Friday, September 9, 1994

The meeting started with worship. As usual, it was quite anointed. Many of us starting shaking or laughing as we experienced the Lord's touch during worship. It seemed that the Lord tangibly came to be with His children as they praised Him. There were two prophesies as the worship time ended. The first dealt with the Lord pouring out His love on us and wanting us to seek Him for more. The second dealt with our need to spend time with the Lord to know Him and be known by Him; to wait on the Lord and come into the place of intimacy with Him.

Then Peter got up to run the meeting. He did some basic anouncements and took an offering. Then he invited Evan (also a staff member) up to give a word he had received during worship.

Evan's word was that if we wanted to keep receiving from the Lord, we needed to start giving away what we received. We need to pray for people at work, at our leisure activites, etc and demonstrate God's love and power to the world. As Evan spoke, I got a strong witness in my own spirit. The Lord started recalling alot of things to my memory. He reminded me of how He healed the lady sitting next to me on the airplane on my way to Toronto. (She told me she had fallen down a few days before and was in alot of pain. Her movements were slow and she did not seem to have much strength. God led me to lay my hand on her shoulder and pray for healing. He healed her instantly, and she began to move around without any evidence of pain.) God reminded me how, in Toronto, He often led me pray for the ability for the person I was praying for to impart their gifts to others. God also reminded me of how easily His joy was imparted from person to person as they simply touched each other. Yes, the Lord clearly wants us to give this away. It's time to start taking His blessing out of the Church to the streets!

Peter explained that we are doing a series on the gifts. The Church leadership feels that God now wants to impart gifts to His children. So, Peter taught on the body and how each of us have different gifts that work together for the common good. He explained how no one gift is any better or worse than the others. He talked about how we often desire a particular gift and are unhappy with the one that we have. He used the example of a big toe -- no one wants to be a big toe. Then Peter talked about a man who had lost his big toe and he needed to learn how to walk again without it -- it was almost impossible for him to keep his balance without that big toe. He hadn't realized how important it was until he lost it. Likewise, every gifting in the body is important; the Lord has released these gifts for the common good.

After the sermon, Peter asked me to share a little of what was going on in Toronto. I had so many things that I wanted to share, but I knew I had to keep it short. So I prayed that the Lord would bring to my mind only those things that He wanted me to share and keep all else from my memory. I started by telling about the how the unsaved were accepting Lord -- 15 on the first night I was there. I mentioned that so many people were coming they started lining up three hours early just to get a seat in the sanctuary. I talked about the healings and gave the example of the deaf soldier who the Lord healed. I also talked about the Lord imparting into others the ability to impart. I mentioned how people were praying for each other while waiting in line and they were going down and shaking under His power right there on the sidewalk. I also talked about the joy of the Lord and laughing being contageous; it was passed from one person to the next as they prayed for each other. I told how God was simply looking for excuses to bless His children: I passed a fellow on my way to move my car and said "more Lord!" God feel on him powerfully and did deep inner healing and released him into joy -- He had just been looking for an excuse to bless this man. A simple "More Lord!" prayer in passing was all it took...

Then Peter opened up the ministry time. Jan came up to pray with me and I recruited Don to be our catcher. The Lord came powerfully on the first two people who we prayed for and they went down under his power. Then I noticed Bob, a friend of mine, standing on the side and motioning to me. I went over to him and told him that I could not talk now because I had to pray for people. (Bob usually won't allow anyone to pray for him.) He indicated that he wanted prayer. So I moved him to where there was enough room incase he should go down. Bob did not seem to think we needed to worry about that because he never goes down. But he was very cooperative about receiving prayer (sometimes he can be rather uncooperative about that sort of thing.) All the Lord led me to pray over Bob was that the Lord would refresh him and bless him. Soon there were manisfestations of the Holy Spirit's presense on Bob -- his eyelids were fluttering and he started gently swaying. Much to my surprise, Bob went down. I prayed over him a little more and then we moved on.

Most of the prayer team was praying on the same side of the room that we were on, so we moved over to the other side. The Lord continued to touch people powerfully. Some people started moving over to near where we were praying, hoping to be "next". Several people came up to me and asked me if I would pray for them. It seemed like there was a very powerful anointing on our little team -- Jan, Bob and myself. From time to time we lost Bob, our catcher, and Jan would catch. Not everyone who we prayed for when down, but it appeared that the Holy Spirit was touching everyone rather powerfully.

One man asked us to pray for healing from diabetes and related stomach problems. Jan incidated that she felt the healing anointing on her very heavily. I did not feel it on me. I started the prayer and asked Jan to pick it up. I sort of wandered away from her from time to time to go soak a small group of three on whom the Lord had poured His joy. I sort of wandered between that group and where Jan was praying for the diabetic man.

Suddenly one the "very pentacostal" women walked up and yelled "God has healed this man. He is completely healed." Jan seemed pleased with her pronouncement, but I was a little troubled by her disruptive style. I stood there for a little while observing. Jan would try to pray for the man and the woman keep cutting in. The woman's pentacostal friends wandered up and were trying to help pray. It was getting pretty out of order, and I felt uncomfortable about it. I did not know whether it was the Lord or just emotions running very high. I decided to go get Peter and let him decide what to do. As I walked across the ministry area to get Peter, several people asked me to pray for them, but I declined (explaining that I was in the middle of something at the moment).

