I was flying home to Colorado from RAIN Ministries Bible Camp in Montana after ministering to many people with Pastor Damien Wong of Life Church in Kona, Hawaii. We experienced a very busy and successful time of ministry at the camp, and had seen many people emotionally, physically and spiritually healed and set free. The plane was completely full, but I got to my seat, fully intending to relax or sleep, but God had another plan.
Just as I was about to put my earphones in to listen to some music, the woman next to me began a small-talk conversation, offering me a mint. The subject turned to the camp that I’d just come from and I explained that I was a Christian minister and had just been praying for many people. She mentioned that she was a new age healer, describing some sort of therapy she was involved with to bring emotional healing to people. I asked her what her success rate was, and she admitted that it wasn’t very good, sounding disappointed.
I began sharing testimonies of healings and deliverances of people we had ministered to at Bible camp. I told her that she just deals with the mind-body realm, but I deal with spirit, soul, and body. “The realm of the spirit has two kingdoms, God’s kingdom and the kingdom of darkness,” I told her. “And the enemy (Satan) sets people up for abuse, hurt, and disappointments. It’s only Jesus Christ who can set them free from the effects of all kinds of abuse.”
She was intrigued and wanted to hear more, and at that point, one particular testimony came to mind. At the Bible camp, God had physically healed a woman who had been a victim of molestation in her past. I had led her through the process of forgiving and releasing the emotional trauma in the name of Jesus Christ. We often see people set free from physical pain when we introduce Jesus Christ to them and lead them through a series of forgiveness and release exercises.
As we were talking, the woman on the airplane became emotional and started to weep. She then began to share her own personal pain and struggles with me. From what she told me, I could see a pattern of despair and disappointments in her life. She had been repeatedly abused and victimized her whole life. I then sensed she might be ready to release her pain and to receive the Lord.
Suddenly, the pilot announced we were beginning our descent into Denver, and I knew time was short. I asked her if she was ready to release the emotional pain of her past and also get rid of neck pain, back pain, and knee pain, which she had mentioned. Through her tears, she nodded that she was ready. I often use the word-picture of taking off an old, filthy garment as I explain how Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to set people free of the guilt, shame, and condemnation of their past, and that He can bring them a whole new identity.
Right there on the airplane I led her through a prayer exercise in which she visualized taking off her false identity as a wounded victim, and inviting Jesus to bring her something else to “put on.” I invited her to pray, “Jesus bring me something to put on to replace what I just took off.”
After she tearfully went through the exercise of taking off her old identity and getting rid of all the guilt, shame, bitterness, and unforgiveness, I asked her if Jesus was still there where she could see Him. She nodded yes and I asked her to move face to face with Him and to take one big step right into Him. She suddenly exclaimed, “I knew it was You!”
It was as though she was talking directly to Jesus. I leaned over and said to her, “Why don’t you just give your life to Jesus now.”
She agreed, and I led her in a prayer to ask Jesus Christ to be her Lord and Savior. She accepted His forgiveness and His love. She told me she felt as though Jesus spoke directly to her and said, “I’ve been waiting all of these years for you!”
God clearly wanted to complete her healing, so I prayed for her knees, her neck, and her back, and she was completely healed of all pain. By that point, the plane had landed and she looked at me and exclaimed, “Who are you, man?” I just smiled and it was time to walk off the plane.
Source: God Speaks: The Guidance of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts and Today by Janet D. Perrin.