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“God chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise… because people who are foolish… trust in God the most… God often uses country hicks to preach the Gospel for that very reason. I guarantee you, when you’re a hick from Texas like me, then you know it’s got to be God on your behalf or you haven’t got a chance. And there’s freedom in that!” (The True Nature of God, pp.98-9)

This time a year ago I had never heard Wommack preach. I’ve now heard him speak several times and I’ve read many of his books. He’s become one of my favorite Bible teachers. Although I was startled by his manner at first, I’ve come to appreciate his colloquialisms and his down-home wisdom. If you’ve grown up on a diet of religious mumbo-jumbo, then you may find his plainspokenness quite refreshing. To give you a taste, here are 20 of my favorite Wommackisms:

1.    “If you’d just center your thoughts and affections upon the Lord, you’d be better of accidentally than you’ve ever been on purpose!” (A Better Way to Pray, p.84)

2.    “Many Christians believe that the only difference between the Old Testament and the New is one blank page in the Bible.” (A Better Way to Pray, p.46)

3.    “God’s anointing is not based on your performance, but if you don’t open the Word, you’re stupid, because that’s where the words of life are.” (The True Nature of God, p.99)

4.    “When I minister healing to someone, I’ll pray for them two, three, four, or more times. I don’t care! I’m willing to pray for them until I rub all the hair off of their head!” (A Better Way to Pray, p.125)

5.    “Many believers haven’t seen the devil or a demon in years. He doesn’t have to come around. You’re doing a perfect job ruining your own life. He taught you how to think and act, and you’ve run with it from there – with good intentions. You’re trying to live for God, but it’s you doing it in human strength rather than God living through you.” (Grace – The Power of the Gospel, p.127)

6.    “Contrary to popular belief, faith does not move God. He’s not the one who’s stuck!” (A Better Way to Pray, p.44)

7.    “Some people are waiting until the Holy Spirit just makes them throw their hands up in the air because they’ve never done it before. ‘Well, I just don’t feel led.’ You old carnal thing!” (Grace – The Power of the Gospel, p.138)

8.    “What a sorry attitude! If I were God, the spirit of slap would come all over me!” (A Better Way to Pray, p.63)

9.    “It’s a wonder you’re not a pile of ashes! The only reason God’s not ticked off at you is because Jesus did such an effective job.” (A Better Way to Pray, p.59)

10.    “You have this new spirit on the inside of you and the only thing holding you back is your ‘stinkin’ thinkin’.” (Grace – The Power of the Gospel, p.161)

11.    “God is El Shaddai, not El Cheapo. The Lord will take care of us better than we take care of ourselves.” (Article: Financial Stewardship)

12.    “When it comes to being born again, your soul wasn’t the part of you that completely changed! If you were stupid before you were saved, you’re still stupid after being saved.” (Spirit, Soul, and Body, p.6)

13.    “When my wife and I first started out in ministry, we were so poor we couldn’t even pay attention!” (You’ve Already Got It, p.16)

14.    “One of the things I’ve learned is that many Christians never let the Bible get in the way of what they believe.” (Article: Hebrews Highlights)

15.    “In Genesis, why didn’t the devil choose a tiger?… Why didn’t he have a wooly mammoth just stick its foot on top of her head and demand, ‘Eat the fruit or I’ll crush your skull?’” (You’ve Already Got It, p.115)

16.    “The devil isn’t a true lion; he just walks around roaring like one trying to intimidate the Body of Christ. But the truth is, he’s had his teeth pulled, and all he can do now is gum you.” (You’ve Already Got It, p.120)

17.    “If you never bump into the devil, it’s because you’re going in the same direction.” (Article: How to Be Happy)

18.    “It’s wrong, wrong, wrong!” (You’ve Already Got It, p.150, when discussing spiritual mapping and missions trips where people have been instructed not to preach the gospel)

19.    “Most Christians say, ‘Well, I’m only human, you know. I’m just a man.’ That’s stinkin’ thinkin’! I was only human, but then I became born again. There’s part of me now that’s wall-to-wall Holy Ghost.” (You’ve Already Got It, p.167)

20.    “That’ll put a shout in a fence post!” (You’ve Already Got It, p.28)

I know there are a few of Wommack fans out there reading this because I regularly get emails from people enrolled in Charis Bible College. Tell me, what’s your favorite Wommackism?
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Related posts:
- “You’ve Already Got It” by Andrew Wommack
- “God Wants You Well” by Andrew Wommack
- “Grace – The Power of the Gospel” by Andrew Wommack

(a) conclude that it’s not God’s will to heal all the sick?
(b) tell the father that God can heal but He is not going to heal your son right at this moment – maybe in eternity?
(c) speculate that the son has some unconfessed sin in his life?
(d) declare that the boy is healed even though he is still writhing on the ground?
(e) be puzzled?

If you chose (a), then you’ve built a theology based on your experience that is contrary to the promises of God (Acts 10:38, 1 Pe 2:24). If you chose (b), then you’ve joined the ranks of those false comforters who say things like, “God used to heal in the Bible, but now He’s on a break.” If you chose (c), then you’re saying sin can stop the power of God, which it can’t – otherwise no sinner could get saved. If you chose (d), the father would think that you’re nuts. If you chose (e), then your reaction is the same as the disciples’ when they were confronted with this situation.

Perhaps you are familiar with the story of the man who brought his troubled son to the disciples for healing (Lk 9:37-43). It was an intense encounter for the boy was afflicted with a demon that threw him into convulsions and made him scream and foam at the mouth (Lk 9:39). The disciples tried to drive out the demon but failed. So Jesus stepped up, rebuked the demon and healed the boy.

