I am an elderly person who loves to study words. I have at different times been a Bible teacher, interim pastor of a small country church, worship leader and a published author. Please join me in the study of
"The Power Released Through The Spoken Word."
Words Have Power to Create
By Ollie Bennett
Chapter One
No one, absolutely no one, knows the full power of the spoken word, especially the spoken Word of God.
The very first word ever spoken was not to communicate (who would hear it?) but to create.
When God commanded, "Light!" The Word burst from His innermost being and the cosmos exploded into existence. Scientists call this "The Big Bang."
It is important to remember that the voiceprint of God still vibrates on every atom of creation and what you say affects those vibrations. This is especially powerful when you re-say what God said.
Power in The Lord's Prayer
An elderly woman lay in a coma. She was expected to die any day. Her two daughters heard God say into their spirit, "Read the Lord's Prayer to her:
'Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven...' Tell your mother, there is no sickness in heaven."
And so the daughters took turns reading that portion of scripture to their comatose mother. "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven...Mama there is no sickness in heaven."
Over and over for hours they did that. Mama finally opened her eyes and after prayer, she was healed of the cancer that had been killing her.
One of the daughters is Sandra Kennedy of Whole Life Ministries, Augusta, Georgia. www.wholelife.org
To show the full power of the spoken word, we must lay a brief foundation:
Why Was Jesus Chosen to Become Human?
We are so used to saying "Father, Son and Holy Ghost" that we don't realize these are New Testament terms. In the Old Testament, the Trinity was not readily visible.
Back then, God was called Yahweh or Jehovah. The Holy Spirit was called the Spirit of God. The third member of the Trinity was unnamed, hidden within the scriptures.
Before He was born on that first Christmas, Jesus was always known in heaven as The Word. He was that same creative Word that sprang from inside God when God said "Light!"
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." John 1:1-2
"His name is called The Word of God." Rev. 19:13 King James Version
On that first Christmas "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." John 1:14 At that point, The Word became God's Son, Jesus, and Jehovah became a Father.
"Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee." Psalms 2:7 and Heb. 1:5
The obscure third person of the Trinity now had a name and He was very much visible.
Why Was The Word Chosen?
Why was The Word chosen to become human and not Jehovah or the Holy Spirit? Or to use New Testament terms, why was the Son chosen and not the Father or the Holy Spirit?
God wanted to give man His very best and The Word is God's most powerful and creative outflowing. It's the part of God that "packs a wallop!"
Before the visible came forth, The Word first came forth to create the visible. Thus The Word (which includes the Written Word--the Scriptures) has been put into our hands to see what we will do with it. God, indeed, has given us heaven's best! [see visions button at top of the page]
Divine Air Conditioning
Once Rev. Jane Lowder of Ashland, Virginia was serving as a missionary in India. The heat was unbearable with daytime temperatures of 104o and the nights not much cooler. In fact, they did not sleep on a mattress which collects body heat, but a rope bed.
From about 9am to 3pm, windows and doors were shut to keep out the oppressive heat. Stepping outside was like stepping into an oven.
She prayed mightily to God: "Don't you have a scripture for this heat?"
Then she found it: Isaiah 49:10, "Neither shall the heat nor sun smite them."
She personalized it, "Neither shall the heat nor sun smite [me]."
She quoted that verse throughout her stay in India and the heat never bothered her again.
Scripture Has An Assignment
Each of God's words has an assignment and each assignment contains within it the genetic code, the DNA to create what it says.
For instance, "He sent His word and healed them," (Psalm 107:20) has the assignment and built-in ability to weave into existence the healing of God's people. "So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it [assigned it]."
Isaiah 55:11
Humans cannot create something out of nothing as God did in Genesis. But we can use God's words to bring our bodies back into healthy alignment. We can use words to bring the atoms and cells of our bodies back into harmony with the voice print of God.
And our bodies yearn for this. "All of creation groans and travails" toward perfection.
Romans 8:22
Want proof? At the first sign of sickness we head for the doctor because our bodies are desperate to be healthy.
The good news? That is what God wants, too. "Beloved, I wish above all things that you may... be in health." III John 1:1
The Word of the Lord vs The Lord of the Word
A word of caution: Please do not isolate the book from the author. God and His Word are one.
We must not use scripture to seek something apart from Him. Whatever must be brought into alignment in your body (or your situation) will come from Jesus through the creative energy of His Word.
If you quote scripture for healing and spend no personal time with The Healer, it's not going to work. This is not a magic formula.
So, before you quote scripture, spend some personal time in worship, adoration, and thanksgiving-- daily! Seek Him, not "it."
And let the Word be a seed, as an acorn within you. Give it time to germinate and follow its genetics to become a mighty oak.
. In the beginning, words were used to create. Only later were they used to talk to someone. By "the law of first mention," words have more power to create than to communicate.
. The voiceprint of God still vibrates on all atoms which make up matter--your body included. After sin entered the earth, the electrons swirling around the atomic nucleus became warped. Your voice speaking God's Word brings those atomic components back into harmony and promotes healing.
