Healing Line

Healing Line

Praying in Tongues for Healing

by Francis MacNutt
Mar/Apr 2004

It now has been 35 years since I first began praying in tongues. Gradually, I have discovered more and more reasons for praying in tongues in spite of the skeptics' question, "Why should I pray in some unknown language, if indeed it is a language at all, that even I don't understand? God understands English, so why not pray in English?" That's a question that seems to make good common sense, doesn't it?

So, over the years, I have been discovering good practical reasons for praying in tongues that confirm the leap of faith I made so many years ago. One of the practical, spiritual reasons I have found ( among half a dozen other good reasons) is that the gift of tongues is a· great help in praying for healing.

Let's go back to what I believe is the most basic reason for praying in tongues: it seems to be a way for us to join our imperfect prayer to God's own prayer life, making up for our limitations with his knowledge and understanding. Our own ideas about what best to pray for are almost always limited and imperfect. Often, we don't know how to pray, but if we can join our prayers to the prayer of Jesus, our high priest, we can pray with some confidence that we are asking for the right thing.

This directly helps when you pray for a sick person. Suppose the person is asking you to pray for a heart condition. We all know that heart ailments are sometimes connected to a spiritual or emotional ailment — perhaps a lack of forgiveness, perhaps a great deal of anxiety. If you are praying for a large number of people and really don't have the time to spend talking with each person, you do the best you can by turning the prayer over to the Holy Spirit who does understand all the areas of the sick person's life that need ministry. What you can do then is pray as best you can in English and tum the prayer over to the Spirit by praying in tongues, allowing God to make up for everything you don't understand about the sick person's condition.

I first learned this way back in the 1970's, when praying in a church in Cali, Colombia. Many people were kneeling for prayer at the altar railing, and since I didn't speak Spanish, I realized the situation was going to require me to spend a very long time asking each and every person what his/her need was. Ordinarily, they would have to speak in Spanish, and the translator would tell me, in English, what they were requesting. Then I would say a prayer in English and, finally, the interpreter would repeat my prayer in Spanish. The time required for the normal procedure would be exhausting for everyone; so, I simply told everyone ( through the interpreter, of course) that they should say their requests in their hearts, tell them directly to Jesus, and I would pray for them in tongues, asking the Lord to answer them.

The next morning we heard amazing testimonies. Some were dramatically healed, some experienced deliverance from evil spirits, still others came to the Lord for the first time. The response was truly extraordinary. I have been doing this ever since — just turning the prayer over to the Spirit.

As Paul says, this kind of prayer is praying in the spirit, but not with our understanding (1 Co. 14: 15). In this case, understanding the prayer isn't necessary and doesn't require an interpretation.

A second, very practical reason for praying in tongues when praying for a large number of people, is that praying in English requires tremendous concentration, creativity and energy. If, for example, you pray for 100 sick people, this would take a great amount of energy. Even Jesus felt power go out from him when the woman with the issue of blood simply touched the hem of his garment. When you add to that the energy required to pay attention to and touch those 100 patients, you would have done a day's work. Were you to add the attention needed to compose 100 prayers, your healing ministry would take even more out of you.

Praying in tongues is God's marvelous way of helping us in our hour of need. Praying for the sick in tongues is parallel to what Paul is teaching:

...The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for; but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will (Ro. 8:26–27).

I hope this helps encorage you!


Francis MacNutt Francis MacNutt is a Founding Director and Executive Committee member of CHM. Mar/Apr 2004 Issue


A Testimony in Relation to "Dissociative Identity Disorder" (DID)

by Francis MacNutt
Mar/Apr 2004

[Introductory note from Francis: Sometimes people question whether it helps to take a course in healing prayer, when all they need is the Spirit to instruct them. In an ideal world, in which people really are guided by the Spirit that closely, they would be right. But we can learn from others; otherwise, we wouldn't need teachers and preachers and prophets in the church.

One area, which is well illustrated in the following story, occurs when people suffer from multiple personality disorder (now usually called "Dissociative Identity Disorder"); they may have up to hundreds of "alters" — parts of their personality that have been broken off. This is found, especially, in victims of satanic ritual abuse. Some of the personalities are really parts of the person that have been split off and need to be re–integrated into the person's true self. On the other hand, there may also be evil spirits attached to these personalities that need to be cast out.