Have you ever wondered why the disciples were not able to heal this boy? After all, they were the same disciples who had previously gone from village to village driving out demons and “healing people everywhere” (Mk 6:13, Lk 9:6). They weren’t rookies; they were seasoned ministers of the gospel. It was because they had been successful elsewhere that they were puzzled when they failed on this occasion:

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” (Mt 17:19)

Jesus’ answer to their question may surprise you. It may also answer questions you have about why more people aren’t healed today. So why did the disciples fail to heal this boy? Contrary to what you may have heard, the answer has nothing to do with their faith. Indeed, the disciples had faith to heal and deliver. They had performed many miracles and could not have done so without faith in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:16). So what was the obstacle in this case? In his book God Wants You Well, Andrew Wommack identifies two clues from the story:

1. Jesus rebuked the disciples for their unbelief

In response to their question, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” Jesus answered:

“Because of your unbelief…” (Mt 17:20)

We tend to think of faith and unbelief as opposite ends of the same pole, but according to Jesus it’s possible to believe and doubt at the same time:

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.” (Mt 21:21)

Of course it’s important to have faith, to believe. As Jesus said to the boy’s father, “everything is possible to him who believes.” But the father, like many of us, wanted God to take responsibility for the healing. “Lord, help us!” Yet Jesus said, “If you have faith, you can heal him.” We think healing the sick is God’s job, but He wants us to do it (Mk 16:18). Look at how the father responded:

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mk 9:24)

The father is saying he has faith, but he also has unbelief. Unbelief nullifies faith. Wommack says it’s like having two teams of horses hooked up to the same wagon and pulling in different directions. One team negates the other. If you have faith in God’s word (“by His stripes you were healed”), but you’re also putting stock in the contrary word of doctors (“you’ll be dead in a week”), then your mountain’s not going anywhere. Your unbelief is canceling your faith.

2. Jesus said even little faith was enough to get the job done

“Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Mt 17:20)

After identifying the problem (“your unbelief”), Jesus assured the disciples that their faith was not the issue. Even if their faith was the size of a little mustard seed, it would be sufficient to move mountains. The real obstacle was their unbelief. Jesus called them an “unbelieving and perverse generation” (Mt 17:17). He was saying, “you had faith, but it was undermined by your unbelief.”

Note that some translations interpret “unbelief” as “little faith.” So Jesus’ answer in verse 20 begins, “Because of your little faith.” But this is a poor translation that makes Jesus sound like He’s contradicting Himself. The Greek word for unbelief (apistia) in the passage above is the same word used by the boy’s father when he says, “help my unbelief.”

Some translators equate unbelief with little faith, but Jesus clearly says that little faith is not the issue. If little faith can move a mountain, it can surely heal one small boy. It’s not about the the size of your faith (we all have the same measure as Jesus anyway), but whether your faith is handicapped by doubt and unbelief. Pure, childlike faith, untainted by grown-up unbelief, is what moves mountains. Pure faith is strong faith.

Why was unbelief a problem for the disciples in this case?

In his book You’ve Already Got It, Wommack identifies three different kinds of unbelief. There’s unbelief that arises from ignorance (“I didn’t know God heals the sick”); unbelief that arises from bad theology (“I don’t believe God heals the sick any more”); and unbelief that arises from our natural senses (“look at the size of that growth!”). What kind of unbelief undid the disciples? Wommack speculates that they may have been unnerved by the sight of a convulsing, frothing child. A seizure in a child is not a pretty sight, especially if there’s a demon behind it. Natural unbelief is fueled by what we see and hear. We get a bad report, x-ray or scan and believe the worst. We’re now walking by sight rather than faith (2 Co 5:7). Even if we have faith, our unbelief will send us to the Internet looking for reassurance and hope. We may be declaring the promises of God over our situation but at the same time we’re feeding our doubts by heeding our circumstances.

How do we deal with unbelief?

Starve it!

And He replied to them, “This kind (of unbelief) cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.” (Mk 9:29)

Unbelief that arises from ignorance and bad theology can be corrected by showing people the truth (Mk 6:6), but overcoming natural unbelief may require prayer and fasting. If the Internet is fueling your doubts, then stay off the Internet! If your “faith sense” is dull because of your natural appetites, then curb your appetites. If your body is telling you what to think and believe (“I’m hurting – I’m not healed at all”) then deny your flesh by going without food. Your flesh needs to learn that it is not in charge – you are! By fasting for a time you are telling your five senses that there’s more to life than bread (Mt 4:4); you’re saying that you prefer to live by the spirit.

Three months ago I had the opportunity to pray for a man with a life-threatening head injury. I boldly declared that Christ has provided for his healing and recovery. Using the authority given to me as a believer, I commanded life and the complete restoration of his damaged brain. My faith felt strong, yet as soon as I finished praying I had the following thought; “When he dies, you’re going to look foolish. It’s this sort of praying that gives Christians a bad name.” Whether this was the devil or the voice of reason I’m not sure, but my spirit reacted violently. “No! I will not accept that.” I hadn’t yet read Wommack’s book but my spirit knew that unbelief was not welcome in my mind. So I sent that thought packing and from that moment onward I felt complete peace. I just rested in what Christ had done and what we had received by faith. I didn’t even sense the need to pray for him again. And three days later the doctors declared that the man would recover.