. Each scripture has a built-in assignment. When scripture is spoken in faith, it will not stop until that assignment is carried out.
. Quantum Physics has discovered that a human can affect matter.
(see Science button at the top of the page)
. Healing is not an "it." Healing is a person. His name is Jesus Christ.
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Chapter Two My Testimony
With thousands of verses in the Bible, how do you select the one that works best for you?
Most of the scriptures quoted by healing ministries are general in tone. Such as, "He was wounded for our transgressions...and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5
Or "Beloved I wish above all things that ye may prosper and be in health." III John 1:1
Scriptures such as these are wonderful. But for the best results, use a scripture specific to your need.
A Broken Hip
Several years ago, I fell from a standing position onto a cement garage floor. I managed to crawl into the house and call my prayer partner who prayed for me. Among other things, she prayed that I would not be in pain nor bruise. Unfortunately, she forgot to pray about my bones.
God anwered her prayer. After I managed to get into bed and lie still, I did not hurt. And I never did bruise. So, I thought I had only pulled a muscle.
However, after two weeks of bedrest, I saw something wasn't right and went for x-rays. I just wanted to know it was okay to put weight on that leg.
The diagnosis was "femur broken at the neck."
I was shocked. I was in no pain unless I put weight on that leg. I had slept well every night. I could go anywhere I wanted by using a walker. And, as I said, I never bruised.
But the Emergency Room doctor said, "We're admitting you right away for surgery."
"Un uh!" I said. "No way. Not me!" (Doctors call this denial.)
He said, "Well, it's not going to heal."
I signed a release and made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon. He said the same thing. "We're admitting you to the hospital today for a hip replacement."
I said, "I need to go home and pray about this."
He said, "Go. And when you're ready for surgery, go to the emergency room and they will call me."
Fasting for Guidance
I went on a two week liquid fast. During that fast, I both sought to draw closer to God and to know His will concerning the surgery. Should I have it or not?
I researched hip replacements and didn't like what I found: lawsuits and recalls. Plus, most people had to have it done again in ten years or so. Therefore, I would likely have to have it done twice more in my lifetime. And each time, I would be 10-15 years older.
Also, I often go on short-term missionary trips and dreaded the metal slowing me down at airports.
No, I just couldn't get a peace in my spirit about it.
One day, I became so desperate for God Himself that I cried out, "Lord, forget the surgery. I can be at the hospital in ten minutes and get the ball rolling. So, forget the hip. I just want more of You!"
A great peace came over me and I heard Him say, "Are you willing to walk with a limp?"
I said, "Yes, if it is not a bad one and I am not limping from pain."
I never had the surgery and am walking with only a tiny limp. Most people don't notice it.
Perhaps I'll share more about this later, but right now you need to know which scripture I activated for my healing:
it was the famous valley-of-the-dry-bones scripture, Ezekiel 37:4,5.
The original version reads:
"O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones:
Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you and ye shall live."(King James Version)
You Must Personalize Your Scripture
Before I show you how I personalized that scripture for myself, let me show you that personalizing scripture is legit.
John 3:16: 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."
Personlized: " For God so loved Jane/John (or whatever your name is) that He gave His only begotten Son, that if Jane/John believed in Him, Jane/John should not perish but have everlasting life."
Here is how I personalized my healing scripture:
"O ye bones [I took out dry because my bones were not dry]. O ye bones, Listen up! Hear the Word of the Lord to Ollie's bones: Behold, I cause breath [life, oxygen] to enter into you and you do live."
I said this in a commanding voice many times a day, ending with "Live! Live! Live!" and patting that femur. "The Creator has spoken to you and you must live!"
I also used Psalm 34:20 "He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken."
Personalized: "I keep all my bones. Not one of them is broken." Two years later, I could truthfully say, "I kept all my bones. Not one of them is broken."
(I am well aware that the above scripture is Messianic--it refers to Jesus. But the same declaration that worked for Jesus will work for you. Scripture is no respector of persons.)
So, if you need healing, find a scripture if possible, with that body part mentioned in it and personalize it. Make it your own.
If you don't have a Bible concordance to find such a scripture, you can access one online.
- Dozens of scriptures have a healing assignment but a scripture specific to your need boasts your faith more.
- It is legitimate to personalize your healing scripture and expand it.
- Scripture expresses Truth, whatever the language, whatever the translation. Truth is Truth no matter how many different ways it is said.
[In Wendy Alec's book Journal of the Unknown Prophet, Jesus appeared to her and said, " Remember it is written, 'For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.'"
You will note that Jesus quoted from the Amplified [Expanded] Bible proving that it is okay to expand the scripture to emphasize truth. So, it is not necessary to have a particular translation. As long as Truth emerges, any translation is fine.
By the way, first century Christians (by inspiration of the Holy Spirit) were just recording the Truth. They did not know they were writing the New Testament. Their writings became scripture when the early church fathers canonized them. Truth is eternal and will endure forever.
