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The Power of the Real Gospel

& Your True Identity

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One THE REAL GOSPEL & YOUR TRUE IDENTITY 4

What it Means to be Saved 4

The Principle of Seed, Time & Harvest Sowing & Reaping 7

The Cure for Codependency 8

The Great Commission 9

How to be Born Again 10

Chapter Two LEARNING TO WALK LIKE JESUS WALKED 11

Godly Character 11

The Proper Use of Anger 12

Trust God, Clean House & Help Others 13

Breaking Strongholds 15

Chapter Three THE HOLY SPIRIT & YOUR TRUE IDENTITY 17

The Role of the Holy Spirit 18

Your Blessings 20

Chapter Four FAITH & WORKING WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT 22

The Faith You Were Given 23

The Authority of the Believer 26

Casting Out Demons 27

The Power of Praise 28

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The Great Commission 28

Laying Hands on the Sick 29

One on One Healing Prayers 32

Chapter Five BEING SPIRITUALLY MINDED 37

Positive Programming 39

The Power of Our Words 40

Being Spirit Led 40

Good Ideas Vs God Ideas 41

Chapter Six BUILDI NG FAITH & HOW TO TEACH THE

TRUTH IN LOVE 43

Faith Building Verses 47

God does want all to be healed 49

Scriptures People Use Against Healing 50

Prayers of Faith & Gods Word 51

Leading Others into Relationship with God 54

Chapter Seven LOVE 56

Being Right or Being Helpful 57

God Uses All Things 57

Becoming Love, the Power and the Ultimate Solution 58

SPIRIT LED SMALL GROUP MEETINGS 60

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Chapter One

THE REAL GOSPEL & YOUR TRUE IDENTITY

What is taught in most churches today is not even remotely close to what the real or

the true gospel is. If you have been born again (or if you have not been) but feel

discouraged, have a poor self-image and/or you are not operating in the supernatural

power of God as a co-laborer with Jesus and the Holy Spirit its time to forget

most of what you were taught or have believed and get ready for the good news.

What Being Saved Really Means

We have been taught that salvation is about having our sins forgiven so that we can

go to Heaven one day. But the truth is that God's intention and what Jesus paid in-

cludes a lot more than that. What the word "saved" (in the Greek "sozo) means:

"saved, healed, delivered, protected, preserved, made whole and kept safe and

sound." Thats what is really meant when God's word tells us that He didn't send

His Son to condemn the world but that through Him all men might be saved. God is

able to give us a grace, peace and joy that is so amazing that even the most difficult

or painful circumstances have no impact on us. But God doesnt control everything

that happens, nor does he bring death, sickness or loss to teach us things. Those who

teach that he does are in error. James 1:16-18 "Do not err, my beloved brethren.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from

the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Philippians 3:13-14 (KJV) Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:

but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching

forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize

of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Most of us have been taught by the church that we more or less had to perform to a

certain level and in a lot of cases that meant being perfect in order to have God use

us or answer our prayers. There probably isnt a better definition of legalism. That

is completely wrong and amounts to self-righteousness. Its also impossible to be

perfect through our works. Unfortunately the church is still dominated by that al-

though there is nothing that robs people of the truth and relationship with God more

than that. And now we also have the radical grace movement where people think

they can live any kind of immoral lifestyle and that is just as wrong.

Paul wrote that we should no longer be conscious of sin (Hebrews 10:2) not so that

we could go on sinning without restraint, but because whatever we spend our time

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thinking about (even if its in the sense of not doing) we will be attracted to doing.

The church with its teaching for the most part makes people incredibly sin con-

scious and its a certain recipe for failure. But if we focus on Jesus, who we are in

him, and his goodness we will be attracted to and empowered to do what He did and

grow into his image.

Although we go through trials and temptations, we are meant to be experiencing the

kingdom of heaven here and now and manifesting Gods power for the benefit of

others, to both the lost and to the saved. We need to forget about who we are in the

flesh or in this carnal and natural world with our limitations and weaknesses, under-

standing who we are in our spirits. We are sons and daughters of God joint heirs

with Jesus having His power and authority to manifest His kingdom on Earth and

destroy the works of the devil.

In Gods kingdom every need has been paid for by Jesus and there is no lack. There

is no hunger, no pain, no sickness and no poverty in the kingdom of Heaven. Those

who are not born again cannot experience Gods kind of life and peace, but we are

called to manifest His power, so that they can be born again. Manifesting Gods

power is one of the first steps to becoming a disciple of Jesus and in doing so we are

also helping those that we are ministering to do the same. When Gods power is

manifest in our lives or in the lives of others, although our carnal or natural minds

we may have some difficulty in grasping it, Gods love and power becomes real in a

greater way. We begin to understand that the kingdom of Heaven isnt a future

event and just where we go when we die but it is for right now.

The reason Gods will will not be manifested on Earth until after Jesus returns - is

because he gives people free will and a choice to believe or of not to believe. Also

of course we have the devil who does his best to prevent it. Gods word says that He

wants everyone to be saved, but because of peoples choices, wrong sowing and

believing and the work of the devil not everyone will be saved or have their needs

met the way that God would like and of course people even die of hunger or sick-

ness or other things prematurely. So while he wants everyone to be saved and have

all of their needs met we will never see that until after Jesus comes back and estab-

lishes His kingdom on Earth. But in the meantime, its our job as born again

believers to teach the truth and to show them the truth and manifest Gods kingdom

in the lives of individuals through His power.

Words can be cheap, but actions speak much louder than words which is why we

are also commanded to heal the sick and cast out demons. It isnt cleaver words that

bring people to salvation but it is the Holy Spirit. When a person receives a miracle

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of healing or deliverance in a persons body that will open their mind up to the

truth, in most cases, more than anything we could say. The Holy Spirit will work

through that to also do a work in their heart.

Of course growing in our knowledge of who we are in Jesus and growing in His

image, power and knowledge of the truth is a process. Our main job and work is in

renewing our minds with spiritual truth (John 8:31-32). The more that we are able

to do this the more that we will experience the life Jesus paid to give us which is the

more abundant life of the kingdom. John 10:10 "The thief cometh not, but for to

steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that

they might have it more abundantly. Sickness, poverty and lack are works of the

devil and they never come from God. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil

and as His representatives we are called to do the same. 1 John 3:8 "For this pur-

pose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the

devil."

Matthew 4:17 "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for

the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Matthew 10:7-8 "And as you go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at

hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and raise the dead, cast out devils:

freely ye have received, freely give.

When it says the kingdom of heaven is at hand it means here right now.

Our born again spirit contains all of the wisdom and power that is in Jesus and the

same spirit which raised Jesus from the dead. There is nothing on Earth nearly as

great as that regardless of our present circumstances in the natural realm. Gods

word says in Isaiah 55:8-9 "For My thoughts [are] not your thoughts, nor [are]

your ways My ways," says 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." Our carnal or natural minds are at opposition with our spirits but as we

renew our minds with the positive truths of who we are in Christ our thinking be-

comes more and more like Gods thinking and we have the mind of Christ. That

mind is already in us but we need to grow in our knowledge and understanding of

the truth so that it can dominate us. Jesus already set us free over 2,000 years ago,

but experiencing the fullness of that freedom comes a little at a time as we renew

our minds with identity and begin operating out of that.