Here’s Wommack:

“Your prayer and fasting doesn’t move God. Neither does it move the devil. Fasting and prayer moves you. It affects you… You don’t have a faith problem. What you have is an unbelief problem. Instead of trying to build bigger and bigger faith, we need to stop feeding unbelief. (God Wants You Well, p.121,124)

Fix the right problem

Today there is much emphasis on faith and getting more faith. This sort of teaching will leave you thinking, “I’m not healed because I lack faith.” Like the disciples we pray, “Lord, increase my faith” (Lk 17:5), and Jesus responds, “Your faith is not the problem – even little faith will get the job done” (Lk 17:6, my paraphrase). Why is our faith not the problem? Because it’s His faith. Paul said he was justified by the faith of Jesus Christ and now lived by the faith of the Son of God (Gal 2:16,20, KJV). He understood that his faith was a gift from God (Eph 2:8). If you think there’s something wrong with your faith, it’s like saying God gives faulty gifts. When Peter healed the crippled man outside the temple, he gave all credit to the faith that comes from God:

“By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through Him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.” (Acts 3:16)

When there’s a problem, a strategy of the devil is to get your attention onto fixing the thing that’s not broken. If Christ lives in you, then there’s nothing wrong with your faith. But you might have a problem with unbelief. God is faithful and His will is to heal every sick person every single time, but unbelief will limit the power of God in your life. So stop worrying about your faith – you already have enough to move your mountain – and apply the hammer of God’s word to your unbelief.
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Related posts:
- Taking communion in an unworthy manner
- Dealing with unanswered prayer
- Does God give and take away?

This lie, which worked so effectively in the Garden, is the same lie the devil uses on the church today. “You don’t have it all – you need more faith, more power, more anointing, more righteousness.” Believing the lie we waste time asking for what we already have. So what do we have? We have Jesus! As He is, so are we in this world (1 Jn 4:17). That means we have the same power (Eph 1:19-20), anointing (1 Jn 2:20), victory (1 Cor 15:57), and holiness (1 Cor 1:30) that Jesus has.

Let’s take faith as an example. Many Christians are handicapped by the notion that they don’t have enough faith. They pray for the sick, nothing happens, so they think, “I must have little faith; I need more faith.” So they go on a faith-hunt and leave the sick unhealed. But Paul said he lived by the faith of the Son of God (Gal 2: 20). There is nothing wrong with Jesus’ faith! Our faith is a gift from God (Eph 2:8) and God doesn’t give bad gifts. So if faith is not the problem, what is? The problem is we don’t know just how good we’ve got it. Paul prayed “that the communication of your faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus” (Phm 1:6). We don’t need to ask God for more faith; we need to renew our minds and acknowledge every good thing that is already in us on account of Jesus.

Take power as another example. Many Christians think they are powerless pawns in a cosmic game of chess being played between God and the devil. This mindset makes them passive spectators in their own lives. When the devil comes to rob and destroy they just stand by and watch. Or maybe they cry out and ask God to rebuke the devil for them. But God has given you His authority. He has promised that the devil will flee when you resist him (Jas 4:7). Here’s Wommack:

“You don’t need more power. You just need to believe that you already have it and begin to discover how it operates… This understanding will change you from being a murmurer, complainer, whiner, and griper into a believer who takes his authority, stands, and demands Satan not to steal what God has given. It’s a totally different attitude! Instead of being petrified and hiding in a corner praying, ‘God, please get the devil off my back,’ you’ll stand there and say, ‘Where is he? I just dare Satan to show his ugly face. I’m going to fight him to the death because I have authority and power!’” (pp.31-32)

Fight the right battle

In You’ve Already Got It, Wommack talks a lot about spiritual warfare. There is a battle going on, he says, but it’s not out in the heavenlies. The battlefield is your mind. Paul warns us against Satan’s wiles in Ephesians 6 – his lies, cunningness, and craftiness – because that’s all he’s got. He has no power and no authority except that which we give him. All he has is deception. So how does Satan try to deceive us?

“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2 Cor 11:3)

Satan’s aim is to corrupt our minds from simple, childlike faith in Christ. “In other words, he tries to make us think that the Gospel is harder than it really is” (p.115). He complicates and confuses things and does whatever it takes to distract us from Jesus. He’ll even encourage us to engage in spiritual warfare, as long as it’s warfare on his terms:

“‘Spiritual warfare,’ as it’s popularly presented today, is actually a ploy of the devil. Consider the fruit: Christians are encouraging Christians not to preach the Gospel but just to ‘pray’ instead. You might wonder, Why would Satan want believers to pray more? Simple! The devil delights when we give ourselves to praying fruitless, religious prayers.” (p.149)

Wommack argues that we don’t need to engage in spiritual mapping or documenting the demonic heritage of our cities. Neither do we need to enlist a million Christians to fast and pray and bind powers. The best antidote to Satan’s deception is the truth. It’s knowing the Truth that sets people free. “I wage spiritual warfare over a city or a country by sending in the truth!” (p.140)

Many believers think they have little to no power and that Satan has plenty. They’re wrong on both counts. Yet in their ignorance and unbelief, they re-empower a disarmed enemy. Read your Bible. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you (Rms 8:11). Satan, on the other hand, was defeated 2000 years ago. Jesus made an exhibit out of him much as a biology student might make an exhibit out of a bug (Col 2:15)! If that strikes you as over the top or a bit much, then you don’t fully value what Jesus has done and you don’t appreciate what He’s given you:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Eph 1:3)

We have been blessed with everything we need, but those blessings are in the spiritual realm. How do we receive them? By faith! Faith is the bridge that brings what is true in the spiritual world into the physical world. And this is the point where the devil tries to thwart us. It’s like he’s on that bridge telling us we lack favor, blessings, or our Father’s approval. He would have us believe that our faith moves God (He’s already moved!) and that we need to do stuff to get what we need (Jesus has done it all!). If we don’t refute this nonsense with the truth, we’ll end up asking for things with longwinded, beggarly prayers of unbelief. We may feel like we are operating in faith, but it’s misdirected faith. It’s actually unbelief in the promises and provision of a good God.

