My dad is a priest, and one Sunday during the service, he saw one of his parishioners slumped over and “not doing well,” as he said it. He interrupted the service to check on the man. There were two nurses present in the congregation and neither one could find a pulse (and for some reason neither found it appropriate to begin CPR). My dad called 911 and instructed the congregation to begin praying. By the time the EMS arrived, which was at least ten minutes later, the man had recovered from being dead.
Yes, recovered. From being dead. Which, medically speaking, isn’t a thing. Let me explain. My dad sees this guy breathing strangely, and from what my dad described, it was apparent to me that this is agonal breathing, something that typically occurs as someone is dying. It can last for a few minutes or up to a few hours, and in the case of cardiac arrest or cardiogenic shock, it can last for a few minutes after the heart has stopped. In cardiac arrest a person only has a few minutes to try to reverse the heart’s failure to pump, and this is done primarily through CPR and defibrillation, neither of which happened here. In cardiogenic shock there is more time to treat the problem, but it requires medical treatment that is generally only available in a hospital and the patient almost never spontaneously recovers without medical intervention. If we keep in mind that this man had passed out and had no pulse, combined with the agonal breathing, he was either dead or moments shy of it, and CPR and rapid deployment of a defibrillator are the only things that medically would help bring him back at that point. No one present did either in spite of the presence of two nurses who probably should have known what to do.
In review, a man was agonal breathing with no pulse, the only thing my dad did was call for help and then lead the congregation in prayer. By the time EMS arrived the man was alert, speaking and moving spontaneously, and was unaware of what had just transpired. The only reason he went to the hospital with EMS was at my dad’s urging. Two kids were there during this event and my dad overheard them the next week as they walked into church saying to one another “do you think someone else is gonna die this week?” Even the kids knew what had happened. My dad mentioned that he didn’t realize the gentleman was dead at the time, and only figured it out upon thinking about the situation after the fact—which means my dad raised the dead by accident..
Raising the dead isn’t meant to be the pinnacle of spirituality, nor should it be. In fact, as my dad demonstrated, it can be the result of simply stepping out in faith even when you don’t actually know what the problem is, and in this case, even when you don’t know the man is dead.
Jesus raised multiple people from the dead, and after He died and rose again, He gave us power and authority to do the same. In Matthew 10:8 Jesus said “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” and again in Matthew 28:19-20 He gave the command to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Teaching us to obey everything Jesus have commanded the disciples to do includes raising the dead. In fact, Hebrews 6:1-2 tells us that raising the dead is a basic teaching of the faith, not special advanced-level spirituality.
A friend designed a shirt, of which I have one and quite enjoy wearing and it says “Raising the dead is not a suggestion—it’s a command.”
To learn more about raising the dead, consider the following resources:
A missionary friend shared the following on social media yesterday in regards to the coronavirus. People all over the world are panicking. Information is conflicting, some of it very hopeful and some of it incredibly grim. While I have reasons why I believe it isn’t going to be half as bad as many projections, I think that regardless of what happens we need to have hope, walk in peace, and fix our eyes on the Great Physician. I hope the following, from someone who deals with the poor, the sick, and the downtrodden daily, offers a different perspective on how we can position our hearts toward faith:
“We are flying home today from India where at the moment it is far safer in regard to the spread of the virus- than it is in the US.
It’s interesting to watch as these world events unfold but even more interesting to see it from a third world perspective.
We have worked here, along with our 2 daughters when they were younger, for over 31 years. Mere words don’t do justice to the atrocities we have seen during our time here. Some so shattering we have never spoken of them.
When we felt the call to India we knew that call would take us to the lowest of the low, to those who lived in unspeakable squalor. Where sewage ran in the streets, cardboard and plastic were used as walls and ceilings- and along with the stench and the heat would come the flies. Thousands of flies.
Bear with me a moment as I share just one story with you. During the formative years of our ministry we found ourselves working in Calcutta. Where early mornings before the sun rose, dump trucks would work their way through the streets picking up and discarding the bodies of street people who had died overnight.
It was the stifling heat of one afternoon that drove us out of our hotel room and onto the streets. I held the hand of our little daughter as we meandered up and down the narrow pathways. After sometime we turned a corner to head back and suddenly realized we had stepped into a small leper colony. I think they were as shocked as we were. Everybody froze.
Without hesitation my husband extended his hand to shake the fingerless hand of one of the men. I reached out to hug one of the women with open sores, who then proceeded to break down and cry. When they realized someone was open to touch them, to hug them, they lined up and one by one they buried their faces into our chests and wept. We spoke no Hindi, they spoke no English but it did not matter. Enough was being said.
After some time we returned to our room, removed our dirty clothing, showered long, ordered tea and stared into the ceiling. We did not sleep that night and there have been many sleepless nights since.
From that day our journey has taken us to a place where we along with our teams work with sex-worker children who potentially have AIDS, with trash picker children who carry disease, and run a hospital that sees some of the worst of the worst—and as long as we can we will continue to do so.
So I said all of that to say (and please forgive me) I might be a little embarrassed right now.
Embarrassed by the hoarding of food in the US while the fight for us and many ministries here to feed slum children one meal a day is very real.
Embarrassed by the closure of church community at a time when community is needed now more than ever. While all the doors are shutting, I wish ours would remain open.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying I have not felt fear. I have felt fear for my 91 year old Mother living in Florida and my eight year old grandson living in Georgia. I have felt fear all my years of serving in India.
But fear does not own me like my faith does.
Don’t get me wrong. We DO need to operate in wisdom. We DO need to be prepared.
But we also need to be the light when it is the darkest. We need to have open hands, open hearts, open pantries and open doors.
