Maria No.13DO 188729/11/84

—By Maria

1. SOMETIMES PEOPLE HAVE A CERTAIN DEEP-ROOTED PROBLEM THAT THEY JUST CAN'T SEEM TO OVERCOME. They may want to overcome it & get the victory‚ they try & they ask for help but they just can't seem to overcome it. You may counsel with them & talk to them & be sweet & loving & kind & they may say‚ "You've helped me so much & I want to do better & I've tried, but I just can't!" They know you've been good to them, & they know they're not supposed to be the way they are & they don't want to be that way. They know what the problem is & what the solution is, but they still just can't seem to get the victory. In such a case‚ I wonder if the problem is a spirit that actually needs to be cast out & gotten rid of!

2. WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE'S PROBLEMS, YOU CAN JUST TALK TO THEM A LITTLE BIT & YOU TELL THEM THE SOLUTION & THEY WANT TO DO BETTER & THEY REPENT & CHANGE. With others, you talk to them & you pray with them & perhaps there's a short-lived victory, but then the problem returns over & over again. Often the person wants to be delivered & wants to get the victory & admits what the problem is, but after you talk with them & you pray with them, they still don't get the victory. When there is that kind of problem, I think there needs to be something more than just talking & talking & praying & praying with them. I think in such a case they may be bound by a spirit & they need deliverance.

3. IF THEY ARE WILLING, YOU NEED TO EXPLAIN THE PROBLEM IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY & HAVE THEM ADMIT TO IT & THEN LAY HANDS ON THEM & DEMAND THE SPIRIT TO DEPART IN THE NAME OF JESUS. Maybe they can't get the victory, but the Lord can, for "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world!" (1Jn.4:4). They may not always react kindly to the idea of public laying-on of hands, but if they really want a victory like they say they do & they're really sincere about wanting it, then they'll have to be willing to go through that humbling & have everybody pray for them & not just one or two leaders.

4. A GOOD EXAMPLE OF SUCH A PROBLEM WOULD BE SOMEONE WHO HAS A SEVERE PROBLEM WITH JEALOUSY OR SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS OR SOMEONE WHO IS CRITICAL OR PROUD. The person may know the answer, they may know what they're supposed to do & know what they're not supposed to do, but they still can't get the victory. In such a case it may be like the Lord said, "This kind goeth not out but by fasting & prayer" (Mt.17:21).

5. OBVIOUSLY SOME PROBLEMS ARE MORE DEEPLY ROOTED OR MORE SPIRITUAL THAN OTHERS. I don't know exactly what the distinction is, but I guess if they just can't get the victory by talking & counseling & praying with them, then you'd better do something else. If they want the victory, that's the main thing, they admit & confess their problems & they come for help, but if talking & praying with them doesn't do the trick, then the next thing is to call for the elders of the church so that they can be healed.

6. WHEN YOU HAVE A TIME OF GROUP PRAYER, JUST POINT OUT THE PROBLEM & THEN LAY HANDS ON THEM & CAST OUT THE SPIRIT, WHATEVER THE SPIRITS ARE. Obviously the Lord can bring about a victory‚ but He may want the person to humble themselves & ask for public prayer. They may not even think to ask for it, so you may need to suggest it to them & help them along. It's only fair that you do, as it may be the only thing that will bring them the victory.

7. OFTEN WHEN PEOPLE HAVE THESE SERIOUS PROBLEMS & NEED TO CONFESS & ASK FOR UNITED PRAYER BEFORE THEIR HOME OR A GROUP, pride & fear get in the way & stop them from doing it. Why else wouldn't they ask for prayer? If they're willing & they want prayer & they realise their problems, then what stops them from asking for it?—Fear that people will make fun of them or think they're too bad or will reject them in some way, which is akin to pride. Fear of rejection isn't exactly the same as pride, it's a bit different, but a lot of times fearing that people will not accept you anymore can be pride!

8. WHATEVER IT IS, THE ENEMY USES IT & REALLY puts the pressure on in such a heavy way that it can actually stop you from confessing or asking for prayer. Of course, the Enemy blows it up so big that it's way out of proportion to what you really should be feeling & what you need to be feeling. When it comes time for some people to confess, it's almost impossible for them to do it, they can hardly get the words out. They're scared or afraid to.

9. IN A CASE LIKE THAT THE LEADER OF THE HOME OR WHOEVER IS LEADING THE PRAYER SESSION SHOULD TRY TO HELP MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM. First of all you could ask if there is anyone that has anything to confess‚ because hardly anybody, no matter how brave they are, is going to stop the meeting & say, "Listen‚ I would like to get up & confess!" You need to open it for confession. The leader needs to lead people into it & say something like‚ "Would anybody like to confess anything, or do you have anything you would like to get off your heart or you would like to ask for forgiveness for or you would like to ask for prayer?" That's your responsibility as a leader, & if you know that there are people that are having problems & do want the victory but these particular people don't confess or don't show any signs of opening up & asking for prayer, then you need to help them even further.

10. USUALLY IN A CASE LIKE THIS YOU WOULD HAVE ALREADY TALKED WITH THEM & they may have even had prayer privately with you, but if you as the leader think that it would be good for them to ask for public united prayer & laying-on of hands, then you could discuss it with them ahead of time to prepare them. It can be a very shocking & embarrassing situation if in the middle of a united meeting the leader all of a sudden says, "Ok, would you like to have prayer for your problem? We would like to pray for you!" If they're not prepared for it & haven't accepted it in their heart, then their immediate reaction may be to reject it! If you give them some advance notice & you get them to agree to united prayer ahead of time, then they have a chance to accept that that's what's going to happen & the Lord has a bit of time to work in their hearts & He has a chance to help them see that it will be good & will help them.

