Tag Archives: Healing

October 17, 2021 · 10:06 am

Why are our healing prayers so ineffective?

The female pastor walked to the pulpit and began her eulogy for my friend Brad. I have no idea what she said because the Lord chose that moment to speak to me.

I felt Him whisper to my heart: 

“My church is a bunch of nice losers. They lay their hands on the sick and pray for them, but when they die, they aren’t mad at all. They don’t check themselves out to see what happened or what they may have done wrong with their prayers and actions. They accept defeats and don’t think any more about them.

“Now, Major League baseball teams are all filled with good players. Each player has to be one of the best in the world to make it to the Major Leagues. Losing teams have good players on their rosters, too. But after a while, losing teams’ players don’t mind losing because after all, they still receive their Major League paychecks and bonuses.

 “But winning Major League baseball teams are different. They hate losing and will do anything and whatever it takes to win. They hate losing.

“I want My church to hate losing!”

This time the grief, which hit me, measured a ten on the Richter Scale. (Excerpt from my memoir, The Hunt for Larry Who)

            These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” (Mark 16:17-18)

I have prayed for numerous sick people in the last few years. What have been the results? Many have died and others have continued on in their ailments. I’m not exactly a ringing endorsement for the truths of Mark 16:18.

Finally, I am fed up and angry about my efforts!

You see, I mirrored what the Church as a whole has been doing. Like them, I’ve gone through all of the traditional motions. Anointing the sick with oil. Laying hands on them. And tossing prayers out there for their healing. Maybe even fasting a little. But I failed to ask myself some tough questions: why are the sick still dying after my prayers? Why are they still ailing and crippled? What am I doing wrong?

I have become like the losing Major League baseball teams. I didn’t hate losing…until now.

Recently, I sought the Lord on what I was doing wrong.

The Lord showed me that my healing efforts were centered on the hope that one of my gifts – gift of healing, gift of faith or the gift of working of miracles – would show up and the sick person would be healed right then and there on the spot.

Yes, I have seen healing miracles through these gifts over the years, but to be honest, these gifts have not been consistently working through me in the last few years. And from my observations, these gifts haven’t been working that well in the Church as a whole.

You see, the Church and I have been guilty of trying to walk in the gifts used by Kathryn Kuhlman, Oral Roberts, William Branham, Jack Coe, Paul Cain, A. A. Allen and others during the healing revival of the 1940s and 1950s. But the problem is that healing revival is over and the next healing revival has not arrived here as yet. We are living in the in-between time period.

So, what changes am I planning on doing in the future?

            But Jesus turned around and when He saw her, He said, “Be of good cheer, your faith has made you well…(Matthew 9:22)

            Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way, your faith has made you well… (Mark 10:52)

            And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:19)

            This man was listening to Paul as he spoke. Paul looked at him intently and saw that he had faith to be made well (Acts 14:9 NASB)

I plan on giving a short teaching to each person that I pray for. Something like this:

“Listen, I am going to anoint you with oil and lay my hands on you according to James 5:14- 15 which states that my prayer of faith will heal you. Do you believe that? If you are instantly healed, we will both rejoice. 

“But if you aren’t instantly healed, do not despair because instant healing is not always the Lord’s way. Instead, it will probably be through your faith. My anointing you with oil and praying a prayer of faith will be your point of contact to activate your faith in the Lord for your healing. Our belief is that the Lord will eventually say to you, ‘Your faith has made you well.’

“Do you believe that?”

Healing by faith works. We need to learn how to walk in it and also teach people how to receive their healing through faith.

Leave a comment

Filed under Christianity, Faith, Healing, Prayer

Tagged as , , , ,

November 28, 2019 · 6:00 am

A Summer Thanksgiving Story Without Turkey and Stuffing

 

The drive to meet Pastor Rick took me past the Temecula Valley High School baseball field where our son, Cole, played shortstop for the Golden Bears during his four years there. Cole was a good player, but that wasn’t the reason I always thanked the Lord for His mercy when I drove by the field. It was because of a special miracle the Lord did twenty-two years earlier during a state playoff game.