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Chapter Three The Mind Wars Against the Spirit.
Man is a triune being: spirit, soul and body. The soul contains the mind, will and emotions.
Before the fall, Adam's spirit, soul and body were in perfect harmony, with his spirit having leadership over his soul and body.
Man's spirit is eternal, supernatural and the most God-like part of him. It was the spirit of Adam and Eve that daily communed with God.
"God is spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit..." John 4:24
Man's spirit is his most intelligent part since it is not limited to what he learns through the five senses: taste, touch, hearing, smell, and vision. His spirit is capable of receiving information from the supernatural realm.
And here is where the warfare begins. Since you cannot see the source, you have to discern whether that information is coming from God or Satan.
The Mind and the Spirit
When you became a Christian, God's spirit instantly entered into your spirit and dwells there.
However, the mind isn't instantly changed. It must be re-programmed by you. Before accepting Christ you thought and acted like a sinner. Your mind was programmed to sin. Your emotions and body were programmed to sin. Your whole lifestyle was programmed to sin. The voice of your spirit was small, indeed.
Visualize three 36" fence posts side by side. Let one represent your spirit, one your body and one your soul. When your triune being is in harmony, they should all be the same height with the spirit being slightly taller than the other two.
With the new convert, the spirit post will be shorter than the other two (soul, body). As the new convert reprograms his mind with the Word of God, the spirit post will get taller and taller until it takes its rightful place.
After conversion, there is usually a "honeymoon" period when the grace of God so totally envelops the new convert that he declares, "This new life in Christ is so wonderful! I want to feel like this forever!"
But the time comes when God expects the new convert to start putting forth some effort to reprogram his mind. "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2a
"Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee." Psalm 119:11
If the new convert does not reprogram his mind with the Word of God, soon the old temptations are tugging at him again and he begins to wonder, "Did I really get saved?"
What Does This Have To Do With Healing?
You will notice that the new convert had to delete old habits and thought patterns and adopt new ones. Just so, there is programmed into the average Christian's mind more doubt and unbelief about healing than you can imagine.
Many churches teach that miracles ceased when the last apostle died. In other words, divine healing is not for today. We have doctors, medicine and hospitals today.
Well, almost any third-world missionary can tell you that healing does happen today. There are not enough doctors and hospitals to service the people there. And even if there were, the people don't have the money to pay for it.
Besides, the only way to win one of another faith to Jesus (such as a Muslim) is with a miracle. That is Heidi Baker's strategy: go into an African village, get the chief healed, and all the tribe will come to Jesus. So the lie that "healing is not for today" must be uprooted from the Christian's mind.
The best way to uproot a lie is with the truth. God's Word is truth. But be aware, that as you begin to do that, the lie will fight back with all its might. Satan is the father (inventor) of lies and there is strong delusional power behind each lie rooted in your mind. John 8:44
However, truth is stronger than a lie and the lie will eventually have to leave if you persist.
The Truth vs Facts
There must be a paradigm shift in our thinking. A paradigm is the pillars upon which a belief system is built. We think the pillars we have chosen are true and our minds resist any change, even when we find out that what we thought was Truth turns out to be unstable facts.
We must separate the solid-rock Truth from earthly, changeable facts. God's Word is forever true but facts change. When medical tests say you are sick [facts] and God's Word says "You are healed," [Truth] which are you going to believe? Say about yourself what will be true even after you have died and gone to heaven. Say about yourself what is true for eternity.
The x-rays said my femur was broken. God's Word said, "These bones shall live." I never denied the x-rays, but I didn't base my faith on them;
I based my faith on the eternal Truth that "These [Ollie's] bones shall live."
The doctors diagnosed my condition according to their medical training. No problem. God bless them. They are doing great good in the world. I am glad they are there. If anyone wants to go the medical route, it's okay. But I chose not to.
To reprogram my mind, therefore, I had to throw out the medical facts and concentrate entirely on The Word/The Truth and what it said about me.
Did the femur heal in six weeks? Oh, no. The break occurred at a place where many blood vessels were. The blood circulation was pinched off if I stood. Whenever I got out of bed, that foot would turn bluish. One of the battles of the mind was the Enemy saying, " If you keep on delaying surgery you will lose that whole leg not just a bone."
Well-meaning people came out of the woodwork; people I had not seen for years, pressuring me to have the surgery. I thanked these people for their concern and promised to keep them up-to-date.
Later, when I began to walk normally, some of them said, "Oh, it was only a hairline fracture." Hello? They don't do a hip replacement for a hairline fracture. But that is a perfect example of the American mindset: if your hip healed without surgery, then it really wasn't broken in the first place.
So, how long did the healing take? About a year. I just got a wee bit better day by day. Some days I progressed two iches forward and one inch backward. Finally, I could climb stairs and walk a mile at the time.
I want to emphasize that once you decide to go the route of faith you have a war on your hands, and the war is in your thoughts, in your mind. Faith defies logic. Faith might even look foolish.
