Tag Archives: Bible

March 26, 2026 · 8:08 am

Should We Listen to Prophecy? (Part 6)

With our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection, He made the Old Covenant obsolete.

With this, we no longer need to appoint a high priest to go into the Holy of Holies to offer gifts and sacrifices for our sins. Jesus is our High Priest forever and His blood has cleansed us from all our sins. We also no longer need a Temple because we are His living temples and His Spirit dwells in us.

Thus, the ministry of the New Testament prophet has changed dramatically from that of the Old Testament prophet.

First: the New Testament prophet is still a mouthpiece for the Lord, but he no longer is the Lone Ranger galloping into town on a white horse ready to speak the word of the Lord to people. Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, all believers can prophesy and are encouraged to do so.

Second: Prophecies spoken by a prophet (or a believer) are not to be accepted as prophetic words straight from the throne of God without being judged first by other believers. We judge prophecies by checking scripture and our inner spirits.

Third: A prophet or believer can no longer burst onto a scene, like a church, and prophesy. Everything has to be done decently and in order. Thus, the Holy Spirit has to make a way for the person to prophesy.

Fourth: If a prophet or a believer makes an error in his (or her) prophecy, he is to humble himself and ask forgiveness. Believers are to forgive him as the Lord has forgiven them.

Fifth: Prophets are still held accountable for prophesying words of warning and the full counsel of the Lord, but the sting of failing to do so has been removed at the cross.

The one thing that has stayed the same is that prophets or believers who prophesy may suffer afflictions, even severe ones.

Okay, what can we do to encourage believers to prophesy?

(Continued in Part 7)

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March 24, 2026 · 10:05 am

Should We Listen to Prophecy? (Part 5)



What is the first thought that enters your mind when the word “prophet” is mentioned? Do you instantly think of a wild-haired, bearded man wearing coarse camel-hair clothing with a leather belt, bursting onto the scene, much like an Elijah or John the Baptist?

Or do you think of our Lord Jesus walking through crowds of people and ministering to them?

And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matthew 21:11)

Most Christians can easily picture pastors, teachers, and evangelists as ministries for the Lord, but then we struggle with the ministry of the prophet. The main reason for our struggles are the more than fifty-five examples of prophets mentioned in the Old Testament. These were the main characters, and with the exception of Jesus, we know more about the Old Testament prophets’ ministries than all of the other ministries in the whole Bible combined.

What do we really know about the ministry of the pastor, teacher, or evangelist? Very little.

But what do we know about the ministries of the Old Testament prophets:

1. The prophets were God’s mouthpiece to the people of Israel and other nations. There were no ifs, ands, buts, whys, howevers, therefores, or testings of the prophets’ words. All words were to be accepted as from the Lord. Period.

2. If the prophets’ words failed to take place, the people were not to fear them.

3. If the prophets’ words led people away to follow other gods, then the prophets were to be killed.

4. The Spirit of the Lord came upon prophets (also a few kings and priests) to prophesy.

5. If the prophets failed to speak God’s words to the people of Israel, the prophets were held accountable for what happened to the people. 

6. The Old Testament prophets suffered heavy afflictions because of their prophecies. 

I do not want to understate the value of studying the Old Testament prophets because there is much to be gleaned from studying them. Yet, we need to view their ministries through the light of the cross. The Apostle Paul wrote:

These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. (Colossians 2:17)

So, what about New Testament prophets and prophecy?

(Continued in Part 6)

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March 20, 2026 · 7:48 am

Should We Listen to Prophecy? (Part 4)

Prophecy may arise from three different beings: the Holy Spirit, demons or our own imaginations (our flesh). And it’s even possible for a prophecy to be a mixture of all three at the same time.

Now, don’t throw your hands up in the air and give up because it sounds too tough. Let’s see what the Apostle Paul says:

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. (1 Corinthians 14:1 ESV)

So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. (1 Corinthians 14:39 ESV)

The Greek word zēloō is translated into the English language as earnestly desire in the English Standard Version, but it more nearly means “to boil over with zeal and envy for something.”