This virus will dry up and go away as quick as it came. It will not survive.
I pray we can all look back with the satisfaction of knowing we did not miss this divine moment. I pray we see this obstacle as the opportunity that it really is.
I don’t know about you but I am personally tired of talking about church. I am tired of just going to church.
I want to BE the church.”
This is an article reposted from Mystic Mama Storm, a good friend who tends to write a lot about her visions, dreams, and other spiritual encounters with Jesus and various aspects of the heavenly realms. This article is a testimony of Jesus setting someone free from addiction. Read on and be encouraged!
The Boy and His Sword
There were approximately 20.6 million people who suffer from addiction in the United States over the age of 12 in 2011. Addiction can be such a large hurdle to cross. Countless people in this world have grown up with a mindset that they are going to hell, because of their continued struggles with addiction. What is not realized by most is that often addiction goes hand and hand with Mental Illness or some trauma that occurred in the person’s life. Addiction frequently is passed down a family line.
As a child, I saw first hand the effects of addiction. There was a constant cycle of trying to get free, feeling better, getting worse, relapse, and rehab or hospital stays. This often left my family feeling hopeless and longing to find freedom from the effects of it. I have also seen people with this struggle in the church being shamed and pushed out because of their failures and relapses. Often these people are blamed for being weak and in some cases pushed out of the church until they repent. They walk away with shame feeling like they are hellbound or disqualified to be loved by God. These situations cause my heart to cry out for justice and healing for these people. The enemy cannot have them anymore. These agreements and mindsets have them in prisons and bondage. I say no more!
Although overcoming the addiction is a big part of the being healed. I believe that the healing goes much deeper. Trauma and wounds from a person’s past or even present situation can be a big part of what causes this addiction to have such a hold in a person’s life. This also can attribute to pain and sickness. Sometimes the solution is much deeper. Sometimes healing needs to take place on a deeper level at the root of what is causing this struggle in a person’s life.
Here is an example of a recent breakthrough with someone struggling with addiction (I am sharing this with permission):
A friend of mine called and asked that I pray for her brother and his wife. Just to be clear, her brother asked us to pray and gave us permission to see what was happening around him and remove anything demonic. To protect the identity of this couple and their circumstances, I will not go into the details of what was happening in their life. However, I will say that a heroin addiction and violence were involved.
As my friend and I prayed, I saw a picture of my friend’s brother; we will call Judah. He had this large demon that was attached to his back. The demon had his claws in his neck his left shoulder, and his mouth was right at Judah’s ear. When we saw him, I asked Papa what we should do. He said, “Ask his name and assignment?”
I asked him these questions, and the demon became very angry that we were there. He wouldn’t respond but rather decided to get bigger and was hissing and seething with anger. He grew in size trying to look like a threat. The entire time I felt a complete peace and confidence that he had no ability to hurt us. As he continued his fury and showing off, I again commanded him to reveal his name and assignment. I also threatened that if he didn’t cooperate there would be consequences. With this, he revealed his name as Volatility and that he was assigned to bring threats, addiction, and violence to the mind and soul of Judah.
Normally, my response would be to bind and restrain the demonic and cast it out of Judah, but I felt the prompting of the Lord to do something I have only done a few times. I spoke to him and said, “Volatility, I remind you of who you are, and you were created to be.” As I said these words, I saw him stumble backward and saw him transform. The transformation was only temporary, but he was a glimmer of a redeemed form of an Angel. At this moment, I heard the Lord say his name, and I began to speak to him, “Your name is Cadence, not Volatility. You were created to speak life to people. Your words and assignment were not meant to corrupt but to bring healing and life. I remind you of who you are!” As I said this, he was very disoriented and completely left go of Judah.
To be honest, because of my lack of understanding, I was a little taken back by what was happening, but yet I knew that God has a reason for this. I would love your thoughts on this.
As this happened, I knew there was nothing more God wanted me to do with this demon so one of my angels removed him from where Judah was, and we placed a wall of fire around him that no harm could come to anyone. I believe Volatility/Cadence was left somewhere safe to sort out what he had just experienced. It was time to get back to ministering to Judah and his wife.
We began ministering to his wife whom I will call Ann. Although she was not healed completely, we worked with several areas in her life and ministered to a young fractured part of her that had struggled with potential child abuse and deep trauma. We worked with this younger part and brought her to Jesus and left her with Him in the garden of her heart. Although this was a wonderful story, I want to concentrate on Judah’s story.
Then we saw a little boy who was a fractured part of Judah that was watching what was happening. He had been peeking around a corner watching intently as we ministered to Ann. We sensed that he wanted to have the same freedom. Then I saw two smaller demonic bullies, and he was afraid of them. Once we removed the bullies who were demons, we began ministering to this little boy. Removing fear, pain, and other strong, painful emotions and we watched as these painful emotions were replaced with joy, courage, and peace. He had a wooden sword, and he wanted to just play with us. It was like he had been so shut down by fear and intimidation that suddenly he came alive with this new ability to have fun.
First, we removed him from the room he was in and collapsed the old room and placed him in the garden of his heart. There were cool rock formations that he was able to climb on and explore and just be a kid. Although some parts of his garden still needed work, the area we went to was full of life and provision. For a little while, we played back and forth with swords as well as a game of hide and seek. It was a lot of fun. Who knew healing could include playing in the spirit.
After a few minutes, I asked him if he would like to meet Jesus as He could play with him and hang out with him. He did, and Jesus came. Out of safety from a potential false Jesus, I asked him to check Jesus’ eyes to make sure it was filled with Love.
