God’s Presence, Leading, and Authority

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One step in God's process to transform you

DIVINE HEALING

(These principles are universal and apply to divine healing or anything God puts in your hand to overcome.)

  1. The first step was to be aware of your identity in Christ and the awesome authority and responsibility you have as one who now has your identity in Christ.
  2. Invite God’s Presence. Just ask the Spirit of God to come. You might start by praising God and thanking Him for all that He is doing for you. He inhabits the praises of His people. You have Christ in you all the time, but you also sense God’s Presence getting stronger at times. You sense the flow of His Anointing. His Presence is His Essence. It’s the same as His Glory. It’s Who He Is. He doesn’t always feel the same. Sometimes, you feel like you’re being moved by a warm flowing stream. Sometimes, it’s electric or peaceful or a sense of power. Those are just some examples, but you’ll know it’s Him. When you invite Him, He comes. For now, these moments of surging power may be temporary, but God wants you in His Presence every moment.
  3. Look to God for leading in what to pray for, what is the hidden problem, how to pray, or is anything else needed to overcome in the situation. Faith comes by hearing God’s leading. Authority comes with faith. Healing, as with everything else, isn’t done independently of God. This isn’t a New Age Occult method. You are taking your authority and power that you have in Christ under the direction of the Holy Spirit. It’s impossible to know how God will lead in each situation, and God can pinpoint the root cause. The root cause may be physical. It may be an attack by a spirit. It may be an emotional wound. It might be something else that must be removed or changed first.
  4. Ask God to show you any strongholds. Ask if demons are involved, and, if so, what would allow a demon to get a foothold: idols, bitterness, anger, negative emotions, unforgiveness, pride, offenses, trauma, etc. First deal with the issue, then the demon, then the healing.
  5. The next step will be to allow God to work through you by the power of His grace in you.

Ask God to answer these questions.

  1. What does it mean for you to invite God’s Presence?
  2. What is a hidden problem or stronghold?
  3. How does God show you that you have a problem or stronghold?
  4. How can you stay in God’s Presence all the time?
  5. How do you know what God wants you to pray for?

Bonus Questions:

  1. Other than the fruit of the Spirit, are there other ways you can know for certain you’re  sensing God’s Presence?
  2. How do demons get a foothold in someone’s life?
  3. Why is it good to deal with an issue as soon you know about it?
  4. How does God show you the root cause of a problem?

SEEKING GOD

audio recording for reflection:
  1. Pray for the Lord to protect you and keep you in His presence and His presence only.
  2. Direct your mind toward the Lord only.
  3. Ask God what He want’s to talk about.
  4. You can ask God any questions. In all of this, be led by the Holy Spirit. God promises that He will answer you if you ask Him.
  5. Do not edit or change what God says even if you don’t understand it.
  6. Reject the lies and receive the truth.
  7. Take notes.
  8. Transfer your notes to your journal without editing what God said to you.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

This isn’t a separate lesson. This is a resource you can copy to a document and save or print out.

Healing is about Kingdom authority, taking hold of it and executing it. It’s only one small aspect of the authority you have in Christ. You have to realize that Christ within you has authority but not independent of the Father. He never did anything the Father didn’t lead Him in. Christ has been given authority over all things. His authority is not limited to healing, but it includes healing. Since we are His body and He lives within, we all carry the same authority under the direction of the Father through the Holy Spirit’s leading.

This is the time of the moving of God’s Spirit. That means it’s the time for standing in God’s presence and listening to His voice. It’s not the time for formulas or rituals.

