March Encounter

BREAKTHROUGH! That is all I heard. Shortly after last month’s Encounter I started asking the Lord, “What’s next?” “Breakthrough!”. My reaction was one of disappointment (out of ignorance of course), I said, “But Lord, we just did “addictions” isn’t that about the same thing…?” He said nothing more.

I sought the council of a friend who I trust to hear clearly from the Lord and he said, “Yes, I believe that breakthrough is to be the subject for your next Encounter”. While this didn’t shed a whole lot of light on the topic, I at least felt confirmation that I heard correctly…now I just needed to understand.

I have known God long enough to know that when we are not on the same page it is my bookmark that needs to move, so I started asking around looking for a definition of Breakthrough. One friend painted a picture of standing at a starting line, leaning over, listening for and even hearing the starting pistol, but still being held back by some unknown force. Another said, “Coming out of the darkness and the things that have bound you up and stepping into the freedom to being healed”.

I was on my way back from praying over someone with a friend and God gave me a glimpse of another definition. I didn’t hear or see anything at all, but all of the sudden I had an understanding that my personal “breakthrough” could come in the form of the people that I pray over for their cancer to be gone actually starting to be healed. I believe it was at this same time that I was told not to define it, but just put it out there as “breakthrough”…people will define if for themselves.

So that is where we are…Encounter is going to be about BREAKTHROUGH! You can define it…I’m sure I’ll talk about it…but I believe God is going to PROVIDE it!

Come get yours...

\o/ Don

Wednesday March 4th 7:00 PM
3420 Glenmore Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45211

What Headache?

For several years now I have been praying for other’s headaches with great success. I don’t keep track, but if I had to guess, I would say that 95%-99% of those I pray for with headaches are completely relieved within three minutes.

This all started while doing emotional healing ministry years ago. While helping others receive healing from Jesus you sometimes “bump into” demons that don’t like restoration for their hosts. Quit often these pests will try to disrupt or distract the progress by causing pain, most often…headaches.

This behavior of our enemy pissed me off, because in the early days progress was not as quick coming as it is today, so disruptions were a pain (pun intended). I learned to stop momentarily to deal with the pest and then return immediately to whatever I was doing that caused it enough discomfort to act out. In this “ministry” setting, it was very easy to force the pain to leave and replace it with “peace and calm” because I knew the source was the enemy.

It didn’t take long for me to apply what I learned in the ministry setting to every other setting in life as well. Now, if we can avoid a medical and or theological debate, here is what I learned…if you assume that a headache is caused by “a spirit of darkness”…you can make it go away! You don’t have to learn its name, function, purpose, or when it got there. You don’t even have to hold your right hand in the air with two fingers and a thumb extended with a very serious look on your face, and you especially do not have to raise your voice (people with headaches don’t like when you yell…at that point you become the demon causing them pain).

Very simply, this is what I do…first I ask where their pain is specifically located. Next, very gently (I can’t stress this part too strongly, remember they have a headache and you are probably excited) very gently place your hands on their head where the pain is focused. Then say something to the effect of, “Whatever is causing this pain and pressure, I command you to leave right now in Jesus name”. I will often continue with, “You can’t shrink, you can’t move, you can’t hide…you have to leave completely in Jesus name right now”.

At this point I am done talking to the demon. You have to understand that your authority is perfect, because it is Jesus’ authority you are using! It is kind of like a General talking to a Private…he does not say, “Private, dig that hole…no really, start digging that hole now! I mean it, I command you to pick up that shovel and start digging…pick up that shovel now…okay then, right after lunch you get on digging that hole soldier”. How ridiculous! The General says, “Private dig that hole” and if the Private dares to question him at all it would only be to say, “How deep Sir” and he better be digging while he asks that question.

Now after commanding the to demon to leave, this is when you start praying, “Lord Jesus come, come by Your Holy Spirit and fill my friends head with your presence. Please Lord, push out this pain and pressure and replace it with peace and calm.” This can go on for a minute or so. At this point check in with your friend to see how they are doing.

Usually, by this point something is happening. If it moved…GREAT! You’ve got it on the run and it’s almost finished. Move your hands to the new location and pray, “Lord Jesus, I commanded this thing to not move and it moved, would you please come punish this disobedient thing and make it leave completely at this time?” They know they are in trouble when they are disobedient to Jesus’ authority…even if you are the one expressing it. Two things happen at this point…this one is in trouble and anyone else present is now paying close attention.

If their pain did not move, and is better, but not completely gone, continue praying for another minute, maybe mentioning to Jesus (but more for the hearing benefit of the demon) that you commanded this thing to not shrink, but to leave completely…again disobedience can be punished.

If nothing has changed with their pain at this point, ask Jesus to send an angel to enforce His authority that you spoke. We do not command angels, but they are available for our service…

Hebrew 1:14 “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”

The answer is yes they are if you are wondering. I was once told by a wonderful lady (who has a unique perspective because she lives inside of someone else) that there is nothing better to watch than a human sized angel, pick up by the collar, a demon the size of a battleship, and through it around like it’s nothing. Angels are good help!