I remember saying, "Lord, I know I look stupid walking around on a broken hip."
He seemed to say, "That is the price you pay for operating in faith."
Boy, did Noah look stupid!--building an ocean liner in the middle of "Arizona"--so to speak.
But when the rain began to fall, he looked pretty intelligent. Forty days later, he was the smartest man on earth! So, don't be afraid to look stupid if you choose to walk by faith.
. You are spirit, soul and body. These three stay pretty much in sync. When one bottoms out, the other two are not far behind. Likewise, if you force your spirit-man to rise, the other two will rise with it. And your healing has begun!
. Be willing to change your paradigm. Distinguish between perishable temporary facts and the eternal solid-rock Truth.
Facts and Truth are not the same thing. Confess the Truth aggressively until the facts conform to it. Speak the truth until the truth becomes a fact.
. All changes, negative or positive, good or bad, must first be processed through the mind. Even that wonderful decision you made to accept Christ started in your mind.
. The body makes no executive decisions! [How many decisions do people in comas make?] Decisions are made in the mind. The body has no will of its own. The will is found in the mind. You, and you alone, decide the state of your health.
"The body is a habit-forming thing that will do what the mind tells it."
Jesse Duplantis
We will come back to this subject later because it is possible that Satan tricked you even as a child onto the path of making wrong decisions (for survival) and you have continued on that path ever since.
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Chapter Four Psalm 91 For Protection
We live simultaneously in two realms: the visible and the invisible. The natural and the supernatural. They interact with one another.
There is an interchange. By talking positive (speaking the Truth) we invite the heavenly invisibles help us. By talking negatively, we invite the evil invisibles to destroy us.
Many people think, "If you can't see it, it's not there." But if you ask them, "Do you believe in the wind?" They reply, "Of course, because I see the effects of it."
By the way, no human eye has ever seen an atom either, but the atomic bomb shows it is real. So, the wind and the atomic bomb confirm that things exist which we cannot see.
People from all cultures who believe in the invisible, generally agree that both good and evil forces operate out of the supernatural.
In English, we call the good God and the evil Satan.
John 10 says that Satan (the invisible negative) comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus, The Word of God (the invisible positive) who became human, counteracts that with abundant life.
We have seen that healing scripture has an assignment and its assignment is released by speaking. There are many other scriptures from which we can benefit. One of them is Psalm 91, shown here in a personalized version :
Psalm 91
Because I live in the secret place of the most High
And because I abide under the shadow of the Almighty,
I can say, "O Lord, You are my refuge and my fortress;
You are my God, I am trusting in You.
You always deliver me from the snare of the bird-trapper
And from the perilous pestilence [flu viruses]
You always cover me with Your feathers
And under Your wings I take refuge;
Your truth is my shield and buckler.
I am not afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow [bullets] that fly by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction [tornado, hurricane, tsunami, earthquake]
that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at my side,
And ten thousand at my right hand;
But it shall not touch me.
Only with my eyes shall I look and see the reward of the wicked.
Because I have made You, O LORD, my refuge
You, O Most High, my dwelling place,
No evil shall befall me,
Nor shall any plague come near my house;
For You have given Your angels
A command to keep me in all my ways.
In their hands they bear me up lest I dash my foot against a stone.
I shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent [all predators]
Shall I crush beneath my feet.
Because I have set my love upon You, O Lord,
You will deliver me.
You will set me on high because I have known Your name.
When I will call upon You, You will deliver me;
You will be with me in trouble, rescue me and cause me to be honored.
With long life You will satisfy me and show me Your salvation.
In 2011 our city was under tornado warnings. A certain woman was praying for God's protection. She took her family into a building with an interior room that had no windows.
As they prayed, the lights went out. They heard the roar and felt the pressure change but kept praying.
Later, when all was quiet, they came out and saw utter devastation all around. But in the building where they had been praying, not a window was broken, not a shingle was missing from the roof. "It shall not come nigh thee.. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold [the destruction]."
Take note that all those wonderful promises depend upon a close relationship with The Almighty. Protection is for those
"who dwell in the secret place of the most High;"
for those who make the Lord their refuge;
for those who set their love upon Him and know His name.
In other words, you are not just quoting Psalm 91 as a magic formula;
you really do have a loving relationship with the Author.
The Miracle of Dunkirk
We are all familiar with the famous Dunkirk rescue of thousands of trapped British soldiers during World War II. The rescue took several days to accomplish. In one place along the beach, 400 men huddled together awaiting rescue.
By then, German aircraft had arrived and were strafing from overhead. There was nowhere to hide. These desperate soldiers were not just quoting Psalm 91, but screaming it at the top of their lungs! After the planes left, one man got up and looked at his impression in the sand. It was outlined with bullet marks but not one had touched him!
Finally, the last man was rescued. None of the 400 who quoted Psalm 91 was wounded.
This was reported by war correspondent, C.B. Morelock, who interviewed the men.
For many examples of Psalm 91 giving supernatural protection, including thwarting a rape, read the book Psalm 91 by Peggy Joyce Ruth.