How many of us actually wake up in the morning or walk into churches boiling over with zeal to prophesy? Probably not many of us, but actually the Apostle Paul states that this should be our attitude.

So, how can we do this and still follow Paul’s advice of “doing everything decently and in order?“

The answer is simple: allow ourselves and others the opportunities to make mistakes. Period.

We must remove two mindsets to do this:

First, never frame a prophecy by saying, “Thus saith the Lord.” Now, we may feel like every word has come down from the throne of God, but still, it’s up to others to judge it. Be humble, be a servant. Allow the Holy Spirit to raise us up.

Second, get over the importance of appearing as a mature believer to others. Remember: humbling ourselves as little children is  the road to greatness in the kingdom of God.

Spiritual discernment will only come for each of us through practice and giving grace to ourselves and others.

In light of Old Testament scriptures, how can we allow someone to make mistakes with prophecies?

(Continued in Part 5)

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March 17, 2026 · 6:18 am

Should We Listen to Prophecy? (Part 3)

Paul and Silas were clicking along from city to city until the Holy Spirit forbid them from heading north into Bithynia. They instead responded to a vision that Paul had about a man who said, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.“

The twosome hurried to Troas, boarded a ship to cross the northern tip of the Aegean Sea, and landed in Neapolis. They then journeyed thirteen miles by foot to Philippi.

The city of Philippi had a population of 2000 people and a large Roman garrison. It was the chief city in the province of Macedonia, but the Jewish population was too small to support a synagogue, which required ten Jewish men.

Thus, Paul and Silas searched for and found a Jewish prayer meeting along the banks of the Gangites River. The two spoke to the Jewish women attending the meeting where a woman named Lydia was converted and baptized as a believer in Christ. Paul and Silas then stayed at Lydia’s house.

All of this sets the stage for a powerful scene.

As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” (Acts 16:16-17)

If we use our New Testament Bibles – which Paul and Silas did not have at the time – how would we judge the accuracy of the slave girl’s prophetic words? We would have to admit that the girl’s words were accurate because Paul and Silas were God’s servants and did proclaim the gospel.

Yet, Paul was greatly annoyed by the slave girl’s proclamations and said to the spirit in the girl:

“I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her…” (Acts 16: 18)

As the Apostle Paul demonstrated in this scene, spiritual discernment is a two-sided coin. On the one hand, we need to know if the prophetic words line up with scripture, and on the other hand, we need to know what spirit backs the prophetic words. Is it the Holy Spirit, a demon or our own fleshly spirit?

How can we do this?

(Continued in Part 4)

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March 6, 2026 · 2:22 pm

Is Jesus Still Using Believers to Heal the Sick Today? Can He Heal Dementia Sufferers Through Us (Conclusion)

What is the plan of action for healing a sufferer of dementia?

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. (1 Corinthians 14:1 ESV)

In Part 4, I wrote:

I discerned a demon caused her ailment rather than being a physical issue. As my prayers increased in tempo, I felt an inner urge to command it to leave.

“Go!” I proclaimed.

Then, I spun around and looked at the daughter-in-law. “You’re going to have a baby. Fix up a room for your new baby,” I prophesied.

Without the gifts of the Spirit, none of this would have happened. The woman with Tourette Syndrome would not have been healed and her daughter-in-law would not have had a baby girl. 

The gifts involved in these two miracles were the gift of faith, the gift of discerning of spirits and the gift of prophecy.

I had another Holy Spirit experience over thirty-five years ago. It happened when I was preaching at a small house group. A woman showed up that night, suffering from muscular dystrophy. She used a cane and hobbled over to a chair and sat down.

When I finished my message, I walked over to her, reached out my hand and said, “Let’s dance.”

She took my hand and danced with me around the family room. After a minute or so, I stopped and looked at her. “What do you think?” I said.