11. SOMETIMES THE SHOCK TREATMENT IS NEEDED, BUT NORMALLY I THINK IT'S GOOD TO PREPARE PEOPLE IN ADVANCE. If you've been talking to them about this problem before & if they've acknowledged that they want the victory & you've had prayer with them & they still don't seem to be able to get it‚ then they need united prayer‚ & it's probably good to prepare them ahead of time. Ask them‚ "Would you like united prayer? I think it would help, so maybe we could ask everybody to lay hands on you & pray!" Show them the value of it & get them used to the idea that maybe this is what will really do the trick & will help them to victory! That's what we've done a number of times. We've discussed it ahead of time with them & prepared them, instead of all of a sudden in the middle of a meeting just springing the idea on them. The whole idea is to try to make it easy for them to confess & ask for prayer.

12. IN SOME CASES THEY DON'T WANT UNITED PRAYER, THEY'RE TOO SCARED & SHY & THEY DON'T WANT TO CONFESS, but sometimes if you bring it out in the open & you start to somewhat confess for them, then they'll break & they'll accept it & they'll be happy you did confess for them & then they'll go ahead & confess on their own. They see the game's up & they're exposed so they might as well not fight it anymore & they'll ask for the victory, ask for prayer & will accept it.

13. IF THE LEADER SEES THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO ASK FOR PRAYER ON THEIR OWN, THEN IT'S GOOD TO HELP THEM TO DO IT because lots of times they just can't, they're so bound that it's almost impossible for them to do it on their own! That's why we have to bear each other's burdens. I think I told Sara that time with Hope just to say, "Well, Hope's had a little problem for awhile with such-&-such, as you probably know. We all have problems, but Hope's had this particular one that's really been plaguing her & she really wants to get the victory over it. You've probably noticed & I'm sure you've been praying for her & want to help her. When one suffers we all suffer, & we need to bear each other's burdens, & she'd like to ask for prayer for it because it's really been hindering her. Is that right, Hope? Do you have anything else you want to say?" Then she didn't really have to say anything else since it had already been confessed, but if she had something more she could say it or just say, "Yes‚ it's true. Please pray for me." Then you can have united prayer for them.

14. IT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE TO BE THE PERSON HIMSELF THAT CONFESSES & EXPLAINS THE PROBLEM. Maybe that's why we haven't gotten more victories, because everybody's been waiting for the person himself to confess in a united group & a lot of people just can't, it's too hard for them! They're bound by pride or fear or shyness! Some people, even in the best of times are very very shy & can't even say anything in a group, they can hardly even give a verse or even just add to a conversation. So when it comes to confessing their problems & their deepest sins in front of the group, it's almost impossible! If they can barely speak to a group at a very optimum time, how are they going to do it in a more difficult time when the Enemy is really fighting them not to confess because he knows that if he can keep them from asking for prayer then they won't get the victory! Even with people that are very outgoing, the Enemy still fights them & sometimes they can't even get it out!

15. WE NEED TO HELP MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM BY HELPING THEM TO CONFESS. If they can't say anything or have a real difficult time getting it out, you can just say it for them & then ask them if they'd like to add anything more to it. Sometimes once you get'm started they'll carry on & finish confessing & asking for prayer on their own. You just have to be led by the Spirit!

16. I WAS IN CHURCH ALL MY LIFE & SAW A LOT OF EVANGELISTS WHO WOULD TRY TO HELP PEOPLE COME UP DURING THE ALTAR CALL. In some cases the Lord would point out to the preacher or an evangelist somebody that had a need in their life. Maybe that person was sitting there crying, but sometimes there was no outward sign that they needed help, but by the Spirit the evangelist would know, or they would know from talking to them beforehand.

17. WHEN AN EVANGELIST WOULD COME TO THE CHURCH, PEOPLE WOULD GO TO THEM TO POUR OUT THEIR SINS. They didn't really want their preacher to know all their faults, but they did want to get the victory, so they'd tell this stranger all of their sins, & he would try to help them, just like that evangelist did with me. (See ML #1799:50, Vol. 15.) I talked to him beforehand, & then in a public meeting he pointed me right out & preached a whole sermon to me. Although they didn't get together & lay hands on me, everybody was praying for me during the meeting & it amounted to, more or less, the same thing!

18. WHEN GROWING UP I REMEMBER OTHER EVANGELISTS WOULD SOMETIMES POINT OUT PEOPLE IN THE CONGREGATION OR AT THE ALTAR CALL, "Young man, you need the Lord. Why don't you come down." They would point out certain ones & then everybody would come down to the altar & pray with the person who was asking for help or who was asking for Salvation or whatever the problem was.

19. THE WHOLE POINT IS THAT YOU NEED TO HELP PEOPLE WHO FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER HAVE A HARD TIME ASKING FOR PRAYER. You can't just sit there self-righteously & say, "So-&-so's not confessing so he's not going to get the victory, so forget him!" You have to help him & pull him along & try to help confess for him or confess partially so he can carry it on! It's very seldom that somebody who really deep down in their heart wants a victory will completely reject it! If they really want the victory, they will realize that the more help they can get the better & the more people praying for them the better, & they'll be happy for it.

20. I GUESS IT'S SORT OF A SIMPLE THING BUT I KNOW IF VERY OFTEN SOMEBODY CONFESSES FOR SOMEONE ELSE in real love & concern that they will get a needed victory. We just need to remember that a lot of people have a real difficulty confessing on their own, but they may want to, so it's up to you to help them. Do you make it easy for them to be good? Please do! They need your help! GBY & help you to help others, in Jesus' name, amen!

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family