On that particular day, the Golden Bears were playing the Norco High School Cougars. The pitcher for the Cougars was Carson Riley, a right-hander, who threw around ninety-five miles per hour and was a solid major league prospect.

Cole stood in the right side of the batter’s box to lead off the seventh inning. Riley’s first pitch was a fastball, which tailed inside and hit Cole in the middle of his chest, knocking him to the ground. He laid motionless on the ground.

The three coaches for Temecula Valley rushed to him. One of them took out a cell phone and made a call.

Jane and I were sitting in the bleachers above the dugout on the first base side of the field. I grabbed Jane’s hand. “Honey, we need to go out there. Cole’s in danger,” I said.

We stood up and hurried to field.

Jim Dawson, the head coach for the Golden Bears, looked up as we approached home plate. “Dylan, he’s not breathing. I phoned for an ambulance, which should be here in four minutes,” he said.

Jane and I dropped to our knees and began praying. She prayed in tongues while I placed my hand on his chest.

“Father, You gave me a promise when Cole was born that He would preach the gospel and do miracles in Your name. When You made that promise, You looked into the future and saw this day. And yet, You still made that promise to me. I am not leaving until You honor Your promise and Cole stands up, totally healed in Jesus’ name. You did it for Elijah when he prayed for the widow’s son and I’m asking You to do the same thing for Cole, right now,” I prayed.

Coach Dawson grabbed my shoulders. “Dylan, let’s wait for the ambulance,” he whispered.

I shook his hands off me. “Let go of me,” I shouted. “God is doing a miracle here.”

Dawson released his grasp and wandered off. A siren could be heard pulling into the school’s parking lot.

“Father, I didn’t ask You to give me that promise for Cole. You did it on Your own. So, honor Your promise, in Jesus’ name,” I prayed again and again.

“What’s happening here?” asked a paramedic, rushing toward us with a stretcher.

Cole’s green eyes fluttered and opened. He looked into my eyes. “Dad,” he whispered, “I met Jesus. He said I had to come back to life because of your prayers.”

My son was totally healed and wanted to stay in the ballgame, but of course, the two paramedics insisted on him riding in the ambulance to Temecula Valley Hospital. Jane and I followed them in our SUV.

All of the tests on Cole proved to be negative. The Lord healed him.

Cole graduated from high school two weeks later and now lives in San Diego with his wife Allyson and their two daughters, Mia and Madison.

If I drove by the baseball field a hundred times in any one day, I always thanked the Lord for His gracious miracle every time. I always wanted Him to know how much I appreciated what He did for our family on that day.

That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving and declare all Your wonders. (Psalm 26:7)

(Excerpt from Still in the Fight, an upcoming new novel by me.)

2 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Healing, jesus, Literature, Prayer, spiritual warfare, Thanksgiving, Writing

Tagged as , , ,

June 6, 2019 · 3:06 am

Prayers for Senior Citizens (6/6/2019)

 

One of the greatest geezer preachers of all time was Smith Wigglesworth (1859-1947).

Wigglesworth was born in 1859 in Yorkshire, England. His parents were so poor that Smith had to miss school as a child and work to help support his family. Even so he became born again when he was eight years old. Later, he became an apprentice and then a plumber.

He married his wife Polly in 1882. She taught him how to read and encouraged him to preach, but he was tongue-tied and couldn’t speak in front of crowds. So, his wife was the anointed preacher until her death in 1913.

When Polly died, he was so grief-stricken that he commanded death to leave her. She came back to life, opened her eyes and said, “Smith, the Lord wants me. It’s your season now.”

Smith looked into her eyes. “If the Lord wants you, I will not hold you,” he replied.

The day after the funeral, Smith Wigglesworth threw himself on his wife’s grave and wept. The Holy Spirit spoke: “Smith, get up. It’s time for you to travel the world and preach the gospel.”