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As Jesus said, All things are possible with God (Matt 19:26 & Mark 10:27) and

He says in Mark 11:23 "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto

this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not

doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come

to pass; he shall have whatsoever he says." There is only one qualification to

Mark 11:23. That of course is that we are operating in accordance with Gods word

and His will.

When we pray in faith sometimes Gods provision does not arrive immediately be-

cause of various different factors but His power is "always" released when we pray

in faith and in accordance with His word. Through faith it is possible to have every

need met in every area. But our focus should be on meeting others needs rather than

our own as much as possible and then ours will be met. But we dont give so that

we can get. We give out of love.

The first thing that we have to understand is that we do not have to perform, get rid

of all of our bad habits or do anything other than to begin trusting God and operat-

ing in faith, following Gods guidance to see things start to change. As our thinking

changes so will our behaviors and habits Although probably every Christian realizes

they are not perfect and have seen God answer their prayers in spite of their imper-

fection, performance based religious thinking (doubt and unbelief) is extremely

common, and the norm. Of course if it were true that we had to have it all together

and basically be sinless, almost no one would receive anything from God (1 John

1:8). Things will start to change the minute we place our trust in God. This is won-

derfully good news. When you were saved God gave you every spiritual blessing

(Eph. 1:3) and He will not take that back because God cannot break His word. Ro-

mans: 11:29 "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." As we

begin to grow in our faith and knowledge of what we have in God we will begin to

act and look more like Jesus.

The Principle of Seed, Time & Harvest Sowing & Reaping

When a seed is planted, whether that seed is good or bad, and then it is watered and

grows and eventually it produces either good or bad fruit. The fruit is usually much

larger in size than the seed that was planted and it takes a good period of time be-

fore the seed matures to the point in which it produces fruit. So we reap more than

we sow and after a period of time usually. As we renew our minds with the positive

truths of Gods word our thinking changes and eventually, after we have matured a

little, most of what we plant will be good seeds and we will reap the good harvest.

Our thinking is what is at the root of all of our actions, so in order to be able to plant

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good seeds for a good harvest we have to change our thinking and there is nothing

nearly as powerful a tool as the positive truths of Gods word. It provides the keys

for planting good seeds in every area of our thinking and our lives.

Its about giving. What we give to others on Gods behalf with a glad and willing

heart will be blessed and multiplied. Gods word says that he can multiply what we

give up to One hundred fold. (Mark 4:8, 4:20 & 10:30, Matt 13:8, 19:29, Luke

8:8, Gen 26:12) One hundred fold is actually more than 100 times. If you were to

take a piece of paper and fold it in half one hundred times and then counted all of

the squares it would probably number in the millions. God is not limited and mainly

we are limited by our small thinking.

Many ministries have employed fundraising tactics to meet financial needs and have

robbed a lot of people of the truth. As believers we are meant to be to be givers but

Gods blessings and the things which Jesus payment on the cross purchased cannot

be purchased with money and they are already ours to be received by faith, al-

though we do need to sow in order to receive. They say things like Send us a gift

right now for $XXX because this is Gods season for the supernatural. to create

urgency when in reality every day and every season is for the supernatural power

of God. They also use Old Testament scriptures and requirements of the law which

are not meant for new covenant believers.

Jesus paid the price for every blessing and all we need to do is receive those bless-

ings by faith, although faith without works is dead and sowing is required. Sowing

is tangible evidence of faith. A person who doesnt have faith will not want to give

and if they did it would probably be with the very wrong motive of impressing oth-

ers.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (KJV) "But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap

also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every

man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or

of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver." When our understanding and our

relationship with God is right we will give gladly and cheerfully. Its more about the

attitude of our heart than the size of our gift but according to our resources one will

be proportionate to the other which is probably why 10% was specified for tithing.

That is a starting point for our faith, but many people give more with a thankful

heart and receive an even more abundant blessing.

The Cure for Codependency

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Codependency as it is about getting our sense of value from others. Its based on

what others think about us or how they treat us and trusting people rather than God.

That, along with the love of money, is the source of all kinds of evil including strife,

jealousy, resentment and hatred. It causes people to compete for the approval of

imperfect people, rather than to receive from God who is perfect and because His

supply is unlimited and He is no respecter of persons there is no competition with

God.

Unfortunately many ministers suffer from this problem which is why they are both

unable to understand or teach the truth in a way that is even close to the way that

they should. We need to be God pleasers and not compromise His word to please

others. And to the degree that we are vulnerable to being harmed by what others say

or do - we will be harmed and codependency makes a person very vulnerable. The

devil will work through people to push our buttons so we need to wholeheartedly

trust God and get rid of our buttons, becoming dead to ourselves and alive to God.

The codependent person will usually be expecting something in return when doing

something for others - whether it is admiration, accepting their advice or something

else.

Codependent people fixing usually does a lot more harm than good. Only God can

change what is in another persons heart which is always at the root of behavior

problems. Regardless of the circumstances, when people try to manipulate people

into changing their behaviors that is usually wrong or dishonest in more than one

way and usually amounts to playing God.

I once attended an event that was going on at a small church and many people were

healed of various physical problems as I prayed for them. Instead of being thankful

that people were healed by God of pain and physical problems one of the pastors

became very angry. It was all about his codependency issues. Unfortunately that

kind of response could be expected at many churches. Of course because I didnt

have that same problem I wasnt hurt by his negative reaction.

When our trust is in God there and we know the truth there is no demand or need for

the approval of others or requirement that they treat us how we want. We become

free from a great number of problems. It takes most of us a little time to get to that

place. But trusting God with all of our heart is what Gods will is all about. The

church has focused on the fact that we are supposed to trust God regardless of our

circumstances but has missed the fact that Jesus came to give us life more abun-

dantly and illness, tragedy and lack are not Gods will for us. We may have to pass

through some or all of those negatives things, but we were meant to live in Gods

abundance.

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The Great Commission

When Jesus sent His followers out to do Gods work He always told them to tell

them that the kingdom is at hand and they were manifesting the kingdom of God on

Earth as they cast out demons and healed the sick. So they were not just talking

about people getting to experience Gods kingdom when they die, but right here and

now. And more than that the people were experiencing the kingdom. The same

thing is true today when we do what God has called and equipped us to do.

Jesus passed on the great commission to us after He had risen from the grave and

right before He ascended into Heaven in Mark 16:15-18. Through His followers and

His word He commanded us to go into all of the world preach the gospel, heal the

sick and cast out devils. If you think you are not ready to operate in Gods power, I

am hoping and believing that by the time you are finished reading this book you

will understand and be empowered to do what Gods word says that you can.

Without signs, wonders or miracles we cannot do as Jesus instructed and we are

operating in something way less than the true gospel.

How to be Born Again

The first step into relationship with God is to be born again. Jesus said that we can

never see the kingdom of God unless we do this. All that is required is that we ask

God to take control of our lives and to guide and lead us with a desire to do as He

leads. We exchange our old life for the new one that God gives us. It isnt about

being perfect and no one is, but God will remove the sin from us as we renew our

minds and put our trust in Him. Sometimes when a person is saved God removes a

little, other times almost all of it, but in all cases we become a new creation with

God spirit living in us. And then our growth also depends on us doing the work

needed to renew our minds. The exact words you pray are not as important as your

sincerity in giving yourself to God. You should pray a prayer like the one below and

then be sure to tell another Christian about it as soon as possible. Jesus, forgive

me for not looking for you. Thank you for paying for my sin and allowing me

to be a part of the family of God. I give my life to you and thank you that you

are going to help me, shape me and set me free.