Look to the cross!

Look to Jesus who has overcome the world! We should be fighting from a place of victory, not fighting to get the victory. Satan would have you conscious of your lack (“I need healing or provision”) but Jesus has already given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3). His instructions to us are the same as what He told the Christians in Thyatira:

“Only hold on to what you have until I come.” (Rev 2:25)

The only way we can lose what we have is if we put more faith in the devil’s word than God’s word, if we start thinking, I don’t have everything I need so I better do something. That’s anti-Christ, anti-cross and it’s not good news! It’ll get your eyes off Jesus and His work and onto you and yours. God’s divine power is revealed in our life “through the knowledge of Him who called us” (2 Pet 1:3). If the devil can get your eyes off Him, he wins and you lose. It’s a diabolically clever ploy that has been working since the Garden of Eden.

Anyway, I’m starting to preach and this is supposed to be a book review.

Read You’ve Already Got It if you’re not sure exactly what you’ve got or if you want to learn how to receive what you’ve been given. Like Wommack’s other books (e.g., A Better Way to Pray, God Wants You Well), this is a how-to book. Anyone can find fault with bad theology but Wommack gives practical steps on how to exercise your faith and see the gifts of God (e.g., healing and deliverance) manifest in your life. This book strips away religious clutter, leaving you in awe of all Jesus has done.
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Related posts:
- The flesh vs the spirit: Two good books
- “When Heaven Invades Earth” by Bill Johnson
- see all E2R’s book reviews here

“The Lord did not kill your son. He didn’t allow this to happen. Satan was the one who snuffed his life out. Even though the devil may have won this battle, he didn’t win the war.” (p.45)

Wommack walked away from that experience motivated to learn. Evidently he’s learned much because he’s spent the past four decades healing the sick and raising the dead. I imagine that thousands of people have received physical healing as a result of his ministry. In his recent book, God Wants You Well, Wommack distills some of the lessons he’s learned about healing the sick. Here’s lesson number one:

“It’s God’s will to heal every single person every single time.” (p.89)

Healing is a done deal. It’s part of the salvation package. Look at the meaning and use of the word “saved” (sozo) in the Bible and you will find that it covers forgiveness, healing, and deliverance. It means to be “made whole” in every aspect of life. In Psalms 103:3 and 1 Peter 2:24, the benefits of salvation are described as the forgiveness of sins and physical healing. You cannot separate one from the other. It is offensive to Jesus and His finished work to treat healing as merely a fringe benefit. There are at least 17 occasions in the Gospels, where Jesus healed everyone who came to Him sick. It was His habit to heal everyone!

So why isn’t everyone healed today? What about that four year old boy? Is God in charge or isn’t He?

“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (1 Jn 5:19)

Sickness is part of sin’s curse. You could say it was Satan’s ministry, his evil gift to the world. Jesus said the devil is a thief (Jn 10:10) and he’ll try and rob your health. Yet many believe that sickness is from God. They think that God makes us sick to us to teach us humility. According to Wommack this makes about as much sense as thinking that God would cause us to get drunk and murder people to teach us character. He no more leads us into sickness than He leads us into sin. So here’s the next lesson:

“In the same way that I should resist sin, I should resist sickness.” (p.36)

Nobody ever wonders, “Lord, is it your will for me to sin?” Neither should we wonder whether it’s His will for us to be sick. It isn’t! But if you are uncertain about this – if you think sickness is all part of His mysterious plan – it’ll make you passive. You won’t resist the devil and he won’t flee from you (Jas 4:7). Your neighbors will come to you sick and you’ll send them to the doctor. (I’m not against doctors!) They’ll come battling mental illness and you’ll send them to the psychiatrist. But Jesus didn’t carry our griefs and infirmities to turn us into advice-givers. The Bible tells us that He…

“…gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” (Gal 1:4)

The Bible describes this age as evil and the whole world as being under the control of the evil one. This is why people get sick and die. God’s solution is found in the cross. Through His atoning sacrifice, Jesus provided us with everything we need to overcome sin and sickness. So why aren’t we seeing more people healed? Perhaps the number one reason is unbelief arising from ignorance. Many people – Christians included – aren’t fully aware of what Christ did on our behalf. Wommack is quick to admit his own failings in this area:

“I’ve failed. I don’t see healing come to pass. I’ve seen some people very close to me die, family and friends I’ve loved with all of my heart. I’ve had to accept partial responsibility. It’s a complex issue. I’m not saying that it was all my fault, all their fault, or anybody’s fault. We’re still learning… (On one occasion where a girl died) I believe I did fail… But am I condemned by that? No, I’m not condemned at all. I believe that God loves me.” (pp.87-88)

One of the things I admire about Wommack in this book is that he’s more interested in finding answers than in making excuses. How refreshing! He wants to know “what works?” while others are making theologies to explain “why doesn’t it work?” Those who refuse to believe that God is in the healing business often point to Paul’s thorn in the flesh (2 Cor 12:7) or Timothy’s tummy troubles (1 Ti 5:23). Wommack deals with these and other chestnuts (e.g., Trophimus, Paul’s eyes) thoroughly. A “thorn in the flesh” is an Old Testament idiom (Num 33:55, Jud 2:3) that refers to persecution, not sickness, while Paul told Timothy to drink fortified wine and avoid the local water so he wouldn’t get “Delhi Belly” when he travelled.

