Q & A with Francis & Judith
by Francis & Judith MacNutt
Summer 2014
Q: How do I go about incorporating healing prayer in my mental health practice? Do I call it healing prayer to the client?
A: (Judith) First, I would like to say that part of Francis' rich legacy is that he is a founding member of the Association of Christian Therapists. They have a wonderful annual conference that deals with this issue specifically. All of their speakers are trained in healing prayer and provide excellent insight and resources, especially in the area of integrating healing prayer and therapy.
When I worked in a hospital, I was not allowed to pray with my patients. However, when I moved to a private practice, we were always up–front in telling people that we were Christian, that we were people of faith, and that if the clients would like prayer, we would like to incorporate prayer as a part of their therapy. I had a slightly easier time with this because I named my practice Christian Counseling Services, so people knew coming in that we were Christian. But it is also very important to remember that the client does need to be in agreement with receiving prayer before you begin praying for them.
In a private practice, you do have to be aware of the laws in the state in which you are licensed — are you even allowed to pray and incorporate your faith according to that state law? I have some friends in other states who have lost their licenses because they prayed with their clients. It is very important to find out what your state laws are. You can also put a statement on an intake form that says you are a Christian and give the option to choose prayer as a part of their treatment.
Q: In the case of an abortion that was scheduled but didn't happen (due to a change of mind, failed attempt, etc.) — can it still negatively affect the child
A: (Judith) When we wrote Praying for Your Unborn Child, some of the stories we read said that it is good for the developmental process of the fetus to have a certain amount of stress. Pregnant mothers go through so many hormonal changes and mood swings during pregnancy, so it is often normal for a woman to have thoughts such as "I can't do this," or "I'm not sure I want this baby," — but they really don't mean it. So I don't necessarily think something like that will negatively impact the child. However, I have prayed with many women who have tried many times, unsuccessfully, to abort their child and ended up keeping the baby. At that level of trauma in utero, the baby could really be damaged. For a situation like that, inner healing needs to be done.
It is so wonderful to pray for inner healing with children. One of the things about adults is that we've lost our ability to use our imagination. Children get right into it. If you say to a child, "I want you to picture yourself in this memory," they can immediately go there. And usually within no time they are talking to Jesus, playing with Him, and receiving inner healing.
Another way to pray for children is to pray for them while they are sleeping. If you don't want them to be aware of the trauma by speaking of it, pray over them as they sleep. Within just a few days, they will often show signs of the prayer working; their behavior will change. If you simply go and pray blessing over a child while they are asleep, it is remarkable how they can change.
Q: In the case of praying for generational healing for an adopted person, how do you know where to begin when there are so many unknowns in their family of origin?
A: (Judith) I've heard Francis use this phrase over and over: "you do what you can." You work with the information you have. If you don't have much information, or any at all, you pray "on condition." For example, "Lord, I want to bring my whole family history to you. I don't know my history but You do." We have to remember that we are known and so loved by God. We really don't have to tell Him what we need healed. Think about that. He knows what we need. So, just our intention, our coming to Him and saying, "I want everything in my life yielded to You. If there is something in the generations that is sinful, please forgive me and my family and cut me free from that." That is praying "on condition." Ask the Lord to close the door on what it is or what it might be. We really don't have to know. The Holy Spirit is the one who searches out everything and brings us into the healing light of Jesus.
Q: If I am having a problem hearing God speak, what can I do about it?
A: (Francis) I often have trouble hearing God speak. The important thing to know is that He speaks to different people in different ways. Some people will actually hear something or see something — and I am in awe of that. For me, because I knew that I was supposed to hear God speak, it took time for me to discover that He speaks to me in very ordinary ways. Things will just come to me as an idea — and they're usually of God. I will just get an impression that maybe we should do something a certain way and nobody else has come up with an idea. So, I'll just say, "Why don't we try it this way," and we do it and it works. The ideas that I get, even when I'm not sure if God is speaking, usually turn out to be from Him. So, learn that God speaks in so many ways, and often they are hidden.
(Judith) In our schools, we have a teaching called Hearing God, with a corresponding practicum exercise. I think that it is important to have people people in your life who can mentor and encourage you to hear God's voice. I think all of us hear Him in such unique ways and some of it is related to our temperament. For example, Francis is a strong introvert and he is highly intuitive, so he gets these impressions that are so accurate. Yet he is not someone to say, "I hear God saying…" because that is not his personality.
We all need to hear encouragement that we do hear from God in unique ways. And we also have to practice. We have to get ourselves into settings where we can practice hearing His voice and learning what it sounds like and how he speaks to us individually.
Q: What is a slumbering spirit?
A: (Judith) I've heard many definitions of this, but to me the very best way I can explain it is that it is when a person just can't seem to connect. There is a disconnect — not only with God but with other people. It is like there is a heaviness and a lethargy present; there is no motivation and ability to connect with life in general and what God is doing. In some cases where there is depression, you may ask the Lord if a slumbering spirit is present.
Q: What do you suggest for people who feel called to the healing ministry but it is not happening in their churches or it is not accepted?
A: (Judith) Early on, when we first started teaching our Schools of Healing Prayer®, people would come and receive training and later report to us that when they went back to their churches, they were not allowed to pray. We strongly believe at CHM that you work with permission and under authority. So, unfortunately, if your pastor and/or the leadership is not on board with healing prayer, you really shouldn't just try and do it anyway. You really need their blessing and their covering.
Many of our friends who have found themselves in these types of situations have gone on to start their own nonprofit ministries and offer healing prayer. But when doing that, it is important that God is leading you into it. It is also important to know who God is calling to be a part of that ministry, and to make sure there are some really strong leaders involved.
Q: It seems that there has recently been a dramatic increase in depression in our culture. Why is that?
A: (Judith) I think at the heart of it, there is a loneliness that we've never seen before. We have become so fragmented in our families and in our societies that there is a deep loneliness present. We are created for relationship and there is a lack of intimacy in our families, friendships, and culture. Not knowing God as our creator leads to broken families, broken marriages, other broken relationships, then to loneliness, then to depression.
Q: What about praying in proxy for someone? If you pray for someone who isn't there, does it work?
A: (Francis) Yes. People often aren't satisfied with this answer but the basic principle is "do what you can." People want something definite but that's not always possible in certain settings. Often the situation is not ideal, but you do what you can and God shows up.
(Judith) Our intercessory prayer program is a perfect example of this working. We have over 500 intercessors around the world and we process over 100,000 prayer requests a year. All we do is send our intercessors the individual's first name and what they have requested prayer for. We get an extraordinary amount of reports of healing. It is not as satisfying for us, obviously, because we love to lay hands on people and pray with them. But as Francis says, "do what you can."
Q: In the temple, Jesus' anger was considered "righteous" and not sinful. If anger can be righteous, how can we determine when it is sinful?
A: (Judith) Righteous anger is what Jesus had when he was defending a person, correcting an injustice, or challenging a corrupt system. His anger was always working to change an injustice. But anger crosses that line when we use it against someone or something instead of using it for positive change. It is the Holy Spirit who grabs us and gets our attention when we are doing something that is leading us into sin, so when we are sensitive to His leading, then the answer to this question is obvious. Remember that anger is not the problem; it is the action that follows — what we do with our anger — that can be sinful. The question to ask yourself when you respond in anger is, "Is this action going to result in the advancement of the Kingdom of God, or will it result in the opposite?"
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Francis MacNutt is a Founding Director and Executive Committee member of CHM. |
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