When I was in my twenties, I worked in a manufacturing plant where there were lots of smoke from chemicals being burned. I developed white lumps that were just under the skin as well as many internal problems. The doctors diagnosed my condition as severe chronic erethyma nodozem. It usually affected areas below the knee. I was affected all the way to my face. After much consultations with various doctors in several states, I was told to quit my job because it was killing me. The doctors gave me about a year before I would be in a wheel chair.

I had two little girls and I did not want to die or be in a wheel chair. Though I didn’t know the Lord well at that point in my life, He had mercy on me and healed me. Little did I know that this would only be the beginning of sickness and healing for me. Years later I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. At this point I was in church and had built a relationship with Jesus. Though I had a wonderful pastor at the time, he said he didn’t know how to help me other than prayer.

When you have no one to help in the natural you always have a comforter, and teacher ready to help. I turned to the Holy Spirit and He began teaching me how to walk through this disease. One of the first things He taught me was to watch the words of my mouth. There is power of life and death in the tongue. He told me not to say I had M.S. because if I did, I was taking ownership of it and it had a right to be in my body. I didn’t want to own it but I didn’t want to lie, so I asked the Holy Spirit how to speak. He said say you were diagnosed with it, are fighting it, or dealing with it. He also told me to be wary of who I asked to pray for me. He said many didn’t understand and would speak things back on me. I then let Him guide me as to who I told and who I didn’t. Healing is a process and it took nearly two years to walk through M.S.

Next I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. A few years after that I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Each time I walked through a disease I learned more about healing. I believe that I learned in order to help others.

Isaiah 53:5 says, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” I 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.”

These scriptures will sound familiar if you have a relationship with Jesus. We were taught this same scriptures when we were taught about salvation. Jesus provided the way to salvation and healing at the same time. We receive Christ as our Savior by confessing our sins and asking Him to be Lord and we receive it all by faith. We receive our healing by faith as well.

Healing is the restoration of our health. The Bible tells us that healing can come through many avenues. Healing can be the result of :

Intercession (Num. 12:10-15)

Repentance (I Kings 13:1-6)

Prayer (James 5:14,15)

Faith (Matt. 9:20-22, John 4:46-53)

God’s Word ( Ps. 107:20)

We all know that the power to heal comes from God. The Bible says it was given to Jesus in Matthew 4:24 “Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics, and He healed them.” Also in Matthew 8:16,17 “When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.”

This same power to heal was given to the apostles. Matthew 10:1,5-8 “And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans, But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”

The Holy Spirit also gives this power to believers at His will. I Cor. 12:9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit. Spiritual healing is also provided for the emotional side of man. The Bible calls it the brokenhearted. (Ps. 147:3).

Healing is necessary because of man’s:

Sin (Ps. 41:4)

Backsliding (Jer. 3:22)

Spiritual sickness (Is. 6:10)

I once had difficulty with allergies. All that I had done in the past was of no effect this time. I did all the natural things I knew to do and all the spiritual. I spoke to them with authority, faith, and confidence in the name of Jesus. But nothing happened. I continued to apply all I knew to do with still no success. Then I asked the Lord what the problem was. Why could I not get my healing? I had received it so many times before. This one is a spiritual problem the Lord told me. I had to pursue this issue for several weeks before gaining understanding. I found I was carrying guilt around that was not mine to carry. It was a situation I had absolutely no responsibility in. When I repented to the Lord for carrying this guilt my allergies immediately vanished. I learned from this experience about spiritual roots that can cause sickness. I later came across another spiritual root when I was dealing with cancer. I had been carrying a broken heart and when I repented not only did I feel much lighter emotionally but every lump in my breasts disappeared. Further study of the issue convinced me that most diseases have a spiritual root. But that is for another study. It would take a book to go through all of them.

We must not leave out the things we can do and should do in the natural to maintain our health. Amazingly many of these the doctors will also tell you.

 Exercise

(I Tim. 4:8) An individual should exercise at least three times a week. This is not activity. Exercise is something that raises your heartbeat for a duration of at least 20 minutes at a time.

Food

(Acts 27:34) All food needs to be in moderation with all our daily nutrients provided.