Protection Is Not Automatic
I regret that the protection of Psalm 91 (or the benefits of any scripture for that matter) is not automatic. It must be put into action by you believing it, receiving it, speaking it. All the promises of God are activated by voice command.
If what Jesus did for us were automatic, everyone would automatically be saved. After all, Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. John 3:16
But even salvation is not automatic. For those who would activate their salvation, they must say something:
they must confess with their mouth and believe with their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. “For with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9,10
Words--speaking words--is a vital part of even being born again.
The fact that neither salvation, healing or protection is automatic, answers the question, "Where was God when such-and-such a tragedy happened? Where was God when 9-11 happened?"
Answer: weeping on His throne. Weeping because He has put everything we need into the earth and we do not take advantage of it.
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6
(We must remember, also that God has given man a free will even if he uses it for destruction.)
I recognize that God in His sovereignty sometimes gives supernatural protection to some who do not have a close relationship with Him. However, in gratitude, many of these go on to develop that relationship.
Such is the case below:
In 1943, seaman Al McDowell's ship was sent on a dangerous mission.
The captain told them their chances of survival were not good. Al dug out his government-issued Bible and began to meditate on Psalm 91.
"I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress....
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand but it shall not come nigh thee."
They engaged the enemy. The ship was able to dodge several torpedoes. Then came the message, "Torpedo straight ahead. We can't dodge this one! Brace yourselves!"
Al kept quoting, "It shall not come nigh thee. It shall not come nigh thee. It shall not come nigh thee."
The crew sweated for 20 long seconds. The torpedo never hit. It went under the ship. Their mission was accomplished so they left the scene.
Al served God the rest of his life. You can read his entire story in the January, 2008 issue of Guideposts magazine.
Many of you will probably ask, "If you, Ollie, believe in the protection of Psalm 91, why did you break a hip when you fell? "
The answer is simple, I did not have time to activate it.
For the best protection, we really should quote this Psalm daily.
. The assignment of Psalm 91 is protection.
. Protection is not automatic. You must invoke it. Your declaration is a prayer to Him who protects. (And, as we shall see later, your words of faith also activate the angels.)
. You can personalize Psalm 91 to your specific need. For example, if a tornado or hurricane is headed your way, loudly proclaim, "It shall not come near me. It shall not come near my house. It shall not touch me."
If you know the name of the hurricane, say "Katrina, you shall not touch me or my property!"
[This covers you and your house. In order for your city to be protected, the city as a whole must be praying.]
The Bible says that in the last days nature will get very violent, but God promises protection to the person trusting in Him. Click on the prophecies button at the top of the page.
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God's Words Heal Your Spirit First
Chaper Five
You are a spirit, temporarily living in a body and you have a soul. Your soul consists of your mind, will and emotions.
The spirit of man gets violated first and this wounds the soul. With the spirit and soul "warped," last of all the body breaks down.
Your body is an exact copy of what's going on in your soul and spirit.
There are ministries which go into great detail about the spiritual roots of physical diseases. A few are listed below:
www.akwellspring.com headed by Art Mathias, Ph.D located in Alaska
www.pleasantvalleychurch.net headed by Henry W. Wright, who once studied to be a doctor, located in Georgia.
How does the spirit get wounded?
. Through trauma or any violation of the free will such as rape, incest, war.
. Through disappointment, such as rejection [divorce], abandoment, betrayal, lack of nurturing by a parent (you were just another mouth to feed).
By the way, if a parent dies while a child is young, the child may feel abandoned. "Why did Daddy leave me? Why did Mommie go away?" This betrayal lingers on into adulthood and contributes to ill health.
If a man/woman looses a beloved spouse by death, he/she may feel abandoned.
. Through sin, your own or someone who sinned against you.
These are only a few. When your "guts are tied in knots," you know
your spirit/soul has been wounded.
Fear of Feathers
There was a young lady who was terrified of feathers. The sight of a feather sent her into a panic. She also suffered from severe asthma.
When she entered a prayer line for the asthma, God revealed to the preacher the root of her asthma and her fear of feathers:
She had been molested as a small child and the molester held a feather pillow over her face to stifle her screams. She bit into the pillow and when it was all over, she had a mouthful of feathers.
The attack was so traumatic, that she blocked it from her mind. However, her spirit and soul remembered and associated feathers with great danger. The preacher led her in a prayer of forgiveness for the molester and she was healed of asthma and feather-phobia.
Take note that the physical sickness echoed the trauma--asthma is a smothering affliction. Some people have even died (smothered to death) by it.
[ I read so many books and hear so many sermons. When I can locate that story, I will document it for you. Also, I do not mean to imply that all asthma patients have been molested. Each case is different. However, all asthma does stem from the emotions. Art Matthias claims 100% recovery for asthma patients who pray with his team.
Contact www.akwellspring.com ]
Please note that the feather-lady was healed when she forgave. We will come back to this subject later also. Unforgiveness can block healing. You can quote scripture until you are blue in the face, but if you have bitterness or unforgiveness in your heart, it blocks your healing.
