healing?

Chapter 23

The Healing Anointing Is Our Only Chance

The healing anointing is our only chance to reach the world for Jesus Christ. It is our only chance to reach every kindred, nation and people for the Kingdom. It is the opportunity for ministers to accomplish what God has called them for.

It was available for the twelve disciples and for the seventy people that Jesus sent out. It is still available for all of us through the Great Commission. It is for all of us if we will begin to know and realize what God has given to us.

1.The healing anointing is God’s strategy and method for reaching the world for Christ.

Once, when election results were released from the different regions of my country, I realized how many millions of souls lived in remote regions. God’s heart is bleeding for lost souls. There is no need for us to bow to political pressure to provide social services for the nation. It is not the provision of social services like schools and universities that make us useful to the nation.

The church is a special institution anointed by God with special power and anointing. By that power and anointing, we will be able to do what God has called us to do. He has chosen preaching, teaching and healing as His method for reaching lost humanity.

2.The healing anointing is the opportunity for the Church of God to come out of obscurity.

Jesus was brought up in an insignificant carpenter’s home, but God gave Him something special. What would bring Jesus out of obscurity? What would make anyone listen to His message? What could Jesus do without modern methods of advertisement? The healing anointing is what brought Jesus out of obscurity.

The healing anointing is our chance to rise out of obscurity. Jesus never wrote a book, travelled in a car, took a train or plane but he became famous. The Bible says that, “His fame spread abroad, and the whole city gathered at his door” (Mark. 1:33). If we want the cities of this world to gather at the door of our crusades, then we need the healing anointing. If we want the cities of this world to gather in our churches, then the healing anointing is that key. The healing anointing will bring the whole city to our door so that we can tell them about Jesus Christ.

3.The healing anointing brings healing to the broken-hearted.

Jesus said that He was anointed to heal the broken-hearted. There is more to having a broken heart than breaking up with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Broken hearts are caused by disappointments in general. Many people have been surprised by what life has brought them. People live as though everything is okay but they are bleeding, disappointed and hurting inside.

Many of man’s problems cannot be cured by drugs, or by the psychologist or by the psychiatrist. Many people need a touch from God to give them hope. God is in the business of coming into your life to heal your broken heart. He is ready to lift you from where you are and take you forward!

Many politicians wonder why people keep coming to church because they think that the pastors are just taking money from the masses. They wonder why the people do not see through the supposed deception. You see, the problems that people have are often not apparent. People are smiling on the outside but are crying on the inside. Those who criticize the church don’t know what the church does for people.

I remember watching an interview of a famous healing evangelist on television. He was asked many questions about his salary, his house and his car. The talk show host was trying to make him look foolish.

Then they opened the phone lines and a gentleman called in to be prayed for. Suddenly the atmosphere changed. The caller had cancer and was dying. He wanted the evangelist to pray for him. All the cynical questions that the host had asked meant nothing now. The television host was faced with a desperate, weepy caller who urgently needed help. Only the evangelist could offer that help. The relevance of the evangelist’s ministry was obvious to all. More people kept calling and asking for prayer for their pathetic and often hopeless conditions.

People have needs and the healing anointing will meet those needs.

4.The healing anointing is our chance to be relevant.

“To be relevant”, means “to be important”. We become relevant to the world when the healing anointing is in operation. It is when the broken-hearted are restored and the poor have the good news preached to them that we become relevant. Evil spirits torment people and bring fear into their lives. The healing anointing will deliver people from evil spirits.

Many African nations are ruled by fear and superstition. Through the healing anointing, the curses are broken and healing comes. Many tribes in Africa understand supernatural power. If you have the healing anointing, you can stand before natives who dabble in evil supernatural power and challenge them. However, if you just have a little Sunday school sermon, you will be no match for the witches and wizards of our time.

There is so much superstition in Africa. There are rivers where fishing is not allowed and dams cannot be built because of the belief in the presence of gods. Sometimes people are not even allowed to fetch water from these rivers. People are afraid of so many different things. Sometimes out of superstition, we fear to put on certain clothes at certain times. You cannot put streetlights on certain roads because of the presence of gods who supposedly inhabit these roads People are afraid to use certain roads at certain times. They are afraid to turn off the lights. People are sometimes afraid to travel on Fridays. There is a kind of superstition surrounding travelling on the 13th of any particular month. If the 13th falls on a Friday, it makes it worse. Even airlines are aware of this. There is no seat number thirteen in many aircrafts. There is no thirteenth floor in many apartment buildings.

One day, I was travelling on an aircraft. We had a rough landing and the pilot apologized for that and explained that the reason for the rough landing was because it was Friday, the 13th. Many people live in fear.

The church becomes relevant when it has something to offer. We become relevant when we have the answers to people’s needs. No government can offer what the church offers through the power of the Holy Spirit. No politician can give what the church gives. Neither teachers nor medical doctors can give what the church gives.

Only God can heal our broken hearts and save us. Every part of the world needs the healing anointing.

Our relevance as a church does not come about by starting schools or universities. The government is the one supposed to provide education. When the church does provide education, it must be seen as assistance that we give to the nation. The salvation of mankind is provided through the cross of Jesus Christ.

We have been charged with the Great Commission. No other institution has been charged with this Great Commission. Our relevance comes from preaching and teaching about Jesus. Our relevance comes from healing the sick. It comes from casting out devils.

5.The healing anointing will set the captives free.

People are possessed with devils. One day, I saw a friend of mine who was high on drugs. I just felt so sad. These problems cannot be solved except for the healing anointing. It is the only thing that can deliver people from drugs, alcohol, and immorality. Many people are bound. They can’t be free. The healing anointing will set people free from everything that keeps them in bondage.

The healing anointing will bring children to a woman. What a woman goes through when she cannot have a child is agonizing.

I happened to watch a documentary in which a snake was inserted into a woman as a treatment for infertility. She had been to see a fetish priest for help and this is the kind of help they had offered her to enable her to have a child.

I said to myself, “The difficulties that the problems of infertility bring are beyond comprehension.” We are all so afraid of snakes that we do not even want to go near them when they are caged. We all have goose pimples when we even see a snake on television. To see a woman willingly permit a snake to be inserted into her body in order to have a baby, shows the extent of her need.

People have asked me why I left the medical profession to preach. They wonder if I am doing anything important as a preacher. What I do today is far more important than practising medicine full time. If Jesus could have helped the world better through medicine, He would have been a doctor. But he was a preacher and that should tell you something.

Jesus announced that He had come to set at liberty them that were bruised. A bruised person is someone who is hurt. Life is full of pain, hurt and disappointments, and Jesus’ healing anointing is to heal the hurt and the bruised.

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,

Luke 4:18

In the Old Testament, Elisha went to heal the waters of a town because there was something wrong with the water.

And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.

2 Kings 2:19-22

Water defines your living conditions. When God heals your waters, He is meeting the basic needs of your life.

God is showing you that there are many needy people in this world. There are people who have no treatment for their sicknesses. In poor African countries, some women deliver their babies under trees. This is why we are anointed to preach the gospel to the poor.

The poor of this world far outnumber the rich. God is extending our hearts to the poor. You cannot go to the poor of this world and talk to them unless you have some good news. They want to know how the gospel will practically affect their lives. How can they understand the doctrines of the gospel with all their problems, their sicknesses and their extreme poverty?

We need to pray for more miracles. Our hearts must desire more miracles; otherwise, we will continue to stay in our little corners having a good time while the masses go to Hell.

6.We need the healing anointing because it is our only chance to be really healed.

Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.

Jeremiah 17: 14

The healing methods of man are greatly deficient.

The fact that God heals does not mean that He does not approve of medical science. God is not against medicine. In fact, the intelligence that has been given to human beings to develop drugs by isolating chemicals is from God. He is the source of that gift. As a doctor, I believe in medical science. Thank God for medical science and for doctors.

We cannot do without them. They are a part of us and of our lives. However, God has more in store for us than medical science. He can do what medical science cannot do. He does things which medical science cannot do. Sometimes, he does things that medical science can do. We often don’t really know what God does. All we know is that he does good things.

I like telling the story of a man who was saved from an earthquake in San Francisco. He was interviewed after his earthquake experience. He had survived three days and nights during the earthquake, under the building and in the rubble. He was asked how he had been able to stay alive under the collapsed building for such a long time.

He replied, “I am a man of strong will power. When I determine to do something, nothing can stop me. I am able to stay on course. I don’t swerve to the left or to the right. I am a man of strong determination and will power and so I refused to die. I was determined to live and that is why I believe I stayed alive.”

His wife was interviewed as well. She said, “Well, I know my husband and I have been married to him for many years. He is a man of very strong will power. When he determines to do something, nothing can move him to the left or to the right. He is a firm man. He is a very determined person. He carries through his projects. He has a choleric personality. He moves forward. He is the type who does not waver in spite of adversities. I know my man. I’ve been married to him for twenty-seven years so I think when he determined he would live, he just stayed alive.”

This man’s doctor was interviewed as well. He was asked, “What do you have to say about your patient who has survived this amazing experience?” He answered, “Well, I know my patient; he is a man of very strong willpower. He has survived because will power is very important in a patient’s life. When a patient decides to die, he dies. When he decides to live, he lives.”

However, eight days later this man with the strong will power was struck with a heart attack. He died instantly. Then I asked myself, “Where was his will power?”

It is true that the tractors and bulldozers had been able to rescue and save him. The doctors had been able to resuscitate him in hospital but he was not really saved. It was just a few days more before everyone was able to see that he had not truly been saved or healed.

That is why we must turn our eyes to the Lord and say, “Heal me, oh Lord and I will be healed. Save me and I will be saved.” It is when the Lord stretches out his hand to heal you that you will be truly healed.

7.The healing anointing was the reason why Jesus did not bow to the Devil.

The devil offered Jesus a fast and easy way to obtain all that he wanted. But Jesus knew that He had something that would help Him save the whole world. That was the healing anointing. This is why He ignored the devil and totally refused Satan’s suggestion. He announced that He was anointed when he came out of His temptation:

The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me (or equipped me) to preach the gospel to the poor. He has equipped me to heal, to preach deliverance, to set the captives free, to set at liberty them that are bruised and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

Luke 4:19

Notice that Jesus always taught the Word of God. Remember that the Word of God is very important no matter how you minister to people. The Word of God must always be taught and spoken. That is why I preach and teach the Word of God and do not just pray for people. People can receive their healing when they receive the Word.

I want you to notice Jesus’ preaching topic. He preached deliverance. We need to preach certain things if we are going to have them. Some people wonder why we don’t have miracles on Sundays or at weddings. They wonder why we don’t preach about love during miracle services. The Word of God is described as “seed”.

The kind of response you get depends on the kind of seed that is sown. You do not get any response before you preach. That is why I preach about the healing anointing. If I don’t preach about it, we are not going to have it. When you preach about the healing anointing, the anointing begins to feel free in the midst of the people. The people receive a certain understanding and perception of what the healing anointing is and what it can do. They are then able to receive the anointing into their lives.

8.The healing anointing establishes the Kingdom of God.

And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

Luke 10:9

The arrival of the Kingdom of God is demonstrated by the undoing of the things that were done by the devil’s kingdom. That is why Jesus healed the sick. He undid the sicknesses that were brought on by the devil. He cast out evil spirits, which had inhabited human beings.

The devil has distorted nature such that storms and earthquakes kill people. Jesus demonstrated His ability to stop all these distortions of nature. That is why He could rebuke storms, walk on water and demonstrate His power over all the distortions of nature.

Jesus even overcame death. Before He went to the grave Himself, he raised some people from the dead who had been killed by the devil. He demonstrated that the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven had actually come. That is why Jesus sent his disciples to go and heal the sick and inform them that the Kingdom of God had arrived. The sign of the new kingdom was the undoing of the works of the devil.

And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.

Luke 10: 17

9.The healing anointing brings joy.

There is much joy when you see the power of God manifested. You begin to get excited. Some people do not know that the Kingdom of God is exciting. The only excitement they have is in nightclubs and in worldly pleasures. When you do the work of God in his way, you experience such joy and excitement beyond description. That is why the Bible says the seventy returned with joy. Demons ran and fled as they prayed. Sicknesses were healed. The healing anointing is our chance for a certain level of joy and excitement. I believe that God is bringing that rejoicing back into our midst.

10.The healing anointing is our chance to extend the influence of the pastoral ministry.

It is difficult to gather one hundred people in a room or under a tree. People have interesting programmes to watch on television. There are lots of things to entertain the people of today. People will not just leave their pleasures to attend your boring church service. The healing anointing is the chance for pastors to gather crowds for the glory of God.

11.It is our chance to extend the influence of the teaching ministry.

It is a chance for the teaching ministry to be taken more seriously. Many years ago, when I first came into contact with Kenneth Hagin through his books and tapes, I took what he said very seriously because of the supernatural element of his teaching. I noticed that he always shared a lot of supernatural stories when he taught the Word of God. He wrote about his visions and the miracle healings at his meetings. These made me develop a special interest in his other teachings.

If God has called you to be a teacher, the healing anointing is the chance for your teaching ministry to go further than you have ever imagined.

12. It is our chance to see the glory of God in every aspect of ministry.

Thank God for preaching and teaching but the healing anointing is our chance for the glory of God. It is our opportunity to see the glory of God. Jesus said, “Did I not tell you, that if you will believe you shall see the glory of God?”

Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

John 11:40

We have to believe in Him. We have to encourage the healing anointing. We have to say, “Yes, Lord.” Preaching and teaching are all part of the power of God. But I am talking about healing now. The healing anointing is our chance to experience the glory of God.

13. It is our chance to go deeper.

It is our opportunity to go deeper in God and with God. Many of us don’t know that there are deeper things in God. The Bible says, “deep calls unto deep”.

In other words, if you are not deep you cannot reach for the deep things that are in God. Everybody has his deep things. If your “deep” is not calling or speaking, my “deep” will not respond.

If the conversation we have is like “Hi” and “Bye” and “Hello”, the deep part of me will not come forth to you because it is your shallow part that is coming forth to me. But when you relate deeply with a person, the “deep” part in you comes forth.

When you tell a friend what is in your heart, the deep part in the person who is listening responds. That is why the Bible says, “deep calls unto deep”.

As far as God is concerned, people who are just relating to Him on a shallow level are not going to experience the deep things of God. God longs for the deeper part of you to begin to call out to Him. There is more to God than we know. There is more to God than we see. There is more to the ministry than what we are doing. There is more than just preaching and teaching.

God is bringing that “more” into our lives. Sometime ago, while I was in the presence of the Lord in a deep moment, the Lord told me that He had given me a healing anointing. He told me He was going to use me in the healing ministry because He had anointed me to heal the sick.

That is why I am praying for the sick and preaching about the healing anointing. That is why I have seen so many healing miracles in my “Healing Jesus Crusades”. We have experienced God’s power and we are going deeper.

The anointing is a river. People don’t know that the anointing is a river. You have to allow the river to start flowing. Until it begins to flow, you will never see the things contained in the river. As it flows, different experiences will come to you. In the end, the total picture will be that God anointed you to do good.

Chapter 24

Healing: The Power and Fire of the Holy Spirit

The healing anointing is the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a special aspect of the Holy Spirit's work. Why do I say that? You will notice that the power and the fire of the Holy Spirit are mentioned as distinct dimensions.

