STREET MINSTRY TOUR UPDATE #6: SPRINGFIELD

On Saturday I went alone to the mall in the morning. while Vanessa went out to coffee with a friend.  The Lord gave us so many blessings throughout the day--which was our first Valentine's day together!  We had fun with friends and enjoyed the favor of the Lord.

AT THE MALL

So, I went to the mall alone, as I said, and it was tough at first.  Nobody seemed open, and I felt like I was just walking around with nothing to do.  This went on for about twenty minutes--just walking around and praying silently.  This can be rewarding, yes, but I was hoping for this and also more. The circumstances weren't 'flowing' like they often do.  The first thirty-five minutes were pretty uneventful.

After a while, I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to sit down and wait.  I looked around and saw some people around me, but I didn't feel especially drawn to them.  I felt the Lord telling me that all I needed to do was rest.  I felt Him encourage and ensure me that He would do the work.  These words of His were talk as well as power, and they comforted me and drew me into alignment with His Love.

All I needed to do was rest!  I didn't need to think about anything.  I didn't need to 'know' anything.  I didn't need to do anything, either.  The Lord showed me that all I needed to do was see my surroundings as He sees them.  He hasn't ever changed, and neither has how He's felt about the world. He has always "so loved the world", and we should too.  We need to give to others the extent of what we ourselves have received.  We need to receive from God His Love--His mind, heart, and emotions--towards people.  Human affection cannot heal.  Human sympathy is not enough.  Human effort cannot convict.  Apart from Him we can do nothing, but in Him, all we have to do is rest.

ANKLE PAIN

And as I was resting and receiving from God, I saw a lady across from me walking across the outside of the show store.  And with God's love came a download--'she has ankle pain'.  I wanted to be sure that I should approach her, so I asked the Lord for a sign.  If she turned left, I thought, I would talk to her, but if she turned right, I would not.  I figured that was easy enough for God to arrange.  She proceeded to turn left--thank God!  So I got up and walked over to her.  She did have ankle pain, although she wasn't feeling it at that moment.  She wanted to know what kiosk I was selling things from at first.   I said I was just going around and praying.  We prayed that God would take away that pain, and even though she wasn't suffering from the pain at the moment, I believe that He would not allow it to return.

FAMILY ENCOURAGEMENT

After this, I got ready to leave the mall--I had to pick up Vanessa--but I was hoping to get to talk with another person first.  I saw a younger guy working at the DQ and God gave me a word for him.  I approached him and shared it--praise God!  The guy was touched by what the Holy Spirit did and took away from this some good encouragement.

BROKEN FOREARM--PARTIAL HEALING

Then I left the mall the long way, out through Macy's.  I felt like it was right for me to do this, but wasn't sure why.  I was walking along the outside of the building when I saw three guys a little older than me.  One of them was wearing a sling on his arm--and I figured, why not?  I believe God had me there for a reason--if I had not went out of the mall the long way, I wouldn't have ran into them.

So, I asked the guy wearing the cast if we could pray for his complete healing.  He was actually pretty open to it.  He said he had broken a bone in his forearm last week, and that it was still hurting some.  So I prayed once, and he replied that the pain was gone.  I didn't want to be obnoxious, so I then asked, "does it still feel like it's broken?".  He actually moved his wrist a little, and said he couldn't tell.  We prayed again, and it felt even better.  We prayed a third time, and he said it felt pretty good.  He did not take off the sling or unwrap his arm, and I didn't force him.  I believe God for a total healing nonetheless--I don't believe that a partial healing is like God, nor does it personify His goodness. So I told the guy, "when it starts feeling perfect, take off your sling". Glory to God!  I explained to the guys that this marked God showing His love in a tangible way. I encouraged them to get into the Word to find fulfillment.  Hopefully this experience gave those guys something to talk about once inside the mall.  If somebody is not so close to God, then it's up to us to show them that the Word can indeed become flesh and dwell among us.  It's up to us to show them something, just a little something, that points towards the dynamic and supernatural love of Jesus.