Then, an argument followed between the Holy Spirit and Wigglesworth. He refused to get off the grave because he was too heart-broken and didn’t want to minister without his wife.

Finally, Wigglesworth said, “Lord, I’ll get up and go to the world, if You’ll give me her anointing, too.”

That day, Smith Wigglesworth, fifty-four years of age, began his ministry to the world and continued until he died at eighty-eight years of age.

Because of Wigglesworth’s lack of schooling, he normally spoke with a working-class cockney accent, hard to understand. But when he preached and ministered, he talked like an Oxford professor. Perfect English.

There has never been a man like Smith Wigglesworth. As many as nineteen people (some say only twelve) were raised from the dead through his ministry. Tens of thousands were healed and saved in his meetings.

And he did all this while he was a senior citizen.

What’s our excuse, right?

My prayer today:

Lord, Your word states that You do not show favoritism toward one person over another. So, I ask You to move on the senior citizens here in American and raise up dozens of people who will walk in the same anointing that You gave to Smith Wigglesworth. (Based on Acts 10:34)

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for Christian Senior Citizens in America.

2 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Faith, Fasting, Geezers, Prayer, Prophecy, Senior Citizens

Tagged as , , , , , ,

May 23, 2019 · 7:02 am

Prayers for the Gifts of Healing and Miracles (5/23/2019)

Jesus said that in the last days, nations would rise against nations (or people groups versus people groups) and kingdoms against kingdoms. He said there would be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places.

So what are we doing? Are we preparing ourselves?

For instance, do we realize one in ten Americans are taking illegal drugs? Seven out of ten Americans are taking prescription drugs? Or one in four people have mental health issues? 

Can we even imagine what it will be like if people can’t get their drugs because of earthquakes or wars? It will be total chaos in our neighborhoods!

I know. I know. Many of us will answer all of these questions by saying: “I’m going to trust the Lord.” And that’s all well and good!

But Paul the apostle wrote to Timothy –

This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. (2 Timothy 1:6)

We must do everything we can right now to stir up our gifts of healing and miracles to prepare us for the dark days ahead. If we wait until tragedy hits, we won’t have the faith or trust in our gifts to help the hurting people in our neighborhoods.

The old axiom – practice makes perfect – is also true with the spiritual gifts. So, let’s lay hands on and pray for every sick and hurting person we meet. Let’s not give up! Let’s keep on doing it and trusting God to perform the work of healing through us and our spiritual gifts. Eventually, we will reap a harvest of healing.

My prayer today:

Lord, help us to hear Your voice, believe Your words and step out in faith to do Your works of healing in our neighborhoods.

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for the Body of Christ in America.

Leave a comment

Filed under America, Christianity, Church, End-Times, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Healing, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, Spiritual gifts, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , ,

March 22, 2018 · 8:42 am

Prayers for America (3/22/2018)

Let’s pray for seventy-seven year old Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, representing most of San Francisco.

She has struggled to make speeches without mental glitches for weeks. I don’t know what’s happening to her, but if I were her, I’d want someone to care enough to pray for me.

Father, we lift Nancy Pelosi before Your throne, asking You to open her heart to the love of the truth, so she would know You as her Savior and Lord. And that You would heal her of whatever malady she is suffering right now. We ask this is Jesus’ name. (Based on 2 Thessalonians 2:10)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

6 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Deliverance, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Healing, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , ,

March 14, 2017 · 8:46 am

Prayers for Healing and Deliverance (3/14/2017)

run

The female pastor walked to the pulpit and began the eulogy for my high school friend. I have no idea what she said because the Lord chose this moment to speak to me.

The Holy Spirit whispered to my heart: “My church is a bunch of nice losers. They lay their hands on the sick and pray for them, but when they die, they aren’t mad at all. They don’t check themselves out to see what happened or what they may have done wrong with their prayers and actions. They accept defeats and don’t think anymore about them.