Peter was busy talking to Bob. I listened for a while, then I broke in to tell Peter my concern. Peter suggested I take the woman aside and talk to her, but I requested that he handle it. I mentioned that I was not even sure whether or not it was the Lord and was not sure whether to stop it or permit it. Peter decided to pray a blessing over Bob before he came to where Jan was praying. Bob was a tad uncooperative. He kept opening his eyes and looking around the room. I kept motioning for Bob to close his eyes and receive. He would close them for about 30 seconds and then open them again and stare right at me. I'm not sure how much Bob received from the prayer, even though Peter has a stronger anointing on him than I do.

Peter and I made our way back over to where Jan was praying. I pointed out the person that I was concerned about. Peter stood behind her and listened. Jan was praying and the woman kept interrupting with "words from the Lord." After a few minutes, Peter took the woman aside and talked to her. He told Jan to continue praying, and she did. I joined her in a supporting role.

As I stood there silently praying, I kept getting the verse "By His stripes we are healed." So I leaned over and whispered that in Jan's ear. She looked at me and said, "I was getting that a whole bunch earlier and prayed that over Him. This is a confirmation for me." She prayed it over him again and the Lord seemed to be touching him deeply. After a while, Jan grew silent. Many of the pentacostal people were praying along now, and they started praying for him noisily. I quieted them down and prayed that the Lord bless and fill him. He was swaying strongly under the anointing and looked like he would go down any second, but he did not. After quite a while, I left him to soak and had the team move on.

[Jan later told me that the pentacostal woman had a very accurate word of knowledge about an unsaved friend of the diabetic man. He had confirmed this word of knowledge and it appeared to boost his faith. This happened while I went to get Peter. Apparently, at first her words and prayers were pretty right on (even though her delivery style was on the disruptive side). But she got excited at the accuracy of the word that the Lord gave her. She started to get a little on the hysterical side. Jan said that her words and prayers started getting "off" after that and Jan wished she'd quiet down and let Jan pray.]

Jan went off the pray with the pentacostal woman. About the same time, Larry grabbed me and asked if I'd pray for him since I had that "Toronto Anonting" on me. I was happy to pray for Larry and the Lord appeared to touch him powerfully. I believe that the Lord was imparting into Larry the ability the gifts/anointing he had received when he was in Toronto last May.

More people wanted me to pray for them. There seemed to be a very strong anointing that evening and the Lord touched most people very rapidly. He seemed to be doing a lot of imparting of gifts into people. I noticed something interesting -- it was getting late now but the anointing did not seem to be wearing off at all. Usually as it gets later, the anointing seems to grow weaker and my prayers become less effective. But I could still feel the anointing strongly on me, and the Lord continued to give me the right words to pray and to touch people with incredible power. I was not tired at all and I did not feel any need to get prayer for myself or any need to be filled up again -- I continued to feel incredibly "full". I remember taking a few seconds to reflect on that. Gee Lord, this is really neat; I wish it could be like this all of the time! I remember thinking that I might not need to receive any prayer myself that evening and still be able to go away feeling very touched and blessed.

I took a short break to soak various people who were laying on the ground. The Lord would point someone out to me and I'd go pray for them. He seemed to touch them again as I prayed for them. It can be so much fun watching the Lord work in people's lives. I remember that as I prayed for one lady, a man came and laid down next to her. He looked at me and said, "Pray for me next."

As I started to pray for him, the Lord showed me his desire for power evangelism. I prayed that the Lord would put His words into his mouth and then back them up with signs and wonders. The man had an expression of joy on his face and started laughing softly. I asked God to anoint his hands for miraculous healings. I asked the Lord to bless him with faith and boldness, and also with discernment. I noticed that what I was praying for him was exactly what I most desired for myself. I felt like the Lord whispered to me that the more I "gave it away", the more I would "receive it." It seemed that the Lord was imparting into me as well as into the man I was praying for.

At one point the man opened his eyes and told me that I was reciting the same exact prayers he had been pouring out before the Lord for several days. He could hardly believe it when I started praying his prayers over him. I told him that this was just the Lord's way of confirming to him that He had heard his prayers and would answer them. I was careful to give the glory where it belonged; to the Lord. The Lord reminded me that He was releasing me more and more into the prophetic and that this was one instance of it. I continued to pray for the man, blessing and releasing the gift of evangelism on him. Then I touched his forehead and asked the Lord to increase His power in his life. The man started shaking in a manner that I have come to recognize as the Lord empowering people. I soaked him for another minute or two then moved on. I was amazed and exited at what the Lord was doing in people's lives. It is sure wonderful to be allowed to minister along side of the Holy Spirit like this!