After your friend’s pain is all gone, be sure to pray over them to be filled up with the Holy Spirit…we don’t want to leave any of their house empty for something else to come pestering.

I write all of this because this is not a gift for Don, but a power and authority that Jesus intended for all who follow Him. I believe every follower of Christ can have the exact same success I have praying for headaches…and who knows what else!

Now go get ‘em…kick some headache causing demon butt in the name of Jesus! And let us know how it goes after you do.

\o/ Don

Encounter Update...

I don’t have a new story to tell, but with Encounter just two days away I had to write with an update. I feel like God has been downloading early this month. He usually keeps me in suspense until the afternoon of Encounter, but lately I feel I have been getting more revelation around this every time I ask for it.

I drove to Columbus today with my wife-partner to deliver checks to my jobsite, so we had four hours to talk, and pray, and read. I’m seeing addiction busting stuff in scripture that I have never understood before. Reading through Romans 6&7 was simply enlightening. As I've shared before, I believe God wants to set people free from their addictions this month. That may not be the whole plan, but definitely part of it.

I can’t wait for Wednesday! There is so much going on in the spiritual realm right now that I am not even allowed to share all of it (because it personally involves others, not because I have secret revelation). Just in the last half hour God gave me another picture that I haven’t even prayed about yet. However, if it is from Him…this is going to be the greatest Encounter yet…and last month is going to be tough to beat!

Hope to see you there!

\o/ Don

Carol's Encounter

(For an understanding of "Encounter", please see the post "Introduction to Encounter")

My Encounter was a wonderful "next chapter" to all that has been happening in my life since joining VWS!

First, during worship music, I prayed for the Lord to fill the room! I also prayed that He would cast out any and all gloom and doom that the news broadcasts had been filling my head with. He has always had birds sing and fly around me whenever I was in a parking lot, to remind me of His care and that I need never worry. I asked Him to please do the same with my restless thoughts of crime, the economy, etc. He did!

I experienced being a cat, a horse, a petal on a white daisy, and a bird flying high in the clouds. When I was the horse running though the fields, I had picture upon picture of where I was going and seeing, one on top of the other, sometimes in mono vision and sometimes with the depth of binocular vision (two eyes working together to see one vision). It was confusing! I asked the Lord if this contributed to horse and rider accidents, where the rider wants the horse to jump over a fence and the horse comes to a dead stop instead. He said yes. I confirmed what I experienced with information about what horses see from experts.

Amazing as it was, this was just the beginning. We were asked to come to the front if we felt we had family curses, pestering demons, and/or suicidal thoughts. So I came up and prayed for release. As I did, and when I said out loud that I command all demons to leave me and my dreams and stay away, I suddenly fell to my knees. I had been leaning on a demon's lie as a crutch to stand on--without even knowing it! When the demon and his lies left I fell into a kneeling posture before the Throne of God, with angels keeping me from hurting myself when I went down. I saw this ugly black, streaky thing leave me as I fell, too.

I rose up to praise the Lord, and He lifted me up under my arms and placed me on a high precipice. It was glorious! I felt 20 feet tall! When the prayer was over and I opened my eyes, I still saw the earth far below me and stars right beside me. I was frightened I would fall at first, but then I realized I was safe and well.

I continue to feel lighter and happier! I wish I could share this feeling and these blessings with everyone! That is why I am humbled to be a part of the Sozo and prayer team. God bless you all!

Carol Whetstone

The Next Encounter!

Every time Encounter is over for the month I get nervous...I feel like, "Okay, I've shared everything I know, what in the world will we do next month?" God let's me sweat it out for a little while, until I remember that part is His job! I usually don't have a very good picture of how I want to approach the evening until that afternoon, but He has been giving me clues along the way.

One of the things I believe He is telling me to go after on Feb 4th is addictions. I don't know what that will look like yet, but I believe Jesus is going to set some people free from junk they don't want (and maybe even some they do). We will likely do some more focused physical healing this time also since that was put on the back burner in January. I'll try to let you know some of the plan as I learn it myself (no promise of full disclosure implied there...I still like surprises).

If you are in the Cincinnati area, please join us for Encounter, Wednesday evening, February 4th, 7 PM, at the Vineyard Westside church on Glenmore Ave...I can't remember the address (maybe someone could comment with it).

Helen's Encounter

(For an understanding of "Encounter" please see "Introduction to Encounter")

Here's my story...It's a long one...

In recent years, God has made a lot of headway with me in my weak areas which are fear and doubt. Seems odd since one of my spiritual gifts is Faith, but maybe it makes sense since the enemy likes to steal.