“Now, Major League baseball teams are all filled with good players. Each player has to be one of the best in the world to make it to the Major Leagues. Losing teams have good players on their rosters, too. But after a while, losing teams’ players don’t mind losing because after all, they still receive their Major League paychecks and bonuses.

“But winning Major League baseball teams are different. They hate losing and will do anything and whatever it takes to win. They hate losing.

“I want My church to hate losing!”

(Excerpt from The Hunt for Larry Who by Larry Nevenhoven, ©2014, Amazon eBook)

My prayer today:

Lord, help American believers to fear You so that we will hate evil in all of its forms, including sickness and demonic oppression, and help us to rid ourselves of our lukewarm Laodicean attitudes. (Based on Proverbs 8:13 and Revelation 3:15)

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for new revelations on healing and deliverance for Americans NOW.

2 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Deliverance, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Healing, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , , ,

March 7, 2017 · 9:16 am

Prayers for Healing and Deliverance (3/7/2017)

run

 

On that particular Sunday, I attended church from 10 a.m. to noon. A married couple approached me before I left.

“Larry, we’d like to pray for you,” said the wife.

“When?” I said.

“Is right now, okay?”

“No, I’m taking my daughter Susan out to lunch.”

“Can we do it later?”

“Sure.”

We agreed on a time for later that afternoon.

I gave no thoughts as to why the couple wanted to pray for me. We were close friends and these types of things often happened at our small church because many had strong prophetic gifts.

The couple waited for me in the apartment attached to the rear of the church when I arrived. The church’s pastor, her husband, and another couple also waited there.

What have I done now? I thought. Oh well, I guess they’ll let me know.

“Do you remember Ellen?” said the wife.

“Yes the intercessor who prays five hours each day.”

“One of the prophetic words you spoke to her was wrong.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll ask forgiveness of her.”

“No, that’s okay because your mistake caused her to spend time praying for you. She found some problems with you.”

With those words, I was thrown across the room. Everyone instantly began praying in tongues. The wife and her husband began commanding the demon to let loose of me. I rolled back and forth across the floor, out of control.

What was going through my mind during all this?

I hoped someone had enough spiritual power to set me free from this monster.

It ended after a few minutes. I stood up and hugged everyone.

“Do you feel better?” asked the wife.

“I don’t know…maybe,” I replied.

I noticed a big difference in the following days, which probably was not so obvious to others, but I felt freer in my spirit.

I eventually believed the Lord revealed it was a religious spirit, which had puppet-like strings attached to my soul − mind, will, and emotions. The demon could pull on these at certain times, causing problems. The strings were so tightly woven around my personality I did not even notice them.

Here’s my take on this: hang around believers who pray, hear God’s voice, and have spiritual power and anointing. You need strong friends in spiritual warfare.

(Excerpt from The Hunt for Larry Who by Larry Nevenhoven, © 2014, Amazon eBook)

My prayer for today:

Lord, help us American believers to turn away from persuasive words of human wisdom, but instead, to demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit so that our faith will no longer be in human wisdom but rest on the power of God. (Based on 1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for new revelations on healing and deliverance for Americans NOW.

3 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Deliverance, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Healing, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , ,

February 28, 2017 · 10:10 am

Prayers for Healing and Deliverance (2/28/2017)

run

Over the last 31 years, I’ve listened to hundreds of believers praying for the sick and the ailing. The prayers have generally been sincere and filled with faith, but with the exception of maybe two or three instances, I have noticed one thing lacking: prayers for deliverance from demons.

If we study the four Gospels, we will learn that Jesus sometimes prayed for the sick or used a gift of miracles or spoke a healing word, but about a third of the time, our Lord cast out a demon, which had caused the person’s infirmity.

So, why is it that we believers don’t follow our Lord’s example by casting out more demons to heal sick people?

Is it fear on our parts? Or are we so spiritually blind that we can no longer discern the work of demons in sick people?