  1. Be certain of your identity in Christ since your recognition of who you are will have a direct effect on your authority. It will affect every aspect of your life. It will impact your ability to walk in righteousness, wisdom, knowledge, love, and power over sin, sickness, and death.
    1. Scripture says you are spirit, mind, and body. If you have never thought about this, you may have to take the time needed to understand it.
    2. You have a fleshly nature of your body, but that’s not who you are. Your flesh can’t do right and can’t be reformed. It may not seem like it, but Scripture says your flesh was crucified with Christ. It’s already dead.
    3. Your ministry is who you are, but it has nothing to do with your flesh. Every member of Christ’s body has and is a ministry. Your ministry is Christ in you. Christ in you can’t sin.
    4. Your spirit has been joined to the Holy Spirit.
    5. The Bible uses the terms mind, soul, heart, and life as the same thing or very closely related in most cases. Your mind/soul is divided. You have a carnal mind that follows the sin nature of your body. You also have the mind of Christ. Your will is your own. In every instance, you must decide which of these two minds you will follow. The one you feed is the one that will grow. The battle is for the mind.
    6. Identify with Christ in your spirit and your mind. The carnal is not who you are. If you identify with Christ, you have the authority of Christ in all you do. In healing, you are allowing Christ in you (your true identity) to take authority over your body and correct some problem in the body.
    7. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. (Proverbs 18:21) Be very careful what you say about yourself when you talk to yourself. Don’t allow your carnal mind to curse you. Let Christ in you speak to you about who you are in Christ and listen and affirm what He says.
  2. Invite God’s Presence. You have Christ in you all the time, but you also sense God’s Presence getting stronger at times. You sense the flow of His Anointing. His Presence is His Essence. It’s the same as His Glory. It’s Who He Is. He doesn’t always feel the same. Sometimes, you feel like you’re being moved by a warm flowing stream. Sometimes, it’s electric or peaceful or a sense of power. Those are just some examples, but you’ll know it’s Him. When you invite Him, He comes. For now, these moments of surging power may be temporary, but God wants you in His Presence every moment.
  3. Look to God for leading in what to pray for, what is the hidden problem, how to pray, or is anything else needed to overcome in the situation. Faith comes by hearing God’s leading. Authority comes with faith. Healing, as with everything else, isn’t done independently of God. This isn’t a New Age Occult method. You are taking your authority and power that you have in Christ under the direction of the Holy Spirit. It’s impossible to know how God will lead in each situation, and God can pinpoint the root cause. The root cause may be physical. It may be an attack by a spirit. It may be an emotional wound. It might be something else that must be removed or changed first.
  4. Ask God to show you any strongholds. Ask if demons are involved, and, if so, what would allow a demon to get a foothold: idols, bitterness, anger, negative emotions, unforgiveness, pride, offenses, trauma, etc. First deal with the issue, then the demon, then the healing.
  5. Do what God leads you to do. Whenever God leads you in anything, He is giving you authority in that thing. You must pray His words His way as He leads you in the moment. His words will come from your mouth if you can yield yourself to His Spirit. You might even call it prophetic prayer. Receive it from Him and His faith with be in you for the work. He will give you a vision of hope. God’s hope is absolute. It’s not the hope-so hope of the world. It’s an absolute vision of what God intends to do. Don’t try to define what this vision will be like. It may even come in a feeling, a word, or an intuition. Yield yourself to God’s Spirit and the power of His grace to do the healing, and follow the direction He is giving you.

PATTERNS IN SCRIPTURE

Warning! Patterns in Scripture are not to be used to replace Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will lead you to follow the patterns of Scripture. Don’t ever reverse this process. The carnal mind and the flesh want independence from Jesus Christ and will use any method. They will even tell you to follow the patterns of Scripture separate from Jesus rather than seeking the mind of the Lord and letting Him lead you into the patterns of Scripture. Here are patterns you can see in Scripture:

  • Ask if the person wants to be healed.
  • Command that the part of the body be healed.
  • Expect the injured or diseased part of the body to obey the command.
  • All of creation is subject to the authority of God. As His authorized representatives, creation obeys our commands.
  • Command the eyes, ears, etc. to be made new.
  • Speak to the eye, ear, etc. and instruct it to work normally.
  • Command spirits of pain or infirmity to leave.
  • Command anything that shouldn’t be there (tumors, infection, etc.) to leave. Expect it to obey.
  • Tell the person (or yourself) to do something that would be impossible unless the healing had taken place.
  • Ask the person (or yourself) to do something that would be impossible unless you were healed. It’s a test of faith whether they will attempt the impossible.
  • Test whether the healing has taken place and is complete. Test for the healing (for instance, the range of motion for pain). If not complete, repeat the process.

