Knees Healed and Sozo Stories

Hello family! I just had to update you on a few cool things.....

Last night at Friday night worship (which was packed out - sweeeeeet) when we had finished the singing part of worship, I was asking the Lord what He wanted to do, what He was doing. One of our students, Cody, said, "Does anyone's knees hurt?"

HA!! I love it when this happens, 'cause it's an indicator that God is already healing knees! (or whatever it might be) Four people stood up, and 3-4 of them got their knees healed. I forgot to ask about the last one :) Then He healed a sprained ankle. She jumped on it and it didn't hurt :) Then I got to do some Sozo prayer with another campus pastor - an Inter Varsity gal who is adorable and has been coming to Friday nights - and God is just so cool.

Yesterday I drove our daughter Grace to Brainerd where she was staying with a friend because they are leaving for the Cities today to go see an Emily Autumn concert. Maddie came along so we could have face time in the car on the way home. Grace said to me, "Mom, since I had my Sozo, I'm not afraid anymore to tell people I'm a Christian. I used to kind of be embarrassed to tell people, but now, I just tell them. I really like that."

This is huge for us- and for all of you who have been praying for our daughter- because there was a time when we were not sure what she believed. God is taking our kids through their own transformation. We are so encouraged! We talked more of the concert, and I told her, "you know, you might get slimed at this concert..." meaning- Emily Autumn isn't exactly Lady Gaga, but she isn't Amy Grant, either. We talked about what she could do at the concert to bless the kids around her. If she felt something "yukky" coming at her, she could release the opposite into the atmosphere. ie- she feels depression, she can release joy. If she feels death, she can release life. Confusion- release clarity. It goes on and on. Our words carry such weight....they release realities, they create worlds. I told her, who knows, maybe you'll get to pray for some kids at the concert!

She was totally up for that. Most likely she'll come home with new facebook friends.

We're really excited about all the kids we're seeing around here. New faces every week. God is good, and He is bringing them in.

Back to homework. For class we're reading Culture of Honor by Danny Silk. Before that it was When Heaven Invades Earth by Bill Johnson. I highly recommend them both- life changing!

Love you family!!!!

Phil & Michelle & Clan

SOZO

I wanted to update you on some pretty exciting happenings here at BSU!

Within the Bemidji Area School of Transformation, (BAST) of which Phil and I and 5 of our leaders are a part, we have gone through training for a prayer ministry called Sozo. The word means "saved, healed, delivered." And it has nothing to do with screaming minions and scary manifestations. We do not "filet people open." God simply shows up, and we direct. He, and the person being ministered to, does all the work.

I have seen 10 people, and counting, get free this week of life-debilitating stuff.

The training, which is available through http://www.bethelsozo.com/, (go to the site and scroll down and watch the video) has given us the tools to pray with anyone, anywhere and help them get free. The devil does not have any power in our lives except what we give him through agreement. He didn't give Eve the apple by force. She believed him and agreed with him. As do we. Anytime we do not guard our hearts against the enemy crouching at our door, we invite crap into our lives. As long as we allow it, it has a right to stay. Stuff like debilitating fears, unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, debilitating habits, addictions, hatred, judgment, wrong beliefs about God. These things can lead to all kinds of sickness and disease (dis-ease). Sometimes generational stuff can affect our lives and we don't even know it. Meddling with fear, hatred, sexual sin, and the occult can open doors in our lives to all kinds of stuff. Sometimes we build walls in our hearts to protect us from further pain or disappointment, walls that keep us from God and from those we love.

Sozo is quite literally, "taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." It is learning to think well and rightly about yourself in relation to God and everyone around you.

We were all created uniquely and wonderfully, with innate abilities to give and receive love. These have been called our "love languages." The enemy knows what those things are for you and for me and has worked overtime in our lives to make sure we were wounded in those very areas, therefore creating lies in our lives that we believe about our God.

Those lies need to come down in order for us to experience the freedom with which Christ came to set us free. I have seen people so bound up with fear that they couldn't function and struggled with using alcohol to numb the pain get free this week. I have seen people cursed, albeit unknowingly, by their parents get free this week. I have seen vibrant God-lovers bound up with hatred and unforgiveness set free this week.

We are seeing people shed this stuff and step into the destiny God created for them. We saw it yesterday, and the day before, and the day before. Becky and I have two appointments with two more people today- people hungry to be free of pain.

So family, this is crazy amazing stuff. My hope is to provide this prayer ministry for every student who comes through Chi Alpha. We have already talked about beginning next fall, taking appointments for Sozo sessions during our Tuesday night meeting. While most of the group is worshipping, we are ministering to one or two students a week in the next room.

We have been through the basic Sozo training. Once this session of BAST is complete in July, we plan to go through the advanced training, which among other things, has seen huge success in working with disassociative issues- multiple personality disorders. This is SO EXCITING!!! God is beginning a revival in HEALING!

So much harm has been done in the name of Jesus by people who mean well but do not understand that they are acting out of their own fear or hatred or addictions. We are really excited about this tool and hope to see hundreds more captives set free!

love you family!