Her eyes opened wide. “Oh Lord, I’m healed!” she proclaimed.

The woman carried her cane home, totally healed. The next day, she enrolled at a gym to get herself back in shape.

This happened through the gift of faith and the gift of working of miracles.

None of this was through my efforts. It was the manifestation of the Holy Spirit working in me. 

If I could turn the gifts on when I wanted to, I would, but it doesn’t work that way. The Holy Spirit determines when He will manifest Himself in believers, and not us.

Here’s my thinking:

If we want to be used by the Lord to heal dementia sufferers, we need to eagerly pursue the spiritual gifts. All of them. I just don’t believe there is any other option.

Also, it’s my belief that dementia/Alzheimer’s is caused by demons. And I think these demons have built up strongholds in our minds so that very few believers are praying for dementia sufferers to be healed.

Thus, like Jesus said about casting out the demon in the young boy, “But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21)

It will take the Spiritual gifts, faith, prayer and fasting. 

How much fasting? Seek the Lord.

(Conclusion)

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February 26, 2026 · 5:40 pm

Is Jesus Still Using Believers to Heal the Sick Today? Can He Heal Dementia Sufferers Through Us? (Part 4) 

The following is an excerpt from my memoir, The Hunt for Larry Who:

In the midst of the auto sales drought, I felt the Lord wanted me to fast. How long? I had no idea. Why? I did not ask and had no clue. So, I began fasting by drinking only water and morning coffee, but eating no food.

Did things improve for me? Heavens no! My auto sales drought continued.

On the fourteenth evening of the fast, a former client’s wife phoned me. I had mentioned to her husband that the Lord could heal his wife of her long-term ailment.

“Larry, do you really believe the Lord can heal me?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“When can you pray for me?”

My pastor, her husband and I showed up at the woman’s house two days later. The sick woman’s daughter-in-law was also there to support the woman. We chatted a bit until I felt the presence of God descending upon us. I walked over and began praying for the woman.

I discerned a demon caused her ailment rather than being a physical issue. As my prayers increased in tempo, I felt an inner urge to command it to leave.

“Go!” I proclaimed.

Then, I spun around and looked at the daughter-in-law.

“You’re going to have a baby. Fix up a room for your new baby,” I prophesied.

The daughter-in-law broke down and cried. She eventually collected herself enough to tell us how she and her husband had just undergone extensive tests at a Sioux City hospital, discovering they could never have children.

That night, on the sixteenth day of the fast, I ate again.

The woman phoned two nights later.

“Larry, do you know what ailment I suffered from?” she asked.

“No.”

“I had Tourette Syndrome,” she said and explained how her tics and rants kept her housebound and away from public gatherings for years. “I’m totally healed. Thanks.”

A year later, I received a card from the daughter-in-law announcing the birth of their baby girl.

So, what is Tourette Syndrome?

Tourette Syndrome is a disorder that involves repetitive movements or unwanted sounds (tics) that can’t be easily controlled. For instance, you might repeatedly blink your eyes, shrug your shoulders or blurt out unusual sounds or offensive words.

Tics typically show up between ages 2 and 15, with the average being around 6 years of age. Males are about three to four times more likely than females to develop Tourette syndrome.

Although there’s no cure for Tourette syndrome, treatments are available. (Mayo Clinic)

So, how can this help with healing dementia sufferers?

(Continued in Part 5)

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November 23, 2024 · 2:39 pm

How Praying for Empty Parking Places Can Lead to Healing the Sick and Raising the dead (Part 2)

A little more than thirty-five years ago, I was the treasurer of the St. Edmond’s high school athletic boosters’ club and made an error, causing a financial problem in the boosters’ checking account. I prayed and asked the Lord for His help before calling the bank.

I phoned and explained the problem to a bank officer. She quickly told me the error would be handled and the funds restored into the checking account. I was so excited by how easily it worked out.

“Oh Lord, You care about small things, too,” I said aloud after hanging up.