In the book of Luke, Chapter 4, the Bible says that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness:

And Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit returned from Jordan, and WAS LED BY THE SPIRIT into the wilderness,

Luke 4:1

Jesus was "led by the Spirit" to go into the wilderness. However, when he came back, the Bible says He came in the "power of the Spirit".

And Jesus returned in THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

Luke 4:14

The Scriptures show a clear difference between the ordinary anointing and the power dimension of the anointing. Jesus went away being led by the anointing but returned under the power of the anointing.

The Bible tells us in Acts 10:38 that God anointed Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit and with power.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth WITH THE HOLY GHOST AND WITH POWER: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Acts 10:38

Once again, the Bible makes a difference between the anointing of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Holy Spirit. These two are mentioned separately for a reason. You see, there are many other dimensions of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps one of the most prominent things about the Holy Spirit is His love. The Bible speaks of the fruit of the spirit.

The Bible separates the anointing and the power for you to see that they are two separate things. Why did the Bible not just say that Jesus had been anointed with the Holy Spirit? It's because there is a difference between having the Holy Spirit and having the power of the Holy Spirit.

Dear pastors, teachers, elders, church leaders and whoever you are, God is showing us that there is a power dimension to the Holy Spirit. Thank God you are anointed. But God is trying to give you both the anointing and the power.

Notice what John the Baptist said about Jesus. He said Jesus would have both the Holy Spirit and fire.

John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

Luke 3:16

Once again, you will notice that fire is mentioned separately. There is a fire dimension of the Holy Spirit. Fire is a type of power. Jesus would have not just the anointing, but also the power and the fire of the anointing.

Every pastor can be anointed with the Holy Spirit. But every pastor can also be anointed with power. Your ministry will change when you have both the Holy Spirit and the power of the Holy Spirit. You can be a beautiful teacher of the Word of God but you can also have a power dimension to your teaching ministry.

There is a fire dimension of ministry. The fire of the Holy Spirit will burn every chaff and every wicked work of the devil. That is the dimension of the anointing that God is trying to bring us into. It is the tangible dimension. It is the power and the fire.

Many of us know the fruit of the Holy Spirit, such as love, patience, peace and joy. We believe that these qualities are what the Holy Spirit brings to our lives. We know that He baptizes us and helps us to speak in tongues. But there is more.

I want you to understand that the Holy Spirit came to replace Jesus. When Jesus was going away, He said, "I am sending somebody who is going to be with you and He is going to be another Comforter. He is going to be with you and He is going to help you. He is going to do the things I did" (John 16:7). Jesus was the first Comforter and the Holy Spirit is another Comforter.

On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples, the Bible tells us that there was a sound.

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Acts 2:1-2

There is a physical dimension of the Holy Spirit. There is a tangible dimension. There is a dimension in which the Holy Spirit moves out of the invisible, the intangible, to the visible, the tangible and the touchable. He is a spirit but he also operates in the physical dimension.

Sometimes, people experience the Holy Spirit at miracle services and even feel Him. They say things like, "I felt a cool breeze come over me." If witches and idols can speak, how much more the Holy Spirit?

We are used to the love, patience, goodness and gentleness of the Spirit. We are used to the speaking of tongues. We are used to all these things. But we need to open up to the other dimension where the Holy Spirit does things in the tangible and physical dimension.

It is in this dimension that you begin to see healings taking place. That is when the invisible becomes visible and physical changes happen. Would there not be some sound if somebody walked into a room? That is why they heard the sound of wind when the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost. They saw tongues of fire and they heard the sound of wind. The invisible had now become visible. The untouchable had now become tangible.

I listen to people carefully when they testify at miracle services. Somebody said that he heard a voice saying certain things to him. Perhaps you are not used to such things. Possibly, you are outside that dimension. It is time to come into the power dimension of the Holy Spirit. After the sight and sound of the Holy Spirit, their bodies began to react to that dimension of the Holy Spirit. Their tongues began to move and they started to speak in tongues. That is the power dimension. This is an experience we read about in the Bible that is for us today.

There is a difference between a pastor and a schoolteacher. God is going to make the difference between you and a schoolteacher through the power dimension of the Holy Spirit.

At different times, I have spoken in tongues where people claimed I was speaking a language they understood. The Holy Spirit is real.

Secular magazines now claim that prayer works. They have done scientific studies to prove that church members have more peaceful sleep than non-church members. They were able to establish that people who are prayed for are healed and more blessed than those who are not prayed for. It has been proven that prayer affected mice and killed bacteria.

She Felt the Healing Power

Going back to the story of the woman with the issue of blood, we know that she had a bleeding problem. She had suffered a lot from physicians but was still sick. Then, she touched Jesus and felt within herself that she was healed.

And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Mark 5:24-34

This woman experienced the physical dimension of the Holy Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit will change your mind. Many years ago I attended a Christian programme. I was a young convert then and I slept through the programme. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon me and I was changed.

I remember meeting a friend after that programme. He said to me, "You have changed greatly. What happened to you?” You see, the Spirit of God had come upon me even though I fell asleep at the programme.

You will be turned into a different kind of person when the Holy Spirit touches you. He is real. He is the secret behind the miracles. Jesus didn't try to do anything before the Holy Spirit came.

The discussion between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit could be compared to a situation in which you and I would deliberate on how to save an ant that has broken one of its six legs. We would have to decide to become an ant so that we could attend to the problems of the ant.

So the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit had a discussion on how to rescue mankind. Somebody had to pay the legal price for the redemption of mankind.

There would be no further discussions after the price is paid. The Lord Jesus decided to go to the Earth for that purpose. However, at a point He said to the Holy Spirit "I am going to need you because you are the one who has the power." The Holy Spirit said, "Okay, you take the lead. At the right time, I will join you."

Jesus came to the Earth and He was born in a manger. He grew up with His father and mother. He had favour before God and man. He behaved in a Christian way. He had a good character, and people liked Him. By His character He witnessed to people and they were impressed. He even taught in the synagogue and some people were amazed.

And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

Luke. 2:47, 52

But that is not all there is to ministry. When Jesus was thirty years old, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness. During Jesus' baptism, the Father told the Holy Spirit, "It is time to go." Jesus had been waiting for the Holy Spirit. He knew that great things were going to happen with the coming of the Holy Spirit.

It was when the Holy Spirit arrived that Jesus went out preaching. His first message was that the Spirit had come upon him and had anointed him.

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,

Luke 4:18

That was when the miracles began to happen. The chance for any ministry to do something is the healing anointing.

People were impressed with Jesus when he debated as a child in the synagogue. Perhaps people are impressed with you but God wants you to go a step further. He wants to put a certain anointing on you so that your life will begin to affect thousands of people.

The healing anointing is not just for one or two people. As soon as Jesus Himself began to operate with it, He called the twelve and sent them out. Then He called the seventy and said, "Go and heal the sick; do what I am doing." He didn't wait till He went away. He just said, "You go ahead and do it."

Then when He was leaving the Earth He gave us the Great Commission: "Go into all the world, preach the gospel, these signs shall follow you."

At first, I used to wonder if the testimonies of people were real. It would then be easy to say that the sound of the rushing wind was superstition. It is also easy to say that the tongues of fire were not real. Then nothing is real! Then Heaven and Hell are delusions of the psychologically imbalanced. Dear friend, don't let anyone deceive you.

Pastors must walk in the power dimension of the Holy Spirit. Whatever your calling is, you must have the power dimension.

Chapter 25

Dimensions of the Healing Anointing

Six Dimensions of Healing

1. The healing anointing involves the healing of sick bodies.

And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

Matthew 8:14–15

The healing anointing heals fevers, sicknesses, headaches, and pains. It also heals heart diseases and cancers. God is a healer and Jesus is a healing Jesus. I remember once I was in a certain city, ministering at a miracle service. A lady came up with breast cancer. As a doctor, I know what breast cancer is. I prayed for her. As I was praying for her, I said, “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed, save me and I will be saved."

Doctors can do very little about breast cancer. Cancer is often a death sentence. This lady went back to the hospital because she was supposed to have an operation. She told the doctors she believed the cancer had vanished. She reported how the doctors examined her and were surprised that the cancer had disappeared. They were so amazed they asked her to return for further examination.

A few months later, these same doctors confirmed that there was no trace of cancer in the lady's breast. God is a healer. I have witnessed many lumps and tumours disappearing at miracle services.

The healing anointing prolongs your life. The devil wants to shorten your life. But God will give you long life and prolong your days. In many African countries, the life expectancy (the number of years an average person born in a particular country is expected to live) is low. The healing anointing will extend it! You will live and not die because there is a healing anointing coming your way right now.

2. The healing anointing heals the broken-hearted.

The heart of a person speaks of the very centre and core of the human being. A broken heart is a disappointed heart. It is a shocked and bereaved heart. Many broken-hearted people become depressed. I have had many depressed people in my miracle meetings testify about how they felt the spirit of depression leaving them. Thank God for the healing anointing which can heal the heart. The church is a place where the healing anointing will heal every disappointed heart. Jesus is in the business of healing disappointed hearts. Depression is a common and serious illness. You would often not realize how devastating depression is until you become depressed yourself.

Suicide is a common thing among depressed people. I have seen different people commit suicide. Medical students have committed suicide. I have seen doctors commit suicide. I have seen men with good jobs in the United Nations commit suicide. I have seen church members with apparently normal and blessed lives commit suicide. These people were probably depressed and felt life was hopeless.

God can heal depression through His power. In the medical world, drugs and electric shocks are used to treat depression. Thank God for the healing anointing which heals the broken-hearted and depressed people of this world.

3. The healing anointing heals the will.

The healing anointing heals the soul, which consists of the intellect, the will and the emotions of man. The inability of some people to say "no" to things that destroy them is a sign of a diseased will. Some people cannot say "no" to drinking, smoking and sex. The healing anointing heals you of the inability to take decisions.

4. The healing anointing heals your soul.

He restoreth my soul:

Psalm 23:3

The soul is devastated by sin. Our emotions and minds are often damaged by experiences we have had. Through the healing anointing, we receive restoration to our minds, our wills and our emotions. Some people cannot love anyone. Others cannot receive love. These are all symptoms of damaged and wounded people who need healing.

I once watched a documentary of a nineteen-year-old black American who was a serial bank robber. He escaped from jail many times until he was put in a maximum security prison for life. I watched with compassion as this teenager with a diseased mind was caged like an animal for life. Why do you think one out of every four black American males is in jail? They are wounded and diseased in their souls. These are people broken by years of discrimination, poverty, racism and fatherlessness.

5. The healing anointing heals the demon-possessed.

And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of the disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came near to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; AND THEY THAT WERE VEXED WITH UNCLEAN SPIRITS: AND THEY WERE HEALED.

Luke 6:17, 18

In this Scripture, we see how people who were set free from evil spirits were described as being healed. The healing anointing touches lives afflicted by demons. The healing anointing is not just for the healing of sicknesses but for healing the effects of demon oppression. When the healing anointing is present, it drives away evil spirits.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and HEALING ALL THAT WERE OPPRESSED OF THE DEVIL; for God was with him.

Acts 10:38

Many people have evil spirits. Anybody who is oppressed by the devil or has any demonic activity in his life needs the healing anointing. Jesus healed people who were vexed with unclean spirits.

Demons see people as homes where they can live. Many people who were delivered from evil spirits testified that they felt something go out of them. The human being is like a house with many rooms. Jesus described how evil spirits see human beings as houses where they could live. A house has many rooms. Some of the rooms of the house are used more than others. The rooms of a human being could be his mind, temperament, the flesh, the hearts, the attitudes, the emotions, the will and the understanding.

When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there…

Matthew 12:43-45

There are people whose emotions and moods are occupied by evil spirits. We all do have emotions. We are happy sometimes and sad at other times. But some people become moody very often. No one is able to stay around such people when they get into their moods. Such people often have demons working through their moods.

Some people have evil spirits occupying their sexual lives. Others have evil spirits in their minds and understanding. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, healing comes to all these afflicted areas.

6. The healing anointing is also involved in breaking yokes.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

Isaiah 10:27

A yoke is something that keeps you captive in such a way that you can't come out. A yoke is something you can't stop or get away from. Blindness and paralysis for example are yokes.

A yoke is a heavy burden that keeps you fixed in a particular state so that your movement and freedom is limited. A cow, which is under a yoke, is being kept in a particular state. It cannot move to the left or to the right. It's under a yoke. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is a yoke-breaking and a yoke- destroying anointing. It will heal anything that has tied and fixed you, for your destruction. The healing anointing can break that yoke in your life. The Bible says, "The yoke is destroyed because of the anointing."

Some people seem doomed to die tragically no matter what they do. That is the yoke of death. There are some people who are told by the devil that they will divorce when they marry. Divorce seems to be their destiny. They seem to be destined and tied to unhappiness in marriage.

Some nations are under yokes. No matter what they do and what type of governments they have, they go in a particular direction.

A yoke is something that is tied around your neck that pulls you in a particular direction. I want you to know that God has loosed you from that yoke and everything that the enemy has fixed you to. The anointing of the Lord is breaking every yoke, every power, and every wicked thing in the name of Jesus Christ! The healing anointing is coming into your life right now as you read this book.

You will realize that almost everything about our lives requires healing. I wonder if pastors should be called pastors if they are not involved with healing. The example of Jesus is before us. Healing was central to his ministry. Most of us ministers are more like schoolteachers than pastors.

When the healing anointing begins to flow, the burdens will be taken off the shoulders of the people. The yokes will be removed from the Christians through the healing anointing. God will destroy the yokes in the Christian's life through the anointing.

You can't help but see the healing anointing everywhere in the New Testament. It is part of our calling. Jesus told us, “Go preach the gospel, heal the sick and inform them that a new kingdom has arrived." This is part of our work. That is why I have been conducting healing meetings. That is why I do not withdraw from the healing ministry.

There are many easier things to do than to conduct healing meetings. To preach is relatively easier than ministering to the sick.

The Prophet Branham had the opportunity to minister to thousands because of the healing anointing that was upon his life. Pastors will have the opportunity to preach to thousands because of the healing anointing on them.

There is a difference between the church and a school or hospital. There is a difference between the church and every other social organization. The difference is the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We are not afraid of any disease. The Bible says that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear that Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus demonstrates his power over every kind of sickness and infirmity.

It is time to gather whole cities!

And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

Mark 1:32-34

The healing anointing is our opportunity to gather the whole city to our churches. The healing anointing is our opportunity to gather the whole city to our crusades. The work of God will enter a new dimension when we operate in the healing anointing of Christ. If God anointed Jesus, then God can anoint you.

Chapter 26

Characteristics of the Healing Anointing

1. The healing anointing is the anointing upon you not the anointing within you.

But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

1 John 2:27

The anointing upon you is different from the anointing in you. Many people do not understand the difference. The Bible teaches that we can all be filled with the Holy Spirit and out of our bellies shall flow rivers of living water.

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

John 7:38

Since we all have these rivers of living waters flowing out of us, don’t we all have the healing anointing? The anointing every Christian has is the anointing within.

Jesus also claimed to have something within Him. He claimed to have God in Him. And yet He knew when the mantle of the healing anointing had come upon Him.