WORDS OF KNOWLEDGE IN THE COFFEE SHOP

With this I left the mall and met up with Vanessa at the coffee shop. She and her friend were still having a great time talking, so I walked to a different part of the coffee shop and sat down.  Right away the Lord showed me that a certain women had right wrist pain.  So I approached her, and asked her about this.  She said she did have this pain, but didn't feel it just then.  I explained that I'd like to pray with her for that pain to never come back...and we did so.  She and the lady she was meeting with were both very nice Christian women, and they were open to and thankful for prayer.  I was blessed to meet them.

On our way out, I talked to a middle-aged guy typing up something in the corner of the shop.  The Lord had told me that this man had back and knee pain, "especially in his right knee".  Thank you Lord!  I began talking to him, and he said he did have back and knee pain.  I said, "Is it especially in your right knee?".  He said "yes, why are you asking?".  I replied that I had felt the Lord telling me this, to encourage him and so that we could pray for a healing.  He was pretty open to prayer--it turns out that his right knee was worse than the other problems, because of a patella surgery he'd had a while back.  As it happens, he happened to not be feeling the pain at the moment when I was with him.  Just like with the others!

It turns out that this man was a Christian as well--he was actually writing some sort of article about the 'Seal of the Holy Spirit' when I first went up to him.  Awesome!  We talked for quite a while, and he shared with me a lot of wisdom.  This guy really blessed me--he said he'd been in the education field in the past.  I could tell!  We talked about God, and prayed that God would heal his body.  I believe that this is God's will, that his pain never comes back.

SUMMARY

All in all, Saturday was a great day.  After a rough past few days, the Lord really made a breakthrough and allowed for much more effective ministry.  These words of knowledge create such an opening for opportunities, and make people more receptive to prayer.  I am so thankful that God revealed what he did, and I am thankful that he used this knowledge to bless others.  I do find it interesting that none of the people who had pains were actually experiencing them at the time I came into contact with them.  I find that in this training, the Lord separated the words of knowledge from any witnessed healings in order to take things step by step.  He doesn't give us more than we can bear, or reveal to us things that are too awesome for us to handle. He takes us progressively from glory to glory!

DANI'S SCOLIOSIS HEALED BY JESUS!

On Monday, we visited a friend of Vanessa's from her music.  We had already seen her last week at a frozen yogurt place, where we prayed for her healing from scoliosis.  That night, she said that almost all the pain left her back.  She also felt her back muscles become "very relaxed".  Nonetheless, the scoliosis was still visible in that her spine was still crooked.We wanted to pray for the complete healing while there, but we felt it wasn't the right environment.

Since then, we've been very impressed by the Holy Spirit to go visit Dani at her home.  We only got to pray twice at the frozen yogurt place, and lately we've learned that deeper rooted issues sometimes require more persistence in prayer. So, tonight was when we managed to make it over to Dani to keep praying until the scoliosis was completely gone.

 It snowed today in Springfield, so we experienced some trouble getting out of the driveway.  It took a lot of pushing the car, but God allowed us to make it safely to Dani's house.  We got there, and encouraged her that God would do a complete healing.  And then the best part came--we prayed!

After the first prayer, we all opened our eyes and Dani seemed speechless for a moment.  Then she said, "This is really weird...I feel like I need to go look at this in the mirror, because the place in my lower back where it's been really stiff feels like it's moved."  So, she went off to the mirror, and when she came back, we noticed that her shoulders looked a little more level.  So we prayed again.

After the second prayer. she said that all of her pain was completely gone.  Praise God!  Her shoulders still weren't perfectly aligned, but she continued to say that things were feeling really "different".   All this time, she was pretty astonished at what was happening.

Vanessa took over for the third prayer...she prayed specifically for the alignment of the shoulders and the spine.  This is where things began 'popping'.  Dani told us that tightened areas were loosening and that loose areas were tightening.  Jesus was doing the surgery and realigning things as necessary.