Perhaps the most interesting part of Wommack’s book is his discussion of the laws of the kingdom that govern healing. These laws, like the laws of physics, are consistent and universal. They describe the way that God releases His power. For instance, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ (Rm 10:17). If you haven’t heard that Christ has carried your infirmities, then you’re going to have troubling believing that He did.

“This is one of God’s laws that many people violate. They want to receive from the Lord, but they don’t spend any time in His Word. They may say, ‘Well I believe that the Bible says somewhere that by His stripes we’re healed, but I’m not sure if that’s an exact quote or not.’” (pp.145-146)

Jesus said you need to exercise your God-given authority and speak to your mountain (Mk 11:23). In a manner of speaking, this is His law for dealing with mountains. You don’t have to understand how that works anymore than you need to understand how electricity works in order to benefit from it. Another law connects faith with action – you need to act on your faith. If you believe that you’re healed, but “continue to think sick, talk sick, and act sick,” then you won’t see the manifestation of your healing.

The laws of the kingdom, like the laws of electricity, have always been there. It’s just that we’re still learning how to apply them. God is not capricious and He loves us just the same whether we get it right or die trying. But His plan has always been for the Church to reveal His “complicated, many-sided wisdom” in accordance with the work He accomplished in Christ Jesus (Eph 3:10-11, AMP). This book makes the wisdom of God plain and easy to understand. When I finished reading I felt like a New Guinean tribesman that had just encountered electricity for the first time. I may not understand everything about healing the sick, but I am definitely inspired to step out in faith and heal the sick. Read this book and you will be inspired too.

One of the greatest tragedies of the modern church is that we’re ignorant of God’s will and His ways. Ignorance is deadly, and that’s why God Wants You Well is such a good book. It illuminates. It provides clear answers to everyday questions. It’s also waffle-free. You can read the entire book in one sitting and you’ll learn plenty. Even if you don’t agree with everything Wommack says, you’ll come away marveling at the potential for life and wholeness that was made available to us through the cross. Jesus didn’t give Himself merely to rescue us from hell in the next life. He also came to rescue us from the evils of the present one.
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Related posts:
- “Bodily Healing and the Atonement” by TJ McCrossan
- “Grace – The Power of the Gospel” by Andrew Wommack
- see all of E2R’s book reviews here

Paul describes the Christian life as a tug of war between the flesh and the spirit. The flesh is that part of us that lives purely by natural experience – what we see, hear and smell, etc. – while our spirit is that part of us that is united with Christ and lives by the word of God. Did you know it’s possible to be in the Spirit (i.e., saved) yet walk after the flesh? Indeed, this is exactly how many Christians live. They are trusting in God for the forgiveness of their sins, but in most every other respect they live no differently from their unsaved neighbors. When they get sick they queue up in the waiting room and when they get in debt they look for extra work. (I’m not against doctors and hard work!) They may be moral and decent people, but their lives are untouched by the supernatural power of God.

I suspect most Christians walk after the flesh simply because they don’t know any better. They don’t know that Christ’s atonement provided not only for their complete forgiveness, but also for their healing (1 Pe 2:24), deliverance (Mk 16:17), and provision (Ph 4:19, 2 Cor 8:9)). They are not receiving the full benefits of the cross because they don’t know the full benefits of the cross or, if they do, they think they must work to get them. They live like this because their minds have not been renewed. If this sounds like you, here are two good books that will help sort out your thinking and set you free.

“Spirit, Soul and Body” by Andrew Wommack

When you were born again, your spirit was instantly made new but your mind and body were essentially unchanged. If you battled with health or emotional issues before you were saved, there’s a good chance you continue to battle with those same issues now that you’re saved. Don’t misunderstand me. There is a huge difference between a sinner and a saint! But until the saint learns to think like a saint, he will continue to think like a sinner and in many ways this is fatal (Rm 8:6).

Paul didn’t challenge the Roman Christians to renew their minds in order to get saved but so that they would see the will of God manifest in their lives – His will for healing, deliverance, and provision. This is a life-long process. At every decision we either choose to walk after flesh (what do our five senses tell us?) or we renew our minds and walk after the spirit (what does God say?). You can walk by sight or you can walk by faith. Some Christians try to do both! They say they’re trusting God to come through for them but at the same time they’re busting their humps trying to fix things themselves. Perhaps they think they’re mixing faith with works but in reality they’re just walking after the flesh. They may talk differently from their unsaved neighbors, but their walk is exactly the same.

A book which will help you grasp this distinction is Spirit, Soul and Body by Andrew Wommack. In this book Wommack explains that merely believing the promises of God is not enough. If I told you that there was a rich treasure hidden in your yard, you would either believe me or reject me, but nothing would actually change until you started digging. Similarly, we will never see the spiritual blessings that God has already given us revealed unless we dig. Whether your need is healing, deliverance, or provision, this book teaches you how to dig.

“Extra Virgin Grace” by Ryan Rufus

Another good book on this subject was published just yesterday. Extra Virgin Grace, by Ryan Rufus, provides a sweeping study of many topics that have long been misunderstood and misrepresented, including the Beatitudes, holiness, eternal security, discipline and one of my all-time favorite subjects, true rest.