But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

John 10:38

The healing anointing is however another anointing that God places upon the minister. That is why Jesus said that, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me….”

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,

Luke 4:18

It is like a cloak that comes upon the minister. When the Lord told me that He was giving me a healing anointing, He was not filling me with a new anointing. I was already filled with the Spirit. He was putting an anointing upon me. That is why the anointing is sometimes referred to as a cloak or a mantle. A mantle is something you put on. It is not something that you swallow or you take in. It typifies the anointing that comes upon a person for a special ministry.

2. The healing anointing is activated by faith.

The anointing is activated by faith. The anointing will not work when there is a lot of doubt. The woman with the issue of blood had faith in the power of God upon Jesus. She didn’t know Him personally. She had just heard that there was power around Him. She felt that the power could even be in His clothes. She touched the hem of His garment and virtue and anointing flowed out of Jesus and into her body.

For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Mark 5:28, 34

Jesus was going to somebody’s house to heal a little girl who was dying. He was surprised when He felt the pull at His clothes. Suddenly, He knew that virtue had gone out of Him. Jesus turned round in the crowd and asked who had touched Him.

The disciples were not happy when they found out who it was. They were not happy about what was going on in the service. It is often like that. The disciples who should have been in the flow were walking around and probably yawning, and getting tired of all the people. They just wanted to enjoy their privileges as Jesus’ bodyguards. The lady told Jesus all that had happened. She was uneasy because she felt people might think that she was trying to undress Jesus in public. But she had felt the power of God going through her.

The only thing Jesus said to her was, “Daughter, thy faith had made thee whole.” Jesus gave the key to the flow of the anointing. Faith is the key that draws out the anointing from the anointed one. I have noticed that people who have faith in me draw out the gift of God in me. It makes it easier for me to even receive a word of knowledge about them. The faith they have in me actually draws out the gift in me and makes a demand on the anointing.

Since I was born, nobody has tried to touch the hem of my garment. You must really believe in a person to touch the hem of his garment for your healing. That faith and absolute trust in the person, causes the anointing to be stirred up. It is real.

I notice that as I experience love and trust from my spiritual children, the anointing that is UPON me is also made to flow. This is what the Bible says in Hebrews:

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Hebrews 10:24

One day, Elisha was passing through a town. A woman asked her husband to make a room for the man of God. Once again, we see a woman recognizing the anointing before the man notices anything at all.

She told her husband, “Let’s do something for this man of God who is passing through the town.”

He said, “Okay, give the man a room in the house.” One day, Elisha asked the lady, “What do you want from God?” That is the question that the anointing asks everyone who has faith.

What do you want? When you have faith, the anointing is stirred up and begins to ask—what do you want? What do you need? What is your desire?”

And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem where was a great woman, and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.

Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed and a table, and a stool and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn to thither.

And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there.

2 Kings 4:8-11

The woman said, “I live in my own hometown and with my own people.” She needed a child. And God gave it to her because she stirred up the anointing in Elisha.

God is going to give you what you have asked for. Your faith is what will make you whole. Have faith in God. Have faith in God’s servants. Have faith in the healing anointing.

3. The healing anointing is quenched and killed by familiarity.

In the book of Mark, we learn how Jesus went to His own hometown to preach. He was a known carpenter in that town. They couldn’t believe that the same carpenter was saying He had been anointed to preach, heal and set captives free. “How absurd,” they must have thought to themselves.

And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. And when the Sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? And what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us?

And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

Mark 6:1-5

Jesus had repaired their beds, cupboards and wardrobes for many years. They knew Him as the carpenter and not as a deliverer. The anointing is quenched by familiarity. Familiarity breeds contempt. This saying may not be in the Bible but it is true.

Sometimes, it is better for you to stay at a good distance so that you can receive. Sometimes while coming near in a particular way, you tend to despise the man of God and the anointing on his life. It takes grace to be close and still be able to receive. It takes something that not everyone has.

See Good? See Bad? See Anointing?

Familiarity breeds questions, which kills the anointing. But this daughter with the issue of blood believed that if she could touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, she would be made whole. She didn’t know whether He was a carpenter or a plumber. And it didn’t matter to her. It is a good thing if Jesus was a carpenter but that is not the point when it comes to the power of God. You must set aside analytical or critical thoughts and think in terms of the power of God. The woman didn’t care whom His father or mother were. She didn’t know how much Jesus had charged to make one king-size bed. It was the last thing on her mind. She could not see good, she could not see bad, she could only see the power of God. And that is what she got! She received the anointing. Decrease the Familiarity, Increase the Anointing

This is why men of God seem to be more anointed when they are out of their own churches. The further they are from the familiar people, the more the anointing flows. The greatest move of God in my life and ministry has been where I was thousands of miles away from home.

It is not because they are more anointed when they travel. It is because there is less familiarity when a minister travels away from his home territory. Jesus Christ Himself could not do much when He came to His own country.

4. The healing anointing has been proven by medical science.

Medical science is not at variance with the healing anointing. Remember, in the book of Mark, when Jesus healed a man who was a leper; He asked Him to go to the place where people are officially declared healed. That is today’s equivalent of a hospital.

And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

Mark 1:40-44

Healing can stand the test of medicine. Jesus knew that His power could stand the test of science. If God has healed you and you are truly healed, your healing can stand the test of any medical examination. I want you to know that God’s healing is as real as any other healing.

Healing of the Diabetic

I remember the miracle healing of a diabetic lady who lived on daily insulin injections. She had fasted and believed that God would heal her. She would check her blood sugar levels all the time during the meeting I was holding; to be sure she was all right.

After the miracle service, she went back to see her doctors. The doctors did a couple of tests and found no evidence of diabetes. They apologized to her for mistakenly diagnosing her as diabetic.

Scientific Evidence of Prayer and Healing

Science is now documenting the fact that faith in God is able to heal the sick. I would like to quote a very interesting article from the October, 1999 issue of Reader’s Digest:

The notion that religious faith can promote physical well-being is not new. Most of us have heard of cases in which someone, seemingly by sheer faith and will, has miraculously recovered from a terminal illness or survived far longer than doctors thought possible. What is new is that such rewards of religion are becoming the stuff of science.

“We cannot prove scientifically that God heals, but I believe we can prove that belief in God has a beneficial effect,” declares Dale A. Matthew, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “There’s little doubt that healthy religious faith and practices can help people get better.”

Compelling Evidence

Just how powerful is the evidence linking faith and health? More than 30 studies have found a connection between spiritual or religious commitment and longer life. Among the most compelling:

A survey of 5,286 Californians found that church members have lower death rates than non-members, regardless of risk factors such as smoking, drinking, obesity, and inactivity.

Those with a religious commitment had fewer symptoms or had better health outcomes in seven out of eight cancer studies, four out of five blood pressure studies, four out of six heart disease studies, and four out of five general health studies.

People with a strong religious commitment seem to be less prone to depression, suicide, alcoholism, and other addictions, according to one research analysis.

One of the most extensive reviews demonstrates that the connections between religion and health cut across age, sex, cultural, and geographic boundaries. It includes more than 200 studies in which religion was found to be a factor in the incidence of a disease, explains Jeffrey S. Levin, a former professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk. Levin found an association between good health and religion in studies of children and older adults; of U.S. Protestants, European Catholics, Japanese Buddhists, and Israeli Jews; of people living in the 1930’s and 1980’s; of patients suffering from acute and chronic diseases.

How Prayer Heals

Why does faith appear to have such a powerful protective effect? Experts offer several possible explanations.

Going to religious services guarantees contact with people. Social support is a well-documented key to health and longevity.

Faith gives a sense of hope and control that counteracts stress. “Commitment to a system of beliefs enables people to better handle traumatic illness, suffering, and loss,” says Harold G. Koenig, M.D., director of the center for the study of religion, spirituality, and health at Duke University Medical Center.

Praying evokes beneficial changes in the body. When people pray, they experience the same decreases in blood pressure, metabolism, heart and breathing rates as the famous “relaxation response” described by Herbert Benson, M.D. of the Harvard Medical School. Reciting the rosary, for example, involves the same steps as the relaxation response: repeating a word, prayer, phrase, or sound, and returning to the repetition when other thoughts intrude. While the relaxation response works regardless of the words used, Benson says, those who choose a religious phrase are more likely to benefit if they believe in God.

Can Others’ Prayers Heal?

Researchers are investigating whether the prayers of others can heal. Benson and his colleagues, studying coronary-bypass patients, and Matthews, studying people with rheumatoid arthritis, are trying to confirm findings of an oft-quoted 1988 study by cardiologist Randolph Byrd, M.D.

Dr. Byrd divided 393 heart patients in San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center into two groups. One was prayed for by Christians around the country; the other did not receive prayers from study participants. Patients did not know to which group they belonged. The group that was prayed for experienced fewer complications, fewer cases of pneumonia, fewer cardiac arrests, less congestive heart failure, and needed fewer antibiotics.

Even more confounding are controversial studies suggesting prayer can influence everything from the growth of bacteria in a lab to healing wounds in mice. “These studies on lower organisms can be done with great scientific precision, and the findings can’t be explained away by, say, the placebo effect,” says Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Prayer Is Good Medicine.

Doctors as Believers

Dr. Dossey became so convinced of the power of prayer that he began to pray privately for his patients. Nevertheless, he and other experts tread cautiously in this area. “We certainly don’t want to start selling religion in the name of science,” he says. “People need to make their own choices.”

And yet, health care institutions are beginning to pay attention to the faith-health connection. Conferences on spirituality and health have been sponsored by Harvard Medical School and the Mayo Clinic. Nearly half of U.S. medical schools now offer courses on the topic. In a survey of 269 doctors at the 1996 meeting of the American Academy of Family Physicians, 99% said they thought religious beliefs could contribute to healing. When asked about their personal experiences, 63% of doctors said God intervened to improve their own medical conditions.

Clearly, their patients agree that prayer is a powerful tool in healing. Polls by Time/CNN and USA Weekend show that about 80% of Americans believe spiritual faith or prayer can help people recover from illness or injury, and more than 60% think doctors should talk to patients about faith and even pray with those who request it.

This yearning for a connection between religion and medicine is partly a reaction to a health care system that has become increasingly rushed and impersonal. “In medicine, the pendulum had swung so far toward the physical that it almost totally excluded anything spiritual,” Dr. Dossey says. “This didn’t feel right to patients or many physicians, and the pendulum has begun to swing back.”

How Faith Fits In

So what does this mean for the average person? It does not mean adding worship to the list of healthy things you can do. You can’t adopt faith as you would a low-fat diet.

What you can do is speak up if you’re facing illness or surgery and would like your belief to be part of your health care. That doesn’t mean you should expect your doctor to pray with or for you. But it’s reasonable to expect him to listen to your needs, arrange a visit from the hospital chaplain, or allow time for prayer before you’re wheeled into the operating room.

“Faith” Koenig maintains, “Offers people some control over their lives as opposed to just depending on a medical profession that’s becoming more distant and mechanized every day.1

The healing anointing is real!

5. The healing anointing is a lingering anointing.

We read the story of a man who died in battle and was mistakenly put into Elisha’s grave. This man was raised from the dead when he came into contact with Elisha’s bones. Apparently there was a lingering anointing in the grave.

And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.

2 Kings 13: 20-21

Elisha’s grave still contained some anointing. Earlier on we heard of Elisha being sick and then dying.

Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died.

2 Kings 13:14

Someone may ask, “Why did Elisha’s anointing not heal Elisha himself?” The healing anointing is a mysterious anointing. Many wonder why one person is healed and another is not. How is it that someone who has died of some sickness, can still minister healing? Anyone who has had hands laid upon him in a miracle service has the anointing resting upon him. Now he needs to have faith to make the anointing begin to soak into him and affect him.

The anointing stays around for a long time. It is a lingering anointing.

6. The healing anointing is associated with the anointing for prosperity.

The healing anointing is associated with prosperity. Healing is usually accompanied by prosperity.

God doesn’t just heal you but He gives you something extra. God has added to your life, something that helps you to prosper in this life.

Throughout the Bible and even in the charismatic world, you will notice that people who preach about healing often preach about prosperity. In fact, they are known as healing and prosperity preachers.

Somebody may wonder why they always teach about these two things. It is because they go together. Remember when Jesus spoke of the anointing, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” He declared that He had been anointed to preach the gospel to the POOR.

First of all, He addressed the needs of the poor. Then in the very next sentence he spoke of healing the broken-hearted.

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,

Luke 4:18

So, with the introduction of Jesus’ ministry, prosperity and healing are linked together. When the healing anointing is flowing, prosperity abounds. When people are receiving healing, they are also receiving prosperity. These two miracles move together.

Why did God heal you and extend your life? To bless you with more years of abundance over here.

And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

Luke 4:23-27

In Jesus’ famous hometown sermon, He spoke about both healing and prosperity. He spoke of the healing of Naaman the Syrian. In the same breath, he spoke of the financial miracle of the widow of Zarephath. These two blessings seem to be linked in the spirit. I see the Lord giving you the prosperity and the healing that you need.

Beloved, I wish above all things that you thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

3 John 2

John the apostle also linked these two blessings. He declared that his greatest wish was for his spiritual children to have both prosperity and healing.

Once again, the two blessings are together. You will see it practically happening in your life in Jesus’ Name!

If God has given you healing, He’s given you prosperity as well. It’s real. I believe that your prosperity will be so much that people will wonder. They will ask where you are from, what job you do and who has employed you.

They would like to know what business you do. You will speak about Jehovah Rophe and about His kindness and His goodness that have prospered you. There is healing on the left and prosperity on the right. Don’t take these things lightly; they will happen practically in your life.

Prosperity and healing walk together. When you receive one, open your eyes because the other one is nearby.

Chapter 27

Channels of the Anointing

Who Can Heal Thee?

Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city. They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? When they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city when their soul was poured out into their mothers’ bosom. What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy beach is great like the sea: who can heal thee?

Lamentations 2:11-13

This Scripture is asking who can solve a problem as big as the sea. If somebody likens a problem in terms of its size to the sea, then the person is really talking about a big problem. The question is very clear, “Who can heal thee?”

As a member of the noble profession of medicine, I must say that I have seen many of the diseases in this world and I know that many of them cannot really be cured by medicine. Usually, doctors only control the effects of diseases. Many things are done just to keep a patient alive.

God is a healer and that is why He introduced Himself in the Old Testament as Jehovah Rophe. He is Jehovah your healer, the bridge builder, the healer of your life, the healer of your situations, and the giver of hope.

People often don't understand other people's problems. Many times we try to sympathize with the victims but we don't really understand the extent of the problem they face. Sickness and disease is one of the greatest problems of mankind. Who can heal thee? The Lord can heal thee!

Five Channels of the Healing Anointing in Your Life

1. The healing anointing passes into your life through the LAYING ON OF HANDS.

…they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Mark 16:18

One of the ways that God can touch you and bless you is through the laying on of hands. Don't take the laying on of hands for granted. Something wonderful happens when hands are laid on you by an anointed person.