EXAMPLES FROM SCRIPTURE

Jesus

“Rise, take up thy bed, and walk” (John 5:8).

“Lazarus, come forth” (John 11:43).

“I say unto thee, Arise.” (Mark 5:41)

“Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.” (Luke 7:14)

“Stretch forth thine hand.” (Matthew 12:13; Mark 3:5; Luke 6:10)

“Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.” (Mark 7:34)

“Go thy way; thy son liveth.” (John 4:50)

“Take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.” (Matthew 9:6; Mark 2:11; Luke 5:24)

“Be thou clean.” (Matthew 8:3; Mark 1:41; Luke 5:13)

“Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” (John 9:7) – Jesus heals a man born blind.

“Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.” (Mark 5:41)

“Receive thy sight.” (Luke 18:42)

“Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Mark 10:52)

“Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.” (Luke 13:12)

“Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Luke 17:19)

“Take heart, daughter; thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Matthew 9:22)

“Hold thy peace, and come out of him.” (Mark 1:25; Luke 4:35)

“Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.” (Mark 5:8; Luke 8:29)

“Go.” (Matthew 8:32)

“Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.” (Mark 9:25)

“Be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” (Matthew 15:28; Mark 7:29)

“He rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.” (Luke 9:42)

“And he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick.” (Matthew 8:16)

“And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak.” (Luke 4:41)

“As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake.” (Matthew 9:32-33)

“Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him.” (Matthew 12:22)

Apostles

“In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6).

“Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed.” (Acts 9:34)

“Tabitha, arise.” (Acts 9:40)

“Stand upright on thy feet.” (Acts 14:10)

“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8)

“And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you… heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.” (Luke 10:8-9)

“In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mark 16:17-18)

“And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” (Mark 6:13)

“And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.” (Luke 10:17)

“Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6)

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

Old Testament

The Old Testament is full of examples of declarations, commands, and actions of authority,

but it also shows these examples normal prayer

Hezekiah’s prayer (2 Kings 20).

Elijah’s prayer for the widow’s son (1 Kings 17).

Moses’ prayer for Miriam (Numbers 12:13).

Hannah’s prayer for barrenness (1 Samuel 1:10-20).

Job praying for his friends (Job 42:10).

Elisha praying for the Shunammite woman’s son (2 Kings 4:32-35).

David’s cry for healing (Psalm 30:2).

Paul’s prayer about his thorn (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

STRONGHOLDS

You have tremendous authority in Christ. Strongholds are things that can stand in the way of you taking authority in Christ according to God’s will. Rather than following a system or check list, you must ask God what He wants to do. Various kinds of strongholds exist:

  1. Bad ideas:
    1. These may be doctrines, philosophies, worldviews, preconceived ideas, presuppositions, attitudes, etc.
    2. Ask God to reveal any lies you believe. Reject them. Ask God to show you the truth. Receive it.
  2. Failure to take Authority:
    1. Not understanding your authority in Christ
    2. Stand in God’s presence.
    3. Let God assure you of your authority and responsibility.
  3. Doubt:
    1. Stand in the presence of God and listen to His voice.
    2. Ask God to strengthen your faith.
    3. Remember the times God has done things for you.
    4. Get together with Christians who encourage you.
  4. Failure to speak the words God has given you.
  5. Failure to stand in God’s Presence and Glory.
  6. Demonic Interference or Attacks:
    1. Demons must be cast out.
    2. The Scriptural pattern is to tell them to leave.
    3. They must obey the Christ in you.
    4. They have no power over you.
  7. Past or Present Spiritual Injury:
    1. A few Examples:
      1.  unforgiveness
      2. emotional trauma
      3. bitterness
      4. anger
      5. hate
      6. curses
      7. agreements with negativity
      8. dogmatism
      9. rebellion against God or God’s authority
      10. guilt
      11. impulses
      12. habit-thoughts
      13. griefs
      14. sorrows
      15. negative emotion
    2. An event from the past causes a strong negative reaction when you think of it.
      1. Identify the emotion, impulse, etc. you feel
      2. Reject it.
      3. Ask Jesus to take it from you.
      4. Ask Jesus to heal the wounds in your soul.
      5. Focus on the Spirit of Christ, and allow the Glory of God’s Presence to fill the place where the negative issue was living.
      6. Tell Jesus you receive His healing.
      7. Recall the event. You should sense the Glory of God’s Presence. If any negative emotions persist, repeat the steps above.