We said a fourth prayer and things continued to pop.  Dani would say, "Oh, the left side just popped", and then, "the right side just loosened up".  Thank you Lord!  We continued to look at her back and her shoulders.  Her spine was straightened, and her right shoulder was almost no higher than her left. The difference in her spine's appearance was pretty amazing.  She then said she felt something change in the 'hole' at the bottom of her spine.  She said she'd had surgery there.  She then said that it felt like someone's hand was brushing her back, and that it was very soothing.  She also described a tingling sensation, which is something that many people experience as God is healing them.

After this point, the power of the Lord stayed "present to heal" (Luke 5:17).  We were no longer praying, but we were resting in this truth.  Every minute or so, there would be another 'pop' or movement in Dani's spine.  We didn't know what remained of the scoliosis, but the Lord did, and He confirmed Himself and ensured that the realignment, loosening, and tingling sensations continued. Dani was feeling better and better and better!

After about thirty more minutes of just visiting with Dani, we were confident that the scoliosis had been taken away!  Awesome!  So we just prayed one more time...the Lord instructed that we should pray for "perfect peace and perfect health" for Dani.  When I said the words, 'perfect health', her hips popped.  We didn't know there was a hip problem, but God did!  And He wants to give us whatever we ask for in prayer (Matthew 21:22).  We are satisfied that we left Dani having witnessed God completely heal her.  And now she has a wonderful testimony.  Doctors had told her that she'd need back surgery unless she wanted to acquire arthritis in her twenties, but God's reality is different. Thank you Jesus for what you've done!

SEAN'S WRIST HEALED (written by Vanessa)

We were in the car, headed downtown, with Alex and two of his friends. One of them, Sean Miller (take note of his last name) said how much his wrist was hurting. He had recently had a wrist injury. Alex suggested it was a good opportunity to pray for a healing, so Thomas did. After commanding the pain out in Jesus' name, Sean remarked that it did feel much better, but confirmed that the pain wasn't totally gone. We definitely wanted to pray again. This time, Thomas boldly just thanked God for a perfect wrist, and Sean said, "Woah!!" He felt a strong sensation in his wrist, and then said, "It's totally gone!" Everyone in the car burst into praise to Jesus- it was amazing!! We all felt so uplifted. Not even three minutes later, we pulled up behind this ambulance!

"Emergency Medical Services.... MILLER"

Haha! We see the Lord do things like this sometimes, just to encourage and excite us. So cool! Jesus confirmed Himself to be Sean Miller's medical services that night. 

There are a few instances in scripture where the Holy Spirit does things like this: 

"Then the disciples went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it." Mark 16:20

Acts 14:3 and Hebrews 2:4 also 2:4 tell of the Holy Spirit's interaction by signs and wonders to confirm His testimony. 

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Well, we are in Houston, Texas now. We are spending time with family here and hope to get out for some ministry this weekend. I (Vanessa) could use prayers for my back- it's been a long standing issue that has progressed (worsened) since August. Some days lately, I haven't been able to do ministry with Thomas. Please pray for my emotions (which are involuntarily affected by the shoulder/back issues,) and that I will rest in the Lord's Grace. He has chosen not to heal my back yet, and I accept that completely and still declare His goodness. He has brought me out of an offended heart about it. I am thankful that He has healed my eating disorder that I thought would be impossible to heal, and that has been such a blessing and I am thankful for it. Him lifting that from me also gives me faith that He will indeed heal my back in the future. All in His perfect time! Thank you again for keeping me in your prayers. 

Words of Knowledge

"For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit..."

1 Corinthians 12:8-9

What is a word of knowledge?  It is a shorter prophetic revelation that reveals external knowledge from God, usually given to uplift someone else. There are a few characteristics that separate the word of knowledge from prophecy or the gift of wisdom.  Below are a few of them:

1)  Gives insight, a supernatural knowing, into the lives of another that could not be obtained naturally

The Lord might impress to a pastor that a lady in the church has had lower back pain for three years.  Sometimes, a word of knowledge may not be given for a specific individual, but rather apply to a whole group of people.  In other words, the pastor in that church may not know who has back pain, only that they are in need of healing.  If more knowledge is necessary, then God will give it.