I remember a few years ago, I was in Korea at the prayer mountain of Pastor Yonggi Cho's church. When he finished preaching, I noticed that many people had queued up for prayer. When I saw the queue I said to myself, "Well, once I can see a hand being stretched out, I shall not leave this place without that hand being laid on me." I joined the queue immediately and hands were laid on me. I said, "Thank you Lord, something is happening to me right now." I believed and I knew that I had received something.

I know that the anointing is passed on when hands are laid on you and so I believe that even shaking hands with the man of God can transmit the anointing.

I remember a story I heard about Archbishop Benson Idahosa when he was returning to Nigeria from Bible School. He was just about to start out in ministry and his church officials had come to the airport to meet him. As he shook hands with them, they began to fall under the power. It is faith in the contact that activates the anointing.

The laying on of hands is a very powerful thing. It is the principle that the power of God is transmitted through physical contact. Even a hug, a handshake or mere physical contact can lead to transmission of the anointing. A simple hug can become as powerful as laying on of hands depending on what you are believing God for! When a dead body fell into Elisha's grave, the contact caused the dead man to come alive. Even contact with bones leads to the transmission of the anointing.

2. The healing anointing comes into your life through the ANOINTING OIL.

And they cast out many devils, AND ANOINTED WITH OIL MANY THAT WERE SICK, AND HEALED THEM.

Mark 6:13

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: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he hath committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

James 5:14-15

Praying for the sick with anointing oil is a very scriptural practice. As we dedicate the oil, it is transformed from simple olive oil to the Balm of Gilead and the anointing of Almighty God. If you can believe that it is no more ordinary olive oil, but the healing anointing of the Holy Spirit, it will heal every disease in your life. It is the anointing oil that healed the sick and cast out devils in the Bible. It is real!

Remember what Jesus said about the communion. He said it was His body and His blood. He told us to eat His body and drink His blood.

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Matthew 26:26-28

When some people took the communion and believed that it was no longer bread or just wine but actually the body and blood of Jesus, they were healed. When others treated it disrespectfully they became sick and some died.

Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

1 Corinthians 11:27-30

In the same way, you must understand that when we pray over the oil, it is no longer oil but the power of the anointing of the Holy Spirit passing into your body.

Everybody needs healing. Sometimes a normal person suddenly begins to have a little pain in the leg. This pain may turn out to be something evil. God's healing anointing comes to heal us of things we are not even aware of. Before the thing is manifest, God has healed you. What a healing anointing we have! It restores and refreshes our lives and souls. Thank God for the healing anointing! What a healing Jesus we have!

3. The anointing passes through THE GARMENTS.

Many people do not recognize the power of the anointing that resides within the clothes of anointed people. The healing anointing seems to be able to stay in the garments of anointed people. The woman with the issue of blood believed that she did not need to be prayed for or anointed with oil. She didn't need to know Jesus personally. If only she could touch His garment, she knew the anointing would heal her.

For she said, IF I MAY TOUCH BUT HIS CLOTHES, I shall be whole.

Mark 5:28

The healing anointing is an invisible power of the Holy Spirit but it translates into the physical. That is why physical methods like the laying on of hands, the anointing with oil and the coming into contact with garments can transmit the power of the Holy Spirit. In another instance in the Bible, a whole city just wanted to touch the garments of Jesus. They were not interested in prayer, counselling or anything like that.

And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; And besought him THAT THEY MIGHT ONLY TOUCH THE HEM OF HIS GARMENT: AND AS MANY AS TOUCHED WERE MADE PERFECTLY WHOLE.

Matthew 14:34-15:1

When people believe, the anointing is activated. The people realized by experience, that they could touch the garment, which had been in contact with the anointed person and be healed.

There seemed to be something about the garment. "Garment" stands for all types of clothes. They just wanted to touch the hem of whatever Jesus was wearing. The hem, apron, handkerchief, or anything He wore on him.

One Was Anointed, One Was Not

One day, two prophets were walking by the river, one was anointed and the other was not. The one who was not anointed wanted desperately to get the anointing. As they walked along, the younger prophet asked the older prophet if he could have twice as much of the anointing. The older prophet laughed and said that he had asked a hard thing.

He said that if the Lord willed, it might be so. Suddenly, a chariot of fire appeared and even though the younger prophet tried to stay so close, the older prophet was whisked away to heaven. The younger prophet was so sad that he cried. When he had finished crying, he wiped his tears and looked around him. But there was the GARMENT! It had been left behind. The young prophet knew that the anointing could be in the garment. He took up the garment (mantle) and smote the water and asked, "Where is the Lord God of Elijah?" He wasn't sure whether it was an anointed garment or not.

The river decided to obey. Suddenly, the young prophet knew that the anointing was still around. The garment contained the anointing and he had the garment.

And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee. before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

HE TOOK UP ALSO THE MANTLE OF ELIJAH THAT FELL FROM HIM, AND WENT BACK, AND STOOD BY THE BANK OF JORDAN; AND HE TOOK THE MANTLE OF ELIJAH THAT FELL FROM HIM, AND SMOTE THE WATERS, AND SAID, WHERE IS THE LORD GOD OF ELIJAH? AND WHEN HE ALSO HAD SMITTEN THE WATERS, THEY PARTED HITHER AND THITHER: AND ELISHA WENT OVER.

2 Kings 2:9-14

When your pastor gives you a tie, don't take it lightly. You can't define God and put Him in a box and expect Him to behave in a particular way. The healing anointing is mysterious! All these different ways are biblical methods that make the anointing flow.

4. The anointing is within the SPOKEN WORD.

One of the ways in which the healing anointing works is by the spoken word. It is called the "rhema". Many healings don't take place by the laying on of hands. Jesus hardly laid hands on people. He mostly ministered by speaking words to them. He would say, "Go thy way, thy son liveth" or He would say, "Daughter, thy faith has made thee whole." On another occasion, he said, "Young man, I say unto thee, arise."

Most people want hands to be laid on them but many miracles take place through the spoken word. Even Elisha operated in that anointing. In the healing of Naaman the leper, Elisha sent a message to Naaman: "Go and wash and thou shalt be made whole." The healing was in the message that had come.

So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.

2 Kings 5:9-10

There was a nobleman's son who was not well. The man came to Jesus for the healing of his son. Jesus said to him, "Go thy way, thy son liveth." No prayer. No laying on of hands. No anointing oil. No garment. Just a word! Speaking a word is a valid way of ministering healing.

On his way home, this nobleman met his people who told him that his son was all right. He inquired of them what time the son had improved and he found out that it was at the same time that Jesus had spoken to him. Only six words had been spoken.

So Jesus came again into Cana…there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto him and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death…Jesus saith unto him, 'Go thy way, thy son liveth…. And as he was now going down the servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth..

John 4:46, 47, 50-52

Try not to think so much about hands being laid on you. God will touch you and change your life through the spoken word of his anointed servant.

Chapter 28

Laws of the Supernatural

Every field of endeavour has its rules and bylaws. You must learn the rules of the supernatural if you want to operate in it. The way God does things is sometimes different from the way we would operate.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8, 9

Supernatural healing is different from natural healing. One of the biggest questions facing all miracle ministries is, “Why is everyone not healed?" Another question is: "Why do some people seem to have all the blessings and others have no blessings at all?"

The existence of these questions in your mind can keep you away from experiencing the supernatural. Please remember that there were questions in the minds of the people in Jesus' hometown. They questioned His background as well as His source of power. Generally speaking, they were questioning the validity of His ministry.

The Law of Divine Selection

The supernatural operates by the law of divine selection. Jesus spoke about this law in Luke chapter 4. He said, that there were many widows in the days of Elijah the prophet, however, only one widow received a miracle. God knows about the masses of humans suffering and he cares. It seems to me that when God is ministering, he selects out of the masses and ministers to some.

There were many sick and dying lepers in the days of Naaman the Syrian. Jesus again spoke about how Naaman was divinely selected for a miracle.

But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

Luke 4:25-27

It is the same principle that favoured the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda. Some people may say it is because of their faith. Others may say it is because of the anointing on the man of God What I would simply say is that there is a law of divine selection. We do not understand everything. Nobody does! The Bible says that we are looking through a glass dimly. We neither see nor know everything!

For now WE SEE THROUGH A GLASS, DARKLY; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

1 Corinthians 13:12

As the song goes, "We will understand it better by and by." Somebody may ask the question, "Why then do pastors preach as if everyone is going to be healed?" They ask, "Why do evangelists raise our hopes when we may not get healed?"

Dear friend, there is no other way to raise up the faith of people except you stand boldly and speak in faith. Any pastor who begins his sermon by saying, "Some will not be blessed in this miracle service," is not raising up the faith of the people.

If you want miracles, you have to preach faith. If you want the power of God, you have to preach about the power of God. Jesus preached about the anointing. He said, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me." He spoke about how God had anointed him. When you preach about the anointing, the anointing will flow. When you talk about healing, healing will happen. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word.

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17

As a pastor who cares for his sheep very much, I pray for miracles and breakthroughs for my people. I once prayed for a group of ladies who had not been able to have children. Some of them became pregnant and now have their children. Some years later I prayed again and some that had not been able to have children still did not have any children. Some who already had a child, were blessed with supernatural pregnancies.

I would ask myself, "Oh God! Why don't you share this thing evenly? So many don't have any children at all, why don't you at least answer their prayers and give at least everybody one child?" Jesus made it very clear in his sermon. There are many sick people like Naaman, who need help. There are many more poor people like the widow of Sarepta, who need a financial miracle. But God will have his own way of ministering to them.

When it comes to the supernatural move of the Holy Spirit, you can often not tell what God will do. We do know that He will do something. But we do not always know "who" He will do it for and why He will do it.

The Law of Humility

When you study the testimony of the woman with the issue of blood, you will realize that she had been through many things.

And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had SUFFERED MANY THINGS of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

Mark 5:25, 26

The Bible records that she had been bleeding in this manner for twelve years. It declares that she had suffered at the hands of several doctors. She had been humiliated time and time again by different doctors. Even with modern medicine, women with gynaecological problems have humiliating experiences at the hands of different doctors. I wonder what it was like two thousand years ago.

By the time this woman came to Jesus, she had no confidence in herself. She had no hope in man. She had no trust in human medicine. She had been completely softened by the experiences of life. This had made her humble and open to receive. The Bible says that God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. God gives miracles and blessings to humble people.

When you are proud, you often don't know it. Experiences of life can calm you down and allow you to begin to trust in the grace of God. Don't be worried by the difficult times you are going through. Perhaps, you are on the road of humility. God is breaking down your resistance. He is causing you to be ready and open to receive grace. Your day for a miracle is around the corner.

This woman did not even want to meet Jesus. All she wanted to do was to touch the tip of Jesus' garment. That is humility indeed! Humble yourself in the sight of God and He will raise you up!

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

1 Peter 5:6

The Law of Repeated and Sustained Ministration

I have also thought that if God ministers to you, you should instantly recover. This is a natural expectation. However, I have come to see that there is often a need for repeated and sustained ministration to the same person. You will see this law in operation many times in the Bible.

A common example is when Naaman was asked to dip himself in the River Jordan seven times. He was asked to bath seven different times in the same river. The question is, why not once? Why not three times? Why not six times? The answer is, "I don't know." God wanted to bless Naaman after the seventh ministration.

And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean...Then went he down, and dipped himself SEVEN times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

2 Kings 5:10, 14

Elijah prayed for rain seven times. On seven different occasions, he sent his assistant to look at the clouds.

…And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again SEVEN TIMES.

1 Kings 18:42, 43

There was no sign of rain until after the seventh prayer.

...And it came to pass at the SEVENTH TIME, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand…

1 Kings 18:42-44

After that session, Elijah's assistant noticed a very small cloud in the form of a man's hand. I see God giving you a miracle. I see the miracle appearing after several ministrations. Do not be tired of being prayed for. Greater men had to pray seven times and were not angry with God. Please do not be angry with God; do not develop a bitter spirit and attitude!

When Elijah prayed for a dead boy, he prayed three times.

And he stretched himself upon the child THREE TIMES, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

1 Kings 17:21, 22

He lay on the boy three times and prayed. Is this just a mystical ritual? No it is not! It is the law of sustained and repeated ministrations at work.

Do you remember when Joshua led the people of God around the walls of Jericho? They had the greatest breakthrough of their lives. But it came only after the seventh round of ministration.

And it came to pass at the SEVENTH time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city. So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets… that the wall fell down flat…

Joshua 6:16, 20

The walls of opposition in your life are crumbling right now in the name of Jesus! Keep up the sustained ministration. You may be anointed seven times, before your miracle will finally come. I see the walls of hindrance to your marriage crumbling before the mighty anointing of the Holy Spirit. Walls erected by the devil and his agents cannot keep you out of his blessings.

As you read this book, the power of God is flowing into you to bring the gates of wickedness and the high things in your life crashing down. Receive a divine blessing from the Lord right now!

Study the ministry of Jesus. He prayed for a blind man in Mark 8:24.

And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. AFTER THAT HE PUT HIS HANDS AGAIN UPON HIS EYES, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

Mark 8:22-25

After the first ministration, the man saw men as trees. Even Jesus had to minister a second time before the miracle finally came through. Someone may ask, "If He was truly the Son of God why did He have to pray twice?" That was the law of repeated ministration at work.

If you have the time, study about the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. The disciples did not receive the Holy Spirit only once. In John 20:24, Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit.” That was their first anointing.

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, RECEIVE YE THE HOLY GHOST...

John 20:24

Later in Acts 2, the disciples received a baptism of the power of the Holy Spirit.

And THEY WERE FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 2:4

In Acts 4, the Bible says that they were filled with the Holy Spirit again.

And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and THEY WERE ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

Acts 4:31

If the first filling was enough, then why did the Bible show this three times? This was the law of repeated ministration. I love praying for my church members; it is very biblical. One day, something will happen and their lives will never be the same again.

The Law of Spiritual Timing

It is a known fact that we all need a blessing from the Lord. It is important to understand the law of the timing of miracles. Why did Jesus come into the Earth only two thousand years ago? The Bible says when the time was right, God sent His Son.

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Galatians 4:4

Jesus was a gift of God to the Jews, but in the day of their divine blessing, they did not receive the gift. It is important for you to recognize the time of your visitation. Just as you have a time when you do certain things. God has a time in His timetable when He is going to bless you with certain gifts.

God's Timing Is Best

In 1988, God placed me in the office of a teacher. At another time, He placed on me the anointing to pastor. He then gave me an anointing to minister prophetically and later an anointing to minister miracles. Why didn't He do it all at once? God has a time for your breakthrough. As you flow with Him, you will come into special days for your life and you will be truly blessed.

Do not be angry with God because He is keeping to His schedule. God may not come when you want Him to come. But He will come in time. Be a man or woman of understanding. You will have your miracle baby. You will have your healing. You will have your financial breakthrough. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and understand the time. When it is your time, walk in it and be blessed.

Prophecy for Your Breakthrough

For there shall come a time, saith the Lord, when you will not seek for miracles but you will seek for my wholeness. When you seek after me, I will add unto you all things that are necessary.

Fear not my little flock, for I have laid a table for you in the presence of your enemies. Do not be afraid of the enemies you see all around you.

For in that day, saith the Lord, I will pour out my anointing so strong that you will taste of my goodness and my mercies. Those that despise you will stand and declare, "The Lord has done great things for them."