Temperance

(Jer. 35:5-8) Hard alcohol and social drugs are not good for you. The Bible says we can have a little wine for the stomach. Moderation again is the key.

Obedience

(Prov. 4:20-22) Disobedience can take us out from under our umbrella of protection from God.

Cheerfulness

(Prov. 17:22) Laughter and a merry heart is like a medicine. It does good to our bodies.

God does not supersede our will. If we choose to abuse our bodies, He may not heal us. However, we know that it is His will that we walk in health because Jesus bore those stripes for our healing. If we take care of ourselves, we can expect to walk in health and if disease does strike our body we can grab hold of that healing that is already provided and bring it into our bodies. How do you do that, you ask? I believe everyone has to work out their own just as we work out our own salvation. However, from my own experience I can tell you that you must be positive. You need to make the decision that you are the healed and act accordingly. When I had breast surgery twice in one week, I never missed a church service. During the time of fighting cancer , I continued to fulfill my commitments. I didn’t take on anything new and I had to have extra rest each day.

There were times when I would be throwing up and I would say, “I am healed in the name of Jesus” and then throw up some more. I learned scriptures that applied to healing and repeated them often.

I also believe it is important for you to take charge of your own health care. I highly respect and honor the medical profession. We need them. However, they do not know what God does. They have knowledge from experiments, testing, and the average person.

Each person is different. We need to seek God on every area of treatment before submitting to it. There are medicines that are good for a body and some that are not. Each individual is unique. I would listen to my doctors and then pray and ask God if I should do or take what they suggested. Mostly I followed the doctors orders but sometimes God would tell me not to. It always showed up later that God was right.

May I suggest that when you tell this to your doctor that you be very meek and humble. It is sometimes hard for them to understand that you heard other instructions from God.

God will never fail you. There were times when He told me not to take treatment and times when He said to proceed. I always checked out what I heard from God thoroughly before repeating it to the doctors. The medical profession has their knowledge because God gave it to them. He also approves of the medical profession. I believe they are there for the unbelievers and for believers who are involved in accidents and those who for whatever reason are not able to receive their healing directly from God. No matter how we receive it, all healing is from God. He loves us so much He does not want us to be sick. He wants good for us.

Jeremiah 29 : 11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

“When the spirit of prophecy comes upon you, you merely take your intellect and lay it off somewhere in a cool place to rest, and unship your jaw and leave it alone; it will work itself. The result is prophecy.” –Mark Twain

 Inspiration lies at the heart of all prophetic ministry. It is a key that unlocks creative ability. Inspiration it what causes an ordinary person to do extraordinary things. The greatest book every written, the Bible, was given to us by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Something eternal invaded their natural reality and transformed them into spiritual authors. II Timothy 3:16 says: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (emphasis added). The word inspiration in the Greek means divinely breathed in. In other words the Scripture would only be words written from the hearts and minds of men; however, when these men came under the divine influence, they wrote from a heavenly perspective. The prophetic in its most basic operation functions with the same principle. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit a person is able to see from a heavenly, or divine perspective. It allows them to understand the heart and mind of the Lord concerning a matter.

 Job 32:8 says, “But there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.” The word inspiration in the Hebrew is n^esha ma h. The word means divine inspiration but also speaks of the intellect and the soul and even the very breath and the spirit. What Job is saying is that under divine influence a person can gain understanding into the mind and the Spirit of the Almighty. God actually breathes His life into the life of man in order for humanity to become spiritual. It is the same Word used in Genesis 2:7 when God formed man. He put the inspiration of God in Adam. It is also the same Hebrew word that the Psalmist used in Psalm 150:6 when he said “let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord”. What the writer is saying is that the inspiration of God has been breathed into the life of man, and with every single breath of air we take, we should be inspired to Praise Him!

 Creativity is the first gift given to every human being. It remains as an untapped, unknown potential until unlocked. Once it is opened it releases, not the human spirit, but the Spirit of God. When God spoke those beautiful words, “Let there be”, it was like a painter with an empty canvas making the first delicate strokes of a masterpiece. It was like the potter seeing a piece of clay but not just for its current function. He sees the potential being molded in His skilled hands becoming an incredible work of art.