Jesus got down on His knees in front of him. Little Judah in a very curious and in an innocent manner got face to face with Jesus and looked closely. Then taking his fingers, carefully played with Jesus’ eyelids, pulling them up the whole way and looked super closely as Jesus smiled big. Then Judah responded, “Nope, I don’t see anything bad. All I see love!” With a lot of laughter, Jesus hugged him, and Judah hugged him back, and we knew he was at a great place to allow Jesus to minister and play with him until we could pray again.
THE FRUIT/TESTIMONY:
We are not done praying for Judah or his wife. However, from this prayer session, He has seen significant change, and His Mother even reported a big change. I received this message from his sister two days after our session:
Hey Susan, so I talked to my mom yesterday. She said that Judah is doing really good. He was saying things like even the trees seem different and food tastes different. He said he doesn’t have any cravings and that he can’t believe he’s wasted so much time on drugs. He’s been arrested before, and he has never said anything like this. Mom said that they have laughed like they haven’t done since he was a kid. I’m like oh my goodness. Pinch me. It’s one of those things that seems too good to be true. It really is amazing. Like major miracle! My mom wanted me to tell you thank you so much for your help. She just cried when I told what the Lord had shown us. I think just having someone else helping is such a relief. She’s carried a heavy burden for Judah. Anyway, it’s going really good for them. Thank you so much!!
I then received this message a few days later:
Just got off the phone with Mom. Judah told her that something profound is happening with him. He can’t explain it. He said that even time has stopped or something like that. That he looks 10 years younger from when he went into jail until now. He has been an addict since 18. He’s 33 now. This is a huge miracle! That boy is set free. Papa is so good.
I don’t know about you, but I am so excited to see how simply following God’s leading can bring such healing. I am so excited to see more breakthroughs like this.
About Mystic Mama Storm:
My name is Susan Melanie Storm. I am a mother of two beautiful girls and a wife to a handsome tall husband who proudly considers himself a computer/Star Wars/superhero geek.
Along with being Mystic Mama Storm (my pen name), I am also a musician who loves to write and worship. I have a degree in graphic design and a heart for the creative arts.
My heart is for people to experience God in a real way daily as a Father, Savior, Friend, and Bridegroom. I am a spirit-filled Christian Mystic. I use the term mystic because my relationship with God is based on complete union and intimacy with Jesus, the Father, and Holy Spirit and my desire is to bring healing, life, restoration, and love to others through an intimate relationship with God and to inspire others into a similar relationship.
About nine years ago, I met Barbara and her husband Roy. She was admitted to the hospital for a stem cell transplant and we met at that time. She has since been cancer-free for many years, and we were able to reconnect years later when she tracked me down over social media.
Recently she shared an encounter she had as she was going about her day and just being intentional about hearing and obeying God as she went about her day. This is reminiscent to me of the directive that Jesus gave the disciples in Matthew 10:7-8 which says, “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” It wasn’t that she went to have a “full time ministry” job of some kind, but that she chose to be intentional about ministering to others in her “as you go” daily life. I hope the testimony below encourages you “as you go” about your daily life as well!
Soup and a Prayer
I am beyond excited. As I got in my car to run my errands I said okay Lord, put me on. What’s on your agenda? And immediately came to my mind was “Go to Shari’s and order a bowl of soup. There will be a man wearing a plaid jacket that I want you to pray for.”
I did my errands and waited for my ‘soup run’ at the end of that time, feeling that was the way I should go. Before I went into Shari’s I asked the Lord for specific conditions that I would be praying for. I wrote them down so I could show the man a page of things I had already written before I met him so it would just add to the authenticity of God’s divine direction.
I went in, found a table, and ordered my bowl of loaded potato soup. That’s a bowl mind you, as instructed, not a cup, and I couldn’t finish it all so brought half home for my husband Roy. I finished and went to check out and still hadn’t seen anyone who fit the description God gave me. As I sat waiting for my turn to pay and a man walked in to order a pie. He was wearing a plaid jacket!
After this man made his transaction I engaged him in conversation and told him basically what I told you. I asked him if he had any of the conditions that were on my list, which I showed him, and he said his wife was at home sick with vomiting . . . so I checked that off the list. Next came knee and back problems, both of which he had! I learned his name is Ben, and he’s a believer. I got to joyfully pray for him and encourage him.
it brings me to tears to think of the measures that God goes through to get people’s attention, to let them know how much they are loved. I told Ben, I said “Do you realize God has His eye on you, and how much he loves you that he would set it up for me to pray for you?” I let him know how extravagant God’s love was for him to send me to specifically seek Ben out so he could be prayed for and encouraged. I’m just saying this is the best half bowl of soup I’ve ever had. I’m jumping for joy!
This is Part 3 of a blog series by Daniel Lovett, a musician, writer, and follower of Christ. It was first featured on his blog, DanielLovett.com If you haven’t read it already, check out Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
Missionaries teleporting across a raging river that they didn’t know how they would forge. A servant of God without a passport instructed by God to go into an airport bathroom in one city, worship God, and exit the bathroom in another city. A brother in Christ raising his hands and closing his eyes while leading a worship gathering in Florida opens his eyes to find himself in an elevator in China. A pastor while praying shoots up out of his body and spirit travels halfway across the world to pray for and release blessing and healing for someone. A man flying over Europe and down through the roof into an apartment acting as a comforting angel to a little girl. Chinese officials surrounding a meeting to capture the organizer for the event and the Holy Spirit whisks him hundreds of miles away.
These are just a few of the stories of what believers are experiencing around the world today.