“I care about all things,” said an audible voice.

I jumped off the stool and bowed down on the kitchen’s tile floor. Tears streamed down my face. I shook, wondering what would happen to me because the voice seemed so loud and so holy. I stayed in that position of reverence for several minutes.

This was the only time I have heard the audible voice of God in my thirty-nine years of walking with Him.  Yet, I am still amazed at His response to my simple prayer. Maybe God wants to be invited into every part of our lives, even the mundane and the ordinary parts..

Now, I want to contrast the above situation with a recent problem that I had concerning a bad tire on the car I drove for U*B*E*R share rides. The problem nagged at me in the middle of the night. I eventually went downstairs an hour earlier than my usual waking time to seek the presence of the Lord.

“Lord, You are my refuge and my fortress; in You, I trust. So, help me in this situation,” I cried out to the Lord.

After waiting on the Lord, I felt the Holy Spirit speak Jeremiah 12:5 to my heart: “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?”

The Lord rebuked me!

He let me know that if I couldn’t trust Him with my life’s issues in today’s America, how would I be able to trust Him when major calamities hit our nation in the near future. Ouch!

And yet, His rebuke settled my heart. I was freed from my doubts and fears.

“Prayer is not about getting God to agree with our answers for our problems, but it’s about positioning us to stand with God and His answers for our circumstances,” said Tyler Staton, the head of the 24/7 Prayer Movement in America.

How can these two contrasting prayers prepare us for prayers of healing the sick and raising the dead? 

(Continued in Part 3)

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August 10, 2024 · 10:18 am

The Car Accident That Wasn’t

Last Tuesday, I was driving from Ft. Smith to Fayetteville, Arkansas, a trip of sixty miles over up-and-down terrain through the Boston Mountains. It was approximately 5:50 a.m. No moon. No stars. Extremely dark conditions with tall trees lining both sides of Interstate 49. My speedometer registered 75 miles per hour, the posted speed limit.

As I drove down a steep incline in the right lane, there were no vehicles in front of me nor any behind me. My only source of light were my car’s dimmed headlights. 

All of a sudden, a deer stood directly in front of me. The doe turned her head toward me. Somehow, I noticed a fawn off to the left, stopping to watch the action. If I could have sat on the hood of my car, I could have easily touched the deer.

I didn’t pray or shout or step on my brakes. There was no time, especially traveling 75 miles per hour or 110 feet per second. I resigned myself to hitting the deer.

Then, just like that, the doe appeared on the right side of my car, wagging its white tail and heading toward the tree line.

I continued speeding down the road while I tried to digest what had just happened. I shut off the radio and began praising the Lord at the top of my lungs. Gratitude for the One who promised to “never leave me nor forsake me” consumed me for the next half hour.

Earlier that morning, I had prayed my usual prayer for my ride-share business: “Lord, schedule my day, don’t let me miss any of your divine appointments in the Fayetteville area. And Lord, give Your angels charge over me, to guard me in all of my ways and have Your angels lift me up, lest I strike my foot against a stone.”

Later, I also learned that Carol had been praying in the Spirit for a long time that morning.

So, I figured the Lord wanted to underline the importance of our daily prayers…but something continually nagged me.

Everything seemed so orchestrated. There was no way I could notice all of those details while traveling at 75 miles per hour. What was the Lord really trying to show me?

A couple of days later, two verses were impressed on me:

            “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of Hosts. “What are you, O great mountain [of obstacles]? Before Zerubbabel, you will become plain [insignificant]…with loud shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” (Zechariah 4:6-7 AMP)

The Lord is the greatest teacher in the history of the world. Who else could choreograph a deer, a young fawn, a speeding car and myself into an unforgettable life lesson for me? 

Thus, whatever obstacles may seem to be holding me back – even a deer – are insignificant to the Spirit of the Lord and His grace.

Amen.

