 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. The same Jesus, who opened the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf, as recorded in the Gospels, is the same Jesus, who is today alive and well and continues to heal the sick. But the continuation of that healing ministry flows through His servants. That's you. Perhaps you have a compassion for the sick. Perhaps you have a heart for those who are suffering with disease and infirmity. Maybe there's something in you that hungers for supernatural experiences to flow through your life to touch those around you. This message is for you. I want to show you from Scripture, as we examine the healing ministry of Jesus, certain keys and truths that will enable you or equip you to minister healing to the sick. I believe God wants to use you as a vessel to open blind eyes, to heal paralysis, to open deaf ears, and really any sickness and disease that you can name is a sickness or disease that can be healed. You can walk in God's healing power. Your life, when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, is the continuation of the healing ministry of Jesus in the earth. Everything that the Holy Spirit anointed Jesus to do, while He was here upon the earth, He anoints you to do today. And so as we glean these truths, I want you to examine your life. And I want you right now, if you truly want to be a vessel of healing, I want you to make that your prayer. Don't be ashamed of that. Don't let others mock you. Don't feel weird or strange just because that's something you want to see in your life. So I want you to write in the comment section right now, whether you're watching live or on replay. Lord, heal through me. In fact, just write those simple words. Heal through me. Make that a prayer. Surrender yourself. Make yourself available. And again, as I said, don't let others mock you. Don't be ashamed of it. I truly believe that your life can be a life of the miraculous, a life the supernatural. And we're going to go through and look at what the scripture says. Now concerning the healing ministry, there are many greats who've gone before us. We could go on talking about revivals past and the various different personalities that the Lord used throughout church history. We could talk about those who had radical faith and would do things that would make you and I nervous because perhaps maybe we wouldn't step out in that same way. We could talk about those who flowed in such a way with the Holy Spirit that healing just kind of naturally occurred around them as they ministered to the Lord in worship. We could name name after name spiritual giant after spiritual giant general after general, but there's only one person I think who's worth talking about at least when it comes to gleaning from that healing ministry. That's the person of Jesus. This is not to say that we can't learn wisdom or learn by the example of those who've gone before us. Of course we can. But if we're going to lay a foundation for ministering to the sick, who better than to model after than Jesus? We must model our lives after Jesus because if we simply and only model after the men and women who've gone before us, what we're doing is we're copying flawed people. Now again, let me emphasize this because I don't want you to hear what I'm not saying. We can learn things from healing evangelists who've gone before us, from healing ministers of old. We can learn many things from them and we should read about their lives, listen to their teachings, look at how God used them, examine their ministries and so forth, learn from their mistakes and learn from the things that they did correctly. We should be learning from them, but while you do glean from them, remember that the ultimate standard is Jesus. Jesus was the greatest healing evangelist of all time, period, none greater. So if you only and notice that keyword there, if you only model your ministry after those whom God has used, then you're making a copy of a flaw. God doesn't want you to be the next anyone. He wants you to be the first you and God has uniquely anointed you. Now sure, you may have some similarities to those you've learned from. Sure, there may be some quirks and things and styles that maybe you've picked up and that's okay. That's all a part of impartation, but ultimately God wants you to be uniquely you used in the healing ministry as he's anointed you to be used. So if we do begin to take those examples, we make a copy and then someone copies us and then they're a copy of a copy and then eventually what we have is a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy and all of the flaws picked up along the way. It's best to look at Jesus. It's best to look at Christ likeness. It's best not to excuse flaws, but to learn from them and to say, I want to do it better. Number one, how to minister healing to the sick. Jesus was baptized in the Holy Spirit. Jesus, when he went into the river and was baptized, he came out and the scripture describes the Holy Spirit descending upon him like a dove. It was then that he went into the wilderness and it was around this time that Jesus then began his ministry. Now the scripture says in Acts chapter 10 verse 38 and you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with him. What an amazing truth that Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit. You say, why did he need that? Well, Philippians chapter two verses six through eight say this, though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges. He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. Let me be very clear here. Jesus was God is God will always be God. Jesus was God from the time that he was conceived to the time that he died on the cross and for eternity thereafter and in fact eternity beforehand. In the beginning was the word, the word was with God, the word was God. John 1 14, the word became flesh. Jesus is God. There was never a moment at any point where Jesus wasn't God. Let's make that perfectly clear. There was never a moment where Jesus wasn't aware of the fact that he was God. Jesus always knew who he was. But Philippians is describing here this willingness on the Lord's part and it really is a demonstration of his humility, this willingness to lay down certain divine privileges. Can you kill God? No, but they killed Jesus. Why? Because he allowed it. Does God know all things? Does God not possess all wisdom? Of course he does. But Luke chapter 2 verse 52 says, Jesus grew in wisdom, in stature, in favor with God and favor with man. So Jesus grew in wisdom. Think about that. God grew in wisdom. God grew in stature. God grew in favor with God. Interesting. Why? Because Jesus laid down certain divine privileges. Jesus was truly God and truly man. Now Jesus in this human state learned to rely upon the Holy Spirit. He was Spirit-filled. What does that mean to be Spirit-filled? Well, we know that according to Romans chapter 8 that the moment you are saved, you have the Holy Spirit because you can't be saved unless you have the Holy Spirit and anyone who is a child of God has the Holy Spirit. So you receive the Holy Spirit at salvation, but you release him at baptism. Simply put, and I'm really simplifying it here, I have a lot of teaching on this channel in regards to baptism with the Holy Spirit, but simply put, the baptism with the Holy Spirit is your surrender to the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not you getting more of the Holy Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit getting more of you. He lived this surrendered life of purity. He trusted the Holy Spirit for that resurrection. Romans 811 says that it was the Spirit of God who raised Christ from the dead. So Jesus relied upon the Holy Spirit to preach with power, to cast out devils, to heal the sick, to be raised from the dead, to perform the miracles. This was the power of the Holy Spirit that he relied upon because he submitted himself to that human nature by his own will. He trusted the Holy Spirit. So if Jesus trusted the Holy Spirit, how much more should we? We need the Holy Spirit. Let me make it very clear to you. There are no secrets to God's power. There are no secrets to the spiritual gifts. What I teach you are biblical keys that you can see for yourself. And these keys are not necessarily to get God to do anything. God gives gifts as he wills. God heals the sick as he wills. He is sovereign overall. Rather, what I'm teaching you is how to position yourself and cooperate with what God is doing in the earth. Now, when we surrender to the Holy Spirit, we make ourselves vessels for the supernatural. The miracle working power of God flows naturally through us. This is the problem. Many neglect the work of the Holy Spirit and instead try to rely upon theology or doctrine or technique or method. They've seen some people do it a certain way. And because they've seen people pray for the sick a certain way or minister healing a certain way, they simply go modeling after that and expect to get the same results. And sometimes they do get some results, but they see the what will never understanding the why. They see the practice of the ministry will never understanding the purpose of that practice, not understanding those dynamics of the spirit that really cause that miraculous power to flow. We must learn to rely upon the Holy Spirit and not upon systems. There is no formula I can teach you, no spiritual equation I can give you, no method, no tactic, no step one, two, three. And that's what we have to understand. It really is simply the power of God. That's it. People ask me all the time, what's the secret? What's the key? They see the miracles. They see the doctors reports. They see people being healed and setting aside the medical devices that they needed and coming back with reports declaring themselves healed. They see that and they go, what's the key to that? How do you get that? I'm going to be honest with you. I don't know outside the word of God. I'm not a healing ministry guru, no such thing. All I can give you is the word and nothing in my own understanding would ever make any miracle come to pass. This is all the work of the Holy Spirit. So at the end of the day, even after we've applied everything we know to apply, it really is the Holy Spirit's power. He heals as he wills. And this is why you must learn to be baptized with or surrender to the person of the Holy Spirit. He's the miracle working spirit. That close proximity to him is what enables miracle ministries to operate. I mean, just this past Sunday when I ministered in orange, again, people were talking about the Holy Spirit's power. And even myself, as I arrived at the property line where the service was taking place, I felt this pressing of the weight of God's glory. And I'm in the room in the back praying just about to minister. And I remember asking the Holy Spirit to go with me. I do this often. And I told them, if you don't go with me, I've got nothing to offer. I can stand up there. I can sing. I can teach. I can preach. I can try to conjure some move of the Holy Spirit but Holy Spirit, if you don't go with me, I've nothing. The people came for nothing because there is no power outside of you, Holy Spirit. You're the one who does it. And we have to learn this reliance. We have to learn that he will even sometimes confound the way we think miracles should happen. You know, really, there are three reasons categorically speaking as to why God heals because of his compassion, his compassion for the sick, for the sake of the commission to demonstrate the authenticity of the message of the gospel and through covenant because of what Jesus did on the cross and purchased for the children of God. But even outside of those, the dynamics don't always work the way you think that they should. Why? Because the Holy Spirit doesn't want you to figure it out. If you could, then it wouldn't be faith. If you could, then it would be your ability and not his. So that's number one. Jesus was baptized with the Holy Spirit and we too must be baptized with surrendered to the person of the Holy Spirit. If Jesus needed the Holy Spirit, how much more do we? Second, we see that Jesus had a prayer life. Prayer is as powerful as God. You say, Brother David, that's a dangerous statement. Well, not when you really think about it because true prayer is alignment with the will of God. And so we see that Jesus prayed continually. Jesus prayerfully followed the direction that the Father would give to him. Watch this in John chapter five, verse 19. So Jesus explained, I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing whatever the Father does, the Son also does. That's John chapter five, verse 19. So Jesus mirrored his life after the instructions of the Father. Jesus wasn't obedient just on a weekly basis or a monthly basis or even a daily basis. Jesus was obedient on a moment by moment basis. And it was that alignment with the will of God. It was that mirroring of God's desires that caused the power to flow through him on a regular basis and to the intensity that it did. I mean, no one had more potent power than Jesus himself because he walked in such perfection and in such alignment with the will of God that it was perfect alignment every millisecond of every day. You and I don't have that. We're all works in progress, but this is at least the standard to which we can aspire to meet. Jesus prayed alone, Matthew 14-23. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. And then Jesus encourages us to pray in the same way. We see that in Matthew 6-5-6. When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father who sees everything will reward you. To heal like Jesus healed, you must pray like Jesus prayed. If you want to walk in power that nobody else walks in, then you have to have a prayer life that nobody else has. And it is this dedication to prayer, this simple surrender to the will of God through prayer that produces a greater potency of power on your life for miracles and healing. Now again, I'm talking about some very spiritual base, or very basic spiritual disciplines. And you know, I think sometimes we want to kind of skip over these. We say, give me the exciting stuff. Just tell me that I can get oil from a revival meeting and then start operating and healing. Tell me that God will give me a vision suddenly and then therefore, from that time on, I'll go and start praying for the sick. Tell me that I can go have hands laid on me, someone can impart some spiritual gift to me and then miraculously, I'll start walking in that healing power. Yes, God can work through those ways. As I said, He doesn't want us to figure Him out. But primarily spiritually, fundamentally, biblically speaking, it comes down to the basics. And if you want God to use your life, you need a prayer life. When you go into the place of prayer, that is the place where that oil drips on you. The anointing drips. And for every moment that you're in prayer, there are drips of oil in the spirit dropping on your head. This is a metaphor. Every moment you are in prayer, there are drops of oil dropping on your head. And every second spent in prayer is a second being touched by God's essence. Having the power of God smeared on your being, that's what anoint means to smear. That oil, that power permeating your being when you're in prayer, when you're surrendered, when you're praying in the Holy Ghost, when you're talking to the Lord and fellowshiping with Him and dedicating that time to Him. In those moments, you are receiving the anointing in a way that is manifest in your life. We all have an anointing within us. We all have the anointing of the Holy Spirit. But it's only in prayer that that begins to surface. It's only in prayer that that begins to become something that manifests in our lives, that's demonstrated in our lives. Some would say, we're all anointed by God. Yes, but not all of us walk in that anointing. And that's what I'm talking about. That's what prayer does. Prayer positions you in power. Prayer positions you under the flow of that oil. Prayer is the place to receive that healing virtue. And I'm telling you, when you spend time in prayer, that potency of healing power begins to intensify on your life. I can tell you that after times of prayer and fasting, there are moments I don't even have to pray for the sick. I've gone to meetings, we're walking through the lobby before the service even starts. People are being healed, not because of me. It's got nothing to do with me. But because I've surrendered myself in prayer, there are people who report being healed, just being in the lobby right before the service as I walk through. And again, this is not me bragging. This is not something that God only gives to me. This is yours too. This is something we have as children of God. This is what we can walk in. I'm just one example of many and God can use your life in the exact same way. I'm not special. There's nothing unique about me. It's just the power of the Holy Spirit. It's surrendering in prayer. And so, I could even tell you a story. I was ministering one time and I went to the lobby and this was after the service, but this was during a time of prayer and fasting. And I walking through the lobby, this lady comes up to me screaming, stomping her leg on the floor. I thought she was upset with me. She wasn't. God healed her leg. She had surgery. The doctors botched it and it was causing her great pain. She was limping everywhere. She began to jump up and down and scream and say, I'm completely healed. Why? Because God healed her. It was just the drip, the overflow of that oil because of the time in prayer. I don't go to these services without prayer. When I go to those services, I know that my dependency on God is everything because I've got nothing outside of Him. And prayer is you actively telling God I'm depending on you. When you don't pray, you're pointing your finger in the Holy Spirit's face and you're saying, I don't need you today. When you do ministry without prayer, you're pointing your finger in the Holy Spirit's face and you're saying, I can do this without you. I mean, who would dare to do that? To go into supernatural ministry, to attempt the miraculous without that reliance upon the Holy Spirit. Prayer is the act of depending upon the Holy Spirit. Jesus was disciplined to pray. He prayed in the morning. We see in Mark 1.35. He prayed at night. That's Mark chapter 6 verses 46 and 47. And then he prayed often. That's Luke chapter 5 verse 16. He prayed for extended periods of time before major decisions. Look at Luke chapter 6 verses 12 and 13. When Jesus was choosing his 12 disciples, he had an extended period of time in prayer because it was a major decision. So he made sure to respect that decision and have great reverence for that decision by offering himself in an extended time of prayer. And this is what believers ought to do. We must surrender our lives to prayer. Jesus prayed in solitude. Again, he prayed in the morning. He prayed at night. He prayed often. He prayed for extended periods of time. Jesus prayed, prayed, prayed, prayed, prayed. If Jesus needed prayer, I promise you we need it too. So Jesus was baptized with the Holy Spirit or in the Holy Spirit. Jesus had a prayer life. Jesus discarded doubts. Now I understand that there will always be skeptics and critics. And Oral Roberts said that the healing ministry brings a couple things. Crowds, controversy, and criticism. I wish it was just the crowds. That would be great. And I can tell you, anyone on our ministry staff can tell you the amount of criticism and slander that we take. And I'm not saying this out of bitterness. I'm not trying to push back in any way. It is what it is. You just got to embrace it and be like Jesus. Just be silent and let it happen. And really pray for the people who are skeptical of God's healing power. That's okay. We love them. There's no need to get defensive. That's another side tip for you. But you know, it does bring crowds. Look at the meetings. People pack the buildings, waiting in line hours before the service starts. Why? They want God's power. It's him they want. And then controversy and criticisms. People second guessing your motives. People criticizing what you do. And that's a part of it. But look at what Jesus did. This is how Jesus handled doubt, skeptics, critics. Mark chapter five. I'm going to read verses 35 through 42. Look at Jesus' example here. Well, he was still speaking to her. Messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him your daughter is dead. Remember Jairus had approached Jesus, asking him to heal his daughter. So these messengers come. They tell him your daughter is dead. There's no use in troubling the teacher now. Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, don't be afraid. Just have faith. That's a key thing right there. Verse 37. Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn't let anyone go with him except Peter, James and John, the brother of James. Verse 38. When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. He went inside and asked, why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn't dead. She's only asleep. So Jesus declares a statement of faith and the crowd. Verse 40. The crowd laughed at him, but he made them all leave. I love that. And he took the girl's hand. I lost my place and he took the girl's hand. My goodness. How did I do that? Forgive me, guys. This is live, by the way. So I lost my place there because... Okay. Holding her hand, he said to her, little girl get up and the girl who was 12 years old immediately stood up and walked around. They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. So here we see that Jesus throws out the doubters, throws out the critics. Yes, there were those who were laughing. Yes, there were those who were mocking. Yes, there were those who didn't believe that the miracle could come to pass. They believed it was done. It was over with, it was final. She was in the grave. There was nothing more anyone could do. But Jesus saw a way where no one else saw a way, where they saw only death, he saw life. That's the miracle working power of God. And only he can do that. And so Jesus in this moment throws out the doubters. There are some people who genuinely ask questions because they want to know, they want to learn. And then there are people who ask questions because they want to argue and they think that they have a point to prove. They'll ask you a question. People will ask questions like this. And I can tell the difference. Sometimes people will ask me genuinely, Brother David, do you ever get like medical reports or maybe some feedback from doctors that demonstrate that the healing actually occurred? And I could say, well, yes, in fact, we did. And I send them the reports and so forth. And then there are sometimes when someone will ask, are these miracles even verified? Where are the reports? And then you can tell that they're not asking because they genuinely want to see the medical reports. They're asking because they want to argue, because they want to discredit. There are many different forms that people will come at you. But categorically speaking, there are skeptics and then there are cynics. Skeptics have questions. Cynics have motives. Skeptics want to learn. Cynics want to prove a point. Skeptics say, teach me. Cynics say, I want to teach you. Skeptics say, tell me about the miraculous. I'm interested, but I'm not totally convinced. Cynics say, there's nothing you could ever say to convince me. So when it comes to those who are filled without, yes, answer skeptics who are genuinely seeking the truth. But cynics, you just got to throw those people out. Don't even give them the time of day. I don't even want them to know I saw their comment. I don't even want them to know I saw their message. I tell the staff, if someone comes at us cynically, just ignore them and don't even let me see the messages. But if someone has a genuine question, send it over. I would be glad to help them. That's how you need to do it if you're going to continue to minister healing to the sick. You've got to learn to discern the difference between a skeptic and a cynic, someone who wants answers and someone who wants to argue. Someone who wants to understand the supernatural and someone who just wants to discredit you. Yes, it's good when people ask questions because they'll ultimately come to the truth. But not every questioner is trying to arrive at the truth. Some people with questions already have the answer they want in their head, and there's nothing that you could say that would convince some otherwise. They just want a debate to show off what they think is intellect or astounding knowledge. And here Jesus throws them out. Intimidating spirits hang around with spirits of doubt. The spirit of intimidation is that feeling of inferiority you get when sharing the gospel. Some people carry it on them. You ever notice when you're sharing the gospel, some people you can just share it and it's an easy flow. Others when you share it, you feel intimidated. You feel almost foolish sharing it with them. That's an intimidating spirit on them. So you need to be bold. You need to be audacious. You need to be sometimes a little bit confrontational. I found one of the best ways to get rid of a religious spirit is to do something that requires radical faith. I find that you've just got to push back. I've ministered in atmospheres where people have their arms folded. They're looking at me going, prove it to me, man of God. Prove it to me what you have. And in those moments, it's very easy, if I'm being honest, to fall into that trap of intimidation, to allow their doubt to rub off on me and say, well, maybe this is something that God's not going to be able to do. Or maybe the miracles won't begin to happen. You've got to learn to be firm, to be bold, and realize that people who pretend to have all the answers don't. They're just as lost as everyone else. Only Jesus has the answers. And therefore you can walk in that boldness. You don't have to be intimidated by that doubt. You don't have to be intimidated by the cynics or the skeptics or the atheists or the philosophers. Or the Facebook philosophers, as I like to call them. You can go forth knowing that the healing power of God is real. That the miracle manifestations are real. That people get healed. People get set free from sickness. That God still works miracles today. Stand firm in that. Be bold. Be audacious. Sometimes be a little bit confrontational. Not mean, but put it out there. Let it be known. I believe in miracles. As Miss Coleman used to say, I believe in miracles because I believe in God. And we must discard that doubt. Again, healthy skepticism. You work with that. You help them. It's good that people have questions. Don't be intimidated or offended by genuine questions. Because then you just turn people off to their truth seeking. On the other hand, cynics, then people who just want to prove a point, have nothing to do with them. Don't even give them the time of day because they're not even in the place where they're ready to receive. And again, these are generalizations that I see in scripture. Certain truths. I've had people come to the meetings completely skeptical and cynical. And then the Holy Spirit just completely flips everything on its head for them. And they leave there knowing that the power of God's real. That's always one of the best things to see anyway. But for the most part, generally speaking, don't waste your time with that. Focus on the miracle and keep the faith strong. Next, we see that Jesus worked with faith. Now this is a key right here that I actually don't hear talked about all that often. So let's recap real briefly. Jesus was baptized in the Holy Spirit. Jesus discarded doubt. Jesus had a prayer life. And by the way, if this message is blessing you so far, make sure to leave a like. Help spread this truth all around so that people who desire to minister healing to the sick would learn these truths. Because I believe these are biblical truths that can be applied in the life of every believer. That includes you. Look, you have a compassion for the sick. You have a desire to see them well. You have a hunger for the supernatural and miraculous. That's why you're watching this. So let's get this message to other Christians who need it. Leave a like. Right now it's that thumbs up right below the video. Click it and that'll actually do a great service in helping us to spread this all around. Now this is a key not so often talked about. But Jesus worked with their faith. You work with where they are. Sometimes people will come for prayer ready to receive their healing. And they are nowhere near the place where they need to receive or where they're going to receive their healing. Now it's at this point that sometimes people get offended. They'll say, why are you blaming it on them? And that's kind of like, you know, this almost a cliche where people say, well, you know the healing evangelists when people don't get healed, they always blame the sick. Okay, I get that. And I'm going to answer later why some aren't healed that we can address maybe in the Q and A. Maybe I might do it in the lesson here. But there is some biblical truth here. The truth is that often when Jesus would heal, he would tell that individual, your faith has made you whole. And in fact, there were times when unbelief would block the flow of the miracles. Look at Mark chapter six verses five through six. Jesus could only do a certain amount of miracles. He was very limited in his power because of their unbelief. Just check it out. Again, that's Mark six, five through six. So we have to stop pretending. I know it sounds nice to say, oh no, it's not the faith of those who are sick. I know that sounds like the nice thing to say, but there's actually no compassion in teaching that at all because you're not teaching the truth. Now, again, I'm going to balance this later. I'll address various reasons as to why sometimes people aren't healed and sometimes people with faith aren't healed. And I'm going to talk about that in a moment. But at least as we look at this now, let's look at the scripture for what the scripture says. I know it doesn't sound like the nicest thing in the world. I know that the political thing to say is, well, you know, it's not really their faith. It's all having to do with the timing of God or something like that. That, I understand that sentiment, but we have to also look at what the Bible says. We have to make sure that we're looking at all of the truths presented in scripture as it pertains to healing. And in some cases, it is because of a lack of faith. That's a fact. I've had people administered to sometimes where they don't get healed. And I know that they have faith to be healed. And I just have to trust in the sovereignty of God as to why they weren't. And then there are other instances where I'm praying for people. They're not healed. I can just see it. They're not even there possibly to be healed. Some people come up because they want attention. They want to tell their sad story to the world and then stand up there and not be healed and be the one who wasn't healed and have everyone go, oh, this is so sad. That's a real thing. It's not all the time, but that's a real thing. And you need to know this going in the healing ministry that some people will come genuinely for prayer. Others will come to try to get attention. Some people, because they want to receive a miracle, others come because they want people to hear their story and feel sorry for them. That's a fact. Am I saying that's everyone? No. Is it political to say? Absolutely not. Is it biblical? Yes. Because again, Mark chapter six versus five through six, some people couldn't be healed by Jesus himself because of unbelief. So you have to learn to work with people's faith. There are times where I'm ministering in prayer lines. I'll go down the line and I'll pray for someone who's receiving their healing. I could just tell they're not in a position to receive. They literally are standing there going, you do all the work, I'm just going to stand here. And they go in like they're going into like, like, I don't know, like some specialists, like it all relies on me, when they're not engaging with the Lord at all. People who came to Jesus for healing engaged with him. They activated their faith. The woman with the issue of blood activated her faith. And there are other examples in the scripture, of course, that teach us this same principle. But I can see it sometimes. They'll come up. They're just kind of, you know, they don't, it's a very, you can sense it. There's a blockage there, even before you begin to pray. They're looking at you while you're praying. They're not even engaging in asking the Lord to heal them. They're just staring at you. Real grumpy like just looking at you. And they're coming with cynicism, not skepticism, cynicism. And they're not even believing for their own healing. And so there are times when you have to work with them, encourage them, take it. Don't just dismiss them. Don't just send them on their way. Take your time. Talk with them. Pray with them. Minister the word to them. See if you can't break through some of that hardness of the heart. In fact, some of that has to do with the fact that maybe they've believed for a healing before. And because there have been many moments of disappointment that cynicism has built up in their heart. And they're just kind of coming up on the very last thread of hope that maybe this might work. Maybe it's not. But in their minds, they're going, probably not going to work. I'll just come stand up here and see and try it out anyway. Or maybe they come up because they think that they're going to embarrass the person ministering as if the people thought it was that individual healing people in the first place. They're going to come up and they just want to kind of prove a point. See, God doesn't heal me. And these are psychological issues. These are, I know I'm going kind of real deep in this, but I want to minister, as I said, some truth here. You need to be aware of these very nuanced realities when it comes to ministering to people. Then there are times when I'm praying for someone and God is actively healing them. I remember one time I was praying for this girl who had swelling on her ankle and pain in her knee. I'm praying for her. Guys, she is watching as the swelling is going down. And I have her on my, I said, what's going on with the swelling? She's looking at it. She goes, she's going, she says, it's going down, but there's still pain in my knee. I'm thinking, oh Lord, help, help me, help me, help me. Because there was a joke Catherine Coleman made one time. She says, now I know why God repented that he made man. Because some people, they're just, they're just so full of doubt. And that's a reality. Again, I know it's not political, but it's the truth. Some people are just filled with doubt. They're, they really don't believe they're going to be healed. So this girl is actively being healed. The swelling, she sees a creative miracle. The swelling is going down and she's going, yeah, but there's still pain in my knee. And I go, why are you focusing on the pain in your knee? Is the swelling going down? Can you see that? She says, yeah, but there's still pain in my knee. And a person like that has been conditioned under a negative victim mindset. This is the most difficult type of person to minister healing to. Because they've for so long been trained to only look at the negative, to think that nothing but bad is going to happen to them, to have disbelief in the idea that something good could happen for them. They've so conditioned themselves to think negatively and cynically and think that nothing good could ever happen to them. That when it comes to the moment of healing, that mentality begins to manifest itself. And they're sitting there with swelling going down, the creative miracle happening, they're going, yeah, but there's still pain in my knee. Focusing on what good doesn't do instead of what he is doing. And that produces more doubt in them. Now I'm not saying that faith denies reality. Of course, we have to acknowledge the existence of sickness. Neither am I talking about being delusional. I've talked to some people one time. I was getting allergies because in Texas, the wind blows these weird, I don't even remember what they're called, Steve, like some like pollen or something. And so I started having a reaction to it. And I said, oh my goodness, I think I'm getting allergies. And someone goes, oh, don't speak that. I said, it's not going to make a difference. I know there's power in the tongue, but that's not what the scripture means when it talks about it. I can acknowledge that I'm having issues with my allergies. It's not like people came up to Jesus for prayer and said, please help me, Lord. And he said, what do you want me to heal? And they said, I can't confess it. Or they said, Lord, I'm blind. Please open my eyes. Jesus didn't go, no, no, no. You're not blind. It's just blindness that exists outside of you. He didn't get all weird like that. We have to acknowledge reality. So on that hand also, I'm not talking about just disregarding reality. Faith doesn't deny reality. Faith changes reality. But I am talking about working with their faith. So don't go to either extreme, not the extreme of negative and not the extreme of superstition, where every word you speak will be careful. You can't say that someone comes. I have this doctor's report that says I have cancer. You don't tell them, oh, you don't have cancer. Don't you dare say that? No, it does nothing either way. Because anyone who ever came to Jesus had to first admit that they needed healing before they were healed. I was praying for a woman one time who was blind in one of her eyes. And I said, ma'am, what do you need prayer for? She said, pray for my eye. I said, what's wrong with your eye? She said, nothing. I said, okay, ma'am, what do you want me to pray for then? She says, pray for my eye. I said, what's wrong with your eye? She said, absolutely nothing. I was so confused. I said, ma'am, why do you want me to pray for your eye if there's nothing wrong with it? She says, I want to see. I said, oh, so your eye is blind. She says, no, I don't receive that it's not blind. I said, ma'am, just by you asking for healing is an admission of sickness. So let's not be superstitious. Let's believe God for your healing miracle. So in the same way, we're not talking about denying that reality, but I am talking about working with people's faith. So in Matthew 9.22, Luke 18.42, Jesus made it clear that it was their faith that made them whole. What does faith come by? Romans 10.17, faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word. No wonder Jesus was able to heal with such potency. He was the Word there in the flesh. Unbelief blocks miracles. Mark six, five through six. We just referenced that. Think about the fact that in Luke eight, it was the touch for the woman that healed her. And then in Luke seven, it was a word for the servant. And then we see that in Mark nine, there was a man who had his son who was demon possessed and had epilepsy and seizures. He brings him to the Lord. He says, Lord, please heal him. And he says, Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief. So Jesus met them where they were. Look, I understand dismissing cynics, people who are out to be cynical, people who don't want to believe and will refuse no matter what. Their heart isn't in the place where they can experience the miraculous. How do I know that? Because that's what the scripture teaches. Unbelief, stubborn unbelief blocks the miraculous. And that's the truth. We have to accept that reality. But here we see that Jesus works with the various aspects of somebody's faith. For the woman with the issue of blood, she needed to touch that garment. That was her point of contact. That was how her faith was activated. For the Centurion servant, the Centurion had faith for the servant, but there was still faith present. And so Jesus speaks just a word, just a word did it. So whether it's a touch or a word or sending the word, either way, everyone needed to receive in their own way. And Jesus met them at the place where they needed him to meet them. Jesus met them at the place of their doubt. Jesus worked with them by bringing forth that miracle power depending upon where each person was. Maybe the person you're praying for needs a touch. Maybe you need to get the oil and pray for them, just like it's described in James chapter five. Maybe you need to speak a word over them. But wherever they are, work with their faith. I know people who talk about their loved ones and are believing for a healing. Look, work with their faith. Maybe you have someone who's been sick a while in there. They're just, they're in a place where they just kind of embraced it. Work with their faith, minister the word, encourage them. Speak the truth of the word where there's life. And as you minister to that person's faith, they come to the place of receiving. I've seen that happen in our services where people will come up totally skeptical, cynical. I said, I'm going to pray for you. They said, okay, kind of just shrug it off. I put my hand on their head. It's kind of funny, I'll put my hand on their head and they're just staring back at me right through my hand. Just kind of right around my hand is looking at me. And they just look at me like, what are you going to do? So I have to stop and say, do you believe God can heal you? They go, kind of just shrug again. I said, well, and then I start ministering the word, talking about miracles I've seen, talking about how it's just their faith. And little by little you can see the stone around their hearts begin to crack. And as that stone around their hearts begin to crack, they come to this place where they think, maybe this can happen and that's all I need right there. Once they get that little glimmer of faith, once they say, okay, maybe this can happen for me, I grab hold of that, start praying. Then they see the pain leaves a little bit. They go, just like in Mark 8, when Jesus laid hands on the blind man. He was healed a little and then healed completely. It was progressive in Mark chapter 8. So we see that in that instance and in other instances in real life, that sometimes they're healed progressively because their faith is coming to fruition. It's almost like an ember and you got to fan that ember into flame before it becomes a fire of faith. So don't crush people's hopes. Don't crush them where they're at. Yeah, maybe they're not in full faith yet. Maybe they don't come saying, I expect a miracle, I believe. Maybe they're not there, but don't completely dismiss them either. Some people need a touch. Some people need a word. Some people need, maybe you lay hands with them. Again, work with their faith. Minister that truth. Help them come from doubt to faith. And then we see that Jesus had compassion. This is so key. In Luke 17, 11 through 15, Matthew 20, 34, and Mark 141, we see that Jesus was moved with compassion when praying for the sick. You know, this is probably one of the most challenging parts of being in the healing ministry. And I'm just going to be real honest with you. I'm just going to bear my soul, if you will. Sometimes the faces of the people who aren't healed stay with me for a few weeks. And you know, as I said, I'm going to talk a little bit about why God doesn't heal. I mean, I understand it here. Logically, I understand it. Biblically, I understand it, and I can accept it. But emotionally, these things are difficult to accept sometimes. Now, I pray for everyone like they're going to be healed. I believe in every instance that I pray for someone, I'm in full faith, they're going to be healed. But you know that compassion is healthy because without that compassion, you don't see people, you see crowds. Without that compassion, you don't think of their stories, you just think of the moment that they're healed. In fact, I truly believe this. This is key for those of you who are going into the healing ministry. Please hear me now. Compassion is the key to longevity in the healing ministry. Yes, I do it because I love the Lord. Yes, I'm in ministry because I want to obey His calling on my life. And I want to accomplish the work that He gave me to accomplish. That's number one, it's for Jesus. But second to that, I would not put up with this criticism, this slander, these attacks. I would not put up with time away from my precious aria even as I sit here. I left on, when did we leave Steve coming down here? Thursday, I left last Thursday to come to California. I was supposed to be back home yesterday. But in order to do this broadcast, I had to stay another day in California because of the way everything happened. And I wouldn't put up with all of that. I wouldn't put up with extended time away from my family. I wouldn't put up with family members distancing themselves because that's that fanatic we have to distance from. I wouldn't put up with that if it wasn't for the testimonies that I see of people being healed. For the souls that I see, of course. And as I said, number one is the Lord. That's why I do it. But if it wasn't for those seeing those people healed, I don't know if I would have the motivation all the time to be in the healing ministry. I'm just being real with you here. It's not all easy. And I'm not trying to have a martyr complex. I'm not trying to make you feel sorry for me. I love what I do. It's a joy. It's a privilege. But you know, there are challenges to this. And when I see the faces of those who've been healed and I tell my team all the time, don't take it for granted. Just because it happens consistently doesn't mean it's common. It's not cheap. To see a woman who has deaf since birth weeping and crying because her ear suddenly during the worship just popped open. To see a man coming out of a wheelchair with a stroke paralyzed for 12 years beginning to walk. To hear people tell me of how their bones and joints that were out of alignment, how they were popped back into place as they sat in the service asking Jesus to heal them. To have someone tell me like that young boy in Georgia that he would see certain colors for the first time in his life because his color blindness was healed. To hear him tell me that he closed his eyes to worship and open his eyes to see colors he'd never seen before. Well that, you can call me a, you can call me a fanatic. You can call me a charlatan, a heretic, a false prophet. You could call me that a million times. And that boy's miracle would be worth every insult. Those people having their lives and you see them come up on the platform. They testify of some miracles, some healing. The people applaud, we rejoice. But think about the fact that when they step off that platform they get to walk into an entirely new way of living. Whoa! That's what Jesus does. And it's that compassion, that heart for the sick, that heart for those who are suffering. That produces longevity. People's needs can become tiring. It's a fact. I mentioned earlier, it probably is cut out of the stream if you're watching the replay, but I mentioned earlier that after the services, Steve and I will stay after the service for hours. And we will pray with everyone who wants prayer. I love to interact, hear people's stories, pray, shake their hand. I get the privilege of meeting God's people. And in those moments, that can be tiring sometimes. Not the giving of the power because I'm giving out of the source of the Holy Spirit, but in hearing the burdens, some stories, and sometimes that could be mentally tiring. But you know it's also motivation. Because when I see people who aren't healed, everything in me just burns with this passion. And I say, Lord, help me to get to the place where even those miracles happen. Lord, let me walk with you in such a way that even those difficult cases, the ones that weren't healed, even they are healed. And we go from glory to glory. As years go by, we're seeing greater and greater miracles as we become more and more like Jesus. That's what compassion does. It drives you to say, I have to be giving this my all. You know we have people in our services flying from out of the country with life or death scenarios, believing God to heal them. There was a woman who came with the brain tumor so large it was pressing out of her face. You could see the tumor on the outside. Her whole skull was deformed. She flew from Africa to come to a service where I was preaching. It was a men's meeting. It was a men's conference. She said it's a men's conference but it's the only time I can make it. I said, you come, we'll pray for you. She came from Africa to that men's meeting for one night. Guys, they didn't even have a hotel to stay in. They flew in, came to the service, got prayer and went right back to the airport and got back on the plane, went right back to Africa. They're sick children. Children dying of diseases. This is serious stuff. And if you don't have any compassion for them, you're not going to consecrate your life. If you don't have any compassion for them, you're not really going to care if you're in the spirit. If you don't have any compassion for them, nothing's driving you to see greater miracles. This is the reality of what we are facing in the healing ministry. So people's needs are motivation for us to grow spiritually. Because Jesus responded to the cries of the desperate and so do we. So that compassion is key for the healing ministry. So we see Jesus was baptized in the Holy Spirit, Jesus had a prayer life, Jesus discarded doubt, Jesus worked with faith, Jesus had compassion. Now this next one I'm going to give you, this one is not commonly taught but this right here, at least for our ministry, was one of the greatest truths we've ever learned about the healing ministry. You can learn this, this I would say tops them all of all the truths. This added more effectiveness to our healing ministry than any other truth. It was taught to me by a very powerful man of God who spiritually trained me in this principle I'm going to give you. This is so key. A couple of miracles now and then just seeing dozens and dozens and dozens of miracles each service, sometimes hundreds of miracles each service and thousands from online. This is the difference. I'm going to give that to you but first, make sure you're subscribed to EncounterTV. Maybe this is your first time watching us or maybe you've watched bits and pieces of our content here and there. I'm going to tell you what we're all about. Number one, we're all about Jesus. Number two, we're all about the Holy Spirit, the person of the Holy Spirit. We're all about Scripture. This ministry is Jesus-centered, Bible-based spirit-filled. We love the Word, we love God's power and you're going to get both. So, subscribe to EncounterTV to receive teachings, sermons on the Holy Spirit, prayer, spiritual warfare, healing, supernatural topics and topics like that and also make sure to subscribe because we live stream our events from around the world where you'll see the power of the Holy Spirit in action. People healed, delivered, empowered, set free, filled with the Holy Spirit. It's wonderful to watch. So, subscribe now and make sure you click that notification bell when you do so that you can receive alerts when we continue to put out new content. Now, this key, as I said, not commonly taught but this was probably the breakthrough key for our ministry. Again, learn this from a powerful person. I mean, I felt like it was like training in the spirit, like training in the art of the spirit because this is not something that you can even just hear and apply. This is something that you have to let the Holy Spirit teach you. I'm going to show it to you in Scripture and then I'm going to talk about how this works in practice. Now, Luke chapter 5 verse 17. One day he was teaching and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there in the Galilee in Judea and from Jerusalem. Now, watch this. And the power of the Lord was present for him to perform healing. This is such an incredible revelation right here. Again, it's right here in Scripture. These aren't secrets per se but the Bible very plainly lays it out but sometimes we just kind of gloss over these things. And the power of the Lord was present for him to perform healing. The power was present. Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. Aren't we talking about Jesus? Wasn't Jesus carrying that power everywhere? Was not Jesus the source of that power? Of course he was. Remember this. Jesus said an atmosphere. Jesus knew what it was to set an atmosphere. I'm going to pull up a Scripture here. I wasn't planning on reading this. Go to Matthew chapter 9 verse 35. Watch this. Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area teaching in the synagogues and announcing the good news about the kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease. We see also in Matthew chapter 26 verse 55 the Bible says this. Then Jesus said to the crowd am I some dangerous revolutionary that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn't you arrest me in the temple? Watch what he says here. I was there teaching every day. Now I saved this key for the last because only those who are really serious about the healing ministry are going to watch up to this point anyway. But we notice here that the Bible talks about this presence of the power that was there. Now yes, you can lay hands on the sick anywhere and everywhere that you go. You can heal the sick in Walmart. You can heal the sick at gas stations. You can heal the sick at the supermarket. You can take the healing power of God to the parks and to the malls and to the streets. Do that, okay? So don't hear what I'm not saying. You ought to do that. But please hear this, please hear this. I think that sometimes spiritual pride begins to develop in certain circumstances. For example, I've seen this sort of looking down the nose at certain ways of performing healing ministry as opposed to others. So I've noticed a pattern that often people who are trained to go to the streets have this disdain for services. They have this disdain for church buildings and gatherings and things put together with excellence. And they'll say things like, well yeah, you can do the service but we're going to go and do what really matters. We're going to take it to the streets. We're going to go and take it out there. The phrase is go outside the four walls of the church. And I understand the sentiment. I'm right there with you. I get that. But we mustn't be so dismissive about doing things the way Jesus did them. Jesus did not wander the streets like some hippie. Jesus didn't wander the streets just kind of going, you know, man, I go with the wind wherever it takes me. I'm just kind of floating around. Oh, you need a healing. There you go. Oh, you need deliverance. There you go. Come with me. No, no, no, no, no. Jesus was very intentional about everything that he did. In fact, we just read Matthew 935, Matthew 2655, that Jesus made a practice of coming into a town, going to a synagogue and the people gathering to hear him. That was Jesus' primary model of doing ministry. He wasn't just wandering the markets healing people. He did heal in the markets. He did heal in the public squares. But that was because the people rushed him when he was there. What he did most often was he would find a place to preach. He would set up he and his disciples would prepare it. They had to organize those crowds. And then he would share the word and after he would share the word he would heal the sick and cast out devils. That's how Jesus did it. One of my favorite. In fact, I think the best Bible production ever done. Say what you will. I know that some people get upset because sometimes, you know, movies and film aren't 100% biblically accurate. What I like about this series, Steve, you watched it with the chosen. I know it's my absolute favorite Bible production ever made. It is the best one ever made period. I don't even think that's up for a vote. Okay, so in this series I loved it because you could see that when Jesus gave his sermon that the disciples actually prepared the atmosphere for him. They helped organize the crowds. They set up a platform for him to preach. It was a service and that was very accurate actually. That was very accurate to how Jesus actually did things. So I think sometimes we have this disdain. Oh, you don't need an atmosphere. Oh, you don't need the music. Oh, you don't need the gathering. Just go out and do it. Yes, that's wonderful. But I've seen and I've done both and I practice both. I've seen more people healed in services than I have on the streets. Now that just could be because I do more services than I do street outreaches. But again, we have to be rid of this mindset. We should do both. We need both. But there is something to be said of setting the atmosphere and that's the key I'm giving you here. Jesus set an atmosphere. Jesus would pick a venue, literally would pick a venue, come into town. He would say, this is the place I'm going to teach. Then he would teach the word. The crowds would come. The disciples would help organize it. They would organize feeding afterwards. That took a lot of logistics. And he would teach the word. Why would he choose atmospheres? Because people were more responsive. They were more focused on what he was saying. Look, I'll be honest. God doesn't need an atmosphere to move. But often people need atmospheres to receive. And as you minister, the word becomes alive. Here we see in Luke 5, the power was present, meaning that the stage was set. Things were ready to go. When me and my team travel and we do healing ministry, we get the best that we can find in terms of sound equipment. Why? Because if something goes wrong with the sound, they're not going to listen to what I have to say. We get a nice, clean backdrop behind me and that stage is to have no wires. I go in and I inspect it before I say no wires on that plot. Nothing distracting. Why? Because I don't want people looking at a mess while I'm trying to share truth. We have the seating arranged to fit a maximum amount of people. Why? Because we want as many people to hear the gospel as possible. We pick a place that's easy to come to. Why? Because we want to make sure that there's an organized flow that when the crowds begin to come, the traffic is easy to handle. Why? Because if somebody comes in and they're all flustered and they sit down and they're all mad because the parking was chaotic and because they weren't able to get a seat, they're going to have a hard time receiving. Again, it's not that God needs an atmosphere to move. They're more receptive in atmospheres. That's just a fact. That's why Jesus did it this way. He would set an atmosphere and then we'll make sure the music is dialed in. Is not worship music deserving of excellence? When I present my message, I don't just stand up there and make something up. I'm going over those notes weeks before I present. Why? Because I'm sharing a salvation message. I'm sharing about healing. These are messages that are supposed to change people's lives so they ought to be treated with respect. So weeks before the service, I'm studying my outlines ready. I already know what I'm going to preach in June when we go to Kansas City, Missouri. I know what I'm preaching the first night and I'm praying about what I'm preaching the second night. But I'm already preparing for it. Why? Because you're setting the atmosphere. When people come in, I say, guys, my crew is not allowed to eat in the service. After they set up, they'll go get burgers or pizza. Why? Because I don't want that smell in the building. I say, go to the backstage area. No food or drinks, no trash. I don't want them to see any staff members eating you can eat, but go do it backstage. Why? Because, again, another distraction. These are things that we do because we treat the gospel with excellence. These are things that we do to set an atmosphere. Now, I'm not saying that this is how you have to do it. I'm saying that there's a component here that many people are missing. So, how would this look in practical application? Let's say you're not a traveling evangelist who rents out conference centers. Okay, you want to go to Walmart and pray with someone? Okay. You want to set that atmosphere? Make sure this person is not in a rush. That's one. You can also pull them to the side. Maybe not right there in front of everybody. Ask their permission if they can be filmed. Ask them if they're comfortable with that. Set an atmosphere for them. Maybe on your phone carry some worship music. Begin to play that as your ministering them. It changes the atmosphere. When you go minister in the park, maybe don't dress like you're going to rob them. Dress presentably. Dress with dignity. Let them see that you're not going to do them any harm. People make judgments about how you dress. That's just a fact. That's a fact and we have to be aware of these things. How do you present yourself? How do you approach them? How do you come across? How do you speak? Is it harsh? Is it mean? Is it arrogant? Do you come off like a know-it-all? Or do you come across as someone who's confident in what they believe, but very loving, very kind? These are things to consider. Set that atmosphere. And it's in these moments that the word becomes alive. It's in these moments that the power of God begins to stir in their hearts. Why? They removed all distractions. And now they're focused on the word. They're focused on what you're saying. And when Jesus becomes more real to them than their sickness they'll be healed. When Jesus becomes more real to them than their sickness they will be healed. And it's bringing them into this reality of Christ. And in order to do that, the distractions and the flesh have to be set aside. This is key setting an atmosphere. And so, you'll notice in our services, sometimes I lay hands on the sick 99% of the time what I do is I'll stand up there, I'll forget about the people, and I'll just start worshiping. You wonder why I do that? I'm not much of a singer. You know this, we all know this. I'm not much of a singer. I'm not going to be releasing an album anytime soon. But what am I doing? I'm worshiping the Lord and I'm fellowshiping with Him. I'm ministering and setting an atmosphere of worship. And then as that atmosphere begins to permeate the building, suddenly miracles start to happen all over the service. And that's when they come up and testify after it's done. People get delivered all over the building. People get healed all over the building. Addictions broken. A bondage broken. Sickness coming off people all over the building. Why? Because of the presence of Jesus. You set an atmosphere now to where they could totally focus on Him. I know these are deeper reality when it comes to the healing ministry. Now, I want to talk to you about why some aren't healed because I think this is going to be an important question. And I'm going to give you a very simple response to this. It's not going to be emotionally satisfying. It will be biblically and mentally satisfying. But it is the truth. I'm giving you the truth. Number one, there are the reasons why people aren't healed. Let me preface this actually. I'm going to set this up a little better here. When the Bible speaks about truth, sometimes that truth can be a little offensive. But we have to learn to adjust our mindsets to what the Bible says, not to what we want it to say. And the fact of the matter is that sometimes people aren't healed because of doubt. Now, I understand that this truth can be abused. Manipulators can live ungodly lives, carry no power. Nobody ever gets healed and so they can just blame everybody. None of you got healed because all of you have doubt. Okay, I understand that people do abuse it in that way. I'm right there with you, I agree. But there's no denying that in some cases, please hear me clearly now, in some cases people aren't healed because of doubt. Period. That happens. And I've seen it. There are times when I'm praying for someone and I just know this person doesn't have the faith. So I got to work with them. They're cynical. They're stuck in a victim mindset. They wonder how could anything good ever happen to me. They kind of come and just go, okay, you do all the work. You lay hands. I'm just going to stand here and be miserable and make sure I'm healed. Right? That's not really how they approach Jesus when they receive miracles. When they approach Jesus, they knew they would be healed and they just had to get to him. That faith was already stirring in their heart. So again, we reference Mark chapter 6 versus 4 through 6 where Jesus was only able to do certain miracles. And if you sick people and heal them, he was amazed that they're unbelieved. So Jesus couldn't do, even Jesus couldn't do certain miracles because people didn't have the faith. So that's number one. It's one of the things that blocks your healing. Number two, and by the way, you're learning these so you can, when you're ministering to someone who is sick, you watch them. If they aren't healed, you can go down these lists right here. I'm giving you. You can go down this list and by process of elimination you can figure out what is it that's causing them to not receive their healing. So number one is doubt. Number two, demons. This is a fact, you guys. The longer I serve in the healing ministry, the more convinced I become that sickness is not God's will. The longer I've been in the healing ministry, the more convinced I become that sickness is not God's will. Sickness, in some cases, you guys, is demonic. Now, you've heard my teachings on spiritual warfare. We all understand. We've all read it. We get it now. We understand that Christians can't be possessed by a devil. We all know that. But there are ways that the enemy can still physically harm, not possess, not own, not inhabit, not cling to, not attach to. He can harm the physical body through material things that already exist within this world. So that would include sickness and someone who's demonically influenced causing harm to a believer. That happens. But sickness can sometimes be demonic. First John 3.8, but when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil who has been sinning since the beginning, but the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. What is the work of the devil? Sickness. Mark 8.16, when the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils, and he cast out the spirits with his word and healed all that were sick. There we see deliverance and healing in hand. Now, sickness is different than demonic influence. They're very different and not everything that applies to demonic influence applies to sickness. That's why the Scripture draws a line between these two. These are not one and the same, but they are similar in some instances. Matthew 10.1, Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. Matthew 9. There was someone who was possessed with a dumb spirit, a deaf and dumb spirit, and when the devil was cast out of him, the dumb spake and the multitudes marveled saying it was never so seen in Israel. So that spirit that prevented him from speaking when it was cast out, he was able to speak. And we see other instances of this in Matthew 12.22, and then Mark 9, which we just referenced where we saw the boy who had seizures, and that was caused by a demonic being. So sickness can be caused by demons. You say, well can demons cause sickness in believers? Yes, because that's an attack they use something that exists in the material world. But again, this is not to be confused with oppression or a curse or possession. There's no ownership, no literal attachment from the demon. It literally is something being used in the material world to attack them in the material world by their physical body. So doubt your healing. Demons can block a healing. Delusions can block a healing. What do I mean by that? I'm talking about misconceptions. People who believe that we shouldn't believe for healing. So delusions like cessationism, this delusion that says that God, for some reason just put his finger on the timeline of human history and said here's where I stop performing miracles. Nothing in the Scripture comes close to describing anything like that. And I don't even see why people even believe something like that. But that type of delusion will keep people from receiving their healing. Why? Because they're stuck in that doctrine. They're stuck in a misconception about that. They'll even say things like, well God heals everyone else, but he won't heal me. Or this was something God gave me because he wants me to have it. Now, again, we're going to talk about the sovereignty of God that's not exactly true. They use reference to John 9.3 where the man, man's sickness was unto the glory of God, but it was his healing that brought God glory, not his sickness. So that's delusion. Some twisted way of seeing the word. Doubt, demons, delusions. Number four, sin. Yes, sin can cause sickness. Again, not popular to say, but we see it. Acts 5, 1-11, Ananias and Sapphira were killed because of their sin. Proverbs 14.30, I don't believe it's metaphoric. I believe that this scripture is talking about physical sickness. Read Proverbs 14.30. 1 Corinthians 11, 27-31 talks about how some who took the communion unworthily became sick and even died. So sin can cause sickness. Now, having said that, because I can already hear some questions that you're asking. You have questions, right? What if it's not doubt? What if the person has faith that they don't have any demonic influence? They believe the word of God as it is written, so there's no delusions and they're not living in any sin that would open a door to sickness. What do you do then? Remember I talked about deducing process of elimination. So if someone's healing is blocked, you're praying for someone and they're just not being healed, find out. Do they have the faith to be healed? Number one. If they do, ask yourself, okay, is this a demonic attack? And in 100% of the cases, if it is demonic, it will go. That's actually one of the tests that it's demonic. If it is demonic in nature, then the sickness will go 100% of the time after rebuking the demon. If not, then it's probably something else. So doubt, demons, and some would say, well, wait a minute, my sickness was demonic. We rebuked the demons and the sickness stayed. Well, then it wasn't demonic. It couldn't have been. Why? Because demons have to obey the authority of Christ and you. So demonic beings can cause sickness. So if it's not the case, what then? Delusions. What do they believe about healing? Maybe they have some twisted view that causes them to believe that God would get angry if they asked for healing or that they shouldn't be healed or that somehow this is what they're stuck with for the rest of their lives. That's another way that the enemy blocks healing. But let's say it's not a delusion. Let's say their view aligns with the word that they're going to believe for their miracle. They believe God can heal them. Then you try to find out is it sin? Is this something you're struggling with? Or do you have some open door that's opening you up to this? Is there some unforgiveness? Unforgiveness causes very, very bad harm to come to your body. That's what unforgiveness does. Is it sin? No. Okay. So what do you do then? If you've eliminated all these. Doubt, demons, delusions and sin. After all that's been eliminated. What do you do? Here's what you do. You have to trust in God's sovereignty. This is not the answer people want. People want to go, wait, wait, wait. That's it? Well, I can only give you what the Scripture gives us. If it's not any of those things that the Scripture lists, then at that point you just have to trust in the sovereignty of God. How do you trust in the sovereignty of God? Here's how. You believe like the miracle is still going to happen. You pray like the miracle still can happen because it can. But at the same time, trust God if it hasn't occurred. So today I believe for my healing but I trust them in my tomorrow. Right now I'm believing for that miracle power to flow and completely break that hold of sickness. If it doesn't manifest right away after you've deduced all of these different possibilities that the Scripture gives us for healing not manifesting, then you say, okay God, I did what I needed to do. I've obeyed your word. I have faith. There's no demonic influence. There's no sin in my life. I believe your word as it's written. I just trust you. You know, there's been times I've been sick and my grandpa, he said it in the sweetest way. Okay, so don't think my grandpa's me. My grandpa's a Holy Spirit filled man. He said it jokingly. It was our humor. Okay, this is our family's humor. He comes up to me. I'm sick and he kind of just chuckled. He goes heal yourself healer and we both just started laughing because it was the funniest thing. I knew what he meant because it's like, you know, we pray for others they get healed and sometimes when we pray for ourselves, it doesn't seem to happen. You know, in those instances, you just got to say, okay, Lord, I trust you. I trust you and sometimes it's more serious sickness and it's harder to trust them then. But what else can we do? The word of God gives us the answers. We're not going to go outside of that. I can't give you more than the word gives us because then I'm just giving you my own understanding. After you've eliminated the possibilities that the scripture gives for miracles not manifesting, then you trust in the sovereignty of God. Any doctrine, please hear me. Any doctrine that doesn't allow for the sovereignty of God is heresy. Now, yes, we have free will, but God's sovereignty has to have a place. It has to have a place. Even in the realm of the supernatural, even in the realm of the miraculous. I mean, I can give you examples of 1 Timothy 5.23. Paul tells him to take a little wine and Timothy had a stomach problem. Why didn't Paul just heal it? It wasn't because the gifts had ceased, miracles were still happening. Rather, this is because in this instance, God didn't heal him in a supernatural way. Acts chapter 3. Think about the man at gate beautiful. Think about the man at gate beautiful. Jesus said he was in the temple every day. Did he not? Jesus passed by this gate all the time. So why wasn't the man healed until Acts chapter 3? It was the timing of God. What about King David? Who in Psalm chapter 6 verses 2 through 3, he was praying for himself, but needed to wait. Psalm 3513. He prayed for his enemies to be healed. They weren't healed. What about when he prayed for his baby, his baby boy? Son wasn't healed. Sometimes the miracle doesn't happen. Now, I know again, not popular to say, but guys, it's in the Bible. We can't live in this world of delusion pretending like these things don't happen. Otherwise, we get stuck in a superstitious bubble and when that bubble bursts, we get angry at God. Yes, believe in miracles. Yes, pray for this. Here's my philosophy. I pray for every sick person like they're going to be healed right now and I fully believe that. And when it doesn't happen, if it doesn't happen, I say, we trust you. And that's all you can do. That's all you can do. I want to pray for you now. I want to pray that there would be an impartation of healing virtue. It's not mine to give. It's the Lord's. The Lord is the one who gives, gives. The Lord is the one who empowers us. It's by the Holy Spirit only. But I want to pray with you that something would be activated in you today. Something would be brought to life that you would begin to see the miracle working power of God operate more potently and more often in your life. If you want that, just type these two words, say, I receive, I receive in the comments, live or on replay, father in the name of Jesus. I lift that one to you now who's asking you to use them as vessels of healing. They're asking you to use them as vessels of healing. And precious Jesus, I pray that you would cause them by your spirit and word to walk in the miraculous. Let that same power which flowed through you flow through them. We thank you, Father, for the resurrection life of God which operates in and through us. We honor you, we bless you, we love you. Come on, just receive it right where you are. I can sense him even now. Some of you are feeling like a heat coming on you. Others are feeling like electric sensations flowing through you. That is the healing. Yes, it's flowing now, now, now, receive it. That is the healing virtue. Something's being activated in you today. Lord, I thank you. Wow. Touch them in Jesus' name. Use them as vessels, Lord. We honor you, we honor you, we love you. Keep praying, keep praying, keep praying. In fact, put your prayer request on the screen. Put your prayer request on the screen. And not only will some of our team members say it, I may see some of them right here live, but people who watch this will also see it. Matthew chapter 6 verse 33 says something powerful. Seek the kingdom of God above all else. Live righteously. He will give you everything you need. Now, it's usually at this point in a live stream in a video, most people at the tail end of videos, that's when they log out. They got the teachings, they're gone. But I want to challenge you to stay whether you're watching live or on replay and hear what I'm about to say to you. Because what I'm about to say to you absolutely transformed my life. I used to struggle financially. There was a season where to buy my ministry team pizza after a taping. Remember those days, Steve? I do. To buy the ministry team a pizza afterward I would be pulling my hair out going, oh my goodness, this pizza is $40 for the whole team. How am I ever going to do this? To seeing what the Lord's doing in His ministry, it's His ministry, I'm just a steward. To seeing all the resources that come in, to see all the projects being completed, to see all the lives more importantly touched, but it takes resources to do what we do. And you know, Jesus said, you can't serve God and mammon. And this is where most believers get stuck in their finances. They think poverty is a virtue. They think the more miserable they are, the more pleased God is with them. And they hold their resources. They hold it tight. And they very, very, very seldom release. That's how I was. But Jesus said, seek first the kingdom of God and live righteously. And then all these things will be added to you. I know we hear things in the news. I know we hear things online. I know we see things in articles that can be scary sometimes. People talk about food shortages and economic collapse and real estate bubbles bursting and you know, the stock market dropping, inflation rising, all these headlines. But if you look back, you'll realize that over the years, there have always been reasons to fear. If you want a reason to fear, just turn on the news. You'll find when I promise you. But there's also always been a reason to have faith. I know sometimes it can be quite scary. And you're wondering about your family. You're wondering about your future. You're wondering about the dreams and visions your ministry that God entrusted to you. And it can become so tempting sometimes to just kind of hoard, stock up, keep everything for yourself. I want to challenge you to resist that urge. Because it's exactly that that leads to more problems. I want to challenge you today to release something sacrificial into this ministry. This is God's ministry. This is the Lord's work. This is for the sake of souls. When you give to this ministry, it's like you're taking your resources and putting them in the hands of Jesus. He was standing before you today physically with his hands out and you were looking him in the eye. What would you put in his hands? Would you tip him a couple bucks like he was some street performer? Would you tell him, Lord, I really can't help you out right now. I have so many other things to worry about. Why? Because you wouldn't do that because he's never held back from you. Why hold back from him? Would you tell him, I can't do something right now, maybe you're some now I'll do something. No, you would do your absolute best. Jesus said, just as you've done it unto the least of these, you've done it unto me. Who are the least of these? These are the lost souls that we're going after. This is his ministry, his project, his work. And I want to challenge you to give and give sacrificially. Give something that requires faith to give. Give something to the Lord because you love him, because you love souls and because you believe in what this ministry is doing. I'm asking all of my friends, supporters, viewers, even first timers, you can participate in this way. I'm asking you to pour your resources collectively, all of us pouring our resources into the gospel so we can expand this ministry and continue to see more saved. Go right now to DavidHernandezMinisteries.com slash donate. Give a general gift. DavidHernandezMinisteries.com A general gift unrestricted just goes generally toward the ministry. But as you know, there's a project we have going on, Project ETV. I'm going to check it right now, actually. And I think we might have some updates for you here. We might have some photos from today. Do we have them, Tim? You can yell at me if so. Okay, so 24% is left to raise on this. You go to DavidHernandezMinisteries.com, you can see this. It was $2.75 million goal. Right now, the progress bar indicates 2.2 million $82,000. That means only 24% remains. And we need it to come in the next month or so to finish this project on time. So I'm asking you, give general gifts to the ministry. And we, as a ministry take from the general account, we put into that project as needed. But give to the ministry, give to the Lord's work, and I'm challenging you to do something that will be a sacrificial gift that will make you go, okay, Lord, this is tough. This is challenging, but it's doable. And I'm asking you to do that right now. DavidHernandezMinisteries.com with a live or on replay. And I know it's easy to disconnect yourself from this. You say, hey, I'm just watching a YouTube video. But this is more than just watching a YouTube video. This is the gathering of believers online. This is something we can all participate in. Here's some photos of some of the construction going on today. This is the director's booth being created. You can see there's a little more progress. They tore out some of that brick. This is the, believe it or not, that's the women's restroom. Don't worry, it's going to look nothing like that when we're done. See, they had to dig through the cement to recreate some of the pipelines there. And then we see more happening here. Look at even more progress on this studio. The materials there for the soundproofing, that's the main section. That's where we're going to be filming, producing, and so forth. And then we have, this is another angle. And please communicate with me on photos where we're at with them any more. The next one is the last one. Here we go. This is the next one. I think that's the entryway that they're working on. So as you can see progress is happening. You're going to see even more progress as time goes on. Guys, we can do this. But it's going to take all of us together selflessly, lovingly supporting the gospel. So do two things. Number one, give your best gift today to the ministry. And number two, pray that God would touch the hearts of people to give sacrificially. There was a woman who said that she was going to sell her red bottom shoes and support this ministry for this project. There was another couple who was going to do something for their house but instead gave to this project. That's the kind of sacrifice that really pleases the Lord. He sees that heart. What does the scripture say? Seek first the kingdom. You take care of God's house. He'll take care of yours. Now I want to recommend something to you. If this teaching blessed you you're going to love how to know you have the gift of healing six important signs. In that teaching, I talk about the biblical indicators that reveal that God has specifically called you to the healing ministry or to operate in a healing gift.