Things God will never do:

  • God will never lead you to ask the problems, sickness, or infirmity of another to come on you.
  • God will never lead you to invite sickness, trouble, or torment into your life.
  • God will never lead you to make a deal with a demon.
  • God will never lead you to blank your mind and open yourself up to a random spiritual experience.
  • God will never conflict with Himself, so He will never tell you anything that conflicts with Scripture.
  • God will never give you an interpretation of Scripture that causes the Scripture to conflict with itself.
  • In the New Testament, only one instance that could be interpreted as prayers like “Dear Lord, please heal this person.” That is James 5:14-16: call for the elders and they will pray and anoint with oil. However, even there, the form of the prayer of the elders is not specified other than it is the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man (Jesus).

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHRISTIAN HEALING AND OCCULT HEALING

  1. Source of Authority
  • Christian Healing:
    • Led by the Holy Spirit.
    • Relies on God’s power through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
    • Healing is done in the name of Jesus and by the authority of Christ within. If you do something in the Name of Jesus, His Name is His essence. He lives in you, and you are joined to Him.
    • The power comes from God’s grace and aligns with His will.
  • New Age/Occult Healing:
    • Claims power from universal energy, spirits, or hidden forces.
    • Often involves channeling energy, spirit guides, or tapping into a “higher self.”
    • May invoke names of spiritual entities or practices outside of the God of the Bible.
    • Doesn’t seek submission to God.
  1. Method of Healing
  • Christian Healing:
    • Healing occurs through prayer, faith, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
    • The Bible often records healing by commands or the laying on of hands.
    • Focus is on reliance and submission to God’s will rather than human control.
  • New Age/Occult Healing:
    • Involves practices such as Reiki, energy manipulation, crystals, astrology, or rituals.
    • Focus is on human control rather than reliance and submission to God’s will.
    • Uses techniques like meditation to control or manipulate energy fields.
    • Often emphasizes self-reliance, hidden knowledge, or secret techniques.
  1. The Ultimate Purpose
  • Christian Healing:
    • Seeks to glorify God, reveal His power, and bring people into closer relationship with Him.
    • Aims at both physical and spiritual restoration (see John 9:3).
    • Healing serves as a sign of the Kingdom of God and the authority of Christ.
  • New Age/Occult Healing:
    • Often focuses on self-empowerment, personal enlightenment, or spiritual evolution.
    • May promote philosophies that deny sin or a personal God, emphasizing a pantheistic worldview.
    • Healing is sometimes used as a means of spiritual deception, leading people away from the truth of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).
  1. The Spiritual Influence
  • Christian Healing:
    • Operates in the power of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 10:38).
    • Believers are warned to test spirits to ensure they align with God’s Word (1 John 4:1).
    • Brings peace, humility, and dependence on God.
  • New Age/Occult Healing:
    • Can open individuals to deceptive spiritual forces or demonic influence (see Deuteronomy 18:10-12).
    • May produce temporary results, but often at the cost of spiritual bondage or confusion.
    • Leads to reliance on methods or entities outside of God, contrary to His commandments.