My own journey in this started pretty young for me. I have a vague memory of flying to Mongolia as a child as a “missionary”. Or more recently flying over the ocean heading north toward England and being shown a man rock climbing simply for the sole purpose of praying for him:
In my dream I saw England and was flying over the sea toward it. It appeared as a hologram taking shape before me with all its topography (the lay of the land) and my attention was drawn to an area where people do rock climbing near the center of the country: http://www.climb-europe.com/RockClimbingEngland/Peak-District.html – and particularly toward one man who was ascending a small cliff face at that very moment.
I woke up and prayed for him.
I never knew the topography of England before. I went and checked topography maps on the internet and it was the same!
Was it “just a dream”? The word just is a four letter word we should use sparingly, don’t you think? What are you? Are you just a human? What does it mean to be human?
Before proceeding to read the rest of the article below, if you haven’t done so already, please read:
Both of these articles explain my position more clearly and the rest of this article below won’t make as much sense without this biblical foundation.
Teleportation and Spirit Travel is a subject of particular interest to me. I can’t help but be fascinated that this stuff is real (which doesn’t necessarily make it always “good”) and can and is being employed by God and also (and perhaps a great deal more) by the dark side.
I have met and talked with many people who have experienced some pretty wild supernatural experiences with God. I’ve had some experiences myself.
I am here to interact with my fellow supernatural brothers and sisters in Christ and I refuse to allow ill-founded judgements to continue any longer. I am tired of being marginalized or viewed with suspicion or rejected by others for attempting to believe the Bible and exploring what it means to be a supernatural Christ follower.
Didn’t Jesus say we would do what he has done and even greater works?
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:12-14
Do we believe him?
I hope to open up the subject for discussion so we can all grow. Is this something Jesus has for his body to do? How do you know those dreams you discounted or don’t remember weren’t real?
I hope to inspire people with the truth that a relationship with God can be the most mysterious and most fun experience you could ever possibly dream of having. I was first attracted to Christianity because a Sunday school teacher wasn’t afraid to entertain the idea that aliens might very well exist. Her faith wasn’t threatened by all the other things that could be true in this mysterious universe.
I believe very strongly in the brotherhood and acceptance of the family of God even though we are quite a diverse bunch and we all have holes in our theology -two in the hands, two in the feet, and one in His side! We are all working toward becoming the One New Man (as the Scriptures put it) under the tutelage and guidance of Yeshua (Jesus – The Word of God), the Holy Scriptures (the word of God), and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is paramount in understanding and experiencing the things of God. Without him the things of God seem like foolishness.
“But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.” 1 Corinthians 2:14 (NLT)
I am telling you right now that sometimes some of the most learned Biblical scholars and “experts in the words of God” can sometimes be some of the most unspiritual people. Jesus bears witness to this time and again:
Jesus prayed, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!
My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Matthew 11:25-27 NLT
Reveal yourself to us Jesus!
Jesus said that for you to experience the kingdom you must become childlike. Open hearted, trusting, receiving, dependent children of God are the ones who get into the kingdom now and experience it… now!
Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.” – Jesus, Matthew 18:3 NLT
Jesus in this passage brings up another important point. Unless you turn from your sins you will not inherit the kingdom.
“Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
You will never participate in kingdom life (which may include legitimate spirit travel and teleporting) if you stubbornly cling to sins that Jesus died to set you free from (the devil will offer you illegitimate experiences if you choose to follow him), but if you confess and forsake your sins, you will find forgiveness and be cleansed from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), and be fit for the kingdom’s work. Peter writes to “prepare your minds for action” because life in his kingdom is a flurry of holy and wonderful and downright exciting activity!
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”” 1 Peter 1:13-16 NASB
Don’t fret! Absolute holiness is something the Holy Spirit does for you as you allow him to and as you are willing to surrender to God and part ways with your sin! You, the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, are His Holy Temple in which God now resides! He has surrounded his temple with fire and filled you with his glory!
Holy means to be “set apart”, to be consecrated, to be wholly devoted. To be 100% his. To surrender ALL. This is what the Bible says is our Spiritual act of worship, our reasonable response to God is to give ourselves, specifically our bodies/temples, to him. This is the true way to worship him (see Romans 12:1-2). So now the kingdom’s power can and will be unleashed in your life. Prepare yourself for a great deal of excitement and joy!
Christ (which means “Anointing”) refers not only to Jesus himself but also to the Holy Spirit, our Teacher. The Holy Spirit’s job is to teach us and lead us into all truth (Truth=Jesus). He and He Alone is our Teacher. Of course He will often teach us through those whom he gifts as teachers to the church but they are not THE Teacher, the Holy Spirit is. The Bible says, “Let anyone who speaks, speak the oracles of God.” God, the Holy Spirit can speak through you. It’s the only way teaching ought to happen in the church. Here are a few Scriptures that point to what I’m saying:
Jesus said, “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah (or Christ).” Matthew 23:8-10 NIV
“…for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth.” 1 John 2:20 NLT
“But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true–it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.” 1 John 2:27 NLT
“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative–that is, the Holy Spirit–he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” John 14:26 NLT
These Scriptures reveal that the Holy Spirit is our source for all things spiritual. He is our “spirit guide”.
So how do we Teleport and spirit travel? It should go without saying that our primary pursuit is not the stuff we get to do in the kingdom (miracles, healings, and possibly even teleporting) but to pursue the King Himself! If Jesus is not our first love, then we have fallen from a great height!
I am not interested in diverting people’s attention from Christ and the Gospel.
This loving relationship with Papa, Son, and Holy Spirit is what we were all made for! If we miss that, then we miss everything! I’ll say it again, if we aren’t grounded in our intimate union with the Trinity, then we are missing what we are made for!
Pray with me:
Holy Spirit, will you help me to receive the Love that Papa, Jesus and you have for me? Will you restore me to my first love? Bathe me right now in your liquid love that I may become infused with love and compassion for others and grow in affection for Jesus. Help me to grow into the realization of who Christ is in me and who I am in you and all that you pulled off for us at the cross and resurrection.
I tend to believe that our desires to experience more of the supernatural are in you for a reason. Pray for it! I think the Lord appreciates us taking a little initiative and gumption and going for something that we are interested in. Research and seek the Lord about these matters and launch into the deep with God!
As William G.T. Shedd said:
‘A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.’
So do this. He will not disappoint if our hearts are pure and sincere.
A few Christians who have experienced teleporting and spirit travel.
Check out the following interview and testimony of Bruce Allen who I believe God specifically chose to bring this message to the church.
If you are interested to find some stories of Christians having these kind of adventures, I would recommend watching Sid Roth (search YouTube) who investigates and interviews those with these kinds of stories.
He talked about being teleported around the world to help others in need. He had stories like helping a woman and her kids find safety in a war zone to visiting and healing a Christian brother who had just been tortured for his faith in a Muslim prison. While this may sound crazy to the uninitiated, if you are familiar with the Bible, you know that this sort of thing isn’t that far-fetched at all. The truth often is stranger than fiction.
And finally the “How to” secret:
Live a life of love! Know Jesus! Be obedient and cultivate a life of prayer! Ask to experience God for yourself and keep on asking! Seek the Lord with all your heart and keep seeking! Paul writes to earnestly desire spiritual gifts. Dreams and visions from the Lord are part of what he has for his kids.
The Bible says happy is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. We have to be careful. I will tell you again, going out-of-body without the unction and moving of the Holy Spirit is extremely dangerous! The Bible does warn us of sorcery, witchcraft, and divination. It also warns of necromancy (communicating with the dead). That is likely to happen as the dead will often be the ones to greet you if you aren’t under Christ’s protection and guidance. They will also deceive you. The demons have manufactured all sorts of lies (alien visitations, star seeds, etc..) they are peddling to anyone who will listen. Any old lie will do if it keeps you from coming to and fully surrendering to Jesus Christ. Their agenda is against Christ. To marginalize and ignore him. But if you care about truth at all you can’t afford to ignore the One who is Truth (John 14:6).
Yes, I have been told that what I am teaching is dangerous and scary. Yes, I certainly hope it is dangerous and scary… to the enemy and all the dark forces! Dangerous to the kingdom of hell that surrounds us!
So yes I am in favor of doing this with and in submission to the Holy Spirit! Wouldn’t it be awesome to see an army of missionaries teleporting and spirit traveling around the planet lighting fires wherever they go ministering to the lost and hurting and broken out of their union, fellowship, and partnership with the Lord Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit?
I just want to close again with this Scripture:
“In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.” Acts 2:17 NLT
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UPDATE!!!
The same day I posted this a friend of mine who is in active ministry called me up and told me they listened to some testimonies on this subject (you can find some on YouTube). They told me that right after they listened to it and then lost themselves in some worship songs they were “caught away by the Spirit.” I know this will be hard for some of you to believe unless you are already familiar with this sort of thing, but she found herself in a jungle in Ecuador ministering to a young girl who was alone and sobbing on a jungle trail. She was instructed by Jesus about her situation and what to do to comfort her. Right after that she was whisked away to Vietnam to comfort a young boy who was cold in a hut and very afraid.
Perhaps someday soon, you will be called upon to be someones angel as well. Even as I write that I realize how important our service to one another in the “ordinary” day-to-day world is. We DO get to be God’s angels (divine messengers) everyday to a very hurting world – most of whom won’t and can’t relate to you if you start talking about spirit travel and teleporting… so lets keep it our little secret. So let’s continue to tangibly love and serve our neighbors with God’s love!
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Again, If you wish to read my articles that led to the biblical framework for my thinking, don’t forget to read:
I hope this opens your eyes and heart to how big God is – “With God, nothing is impossible” and “Nothing is impossible for those who believe” ~ Jesus said. We ought to love and accept all our brothers and sisters in the faith, no matter how strange or eccentric. I want to impress upon you the need for being grounded in God’s Word. There is a great deal of deception out there and we live in perilous times!
As always, don’t hesitate to challenge me on any point! Ask me questions. Remember? I need you! You might just need me too!
“Seek the Lord while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near.
Let the wicked change their ways
and banish the very thought of doing wrong.
Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them.
Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.”
~ Isaiah 55:6-7
In the last blog post I explored teleportation in Scripture.
We looked at how it has happened on many occasions throughout Scripture by the Spirit of God and, if you choose to believe the reports of believers who have experienced it, teleportation continues to happen today at (I believe) an ever increasing rate!
“Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’”
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.” Matthew 4:6-11 NLT
So the devil teleports Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and tempts him to test God by jumping off. Apparently this is a very real temptation for him? And then the devil teleports him to the peak of a very high mountain and gives him supernatural vision to see all the kingdoms of the world. Worship me, he says, and it’s all yours. He was tempting Jesus to circumvent the cross. As if to say, you don’t have to suffer and die to reclaim this lost world, just worship me.
Jesus responded to the attack both times with Scripture (as the Father gave to him in that moment).
It’s SO important to know God’s Word if we are to survive the testing of the enemy (the written word of Scripture AND knowing the Living Word which is Jesus himself!) I encourage you, as I have many times before in my blog, to be a good “Berean”:
“Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 NASB
Receive the word with great eagerness, search out the Scriptures for yourself!
Have you ever considered that when Moses was sent to rescue Israel from Egypt that for many of the miracles that Moses did, the Egyptian sorcerers could do the same? See Exodus 7!
Aaron, Moses brother, threw down his staff and it became a serpent. The sorcerers threw down their staffs and they became serpents. Somehow it wasn’t all that persuasive to them that Aaron’s snake then ate theirs? The ultimate showdown of power moves begins.
Moses and Aaron use the same staff to turn the waters of the Nile into blood. But, the Egyptian magicians then turned water into blood also. Next a plague of frogs, “But the magicians were able to do the same thing with their magic” (Exodus 8:7).
But listen to what happens next:
“When Aaron raised his hand and struck the ground with his staff, gnats infested the entire land, covering the Egyptians and their animals. All the dust in the land of Egypt turned into gnats. 18 Pharaoh’s magicians tried to do the same thing with their secret arts, but this time they failed. And the gnats covered everyone, people and animals alike.
19 “This is the finger of God!” the magicians exclaimed to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He wouldn’t listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.” Exodus 8:17-19
From then on, the sorcerers could not do as Moses did and when the plague of festering boils came:
“Even the magicians were unable to stand before Moses, because the boils had broken out on them and all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and just as the Lord had predicted to Moses, Pharaoh refused to listen.” Exodus 9:11-12
In the end times Jesus warns that the Antichrist and his false prophet will perform great miracles to deceive if possible even the elect.
“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25″Behold, I have told you in advance.” Matthew 24:24
So… my point in sharing this is to say that a show of power isn’t everything and to alert you to the fact that we ought not to simply be searching for power. The devil can offer you a measure of that. We ought to be searching for the person of God Himself and to be endued with his power to turn the world upside down as the apostles did in the first century for God’s kingdom of love.
The Scripture predicts that people in the last days will have a form of godliness but deny it’s power. I don’t want that to be me. I don’t want that to be you.
How do we foster and protect a childlike heart that receives the things (or power) of God? How do we continue to walk in faith and freedom and the power of God?
This is your inheritance as a child of God and his promise to you, see Joel 2 below – Which has found its ongoing fulfillment since Acts 2:
The Lord’s Promise of His Spirit
28 “Then, after doing all those things,
I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams,
and your young men will see visions.
29 In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on servants—men and women alike.
30 And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth—
blood and fire and columns of smoke.
31 The sun will become dark,
and the moon will turn blood red( of course we don’t see this kind of thing happening do we?)
before that great and terrible day of the Lord arrives.
32 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved,
for some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape,
just as the Lord has said.
These will be among the survivors
whom the Lord has called. Joel 2:28-29 NASB
I urge you, as the apostle Paul does, to earnestly desire the spiritual gifts (but most of all Love – PLEASE read 1 Corinthians 13!) in your walk with God just as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:
“Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the ability to prophesy. 2 For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious. 3 But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them. 4 A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church. 5 I wish you could all speak in tongues, but even more I wish you could all prophesy…”
I was blessed years ago to read these angel’s words in regard to prophecy:
“For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10 NASB
Or, “For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.” NLT
It’s all about Jesus! HE is everything!
“God is love… in whom we live and move and have our being.” (from 1 Jn 4 & Acts 17)
My position is this:
“For the believer, there is not more than Jesus to discover and experience, BUT, there is more OF Jesus to discover and experience!”
Now, I must admit, I got just the tiniest bit of flak for my post on teleportation and spirit travel. I can understand why this would freak people out.
When I was exploring visions in Scripture I was seeing that sometimes their spirits were leaving their body! Many would call this “astral projection” (I have no history, as some of my readers might, that would cause that word to be a negative trigger – I mentioned it once which I will refrain from using from now on. I realize now that it is needlessly provocative. I am SO sorry for my carelessness and recklessness of some of my wording.)
So when I was teaching people to prepare their hearts and minds for a vision from the Lord Jesus, I was strongly suggesting – and kind of geeking out over the fact – that this just might mean you have an out-of-body experience! And to realize that as you seek the Lord it’s ok and not automatically “from the devil” if that were to happen!
“Oh no! Daniel is teaching people how to astral project!”
That’s what some likely heard. But, that was not my intent at all. This is what the Bible actually says happened to so many saints and prophets and apostles! (Ezekiel, Paul, and John)
What a sad state the church would be in if it were to reject and judge people for believing the Bible! Thank God that isn’t the case! Have you ever read something in the Bible and thought that most people (even other believers) will find what you had just read as simply unacceptable? Sometimes we can’t wrap our minds around the reality what the Bible is actually saying. This has been true about me for most of my Christian life until the Lord started to open my eyes.
God has made me to be an writer. I know that. He has gifted me in this and in my desires and interests in the supernatural as well. I am glad for who he made me! I am happy to be who I am! I feel his smile and favor upon me. He has made me confident in my relationship – my friendship – with him. If you want to know how to arrive at that place of confidence I would be delighted to share my journey with you! Much of that journey is captured right here in this seven-year long blog.
I didn’t give myself my first life altering vision. I wasn’t seeking a vision. I was just seeking and loving Jesus, fresh back from a life of backsliding and going the devils way. The visions (and mostly dreams – night visions) have helped me immensely along the way however and so I don’t belittle them as some do and I don’t believe it’s wrong to seek them. I think we need to. I often ask for dreams from God and that I would remember them.
It is hard being here on this planet. The Lord is the master at striking a balance between keeping you grounded and present for your mission here AND giving you just enough of heaven along the way to keep the smile always on your face. I was beaming yesterday as this thought crossed my mind.
At the age of eighteen I came back to Jesus because he gave me a dream and showed me my life in five or so years time. The corruption and pain from remaining on the devils path that I saw was too great to bear and so I called up my mom who had been praying for me and asked to go to church with her!
God used a dream/vision of my future to bring me back to himself! Six months later I had an extraordinary supernatural experience with the Lord. It seemed to me that he took my spirit on a time travel. At least that’s my geeky way of interpreting what I experienced. The experiences of and with the Lord continue and I’m SO thankful for each and every one!
Stay tuned. Keep seeking Jesus with all your heart! Stay immersed in His Word and in fellowship and in prayer! And be free!
Don’t forget to read Part 1 here, and also the original Part 3 of his blog will be found here next week!
On October 20, 2006 Jeff Markin collapsed from a massive heart attack after driving himself to the Palm Beach Gardens Hospital emergency room.
The emergency medical workers and supervising cardiologist Dr. Chauncey Crandall followed standard procedure using defibrillator pads more than a dozen times trying to shock Jeff’s heart back to working order. With each passing minute their chances of successfully resuscitating the heart attack victim plummeted dramatically. After they had worked feverishly for 40 minutes trying to bring Jeff’s heart out of a flatline they had to finally call the time of death and walk away from the corpse.
That would have been the end of a disappointing but not terribly unusual heart attack case. But as Dr. Chauncey Crandall was walking away after filling out some paperwork he sensed the Holy Spirit’s voice saying that he should pray for the now officially dead heart attack victim.
By this time Jeff Markin’s body was being prepared for the morgue. Dr. Crandall walked in there and began praying for Jeff Markin. Another doctor walked in and Dr. Crandall persuaded him to once again apply the defibrillators and see if the body could be shocked back to life. Despite the utter hopelessness of the situation the protesting doctor did as he was asked out of respect to his colleague. Miraculously, Jeff’s heart responded beautifully with a perfect heartbeat and Jeff began breathing again.
He was brought back to life by faith, prayer, and one more try using conventional medicine. Thus he would live to tell about his experience while physically dead. Miraculously Jeff not only came back to life but also did not sustain any brain damage.
In his book, Raising the Dead, Dr. Crandall tells all about this and other cases of raising the dead and healings and what brought him to the place where he has joined his medical expertise with prayer for each of his patients.
I have also found a number of reports and interviews that will fill in more details about this case. I hope you find all these resources and this amazing story to be a great inspiration as you remember the declaration of Jesus Christ: I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. ~ Revelation 1:18
Sid Roth, host of the TV show It’s Supernatural, calls Delores Winder’s healing one of the greatest healing miracles of the Twentieth Century.
Delores Winder’s website briefly describes her medical history as follows:
Delores Winder was plagued with pseudo arthritis for nineteen and a half years. She was in a full body cast and neck brace during that time. At the age of 31, her bones were aged and deteriorating she had the bones of someone in their mid 70s. Delores’s bones continued to deteriorate rapidly, and as a result, her spine, hips, wrists, shoulders, and fingers were so fragile that she couldn’t be touched. Her lungs, heart, stomach, and kidneys were all failing too.
In order to kill the pain, Delores had four spinal fusions and two percutaneous cordotomies (burning out of the nerve centers at the base of the brain), which caused no feeling on the whole right side of her body and on the left side up to her waist.
Delores was making her funeral arrangements and was looking forward to death since it would be a wonderful relief from the agonizing pain she had endured much of her life. Her one concern though was her 14-year-old son. She needed assurance that he would be taken care of in her absence.
Interestingly, God instructed her to go to a conference by Kathryn Kuhlman to find out how he would take care of her 14-year-old son. I say “interestingly” because Delores couldn’t tolerate Kathryn Kuhlman. Delores was very skeptical of Kathryn’s ministry since Kathryn was known to miraculously heal people by God’s power. Delores didn’t believe that miraculous healings could still take place in post-Biblical times so she did not trust Kathryn’s ministry. But since Delores was concerned about her son and had a promise from God that he would reveal his plan for her son if she went to the Kathryn Kuhlman conference, she chose to attend that meeting. It also helped that the particular meeting she was supposed to attend was being hosted by a Christian denomination Delores trusted and the meeting’s focus was not on healing but on the Holy Spirit.
That meeting would change her life. Not only did God reveal his plan for her son; but also, he totally healed her and restored sensation to her entire body — something that was medically impossible since the nerve centers at the base of her brain stem had been severed in order to reduce her pain.
This complete healing took place in Dallas, TX on August 30, 1975 after there was no medical hope for her and her only concern was making sure that her son would be taken care of after she died.
Since this healing took place nearly 35 years ago, Delores Winder has had many opportunities to tell her story. The brief summary I have given above does not paint the whole picture and leaves out many details including how she was actually healed. That is because I could never do her story justice. I want you to take the time to watch at least one of the video clips posted below so that you can hear from her own mouth exactly what she experienced and what happened to her.
Delores Tells Her Story and Tells What God Has Taught Her Since Then – June 2009
There are many ways to hear God’s voice. One of my favorites is by journaling because it makes it so easy to hear what God is saying and at the end of your time journaling you will have a record of what God said to you.
I learned this technique for hearing what God is saying from Mark Virkler’s article: You Can Hear God’s Voice!
Mark Virkler was praying to learn how he could hear God’s voice. In fact, he even took a year off from his pastoral duties to focus on learning how to hear from God. During that year, Jesus finally came to him one night and woke him up with an audible voice and gave him four keys to effectively hearing God’s voice. You can learn more about Mark’s testimony by listening to him sharing his testimony and an introduction to hearing God’s voice or listen to radio and television interviews.
A brief summary of what Mark Virkler shares in his article is that hearing God’s voice can be easy if you follow four keys:
Know what God’s voice sounds like
Become still with a worshipful attitude
Fix the eyes of your heart on Jesus
Journal in faith
I would like to offer a few thoughts on the above points to help you get started. These thoughts are not meant to replace Mark Virkler’s article that got me started in hearing God’s voice through journaling. Instead, the following thoughts are meant to provide supplemental guidance. So you might want to read Mark’s article first and then read what I have to add.
Know what God’s voice sounds like
God can speak in different ways at different times to different people. A lot of people assume God would speak in an audible voice. He certainly can and does do that. But don’t assume that He will always speak that way to you.
In fact, if you consider that the eardrum receives vibration waves carried by the air and delivers a message to the mind, you have to wonder why almighty God would go to the trouble of sending his message through the air and then through the ear and finally into the mind when he can simply speak directly to your mind.
In my case, he normally takes the shortcut straight to my mind. My ear does not hear God’s voice. But my mind does receive God’s message. So, God’s words appear inside my mind like thoughts. These are the thoughts of God. In fact, the way I receive God’s thoughts can be compared to the concept of telepathy, which is the transfer of thoughts between individuals by means other than the five senses
So, when I receive a message from God, it comes as a thought quietly placed into my mind. Why do I say “quietly”? Because there isn’t the energy of my mind’s wheels behind that thought since my mind did not generate that thought. That is why people talk about the “still, small voice of God.” God’s thought quietly appears in my mind and I write it down and a new thought from God takes its place.
Become still with a worshipful attitude
To hear God, you will need to cut out the noise and activity. Don’t expect to hear from God while the TV is blaring and you are rushing to get dinner on the table. God is best heard when you find a quiet, restful place and focus your heart on the adoration of God.
I always start my journaling time with praise and worship because this helps me tune into God’s voice. If God’s voice stops flowing into my mind, then I return to worship and then I begin hearing him again.
One time while I was journaling, I wrote to God this prayer: “I desire to know you more and hear your voice better. Please guide me and show me the path step by step.”
In response, God spoke to me about the importance of being still to know him. Here is what God said to me:
You are my beloved son. I guide you and make you whole. Pursue me and know me. I am like the wind. I am always with you, always moving, always surrounding you. To know the wind you don’t chase it, do you? Don’t you open your arms and let the moving wind flow through you? You are still and let your senses be sensitive and experience the movement, force, and sound of the wind. So to know me, open your heart, be still, be attentive and become familiar with my movement, my energy, and my sound. I am your God. Always moving. Always coming. Always going. Always with you. You have seen me moving just as you have seen the leaves moved by the wind. But take your attention from the trees to feel me moving through and around you. Be the tree and know me.
Fix the eyes of your heart on Jesus
To truly hear God, you should focus on Jesus. Jesus is our open door to heaven. Through him we have unlimited access to God — including direct communication with God.
You will hear what you focus on. If you focus on your mind, you will hear your thoughts. If you focus on your problems, you will hear your worries. If you focus on your desires, you will hear your wishes. If you focus on Jesus, you will hear God.
One great way to focus on Jesus is to use your imagination to picture him and you in a scene you are comfortable with. For instance, you might imagine yourself sitting in a garden with Jesus sitting on a rock by you having a chat with you.
Journal in faith
What makes journaling such an effective way of hearing God is that it allows you to put aside your analytical thinking for awhile and just have an attitude of faith while whole-heartedly listening to God.
We hear God by faith. As Mark Virkler points out in his article, it is very important to put aside any doubts while you are in the process of listening to God’s voice. Just write. Don’t think. When you are finished writing down your conversation with God, then you can go back and examine what you heard and see if it is from God — but try not to enter this analytical process of judgment until you are finished hearing from God.
When you put these four keys to hearing God’s voice together, you will find that hearing from God comes easily to you. It is recommended that you share what God tells you with a couple of your spiritual mentors who can help you confirm whether what you heard is really from God or not.
The first time I tried journaling as a way to hear God’s voice, I wasn’t sure if it would work. But I put all my doubts and questions aside and just tried it and the results were amazing.
Here is an excerpt from my very first conversation with God through a prayer journal (“T” is me and “G” is God):
T- Good morning God
G- Good morning my son. How are you today?
T- I’m fine. I’m happy to hear you!
G- I am always with you – to the end of the age and in the age to come.
T- Thank you for being with me. Are you happy with me?
G- You are my pride and joy. I am your Father and treasure all of my children.
T- How can I be a better son?
G- You must seek my face. Your heart is mine. I want to know you.
T- I want to know you too! Will you reveal yourself to me?
G- It is my pleasure to reveal myself to you. You are my son. I desire to show myself to my children.
T- Thank you God. I want to know you. Thank you for speaking with me. What would you like to say to me now?
G- My son, I want to tell you many things. Come to me and I will always be happy to talk with you. You are my treasure.
Since that first journaled conversation, I have had many amazing conversations with God. He has revealed my destiny. He has provided guidance for my future. He has taught me spiritual truths. He has shared his heart with me. It is always a very fulfilling way to spend my devotional time.
I love Sid Roth. He is a beautiful Jewish man who hosts a TV show and a radio show that features supernatural stories from people moving in spiritual power.
Nearly every weekend, you can find me watching his show having my faith being built up.
Today, I am just going to share a couple TV episodes with you as well as a set of radio broadcasts. My hope is that this taste of his programs will get you excited about what is possible when our spirits connect with God and that you will become aware of Sid Roth’s work.
First, I want to share a TV episode (about 20-30 minutes long I think) featuring a young woman named Jennifer Toledo who was called by God to go on an adventure that would be utterly life changing.
Another amazing young woman who visits with Sid Roth is Evangeline Weiner. She grew up with a family of supernatural healers and has many amazing stories of God’s power to heal.
When you are finished writing down your conversation with God, then you can go back and examine what you heard and see if it is from God — but try not to enter this analytical process of judgment until you are finished hearing from God.