 Creativity has always been linked to artistic expression. The sounds of music like rushing waters, rustling trees, or the whistling of the air. The variation of colors like that of the rainbow, the ever-changing sky, and the seasonal mix of unparallel proportions. Even life itself is displayed in variance. From minerals to vegetation, from animals to human beings, the earth is full of the breathe of God. It is as if God took a piece of Himself and made something remarkable.

 In my mind are many things of profound revelation, personal convictions, and real life issues. For a person like me it becomes difficult to focus on one single thought in order to birth a concept or idea or dream into reality. Inspiration is the driving force behind creative action, but where must that inspiration begin. Surely my heart, mind, and spirit must come into alignment first so that one special thought can come into a measure of beginning. Creativity is simple, the unlocking of God-birthed potential. It is the ability to bring something into the realm of reality where that one thing never existed before. The fulfillment of life must come from the expression of the heart. The emphasis on success, money, and fame does not even compare to a life that lives its dreams. Where is my potential? Can someone else draw that out of me? Is it something so powerful that only a deity can unveil it in its truest form? I am not sure but my best idea is that no one person has achieved greatness outside of the understanding that they were born to be great. Along with that understanding comes the discipline to invest into that greatness. I continually listen to preacher after preacher on different media networks talk about the principles of life. It seems that their method of unlocking favor or the release of anointing must come from some monetary exchange. Although I totally agree with seed faith and the principle of sowing and reaping, I cannot help to wonder if these principles have become a way to manipulate people into believing that they must settle for mediocrity.

 The main intention of prophecy is to encourage, exhort, and build up. Any person flowing in the prophetic has the opportunity to release creative ability in others in order for them to fulfill their destiny. The Prophet must be inspired in order to release inspiration. What drives a person to pursue their passions is determined by what inspires them. We must cultivate and develop that inspiration. Jesus said He did nothing unless He received it from the Father. His inspiration came from the Father. If our motives and inspiration comes from a different source, then we will get into a soulish arena and that will be dangerous for everyone. So the question is. How do I cultivate inspiration? I believe there are several things that we can do as prophetic ministers to nurture that inspiration. I will give seven.

 Number 1– We must Remember Who We Represent.

 Many men and women of God forget the source of their inspiration. They have a tendency to believe that they were the ones that accomplished these things and they neglect to give glory and honor where it belongs. Myles Monroe said in his book, “Rediscovering the Kingdom,” that “Good ambassadors never speak their personal opinions, but only the official policies of the government that appointed them.” I can not tell you the number of times that I have found myself in tears because of the Lord’s faithfulness to release the prophetic anointing in me when I knew that I personally had nothing to give. I have learned that when I give Him the credit He never leaves me empty handed. When we recognize the author and the finisher we will always be inspired because He is always looking for an opportunity to reveal Himself. When you and I realize the value and the trust that the Lord has bestowed upon us to represent His kingdom, we should never lack for inspiration.

 Number 2 – We must Value the Call.

 One of the big tragedies in the Body of Christ is that many people don’t value their call. I submit that if one does not value their own calling then, they can not expect someone else to. John the Baptist was doing something that no one else in history had done before. He was considered a great prophet but the new thing he was doing was baptizing people. Even the religious leaders were astonished by what he was doing. What gave this man the courage to step out and do something no else had done before? I believe it was because he knew that what he was doing was ordained by God and John valued the anointing. When Jesus came down to John in Matthew chapter three, He does something for John. When Jesus declared that He needed to be baptized by John for righteousness to be fulfilled (see verse 15), He validated the call and anointing on John. When we value the anointing and the call, the Lord will validate it. When we allow the anointing to inspire us privately, He will prove us publicly. We should be inspired knowing that He has called us.

 Number 3 – We must Practice Presence.

 The greatest inspiration that has ever came into my life was not in the pulpit preaching to the multitude, it was not seeing the deaf hear or the blind see, and it was not prophesying accurately. The most motivated I have been is when I have been alone with no one else except the Holy Spirit. I believe the key to success can only be found in the place of His presence. The minister who does not practice being in His presence when no one is looking becomes unqualified to handle His presence when the crowd has assembled. Jesus as our example showed us that being in the presence of the Father was more important than being with the people. I will talk about this more concerning the secret place in Chapter 6.