2)  Often reveals details needed for healing--physical, spiritual, or mental details

The example about revealed need for a physical healing.  But it may just be shown that a person is suffering from depression that God wants to heal.  Or, that a person has been hurt by their sister.  God reveals negative things so that we can pray for healing.  We can exhort, encourage, and speak in the positive, and not the negative.  The power of life and death are in the tongue (Proverbs 18:21).

3)  Comes by the insight God gives, usually by a shorter phrase, or even just one word

We have the mind of Christ, and if we are abiding in it, then we can hear more easily what God is saying.  The Lord may speak, or impress through our thoughts, a sentence, or phrase, or word, that gives needed information about the condition of another.  I may hear, "he has lower back pain and leg weakness", when I look at   Or, I may just strongly feel that this is the case.  The word of knowledge doesn't even have to be a word, as described in these next two points...

4)  May come as a mental picture or vision

When praying for a lady downtown, I may see a picture of her knee with emotional chains being wrapped around it.  The Lord is 'speaking' that she has a knee injury rooted in emotional pain.  Once again, God may reveal the sad truth so that we can pray into His will instead.  We don't have to accept those chains; instead, the Lord reveals them so that they can be broken off in the name of Jesus.

5)  May come as a pain in your body.

This is another way that the Lord can speak without using words.  For example, in my own walk, I sometimes get a pain in my right ear if I need to pay attention and 'listen!'.  More often, a physical pain or sensation can be "picked up" from someone else if God is wanting to heal them.  Last time Vanessa and I did ministry downtown, she picked up the left foot pain of a young guy playing basketball, and God healed him completely.  Any word of knowledge, especially this type, is so effective in identifying a problem, that we can then target in prayer.  Through Him laying on pain, through God sharing with us another's burdens, we can accomplish His will.  This kind of word of knowledge also has the benefit of increasing our own compassion for others.  If you can feel the headache of another person, then you will probably feel more love for that person, too.  Since God is Love (1 John 4:8), then you can better share Him with another!

6)  Are usually applicable right away, but may be fulfilled later

Usually a word of knowledge is true in the very moment it is given.  You might see a person, and bam, God reveals their spiritual condition right now.  It is not usually prophetic in that it speaks of a future time.  But sometimes, this isn't the case.  Prior to going into Wal-Mart, the Lord may reveal that a lady in the store wearing pink and purple needs prayer.  More often, though--at least for me--a word of knowledge is given and meant to be applied within minutes of it's giving.  It's a now word.

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It's so important to be motivated by Love, and so important to be moved with compassion.  The word of knowledge is such a gift, but it's only a means to an end.  It only reveals to us an otherwise unknowable piece of God's heart, so if we do not use this gift with love, then it is worth nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2). What counts is not faith or gifts in themselves.  Faith expressing itself through miracles or wonders is not that important.  The most important thing to obtain, to receive, from God is His Love for people. That's how we know how we are His.  Words of knowledge and other things are only means of expression.  They need to be used as faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6).

STREET MINISTRY TOUR UPDATE #1: PINEHURST

Today marks our fourth full day in Pinehurst, North Carolina.  On the 22nd, after a few delays, Vanessa and I drove from Southern Maine down to my parents' home.   God really blessed our trip with nice weather and light traffic, even when going through New York.  We got to Pinehurst late Thursday night, and since then we've been having a blast!

Friday, Vanessa and I visited family and took a brief trip to the Fresh Market.  This is a high-class grocery store in Pinehurst...and the scene of so many healings and miracles last Spring and Summer. This time around, a lady with foot problems was completely delivered.  She had been planning to have surgery for her foot pain in two weeks.  Now she has a wonderful testimony!

Sunday, we had a great time seeing old friends at church.  We met a very nice young man named Josh...he had foot problems, too, and difficulty walking.  He had a lot of faith, and after a few prayers his feet felt amazing.  He said he'd been hoping for healing for a while now, and looked forward to telling his doctors about the power of his God.  Glory to God!  