I prayed for someone else and Jan came back up and joined me. She was visibly excited about how the Lord was touching people through her prayers. It is a blessing for me to watch her. I am glad that the Lord is using me to help release Jan into the anointing that He as for her. I really like the "job" of imparting giftings into people and helping release them into ministry. I hope the Lord allows me to keep doing this. I am beginning to see just how abundant God's riches are and how we really do receive more ourselves when we give away what the Lord has given us.

After a while, Jan decided that it was time to recieve prayer and asked me to pray for her. By then some of the people she'd ministered to that evening had gathered around her and wanted to bless her since she'd blessed them. So they joined in the prayer. The Lord began to touch Jan powerfully; she bounced up and down, she laughed, she shook and she eventually fell to the ground and did carpet time. Jan was doing motions that looked very much like sit-ups. I asked the Lord about it and He said that He was strengthening her "inner man". God continues to touch Jan very powerfully and I can hardly wait to see what kind of ministry He will release her into. I am sure it will be awesome.

I could still feel that anointing resting on top of my head and took couple of minutes to just thank the Lord for it. I also thanked Him for how powerfully He was touching people that evening. I asked Him to please let it be like this all of the time. I sure love to minister under this strong anointing. It is so much fun to watch Him work and see what He does next.

About 10:30, Bob came up to me to say goodbye. (He had about an hour and a half drive home.) He was pretty excited and told me that the Lord had given him a physical healing when we prayed for him. He had been aching all over and his back had been especially sore. The pain had left him when I prayed for him (about 9:00 PM) and had not returned. I remembered that we asked the Lord to refresh Bob. I figured the Lord would refresh Bob's spirit and mind. Apparently the Lord wanted to refresh Bob's body as well. Isn't God neat!

People kept coming up to me and asking me to pray for them. And the Lord kept touching them powerfully. About 11:15, one lady asked me to come and pray for her friend. I said I would as soon as I finished praying for this other person. He had a specific prayer request -- he watned to hear God's voice. I prayed for him about this for about five minutes. He went down almost immediately, but I was impressed to stay with him for a while. I kept hearing the words, "My son, you have asked for a very good thing and I am pleased. You will most surely receive at My hand that which you have requested." Normally I do not give prophesies to people I pray for. But this was so strong and came so many times. So I told him that I thought I had a word from the Lord for him and shared it with him. He seemed delighted.

I left him shaking under the power and went to look for the girl who had asked me to come pray for her friend. I remember being amazed that the anointing was still on me so strongly and again thanked the Lord about it.

I found the girl sitting on the ground in the asile between some seats. Peter was talking to her, but she pointed at me and Peter left. I arrived just as Peter was leaving. Her friend was laying on her side in the asile, her back against the chairs. Apparently there was a problem and her friend's neck hurt and she could not get up. I remember thinking that it was strange that the would rather have me address the problem than Peter, who was the pastor in charge of the meeting.

I asked her what was the matter. She said that her neck hurt and she could not get up. I inquired if she had been injured by someone not catching her correctly when she was prayed for. She said no, she'd laid down on her own. The Lord showed me that there was a spirit of fear tormenting her. I tried generic prayer asking the Lord to come and fill her and drive out anything that was not of Him. I also asked Him to heal the pain. But this prayer had no effect. I looked around for Peter, because I knew we weren't supposed to do deliverance style prayer at the meetings. But I could not find him.

She was in excruciating pain and it became clear that authority prayer was necessary. So I began to take authority. It was rather difficult to get the demon under control and took about 10 minutes. I remember asking the Lord why it was so hard to get authority over it and He showed me that she'd been sexually abused by her father. The demon kept giving her incredible pain in her neck and head. As I would take authority, the pain would go away, but it would come back again. So I started working with her to forgive her father and she tried to. This seemed to deminish the demon's ability to hurt her.

The woman's two friends were sitting beside her, supporting me in the prayer. They didn't seem even mildly surprised that I was doing deliverance style prayer on their friend. I suspected that this was not the first time she'd been tormented. I felt great compassion for her as I ministered to her. As I prayed for her, I was reminded that God had said to me in Toronto: "I will use you to heal the broken hearted."

After a while, things were under control and she was resting peacefully. I spoke briefly to her two friends and found that all three of them were recovering from sexual abuse. (I guess they must all be in the same recovery group). One started asking me about body memories, and I found myself praying for her. During that time, the other started crying. I prayed for her next. I ended up spending about 45 minutes with them, loving them and praying for them. The Lord seemed to minister to each of them. As I finished with the 3rd girl, the first girl came and sat next to us. She looked perfectly fine and it was hard to believe that just half an hour before she lay on the floor with excruciating neck pain, unable to move or get up.

I talked to the three as a group for a few minutes, sharing an expeience where I'd prayed for a victum of sexual abuse in Toronto. When she was prayed for she'd become frightened and start screaming. All she wanted was to experience God's touch without the terror. The Lord filled that request, surrounded her with His appropriate love and let her rest for over half an hour in His peace. That story seemed to touch them very deeply. Then they had to leave because they had a two hour drive home. I walked out with them. It was a little after midnight.

The meeting had certainly taken a different turn that evening. It went from ministering in great power to ministering in great compassion. It just seemed to underscore in my mind how the Lord wants to set His children free and meet them in their deepest need.