In Extra Virgin Grace, Ryan Rufus takes a close look at Galatians 5 and asks “What does it mean to walk by the spirit?” Traditionally “the spirit” has been interpreted as meaning the Holy Spirit. To walk by the spirit thus means doing whatever the Holy Spirit tells you. But if you look at the context of Galatians 4, you will see that Paul was referring to our reborn spirits. Your spirit is one with Christ and is in constant fellowship with the Holy Spirit. So the choice Paul was describing was whether to walk by the limited sensory experience of the flesh, or the unseen reality of our perfectly sanctified spirits. To live by the spirit means learning to make decisions from our spirit rather than our minds. Sometimes we just know things that reason cannot explain because they are spiritually discerned. We sense a prompting to pray for someone only to learn later that it was for them a moment of great need. This is how Adam and Eve lived before the Fall – their thinking was spirit-led rather than flesh-based.

If we understood that our spirits are perfect already (see Heb 10:14), and that we lack nothing (1 Co 1:7), we would spend less time teaching godly character and more time renewing our minds to live by the spirit. Instead of preaching on faith and sanctification, we would seek to reveal our true identity in Christ. As Ryan says, “The church preaches too much about who we aren’t.” Knowing who you now are and Who lives in you is the key to Christian living.

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And what a gospel it is!

Justification by faith (Rms 3:28)! Salvation for all who believe (Rms 1:16)! Righteousness from God (Rms 1:17)! Freedom from condemnation (Rms 8:1)! In short, grace – pure grace.

Romans is Paul’s masterpiece of grace. And just as you will better appreciate the masterpieces in the National Gallery when you view them with a guide, so too will you get more out of Romans if you are accompanied by a gifted teacher. Someone like Andrew Wommack for instance.

In his book, Grace – the Power of the Gospel, Wommack gives a verse by verse exposition of Romans or at least the first half of Romans. Reading this book is like are exploring a mine full of treasures. Here’s what Wommack has to say about the law:

“The law was given to bring us out of our deception that we could ever save ourselves. God revealed what real holiness is for those who think, I’m close. I’m a pretty good person.  He gave a standard of holiness that was so detailed – step one through ten thousand – that it was impossible for anyone to ever keep it… The law wasn’t given so we could keep it. It was given to show us that we could never keep it.” (p.31)

Here’s what he has to say about Paul’s famous wretched-man passage:

“Romans 7 shows the impossibility of living for God. Most people don’t understand this. They think that when you’re born again God forgives you and then picks you up, winds you up, points you in the right direction, and says, ‘Now let’s see if you can do it right this time.’… The Christian life isn’t just hard to live – it’s impossible! It’s humanly impossible to love your neighbor as you love yourself… It’s humanly impossible to turn the other cheek.” (pp.123-4)

Many believers have a yo-yo relationship with the Lord. This is because they relate to God on the basis of their performance rather than trusting in His grace. They look at Paul’s words in Romans 7 and think he is describing their experience: up one day, down the next. But that’s not what Paul was talking about at all:

“Paul wasn’t crying, ‘I’m schizophrenic! Sometimes I do good, sometimes I do bad. I just can’t help myself.’ He was simply describing the inability of any of us on our own to live for God… Paul was describing the futility of trying to serve God in the flesh. The flesh part of us (body and soul) will always fall short. ‘Imperfection can’t be perfect…’” (pp.154-5)

The solution to this performance-based bondage is to stop trying to be Jesus and let Jesus be Jesus through you. Stop trying to succeed on the basis of will-power, which is a flesh trip, and start living by the Spirit. As many others have said, the Christian life isn’t a changed life, but an exchanged life. It’s about denying your self – that Martha-part of you that wants to get busy impressing Jesus with your works – and resting in Him and His finished work.

Performance-oriented believers tend to be sin-conscious. For them, Christianity is all about doing good while avoiding sin. Indeed, Romans does talk a lot about sin, but probably not in the way that you think. The word “sin” and its derivatives appears 49 times in Romans. On 47 of these occasions Paul refers to sin as a noun (e.g., sin nature, old self). Only twice does Paul talk about sin as a verb. In other words, Paul is far more interested in nature than behavior. It’s not so much about what you do but who you are. Those who are in Christ will walk according to the Spirit not because they have to, but because it is in their (new) nature to do so. The tree is good, so the fruit will be good too.

What’s the main takeaway from this book? You need to renew your mind:

“The key to the Christian life is the renewing of the mind. When you were born again, your spirit changed – but your natural mind didn’t. It remained unrenewed. You don’t need more of God in your heart. You already have all of God there. Everything you need is already in your born-again spirit – the life of God, the faith of God, the joy of God, the peace of God, the anointing of God, and everything else that’s of God – but it’s only going to manifest itself in your life to the degree you renew your mind.” (p.91)

Grace – The Power of the Gospel will change the way you think. It will liberate you from the curse of dead works and the performance mentality that still binds many in the church. Read this book and you will come away praising God for His goodness and Jesus for His perfect sacrifice. You will also come away with a greater appreciation for the gospel of grace.
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If I could go back in time and give that green and keen couple one book to read, it would be Andrew Wommack’s, A Better Way to Pray. It would have led to radical changes in the way we did things. I now know that there is right way and a wrong way to pray. Jesus said as much in Matthew 6:5-8. One way pleases the Lord and results in supernatural transformation; the other way achieves nothing of lasting significance.

I have learned much in my grace walk, but learning how to pray effectively has probably led to the biggest changes in the lives of those I touch. Just the other day I prayed for a man who had come out of a car crash with serious head injuries. He was in a coma heading for death, but I prayed and now he will live. God is good!