We all need to be connected with a church or body of believers. But finding a

church that does a good job of teaching the truth where one lives is not always pos-

sible. In some cases we may need to just make the best of a church fellowship close

to us or have fellowship with believers outside of the four walls of a church.

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Chapter Two

LEARNING TO WALK LIKE JESUS WALKED

Most people think that if we are doing unto others as we would have them do to

us and loving our neighbors as ourselves that we are walking like Jesus did. But

for most Christians that is usually contingent on whether or not we think they de-

serve it or on how they treat us. God wants us to love even our enemies. God wants

us to love others as He has loved us, in spite of our sin.

John 13:34 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as

I have loved you, that ye also love one another."

God loved us in spite of our imperfections and sin. When we love this way we give

without regard to whether or not they deserve it and or how well they treat us.

Godly Character

Romans 12:9-21 (KJV) "Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is

evil; cleave to that which is good.

Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring

one another;

Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the

same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men

of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all

men.

If it be possible, as much as is in you, live peaceably with all men.

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it

is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in

so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but

overcome evil with good.

Of course when it says that by doing good to those who wrong us we will heap

coals of fire on his head, that doesnt mean that its our intention to hurt those

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people, but symbolizes the fact that they will feel a sense of remorse and repent so

that they may be healed. This is meant to cleanse the wrong doer. In a vision Isaiah

was repenting of having unclean lips when an angel put a hot coal to his mouth and

then told him that he had been purged of his sins (Isaiah 6:5-7). Its a purifying

thing that is meant to show them Gods love and their need for Jesus, the God that

you serve.

If our focus is on loving others and doing Gods work, knowing who we are in Him,

we dont have to work hard at staying free of resentments and self-centeredness

because that focus and understanding solves those problems. But we also need to

understand that as Gods word says, as joint heirs we have the same power, mira-

cle working power, in our born again spirits, which is the same power that raised

Jesus from the dead.

THE PROPER USE OF ANGER

Ephesians 4:26-27 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your

wrath: Neither give place to the devil."

There may be instances where we need to rebuke someone who is speaking or be-

having in an evil way. But our anger should always be directed at Satan and not

people who are under his control. We are supposed to hate evil, but we need to

remember that although people do evil things - they always do it out of ignorance

and because they are deceived and blinded by the enemy as God's word says. 2 Co-

rinthians 4:4 "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 im-

age of God, should shine unto them." That is why Jesus said as He was dying on

the cross (Luke 23:34) "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."

When God's word says "do not let the sun go down on your anger" it is not saying

as it is so often taught that we need to get over our anger towards people before we

go to bed. Its true that we need to be quick to forgive but what this really is saying

never stop being angry at the devil. If we do, we become apathetic and an easy tar-

get for Satan. Then, at times, we may simply accept what Satans demons are doing

when we should be bringing a quick end to it by using our authority over them in

Jesus name. God's word says "be angry and sin not". When we are angry at people

we are sinning but we are not when we are angry at the devil.

God tells us not to take vengeance because vengeance belongs to Him. Many people

use that as an excuse for thinking its ok to be angry at other people. That is not

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God's intention. Yes, God will judge those who reject Him and His instruction but

our job is to (Romans 13:8) "owe no man anything except to love him."

Trust God, Clean House & Help Others

Trust God

God and His word are entirely trustworthy. God can not lie. If He says He will do

something He will do it. If He broke His word the Universe would fall apart, be-

cause He created everything by the power and integrity of His word.

As Gods word says He is No respecter of persons so we can trust God, because it

is not about who we are - or about our relative goodness in comparison to other

people. No one is good, except God. as the word says but it is simply about our

willingness to believe that God is good and faithful to His word. But again as we

begin to understand that we are children of God and that being a joint heir does not

just mean that we inherit eternal life, but beyond that we have access to everything

that Jesus does when it comes to doing His work. We have His authority to act on

His behalf as well as all of His wisdom and power in accordance with our faith.

What faith is all about is understanding that God is good, He loves us, wants us to

be happy, what is best for us and that He cannot lie. Being certain of these things we

can put our trust in Him which enables us to be in relationship with Him and follow

His guidance and instruction which is the key to everything that is good.

The verses below assure us that God wants to meet our needs and that He keeps His

word to do so.

Philippians 4:19: But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches

in glory by Christ Jesus. Paul prayed this over those who had supported His min-

istry. If we support Gods work from the heart financially (or otherwise if at the

moment we dont have money) we can give thanks to God that He meets all of our

needs and do so with confidence, not because we have earned it but because Gods

word says so.in Matthew 24:35: Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words

shall not pass away. Psalms 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, And

give thanks unto thy name for thy loving- kindness and for thy truth: For thou

hast magnified thy word above all thy name. We can count on Gods word. God

places importance on His word even above His own name. We can believe in His

love and promises.

Learning to Walk as Jesus Walked www.truthpowerandlife.com

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House Cleaning

Proverbs 16:7

When a man's ways please Jehovah, He makes even his enemies to be at peace

with him.

As we focus on Gods love for us, and focus on putting God and others first we

get rid of much of our self-centered ways and thinking and our behaviors will auto-

matically become pleasing to God. We will also instinctively do our best to clean up

our mistakes if or when we make them.

Philippians 2:3 doing nothing out of selfish ambition or through vain conceit, but in humility

consider others better than yourself;

This expresses the importance of having the right attitude. If we are considering

others needs above our own we are not being self-centered, as long as what we

are doing is not for the purpose of getting recognition from others. God recognizes

and rewards our work.

Trust God, Clean House & Help Others: Each one of these things opens our

eyes and increases our ability to understand God as obstacles of self-centeredness

are removed.

Hidden sin is deadly. If we are in bondage to something that is causing destruction

Gods word gives us instruction in James 5:16 (KJV) "Confess your faults one to

another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent

prayer of a righteous man availeth much. This is saying we need to humble

ourselves and admit our faults and turn from them. Things that are keep in the dark

will die when they are exposed to light. But those who refuse to humble themselves

but persist in their sins block their own healing. Things that are keep in the dark will

die when they are exposed to light.

Matthew 5:23-25 (KJV) Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there

remembers that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift be-

fore the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then

come and offer thy gift.

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Of course we need to be willing to make right our wrongs and do whatever we

and to repair whatever relationships we can or make amends to those within our

reach, as God directs. That desire is automatic when we begin to understand Gods

love.

We grow in our ability to understand Gods word rightly only through the power of

the Holy Spirit. Thats why having a degree from a seminary does not necessarily

amount to understanding Gods word. It isnt through carnal analysis that we under-

stand the things of God, not to mention that most times seminaries or Bible schools

have the traditions of men that contradict the true meaning of scripture. The doc-

trines of men are always designed to cover up or make excuses for our fleshly

weaknesses and unbelief, instead of understanding that we are who Gods word says

we are in spite of those things. Mark 7:13 "Making the word of God of no effect

through your tradition, 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receives not

the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can

he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.