Section 3

Chapter 29

How God Anointed Jesus of Nazareth

HOW GOD ANOINTED JESUS OF NAZARETH WITH THE HOLY GHOST AND WITH POWER: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Acts 10:38

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: AND BEING FOUND IN FASHION AS A MAN, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Philippians 2:5-8

Many people do not understand that Jesus Christ, although he was the Son of God often referred to Himself as the Son of Man. I believe that one of the reasons He did that was for us to recognize that He took upon Himself the form of a man. The Scripture tells us that, "He humbled Himself and was found in fashion as a man."

Becoming a man means that He had all the frailties and weaknesses of man. The Bible says that he was tempted in all points like us.

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 4:15

This means that whatever temptations you have, Jesus experienced them too. If you have a temptation to drink, He was tempted to drink. If you have temptations to commit fornication, Jesus was tempted to commit fornication. If you are tempted to lie, He was tempted to lie. If you are tempted to steal, He was tempted to steal. If you are tempted to bear a grudge against someone, Jesus was tempted many times to hold a grudge against the people who persecuted Him all through His life. If you are tempted to be afraid, He was. He was tempted to be afraid of going to the cross and to face all the wicked people. He was tempted because He was a normal human being.

He is the greatest example for all of us. If we follow him, we are not following someone that cannot be followed. We can follow Him because He became like we are. He had the weaknesses that we have because all men are imperfect. This is why He had to pray like we do. If he were God on Earth, He wouldn't need to pray.

The question we ask ourselves is, "How was this man able to do the miracles that he did? How was he able to raise the dead? How was he able to call back to life a man who had been dead for four days, and whose body had decomposed? How was he able to call a man out of his coffin and make him come alive again? How was he able to heal blind people? How come people who were suffering from certain diseases were healed?"

We can find the answer from the Bible. It tells us about how God anointed Jesus Christ of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. That was when He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. I want you to understand that Jesus was able to do miracles because of the anointing that was put on Him by the Father.

God anointed Jesus with the power to cast out devils, the power to bring solutions, and the power to break the yoke of the enemy. Jesus, who was now in the form of a servant, was a special servant because he was anointed to do the things that He was called to do.

Many people think that Jesus was called Jesus Christ because His surname was Christ. They think that He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph and Mary Christ. That is not the case. Jesus was known as Jesus of Nazareth but He was actually given a nickname, "Christ", which means "the Anointed One." This was because He was so much associated with the presence of GOD and the anointing.

This anointing explains to us the miracles that Jesus did. It explains why Jesus Christ, although he took on the lower form of man, was able to do great things. The Bible says He went about doing good. What were the good things that Jesus did? The good things were, healing people that were suffering and people that were oppressed by the enemy. I see the Lord healing you of every oppression of the enemy in Jesus' name! The anointing that was upon Jesus shows us a great example so that we may also desire the anointing. This is the reason why I wrote the book, "Catch the Anointing".

When you recognize the secret behind the miracles and anything that any man of God does, then your interest will not be in the man of God. Your interest will not be in his car, his house, his educational background, his wife or his money but in the anointing that is upon his life. Because of this great example, we have hope and we know that just as God anointed Jesus, He will also anoint us. I see God anointing you in the name of Jesus!

Doing Good

The good things that Jesus did are the good things that God is calling us to do. It is good to build schools and provide social amenities but the good works that Jesus did were healing the sick, casting out devils, raising the dead and cleansing the lepers. It is important for us to understand this revelation. As you do, you will begin to think in the right way when you are relating with people.

Elisha, What Do You Want from Me?

Elijah lived with Elisha for many many years. At the end of Elijah's life, he asked him, "My son, what would you like me to leave you when I die? Do you want my house? I've got three houses down in Bethel. I've got a house in Jericho. I've got a house down here and houses all over town."

Elisha said, "I don't want your house."

Elijah asked Elisha, "What would you like to have? I've got a land in Bethlehem, and another plot in Jericho."

But Elisha said, "I don't want your lands."

He asked again, "Do you like my donkeys? I have 27 donkeys which I travel with all over the world. Do you like my cars?"

But Elisha was too wise for that. He said, "I don't like your donkeys. I don't like your cars. I don't want anything. I want the anointing that you have. I can see that the secret behind the power and the miracles is the anointing."

Elisha said, "All I want is the anointing. Touch me with the anointing. Let me have two times the anointing that you have. Keep your cars, keep your donkeys, keep your houses, but give me the anointing!"

Many people don't know that the secret behind the blessing of the Lord is the anointing. When Jesus lowered Himself and became a man, born of a peasant woman, into a carpenter's house and under questionable circumstances, He seemed very lowly. But the anointing makes all the difference! I see the anointing making the difference in your life!

I want you to understand that the anointing is the most perfect thing that you must seek for. It takes a lot to be anointed. When Elisha asked Elijah for his anointing, Elijah said, "You have asked for a hard thing."

And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, THOU HAST ASKED A HARD THING: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

2 Kings 2:9-10

It is not easy to be anointed. You may go to school but not become anointed. You may be qualified from a Bible school but still not be anointed. You may read books but still not be anointed. But God wants to anoint us.

The Apostle Paul was anointed. He said, "He that hath anointed us is God."

Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;

2 Corinthians 1:21

The anointing is what makes the difference in the life of every Christian. It was the anointing that made the difference in the life of Jesus.

How I Came to Be Anointed

When I started teaching in the Ministry, I didn't know what the anointing was. But I realize that you don't need to understand how the anointing works. Many of us do not understand how the television works, for instance, yet we use it. So when I got started, I just wanted to serve the Lord. I didn't know what it meant to be anointed. That is why later in my Ministry I wrote the book, "Catch the Anointing" to help others who want to learn about the anointing. I was teaching all right but you see, there's a difference between a schoolteacher and an anointed pastor. A schoolteacher teaches and a pastor also teaches but the difference is the anointing.

I started a little church and I had been preaching for some years as a medical student. Sometime during the middle of the year 1988, I had to fulfil what is called a community health rotation. Every class in medical school is divided into groups. Each group rotates through different fields of medicine throughout the year. That is why it is called a rotation. I had to complete four rotations in my final year, one each for surgery, medicine, specials and community health.

During the community health rotation, I had to travel outside Accra, my country Ghana's capital city, to a smaller town called Suhum, in another region of the country. While I was there, I lived in the Suhum Government Hospital for one month. I was to gain practical experience in running a hospital and working out on the field where conditions are different from the bigger cities.

Although I was fulfilling my medical requirements, as usual my mind was on the ministry. By the second week, I took advantage of a more relaxed timetable and decided to fast and pray. On my way out of Accra to Suhum, I had passed through a Christian bookshop and bought some Kenneth Hagin tapes. I felt I would need something to soak in while I was in Suhum. I had been a great follower and admirer of Kenneth Hagin's ministry. Actually, I had already listened to those tapes many times but I thought I just needed something to listen to.

Something Happened!

One night, I was praying, fasting and listening to one of these tapes that I had bought. At about 3 a.m. in the morning I was kneeling by the bed praying. I could see the tape recorder situated at the other end of the room. Then suddenly, something literally jumped out of the tape that was playing and moved into my belly. I could feel it entering me. Then I heard a voice saying, "From now you can teach." I didn't know what that was but I thought to myself, "That's good, because I want to teach." I didn't know at that time that I had received a major impartation of anointing.

At that time, my church comprised about forty students. The Bible teaches that we should prove all things, so I decided to try out this new gifting. I was invited to teach at a Full Gospel Businessmen's breakfast meeting in Suhum. This was my first ministration after my impartation experience. I tell you, I noticed a difference. After the ministration someone asked me where my church was. He was surprised that I was an unknown minister. Within me, I knew that something had happened that was making a difference.

When I got back to the church after a month, I noticed a difference in my ability to teach and preach. The anointing had arrived and I began to build up. The first series I preached was about the prodigal son. I preached this on a weekday and the attendance and interest in the service began to increase steadily. I tell you, I noticed there was some life and Spirit in the ministry. It is difficult to describe it but when it's there you know it's there! The anointing is a bit like beauty--when you see it, you know it! You can't easily explain how or why you recognize beauty. But when you see beauty or anointing you know that it is there.

I have no reason to say what I am sharing except to help you. My ministry has grown in leaps and bounds because of an anointing. It is the anointing that changes you from a normal person to an abnormal person.

I see that anointing coming upon your life!!!

The Lord anointed me that night and anointed me to teach. Since then I've been teaching and preaching. The anointing that the Lord gave me is similar to the one through whom I received the anointing and that's why I've written over 50 different books, some of which are used in Bible schools and so on.

It is the anointing that we need. It is not cleverness. It is the anointing that makes the difference. It is the inexplicable reason why you have the blessing.

Don't Explain Away the Anointing

I've noticed that people want to find a reason for everything and they want to explain everything away. They usually end up with the wrong reason. Jesus Christ was the greatest person that ever lived but he was killed. The people around him did not recognize that he was a precious gift. The Bible says that unto those who believe, he is precious but unto those who believe not he is a stone of stumbling.

Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

1 Peter2:6-8

God will use somebody who will become precious to some but a problem to others. Sometimes, when you stay away from people or you look from afar, the enemy gives you various reasons why certain miracles happen. One time, the people who were criticizing Jesus said he was using the power of Satan to cast out devils.

Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

Matthew 12:22-24

You immediately see people trying to ascribe a reason for the power. There are people who try to say that the anointing is not the anointing but that it's something else. Jesus at one time, had to sound a strong warning that anyone who speaks bad things about the Holy Spirit would not be forgiven.

Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men.

Matthew 12:31

Jesus warned them against speaking evil of the Holy Spirit by whom he was doing the miracles. Whenever God does great things, people seem to have an explanation for the miracles other than the power of God at work.

When people see Reinhard Bonnke and the large gathering of crowds at his crusades, people like to explain that it is because he is a German; he has a lot of money to organize large crusades. However, in my book, "Catch the Anointing", there is a little chapter on "Six Giants Catch the Anointing", where you'll find a story about Reinhard Bonnke and how he became anointed. Behind any man of God, is the anointing. Don't let the anointing draw out the evil that is in you. Don't let the anointing draw negative comments from you.

Sometimes, I watch as people try to demean miracles and try to belittle the power of God. Many people do not regard testimonies of the healing of headaches, for instance. But as a medical doctor I know that a headache could mean many things.

I once met someone whose friend had developed a headache. He took medicine but the headache did not go away. It was discovered later that he had a tumour in his brain and he was actually dying. The doctors told him to go and put his house in order because he was going to die.

As this person spoke to me I said to myself, "A headache has turned into death." Yet, we often, medically, despise healing miracles where headaches are healed.

However, if you were to analyse Jesus' miracles medically, not many of them would survive the test. For instance, in the healing of the boy suffering from epilepsy, the demons shook him and then he fell to the ground as though he had died.

And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

Mark 9: 22-26

Now, if we were to analyse that medically, what we could say is that this boy just had another convulsion after Jesus had prayed for him and went into what is known as "post-ictal sleep". In the disease known as grand-mal epilepsy, the patient experiences what is known as "tonic-clonic seizures" (violent contractions of the large muscles of the body). After these seizures, the patient goes into a deep sleep for some time. This deep sleep is known as the post-ictal sleep. This is the normal pattern that always occurs in grand-mal epileptic seizures

Indeed, some could criticize this miracle of Jesus and say that the boy was not healed of epilepsy but simply experienced a post-ictal sleep.

I Was Rebuked

There are many questions you can ask about many miracles. In fact, many times the Lord has had to rebuke me. Sometimes, he even used the people who got healed to rebuke me.

I remember one time I prayed for the sick and a certain man testified that he had been healed. I kept asking, "Are you sure you are healed?" The man was irritated and said, "Look here, I am not a child! I said I am healed. If I had not been healed, I would not come here to testify." I had been rebuked soundly by this irritated testimony-giver.

At another time while I was praying for the sick in Malaysia, a lady doctor came to testify that she had been healed.

I asked her repeatedly, "Are you sure you are healed?" She became irritated at my doubtfulness. She looked at me and said resolutely, "Listen, I'm healed." This was a medical doctor testifying that the Lord had healed her. I immediately felt foolish and realised that I was the one who had no faith.

We need to open ourselves up and receive the power of God. We need to recognize men of God when they are amongst us, before they die. We must not kill the prophets that are sent to us.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Matthew 23:37

When I look back in my ministry, I realize that I have witnessed many live occurrences of miracles similar to almost every single miracle recorded in the Bible. For example, I have seen women healed of longstanding bleeding problems. I have listened to the testimonies of people who have not had their periods for a long time, receive healing.

I see you being healed right now in Jesus name!

Emptying Wheelchairs

I have seen paralyzed people come out of their wheelchairs. I remember one woman in South Africa who was paralyzed and had been in the wheelchair for sometime. She came to church to give a testimony that she had been healed. The interesting thing about this was that when she came to give her testimony, she came in her wheelchair. I was wondering what she was going to do with the wheelchair on stage. I could not ask her to leave so I allowed her to stay. Then as I got to her to give her testimony, she said, "I have never been able to stand, sometimes I crawl but now, since you prayed, I can stand."

She said to me, "Watch!" She came out of the wheelchair and said, "I could never do this, never on earth."

By the end of the programme, she was walking to church on her own. The amazing thing is that her unbelieving husband said, "I now believe in the God you're serving and the church that you're going to."

I have witnessed the blind receive their sight. I have witnessed miracles similar to all the twenty-one recorded miracles that Jesus did in his lifetime.

I realize that just like it was with Jesus, when the anointing is present, it will bring out the good thing or the bad thing in you. There was something good in even the tax collectors. They wanted to serve God, and the anointing brought out the good thing that was in them.

Pilate was supposed to be a just ruler. The principles he had been using to rule the country were what he used in the case of Jesus. He proved that he had been running the country with injustice. He demonstrated that he did things to please men. His meeting with Jesus brought out the evil that was in him.

The Anointing Provokes Reactions

You must allow yourself to be open to receive the anointing because every anointed person is surrounded by different kinds of responses and reactions. Jesus always brought out the highest reactions of people to Himself. He always brought out the deepest responses from people. If you were evil, he brought out the most evil that was in you, and if you were good, he brought out the best in you.

He made people leave their jobs and follow him to become preachers till they died. He made the Pharisees get to the point where they requested Barabas over Jesus. That brought out the extent of wickedness and evil that was in them. His presence brought out the best and the worst in everyone.

It is important that when the Lord presents you with the anointing, it must bring out the best in you instead of bringing out the worst in you. Instead of bringing out the worst criticism and the worst offensive remarks and comments, rather let the best in you come forth. When the blessing of God comes to us, it may bring out the worst that is in us. Make sure that the worst that is in you does not come out when the Lord presents you with the anointing.

There are people who have been presented with the secret of catching the anointing and it brings out the worst criticisms from them. The anointing is the principal reason behind what people are doing.

May the anointing bring out the best that is in your life! May the anointing provoke in you a desire to tap into it! Tell yourself, "I'm going to have this anointing myself." I see you receiving this anointing in the name of Jesus!

T.L. Osborne, the famous American evangelist, sat in a church service where Prophet Branham was preaching. He said to himself, "I can feel Him, I can feel Him." That's what must be stirred up in you.