I want to list some contrasts between what I learned as the traditional way to pray and what I now understand is the Biblical way to pray. I’m not saying I have discovered the best way to pray, but it is definitely better. As Wommack says, I haven’t arrived – but I’ve left! If you find these contrasts helpful, I recommend reading Wommack’s book. If you can’t afford the book you can read a short article with the same title by Wommack or listen to his MP3 teaching. But the book is worth its weight in gold.

Traditional way to pray: Pound the gates of heaven with persistent prayer (like the widow) until you get your breakthrough.
Biblical way to pray: Ask and you shall receive. Every time.

God is not an unjust judge who must be badgered into responding. He is our good Father who longs to bring justice quickly into our situations (Lk 18:8). It is a mistake to think that God rewards our praying efforts. Jesus said the pagans pray long prayers thinking they will be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them (Mt 6:8). Instead, have faith in a good God who does not need to be begged or cajoled into blessing His children. Here’s Wommack:

“From God’s perspective, praying an hour a day has no value in and of itself!… There is absolutely no virtue in long praying! Jesus normally kept His prayers short. Only twice in the New Testament did He pray all night. Since both are recorded in all four Gospels, you might think it was eight. Really it was just two different occasions… The shorter the prayer, the greater the faith!… ‘HELP!!!’ is a great prayer!” (p.14)

Study the scriptures and you will never find Jesus begging God to heal people. Jesus said “everyone who asks receives” (Mt 7:8). What is the condition for receiving? Asking! How many times do you have to ask before you’ve asked? Just once! We must settle it in our hearts that Jesus’ words are true and that whatever we ask for in prayer, we will receive, and quickly (Mk 11:24). Sometimes there may be a delay in the manifestation of the healing (more on this later), but God is never the reason for the delay.

Traditional: Pray with hope.
Biblical: Pray with faith.

Much of what passes for prayer is wishful thinking. “I know God can heal you, I’m just not sure that He will.” Or how about this one, “God wants to heal you, but if He does it now no one will be more surprised than me!” You can pretty much guarantee that these sorts of prayers will change nothing, because they are empty of faith. James 5:15 says “the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.” If you are not sure that God will answer your prayers, He probably won’t (Jas 1:6-7). You have hope but no faith. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don’t yet see (He 11:1).

Traditional: Pray “if it be thy will.”
Biblical: Pray according to His will.

How can we pray in faith if we are uncertain about His will? One of the greatest tragedies of the modern church is that so many are uncertain regarding God’s will for forgiveness, healing, deliverance, and provision – despite the emphatic promises in His word.

“Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment]…” (Is 53:4, AMP)

Praying “Lord, if it be thy will, heal this person” is utterly faithless. He already did! Jesus made full provision for everyone’s salvation at the cross, and that includes healing. He has already carried all our sicknesses and by His wounds you have been healed (1 Pe 2:24). As TJ McCrossan said, the real question is not “God, can you?” but “do you believe?”

If you want to know the Father’s heart, look at Jesus. He healed every sick person who came to Him (Mt 8:16, 12:15, 14:36). He never gave anyone leprosy to teach them character and neither will He make you sick to teach you things. His will for healing and deliverance is inseparable from His will for salvation. He wants everyone forgiven, healed, delivered today! What’s the hold up? We are! A broken creation eagerly waits for the sons of God to rise up in this revelation and enforce Christ’s victory in every place where the kingdom has not yet come.

Traditional: Ask God to forgive/heal/provide/deliver/pour out His Spirit.
Biblical: Thank Him that He has already done all of those things!

If one tragedy is being uncertain of God’s will, another is being unaware of what He has already done. The cross really did change everything! Jesus is not coming back to wave a magic wand over your problem. He already did everything He needed to do at the cross. Here’s Wommack:

“God has already done everything He’s ever going to do! He moved once and for all in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through the atonement, God has already forgiven and healed every person who will ever be forgiven or healed. He doesn’t even have to lift his little finger now to cause a healing or salvation! As far as God is concerned, the sins of the entire world have already been forgiven… As Christians, we are to instruct people to believe and receive what God has already done for them through the atonement.” (p.4)

It’s pointless asking God to do something He’s already done. Look at the way Jesus prayed and you will see there was very little asking and a whole lot of thanking and commanding. Jesus has given us clear instructions. He said: “heal the sick” (Mt 10:8). He didn’t say “pray and ask God to heal the sick.” No, you heal them. The problem with that prayer meeting I mentioned above was that we spent all of our time asking God to do something He had commanded us to do. We were passing the buck and denying the finished work of the cross. So how do we heal the sick? A good place to start is by thanking and praising Him for what He has already done.

Traditional: Talk to God about your mountain.
Biblical: Talk to your mountain about your God!

So much of what passes for prayer is complaining to God about our problems. The doctor gives us the sentence of death and we repeat his death-dealing words in prayer. This is not wise:

“Most people who think they’re praying are really just griping, murmuring, and complaining. They are releasing the power of death into their lives through their negativity in prayer. God is not pleased with that!” (p.23)

God doesn’t need to be informed about your problems – He already knows! When we are faced with a mountain-sized problem, the average believer says, “God would you move this mountain for me?” But Jesus told us to speak directly to our mountains and command them to be cast into the sea (Mk 11:22-23).

So how do we speak to our mountains? I’ll look at that in Part 2 of this study.
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An Irish poet once said, “books are the greatest gift one person can give another.” I agree! Don’t give me socks or ties or cologne – give me a good book I haven’t read yet. I have a stack of unread books, but there’s always room for more.