I got a lot of help from other Christians who were in spirit filled ministries which

focused on Gods grace in learning to get rid of my legalistic understanding and get

the right understanding of scripture. The key things I look for in Bible instructors or

Christians I confide in or learn from are:

1) A focus on identity in Jesus with a complete absence of legalism.

2) A right understanding of grace that does not deny instructions in Gods

word;

3) A focus on love and principles of faith, evidenced by Gods love and pow-

er and including signs and wonders.

Although, I know some denominational ministers that are very gifted and who have

an understanding of the truth that I think is very good, I believe the very best teach-

ers are always ones that are nondenominational. By nature all denominations

contain traditions. Traditions of men are contrary to Gods word and spiritual truth.

But of course we dont want the fact that someone is a member of a denomination,

if we are not, to be a source of division and to do so would be sin.

Breaking Strongholds: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to

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the pulling down of strongholds; Casting down imaginations, and every high

thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into cap-

tivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"

Often, but not always, strongholds are broken when we are born again. But the en-

emy will do what he can to try to establish new ones. Strongholds are wrong ways

of thinking about certain things (lies) that the enemy has set up in our minds and

usually they are reinforced by circumstances and people that the devil is able to use.

Strongholds rob us of life and identity in Christ. They are designed to convince us

that we are substandard and certainly not who Gods word says we are.

The way to break them is by replacing those lies with the truth and identity in

Christ. Sometimes a stronghold may be broken through hitting a bottom of one kind

or another, so that we are forced to let go of something we were believing at either a

conscious or subconscious level. But the better way to break them is by knowing

and believing who we are in Jesus, speaking words of faith, renewing our minds and

having fellowship with other committed and like-minded, spirit filled believers.

.

Learning to Walk as Jesus Walked www.truthpowerandlife.com

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Chapter Three

THE HOLY SPIRIT & YOUR TRUE IDENTITY

Jeremiah 1:5 (KJV) "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before

thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a

prophet unto the nations."

God knew you before you were born and designed you to be born in this time and

for his unique purpose for your life. Think about that. You were born at one of the

most important times in history during the biggest fight between God and the devil

that there has ever been or will be. That is quite a privilege and honor because you

are designed for a special purpose in that fight.

You are child of God and a joint heir with the King. As such you possess His

power & His authority to act in accordance to His word and His will. You were de-

signed to have fellowship with God and as a co-laborer with Jesus and the Holy

Spirit to destroy the works of the devil through His love and power. It doesnt mat-

ter what kind of shape you are in at present mentally or physically or with regard to

your current level of understanding, this is Gods design and plan for your life. This

is who you are.

Galatians 4:7 (KJV) Wherefore you are no more a servant, but a son; and if a

son, then an heir of God through Christ. You a servant might be thought of like

and employee, but a son is much more than that. I worked for my dad many years

ago when he owned a business. Although my experience and training qualified me,

it was mainly because I was his son that in regard to most things I had the same

authority and power he did. For the most part I was free to do what I wanted be-

cause he trusted me. I could design marketing plans and my own schedule as well as

a lot of other things no employee could do and to a large degree the business pros-

pered in accordance with the work that I did.

Although as sons and daughters of God we are to do the work God gives us as He

leads and guides us, he uses the gifts He has given us to do that work and our per-

sonalities to get the work done. We have been given all of His power and authority

for that purpose which again is to destroy the works of the devil and bring the king-

dom of God into the loves of others. As we grow in our knowledge and

understanding of who we are in Jesus and what we have in Him we are empowered

to do this in a greater and greater way.

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The Role of the Holy Spirit

John 14:16-17

"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he

may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot

receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but ye know him; for he

dwells with you, and shall be in you."

The role of the Holy Spirit is the comforter or the helper. When the word

speaks about Him convicting men of sin it is speaking primarily about the sin of

rejecting Jesus although He may nudge us in the right direction if we start to make a

wrong turn. His job is not to condemn us as so many Christians seem to think, but it

is to help and comfort us.

John 14:26

"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,

whatsoever I have said unto you."

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit or a second filling and speaking in tongues.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is most often evidenced by speaking in tongues, but

not always. That isnt because God wants some people to speak in tongues and oth-

ers He doesnt want to. Paul wrote that not everyone speaks in tongues, but almost

surely, as it is today, not everyone had been baptized in the Holy Spirit either. In the

Holy Spirit we have every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3). Speaking in tongues,

which is the least of the gifts, like any other gift operates out of faith. A person can-

not operate in something they have no faith for. So if a person doesnt have faith to

speak in tongues because of wrong believing or teaching they usually will not. You

have already been given that gift. Just simply believe. We see the gifts begin to

manifest as we grow in our knowledge of the truth.

You are designed and gifted by God to have a special and unique purpose in

the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:27-28 (KJV) "Now ye are the body of

Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first

apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts

of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Even if it is something

as simple as a gift of hospitality you do have a gifting from God for the purpose

of being of service to God and helping others, but in your Spirit is every spiritual

gift. 1 Corinthians 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every

man to profit with all.

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In your spirit you have all wisdom, knowledge & power. (Col 2:2-3, Mark 6:2)

1 Corinthians 14:4 he who is speaking in an unknown tongue, himself doth edi-

fy, and he who is prophesying, an assembly doth edify;

The gift of tongues is for the building up of the inner man of the believer who is

using that gift. It is the only gift given to primarily benefit the user but God also

uses that form of prayer to bless others, as He prays in their behalf and God also

empowers us through it to be more effective in our ministry to others. As we are

built up in the inner man we are better able and more empowered to help others.

Although, I never expected it to work that way, some of the biggest miracles I have

seen in praying for others happened almost immediately praying in tongues for a

few minutes.

In 1 Cor. 12:7 shows God gives every believer spiritual gifts and that the reason that

He does is so that we can bless others through the use of those gifts and of course so

that we may benefit also by the spiritual gifts of others in the church. It also gives

revelation to the fact that in our spirits we have all spiritual gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:7 (KJV) But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

Those of us who have asked in faith to be filled with the Holy Spirit have all of the

gifts of the Spirit but obviously the difference is - and the reason we are to desire

the greater gifts - is that allows us to operate in them to a greater degree and as there

is need. When we want something strongly we are more ready to use it and use it in

the way that it was intended to be used.

Speaking in tongues is the least of the gifts but it is also very powerful and very

essential to operating in Gods power. If you havent spoken in tongues yet ask for

it in faith and you will receive that gift. Praying in tongues makes it possible for us

to pray exactly the right thing when we have no idea of what to pray or when we

feel like we cant pray. It strengthens the inner man and gives us wisdom and direc-

tion supernaturally.

The Holy Spirit & Your True Identity www.truthpowerandlife.com

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Your Blessings

Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all

that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

God's power is unlimited. We are mainly limited in our power to do all of the things

God wants us to do, which includes walking in His supernatural power and seeing

miracles come to pass, by our carnal minds and our ability to trust in God's power to

work in us. God can and will do for us and others far beyond what we can ask or

even imagine as our minds are renewed with His word and we walk with Him in

faith and love. A good example of this is when I prayed over a homeless ladys hips

and God also healed her broken toe although I didnt even know she had one.