 Number 4 – We must Surround Ourselves with Prophetic -Minded People.

 If we were to ask any famous artist such as a musician or Hollywood star where they get their inspiration, they will tell us of the people that influenced them along the way. It is no different from the prophetic minister. Sometimes pride keeps us from allowing others to inspire, encourage, and even sometimes rebuke us. Every Prophet needs to be in relationship with other prophetic people. When we look at the Old Testament pattern for ministers and for the school of the prophets, we find something of a principle. The most effective prophets and leaders had a predecessor. Elisha had Elijah, Joshua had Moses, Samuel had Eli. The New Testament gives us more examples. The 12 had Jesus, Timothy had Paul, and Gaius had the Apostle John. There are those who we can glean from as Spiritual mentors and even spiritual fathers. We need to take the attitude of humility and learn from others that have the same gift that we have. Learn to celebrate in other people the gift(s) that you have in common. In order to cultivate inspiration we must learn to receive from others.

 Number 5 – We must Focus on Our Family.

 My wife Michele and I recently celebrated 10 years of marriage. I gave her a little note that told her of my continued love and how much she inspires me. You may be thinking what does this have to do with the prophetic anointing? If a person can not be inspired by the ones they love then they will be an empty vessel and their prophecies although valid, will be delivered with a callousness that won’t be effective. I don’t believe that the modern day Prophet is to have a personality that does not reflect the love of Christ. I told Michele that I wanted to give her the dream of her heart because everyday with her is my dream fulfilled. I know it sounds like a card that you buy at a gift shop, but it is absolutely true. My wife inspires me to be a better husband, my children inspire me to be a better father. What a shame for a person to be considered a great Prophet but a horrible spouse or parent. My family inspires me to lead them into the presence of the Lord. I am convinced that the intensity of prophetic anointing on my life has a direct correlation to the relationship with my family.

 Number 6 – We must Treasure the Word.

 I am amazed at the limited amount of time ministers spend in the Word of God. I am not just talking about the study and knowledge of the Word, but allowing the Lord to reveal Himself through His Word. No matter how much a person knows, when the light of revelation is illuminated, there is nothing to compare it to. I heard of a story where Pastors in Africa were gathering monthly to exchange chapters from the Bible because they only had one to go around. They would be so excited to receive the new verses that they would literally run home to get alone with their Word. They were not motivated to preach a new sermon, but to receive a fresh revelation of the knowledge of Jesus Christ. I remember after hearing this story that I prayed this prayer to the Lord. “Lord I pray that your Word would be hidden in my heart ( Ps.119:11) so much that if it was ever taken from me where I did not have access to it, I would still know it.” The Lord spoke to me and said,” Then read it.” At that moment I realized that in all of my life as a Christian I had never read and devoted myself to the Lord. We want the benefits of the Word, but we must have the discipline in the Word. The Bible is the more sure Word of prophecy (II Peter 1:19). If we are in the Word, we will be inspired by the Word, so that when we release the Word, others will receive the Word.

 Number 7 – We must Ascend in Worship.

We must ascend in worship before we descend in war. Jesus always ascended to the mountain before descending to war with the religious spirits. He prepared His heart in worship so that His heart would not give in when the battle ensued. The prophetic anointing has enemies as we will discuss in Chapter 8. Those enemies have one goal and that is to disrupt, discourage, and destroy, the prophetic anointing. When we ascend into worship we see what the angels see. We understand that victory is already been won. We can say with confidence that when the enemy comes in like a flood, My God shall raise up a standard (Is 59:19). Worship puts us back into a position of being in awe of God. We worship the things that are mysterious and amazing.

“When we have learned what worship is we have experienced what wonder is.…In that sense, worship is not only a science in that there is a discipline to it, but it is an art in that there is a beauty to it.” (Zacharias)

True worship reveals the heart of humanity toward its Creator. It recognizes that without the Almighty One, there could be no collective. The prophetic anointing functions at it highest measure when the vessels remain in awe of their Maker.