Perhaps you’re looking for a good read or a gift idea. Here are some good books that I’ve just read.

“The True Nature of God” by Andrew Wommack
Andrew Wommack estimates that only one in a thousand Christians has an accurate concept of God’s nature. So for the 999 of you who still think that God is like the cruel and hard prophets of the Old Testament, I recommend you read this book. God does judge, but He is not judgmental by nature. God is love. Wommack writes, “You know what God is like when you look at Jesus.” Sinners come to Jesus with simple faith. They have nothing that qualifies them other than the finished work of the cross. But then they become self-centered, focusing on all the things they’re either doing or not doing for Jesus. Before you know it they’re trusting in themselves and that’s not good. They’ve taken their eyes off Him even as they seek to live for Him. Second Peter 1:3 says that everything we need comes through our knowledge of Him. It’s not about faith formulas or techniques – it’s simply about knowing God. God gives us faith that we might know Him. Everything else is a by-product of that relationship. The reason we don’t love Him more is that He’s been misrepresented or misunderstood.

“South: The Endurance Expedition” by Ernest Shackleton
This book is the chief reason why I haven’t been getting enough sleep lately. I can’t put the thing down. As my eyelids start to close I tell myself, I’ve just got to get off the ice floe, or, I’ve just got to make it to Elephant Island. I read Alfred Lansing’s version of the doomed Endurance expedition years ago, but this is the first time I’ve read Shackleton’s own account of his trip to Antarctica. Shackleton and his men were trapped on the icepack for months. They faced death from many quarters: Attacks from leopard seals, tidal surges, killer whales roaming the leads, gale force winds, thirst, frostbite, unrepeated feats of navigation and endurance. This is a made-for-Hollywood story with action on every page. Yet Shackleton tells the story with Victorian modesty. There’s no hype or introspection, just the facts. The leopard seal attack gets three sentences out of 400 pages.  Shackleton was a restless man but a brilliant leader. He would wake in the night sensing something was wrong and save his men from disaster. Shackleton made tough decisions and led by example. The lives of his men mattered deeply to him and he was utterly committed to getting every one of them home. This just may be the the 20th century’s best survival story.

“Walking in the Will of God” by Steve McVey
I wish I had read this book 20 years ago. I remember backpacking around Europe and running into young Christians who were taking a year off to search for God’s will for their lives. Most were afraid that if they did not find it they would miss the mark and disappoint God. When they failed to discern His perfect will those same people would later say, “there is no plan – just do the best you can.” According to Steve McVey, God does have a plan for your life and He loves you so much that He will ensure you live it out. “It’s up to Him, not you, to make it happen.” This whole urge to figure things out in advance is just a flesh trip, a futile quest for control. God has better vision than us. He is the director of your life story. Trust Him, relax, and enjoy the show. This book is both inspirational and practical. Don’t treat the Bible as a map, says McVey. Jesus is our map. Stay close to Him. Legalism says we have to listen hard to hear His voice, but grace declares that God will speak loudly enough for us to hear.

“Colonel Roosevelt” by Edmund Morris
I haven’t actually read this one and it wasn’t at Borders last night when I went to get it. But if it’s half as good as the first two parts of Morris’s biography of Teddy Roosevelt, this is going to be a zinger. Why read a book about America’s 26th president? Because he was a man’s man! He single-handledly arrested cattle rustlers, hunted grizzlies, led the charge up San Juan Hill, dug the Panama Canal with his bare hands, navigated the Rio Roosevelt, built a blue-water navy, and invented the teddy bear. Roosevelt was known as the Bull Moose on account of his toughness. Once, when campaigning for re-election, he was shot in the chest at close range by a would-be assassin. With the bullet buried in his chest he proceeded to give an 80 minute speech. He opened with the famous line, “it takes more than a bullet to kill a bull moose.”

“Me, Myself, and Bob” by Phil Vischer
This is a book about dreams and what happens when God lets them die. Phil Vischer was the creative brains behind the hugely successful Veggie Tales franchise. I had never seen a Veggie Tales animation before reading this book, but if you’re aged 3 to 6, then you’re probably a fan of Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber. So here’s the story: Vischer, a computer animator, starts this company called Big Idea because he wants to use computer-generated vegetables to teach Christian values. Right from the start it’s a smash hit. And then, just after the premier of the first Veggie Tales movie, Big Idea declares bankruptcy. A little while later Vischer is kicked out of the company he started. His dream in tatters, God begins to teach Vischer the difference between vision and revelation. With a new understanding of how God values him, Vischer moves on to other projects. Stressful work is replaced with restful work. What had previously felt like “pushing a boulder uphill” now feels as easy as gliding on ice. The last few chapters of this book are a must-read for anyone with a dream of making a big splash for God.

“The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” by CS Lewis
I have to say I’m a little apprehensive about the third Narnia movie being released by Walden Media this month. It’s not that they did a bad job with the first two movies, but how do you transform the mini-epic of Dawn Treader into a movie? It has so many separate little stories. It’s the buffet of tales that makes this book so endearing. Although it’s the fifth of the seven chronicles of Narnia, it is usually the first book I read when I reread the entire series. What’s it about? It’s the story of Edmund, Lucy, and their nasty cousin Eustace as they journey to the Eastern Islands in search of seven lost lords. Needless to say they find them, but not without lots of adventures along the way. My favorite part is near the end when they are rowing through a sea of lilies knowing that they are approaching the edge of the world, and are thus close to Aslan’s country. Every time I read it I wish I was in the boat with them.

So, that’s my list. What are you reading, or hoping to read, this Christmas?

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