The Anointing Makes the Difference

God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power. This is what made him do the miracles that he did. We cannot preach Jesus without talking about the miracles. If you take the Bible and cut out all the miracles from it, you will be left with nothing. There are miracles from the beginning to the end. I see the Lord doing a wonderful thing in your life! I see the Lord anointing you! I see the Lord making you into a different person!

One day, somebody was talking to my mother and she told the person, "Sometimes, when I see my son on the stage, I'm not sure whether I'm the one who gave birth to him."

When the anointing is on your life, you're a different person. People will like to draw you back to the old times and say that you're nobody. But when the anointing is on you, you're turned into another man. I see the anointing of the Lord coming upon your life!

You may be known as a thief today but one day, you'll be known as an anointed person. The anointing changes you and makes you into a miracle worker. It changes you into a supernatural person. You become a blessed person. The anointing heals you and brings the power of God into your life.

If you can believe it, you'll receive that anointing. When the anointing comes near you, let it bring out the best in you. Become like the woman with the issue of blood. The Bible says she said within herself, "If I may but touch the hem of his garment, I shall be made whole."

You see, the anointing that was passing by brought out the best in her. It brought out the desire to touch the hem of His garment. It brought out the desire to get close and to get into contact with the power and the anointing of God. Let the anointing bring out the best in you.

Whenever I see an anointed man of God, I always respect him. One day, the Lord spoke to me about a prominent man of God in my country. He told me never to fight him, but to honour him. He told me that if I honour him, the anointing would come upon me. What you fight cannot come to you.

This is your time to be healed because He is a healing Jesus!

Chapter 30

Humility and the Anointing

If you study the life of Jesus, you will discover certain things He did, which explains how He became anointed. Now I want us to look at a verse from the book of Luke.

Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Luke 3:21-22

Jesus, even though He was greater than John the Baptist, submitted Himself to him. He actually joined His ministry by allowing John to baptize Him. God will anoint someone who will humble and submit Himself to another.

There are many rebellious elements in the church that are looking for anointing. They are looking for God's gifts. God does not anoint illegal things. That is why the Bible says that everyone that uses the name of Christ should depart from iniquity.

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, LET EVERY ONE THAT NAMETH THE NAME OF CHRIST DEPART FROM INIQUITY.

2 Timothy 2:19

Again the Bible says, "Because thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity, God has anointed you above thy fellows."

Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Hebrews 1:9

God doesn't just anoint everybody and just anyone. You can see here Jesus Christ humbling and submitting Himself to the person who was there before he came. Sometimes I look at people who want to be anointed and you see them fighting with everybody who was there before they came. Why do you fight with somebody who was there before you? You don't necessarily have to preach what he's preaching or teach what he's teaching. You can have a different message. We all have to learn to acknowledge the fathers that God puts before us.

Humility Pleases God

Notice that before Jesus even had the chance to heal one person, a voice came from Heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son." If you really want to please God, it is not necessarily in preaching and teaching. You will please God by just humbling yourself. The first fall was caused by pride. That first fall of Satan, has caused every other fall since then.

I remember talking to an American pastor who used to be a general superintendent of the Assemblies of God Church. He said that in his term of office as the superintendent, he had dealt with one thousand and five hundred pastors who fell into various difficulties and problems. He remarked that the one common factor in all these cases was pride. It was not immorality but pride.

If you want to be great in the house of God, it is not by preaching or sitting on the stage. Jesus told us who the greatest in the Kingdom is when He was asked. He called a child and said, "This is the greatest in the Kingdom of God."

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:1-4

If you become as humble as a child, you will be the greatest in the Kingdom. That is why the Son of God went to John the Baptist's ministry to be baptized like everyone else. He did not ask to be treated specially. "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up" (James 4:10).

There are two jobs at stake here. There is a job offer and God has decided to play musical chairs with you. If you sit on the chair, he will stand, and if you stand, he will sit. If you choose to humble yourself, He will exalt you but if you choose to exalt yourself, then He will bring you down. You have to choose. I Had to Be Humble

When the Lord called me into the Ministry and I started out in obedience, one day my father said to me, "I cannot stand the fact that my son will live from collections or offerings of people. It is below you." But the Lord told me to enter into ministry and to humble myself. I struggled with this because I reasoned with God, that I am a doctor. I argued that I did not need the coins and little contributions of people to take care of myself. Sometimes, people even look at you and pass comments about using the church's money. When you drive a car, they are thinking about their offering. When they see the pastor eating at a restaurant they think about their offerings.

So I told the Lord, "I cannot," and the Lord said to me, "You are nothing, you are nobody."

That is true because we are all nothing. Maybe you haven't been to the mortuary before. If you die right now, you will be surprised to find yourself lying naked at the mortuary.

We are what we are by the grace of God. That's why we should humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and allow him to lift us up at the right time. This is exactly what Jesus did when He came down to earth. He didn't want to be exalted. That's how Jesus became anointed because He humbled Himself. He joined the masses for baptism. Stop trying to be special. Stop trying to be different. Stop trying to be some unique person. Just become nothing. When you humble yourself God will pour His grace on you. If we do not humble ourselves, we cannot learn and receive from the people that God sends to us. We will just look on and analyse them. Many of us are outside the grace of God because we can't receive from the people that God has put in our lives.

Jesus told a parable about a certain nobleman who made a vineyard for some people and when he wanted fruit from his vineyard he could not get any. His people were all beaten and sent away.

Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

Matthew 21:33-39

This is what happens in the Church. When God sends people into our lives, we cannot receive from them because we are not able to humble ourselves. It is only because Jesus humbled Himself before John the Baptist that God anointed Him. That was the hour that the Holy Spirit descended. That was the anointing.

Connect to God through His Anointed

The absence of humility is the reason why many of us are not blessed. We're expecting somebody to come from somewhere to be a blessing to us. We must humble ourselves to receive from the people that God sends to us. If you need electricity in your home, you do not have to go to the dam to tap from the source. People will think you are mad. You cannot claim that you want direct power. You cannot argue that you don't know how the cables run and so you must get the direct connection. People will ask, "Don't you have a socket in your house?"

That's what the Lord is asking you. Is there no pastor in your church? Is there no man of God in your land? Why do you want to come to me directly for the anointing? The anointing is right there. The socket is right here. Connect and receive your blessing! I see you becoming connected to power!

One day, one of my little sisters was playing with a lamp. She didn't know the power she was playing with. The lamp was high. She put her finger in the lampshade and I saw her jump. She was connected to the electric dam directly. By the time she was able to take her finger out, the whole finger had been burnt. Even though it was only a lamp, it was the power right there.

God is sending you power. He's sending you something higher than electric power. Humble yourself and receive it. God will raise you up and bless you in the ministry. He will bless you in life when you learn to humble yourself.

If some ladies would humble themselves, they would have husbands. Because you are proud, there's nobody you find suitable for you. Nobody is good enough for you. You feel so big!

One day, I met a sister in my church and I asked her, "Sister, are you not getting married?" She told me, "You don't have my type of husband in the church." So I asked her, "Which type are you?" Jesus could have said, "My type is not being baptized now. I'm waiting for my type to be baptized." There are some people who walk around with big briefcases as if they are some big businessmen. When you get closer you find out that the briefcase is filled with newspapers. You must humble yourself and get a job. God wants to pour His love on you but you're too big.

You see, the anointing is poured downwards and not upwards. The Bible says it came down on Aaron's beard.

It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

Psalm 133:2

It can only come on you when you're lowly and not when you are high. It is coming down on the people that are down. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord. The way up is the way down. The way high is the way low. I see the Lord anointing you!

Chapter 31

Prayer and the Anointing

Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that JESUS ALSO BEING BAPTIZED, AND PRAYING, the heaven was opened,

Luke 3:21

You must note that the anointing came upon Jesus when he was praying. The fact is that there’s no anointing without prayer. Prayerless people are powerless people. Prayer is what gives rise to the intangible aura around someone who is anointed.

It is the aura of the presence of God. It is something inexplicable.

Someone would wonder why the Pharisees were afraid to arrest Jesus. He was preaching openly. He had been in the temple, casting out thieves. He had marched into Jerusalem on a donkey.

Jesus moved openly. Why were they afraid to arrest Him? Why did they need Judas to betray someone who walked openly in public? It is because there was an aura around Jesus. There was something about Him. The Pharisees themselves knew that there was no one who spoke like He spoke. There was something about His words. His words have lasted for more than two thousand years. He never wrote a book but two thousand years later, millions read His words.

In fact, His disciples noticed it and asked Him, “Teach us how to pray.” They did not ask Him to teach them how to preach or to become anointed.

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Luke 11:1

Authority and Anointing Come through Prayer

You see, when you have been with someone, you can speak about the person with authority. The authority comes because you have been with the person. This authority is a manifestation of the anointing that is on your life. The more anointed you are, the more authority you will have. And the more authority you have, the more powerful you will be.

Some years ago, our church had a problem with the government. Our church had been vandalized and we needed some help. We needed to get close to the highest authority of the land, so we found someone whom we knew was close to the President. I remember going to his house to explain the problem to him. I remember that every time I saw him in his house, there was an aura of importance around him because this person was always with the President.

Sometimes, we had to wait for him in his house till he would come and meet with us. We always knew that he had been with the President. We took our files to him and when he asked us to leave the matter with him, we expected that he would be able to see the President and do something about the problem. We believed everything he told us because we knew that he had power. We knew he was close to the real source of power. We were attracted to him because of his authority.

Although he never really helped us, we kept on going there because of his authority and the fact that he was always with the President. It was not his physical strength that attracted us to him. We went to him because he was close to the President.

People received Jesus Christ because they could tell that He had been with the highest of powers. They knew that He had been with the Almighty El-Shaddai. They knew that He had been with Jehovah Rophe. The presence of the Lord around Him came from the fact that He had spoken to the Lord.

As we come close to the Lord, we get close to His presence. We will begin to get as near to Him as Jesus was. When you don’t know what to do, look at Jesus and do what He did. As Jesus prayed, the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him and a voice came from Heaven which said, “This is my beloved Son.”

…And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Luke 3:22

I see the anointing upon you as you come into His presence today!

When You Pray, Pray for Grace

God listens to prayers. Sometimes, we pray amiss. We do not pray for grace. Grace is the prayer that God never refuses. There are many things you will ask and God may never listen to you, but if we pray for grace in every difficult situation, He will answer You know why? It’s because grace is something that you do not deserve. When you are asking for something you don’t deserve, nobody in Heaven can bring any issue against you. Nobody can bring an accusation. It’s because you are asking for grace, something that you don’t deserve.

Apostle Paul said the grace of God is sufficient for us. The grace of God is sufficient for that problem in your life. The grace of God is sufficient for every situation.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

I see the grace of God moving into your life! I see His grace moving over your finances. The grace is moving into your body and into your life! It is moving into every situation! His grace is coming into your ministry! His grace is coming into your church!

It is what you don’t deserve, but He’s giving it to you to bless you and to lift you up!

Chapter 32

A Season for the Anointing

AND JESUS HIMSELF BEGAN TO BE ABOUT THIRTY YEARS OF AGE, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli...

Luke 3:23

This particular verse is significant because the experience of Jesus becoming anointed did not happen to Jesus until He was thirty years old.

This shows us that some of the things we have prayed for and have not received, are not because we did not pray aright. Sometimes it's because we are not yet "thirty years” of age. Jesus began to enter into the blessings that had been determined for him when he was thirty years old. There is a time for certain experiences. The Bible talks about a tree bringing forth fruit in its season.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Psalm 1:3

John the Baptist was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. The Bible says that the priests that were counted for the work of the Lord were those that were thirty years old and above.

Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward:

1 Chronicles 23:3

In fact, David began to reign when he was thirty years old.

David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

2 Samuel 5:4

There is a season for everything that God has planned for your life. Be patient and wait for him. When it's the season for your blessing to come, it will surely arrive. There will be no delay. Pray and cry no more. Don't think that you have done something wrong. It's only because the season for your anointing has not come.

There is a season for your breakthrough. There is a time for God to lift you up. Enter into your season of lifting. The season of blessing, the season of healing and the season of promotion shall come at the right time! I see you entering into the season of God for your life!

Do not give up on your faith. Keep believing and hoping that the right season will come for your anointing. Maybe you are a woman believing God for a miracle to have a child. Do not stop believing. Maybe God has a special season for your baby to arrive.

The mother of John the Baptist did not know that her son had to arrive at the right season. John the Baptist had to be born a few months before Christ was born so that he could prepare the way for Jesus' Ministry. That was God's season for him. He could not have come earlier, or later. Elizabeth had to wait for the right season to have her child. The Lord was pleading with Elizabeth, "Please, please don't give up!" The Lord is pleading with you too and saying, "Please, please don't give up!"

Don’t Give up, Your Season Has Come!

Until you begin to be about "thirty years", nothing will happen. If you are a pastor, don't give up. The time for your anointing and breakthrough is coming. Your time will come as surely as the night follows the day. It will come at the season that God has determined for it.

Even though you may be full of the Word and the Holy Spirit, there is still the right time to receive certain blessings. You may be a beautiful and faithful sister in the church. You may diligently do your nails and your hair but no one shows up. When the time that God has ordained for you comes, you may not even wash your face or put on makeup, but your husband will walk to you.

When it's the rainy season, you don't have to call for the rain. You won't need to fast and pray for the rain. The rain itself will pour on you because its season has come.

Have you seen somebody praying for rain in the rainy season? We sometimes rather pray that the rain should go away. There is the right time for God to send you a husband. You may be a fertile wife but there is the right time for God to give you a child. You may be a good businessman but there is the right time for God to lift you up and put you where you are supposed to be. There is the season, and there is the right time!

I see you beginning to be in "about" the time of certain things in your ministry! I see the Lord doing a great thing in your life! I see God lifting you higher! Believe in the spoken Word. Believe to receive a miracle through the spoken Word.

I see a lifting up coming into your life!

I was preaching in one of the nations of Africa when one of their top Christian gospel stars came to sing a song. He announced that he was dedicating the song to me. He explained that the year before, I was in their church preaching when I told them about a vision in which angels were distributing parcels to those who stretched out their hands to receive. He said I pointed to him and said, "You are the next star." He said he was not known at that time. Nobody knew him to be anything.

But he became a star. His season had come. He was now playing with some of the top gospel stars in the United States. That is the power of God through the spoken Word.

Hands may not be laid on you. I may not touch you. But the words I speak to you have the anointing power. Believe that the right season is coming upon you!

A Mega Church at the Right Season

Years ago, I preached mainly to small groups. I began to complain to the Lord that even though I was always preaching, I never preached to a large group of people. I was always starting little groups and preaching to them but none of these groups ever became large. The Lord told me not to give up. He promised me that there was a mega-church down the line for me. At the right time and at the right season, I began to see the mega-church the Lord had promised.

You are just about to enter into your season! You are just about to be "thirty years" of age. It's wonderful! It's marvelous! It's happening in your life! It will come suddenly! The Lord will do a great thing. He'll heal your mind. He'll heal your soul and heal your life. He'll turn you around. He will put your feet on a rock to stay.

I see a light! Somebody is in darkness but the Lord is beginning to send a light because it is about time that there should be some light in your life. You have been walking in the darkness for a long time but the Lord is bringing you light. The Lord is saying that the sun is about to rise. It's around the time for light to come.