After Church on Sunday, we went to the Fresh Market again...they have such good coffee.  I asked an older gentleman if he wanted prayer for anything.  He couldn't quite hear me.  His wife patiently explained that he was hard of hearing, had partial blindness, and had diabetes and muscular degeneration.  But they really wanted prayer.  We prayed that God would touch his whole body and renew his strength.  We prayed that anything disrupting his healing would be driven out. We prayed that his ears would be completely opened up in the name of Jesus.  After prayer, Vanessa began talking softly to the man.  She then whispered to him more and more quietly, and he heard right down to a faint whisper!  He also remarked that he could see her very well.  Glory to God!  The couple were in their eighties and devout Catholics.  They were so gracious and thankful for prayer.  I feel like God wants to put into all of our hearts the humility to receive prayer from others.

Sunday night, we met with two ladies who have been great mentors to Vanessa and I in our time at Grace Church's prophetic group.  God has really brought us to some amazing people through that group.  So, we met with two of our "spiritual mothers"and enjoyed some great fellowship at Panera Bread. Vanessa and I had the chance to update them on how the start of our married life has been going, as well as other things.  We prayed and encouraged and spoke to each other in the faith!  You can have Church anywhere.  We prayed at the end of our get-together, and felt God's presence really come in.  I felt like I was in the middle of a rainstorm, complete with that smell or moisture you get when the clouds come in. Just then, both of our mentors looked up at each other and said, "Do you feel rain?" They had both felt drops of rain fall on them, inside of Panera! I'll admit, this kind of manifestation is new to me.  But wow--what an honor for God to give us something we never even imagined asking for.  He really was confirming His Spirit there with us.

"If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit."        Leviticus 26:3

"Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God."     Hebrews 6:7

"The earth quaked; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God..."  Psalm 68:8

Today, Monday, I went out to do some ministry at Wal-Mart.  My younger brothers went with me.  We were blessed to see a healing right in the parking lot.   Before we parked, the Spirit had showed me that we were to go left once within the store and head straight to the produce area, and from there go clockwise around the food section.  We were to meet and pray for a black lady with unique  hair along the way.  So we did this, and met the woman right next to the vegetables!  She didn't have any particular prayer requests, but we just prayed that God would bless her.  Praise God!   After that, though, a lot of people didn't want prayer.  And a few that accepted prayer had no faith at all.  There were also a few 'partial' healings, which bothers me sometimes.  You just have to leave it in God's hands.

But the Spirit got me through these disappointments, and finally, we were directed to a lady with foot pain (again). She really wanted prayer!  I was so excited...God totally healed her. After that, God began revealing to me that the next healing would be from lower back pain. He then directed us to a lady with pain back, and He took the pain away. Glory to God!  On that note, we headed home.  In hindsight, sometimes God makes us beg.  He wants to ensure that we really, really want it.

Our Street Ministry Tour: What We Do

Vanessa and I have been doing street ministry together since the start of our friendship. This past Spring was a wonderful time...in addition to God's blessing on our relationship, we began seeing many healings by the power of God wherever we went.  So many were touched by God in the Pinehurst, NC area in April and May, and God was so gracious to allow us a part in it.

Recently we've been in a different spiritual season, and have been eagerly awaiting a return to street ministry.  We've both had more down time and more internal work done.  God has shown us that seeking signs and healings  alone is not enough.  Praise Jesus that we are justified by faith and our love for Him.

So, what we do--we travel the streets on the watch for those who could use a touch from God.  He is faithful to direct us to the right people.   And we pray with them.  God has healed many and there have been some creative miracles, too.  More than that, the Love of God intensifies and His Kingdom is brought in.  By God's Love lives have been changed, our own included.

Sometimes we will just talk and sympathize with people.  Often we'll also prophesy.  For those who have time (many people are so busy), we like to speak an encouraging word. God's Words bring healing and hope, and we like to express that to people.  We are thankful for what He's done in the past, and are so excited as as He brings us into the future.