This sorting out between parts of the person that need to be integrated and the evil requires a real gift of discernment, ordinarily with the help of a professional counselor.

Sadly, some prayer ministers decide that all these personalities should be cast out. The prayer ministers are well–meaning, but trying to cast out parts of the true person that need to be integrated can result in destroying the wounded person they are trying to help.]


John, a coordinator of prayer teams at our last Fishnet Conference (for about 500 people in Rutland, Vermont, in June 2003), sent us an account of a fascinating experience he had had while praying for a woman (whom we will call "Jane") who had suffered for years with depression, anxiety and panic attacks. To the prayer team she revealed the presence of inner children, which gave the impression of a multiple personality disorder. The prayer ministers then introduced John to Jane, since he had experience working with.another woman who had a similar problem. Here are some excerpts from John's letter to us at CHM:

Jane looked at me and observed, "He is frightening to me," to which I responded, "I understand, and its okay." She then asked, "How are you going to get rid of them? Will you squash them, or what?" ("Them" refers to the various inner children.)

I replied, "No, they are not going to be hurt in any way. They are beloved and they are welcome here. I would like to introduce them to Jesus, if they do not already know him, because Jesus would like to help and to heal them. Jesus already loves them. Would you introduce us to these inner children?"

Jane said, "Abigail is here." I said, "Welcome, Abigail! Do you know Jesus? He would like to bless you and heal you. All you need to do is to ask him to help you and to be your healer and Savior." Something quickly seemed to happen and then Jane said, "Beth is now here, along with several others who came along with Beth. I don't even know all their names."

I said, "Since Beth is here, I assume you are all here. I would like to introduce each of you to Jesus, who would like to bless and heal you. All you need to do is to ask him to heal you and to be your Savior. Then I believe he will bring you all together as one beloved person and will give you any further guidance you need to complete your healing." Beth had several questions about Jesus that were answered. Again, something seemed to happen rather quickly, and Jane said, "Isn't this strange. I'm sitting close to you, and yet I feel safer than I can remember feeling, even though you are a man." (John later discovered that she had been sexually molested at an early age.)

Later that evening Jane came to me and said, "Would you tell me how you learned to do what you did?" I then told her of my only other experience of ministering to someone like her and said, "The rest must have been the guidance of the Holy Spirit."

She said it was amazing that healing could happen so quickly and so easily. She had searched for years in therapy, trying to get healing, without understanding the problem that was represented by these inner children. Some prayer ministers even had suggested trying to cast them out through a deliverance ministry. Nothing had worked. At the same Fishnet conference we found there were two other persons with similar multiples who also had experienced healing.

Jane later wrote John to say she had received a great revelation and healing at Fishnet and was continuing to receive professional Christian therapy and prayer support to finish the good work God had begun. She wrote:

True medical MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder) personalities are not acquainted with each other and the person changes personalities in an outwardly visible way. I do not do that and I have always known that these children represented pieces of me. I spoke about them many times and no one ever suggested that I had dissociative problems. My personality was fractured by sexual abuse, as you so gently put it when you talked to me. Jesus helped me create these children so I could survive in the midst of terrible trauma. How loving were your words to me concerning how these children came into being. It has been hard over the years listening to people telling me to cast them out.

People should be careful how they treat and name this problem. "Fractured soul" works well for me... I do not doubt that the same type of integration process can be used by God, no matter what you call it. l still have work to do integrating my fractured–off pieces. The prayer I received revealed the source of the problem and healed some major stumbling blocks that I did not know existed. Praise God. Proper guidance from trusted and competent professionals is still needed when we receive this kind of revelatory knowledge and healing from the Lord. The work of healing the fractures created by sexual abuse is rarely a one time miraculous event. Actually, had I known what God was going to do ahead of time, I honestly might have chosen not to do it. However God knows my humanity and he circumvented my objections with great love and care and I am very grateful.