The Word of God is alive and powerful. Heb. 4:12
The Word of God is alive, alive, alive! It pulsates! Because it vibrates with life, it can give life. "Your word has given me life." Psalm 119:50 New KJV
Surround yourself with it. Memorize, meditate, saturate yourself with scripture, swim in it, sing it. Let it soak down into your being on the molecular level. Get it down into the very marrow of your bones.
Superficial is not good enough. It must become a part of you--"the engrafted word." When you have memorized, soaked, meditated and engrafted the Scripture into you, then faith become a knowing.
Stage one is hope, stage two is faith, but stage three is a knowing.
Kenneth E. Hagin was bedridden as a youth. But during the few minutes of each day when his eyes could focus, he read, meditated and soaked up the gospels over and over. He became convinced healing was for today.
Hope became faith and faith became a knowing. So, one day he
got up and ventured to walk around the bed. Doubt attacked and
his knees buckled. He began to fall. He grabbed the bedpost shouting, "It's so! It's so! It's so!" He knew it. He knew it!
His knees received strength and he continued around the bed. Each day, he walked a little further. The day came when his strength was normal.
He went on to become a great Word teacher and encourage the faith of many.
Scripture and Alzheimers
I wish to share a revelation with you: God said to me that anyone who feeds on the Scriptures daily would never have extreme dementia. Stage Four Alzheimers is extreme dementia.
The key word is "feeds on." To grab a Bible, read a short Psalm and say, "Okay, I've read the Bible today. I'll never get Alzheimers," will not work. When you feed on scripture, you memorize it,
meditate on it and put its principles to work. And, as we said earlier, you have a close relationship with the author.
That is not to say that you won't ever forget a name or where you put your car keys or have a "senior moment." But a person who surrounds him/herself with Scripture daily will never be a basket case.
Which scripture would you memorize to ward off Alzheimers?
I am convinced that any and ALL scripture so vibrates with life that it doesn't matter which you memorize. Just pick a chapter or a book of the Bible and start memorizing. I am memorizing the book of Hebrews and it is slow going. But, I'm gettin there! And while I'm memorizing, I am also meditating, soaking and swimming in it. (By the way, I set it to music and sing it. It's easier that way.)
Once again, scripture is not a magic formula. Woven into the scripture is the living God who said it. Scripture is God's word captured in print. Your closeness to the author is very important.
Autism
Rev. Mahesh Chavda reports that when his CD of healing scriptures
(Enthroned) was played daily to an autistic child, the child quit banging his head on the wall, no longer needed medication and was taken from a special-education class and put into a regular class.
www.maheshchavda.com
There are many other accounts of scripture healing autism. I suspect any scriptural CD or even a parent reading the Bible daily to an autistic child will work.
Nigerian Pastor Raised From the Dead
In 2001, a Nigerian pastor died as a result of a car wreck. His widow
evoked Hebrews 11:35, "Women received their dead raised to life again." She thought, "If Bible women received their dead back to life, so can I."
Even though her husband had already been embalmed (Nigerian style), she felt if she could just get his body to a nearby revival meeting, he would come back to life.
Somehow, she got her dead husband's body to that site, and he awoke from the dead. Get the whole story on The Lazerus Phenomenon.
(The documentary begins 15 minutes into the film.)
. Scripture heals you from the inside out. Your spirit is first healed and then the soul and body come into agreement with your spirit.
. At first glance, scripture looks just like any other printed page.
But it is not. As soon as you speak those printed words, you loose a life-force. The more dynamic you speak, the greater the energy set into motion. A "fervent, effectual prayer" makes things happen. James 5:16
. Again, while all scripture releases benefits, a scripture specific to your need (as in "Divine Air Conditioning") works best.
. Keep speaking, praying, singing the scriptures until your hope turns into faith and your faith turns into "I know it is so!"
Chapter Six Using Scripture to Repel Temptation
We have all sinned at one time or another. It is our goal not to sin again.
The Bible says, "Resist the devil and he will flee (escape) from you." James 4:7 This can also be translated "Resist the devil and he will flee for his life from you."
But how do you resist him?
Follow Jesus' example: use God's word. Speaking scripture to the devil is like shooting flames into ice. He must back off or melt.
Here's why scripture repels the enemy:
Lucifer was created by the Word of God. When he "butts heads" with the very force that created him, he puts himself in danger of annihilation. In other words, if he could somehow succeed in destroying God, he would destroy himself.
Of course, he cannot destroy God. But the harder he pushes against "Thus saith the Lord," the more dangerous it is for him. So, when you quote scripture, he must back off for his own safety. When he returns, pick up your flame thrower and run him off again.
There is No Generic Scripture for Temptation
You must find a scripture, a truth specific to each temptation. When Jesus was tempted in Matthew four, He quoted one scripture for temptation #1, another scripture for temptation #2, and yet another for temptation #3.