Receive the blessing! Receive the healing! God anointed Jesus Christ with power. That power is coming into your life now! There is power to heal and save you. There is power to destroy the work of the devil. There is power to lift you higher. There is power to receive the Holy Spirit.

One day, I received a letter from a lady in Malaysia. She said that once when I was in her church preaching, I pointed at her and I said, "I see you getting a car." She told me about how the miracle happened. She said she just had to write because of the supernatural way in which it happened.

The healing power of Jesus works in Malaysia, it works in Colombia and it works in Ghana. It works everywhere in the world. Receive the power of the Holy Spirit in your life! Let that power work in your life! Let it work in your finances! Let it work in your business! Let the power of the Holy Spirit work in your school! Receive the touch of the Lord upon your mind!

The healing power of the Holy Spirit works on all kinds of problems. It works on difficult problems. It works on marital problems. It works on financial problems. It works on sicknesses. It works on unsolvable problems. It works on all sorts of problems.

It worked yesterday, it works today and it will work tomorrow. It's coming into your life right now. He is a healing Jesus. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

You'll never be the same again. No one who came into contact with his anointing was ever the same again. You'll see practical change in your life in the name of Jesus. God has turned your life around and taken you out of the miry clay. He has placed your feet upon a rock to stay. It is your season to be blessed!

Chapter 33

Jesus Will Do Good to You

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Acts 10:38

I want you to know that Jesus can heal situations that doctors cannot solve for you. I have seen God do many miracles. One day, a man came to me. He stammered badly. He stammered so badly that he had to hit himself before he could speak a word. Stammering is something doctors cannot heal. At the miracle service I was having, Jesus touched him and he was healed of that disease. He began speaking fluently to his own amazement! Imagine how someone who had to hit himself in order to speak was healed of that stammering tongue!

The Bible says Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: WHO WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Acts 10:38

A few years ago, an 11-year-old young girl attended a miracle service. This young girl had had her left eye damaged years earlier in an explosion involving two live wires. The other child who was there when this accident happened was killed. This little girl had escaped with damage in one eye. She could not see at all with that eye. God touched and healed her in the miracle service. Suddenly, her eye opened and she could see with that eye.

With all our advancements and developments, there are many questions we cannot answer. Human beings have created airplanes, ships and rockets. We have taken trips to Mars and to the stars. We have journeyed to the moon. With all our education and achievements, no man is able to change the heart of a man. We are also still faced with many diseases we cannot heal.

But I see God healing you and changing your life. I see Jesus doing good to you. Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed. Jesus is healing you right now. He heals mad people. Many mad people have been healed by Jesus. He is the Son of the Living God. Jesus is healing you right now. Receive your healing! God is healing you. He is touching you. Healing is flowing to you.

There are many testimonies of Jesus doing good. Jesus is still doing good today. I was once holding a miracle crusade in Colombia; the Lord glorified Himself and healed many people.

There was a lady who had not walked for a year. She came to the crusade in a wheelchair. God healed her and she came out of her wheelchair at the crusade. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is still doing good.

There was a man who had had his tibia bone shattered. He had had three operations and he still could not walk. He had been in this condition for eight months. He walked at the crusade by the healing power of Jesus. Jesus did it again!

A deaf and dumb lady who had been in this condition for twenty-five years was touched by the power of God and healed. Her mother testified that she had never been able to hear or speak since she was born. She heard and spoke for the first time. She called her mother, “Mama” for the first time in her entire life. That night Jesus did what doctors had not been able to do. Jesus is still doing good and he will do good to you.

A lady had cancer in her spinal cord. She had undergone an operation and the tumour was removed but she could not walk for five months. She was in a wheelchair. God emptied her wheelchair. Jesus did a good thing and helped the woman to walk.

There was a little boy who had not been able to walk for three years. God healed him and he walked that night.

There was also a lady who was suffering from a thrombotic disease and had not been able to walk for one year due to the thrombosis. She was in a wheelchair. God healed her. It is wonderful and marvellous what God can do.

This little boy could not see because he had cataracts in his right eye. He always had his eyes closed. God touched him and healed his eyes!

There was another lady who had not walked for six months but Jesus healed her.

There was a man who could not see with the left eye. God healed his eye. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

A lady brought her son who was epileptic to the crusade grounds. That night, God healed her son of epilepsy. This woman confessed that she had seen a vision of Jesus in the meeting. Jesus told her that her son had been healed. Her son was healed in the service as Jesus had told her.

I present to you the Jesus of miracles. I want you to meet the Jesus who works miracles. How can these things be? How can these miracles be? I want you to know that the secret behind these miracles is the Holy Ghost!

You cannot do anything for God without the anointing of the Spirit of God.

Jesus was born into this world and for thirty years He did no miracle. He was a carpenter working with His father. But the Bible says, the time came when God called Him to the wilderness to fast and pray. He waited on the Lord and God blessed Him and anointed Him. It was this anointing upon Him that healed the sick and cast out demons.

Chapter 34

He Sent His Word and Healed Them

He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

Psalm 107:20

God does not like proud people. He does not like people who boast about things He has given them. You must humble yourself and believe in God. If you are a young person, you must know that the life you have today is from God.

When God blesses you, you must give the glory to Him. Don’t be like the San Franscisco man. You must not say that it is your strong will power that has saved you. If you’re alive today, thank God for His mercy. God wants you to give Him the glory. If you are healed, God wants you to give Him the glory.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is a healer He will heal you, save you and cast devils out of you. There is no problem or difficulty that He cannot overcome.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.

Hebrews 13:8

One day, an important man whose servant was sick invited Jesus to his house. The servant was dying and this centurion had asked for Jesus to come and heal him. Jesus agreed to go and heal his servant.

On his way to the centurion’s house, the centurion sent a message to Jesus not to bother to come to his house. He told Jesus, “Just stand there and say something and my servant will be healed.”

Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

Luke 7:7-8

I want you to know that Jesus does not have to come to us physically for us to receive all the miracles we need. As the Word of God is preached, you will be healed, even if the man of God does not touch you.

God sent his Word and healed his people.

I see Jesus coming to heal you. I see Him sending His Word to heal you. I see Him healing you right now. I see you coming out of your wheelchair.

I remember a vision I once had. God told me that He had put fire in my mouth and that when I speak, fire would come out of my mouth in the realm of the spirit and people would be healed. I do not have to touch you before you receive the power of God into your life.

I bind every blind spirit in your life in the name of Jesus! I bind the spirit of paralysis in the name of Jesus. Receive your healing in the name of Jesus. God is opening the eyes of the blind. Receive it now in Jesus’ name!

God is healing you of cancer. He is healing you of arthritis. His power is like ointment. Receive its warmth all over you! He is healing the barren. He is healing epilepsy. God is healing you of the spirit of madness and depression. Your marriage may not be working but God is bringing healing to it. You will not be divorced because God is healing your marriage. You will not die! You will live!

God is giving you a car. He is building new houses for you. Receive these blessings right now. Receive the spirit of prosperity. God is taking away reproach and shame from your life. I see God giving you a blessing. Receive your blessing.

I see you being blessed! I see God blessing you! I see God healing you! I see God delivering you and I see God giving you houses and cars! Your life will never be the same again!

He Sent His Word and Healed Them

I once preached at a crusade in which there were thousands of people present. There was no way I could lay hands on anybody. But Jesus healed many people.

There was a man who had been knocked off his motorcycle by a car. As a result, he could not walk. He could not even stand. He had a fracture in his hand as well. The Lord touched him and healed him by His Word. Another person who for nine years could not walk without a walking stick, was healed. I never touched any of these people but the Lord healed them. He sent His Word and healed them.

A lady with osteoporosis for more than five months was brought to the meeting. She could not walk. She was in bed all the time because she could not even get out of bed. She was brought to the crusade in a wheelchair. The power of God brought her out of the wheelchair and she was able to walk on her own. I never touched her or spoke to her personally. He sent His Word and healed them.

There was also a man who was totally paralyzed. He had been in the wheelchair for five years. Since he had not walked for a long time, his legs had become smaller than the usual size because the muscles had not been exercised. He could not walk at all. In fact he could not even move his legs on his own. The Lord touched him and life came back into his legs. Power returned to his legs and he began to walk.

As a medical doctor, I know that when you have been paralyzed for some time, the muscles atrophy. Sometimes, the nerve supply is cut off and the legs become like sticks that cannot do anything. It is a miracle even medically speaking, for a paralyzed person who had to be bathed daily to start walking. He sent His Word and healed His people!

Actually, there seems to be more power available when the Lord Himself touches us. There was yet another lady who had not been able to stand for three months. She was brought to the meeting in a wheelchair. But she got out of the wheelchair by the power of God. I never touched her and I never laid hands on her. He sent his Word and healed her.

Children also receive their healing when the Word of God is sent to them. There was a child who had a twisted leg and walked with difficulty. The Lord touched him and he was healed completely. The leg was straightened out completely. Isn’t that wonderful?

This little boy broke down crying, because he was so overwhelmed by the miracle. His auntie told me that he needed to have surgery but she did not have the money for it. His legs had been totally out of shape. They became arched and so he was given orthopedic shoes to straighten them. God touched those legs that night and healed them completely!

In the same meeting there was a lady who had a tumour in her breast. She said when prayer was going on, she suddenly felt some warmth in her chest. She did not even touch her breast. Suddenly, she realized that she was bleeding in that spot. She found out to her surprise that the tumour had disappeared.

Jesus continued to touch little children in the crusade. Another young boy had been brought to the meeting by his grandmother. He had crutches because he could not walk at all. Whenever he tried to walk, he would drag his feet and not be able to walk. The Lord touched him and healed him. He took his first few steps as the grandmother looked on with joy and excitement.

A lady brought her two-year-old son to the meeting. This woman had three children, two daughters and a son. Her first two children were born normally and grew well. Her only son, however, contracted meningitis when he was seven months old. The disease had affected him so badly that he could not walk. Every time he made an effort to walk he would just stand and wriggle his waist and sit down. He had very little strength and could not do any strenuous work.

The mother was praying for a miracle as she sat down in the service. She saw the power of God touch her son. In a moment he began to take a few steps. The mother was so overcome that she broke down crying. She told me, “Because God has healed him I want you to pray for him that God continues to strengthen him.”

He Is Still a Healing Jesus

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever! He sent His Word and healed them.

A deaf man was brought to the service by his friend. His friend testified that he was deaf in both ears. The power of God touched him and he was healed in both ears. He had never been able to hear in those ears!

I am sharing these testimonies so that you will be encouraged to believe in the power of God.

A young man who had been paralyzed for thirteen years was healed by the power of God. He had come to the meeting in a wheelchair. He was able to walk and do what he could not do before. The Lord touched him and healed him. He is the Lord that healeth thee!

There was yet another lady who had been paralyzed for three years. She had been suffering from arthritis and the disease had crippled her. The Lord touched her and healed her so that she could walk again.

People were even healed through the radio. How could I lay hands on people who were far away from me? They heard the Word of God through the radio and received their healing. There was a little girl who tuned in to the radio. She was epileptic and had attacks everyday. In fact, she experienced at least ten epileptic seizures everyday. As she listened to the radio, God healed her. In the middle of the programme and as prayer was going on, she started having attacks. Then it ceased. This was about eight o’clock in the evening. She knew she had been healed because she did not have any seizures the following day. She would have had at least ten seizures in a day. This is a powerful miracle by any standard.

The miracles continued as his Word was preached. There was another paralyzed man brought to the crusade in his wheelchair. This man had blocked arteries and could not walk. He had been to see many physicians but they could not help. In fact, they had suggested that he have his legs amputated.

He did not know about the crusade until his daughters informed him about it. They promised to bring him the next day. For four years and four months he had not walked. He could not even lift his hands during the worship time at the crusade. He had so much pain. He was in a wheelchair when the power of God touched and healed him. His daughters confirmed that it was a miracle. As he walked, they said he had never done it before. God did a miracle!

One of the amazing testimonies was that of a baby’s large head which shrunk at the crusade. Is it not wonderful that God does great things even when no one touches you? A baby had been brought to this crusade with hydrocephalus. This is a condition in which the head of the child is greatly enlarged. His head just began to shrink. It reduced dramatically and the mother testified that the head of her baby had reduced in size.

As the Word of God comes forth, believe that God will heal you. He sent His Word and healed them. Miracles are going to come into your life as you hear the Word of God.

Chapter 35

The Works of Jesus

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 came into this world many years ago. He did a lot of miracles while he was on Earth. I want to announce to you that he is doing those same miracles today because Jesus told his followers that, “The works that I do shall you do also, and greater works, shall you do, because I go to my Father.”

We will live to see the power of God. We will see the works of Jesus. Angels are real and God gives His angels instructions to accompany his servants.

Jesus Christ is alive. He is saving and healing us today as He did yesterday. Like the thief on the cross He is right by you even in your darkest hour. You can turn to look at Him just as the thief did. You can ask Him to have mercy on you. Jesus told the thief that he would be with Him in Paradise. The blessings of God are right beside you. He will forgive you and save you when you call upon Him. God is opening your eyes to see His power and His goodness.

Today, Jesus is here. He is working through His servants to do the same things that He did yesterday. He promised that they would do the same works that He did.

One day, He saw a certain woman whose only child was dead by the city of Nain. The woman was crying over her dead child. The Bible says that Jesus had compassion on her. He said to the young man, “Young man, I say unto you, arise.”

And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

Luke 7:13-15

I command you to arise from your wheelchair, or your stretcher. Jesus is saying unto you to arise. You will experience Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit in your body!

The Bible tells us that Jesus was called to a certain man’s house. This man was a ruler of the synagogue. His daughter died. But Jesus laid hands on her and she rose from the dead.

And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.

Luke 8:54-55

I am a doctor. I have witnessed many people die. I have seen people in the mortuary. I have seen how death takes away people’s lives. Doctors cure most diseases, but when the hand of death comes over a body, the doctors retreat.

The Enemy Called “Death”

One day, I was in the emergency room attending to a dying lady. As a young doctor, I was witnessing such a case for the first time. We tried to save her. My boss was standing by me, and the nurses were all around. We did all that we could to save her life. Unfortunately, she stopped breathing and died whilst we were working on her.

When my boss noticed that she was dead, she turned around and walked away. She didn’t try anything anymore because death had taken over. Death is the greatest enemy of man. It is the unsolvable problem of man. It is the problem that doctors cannot cure.

Years ago, we witnessed the death of Princess Diana. There was nothing human beings could do. They had all the money in the world, they had all the doctors in the world, but human beings looked on helplessly. But it was not so with Jesus. Jesus was not afraid of death. Jesus was not helpless when He stood before death. He conquered death. He pulled people out of the grave with His awesome power.

Jesus began the journey to Jairus’ house. On the way, something terrible happened. The child died and people were sent to tell Jairus, “Your daughter is dead, there is no hope.” But Jesus turned to Jairus and said to him, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” When Jesus got to Jairus’ house, the place was filled with people who were crying. They were so sad. They told Jesus, “You came too late. The doctors and the nurses couldn’t help us.” But Jesus asked, “Why are you crying?”

You may be in anguish but Jesus is asking you, “Why are you crying?” I want to announce to you that there is hope because of Jesus.