Footnote: When Satanic Ritual Abuse is connected with multiple personalities, the healing usually does not go as quickly or peacefully_as in this case. — F.S.M


Francis MacNutt Francis MacNutt is a Founding Director and Executive Committee member of CHM. Mar/Apr 2004 Issue


CHM Intercessors – Releasing the Power of the Holy Spirit

by Anne Early
Mar/Apr 2004

Central to everything that is accomplished through Christian Healing Ministries (CHM) is the power of the Holy Spirit. Teaching, praying for healing, writing, planning – all depend upon the Spirit.

God has blessed this ministry by providing a faithful band of prayer warriors, the CHM intercessors, who "pray without ceasing" for the release of the Holy Spirit in our ministry and in the lives of individuals around the world. This dedicated group is widely varied, being composed of medical doctors, nurses, therapists, and psychologists; missionaries, priests, pastors, and nuns; some are retired and others are working; some are home–bound and some are athletes. They are bound by one common thread, a deep love for Jesus Christ that compels them to pray for healing the sick.

Apart from their common unity in prayer, the intercessors show a diversity that demonstrates the breadth of the mystery of God's love. By geographical location, they range from the United States and Canada to the U.K. and other parts of Europe, to New Zealand and Australia, to several African nations, and to the Philippines. Their spiritual journeys are equally diverse; for example, our newest intercessor is leaving this month for a three–year ministry in the Marshall Islands.

For the most part, these devoted intercessors — several hundred in number — prefer to remain nameless, in the spirit of Jesus' instructions: "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matthew 6:6). For the most part, they pray alone with Jesus as their intercessor, and in so doing, release the power of the Holy Spirit around the world.

We have asked permission of several intercessors to let us share with you something about their work, and we will begin with Joy Lamb, who started this ministry of intercession and wrote the book, The Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Joy continues to furnish every CHM intercessor with a copy of her book to be used as a guide in praying the Scriptures. She also gives a copy to any prisoner or prison chaplain who requests it. In addition to supporting CHM's work of intercession, Joy has started an intercessory ministry she calls "History's Handful," who pray for the church, our nation, and the world. (We are happy to report that prayers for Joy Lamb's vision are being answered. One eye has been healed from macular degeneration, and more prayers are needed to complete the healing process.)

One intercessor, Marian Malone, combined her work of intercession with her service as a nurse on the Mercy Ship last spring. She not only cared for patients but also took time to comfort children in the refugee camps of Sierra Leone.

Annette King is another intercessor who serves in emergency circumstances, as well as regularly praying for the individuals named on her prayer sheets. When we hear about a life–or–death situation, we call Annette, who responds immediately. Hearing her voice on the telephone (energetic, joyful), one might guess her age to be 50 to 55 years. She ends each conversation by saying that she has been blessed by the call and the opportunity to pray for the person in need. Annette is 95 years old.

Barbara Avery is eager to share information about her street ministry in Kerrville, Texas. Barbara came to Christ after her third year in prison, and says that the last six years of her nine–year sentence were spent "reading the Bible, every word of copies of The Healing Line, and books by Francis and Judith MacNutt." She says that they have been a tremendous influence in her life. Upon her release from prison, Barbara started "B.A. Angel of Grace Ministries," to work with street kids. In November 2003, Barbara reported that approximately 27 youth had been deeply touched on a regular basis, and now that number has increased to 100, and the ministry has been extended to families. Barbara says, enthusiastically, "I just want everybody to know about Jesus." Using Joy Lamb's book, The Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, she prays Scripture over her street kids, gives each of them a copy of the book, and teaches them how to pray.

It was shortly after writing his testimony for the Winter 2002 issue of The Healing Line that Mac Nibbs became an intercessor. Following a career as a naval officer, Mac completed all three levels of CHM's School of Healing Prayer (SHP®). It was while he was attending SHP® III that it became evident Mac needed prayers of deliverance. Moreover, he was in a great deal of pain. Knowing that Richie Smalley was strong in praying for deliverance, I went to my office to call him. As I reached for the phone, it rang. The person calling was Richie. He said, "Anne, I think the Lord is telling me there is someone you want me to pray for. Do you know who it is? And does that person have a headache?" Mac was having a terrible headache, and so was Richie. Richie prayed for Mac, and within a few minutes, both headaches were gone. Mac feels that his experience will enable him to help others — enable him to identify the need for deliverance and inner healing and to pray for those who are oppressed and wounded. Mac now leads a prayer ministry in his church in San Diego and, furthermore, is enrolled in seminary to become an Episcopal priest.