So, there is probably no generic scripture that will work in all temptations. If you are serious about NOT giving in to temptation, ask God to give you a scripture specific to your case. Find a scripture that says the exact opposite of the temptation.
Also, be aware that if there is no metal in you, you will not snap to the magnet. Satan knows your weaknesses. He knows the areas in you that have not be crucified. Those are the areas he will target relentlessly. As Jesus told Wendy Alec, "Temptation promises that which self desires."
All temptations are spiritual in nature. It is your spirit, your soul that the enemy is after; the body is just the "bait" he uses. What did Satan say to Jesus after a forty-day fast? "IF...if....if...you are the Son of God..." Thus he attacked Jesus' spiritual identity, then he used Jesus' physical hunger [body] for the bait, "Command these stones to become bread."
I repeat: it is your spirit that is being tested. Your spirit is the eternal prize. The body will die and return to dust, but your spirit, your soul will live forever.
Deception
Deception is closely akin to temptation. People who are deceived want to be deceived; that is, deep down inside, they want things to be a certain way whether in fact they are that way or not. Deception also offers what self desires.
For example, some married Christian men, when they meet a more compatible female, can be deceived into thinking that wife number one was not destined for them by God. "I married her out of physical attraction. And our vows said, 'What God has joined together let no man put asunder.'
God didn't put us together. Therefore, it is okay to divorce her and marry this other woman who is my God-chosen soul mate."
Do you see how deception and temptation work hand in hand?
After we become Christians, there is a lot of internal "mopping up" to be done. As stated in chapter three, it is our spirit which has been saved. Re-programming the mind and forming new habits is our responsibility. God will help, but He will not override man's free will.
No test/trial/temptation can trap you in a dungeon that has no exit.
I Cor. 10:13 promises that there is always a door of escape. It also promises that no tests/trials/temptations [even though they are of spiritual origin] will be allowed to test you
beyond what a human can endure. The tests have a ceiling, a limit, a line in the sand where God says,
"Thus far shall you pressure, Satan, and no farther!"
Past...Present...Future
Don't beat yourself up over past failures. Jesus is not interested in your past. He died to redeem that. What He is interested in is your future. When you live in regret, you live in the
past. You can't get on with your future while you are still stuck in the past. Wallowing in
regret is like putting yourself as clay in the hands of the enemy. The more you think about it the worse you feel. There is no redeeming value in on-going regret. Accept Jesus' atonement for your sins and get on with life.
Besides, if your sins had educational value, if you learned anything from them
then they weren't a complete loss. Sins are blotted out by Jesus' blood, but what you learned remains.
Remember:
"I am more than a conqueror through Him who loved me and died for me."
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
"Greater [more powerful] is He who is within me than he that is in the world."
Romans 8:37, Phil. 4:13, I John 4:4
. You need a scripture specific to your temptation. But please don't ask your pastor to find one. Dig, dig, dig for it! When you are desperate enough to mean business, the Holy Spirit will "Light up" a scripture for you. It will leap from the Bible.
The times I have given out a scripture, the person didn't use it anyway. It wasn't valuable because they did not invest search time for it.
. If you think deception is part of the temptation, consult someone you trust to help you find out why you want to be deceived. Then, get that root out!
. A good prayer is:
"I bring every thought, idea, mental picture, my body chemistry and my emotions under the blood of Jesus, under the power of His name, and under the covenant I have with Him."
"Casting down imagination....bring every thought into captivity..." 2 Cor 10:5
Chapter seven Angels Carry Out His Word
Psalm 103:20 "Bless the Lord ye his angels...that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice [or sound] of his word." KJV Angels are there to help us. "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" Heb 1:14
The Hebrew word for voice means to call out loud. Sometimes, it is translated thunder. When we fire God's Word into a situation, the angels grab it and start carrying out the assignment contained in that Word. The more authority you use, the more working power you impart to the angels.
If you quote a scripture in a conversational, sing-song tone of voice your "ministering spirits" can only look on helplessly, desiring so much to help you, but not having enough authority with which to work.
Now, just being loud will not get the job done; but words spoken with great authority are not going to be whispered. How many times have you spoken to a child in a normal tone of voice and they did not move? So you spoke a little louder. Finally, you spoke in a tone and volume of voice that they knew you meant business. That's when they sprang into action.
And don't worry that since one-third of the angels fell, God may not have enough angels to help you. God still creates angels and He quickly replaced those that fell. It is Satan's manpower that is severly limited, not God's!
The angels are there. They stand at-the-ready to assist the heirs of salvation. Launch them into action by speaking God's Word with authority.
Chapter eight Hindrances To Healing
Does water always flow downhill? Does God heal His people?
The answer to both questions is "Yes, unless there is a blockage."
Perhaps the greatest blockage to healing is unforgiveness. You probably got sick in the first place because you were traumatized by someone. When there is no human to blame, such as in a natural disaster (earthquake, lightning, etc) the blame shifts to God. "Why did God allow this?"
OR you may actually blame YOURSELF. "Why did I ever do such a stupid thing?"
So, in a nutshell, there are three offending categories :
. Another person
. Yourself
. God
I repeat, we live in two different worlds at the same time: a material, physical world (which we can see) and a spiritual world (which we cannot see).
There are two hierarchies in the spiritual world: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. Both are populated with supernatural beings called angels. God's angels are angels of light and goodness. Satan's angels are angels of darkness and evil. Angels on both sides have names. Sometimes, their name is their nature or what they do.
I once met a Christian lady who could see the guardian angels of other people. She said that everyone has at least one angel but some have more.
"Ollie, you have two angels. One is named Steadfastness and the other is Rejoicing."
My angels' names were their ministry to me, their job.
I have a tendency to just throw up my hands and quit after I have tried and tried
without success.
Steadfastness was assigned to me to "hang in there until the job is done."
What a blessing that angel has been to me. When I want to just quit, I remember
that angel and hang in there a little longer. I really don't want to make her job difficult!
I want to work with my angels, not against them.
I also have a tendency to complain. Rejoicing was assigned to help me see that
every negative has a positive. If I search, I can always find something to be thankful for.
As you can see, these angels were given to help me overcome a weakness, and their
names describe what they do.
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The reason we don't pick up on the names of the lesser angels in the Bible, is that we think they are just adjectives. Psalm 23 closes with "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." What if Goodness and Mercy are angels?
The book of James lists many "adjectives/angels": patience, faith, wisdom, and meekness.
We are told to ask for these qualities. The wisdom angel will help you to have wisdom.
The faith angel will help you to have faith, and on down the list.
(You never pray to these angels. You ask God for wisdom and He assigns the proper angel.)
Evil "adjectives" or dark angels have names like lust (James 1:15), bitterness, envy, strife
(James 3:14). The Bible also speaks of pride, greed, hatred and many others. II Kings 22:19
gives an account of a lying spirit speaking through the mouths of the false prophets.
The point I am trying to make is:
Holy angels will strengthen your good intentions.
Evil angels will strengthen your bad intentions. Plus, when you are traumatized by a tragedy, Satan is quick to deluge you with spirits of hate, bitterness, unforgiveness, retaliation
(a desire to get even), fear and many others.
In due time, these dark spirits will wreck havoc in your physical body. Physical problems may show up quickly or take years to manifest. But hate, bitterness, unforgiveness, etc. in the long run will destroy you.
One of the ways negative spirits wreck your health is to create tension, locking
you into stress--the "fight or flight" mode. Your blood pressure stays up, and
your body produces non-stop cortisol which in turn fries your dendrites (nerve endings). Your adrenaline never slows down because you are on constant alert and fear of getting hurt again.
Stress even affects the way your body uses sugar (glucose). On and on it goes.
You may not be aware of all this because it is running in the background on a subconscious level. For more information on how unforgiveness affects your health, again I recommend the Wellspring Ministry. www.akwellspring.com
How Do I Forgive?
Just say, "Father, in the name of Jesus, I forgive______________(name the person) for what
he/she did to me (go into details). I sever/cut any spiritual bond with that person that was created during the act of violence.
"God, I no longer desire to see them punished. I turn all punishment over to you.
That is Your department. You have said ' Vengeance is mine...I will repay'. Heb 10:30
In the name of Jesus, I forgive them and loose them from ever having to apologize to me
or make it right.
Amen"
[Please note: just because you forgive, the offender is not escaping punishment.
He/she will reap what they have sown. If they have broken the law, the courts will
decide their fate.
But the bitterness is gone from your heart and now your body can get well.]
Thanks for visiting.
OB
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Please Pray for Israel!
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They shall prosper that love Thee." Psalm 122:6
Israel is boxed in by enemies: the Palestinians on her east and the Gazans on her west, enemies in Lebanon to her north and in Egypt to the south--all of them hell-bent to wipe her out.
Israel has a 4,000 year-old deed to her property and there are millions of copies
of that deed all over the world in every language. What other nation can say that?
Never in history has a people kept their identity for 2,000 years after leaving their country.
But Israel has, and we can only say, "This is God!"
I am convinced that the United Nations came into being for the very purpose of declaring Israel a state; the UN was established in 1945 and Israel was voted statehood in 1947. That became a fact in 1948.
Again, we can only say, "This is God!"
However, Israel needs our prayers and the most powerful prayers we can pray are scriptural ones.
| Arise, O Lord, and have mercy upon Zion, for the time to favor her, yea, the set time [the appointed time] is come. Psalm 102:13 |
Look down from heaven, your holy dwelling place and bless your people Israel
and the land YOU have given them Deuteronomy 26:15 |
No weapon against Israel shall prosper [even a nuclear one].
Every tongue that shall arise against her [even in the United Nations]
shall be condemned. Isaiah 54:13 |
And please remember, that God has promised to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse her. Genesis 12:3
Let us bless her that we might be blessed. Amen
For more scripture-based prayers for Israel, click the Israel button at the top of the page.
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