Hebrews 10:10 By that will we are sanctified through the offering of the body

of Jesus Christ once for all. Jesus paid for all sin: past, present and future sins.

Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made

a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree:

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who

hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

All spiritual blessings includes everything we could ever need including our physi-

cal or material needs because our supply of all things spiritual and natural comes

from the realm of the spirit.

Ephesians 1:4

According as he hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,

that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:

We are holy and blameless when God looks at us because God sees the Spirit of

Christ in us not our sin.

Fruits of the Holy Spirit

Gal 5:22-23 Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meek-

ness, temperance

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1 Corinthian Chapter 13 the Holy Spirit Inside of You & Love

Kind

Patient with others, long suffering

Is meek and humble

Behavior is to serve others

Not envious

Forgives and forgets harm caused by others

Never rejoices in evil, but rejoices in truth and goodness

Never gives up in doing good

Never loses faith

Is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance

Worships and trusts God only

Blesses even those who curse or misuse him

The Holy Spirit & Your True Identity www.truthpowerandlife.com

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Chapter Four

FAITH & WORKING WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

In spite of whatever shortcomings a person may have, every believer has the

blessing of God and His authority over the forces of the devil. Romans 11:29: "For

the gifts and calling of God are without repentance". Sin or negative sowing can

harden our hearts towards Him, but God never takes away His blessings, although

sin and or a hardened heart can block us from being able to understand that we are

blessed and walk in those blessings.

Galatians 3:13

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us:

for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree

Through sin, doubt and unbelief (and also wrong teaching which brings those

things) we can open up the door for Satan to do his worst and we also need to be-

lieve what Gods word says and operate in principles of faith in order to prevent

curses from being able to have place in our lives. But God never places a curse on

anyone for violating the law as He did in Old Covenant, prior to the atonement

of Jesus although the enemy will bring them if he has opportunity. The solution

is in knowing the truth and taking our authority over the enemy.

The law of the Old Testament was not given because God took pleasure in people

having hardships or pain, but it was given so that people would understand the futil-

ity of trying to be good or trusting in their own goodness and trust God instead, as

well as to keep mankind from destroying themselves. Even in the old covenant peo-

ple had to "trust" in God in order to have God's kind of life, but now we have an

exceedingly better covenant that was paid for by Jesus.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by bearing our curse for us. Now,

through Christ, God never places any curse on us although we all violate the law in

some way.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our

iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we

are healed. The healing produced by Jesus bearing our stripes includes our

physical healing. Matthew 8:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by

Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sickness-

es. 1 Peter 2:24: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,

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that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye

were healed.

Jesus payment for our sins also includes healing.

The Faith You Were Given

Every Believer Has Been Given Gods Supernatural Faith

When you received Jesus and were born again, you did it with the supernatural faith

which God gave you as a gift so that you could receive Jesus. That was not your

own faith, but the faith God gave you.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of your-

selves: it is the gift of God:

Romans 12:3

"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you,

not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly,

according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

We who have been born again all have the same measure (the measure) of

this supernatural faith.

Great Faith vs. Little Faith

We can operate in great faith or little faith, but we all have been given the same

amount measure of faith. Great faith speaks about faith that is not polluted with

doubt or unbelief and little faith is about having faith that is easily diminished by

what we see in the natural. Little faith is when we allow circumstances or what we

see in the natural rob us of our faith. To a large extent operating in great faith is

about making a choice to believe and not doubt. Big faith is when we are able to

stay in faith and not be affected by circumstances. As we renew our minds with

Gods word and those faith principles contained in His word we are better able to

walk in faith and do that more and more consistently.

When we are believing Gods word and His promises without doubt and unbelief

we see miracles come to pass and Gods power is able to flow through us unob-

structed.

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Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above

all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.

A little faith unpolluted by doubt and unbelief is great faith.

Luke 17:6 (KJV) And the Lord said, If you had faith as a grain of mustard

seed, you might say unto this sycamore tree, Be plucked up by the root, and be

planted in the sea; and it would obey you.

In Mark 11:23 Jesus speaks about believing and not doubting in our heart. It also

shows that you can have faith and unbelief at the same time. For verily I say unto

you, That whoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou

cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those

things which he says shall come to pass; he shall have whatever he says.

If we are believing something firmly in our heart its possible to have doubts pass

through our mind as long as we do not focus on those thoughts, but reject them

and still see the miracles or what we believing for come to pass. But if we are

doubting in our heart or if we speak out our doubt that will cancel the power re-

leased through our faith. Mainly the power or the effectiveness of our faith has to do

with what our focus is on and what we choose to believe in our heart and we release

that faith by speaking in accordance with what Gods word says.

If we speak out a doubt that enters our mind that releases a negative opposing

force against our faith which is likely to nullify our faith which was released.

The unbelief of others is NOT an excuse for our faith not working. Men &

women of God see people they are praying for healed in spite of them having great

doubt & unbelief and even with those people stating that they do not believe in God

or that God can heal them. We see atheists and even Satanists healed all of the time

when we do not allow anything to effect our own faith and we operate in love,

overcoming offenses, doubt & unbelief. But sometimes I believe that in the case of

a Christian we may need to minister forgiveness and repentance prior to casting out

demons or laying on hands to see them healed if its obvious there is a problem.

Before Jesus was resurrected, we see that even Jesus could do no mighty miracles in

his hometown. Its been taught that it was because of the unbelief of those around

Him. But it appears that they were also in strife and envy and did not want to be

healed because they were offended. This, I believe is the real answer, rather than

the unbelief of others being the issue. God does not violate peoples will or force

them to accept His love or provision. They have to be willing to receive or want

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those things. Sometimes mockers get healed because they are mocking out of unbe-

lief. But being offended and unwilling to receive healing as a result of that is a

different issue, but God even heals those people sometimes. Mark 6:3-5 "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 honor, 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 And we see here that in spite of their unbelief (v.6) Jesus was still able to

heal the sick. Mark 5:40 also seems to confirm that offense and lack of willingness

are the core issues. Mark 5:40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had

put them all out, he took the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that

were with him, and entered in where the damsel was lying. And then He re-

stored the girl in the following verse.

Through faith in Christ we have access to all of Gods blessings.

Proverbs 13:22 (KJV) "and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just."

2 Peter 1:3

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:

Deuteronomy 28:3-13 (KJV)

"Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit

of thy cattle, the increase of thy kin, and the flocks of thy sheep.

Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou

goest out.

The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten

before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee

seven ways.

The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all

that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the

LORD thy God giveth thee.

The LORD shall establish thee a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn

unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and

walk in his ways.

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And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the

LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.

And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and

in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the

LORD swear unto thy fathers to give thee.

The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain

unto thy land in his season, and to less all the work of thine hand: and thou

shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be

above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the com-

mandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe

and to do them:"

The Authority of the Believer

Every believer has been given authority over all of the works of the enemy. Once

again, regardless of where we are in our fight of faith and our walk with God the

gifts and calling of God are without repentance (Rom 11:29) and upon receiving

Jesus we also received power and authority over the enemy in conjunction with

Gods word and purposes.

Luke 10:19 -20

Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and

over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you.