My prayer today:

Lord, deliver us from bad teachings and remove the spiritual blinders from our eyes so we can see with Your eyes when we pray for the sick.

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for new revelations on healing and deliverance for Americans NOW.

 

12 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Deliverance, Fasting, Healing, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , ,

February 21, 2017 · 9:26 am

Prayers for Healing and Deliverance (2/21/2017)

run

If we go to a doctor and learn we have a terminal illness, what would we do next? Call City of Hope? Call Mayo Clinic? Book a flight to a Benny Hinn Crusade? Drive to the closest healing room? Call for a prayer meeting? What?

No one wants to consider these questions, but the odds are that many of us will face such situations during our lifetimes. Shouldn’t we at least prepare ourselves ahead of time?

Just so you know: I’m not against doctors, nurses, and hospitals. I’m not against Benny Hinn nor am I against the healing room ministries nor am I against prayer meetings.

In those days, King Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.'” (2 Kings 20:2)

King Hezekiah was thirty-nine years old at the time, had been king of Judah for fourteen years, and according to scripture “had done what was right in the sight of the Lord.” So, what did Hezekiah do after he heard the bad news?

Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Remember now, O Lord, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. (2 Kings 20:3)

Hezekiah turned away from Isaiah and the other people in his room at the time and sought the Lord. He knew he had standing before the Lord because to the best of his ability he had walked in faithfulness to Him.

The result: the Lord added fifteen years to King Hezekiah’s life.

My prayer today:

O Lord, help us American believers to trust in You with all of our hearts, to not trust in our own understanding, to acknowledge You in all of our journeys, to not be wise in our own eyes, to fear You, and depart from evil so that we will have healing for our bodies and strength for our bones. (Based on Proverbs 3:5-8)

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for new revelations on healing and deliverance for Americans NOW.

6 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Deliverance, Fasting, Healing, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,

February 14, 2017 · 8:44 am

Prayers for Healing and Deliverance (2/14/2017)

run

Maybe you don’t like the spiritual gifts and think, “Yuck! Who wants this Pentecostal/Charismatic phoney baloney spiritual gifts-type of stuff. Not me!”

Relax. Take a deep breath. Now, continue reading.

Let’s say that you and your wife take your daughter to the mall. She is three years old and dressed up in the cutest Bambi t-shirt and jeans outfit. Everyone looks at her and smiles. She’s a doll and you adore her, and would do anything for her.

But because you were in a hurry when you left home, you did not use the restroom, and you need to go – now. You tell your wife.  She rolls her eyes and says, “Oh honey, use the one in Macy’s Department Store. We’ll wait here for you by the kids play area.”

You rush to the restroom, do your duty, wash your hands and leave. As you walk back from the store, you see a flash and hear an explosion from an Islamic terrorist’s bomb. It knocks you down. Glass particles and debris cover your body.

Brushing yourself off, you run to where you wife and daughter were waiting. When you get there, you see bodies all over the floor. Somehow, you find your wife and daughter. They’re dead with blood all over them.

Now, what are you going to do?

Are you going to call the police? Or the doctor? Or your pastor? Or the funeral home? Or are you just going to fall down and cry?

You see, at this disastrous moment, you need the gift of faith, the gift of healing, and the gift of miracles to try and raise your loved ones from the dead. And I guarantee that you would do anything to have these gifts at that time, wouldn’t you?

So, what’s stopping you from seeking the spiritual gifts? Pride. Bad teaching. Laziness. What?

(Taken from Islamic Terrorists versus Radical Christians: New Game. New Rules by Larry Nevenhoven, which can be read in its entirety here.)

My prayer today:

Lord, help us American believers to pursue love, and desire Your spiritual gifts now. (Based on 1 Corinthians 14:1)

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for new revelations on healing and deliverance for Americans NOW.

4 Comments

Filed under America, Church, Deliverance, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Healing, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , ,