Prayer Meetings

Overview of Prayer Meeting ~ March 1st, 2026 ~ Is It God’s Will To Heal You?

In today’s church prayer meeting, we continued with the booklet entitled, ‘How You Can Be Healed’, by Gordon Lindsay, reading Chapter 3 which is entitled, ‘Is It God’s Will To Heal You?’ We’re putting in the full chapter, and if you’d like your own PDF copy, click on the website at Christ For The Nations and you’ll be able to download it for free. Together with the text from the booklet, we'll also be adding our thoughts to it. You'll be able to see which is of Gordon Lindsay and what we've added. What Gordon Lindsay has written is in "italics". Let the Word of God wash over your mind to be renewed and let faith arise to receive your healing as you read.  

“CHAPTER 3 ~ ls it God's Will to Heal You?

The question that many people ask is not, "Can God heal?" If one believes that God created the human body, he must believe He is surely able to heal it. But the question so many ask is, "Will He heal?" If so, what are the conditions upon which He does it? In answering this question, let us look to the Bible, for only the Scriptures can provide the true answer. We believe that it does give the answer, so clearly that no one should misunderstand it.”

You often hear the term when people aren’t healed that it wasn’t God’s will to heal. But according to scripture, it is always God’s will to heal. If this is not clear in the heart of a Christian, it shows that there is a double-mindedness in them, because according to the Bible, it is His will to heal all.

“A leper came to Jesus not knowing for certain whether it was His will to cleanse him of his leprosy. In his ignorance he said, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean" (Matthew 8:2). At once Jesus proved for all time that it was His will by reaching His hand out and touching the poor leper, saying, "I will; be thou clean."”

“Some people argue that God healed in days of old, but that it is not His will to heal today. Yet those same persons, the moment they become ill, will call the doctor and ask him to cure them. They never say, "Doctor, I think it may not be the Lord's will for me to be well; just let me suffer." You see that although with their lips they say it is not God's will to heal, in their heart they know it is. Otherwise would one not be a hypocrite, claiming to be a Christian, and at the same time trying to get out of the will of God? The Scriptures teach from the beginning that it is God's will to heal. No sooner had God redeemed His people from Egypt than He gave them the covenant of healing. He actually made healing a law! "There he made for them a statute and an ordinance and there he proved them" (Exodus 15:25). He even went further than that. He told them that if they obeyed His statutes and His commandments, they would not get sick: "And said. If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy Gad. and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee" (Exodus 15:26).”

The book of the Psalms is the great inspirational book of the Bible. It tells us not to forget all God's benefits: "Bless the Lord, 0 my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases." (Psalm 103:1-3).

Many people remember the benefit of salvation, but they overlook that of healing. As a result they may suffer sickness and pain, all because they have not known this great benefit. Another promise has been given to us in the Old Testament, saying of those who put their trust in God, "... neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling" (Psalm 91:10).

Centuries later when Jesus began His ministry, He preached one of His first sermons in His home city of Nazareth, and this was the text He used: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering the sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19).

Jesus not only healed the sick, but committed that same ministry to His disciples. "And they went out, and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them" (Mark 6:12-13).

And later when He gave them the Great Commission, He included the promise of healing to all believers in Mark 16:16-18: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

The Great Commission in the Gospel of Mark is less quoted by those who do not believe in healing, tongues, signs and wonders but will instead use the Gospel of Matthew which only mentions to go into the world and preach the gospel, but doesn’t reference signs, wonders etc.

The promise was not only for the apostles, but it is still valid today for them that believe. Notice the words of Christ in Matthew 28:19-20:"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever l have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."

The Ordinance of Divine Healing Given to the Church

Just as God gave a statute and an ordinance of healing to the church in the wilderness, so God gave a command authorizing the ministry of healing in the church of the New Testament. "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:14-16).

The remarkable thing is that in no place in the Scriptures is there the slightest hint that God's command for praying for the sick has ever been revoked. And in the fulfillment of His Word and promise, He is just the same today as in the days of yore.

But what about doctors? We would not reflect in any way against the medical profession, which has done a great work in alleviating the ills of humanity. After God gave Israel the covenant of healing, He also taught them health laws and appointed certain ones to administer those laws. The world needs specially trained men to teach people the proper care of their bodies. Christ did not criticize those who cared for the sick and wounded (Luke 10:34). He said that those who are sick have need of a physician (Matthew 9:12). Mothers for example need special care at the time of the birth of their children.

All thoughtful persons appreciate the value of help that trained personnel can give to the sick. But doctors can go only so far. Even they will confess they can only assist nature.

In His graciousness God has given us the assurance of a well body if we accept His Word. An assurance no less definite than the promise He has given us of health for our soul.

It’s conclusive then, that it is God’s will to heal and if a person doesn’t get healed, it’s not that it wasn’t God’s will. That’s not who He is. There are unique situations where people grieve the Holy Spirit and even then, it was their sin that opened the door to receive the sentence of death. It wasn’t God’s will, it was their disobedience that opened the door.

There are things that cause people to not receive healing, and we’ll get into that in Chapter 4. It’s very important that we get this message of healing deep into our heart because it will be challenged. What father or mother would not want to see their child healed? How much more our heavenly Father wants to see you healed. Matthew 20:8-11 says; “8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” Healing is a good gift.

We read again what was said at the beginning; ““Some people argue that God healed in days of old, but that it is not His will to heal today. Yet those same persons, the moment they become ill, will call the doctor and ask him to cure them. They never say, "Doctor, I think it may not be the Lord's will for me to be well; just let me suffer." You see that although with their lips they say it is not God's will to heal, in their heart they know it is.”  

Everybody wants to be healthy and live long, that’s how God ordained it. If we’re really honest with ourselves, a person who is not healed is making decisions in some way, shape or form, that are going contrary to God’s will in their lives, and the door is opened then for the devil to come in and kill, steal and destroy. And that action may be hidden in the heart and not seen or heard of by man, but because God knows the motives and intents of the heart, He sees what doors have been opened.

Why is it so important that it is settled in our hearts that it is God’s will to heal? Because that is truth and it’s the number one tactic of the devil to lie about the very character and nature of God that it isn’t His will. If the devil can discredit and lie about the truth of the Word of God and what Jesus did on the cross, he gains access to their minds and people are ensnared by unbelief regarding healing.

John 10:10 says; “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

We all know Revelation 1:8, where it says; “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

So since He was – and He healed all who were afflicted by the devil -  and who is, that means He still is doing the same as He did, and He is to come, it shows that He hasn’t changed regarding what He purchased on the cross where 1 Peter 2:24 says; “by whose stripes you were healed”.

What causes Christians to not believe in healing? What benefit is there to believe like that? It might be because of their personal image – they might look foolish to pray for someone and then they’re not healed. It may be pride, thinking that you look ridiculous to outsiders that you’re walking by faith and not by sight. The reality is, it has nothing to do with our image, how we look or what people may even say about us. It has everything to do with what the Bible says. We’ve often said that we’d rather see someone die trying to get healed by Jesus and believing in His word, than not.

To summarize then, if someone is not getting healed does that change what God said in His word? No. As was said earlier from Mark 16:16-18 where it says: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

It always has been God’s will to heal and still is His will. Regardless of not seeing the manifestation of healing does not negate what Jesus did on the cross. As good of, or righteous or nice and benevolent the person is who doesn’t get healed, doesn’t change the Bible. It’s interesting that the same ones who say that healing stopped with the apostles, still believe that salvation is for all who are lost. It’s contradictory that one stopped and the other didn’t.  

Unfortunately our society has become very dependent only on the medical system and pharmaceuticals that they’ll turn to them first instead of to the one who made them and knows them intricately. We see that Jesus didn’t go to Lazarus while he was still sick, and when He did arrive, Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Jesus was not late but right on time and His healing and deliverance came right on time.

As we said earlier, in the next chapter we’ll look at some of the reasons why people aren’t healed.

In our prayer meeting today, we continued to pray for the family member in the hospital. Interestingly though, as we were going in to see him in the morning, we met two others who were leaving after their visit and they encouraged us to turn around and not to see him because he was resting. Our faith was being tested; do we listen to their report or the Lord’s report. We went in and sat there reading the Word of God to him, even while he was sleeping, because the Word is still alive even if a person is sleeping! Even as we were reading the word over him regarding healing, the spirit of unbelief and doubt had to leave the room.

As always in church services, we closed by taking communion, acknowledging the power of the blood of Jesus and the bread which symbolizes His body.

In today’s church prayer meeting, we continue with the booklet entitled, ‘How You Can Be Healed’, by Gordon Lindsay, reading Chapter 2 which is entitled, ‘Why Does God Heal?’ We’re putting in the full chapter, and if you’d like your own PDF copy, click on the website at Christ For The Nations and you’ll be able to download it for free. Together with the text from the booklet, we'll also be adding our thoughts to it. You'll be able to see which is of Gordon Lindsay and what we've added. What Gordon Lindsay has written is in "italics". Let the Word of God wash over your mind to be renewed and let faith arise to receive your healing as you read.

Before we start reviewing it though, we spent the day in prayer, praying for various people and situations. As mentioned last week, we have a family member with terminal cancer, so we focused a lot on praying for him and at the end of this overview, we’ll share what happened at the end of the day in which we saw a wonderful answer to prayer. So church started with a time or worship as we always do because we know that worship opens our hearts to receive all that God has for us as we focus totally on the Lord, and as Psalm 145:3 says, “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.”

We sense that this teaching is timely, as there are so many Christians suffering with sickness and teaching on healing is scarce in churches. So we’re taking a bit of a break from The Holy War series to focus on healing.

(“CHAPTER II ~ Gordon Lindsay

Why Does God Heal?

Christ Heals Because of Compassion

If Christ heals the sick today, why does He heal, and on what terms does He do it? He heals because of His compassion. Matthew 14:14 declares that when the multitude brought their sick to Him, He "was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick." When the two blind men came to Him crying out for mercy, the Lord "had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him" (Matt. 20:34).

Healing Is the Children's Bread

Notice again the words that Christ spoke to the heathen lady. He said, "Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and cast it to the dogs" (Mark 7:27). The point to be made is that when one becomes a child of God, he does not have to beg for deliverance, for healing is "the children's bread."

Are you a child of God? Then you have the right to receive healing. If you are not, then you can become one this moment by asking Jesus Christ to come into your heart. Divine healing is not a luxury to be enjoyed by the favored few, but all the children of the Lord by virtue of their position in Christ, have the right to receive this blessing.”)

If you’re not a born again Christian and Jesus is not Lord of your life, you’re not a child of God and are still in the kingdom of darkness, regardless of how good of a person you are and that you may even believe in God, but haven’t repented of your sins and received Jesus as Lord of your life. What makes you a child of God is being born of His Spirit. That is what makes you entitled to or have a right to healing and His covenant, and that healing is your bread. Many people ‘believe’ in Jesus but haven’t ‘received’ Him to make Him Lord of their lives. When Jesus said that healing is the children’s bread, He was referring to Himself, as He is the bread of life, and as we partake in communion, we break the bread and eat it which symbolizes His body that was broken for us. Jesus also said that He was the bread that came down from heaven.

(“Healing Was Prophesied in the Atonement of Christ ~ Gordon Lindsay

Why does Christ heal the sick and the afflicted? Because healing is in the Atonement. Isaiah the prophet, looking forward to the coming of the Messiah, declared, "Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted" (Isaiah 53:4). The Spirit of prophecy interprets this Scripture in a remarkable way. Jesus had healed Peter's mother-in-law to the wonder of the people. Then as evening came and the Sabbath was over, a multitude brought their sick to be delivered; Jesus healed them all for the reason given in the following passage of Scripture:

"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: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sickness" (Matt. 8:16, 17).”)

Even though this scripture does not say the mentally ill, we know that many who are mentally ill are possessed with the devil who need Christians to cast the devil out so they can be set free and healed.

(“Thus we are clearly told that Christ healed because He, at Calvary, bore the sicknesses as well as the sins of the human race. This is not a human interpretation of Isaiah's prophecy, but one given by the Spirit of God. The following verse in Isaiah carries out the thought even more fully. It says, "With his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).”) ~ Gordon Lindsay

Isaiah 53:1-5 says; “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no [a]form or [b]comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no [c]beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and [d]rejected by men, A Man of [e]sorrows and acquainted with [f]grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our [g]griefs And carried our [h]sorrows; Yet we [i]esteemed Him stricken, [j]Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded[k] for our transgressions, He was [l]bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes[m] we are healed.”

(“Since divine healing is, therefore, in the Atonement, it is as much a part of our inheritance as is pardon from sin. Indeed all spiritual blessings we receive, whether salvation, healing, or whatever, are obtained through the Atonement of Christ and not through our personal merits.”) ~ Gordon Lindsay

Again, you have to be born again to be able to enter into the atonement part of God’s healing for your life. That doesn’t mean though that He doesn’t heal those who are not born again, but what we’re saying that as a true Christian, you have a right to healing. What many don’t acknowledge and realize, is that just as salvation is theirs, so is healing. It’s the same part and parcel, it goes hand in hand. Just as He forgives sin, He heals our bodies. The crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus redeemed everything the devil stole when sin entered the world. All we have to do is receive it by faith as Ephesians 2:8 says; “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”

(“Christ Heals to Reveal the Father’s Glory ~ Gordon Lindsay

It has been supposed by many that God sends sickness on His children to reveal His glory. Just the contrary is true. Sickness and disease have caused many to question the providence of God. On the other hand, when healing took place, the people glorified God:

"... and he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel" (Matthew 15:30-31).”)

This also shows God’s love and mercy to the unsaved, that as they are healed, they will glorify Him and even give their lives over to Him. We also know that people can get healed by God’s mercy and grace that He’s shown them, but they don’t turn their lives over to Him and be born again.  

(“Christ Heals to Prove His Mission ~ Gordon Lindsay

Christ also heals that He might prove His mission to the world. He said to the Jews, "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in Him" (John 10:37-38).  

A widow in the town of Zarephath was persuaded that the prophet Elijah was a true man of God when he revived and healed her child (I Kings 17:24).

In the Great Commission, the healing of the sick in the name of Jesus was to be one of the signs of true believers (Mark 16:17). Some have inferred that Christ's deity has been so fully proved that miracles are no longer needed today. As if the whole world now believed in Christ! The sad fact is that there are hundreds of millions of people living today who do not know Jesus as their Saviour. The power of the supernatural to confirm the claims of Christ is needed more now than ever before.

Why does Christ heal today? He heals because it is His nature to heal. He heals because it is His purpose to destroy the works of the devil (Acts 10:38 and I John 3:8). He heals so that the sick one, made well, can serve Him in the joy of salvation. He heals that the well one made whole may go out in the harvest field and work for Him.”)

Acts 10:38 says; “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” 

1 John 3:8 says; “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

Mark 16:15-18 NASB says;“15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 The one who has believed and has been baptized will be saved; but the one who has not believed will be condemned. 17 These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

You could read this scripture by saying; true believers will cast out demons, true believers will speak with new tongues, true believers will take up serpents (if they have to because of dangerous situations, like Paul when the viper jumped out of the fire and latched on to him and he shook it off), true believers if they happen to drink anything poisonous it will not harm them, true believers will lay hands on the sick. What Jesus is saying here is that there are signs that will follow the preaching of the gospel by true believers. Some may be really offended with this, and maybe that’s why when the great commission is preached, preachers won’t use this passage from Mark, but will preach from Matthew only.

So when you hear Christians say that they believe, you can then look for fruit in their lives which Mark says. According to the Bible then and what Jesus said, signs, wonders, tongues, healings should all follow the preaching of the gospel in the life of every Christian. Many could be offended with that. If so, then their offended with what Jesus clearly said. We’ve said this before, true believers go to church, true believers walk in forgiveness, true believers will have the manifestations of the Holy Spirit operating in their lives. We know this is a tough scripture because it confronts the non-Spirit filled churches and people, that claim to be born again believers yet no signs or wonders follow the preaching of the gospel. Remember, what Jesus is saying in Mark 16 is even before the day of Pentecost.

You might ask then, why aren’t people healed when you pray for them? We’ll talk about that in the following chapters but two things might be a reason why; 1) unforgiveness and 2) unrepented sin. Remember that God is holy and healing is not a wand that is waved for whatever reason. As a matter of fact Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they were always looking for a sign, yet when they saw the signs, they still didn’t believe in Him as Messiah.

Some people don’t believe enough to repent of their sins and receive Jesus as Lord of their lives and then receive His healing into their bodies. You might ask then, who’s fault is it if someone isn’t healed? There are a lot of dynamics there, but we’ll look into that in the next weeks. What we do know for sure from today’s reading is that as a true born again Christian, healing is fully available for you and was purchased for you at the cross as 1 Peter 2:24 says; “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.”

Even if there is no one to lay hands on you to pray the prayer of faith, you can lay hands on yourself and declare the Word of God regarding healing over your body. Countless Christians throughout the last 2000 years have done that, it’s our privileged and it is our bread. Even if it’s mental illness where the devil is trying to attack you with depression or oppression, you have the authority to break his assignments and be delivered and healed.

During our church prayer time, we prayed for those who are true believers, according to what we read, that they would start walking in what Jesus commanded them to walk in regarding what Mark 16 says. We took authority over the demonic that has blinded the minds of even those who say they’re Christians, yet they deny and won’t walk in the supernatural.

After church, Marjorie visited the family member that has terminal cancer who was not a true believer in Jesus. Upon seeing them in the hospital, it was apparent that fear and confusion had gripped their heart due to the doctors report. Again, Marjorie spoke about the need of salvation more than anything else in their life. We had been praying for decades for their salvation and they finally saw that they truly needed to be born again. They went from a ‘believer’ to a ‘receiver’ of the Holy Spirit. What a praise report and beautiful thing to see Jesus fill their life with eternal life! We continue to speak the word of healing over them, because with God, nothing is impossible, amen.  

In today’s prayer meeting, in light of a situation that we have a family member in the hospital with terminal cancer, we started to reread this booklet on healing and we want to introduce you to it. It really gives the clear answer as to where sickness and diseases come from, and how a person can receive their healing. We decided to put in the full chapter, and if you’d like your own copy, click on the website at Christ For The Nations and you’ll be able to download it for free. What Gordon Lindsay has written is in "italics" and what we have written is not.  Let the Word of God wash over your mind to be renewed and let faith arise to receive your healing as you read.

(“How You Can Be Healed – by Gordon Lindsay

CHAPTER I

The General Cause of Sickness

In seeking a cure for sickness and disease which has so plagued mankind, it is important to learn something of the cause and origin of this scourge of the human race. Where do sickness and disease come from? Does God send them, or does the enemy of God, Satan? Let us make the question even broader. Just what is the reason for so much pain and misery in the world?

The great tide of sickness and its attendant misery, despite all our human efforts, still overwhelms mankind and indicates fundamentally that  the effective method of combating it, has not been discovered as far as the world is concerned. The fact is, as we shall see, the cause of sickness is of a spiritual nature; therefore, the best cure to organic and mental disease is spiritual.

When the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, were created and placed in the Garden of Eden, they possessed perfect, though mortal bodies. They did not have eternal life— only mortal life. In the midst of the Garden, God planted the Tree of Life which symbolized immortality. Had Adam and Eve not rebelled against God, it is probable that in time they would have been permitted to partake of the fruit of that tree and become immortal. Their disobedience brought sin into the world, and with sin, death came upon them and their posterity (Romans 5:12). The day that our first parents disobeyed God was the day they began to die.

Sin which came into the world, therefore, is directly or indirectly the cause of death and sickness. For example, the child of a drunkard suffers for the sin of his parent. A child of a mother with social disease may be born blind. Nevertheless, as Jesus said, many times the sickness may not be the result of the sin of either the afflicted person or his parents (John 9:3). The cause may still be further back. Obviously if Adam and Eve had not sinned, there would be no sickness in the world.

Our bodies are so made that normally they resist disease. If this were not so, the race would soon be destroyed. But if for any reason the natural defenses of the body are weakened, disease has a good chance to secure a foothold. Undue physical strain, failure to take care of the body properly, or just plain sin may weaken its natural resistance, so that disease may get the upper hand. There is always a cause. Proverbs 26:2 declares: "The curse causeless shall not come." The indirect cause of all sickness in the human race is sin. Although there may be other contributing factors. This is plain from the Holy Scriptures in Deuteronomy 28:15, 22, 27, 28; "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments ... The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflamation, and with extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew ... The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart."

Jesus Christ the Son of God identified sickness with sin when He said to a man sick with the palsy, "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee" (Mark 2:5). The Early Church recognized the connection between sin and sickness. In James 5:13-15 the command is given for the elders to pray for the sick, and we are told that "the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." James urged in the verse that follows to "confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.

Satan, The Originator of Sickness

The question may arise as to where disease itself came from. The answer the Bible gives is that Satan, the evil one, is the author of disease. 

In the story of Job we are told that God built an invisible hedge around him so that the devil could not touch him. But for reasons we cannot go into here, one day God withdrew His protection, and permitted Satan to afflict him with painful boils. Notice that although God gave the permission, it was actually Satan who laid the boils on Job.

"So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown"(Job 2:7).

It was God who answered Job's cry and healed him. There is also the case of the woman with the infirmity whom Jesus healed. This woman had been oppressed for eighteen years with a spirit of infirmity. Jesus revealed the cause of her sickness in His conversation with the religious rulers. It was Satan who had bound the woman.

"And ought not his woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?" (Luke 13:16).

Note again when Peter was speaking of Christ, he connected the ministry of healing with deliverance from Satanic oppression: "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him" (Acts 10:38).

Thus we see that healing was in effect, liberating people from the oppression of the devil. Nor is this just poetic language. As we witness and study the miracles of our Lord, we often find that evil spirits were involved in the cause of the sickness. These had to be cast out before the person could get well. The Bible speaks of deaf spirits, dumb spirits, insane spirits, infirm spirits, deceiving spirits, seducing spirits, lying spirits, familiar spirits, a spirit of divination, perverse spirits, wicked spirits, unclean spirits and foul spirits. All of these have different ways of afflicting or deceiving people.

Satan's power over people varies with the individual. In many cases he merely oppresses them. Thousands of Christians are oppressed by the enemy simply because they have not learned to take their authority in Christ and rebuke him. The devil cannot actually possess a true Christian, but he can oppress him. Believers must learn to rise up in the name of Jesus and take dominion over the oppressor.

On the other hand there are, unfortunately, more people than we like to believe who are actually demon-possessed. Some become completely controlled by Satan—one cause of insanity. Such persons have no power of their own to exercise faith for deliverance. They are as the demon possessed man whom Jesus met in the tombs (Mark 5:1-19); unless somebody exercises faith for them, they may never recover.

Some want deliverance from the sickness, but not from their sins. We must remember that the promise is a two-fold cure from a two-fold curse. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases" (Psalm 103:2, 3). The promise calls for deliverance from sin first then deliverance from sickness.

When Hezekiah, King of Israel, was sick unto death he turned his face to the wall and prayed. God heard his prayer and said, "I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up to the house of the Lord" (II Kings 20:5). Some people in seeking healing have little thought of serving the Lord afterward, but not Hezekiah. On the third day after his deliverance, he went up to the house of the Lord and worshipped God for his great deliverance.

Jesus healed an impotent man who lay 38 years in an absolutely helpless condition at the pool of Bethesda. Afterwards, the Lord said to him, "Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee" (John 5:14). Certainly Jesus made it plain that continuance in sin might lead to a worse condition (see Luke 11:24-26). Here is an intimation that this man's affliction was possibly caused by previous sin in his life.

A heathen woman came to Christ for the deliverance of her daughter who was possessed of a devil. The Lord pitied the poor woman and indeed had compassion on her. But He realized that she was not yet ready. There are some who would have the minister pray at once for everybody and anybody who want healing. But Jesus did not always grant healing at the same moment in which it was asked.

The Lord did not answer the woman at once. She plead for His help, "but he answered not a word." Why? She had addressed Him as "thou son of David." As the "son of David," He could not help her. Being recognized only as a man He could do nothing for her. Nevertheless, she tried again. "Lord help me," she cried. This time Jesus spoke to her. Yet His answer seemed a denial of her request. He said, "It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs" (Matt. 15:26). Could she bear such a test? She could and did. She determined that her daughter would be healed. She would not take no for an answer. In deep humility she accepted the Lord's words and actually made it an argument for the deliverance of her daughter! She said, "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table." The Lord, marveling at her faith then answered her prayer. He told her to go her way, that her daughter was healed. Salvation had come to that home.” ~ By Gordon Lindsay

It’s important to highlight what was said; “Some want deliverance from the sickness, but not from their sins.” The Lord is very concerned about a persons salvation as Jesus says this about Himself in John 3:18-21; “ 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

Come into the light of Jesus Christ, be saved and be healed. Amen.  

Pastor Richard and Marjorie ~ Bondslaves of Jesus Christ

Overview of Prayer Meeting ~ January 18th, 2026 ~ How To Receive The Holy Spirit

For the past three church prayer meetings, we’ve been going through Gordon Lindsay’s booklet, How to Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, where we read Chapter 1 & 2. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, go to this link and receive a free copy of it. How To Receive The Baptism In The Holy Spirit. Today we’ll be reviewing Chapter 3, not verbatim but a synopsis of scriptures and portions of it.

Let’s start by reading from Acts 2:38-39; “38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”  

You could say that today, in 2026, we are still those, who are afar off, some 2000 years after the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit is still being poured out on all flesh. One does not need to attain a certain level of spirituality to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. We need this baptism to do what we can not in our own strength. One cannot bear the fruits or have the gifts of the Holy Spirit if we do not have the Holy Spirit, and we cannot do enough works to earn this baptism because it is a gift, as Luke 11:13 says; “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”  

“God gave the Holy Spirit to His people on the day of Pentecost. His part in the matter is finished. The Holy Spirit is ready to come into any vessel that will receive Him. He does not come in because we have reached a high state of attainment. He comes in because He wants to provide us the way by which we can press toward our higher goals and callings.” ~ Gordon Lindsay

Preparation To Receive The Holy Spirit

Even though spiritual perfection is not needed, preparation is. There must be a hunger, reverence, and a sincere love for God. Just as teaching and understanding is needed for salvation and healing, so basic instruction is needed to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Bring Forth Fruits of Repentance

Acts 2:38 says; “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

“People may not have victory over all their bad habits, but they can give up loving them. In each one’s heart, he can turn from what he knows to be evil. Anyone who still loves the world is not ready to receive the Holy Spirit; instead, he should be a candidate for repentance.” ~ Gordon Lindsay

John the Baptist preached repentance in preparation for Jesus’ public ministry as Luke 3:16 says; “John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” 

Prepare the Way of the Lord

John the Baptist also taught that men were to “Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight” Luke 3:4.

Just as we prepare our hearts for salvation, so we must prepare our hearts for the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

“Men cannot change their own nature themselves, but they can repent of their sins. It is not just a matter of being able to make yourself better; the important thing is that there is a deep desire to draw closer to God. God is looking for people who really want Him, not just His blessings” ~ Gordon Lindsay

Receiving The Holy Spirit Instantly

As much as we understand that our hearts must be prepared, we also know that men can and should receive the Holy Spirit instantly, even after conversion. We read that the Apostle Paul received the Holy Spirit when Ananias laid hands on him three days after Jesus’ appearing to him. Cornelius’ heart was prepared and ready to receive the baptism because his prayers and alms had come as a memorial before God, Acts 10:4.  And when Peter prayed for him, the Holy Spirit fell on his whole household and they all spoke in tongues and were then water baptized, Acts 10:44-48.

“It is important that a man’s soul is opened up to receiving the Holy Spirit before his attention is focused on the speaking in other tongues.” ~ Gordon Lindsay

The Difference Between the Old Testament and the New Testament Experiences

John 14:16-17 says; “16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another [a]Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

“From this verse, we can see that the disciples had the Spirit before Pentecost. John 20:22 declares that Jesus “breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” There is no doubt, prior to this, they had the Holy Spirit in measure. However, it was not the full measure. The Holy Spirit was with them, but on the Day of Pentecost, He came and dwelt in them. When He came, it was not temporarily, as in Old Testament days, nor was it until death, but it was forever!” ~ Gordon Lindsay

The Other Difference – The Speaking in Other Tongues

We’ve shared this scripture from Isaiah 28:11-12 many times in our teaching on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Isaiah prophesied about speaking in other tongues, which was not manifested in the Old Testament but would be in the New. It says; “11 For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, 12 To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”.

“The speaking in other tongues is not just a sign, nor something added on to the baptism; it is an essential part of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. One may receive the Spirit as in Old Testament times without the speaking in other tongues, but he does not have the full baptism. The fact is there are two important phases of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.” ~ Gordon Lindsay

A Crucial Point

“Many individuals have received a wonderful anointing of the Spirit, and yet, if they still have not received the full emersion, all they need is some instruction on yielding their tongue. Often, when properly instructed, these people within a few minutes burst forth in a clear language, even though they may have been seeking the baptism for years.”

This really is a crucial point. Many will say that they’ve been baptized in the Holy Spirit, but they just don’t speak in tongues. This primarily comes from lack of knowledge of the word of God, because as we’ve studied, tongues is the evidence of the baptism. When one is willing and yielded to the Lord having a humble heart, and understands that God wants to use their tongues to speak to Him directly, they will receive. It is a full emersion as mentioned above.

Summing Up

"1. God is not restricted to a time and place or by a particular method when He pours out His Spirit. The laying on of hands, apparently, was the most common way in apostolic times. Likewise, in Old Testament days, this same method was used. Moses laid hands on Joshua that he might receive the Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 34:9).

2. Prayer and heart-searching is indicated as important steps before receiving the Holy Spirit. The 120 “all continued … in prayer and supplication” before the Holy Spirit fell on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:14). The apostles prayed for the Samaritans before they laid hands on them (Acts 8:15). Cornelius’ prayers and fasting came up us a memorial to God before the angel was dispatched to give instructions, whereby the Holy Spirit fell upon his household (Acts 10:2-4). Paul was permitted to spend three days in prayer and fasting before hands were laid upon him to receive the Holy Spirit.

3. We do not overlook the fact that many, especially in these last days, receive with very little instruction. Yet, we are told to “lay hands suddenly on no man.” Hypocrites, such as Simon the sorcerer, should be detected and eliminated or else brought to repentance, before hands are laid upon them (Acts 8:18-24).

4. When the simple, scriptural conditions are met, hands may be laid upon the candidates, and they will receive instantly.

5. As a final thought, some people have spoken in tongues and received a comparatively light anointing of the Spirit. The reason may be that their faith is weak, or it may be that they did not have a deep hunger in their heart for the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). As the heart hungers for the fullness of God, it will surely be filled.” ~ Gordon Lindsay

In light of this teaching, we prayed specifically for individuals that are sincerely desiring to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, that they would prepare themselves or that God would stir them up to receive this baptism. We prayed for those who have listened to erroneous doctrine about the baptism and tongues, that the lies and deception would be broken off of them.

There are people who hunger after God, after Jesus Christ and after the Holy Spirit. If you are one of them, prepare your heart to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, and you will be refreshed, built up and edified and have your personal prayer language to pray to your Heavenly Father.

Pastor Richard and Marjorie ~ Bondslaves of Jesus Christ

On November 30th of this year, the prayer meeting consisted of going through Gordon Lindsay’s booklet, How to Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, where we read Chapter 1. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, go to this link and receive a free copy of it. How To Receive The Baptism In The Holy Spirit. Today we’ll be reviewing Chapter 2.

The gift of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is exactly that, a gift to all Christians by our Heavenly Father. It’s something you don’t want to reject.

This Christmas season, we have to be grateful for this gift, not only the birth of Jesus, His death, resurrection, the sending of the Holy Spirit to comfort us and to be born again, but also that we might be filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

This gift, we could figuratively say, is under the Christmas tree for you.  In some Christian circles it is rejected, it’s the gift that in some peoples minds is like, ‘not wanted’, ‘embarrassing’ or a gift that is ‘regifted’. We’ve all received those kind of gifts under the tree, and pride kicks in and you think, why open it, I know what it is, it’s something I don’t want. You’ve rejected it before you’ve opened it. How many Christians today, if they’re honest, have rejected the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, yet they haven’t even opened up the gift of the Father. It’s the gift that’s given all year round, not just at Christmas. Jesus says in Luke 11:11-13; “ 11 If a son asks for [e]bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”  

Chapter 2 ~ Speaking in Other Tongues (this won’t be verbatim, it’s just an overview)

Scriptural evidence will show that speaking in tongues is the evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. 

1. Acts 2:4 says, “And they [the 120 Christians including Christ’s own mother and His brothers (Acts 1:14)] were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

2. Acts 8:17, 18, “17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,” What did he see? He saw them speaking in other tongues.

3. Acts 9:17; “And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord [a]Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Hands were laid on Saul to receive the Holy Spirit and we know according to 1 Corinthians 14:18 that Saul (Paul), spoke in tongues more than all.

4. Acts 10:46, “For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.” Peter heard these Gentiles, Cornelius and his house, speak in tongues.

5.Acts 19:6;“6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.” This speaks for itself. Close to 30 years after Pentecost, the baptism in the Holy Spirit was still being received by Christians – Jew and Gentile.

So what is God’s purpose for speaking in tongues and the reason for this manifestation?

Why Speaking in Tongues is Important

Many Christians might not disagree that speaking in other tongues is scriptural, yet they’ll say it’s not important or it’s not needed for today. 

Here are some points that reiterate that it is important.

1. The speaking in other tongues is the “rest” and the “refreshing” promised from the Lord. This was prophesied hundreds of years before the Day of Pentecost.  “For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people. To whom He said, ‘with which you may cause the weary to rest;’ and ‘This is the refreshing:’ yet they would not hear” (Isaiah 28:11, 12).

How many need rest and refreshing? No one can say they don’t. Even at Christmas, you can take a holiday, rest, eat, sleep in, it’s filled with fun and family and at the end, you need another holiday to rest and recuperate after the first one. That’s why all the New Year’s resolutions...especially weight loss. Not that these things aren’t important, but that’s not where true spiritual rest and refreshing come from. True rest and refreshing, will happen to you spirit, soul and body. The presence of the Holy Spirit in your life as a result of speaking in tongues brings that true rest and refreshing. The Holy Spirit who gives the utterance of tongues, is the rest.

Sometimes you’ll wake up in the middle of the night and can’t sleep, but when you start praying in tongues, Holy Spirit will pray what you need and even though you might have lost minutes or hours of sleep, you’ll be more refreshed when you wake up in the morning. It’s a supernatural refreshing of the Holy Spirit, it’s not a natural refreshing that comes from food, sleep, holidays, beaches etc., and even those are nice, they cannot match the rest that Holy Spirit will give you.

“However, speaking in other tongues alone is not why there is “rest” and “refreshing.” You experience “rest” and “refreshing” because of the Presence of the Holy Spirit inside of you and speaking through you. This manifestation and Presence of the Holy Spirit is what actually becomes the great blessing, the great “rest,” and the great “refreshing.” This is another proof that the infilling of the Holy Spirit is accompanied with the speaking in other tongues, for the latter could not be the “refreshing” unless it were accompanied by the Presence of the Spirit. That’s why Peter, immediately after the Day of Pentecost, when the Early Church was in the flow of its great Pentecostal experience, called the Jews to repent and receive the blessing in “the time of refreshing … from the presence of the Lord.” “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).” Gordon Lindsay

2. In the Great Commission, Christ said that believers should speak in other tongues.

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues’” Mark 16:15-17.

These signs are to follow all those that believe. You can be a Christian and not believe nor receive. None of these commandments can be taken out, removed or cast aside. They’re all equal in their significance. You can be a believer and not believe in healing the sick, or casting out demons or any signs that Jesus said are to follow those who believe in Him. Speaking in tongues is in the same category as healing the sick and casting out demons.

3. He that speaks in other tongues “speaks to God.”

In this verse, Paul declares that a man who speaks in an unknown tongue speaks to God!

Many people wonder or question God’s purpose for speaking in other languages. Here is one reason, sufficient it is, even if it were the only one. He, who speaks in an unknown tongue, speaks unto God! " ~ Gordon Lindsay

4. The believer who speaks in tongues edifies himself.

“He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church” (1 Corinthians 14:4).

"This statement is one that a man on the outside usually does not understand. He hears someone speak in tongues, and he cannot see any blessings in it. This is not surprising, for the Apostle Paul declares that the speaking in other tongues is not for the purpose of edifying the listener. For this reason, Paul taught that speaking in tongues in the assembly, unless accompanied by interpretation, was to be discouraged (1 Corinthians 14:6).

The fact is that speaking in other tongues, except in special instances, is not designed to edify the listener. The speaking in other tongues is a spiritual exercise designed to edify the speaker. Paul said, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself” (vs. 4). The fact that the apostle was sincere in this statement is reflected in his statement, “I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all.”

Naturally, until a person speaks in tongues, he cannot understand how it can be a blessing to him or how he is edified by it. Once he receives the Holy Spirit, he finds the experience carries with it a rich spiritual blessing. It is a supernatural experience that he never forgets." ~ Gordon Lindsay

5. One may pray in the Spirit through an unknown tongue.

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26, 27).

No matter the trials of life, what the New Year will bring and whatever your cares are that come from real life experience with the devil sowing fear, doubt and unbelief. When that happens, you pray in tongues and you’ll pray God’s perfect will. There is an anti-Christ agenda in the world and at Christmas in particular the devil ramps up and tries to steal the Christ-child out of you, to steal God’s promises, to get you to be discouraged, despondent and not even hopeful for a future and to shut down your prayer life. In those times you’re to pray in tongues over the situations and praying the perfect will of the Father.

“How does the Spirit pray through us? We may be sure the Spirit seeks to help us, whatever is the manner in which we pray. This, however, is not what the Apostle is speaking about here. It is evident he is referring to prayer in the Spirit, through an unknown tongue. In such case, the Holy Spirit prays through the believer. Now, Paul says he will pray with the Spirit and with his understanding – both ways. It is good to pray with understanding, but it is also good to pray with the Spirit. When we are at a loss for words to express ourselves in prayer, the Spirit will, in the unknown tongues, take the need and lift it up to God.” ~ Gordon Lindsay  

The Holy Spirit knows all things and He knows God’s heart. It is not an accident that the great promise in Romans 8:28 follows the promise found in Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God””.

This promise speaks of the Holy Spirit as the intercessor within us. With the Holy Spirit praying through us, all things are bound to work for our good. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to [His] purpose” (Romans 8:28).

6. Speaking in tongues is a gift to the Church.

“Apart from the private use of the gift is its purpose in the assembly, although not all believers will manifest the gift in public. Before it can be used in public, it must first be used in private. The gifts of the Spirit are truly needed.

We must not allow this gift to cease in the Church, although it must operate in accordance with the instructions laid down in 1 Corinthians 14.  A Christian may not have any other public ministry than this gift and their usefulness in the church increases with the interpretation of tongues, which would be equal to the prophetic utterance. The manifestation of these gifts helps confirm the people of God and assists in preparing them for the Coming of Christ.” ~ Gordon Lindsay

With this teaching in mind, as a church we prayed for various needs in our community, the church and personal needs. We prayed with our understanding and in tongues. We took authority over the demonic that wants only to kill, steal and destroy. Jesus has given us His name to tread upon serpents, scorpions and over all the power of the devil. That means when we pray in faith, believing we receive, the demonic assignments are broken and rendered null and void.

Receive the greatest gift this Christmas, Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and receive the gift He said the Heavenly Father would give you, the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and receive the rest and refreshing you’re heart is desiring.

Last week’s Illustrated Message was entitled, “Dumb and Prayer-less Spirit That Scorns God’s Mercy”, which is from the Series, The Holy War,  and in it emphasized the necessity for prayer, but not just any prayer but specifically praying in tongues which is the evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. If you haven’t read the message, go the Illustrated Message tab on this website and you’ll be able to read the overview of it.  

We read from Ephesians 6:18 where it says the following in the Amplified Bible; “18 With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all [a]God’s people.”

On a side note, when it says, ‘pray in the Spirit’, various Greek scholars and Bible commentators point out that the Greek present imperative tense is used in this verse. Which means that it is a continuous replenishment, and an ongoing state of being filled.  That’s awesome. So it’s not a one time event, but continuous. That’s why it’s imperative to always be praying in tongues.

We studied that praying in the Spirit is like the buckle of the armour of God, it’s part of the armour. We also studied that praying in the Spirit is praying in tongues, which you receive and is the evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

To follow up on that then, we’d like to reintroduce the baptism in the Holy Spirit again to many who may not have ever heard about it, read about it, have vaguely heard something but have not received proper teaching on it and finally to those who have heard and not received it.

Praying in tongues is something the devil wants to stop at all cost because it is so powerful, it is a gift from God for all Christians, and satan wants Christians to be dumb and prayer-less in it. We’re going to use as a study guide, a small booklet that was written by Gordon Lindsay called, “How To Receive The Baptism In the Holy Spirit.” There is a link at the bottom of the message where you can download a copy for free to have it in your library.

Chapter 1 (this is an overview, not verbatim of the book itself)

We start by reading Acts 1:4-5 Amplified Bible where Jesus says the following; “4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

They didn’t know how long they were to wait and tarry, they didn’t know that they’d be speaking in tongues,  they only knew that they would know when the Holy Spirit had empowered them. It turned out it was 10 days of prayer and worship when this happened, they all received, all 120 received.

1. If Christ and the Apostles Needed The Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Then We Need It Also.

The excuse that you don’t need it today or that you’re exempt from it, is erroneous. Hebrews 5:7-9 says; “7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,”

Jesus emptied himself of His glory and became a man, and as a man, He needed the baptism by the Holy Spirit which He received when John baptized Him. Matthew 3:16 says; “16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and [a]He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.”

It doesn’t say that He spoke in tongues, but it doesn’t say that He didn’t. We don’t know. But we do know that Jesus himself commanded his disciples to wait for it because they needed it as we’ll study today.

The 11apostles plus Matthias who was chosen to replace Judas, the women who followed Jesus, Jesus’ mother and siblings, plus the rest of the disciples totaling 120, all were baptized in the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:1-4 says; “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all [a]with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them [b]divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

On that same day when they were baptized and the people from Jerusalem came running to see and hear what had happened, 3000 were also saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues, Acts 2:37-39; “37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

So we see that this started and was birthed in prayer, Jesus commanded them to stay in prayer until they received. Waiting and tarrying until you receive is key.

2. The Holy Spirit Gives Power To Witness

Acts 1:8 says; “8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be [a]witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  

The purpose of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is to give power to Christians to witness.

3. The Holy Spirit Gives Power To Live a Holy Life

Romans 8:1-2,13 says; “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who[a] do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Verse 13; “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot live an overcoming life. Now we read in Romans 8:9 the following; “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” This declares the born again experience, you have the Spirit of Christ to some degree otherwise you’re not a Christian. However, what was given at Pentecost represents the fuller measure of the Holy Spirit to empower them.

4. The Holy Spirit Is A Comforter Who Will Abide Forever

John 14:16 says; “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another [a]Helper, that He may abide with you forever”

Anything of material significance that you have today or want to get, pales greatly to having the Holy Spirit as your Comforter who will abide forever. If you look at your prayer list, what you’re praying for and what you want in life, it doesn’t compare to what the Holy Spirit wants to give you. If you’re not satisfied today or don’t have comfort, it may be good examine your heart to see if you’ve received the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Luke 11:24-26 says; “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”  

Gordon Lindsay says this; “The glorious infilling of the Holy Spirit is the only thing that can fully satisfy the human spirit. Man is not designed to be complete within himself. In his soul, there is a spiritual vacuum. If it is not occupied with God, it will eventually be filled with that which is evil.”

When your spiritual house has been swept, cleaned out, put in order by being born again, if it’s not filled to overflowing with the baptism in the Holy Spirit, you can soon see Christians backslide or become lukewarm, compromising in living a holy life and don’t have power or authority in their lives to overcome the temptations of the devil....and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  That is sobering!

5. The Holy Spirit Will Quicken Our Mortal Bodies

Romans 8:11 says; “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He

who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

Everyone will be raised from the dead, either at the resurrection of the dead, those who are Christians when Jesus raptures His church when we’re all caught up together with Jesus in the clouds, or at the resurrection of the dead to stand before God the Great White Throne Judgment.  You don’t want to be at this final judgment.

6. The Holy Spirit Will Guide Us Into All Truth

John 16:12-13 says; “12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”

Gordon Lindsay says this; “Some denominations, who deny the experience of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, have been drifting into rationalism and unbelief. They also deny the virgin

birth, signs of the miraculous, and the born-again experience”

Any Holy Spirit baptized Christian intuitively knows that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. That’s not saying that a spirit filled Christian will not make mistakes or sin, because they still have a free will, but when continually yielded to the Holy Spirit, they’ll be kept from serious error and will be quick to repent. The following two Bible references

show that people can backslide. It’s possible that’s why see so many Christians falling away today because they’re following false doctrines, ie; that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is not for today, that’s false teaching. So they search for the supernatural in the world and they end up receiving from the demonic realm.

1 Timothy 1:19-20 says; “19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

2 Timothy 2:17-18 says; “17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.”

7. The Holy Spirit Will Help Us To Pray Supernaturally

Romans 8:26; “ Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession [a]for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

Now, Christians can still pray and God in His mercy and graciousness will hear the heartfelt prayer because of His love for them. As we said before, the Christian has a measure of the Spirit to receive answers to prayer. But as we read in Romans 8:26, there is something much deeper with the full baptism where Holy Spirit will make intercession for us. That’s powerful! The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:14-15; “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.”

This shows that we can both pray in our natural language, natural understanding but with the baptism of the Holy Spirit we can pray in the Spirit, tongues.

8. Does The Baptism In The Holy Spirit Take Place At Conversion?

This is an excellent question. If we use the example of Jesus and his disciples, it says they were in prayer and worship for 10 days in the Upper Room and then received. If there is passion and hunger for the baptism, it can take place immediately although usually there is a short interval of time. Cornelius in Acts 10:44-48 had been fasting, praying and was God fearing and when the angel appeared to him to send for Peter, he did it immediately and as we read, that while Peter was preaching the gospel, the Holy Spirit fell on them (because he and his household were believers), and they received and spoke in tongues.

Jesus taught in Luke 11:13 that a believer is to ask for the Holy Spirit; “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”  

After Jesus’ resurrection John 20:22 says; “And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The disciples received the Holy Spirit in part, because Jesus still commanded them to wait in Jerusalem until they were ‘endued’ with the power, the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

John 7:37-39 says this about the baptism; “37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those [a]believing in Him would receive; for the [b]Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

Again we see that the disciples had a measure of the Holy Spirit, but not the full baptism as that was given on the Day of Pentecost. This baptism is something subsequent to salvation.

When Philip the evangelist went to Samaria, he preached salvation and when Peter and John were sent there, they prayed that they’d receive the Holy Spirit as we read in Acts 8:14-17; “14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

These were Christians, they’d been baptized in the name of Jesus and they received the Holy Spirit when hands were laid on them. What was the evidence? Speaking in tongues.

The Apostle Paul received the baptism in the Holy Spirit after his conversion when Ananias laid hands on him to be filled with the Holy Spirit, Acts 9:17-18.

Finally, Paul taught that the baptism of the Holy Spirit followed conversion when he spoke to the brothers in Ephesus when he asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit after they believed. They said no and subsequently Paul laid his hands on them, they were baptized in the Holy Spirit and they spoke in tongues. That was close to 30 years after the Day of Pentecost, and this was again for the Gentile Christians as well as for the Jewish converts.

All of this comes back to prayer. Jesus’ commandment to pray for and seek earnestly for this baptism. This baptism is the key that every Christian needs and during today’s prayer meeting, this is what we prayed for.  

You can download the free book by clicking on the link, How To Receive The Baptism In The Holy Spirit by Gordon Lindsay.

We’d like to start today with a few scriptures that the Bible says regarding persistent, unceasing, and continual prayer.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Amplified Bible “be unceasing and persistent in prayer,”

We know that the history of the Israelites was that of prayer and seeking God. Even so, they often fell into times of being backslidden, engaged in idolatry and all things that went against the Ten Commandments. So it’s not unusual that Isaiah would rebuke them sternly in Isaiah 56:10; “Israel’s watchmen are blind, They are all without knowledge. They are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; Panting, lying down, they love to slumber.”

What does that mean? Israel’s watchmen, the prophets and leaders had been so lulled to sleep, become so spiritually blind and mute, that they weren’t warning their people of the danger they were in. Isaiah called them mute (dumb) dogs, they didn’t bark (speak) to send an alarm and loved just sleeping away their time. They were in a terrible state.

We can learn lessons from that as we want to be sharp, unceasing in prayer, warning those that God’s judgment is coming, or that the thief is coming to rob, kill and destroy either their home, church or their nation. We can’t be dumb or mute dogs, that don’t warn the people that something is wrong as they’re being invaded. Dumb here in this context does not mean stupid, rather unable to speak, mute. That’s how the devil wants us to be; dumb and mute towards God. The devil does not want Christians to be persistent and consistent with God in prayer. 

A good example would be the parable that Jesus told of the widow and ungodly judge in Luke 18:1-8 where it says; “Now Jesus was telling the disciples a parable to make the point that at all times they ought to pray and not give up and lose heart, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and had no respect for man. 3 There was a [desperate] widow in that city and she kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice and legal protection from my adversary.’ 4 For a time he would not; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow continues to bother me, I will give her justice and legal protection; otherwise [a]by continually coming she [will be an intolerable annoyance and she] will wear me out.’” 6 Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says! 7 And will not [our just] God defend and avenge His elect [His chosen ones] who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay [in providing justice] on their behalf? 8 I tell you that He will defend and avenge them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [this kind of persistent] faith on the earth?”  

We see how this ungodly judge took care and answered the request of the widow, likewise, God our Father will hear us when we pray and will avenge us. The catch though is that we be unceasing in prayer, persistent, not stopping or letting go. The widow didn’t take no for an answer. She persisted until she got an answer.

Ephesians 6:18 says; “With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition[interceding in prayer] for all [a]God’s people.”

Again, the same word appears, persistence, in Colossians 4:2; “Be persistent and devoted to prayer, being alert and focused in your prayer life with an attitude of thanksgiving.”

In Matthew 26:41, Jesus says; “ Keep actively watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the [a]body is weak.”  

In other words, we don’t ‘dummy down’ in our fellowship with God, especially in our prayer life. We don’t want to be like the saying, ‘has the cat got your tongue?’ We don’t want to be mute and dumb towards God.

The devil wants Christians to ‘dummy down’ in their prayer life, to not talk to God about their needs, regardless of how long they have been praying about a situation or for a need. Don’t believe that lie, keep praying with clarity, faith, being articulate and not vague or dumb, mute or silent. Whether you’ve seen the answer or not, be persistent. Remember we just read from Luke 18 where it said; “However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [this kind of persistent] faith on the earth?”

Philippians 4:6-7 says; “Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. 7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].”

If you want peace today, pray with specific requests. Do we pray only when we see answered prayer, no. Pray until you see answers. It may not be the answer you want, but pray. The devil would want you to have the attitude of the world and scorn God’s mercy, to become scornful that God isn’t answering your prayers. But that’s not true. God will answer your prayers whenever He wants to answer them in the way He wants. Our job is just to be persistent in prayer. When He does answer, be grateful and thankful.

Habukkuk 2:3 says; “For the vision is yet for the appointed [future] time, It hurries toward the goal [of fulfillment]; it will not fail. Even though it delays, wait [patiently] for it, Because it will certainly come; it will not delay.”

Even though your answer to prayer looks delayed in your own mind, wait for the answer with patience. The devil wants us, as pastors, prophets, watchmen, teachers etc., to not speak to God’s people, he wants us to be as dumb dogs that don’t bark to warn fellow Christians of the danger ahead. Any Christian can slip into this and it all starts by being dumb towards God, not talking, praying and fellowshipping with Him, by becoming complacent and lazy and mute. As Christians we live by faith, walk by faith and pray by faith.

Daniel is a good example from the Old Testament of being persistent in prayer as Daniel 10:12-21 says; “Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. 13 But the [e]prince of the kingdom of Persia was standing in opposition to me for twenty-one days. Then, behold, Michael, one of the chief [of the celestial] princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia....”

Daniel persisted in prayer, he didn’t know there was a great angelic spiritual battle taking place in the heavenly’s that was delaying the answer – angels engaging in warfare! Likewise we don’t know exactly what may be delaying the answer, but we pray without ceasing. Jesus says in Matthew 7:7; “Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you.”

So as we spent time in prayer during the day and at church, we prayed for those Christians who disobeyed the Lord by not being in church, who have hardened their hearts to church fellowship and are not praying. We prayed for spirit-filled Christians who once prayed in tongues but no longer do, that they would not be silent, dumb or mute but would open their mouths once again to pray in their heavenly prayer language. We prayed for those who scorn the baptism in the Holy Spirit and praying in tongues, that they would be convicted and humble themselves and receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit and pray in tongues, that their tongues would be filled with new tongues of fire. We prayed for those who have become angry to God as a result of their unanswered prayer, and that they would repent and humble themselves again before the Lord.

We prayed for the watchmen across Canada, those who God has called to preach, teach and speak to warn the body of Christ, yet have become like dumb dogs as Isaiah 56:10 says and are not speaking the word of the Lord to warn the church and that the dumb spirit that has caused them to compromise in any way would be repented of, that their tongues would be loosed to speak the word of the Lord. We prayed specifically for Christians who used to prophecy years ago but have been silent, they’ve become discouraged and they’ve fallen into the snares of the devil to not speak and prophecy, we prayed their tongues would be loosed, that the dumb spirit that has silenced them would be broken and that they’d prophecy again and not only to prophecy but to interpret tongues.

Choose to be bolder, louder, more persistent in prayer today brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Pastors Richard and Marjorie ~ Bondslaves of Jesus Christ

James 5:16 says; “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

If you are blood bought and blood washed by the blood of Jesus Christ, you’ve been made righteous to our Heavenly Father. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says; “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Therefore, because we are righteous, and we wear the breastplate of righteousness, our prayers avail much. The devil continually lies to Christians that the Lord doesn’t hear them, but He does if we walk humbly before Him.

These are a few scriptures that we read during our time of prayer;

Hebrews 4:16 says this; “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” 

2 Chronicles 7:14 says; “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

2 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says; “16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

The Bible says that we “walk by faith and not by sight” in 2 Corinthians 5:7, which also applies to praying. There are times when maybe your emotions or feelings are not into prayer, but we don’t allow that to dictate our prayers.  

We spent a good bit of time praying for our political leaders, both provincially and federally.  There is a lot of talk in Alberta, our province, about separation from Canada and becoming an independent country or state, so we prayed for the Lord’s will to be done regarding that. We’ve also seen for a few years now, especially after the lock-downs due to the ‘virus’, that men who have a call of God on them for either the five-fold ministry or otherwise, are being lured into politics and becoming double-minded, trying to do both, thinking that their political influence will be greater than the call on their lives. We believe that God desires and will raise up the right men and women to lead righteously in our nation but there are those who God specifically calls to ministry, who have a call and election to fulfill. The temptation for such is media attention, rubbing shoulders with famous politicians and people, and maybe even financial benefits. When God calls a man, it’s to either one or the other, be a preacher or be a politician, not both.

The false teaching of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) has been sweeping Charismatic/Pentecostal churches for a number of decades now, which believes that Christians have to take over seven mountains of influence on earth to be able to usher in the Kingdom of God. Those areas of influence include religion, family, education, government, media, business and the arts. We will not expound on all of this as you can search it out on your own time, but what it’s done is diverted many Christians away from ministry that God has called them to, into the secular. It’s very deceptive and many Christians are mixing Christianity with politics. There is a distinction. James 1:8 says; “he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” Many who follow this path, end up being double-minded and start wavering as the world throws so many diversions across their path, and they forget the call on their lives.

We prayed again for the trade/tariff dispute between the USA and Canada. This has been going on for months now, but we continue to pray for the Lord’s will to be done. We have leaders who are full of pride and arrogance, looking to push their own agenda’s, who are full of selfish ambition and are at loggerheads with each other. We know the demonic agenda is to rob, kill and destroy and we see this at work as prices go up at the food store, people loosing their jobs etc. We prayed for God’s mercy over Canada as we see leaders pushing their godless agenda’s on the nation. Even as Daniel prayed and repented for the sins of his nation in Daniel 9:1-19, so we prayed and repented of the sins of our nation, that God would forgive and heal from following after the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which according to 1 John 2:16, is not of the Father but of the world. Ultimately, our dependency is not from one nation or another, but on Jesus alone.

Proverbs 21:1-2 says; “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.” We prayed this scripture over the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of the USA.

Psalm 91:7-8 says; “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand and your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked.” 

Regardless of the political decisions that are made, this is the word we stand on.  

Daniel 2:21 says; “And He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings...” 

We sense that there will be a removal of key political leaders in Canada that God will do, and place in their positions men who are called to rule with the fear of God.

Galatians 6:7 says; “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” God sees all things, that which is not only done in public but in private and even the motive and intent of the heart and He will judge accordingly to leaders in Canada who have led corruptly and perversely. Those who have mocked and scorned God’s authority and will, will be held accountable to Him for what they’ve done.

We also prayed for two people in Canada who have become household names and were part of the truckers freedom convoy during the lock-downs in 2022; Chris Barber and Tamara Lich. They’ve each been placed on house arrest for one year, so we prayed for God’s will to be done and that somehow or someway there would be a change to the judges ruling on this.

We ended praying Psalm 27 over us and it’s a good scripture to pray over yourselves;  

"1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked came against me To eat[a] up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.

4 One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life, To behold the [b]beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.
5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be [c]lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of [d]joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
9 Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10 When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take care of me.

11 Teach me Your way, O Lord, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.

14 Wait[e] on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”

We ended our prayer service with communion as we do in every service.  Don’t loose heart saints of God. He is with you and will never leave you nor forsake you!

Pastors Richard and Marjorie~ Bondslaves of Jesus Christ

You may ask yourselves, why do you spend so much time praying and have so many services dedicated to prayer? Well, maybe it’s because God is looking for His servants to stand in the gap for the hearts and souls of men, and maybe there aren’t really as many churches doing that as one would suppose.

Ezekiel 22:30 says; “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.” It would seem like many pastors and churches are locked into ‘the program’, ‘the way it’s always done’ that they can’t just say, church...we’re going to pray today. It’s not that difficult to do. It’s better to obey what the Lord is saying than being disobedient.  

Romans 8:26-27 says; “26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession [g]for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

This scripture is a powerful gift that has been given to the church to pray properly, according to God’s will because as one prays in the Spirit, in tongues, He gives you understanding in the natural to pray God’s word and His perfect will. 

The church needs to intercede for the saints – fellow Christians – like never before. Way too many are abandoning the faith, becoming lukewarm and are being led astray with false doctrines. Many who are lukewarm are deceived into thinking that they’re in right standings with God, but they’re not, they’re neither hot nor cold as Revelation 3:15-16 says. If lukewarmness is not repented of, the end result will not be good. So we prayed for those in our community who are in that state that the power of the Holy Spirit would bring conviction upon them, that they’d repent of their lukewarmness, get back into church and get baptized in the Holy Spirit and in doing so, would have power to overcome the temptations and snares that the devil has set for them.

We also have Provincial Municipal Elections coming up on October 20thwhere Mayor’s, Councillors, Reeves and Aldermen will be elected across the Province of Alberta. We prayed and continue to pray that the people who the Lord wants will be put in those positions. Daniel 2:21 says; “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding.”

We prayed that there would be new people placed in positions who are born again and Spirit-filled who will lead righteously. We took authority over the plans of the demonic of coercion and monetary manipulations to be broken.

We prayed for the ‘peace plan’ that’s being proposed between Israel and Hamas. We prayed for the Lord’s perfect will to be done. The Bible tells us the end of the story regarding Israel, so praying in the Spirit ensures God’s perfect will to be done at this time in history.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 10:4; “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

So we do not wage a physical war, but a spiritual war as the demonic forces influence men and women to accomplish the devils plans. Jesus gave us His authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the powers of the devil, (Luke 10:19), over what’s happening in Israel and around the globe as nefarious men and women in high political and influential places want to establish satan’s agenda.  

The Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7; “And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.”

The church is the restraining force while still on this earth. As we pray then, we restrain the powers of hell that are wanting to circumvent God’s plan and purpose. Whatever those plans are then, from local municipal levels to global movers and shakers, when we intercede, God steps in and moves. Just like the many times we read in the Old Testament how the enemies of Israel were thrown into confusion, turning on themselves as Israel prayed, we too can see the same victories as we pray and we see the enemy go into confusion and his plans fail and turn on himself. That’s powerful.

Be encouraged today saints, look up, for our redemption draws near.  

Click here to read the prophecy from the service.

Pastors Richard & Marjorie ~ Bondslaves of Jesus Christ

When we have prayer services at church, we not only spend the service time itself in prayer, but we spend the day in prayer, intercession and the Word of God. Sunday’s are set apart for the Lord, whether it’s in prayer or the preaching of the gospel with a message, and this Sunday, like every service, we started with a time of worship, prayer and ended with communion.

The opening scripture was read from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; “16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify[g] you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”

We certainly know that our adversary the devil does not want us to rejoice, pray or give thanks, right. He does want us to quench the moving of the Holy Spirit, he does want Christians to despise prophecy and he certainly doesn’t want us to test all things nor hold on to what is good. Yet that is precisely what must be done at all times. We really see an unprecedented spiritual, demonic attack on everything the Apostle Paul tells us to do in these days.

This prayer meeting primarily focused on the news of the death of Founder and President  of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk this past week. Everyone in the western world and around the globe have been commenting on TV, radio and social media about it. It’s probably safe to say that the Christian world has been rocked, and yet should it be? Do not each of us pick up the cross every day and follow Jesus? There was much that we prayed about, but feel it’s necessary to continually point people back to Jesus. Countless thousands are grieving and looking for answers, yet the only true peace and comfort comes through knowing Jesus Christ personally as Lord and Saviour. Things like this happen because we live in a fallen and sinful world and Jesus is the only one who paid the penalty of sin by dying on the cross, rising from the dead, to give us eternal life in heaven with Him.

The Apostle Paul gives Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 a sober warning; “But know this, that in the last days [a]perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, [b]unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” He continues in verses 12-13saying; “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

We are in the last of the last days and we need to hold fast to the Word of God like never before and not be shaken or moved spiritually when we see perilous things like this transpiring. The Word of God is our anchor that keeps us stable even though storms are blowing all around us.

Paul also tells the Roman believers in Romans 12:17-21; “17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have[a] regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

James 1:19-20 also says; “19 [c]So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

Our hope and strength is not in the arm of the flesh, as a matter of fact, Jeremiah the Prophet says this in Jeremiah 17:5 Amplified Bible; “Thus says the Lord, “Cursed is the man who trusts in and relies on mankind, Making [weak, faulty human] flesh his strength, And whose mind and heart turn away from the Lord. .”  

Those are very strong warning words from the prophet. We are not to put our hope and trust in man, as a matter of fact even Jesus says in John 2:24; “But Jesus, for His part, did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people [and understood the superficiality and fickleness of human nature],”

Be watchful and mindful who you listen to as there are hundreds of voices out there, Christian and non-Christian, saying many things. Meditate and listen to the Word of God and test all things as we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:21. Put on the full armour of God every day as we read in Ephesians 6:10-17 Amplified Bible; “10 In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might. 11 Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. 13 Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. 14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having [a]tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), 15 and having [b]strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. 16 Above all, lift up the [protective] [c]shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”

Jesus said in the Great Commission the following to His disciples in Mark 16:15-18; “15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 He who has believed [in Me] and has been baptized will be saved [from the penalty of God’s wrath and judgment]; but he who has not believed will be condemned. 17 These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.”  

Jesus has given you authority in His name, use it to bind the works of the devil who comes to kill, steal and destroy.

Click here to read the prophecy from the church service.

Pastor Richard and Marjorie ~ Bondslaves of Jesus Christ