Nevertheless in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but re-

joice that your names are written in heaven.

We have been given that authority to enable us to do Gods work. Having authority

over the enemy and using that authority is important and it pales in comparison to

right relationship with God. But we have been given both through the payment of

Jesus.

Matthew 10:8

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely you

received, freely give.

Its Jesus and the power of His name that gives us that authority. Its Gods power,

but He has given us His authority to act in His behalf. All that is required for any

demon to flee is that the person using the name of Jesus is born again and that he or

she uses that authority and the name of Jesus with faith and in accordance with

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Gods will. If you are born again you have this authority regardless of how many

mistakes you have made. It is not contingent on our comparative goodness, which is

just self-righteousness: (Isaiah 64:6, NIV) "All of us have become like one who is

unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;" speaking about our own

works apart from Jesus, but the good news is now we are not apart from Jesus.

Casting Out Demons

There is no demon in Hell that cannot be cast out using the name of Jesus with faith.

When Jesus said in Matthew 17:21: "Howbeit this kind goes not out but by pray-

er and fasting." He was not talking about a certain type of demon that goes only

when we fast and pray but He was speaking about this kind of doubt and unbe-

lief which was the reason the apostles the apostles could not cast it out because of

their natural doubt and unbelief when the demon did not go immediately Mark

16:17 "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they

cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;"

We do not need an open heaven. The kingdom lives inside of us. Its a waste of

time for us to take authority over geographic areas. Jesus and the apostles never did

that and modern groups who have tried that have done so without seeing results of

any kind.

The most notable experience I have had so far in casting out demons was with a

man who was seated at a table by himself in the lobby of a meeting place. As soon

as I saw him I knew that he was demonized to the point of being possessed. His

eyes were bloodshot as he rolled his head around incoherently and obviously in a lot

of pain. He was unaware of me or anything else that was going on around him.

I went and sat at the other end of the table, but not facing him and began praying in

the spirit very quietly so that neither he nor anyone else around could hear me. As

soon as I started praying the demons in him began cursing at me profusely. So again

very quietly but with all intent I commanded them to go in Jesus name, but nothing

happened and he continued cursing at me and rolling his head. So I commanded

them to go a second time and nothing happened. The third time I said, I am not

asking you, I am telling you, get out of him right now in Jesus name. still speaking

very quietly.

Suddenly the man became perfectly still and he stopped saying anything. The de-

mons had gone. His eyes were clear and he was no longer in pain. He was unaware

of anything that had happened. Amazingly when he got up to leave he carried the

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crutches that he had walked in on. No doubt he was using them because he had been

in pain but now the pain was no longer there.

Many people think, as I did for a long time, that taken in context with the verses that

follow Matt 17:20 that the disciples could not cast the demons out because they had

not been praying and fasting, but Jesus would not have rebuked the apostles if they

did not have the ability to get the job done. Jesus was telling them they could have

done it, but because of their unbelief they failed. Jesus was not saying that this

kind of demon only goes by prayer and fasting but this kind of doubt and unbe-

lief. Their doubt and unbelief got the best of them when they prayed and the de-

mons did not go right away but instead it started acting up. Faith which is

unpolluted by doubt and unbelief is all that is need along with prayer in the name of

Jesus to see any demon go.

The Power of Praise

When we are praising God we can feel our inner man strengthened and a greater

sense of physical and mental or emotional wellbeing. Gods power flows when we

are praising Him from the heart with a joyful spirit. Also there is little which repels

Satan more than when we praise God. He hates praise to God and wants it for him-

self. Praise and Gods word are our two offensive weapons against the enemy.

Of course good, positive Christian music helps us to sing and worship God from

the heart. But not all of it is good, some is filled with Old Testament scripture and

ask God to give us things that Jesus already gave us. Its amazing how listening to

great Christian music, or even better yet singing along with it can completely

change our attitude when going through tough moments in life. It was when Paul

and Sirus were imprisoned after just being whipped and beaten that they began sing-

ing and praising God that all of the prisoners chains fell off and the doors of the

prison were opened. Praising God will also set us free if we get into depression,

which is also a stronghold for doubt and unbelief.

The Great Commission

After rising from the grave and just before ascending back into Heaven Jesus gave

us the great commission (Mark16:15-18) through His followers telling us to preach

the gospel (and in many other verses to tell them that Gods kingdom has come) to

every creature on Earth. And He told us to heal the sick and cast out devils in His

name. And when He spoke that these would be the signs of them that believe.

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One of the great things is that this is a multiplication process. Many of those who

are touched by Gods power will be led to know Jesus and will then many of them

will do the same for others. This is what the true gospel is all about. Its about mani-

festing Gods love and power on Earth that it may grow and be multiplied. Perhaps

not all will have the opportunity to travel the world and preach the gospel, but all

who believe it from the heart will be used to share the gospel with people they meet,

heal the sick and cast out devils. Its not that we have to do those things but that we

are blessed to get the opportunity to.

Laying Hands on the Sick

Matthew 10:8

"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have

received, freely give."

Luke 10:9

"And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is

come nigh unto you."

Our ministry wasnt meant just to be inside of four walls, but everywhere we go and

this is for every born again believer.

These Signs Shall FOLLOW THEM THAT BELIEVE

Mark 16:17-18 "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."

Of course we are not supposed to play with poisonous snakes or drink poison for

entertainment or to prove something to others, which is what mockers suggest we

do, which would also be tempting God. But Gods word is absolutely true and

those who truly believe will end up laying hands on the sick, see those people re-

cover and will cast out demons.

Its not so much about knowledge or maturity. It is simply believing that we begin

to see Gods power manifest through prayer. You will see these same types of

things happen.

I consider myself very new, relatively speaking to the laying on of hands and pray-

ing for the sick. But here are some of my favorite, healing prayer experiences:

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MAN IS HEALED OF BACK PROBLEMS AT WATER MACHINE

I was waiting for my turn to fill up my 5 gallon container at a water machine when a

man from Mexico walked up behind me. I sensed there was something wrong with

his back although there were no visible signs. When I asked him he said he had a

problem with his discs. I prayed and asked him what he felt. He said It feels warm

back there. I knew that was God healing him. As I was walking away he repeatedly

thanked me. Because his English was a little weak I turned around and simply said,

By Jesus stripes you were healed.

HEALING OUTSIDE of STORE... MAN STANDS UP FOR THE FIRST TIME IN

4 MONTHS - AFTER AN ATTACK WITH A BASEBALL BAT.

The man about 60 years old was sitting in his wheelchair scratching lottery tickets

when I tied my dog up next to him to go inside the store. He was having fun

scratching the tickets and laughed when he saw curly tailed Raotis (my dog) smiling

at him. I was in a bit of a down mood and almost decided that because of that it

wouldn't be wise to pray for him. But when I came out he was still sitting there. As I

untied my dog I heard a voice inside say "So what is your excuse for not praying for

him? He is right next to you."

He told me that he had a broken leg, so after getting his permission I placed my

hand on his leg and prayed a short prayer. When I asked, he said he felt "tingling"

but still felt some pain. I prayed again and the pain left. I said "I'll bet you could

stand up right now if you wanted to." He said "It's been 4 months." So I said the

same thing again and he was able to stand up.