Anyway, I still had lingering "voices" that continued to plague me in stuff that I have settled with God and pretty much gotten His say on. Somehow they keep coming back around...When that happens I battle with it thinking "well, maybe it wasn't settled" and then it goes into this whole internal conflict that distracts me and drives me into self-focus. During worship I found myself there, once again, turning it over to God because I was tired of the conflict and was ready to give up my dreams if that's what God was asking of me.

Somewhere in the midst of this intense praying I got a picture of Jesus putting his hand on the back my head and pushing it forward. At first I thought that seemed so rough I was concerned it was the enemy but quickly realized what was going on. In the Sozo ministry we have a tool called a "divine edit" where the minister places a hand on the back of the person's head, asks the Holy Spirit to come in and "edit out" abnormal concepts/beliefs and exhange them with Truth.

Jesus was performing a divine edit on me!

He spoke into my ear, words that flowed like a stream, the truth about me, how He made me, how the things that He'd placed in my life - the people, experiences, etc - had been placed there for a purpose and that they'd all pull together in a way that would amaze me. I needed to stop second guessing and worrying. He trusted me to do what was right, he knew my heart was to please Him, but that I'd also fallen into a religious mindset that placed a lot of fear into my motives. He cleaned all of it up.

I saw angels there with us in that moment. Then the angels were gone and Father God and the Holy Spirit were there. I could only see God's feet. But he was standing next to me. The Holy Spirit was in front of me, placing his forehead against mine if that makes sense. Jesus began sealing up my ears - I guessed so that I would not be able to hear the enemy's lies anymore. YAY!

But then from within my head I heard a solitary, clear voice that undermined all they did and I was afraid that maybe I was just seeing what I wanted to see and the voice was actually that of God. But it contradicted everything that had streamed into my mind as the "sozo" was happening. That sent me into more conflict because I then didn't know what to believe or whose voice it was. I was discouraged and thought "This is just never going to end." I felt a dark heaviness in the front of my head that stayed there for most of the rest of the night.

Since I was on the prayer team I set that aside so I could help pray for other people. Later Don called out for anyone who was dealing with "voices" to come up. so I went up. I thought of how many times I had gone for prayer for this crap. Part of me thought "why bother?" But then Don commanded the voices to be gone...FOREVER...

"Forever," I thought sarcastically. "That would be nice."

Then Don clarified "Yes, they can be gone forever". I knew I hadn't spoken outloud so I knew that this was something from God. There was a power, a truth, in those words that was warm and comforting to my spirit. I did NOT have to live like this forever, in this place of confusion. I then felt peace in the area of my head where the "junk" had been. I felt the heaviness lift.

Later, a mild headache began in that area of my head. Knowing that Don has an anointing for dealing with headaches I asked him to pray with me. As he was praying, the headache seemed to move from my forehead to under my eyebrow, like it was trying to escape from under Don's hand. That was when it was clear that this conflict did in fact come from the enemy. He gave himself away at that time, the lying, stealing, counterfeiting mongrel. I had proof positive that all of it was from him...That there was no conflict with God. God was not asking me to lay down any dreams. My dreams and desires were from Him and for Him.

This experience has left me able to discern without a doubt when I am facing crap from the evil one. Darkness and heaviness in my chest and head are not the conviction of the Holy Spirit. They are evidence of being messed with. And I will not be calling God the devil by telling them to shut up and leave which had been my biggest fear when I was unsure who the voices were.

ENCOUNTER ROCKS!

Let me clarify: ENCOUNTER ROCKS...But JESUS IS DA BOMB DIGGITY.... :)

Helen

Kelly's Encounter

(For and understanding of "Encounter" please see the post "Introduction to Encounter")

Last night I went to Encounter for the first time since it began. Don spoke about the voices in your head. He called people up on 3 separate occasions for different "voices". I am not perfect at defectling those negative voices yet, but I am certainly getting better. I never went up front, I just sat their and prayed for the people that did go up.

After this, Don asked if anyone needed physical healing to grab a prayer team member and get prayed for. I still sat, waiting to see who would be available, not knowing if I was going to ask or not. For the past 3 months I have had a terrible back problem. It is not constant, but when I sit for awhile, usually while doing school, my lower right back would kill. The pain would radiate down my bottom to the front of my thigh and down to my foot. The pain so excruciating at times that I could hardly stand up straight. I think God was telling me all night that He wanted to heal me. I heard Him, but was like, yeah, it's just a bad back, there are other people here with more serious issues, I'm sure. So I sat.

Then I got up and walked into the aisle, still not really knowing if I was going to ask for prayer or not. There were 2 friends standing there and they asked me if I needed prayer. I said "well, my back is killing me" They put their hand on my back, one said a quick prayer and that was it. I still felt some pain, but kept believing that God had healed it. When we got finished with school today, I felt no pain whatsoever. NONE. I feel only heat back there right now. God is faithful even when we aren't sure we want to listen to Him-how amazing is that?!

I am blown away by His love for me.