Jesus is saying to you today: “Don’t be afraid, only believe.” He will turn your night into day. He will turn your darkness into light.

Perhaps, you are dying but I want you to know that you will come into contact with the power of Jesus. Maybe your daughter or son is not well; but I want you to know that Jesus is alive with the power of the Holy Ghost. The power of Jesus is entering into you as you read this book. He is the Lord that healeth thee.

Wherever you are, the Holy Spirit is present with you. Receive your miracle! Place your hand where you have pain. Place your hand on the disease. The power of God will fall upon you like heat, and like the wind. You will feel like the power of electricity passing through you. You will feel the touch of God. The power of the Spirit is with you right now.

Sometimes, you may not feel anything but you will notice that the power of God has healed you in the name of Jesus.

I command the paralytics to be loosed in the name of Jesus. I command those in bondage for many years to rise out of that wheelchair. I command the deaf and the dumb to begin to speak and hear in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. I speak to cancers, to the diseases of the mind, mental diseases, spirits of madness, epilepsy, to depart in Jesus’ name. I command migraines and arthritis to depart in the name of Jesus. Receive strength. Begin to move your leg, begin to move your limbs. God is lifting you up. God is healing you because He is the Lord that healeth thee.

You may have kidney failure, liver failure or heart failure. God is healing you. He is touching you. You may be in hospital. Receive your healing. Rise up in the name of Jesus!

You will not remain in the hospital! You will not remain in that stretcher or wheelchair!

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Acts 10:38

I believe in the miracle-working power of God. There was a lady in one of my miracle crusades who was suffering from paralysis. She had been confined to a wheelchair for three months. When she was healed, she pushed her own wheelchair around on the platform. God healed another lady of polio so that she could walk. She was a student in the university and she had asked for healing so that she could continue her studies. In the same meeting, two men who had been bound by paralysis for ten and twenty years respectively were healed by the power of God.

Whoever you are, receive the power of God and your life will never be the same in the name of Jesus!

Again, in the same service, there was a lady who had osteoporosis for more than a year. The doctors had told her that her condition was deteriorating. There were times she could not move at all because of the pain. The Lord had told her two months before the meeting that she was going to be healed. At the crusade, she suddenly felt something snap in her back. She then felt some pain and the feeling of soft hands touching her back and she was healed. She was grateful because she did not have money to get the medical attention she needed.

There was yet another lady in one of my meetings who had a kidney condition. Her kidneys were swollen and she could not bend over. Her abdomen was also swollen. She was healed and was able to bend over.

God also healed someone with a brain tumour. She came to the crusade to be prayed for and said that she felt something leave her body during the prayer. She went back to her doctors for examination. She had her x-rays done again. The tests all came back negative. Doctors testified that the cancer was gone.

He is a wonderful God and He will heal you today! He is still doing his works! He has promised that the works that He did will we do also!

Chapter 36

The Secret behind the Miracles

Whenever we gather in the name of the Lord, the Holy Spirit is there. He is always ready to help many people. Not only does He heal the sick but he also raises up several people to do His work and His will. There is no greater work than the work of Jesus. I want you to know that God is appointing you and calling you to do his work. He is sending you to go out there for Him. God is going to raise up many people to do His work.

Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan.

As Jesus was praying and coming out of the water, a dove descended from Heaven upon him. That was the Spirit of the Lord. When the dove descended Jesus knew that the power had arrived. He knew that the anointing had come.

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

Matthew 3:16

I want you to know that you cannot do anything for God without the anointing of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit came upon Jesus He went into His own country, and preached there. He preached a very important message. He said the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him.

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, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Luke 4:18-19

One of the most important messages He preached was about the Spirit of God being upon Him. He said He was going to preach the gospel to the poor because the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him. Jesus knew that the Spirit of the Lord had come upon him and that was why He announced to the people that the Spirit was there. He could feel Him. He could sense the power and the anointing to heal.

The Secret Is the Holy Spirit

The secret behind the miracles is not a man. It is the mighty Spirit of God. The secret is the Holy Spirit. That is why Jesus did not do any miracle until the Holy Spirit came on Him. After the mighty Spirit of God had come upon Jesus, He went about doing good and healing the sick.

Jesus met blind Bartimaeus and healed him. Blind Bartimaeus had heard that Jesus was passing by. He shouted for help. He asked for mercy. The people around him tried to shut him up. They said he was disturbing the peace. They told him, “Shut up! You blind man, keep quiet and do not disturb Jesus.” But the man continued to shout and to cry louder for help.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. 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.

Mark 10:51-52

I want you to understand that the same Jesus who passed by Blind Bartimaeus is passing by you today. Don’t be discouraged if people are telling you that Jesus will not heal you. That is what they did to Blind Bartimaeus. Jesus will hear your cry. I see Jesus hearing your cry!

Jesus stopped by Blind Bartimaeus. I see Jesus stopping by you. He has noticed you praying and knows about your situation. In the same way that Jesus asked Blind Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” He is asking you the same question.

You need to have the faith of Blind Bartimeaus. As you read this book, understand and believe that Jesus is passing your way. There is nothing too hard for Him to do. The Bible says there is nothing impossible for God. There is no river too wide that God cannot cross it. There is no mountain too high that God cannot move it.

I see you experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit! You are receiving healing right now. I declare and confess that you are being healed of cancer. You are getting up from your wheelchair. God is healing you by His Word!

The Secret of Healing

The Holy Spirit is the one who heals the sick. He is the invisible power of the Church. He is the secret behind the miracles. There was a blind man who was healed in one of my meetings. This man was blind in his right eye and had a cataract in his left eye. He had undergone surgery twice but still could not see with the right eye. The Lord touched him and healed him. He could clearly see with the right eye when he had the left one covered. Blindness is something that medical science has struggled with. But two thousand years ago, Jesus conquered blindness. The Holy Spirit is the key to experiencing healing.

There was also a little girl who came to a miracle service with a hernia that she had from birth. She had a lump that was always present. The Lord healed her and the hernia disappeared. After being examined by a doctor, it was confirmed that the hernia was gone. The little girl could say nothing but point her finger there and smile.

There was a twelve-year-old boy in a miracle service who had a problem with his urethra. As a result, he had problems urinating. He could only pass urine in little drops. He would take a very long time to urinate. There had been plans for surgery but his mother could not afford it. The Holy Spirit miraculously touched and healed him. That is the secret behind the miracles: the Holy Spirit. After he had been touched by the Lord, he was taken to the rest room to urinate. He did this freely and came back to give glory to God. He had felt the power of GOD coming over him. He had felt something touch him during the service. The Holy Spirit is the secret behind these wonderful miracles.

I remember a certain man whose legs were totally shattered. He had had surgery that left him almost paralysed. He ended up walking with crutches. He lamented that he wanted to walk because he had little kids and wanted to play with them. The Holy Spirit touched him and he started taking a few steps as the Lord healed him.

One of the outstanding miracles I have seen was that of a lady who had not been able to hear or talk for thirty years. She could not say anything. Neither could she hear anything. She could not stop nodding and crying when she realized that she had been healed. He is still a healing Jesus today! The secret is the Holy Spirit. He is the invisible healer sent by the Father to bless our lives.

Chapter 37

With God All Things Are Possible

For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Luke 1:37

We serve a God who is alive. We do not serve a stone or an idol. One day I went to a traditional ruler. As I talked with him, he realized I was a minister of God and he said to me, “I serve the river. I worship the river that runs by my house.” And I said to him, “Dear Sir, with all due respect, I want you to know that I serve a living God.”

Some years ago, a friend of mine went to his village in Africa There are usually many idols and images in African villages. This friend felt like passing urine and since there was no real bathroom in the village he went into a corner and began to urinate.

As he was urinating, some people began to shout at him, saying, “Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! What are you doing?” But he was already urinating and could not stop in the middle till he finished. When he finished, he turned around and saw a lot of people looking at him angrily. He was wondering what he had done wrong. Then they told him, “Did you know that you were urinating on our god?”

Nobody can urinate on our God. He is alive today and that is why he opens the blind eye and makes the dumb to speak. If you are a god why don’t you speak out in protest when someone is urinating on you? Even a chicken would run away if you “wee-weed” on him.

In the Bible verse we read earlier, Mary asked the angel, “How can these things be?” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee... for with God nothing shall be impossible.” I declare that nothing shall be impossible for you. Every impossible situation in your life shall be made possible!

One day, Jesus Christ received a message from some sisters that he loved. The message was that his friend Lazarus was dying. Jesus knew the family very well. Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha were his personal friends. Jesus heard about Lazarus’ death and told his disciples that Lazarus was sick. Jesus was not in a hurry to get to Lazarus. This was the third time that he had been faced with a death situation.

Perhaps some people had said that Jairus’ daughter was not really dead when he raised her up. This time he wanted Lazarus to be dead beyond all doubt.

When Jesus raised up the dead boy from the city of Nain, some people might have doubted it. Some people might have said it was not real! This time, Jesus was going to wait until the man was buried. That is why when Jesus knew that Lazarus was dead he waited for four days. Jesus Christ raised the dead from their homes (Jairus’ daughter). Jesus Christ raised the dead from a coffin (city of Nain), and Jesus Christ raised the dead from the cemetery after burial ( Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha). He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. With him, all things are possible.

Jesus wept.

John 11:35

I want you to know that Jesus is crying about your situation. He cares about you! Jesus went to the cemetery. He told them to dig out the coffin and bring it out. He said, “Lazarus, come forth!”

And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth…

John 11:43-44

Perhaps you are wondering why it’s taken so long for you to receive a miracle. It’s because Jesus wants everybody to know that He has power to set you free. When the Lord shows you His power, there will be no questions about it. With man it is not possible, but with God, it is possible.

Mary asked, “How can this thing happen?” The angel of the Lord told her: the Holy Spirit shall come upon you and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you. The Holy Spirit is with you right now and His power is available to save and heal you.

The Healing of Impossible Situations

A young lady was at a miracle service I was holding. She had been in a wheelchair for twenty-five years. She could not move by herself. She always needed to hold on to somebody before she could make any movement. A cousin of hers had brought her to the meeting. The Lord touched and healed her and she walked by herself. God can heal impossible situations!

An eighty-year-old woman, who gave her name as Maria, was healed of an eye condition that made her see everything around her as cloudy. She could not have surgery because of a high blood pressure condition. But now she could see everything. To prove her healing, she started counting the emptied wheelchairs that were lined up on the platform. With men it is impossible but with God, all things are possible!

The angel told Mary that the power of God would overshadow her. The power of the Holy Spirit is what overshadowed these people who were healed. With man, it is not possible, but with God all things are possible.

Another man was at one of my miracle meetings who had been in an accident. His leg was affected by this accident. As a result, one of his main arteries was cut and he had pain in his knee. He discovered that his knees could not support his weight anymore and his ankles got swollen. He had to use crutches to be able to move around. He felt at the meeting that a warm feeling like heat was coming over him. It came over his diseased leg. Suddenly, he started running and holding the crutches in the air. This is what I call the power of the Most High overshadowing you. With God all things are possible.

At a meeting where I preached that all things are possible, there was a partially paralysed man who had not been able to walk for a month. He had suffered from a stroke, which had left half his body inactive. He could not lift his arm and could not walk. The power of God came upon him and he started walking.

For twenty-eight years, a certain man who had been involved in an accident could not stretch his arm. He had had surgery which had left a scar on his arm and he could not stretch long enough to be able to touch his shoulder. The operation had left him handicapped. But the Lord touched him and he was able to stretch his arm. He was able to do what he could not do before. It was a miracle!

A lady, who worked with the city council, brought her grand- daughter to one of my miracle crusades. The little girl was three and a half years old. The problem was that she could not move her body or walk. All she could do was to move her neck. She could not stand up nor take a step. God touched this little baby and she began to walk. This was a miracle from God. All things are possible.

Another powerful miracle I have witnessed is that of a lady who was suffering from a thyroid mass. This condition deteriorated so rapidly that it was affecting her ability to swallow and her breathing. She went to see a doctor and she was scheduled for surgery. But before she could go in for the operation she came for a miracle crusade. After attending the meeting for three days, she felt that she had been healed. She went back to the doctor. The doctor examined her again but the tumour was gone. He told her that she did not need to have the surgery anymore! She came back to the healing crusade with her x-rays to testify about her healing.

The Power of the Most High

The most outstanding miracle I have been privileged to witness is the raising of a baby from the dead. This lady had taken her child to the clinic because it had developed a fever. By the time she arrived at the clinic the baby had stopped breathing and she was told that her child was dead. The doctor wanted to put the baby in the morgue. In fact, the mother was asked to leave the body in the clinic because it was dead.

She decided instead to bring the baby to a crusade I was holding in Colombia in February 2000. She was desperate and believed that the Lord would raise the baby from the dead. Believe it or not, the power of God touched this baby and brought it back to life.

The mother came to the stage to testify. As I listened to her, I wondered, “Is it real? Is the baby really healed? Was he really dead?” As I watched the baby’s mother sobbing and testifying, I gave glory to God. The impossible had happened: the dead had been raised.

With God all things are possible!

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be …And the angel answered… For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Luke 1:34-37

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Other Best-Selling Books by Dag Heward-Mills:

*Loyalty and Disloyalty

Leaders and Loyalty

Transform Your Pastoral Ministry

The Art of Leadership

Model Marriage

Church Planting

*The Mega Church

*Lay People and the Ministry

*These titles are also available in Spanish and French. Information about other foreign translations of some of the titles above may be obtained by writing to our email address.

Table of Contents

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Chapter 1. Flowing with God

Chapter 2. The Natural and the Supernatural

Chapter 3. Manifestations of the Spirit Are Given to Every Man

Chapter 4. Phanerosis: Making the Teacher Visible

Chapter 5. Phanerosis: Physical Manifestations

Chapter 6. Phanersosis and John Wesley

Chapter 7. Falling under the Power

Chapter 8. Weeping and Crying

Chapter 9. Shaking and Trembling

Chapter 10. Varied Manifestation

Chapter 11. The Names of God

Chapter 12. I Am the Lord That Healeth Thee

Chapter 13. Jehovah Rophe

Chapter 14. The Healing Plan

Chapter 15. Divine Healing

Chapter 16. Healing and Manifestations

Chapter 17. Why God Does Miracles in the Church Today

Chapter 19. Understanding Why Some Are Not Healed

Chapter 21. Don’t Deny the Power

Chapter 22. Healing, A Special Gift

Chapter 23. The Healing Anointing Is Our Only Chance

Chapter 24. Healing: The Power and the Fire of the Holy Spirit

Chapter 25. Dimensions of the Healing Anointing

Chapter 26. Characteristics of the Healing Anointing

Chapter 27. Channels of the Anointing

Chapter 28. Laws of the Supernatural

Chapter 29. How God Anointed Jesus of Nazareth

Chapter 30. Humility and the Anointing

Chapter 31. Prayer and the Anointing

Chapter 32. A Season of the Anointing

Chapter 33. Jesus Will Do Good to You

Chapter 34. He Sent His Word and Healed Them

Chapter 35. The Works of Jesus

Chapter 36. The Secret behind the Miracles

Chapter 37. With God All Things Are Possible

Chapter 1