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July 6, 2024 · 10:14 am

Who or What is Restraining the Antichrist? (Part 2)

            For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective… (Hebrews 4:12a AMP)

The Bible contains 1,817 predictive prophecies. To date, approximately one half of them have been fulfilled. The remaining ones are expected to be fulfilled during the End-Times. Given God’s omniscience, He will always be 100% accurate. 

Now, think about an Isaiah or Daniel or Zechariah or another prophet speaking an End-Times prophecy over 2,000 years ago. The words were spoken and written down for future reference. Yet, these are not just dead words penned on a scroll, but are living, powerful time-bombs awaiting their appointed times to explode forth in fulfilment.

            Bless the Lord, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word. (Psalm 103:20 NASB)

Who makes sure the Bible’s prophecies are fulfilled at the exact time specified by the Lord? 

I believe God’s angels are assigned this task. Somehow, these chosen angels can hear the DNA guidelines within the prophetic words and know when the prophecies need to be fulfilled.

In 2 Kings 19:32-34, Isaiah spoke a powerful prophecy to King Hezekiah of Judah that the Assyrians would not come into Jerusalem or even shoot one arrow at the city and that the Assyrian army would retreat back to Assyria.

That night, one angel went into the camp of the Assyrians and killed 185,000 soldiers.

Gabriel gave insight to Daniel, Mary and Zacharias so that the prophetic narrative could be moved forward.

Michael fought the prince of Persia so that Gabriel could finally speak to Daniel. It is Michael who will arise when Israel is facing defeat in the End-Times. It is Michael who will wage war against Satan and his kingdom of darkness, casting them out of heaven and down to earth.

And it is an unnamed angel who chains Satan and throws him into the abyss for a thousand years.

These are only a few examples of angels carrying out God’s prophetic words.

            And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 NASB)

So, who or what restrains the Antichrist?

I believe that Michael – the archangel who defends and has charge over Israel – is the one who restrains the Antichrist until God’s appointed time for the Antichrist to appear on the world scene. 

Now, don’t go thinking that Michael uses a metal sword or a spear to restrain Satan from pushing his Antichrist agenda ahead of time. No, not at all! Michael uses the prophetic words of the Bible as his sword. And he probably tosses in a few, “The Lord rebuke you!” in Satan’s direction every so often.

Okay, I will hang my hat on Michael as the restrainer.

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June 22, 2024 · 7:33 am

Who or What is Restraining the Antichrist? (Part 1) 

Do you remember Rosie Ruiz?

Rosie was the supposed female winner of the 1980 Boston Marathon in a record time of 2:31:56. Her posted time was the third fastest for a female in the history of marathons. (A marathon is 26 miles and 385 yards of grueling uphill, downhill road races, usually through urban areas.)

But upon inspection, Rosie had not passed through any of the checkpoints along the marathon route. She somehow skipped most of the race and reentered the marathon from a crowd of people only a half mile before the finish line.

Rosie was disqualified. The second-place finisher – Jacqueline Gareau – was declared the winner in a time of 2:34:38.

Checkpoints!

Does God have checkpoints for His redemption narrative intertwined in scriptures from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation?

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4-5 ESV)

How did God hold off messiah imposters from appearing on the scene, trying to take the place of Jesus before the fullness of time had come?

Prophecies!

God’s checkpoints for His redemption narrative in Scripture are prophecies.

Some of the prophecies Jesus had to fulfill at His first coming include:

            1. Born of a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14)

            2. Born into the lineage of King David (2 Samuel 7:12)

            3. Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)

            4. Called out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1)

            5. Born into the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10)

            6. Live in Galilee and be called a Nazarene (Isaiah 9:1-2)

            7. Massacre of children at Jesus’ birth (Jeremiah 31:15)

Neither man nor Satan could have figured out or fulfilled the above seven prophecies ahead of time. Only God through His omniscience and His power could fulfill these prophecies.

Okay, what about Jesus’ second coming? Who or what is restraining the Antichrist?

(Continued in Part 2)

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