It turns out he had been attacked walking home from the post office when 3 young

men ran up to him to rob him and one of them hit him in the leg with a baseball bat.

He also had a metal pin in his leg as a result. I asked if He knew Jesus. He said

"Yes, a long time ago." I said, Well you can know Him again. He is working in

your life right now."

HOMELESS LADYS BROKEN TOE ALSO IS HEALED WHILE I PRAY

ABOUT HER HIPS

She walked with a hobble as she came over to see my dog. I assumed she had a

problem with her hips and when I asked about it she said that she did have a prob-

lem with them as a result of a childhood injury, but she didnt go into detail. So I

prayed and commanded her hips and her bones to be made whole in Jesus name.

Then I asked her if there was anything else that she needed me to pray for. She lift-

ed her leg a little and curled her toes, hesitated for a second and said with a tone of

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surprise, UmmI think you already did..I did have a broken toe. So God also

healed her broken toe and I didnt even know that she had one. Thank you Jesus!

A SURPRISE - AND MIRACLES AT CHURCH IN THE GHETTO

Although one or two of my suggestions were implemented for the church outreach,

I hadn't been to that church in a few weeks - so it came as a surprise when I walked

by there one evening and found out it was going on then. I also hadn't been to that

church but a few times and did not know any of the church members personally.

One of the first persons to get healed was a Mormon man with a hip problem who

was walking with a bad limp. He saw the gathering and walked up to see what was

going on. After being healed he was crying and wanting to give money to the

church. Most likely he will visit the church again as he said. Almost everyone I

prayed for - I think about 8 received healing, about 5 of whom were church mem-

bers.

One of the ladies there, who was a church member and had an injury to her knee

steadfastly refused to let me pray for her. But right before I left I approached her

again. I said God has healed almost everyone I have prayed for tonight. I know you

have pain. You should let me pray for you. One of the men who was sitting next to

her who had been watching me told her that was true.

But she still refused, saying that she would let her friends pray for her. So I told one

of the men to put his hand on her knew and told her friends to repeat after me.

While we were praying she received a partial healing and for some reason the guy

who had his hand on her knee jumped up and ran into the church so I pointed at her

knee and commanded it to be made whole in Jesus name and told her to check it.

God had completely healed her knee. Amazed and with her mouth wide open in

disbelief she thanked me.

MARIJUANA SMOKING TEEN GETS HEALED AT PARK

It was after dark and he was sitting at a bench underneath the park cabana with his

girlfriend. You could tell they were very scared when I walked up. That was proba-

bly because they were smoking marijuana. He told me that his back was messed

up and that he was in a lot of pain. But when I asked if I could pray for him they

both laughed at me and repeatedly told me no.

So I said, Thats ok. I am going to pray for you whether you like it or not. Again

they both just laughed at me. So I just pointed at his back and commanded it to be

healed in Jesus name. It was hilarious to see the look of amazement on his face a

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minute later when he turned around and realized that the pain was completely gone.

Then I was laughing on the inside.

ATHIEST IS HEALED

Im not sure why she let me pray for her chronic back pain because afterwards she

told me that she didnt believe in God and didnt think anything had changed. This

gave me an opportunity to pray for her a second time before leaving. I said, Its ok.

It doesnt matter whether or not you believe in God. He is real. He loves you and I

believe you are going to be healed in Jesus name. The next time I saw her she said

that her back was well and thanked me. We didnt have time to talk, but Im sure

she is no longer an atheist.

MANS SHORT LEG GROWS OUT AND HE IS HEALED WHILE HE IS

STANDING UP

He was working in a convenience store and I could tell he was in great pain as he

cringed with every step and could barely walk. I asked if I could pray for him and

he said ok. I was going to have him sit down and command his leg to grow out as he

said one leg was shorter than the other when I asked him about that.

This was something I had never done before but I had seen it done in videos. We

looked around for a place for him to sit, but the only place for him to sit was the

counter by the register which was too high so I said, Thats ok. We are going to

pray and get this taken care of right now anyway. So I prayed in Jesus name com-

manding the short leg to grow out and his back to be healed. He was instantly

healed. He was no longer walking with a limp and went back to stocking the shelves

completely free of any pain.

God will work through anyone who believes in Jesus and His willingness to work

through them and who wants to bless others. It is Jesus and the Holy Spirit who do

the healing and get all of the glory

Matthew 17:20 "And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily

I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this

mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and NOTHING

SHALL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO YOU."

One on One Healing Prayers

When praying in person or over the telephone most of the same basic principles

apply and I have seen (heard ecstatic testimonies) of people I prayed for over the

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telephone healed also. Of course praying in person often gets better results because

we can lay hands on the person we are praying for but Gods power knows no limits

of time or space.

In Jesus Earthly walk and ministry, and that of the Apostles, we see that He laid

hands on the sick and in the case of demonic spirits He simply commanded them to

go. Of course we always want to use Jesus as our example, though we also learn

from other men of God. But whether we just pray a prayer of faith and or lay hands

on the sick as circumstances and the leading of Gods peace would indicate, our

effectiveness mainly rests on our knowledge and belief (faith) that we have the

same authority over the works of the devil that Jesus does. It has little or nothing to

do with any other virtue that we may have or whether or not we may presently have

physical or other problems. It only requires that we have a simple faith in these Bib-

lical truths which are the words of Jesus.

We also dont have to have peace to pray for people and how we are feeling should

not stop us. I have seen a few times when I didnt feel like praying but the people I

prayed for were healed anyway. As a matter of fact those were some of the greater

miracles. On one of those occasions it seemed like the devil was attacking very hard

to make me feel uneasy and out of touch, but I went ahead in faith and saw the two

people that I was praying for set free from a multitude of problems and pain.

In one of Todd Whites videos he talks about although he was unable to receive

healing for his injured knee through prayer and had to have surgery, during the

same 6 week period of time he saw 36 people with very similar injuries that he

prayed for completely healed. Many of those were at doctors offices he was visit-

ing.

Though I am certainly not the most experienced in this area I would estimate that

regardless of the problem I have seen an instant manifestation of healing probably

about 80 of the time when praying for the sick in person, but to be honest I do not

pray for everyone I see with a need, at this point and some of the bigger problems I

have seen less results with. But Gods word is the standard, not my experience. Alt-

hough we are empowered to do even greater works than Jesus as Gods word is

always true, unfortunately as far as I know, no one sees 100% positive results as

Jesus did. But also sometimes healing will manifest at a later time. Over time as we

grow in our faith our results also increase. But you can and will see amazing results

if you believe. Our job is to stay in faith and not give power to what we dont see

with our eyes or experience in the natural realm. God, the Holy Spirit and spiritual

law are master and above all and will do beyond what we imagine.

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When approaching people on the street, with or without any prior conversation, if

its not obvious that they have some kind of a physical problem I will simply and

casually ask, Do you have any pain or anything in your body that is bothering you

right now? I have been surprised that the majority of the time I ask they do, even

though a lot of times you would not be able to see that. Recently, I heard that it is a

statistical fact that about 80% of people suffer from some kind of physical problem

that causes pain. Then I simply ask Do you mind if I pray for you about that real

fast? Its been to my amazement that people give me permission about 95% per-

cent of the time. Often times (depending on circumstances) I will go ahead and pray

out loud for those who do not give me permission, without touching them and often

they are healed also.