We value all our intercessors and praise God for each one's contribution to this great ministry. Many of our intercessors suffer from chronic illnesses and truly demonstrate the truth of Paul's words, "when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12: 10). One intercessor who, as the result of an automobile accident is paralyzed from the neck down, has said she receives a physical blessing each time she prays for the physical healing of others. This intercessor demonstrates that physical incapacity in no way limits the power of intercession, for in her "weakness" she still releases the power of the Holy Spirit for the healing of others.

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'" (Isaiah 52:7)


Mar/Apr 2004 Issue


Praise the Lord and Give Thanks

See what He has done...
Mar/Apr 2004

Testimonies from Emerging Leaders Conference
October 27–31, 2003:

Where to begin? The fellowship, the love that emanated from and through each participant, speaker, volunteer. Truly, God was present in the talks, the prayer ministry, the worship. Best conference I've attended. The time spent at Virginia's was refreshing and healing — a wonderful time of fellowship and bonding. Thank you for all the hard work. Thank you for your "yes."


Thank you for bringing the body of Christ together over denominational lines. That was healing to me to experience. I have been rejected and have rejected others, because of denominational lines. The conference gave me a chance to repent, forgive and experience the body as God intended.


First, this was a wonderful, inspiring, energizing conference. I got a wealth of "how–to" and "why" for information. Thank you. Each talk had many pearls of wisdom from the presenter's knowledge and experience — most valuable.


The best part for me was having the opportunity to receive prayer. As a pastor, it is sometimes not healthy to open your heart to anyone in your own congregation; being able to be ministered to and prayed for has been the "most" delightful experience.


I enjoyed and profited most during this conference from the ministry time. It was refreshing and healing. I came empty and dry. I leave filled with grace and the Spirit.


The best thing about the conference for me was the covering of a variety of subjects: i.e., physical healing, deliverance, inner healing. It gives a comprehensive view that I feel will be most helpful in a person's overall ministry. I liked the basic teaching and the practical how–to!


The best part was the time we spent with the four key speakers as they shared their experiences — they filled up our tool kit for us.


The best part was the healing I received. I had no idea how empty I was. And although I knew most of the information, there were jewels in all the talks.


I came to the conference burdened by a great weight, unable to see a positive future on the horizon, and largely joyless. Upon being prayed for, the weight has been set aside, my view clearer, and my joy restored.


Relieved of gastric disturbances, difficulty in breathing — and more to come, I am sure. Feels like the Lord Jesus reached deep down in my soul, laid a new foundation and installed a fountain of refreshing living water.


All the teachings are very good and needed. It is hard to enumerate the most helpful, since all were helpful to us. (In respo/ise to the question, "Did you experience any healing?) Yes, I feel and know that I am freer and more peaceful and rested.


This conference is the best I have been to in my 25 years of ordained ministry. Informative, life–giving, healing! I appreciate the kindness and graciousness of everyone on your staff. I experienced your love and the love of the other participants. The relaxed atmosphere was good. The songs of praise were wonderful!


The Vineyard Healing Model was the most helpful teaching — excellent, too!! This was a great experience. Not only were the teachings great, but the intimacy (fellowship) was awesome. I really appreciated the openness and honesty of the group. In sharing our foibles, faults, fears and doubts, denominational barriers were non–existent. I feel I've experienced a baptism of Love.


The best part of the conference for me was the stories. I loved the history Francis and Judith represent. I just loved each story and how it tells us what we can expect from God — what He is willing to do. I also loved the multi–denominational backgrounds of all the people here. I loved meeting each person and learning from how God has touched them in many different ways from my own experiences. The information was really rich.


This time was like a time apart with Jesus — suspended time. Everything I heard became part of me, and I feel like Jesus will use it all in my own personal ministry.


I just wanted to say that I so much appreciated the times of prayer by teams of CHM. It was such!! blessing to me. Try to even enlarge this. We are so thankful that the Lord led us here. It is so great. We are so excited. We needed this. You are doing it right.


The personal feedback given by the people as they left the conference was superb. People left feeling so excited. (From Susan Stanford–Rue.)


Mar/Apr 2004 Issue