Here are some simple steps. Do these things in faith and I am sure you will see re-

sults. These are just general instructions as the Holy Spirit will be your guide:

1) Identify the root cause or problem. We can do that by simply asking the

person we are praying for. By the time we are done we should have identi-

fied and prayed for, every significant problem the person has, one at a

time.

2) Ask to find out where the pain and or problem is and what caused it.

3) Speak to the problem (mountain) the name of the condition and any related

issues such as pain, infection and command them to go in Jesus name.

Preferably when possible, you should place your hand on the affected part

of the body you are speaking to. But do not worry if for some reason that is

not practical. In such cases you can simply point at it or hold their hand.

4) Thank God for the person you are praying for and the healing He is doing

as you command the problem and pain to go and the affected area to be

healed and made whole in Jesus name.

5) Tell the person to check themselves and move around to see what hap-

pened. After praying ask the person about what they are feeling in their

body and if there are still or symptoms and if they have noticed any im-

provement. In most cases, there will be improvement if not a complete

healing.

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6) Continue to pray and check for symptoms at least one or two more times if

needed, until they are all gone or until praying does not produce more posi-

tive results.

What you should NEVER do if you dont see results.

If you do not see results, never tell the person being prayed for that they were not

healed because they do not have enough faith. That is a horribly wrong thing to do.

By doing that we are bringing guilt and shame to them and hurting them rather than

helping them. Jesus said these signs shall follow them that believe not those that

are being prayed for. Also, if we do so, by speaking out the doubt that they were not

healed we just cancelled the faith that was released for their healing. Likewise we

never say that it didnt work even if the person is no longer around. Again, if you do

that you cancel the faith released and give the enemy legal right to bring the prob-

lem back or stop the healing.

After Praying for the Person

After praying for a person that we see healed we should be sure that we are not

attaching strings to their healing, but if they dont know Jesus of course we want to

lead them in a simple prayer but without any pressure, if we sense they might be

open to it. If they are open to it we might also casually know about teaching re-

sources that might help them (including a good church or fellowship they can attend

if we know of one) remembering that not everyone has a car or a computer, particu-

larly street people of course. You may of course, which would be wise in most

cases, if you can, give them a copy of this book.

It is the Holy Spirit who does the work in their hearts after they are healed, so we

want them to have space to enjoy their healing experience, not making them to feel

any sort of pressure to do anything and as a co-laborer with the Holy Spirit, we en-

courage them.

Of course we should try to mentor people who are healed that dont know Jesus if

there is opportunity or at least give them a copy of this book.

I was healed for the first time many years ago, after a simple prayer I prayed in the

middle of a parking lot, of a painful and progressive foot problem, although I knew

the job was finished, it was only a couple of minutes before the pain and symptoms

came back. But through the Holy Spirit revelation God had just given me I knew

that it was just the enemy so I prayed the simple prayer I prayed the first time to

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rebuke him and it instantly went away. Satans forces tried to bring it back several

times over the next several months and I would just confess the same thing Father I

thank you that by Jesus stripes I was healed, Your word is true and the devil is a

liar. and the problem would always go away immediately.

About six months after my first healing I was instantly healed of a hernia I had giv-

en myself moving a huge crate, after about 10 nights of pain, by praying the same

simple prayer. And that time it never came back again. So sometimes the problem

will try to return and sometimes it does not. In some cases, at the leading of the Ho-

ly Spirit, we should let people know that if the problem returns they need to

command it to go in Jesus name and that it will go.

If you havent yet had experience in laying hands on the sick, believe Gods word,

read these instructions and get them established in your mind and see yourself doing

these things in your imagination. I also highly recommend watching videos on You

Tube that show people being healed through prayer. It isnt so much about exactly

what we say or do as it is about our faith, but it helps a lot of the time to have some

basic instructions in getting started and in seeing yourself do these things.

Miracles are very important, but so is understanding of Gods word and right identi-

ty. Recently I met a group of people who are affiliated with & were trained in

person by some of the best & most powerful ministries there are. They were all rela-

tively new believers and some of the nicest people I ever met. But while they lay

hands on the sick and see a few miracles, you wouldn't want them to minister to you

for anything else. That is because they don't have much understanding of God's

word, which is required for right identity and understanding of the spiritual realm,

some of them minister carnal or worldly things as a solution to most problems.

Anything which takes us backwards in our faith and our knowledge of who we are

in Jesus and what we have in Him is a form of death. Carnal (natural or worldly)

approaches to solving problems only work mainly for those who are carnally mind-

ed. Romans 8:6: "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is

life and peace."

If you seek help from other Christians in dealing with problems make sure that they

are speaking to you the positive truths of who you are in Jesus and what you have in

Him from God's word. And of course we need to make that our focus also. While

we can learn God's word to some degree by being taught by others we really need to

study it for ourselves if it is going to take root. And knowing God's word and right

identity at a heart level also makes us better able to operate in God's power.

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Chapter Five

BEING SPIRITUALLY MINDED

We are in a battle against the enemy. Although healing the sick and casting out dev-

ils are a vital part of spreading the good news and leading others to Jesus, its not

the end of the story once we start doing so. We need to operate out of the spirit of

our minds and continue renewing our mind with the truth. As it has often been said,

If we are not growing we are probably backsliding. and more to the point we can-

not be effective in our ministry to others if we do not understand and operate in

kingdom principles walking in the Spirit with a renewed mind.

Romans 8:6

For to be carnally minded is death;

but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

This is good news that if we focus on the positive truths of Gods word - all we get

is life and peace.

The world carnal simply means natural or of the five senses. Being carnally

minded doesnt just tend to lead to death it is a form of death. And being spiritual-

ly minded doesnt just tend to bring life and peace it is life and peace. While we

have received Christ, we are sealed with His spirit and our souls are saved, we have

to engage in the right kind of thinking to have Gods kind of life right now.

Romans 12:1-2

And be not conformed to this world:

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,

that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of

God.

Lust, confusion, doubt, unbelief, guilt, shame, depression and condemnation are

forms of carnal thinking and emotions are forms of death. They are also products of

our flesh, worldly or carnal programming and a lack of understanding or revelation

of the truths contained in Gods word.

When we sin guilt or shame is appropriate for us to experience as a warning sign

that we need stop what we were doing and or to confess that what we did was

wrong and get back on the right course in our thinking and actions. But those nega-

tive emotions should never dominate our thinking or be present more than

momentarily. If we wallow in guilt or shame those emotions warp us and weaken

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our faith and our strength. Nehemiah 8:10 Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy

of the LORD is your strength!"

Colossians 3:16 (KJV) "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wis-

dom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and

spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Being spiritually

minded requires knowledge and understanding of Gods word and that gives us real

power over negative thinking or emotions.

If we allow negative thinking and suffer negative consequences as a result, it is not

because God is punishing us, but its because of laws that God put in place to keep

the Universe in order.

DEATH LIFE

Lust, Anger, Resentment, Fear, Love, Peace, Joy & Happiness,

Depression, Strife, Grief, Faith, Health,

Pride, Greed Physical & Mental Health,

Mental & Physical Illness Humility

Anxiety & Compulsive Behavior Patience & Self-control