Report on the
2008 OSL Oakville Chapter Healing Conference
Norma Dearing, Conference Speaker
St. Simon’s Anglican Church in Oakville, Ontario, held its annual mission on Friday, and Saturday, 2008 May 23 and 24. We welcomed Norma Dearing, the executive director of the non-profit Christian organization, Impact Communications Ministries, Florida, to speak on the mission’s theme, The Power of the Holy Spirit. Norma’s talks were on the Gifts and the Fruits of the Spirit. The titles of her three talks were:
Baptism in the Holy Spirit: What? Why? How?
Living the Life God Expects: Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit;
The Work of the Holy Spirit: Healing Today.
Norma emphasized how vitally important it was for Christians, and especially Christians called to work in the healing ministry, to constantly and persistently call upon the power of the Holy Spirit. "It is something we must ask for continuously. Come, Holy Spirit."
One of Norma’s questions was "Is your ‘receiver’ broken?" In answer to that question she reminded us that we have to forgive God, ourselves, and others for our ‘receiver’ to work. Norma emphasized that we must be cognizant of possible ‘clogs’ or barriers to receiving the gifts of the spirit. These are sin, involvement in occult activities and/or New Age practices, i.e. horoscopes, Ouija boards, and palm reading, as well as habitual sin. The work of the Devil is to prevent us from following The Christ; and if that is unsuccessful, he then attempts to prevent us from receiving the Holy Spirit. Are we prepared to abandon the behaviours and practices or habits that draw us away from Jesus?
"Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it" John 14:12-14
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you." John 14:15-17
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are ours. We must ask for them. Ask. Ask, and then ask again f or the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. We must be persistent.
According to Norma, sometimes we have to take care of ourselves spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically, or relationally. "Do you ask God to give you what you need, what you want? Do you allow God to heal you? Do you limit God by not taking what is of importance to you to Him in prayer?"
God always answers our prayers: "Yes, No, Wait."
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and that same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11.
Norma directed us to read The Holy Bible, I Corinthians, Chapters 12 to 14, where Jesus speaks to His brothers and sisters of the gifts of the Spirit.
Gift of Wisdom: The Gift of Wisdom is usually a gift of God that is given to you to enable you to assist the one you’re trying to help, to assist, and to serve.
Gift of Knowledge: We recognize the Gift of Knowledge when we realize we know something which we would not ordinarily ‘know’ if it was not of God.
Gift of Faith: You know that you know that God is going to show up.
Gift of Healing: Some are more able than others to work with God in the Healing Ministry.
Work of Miracles: A miracle defies nature. Where there is life there is hope.
Gift of Prophecy: Foreknowledge of future events; it may also apply to past events of which there is no memory, and to present hidden things which cannot be known by the natural light of reason.
Gift of Discernment of Spirits: Recognize the presence of an evil sprit; fear that makes no logical sense may be that of an evil spirit, it is an unreasonable fear. There is evil in the world. If you are blessed with the gift of discernment you may rebuke an evil spirit or evil spirits: "With the authority of Jesus Christ, as a Christian, and in His power, I bind the work of the devil and take authority over it in Jesus Name."
Gift of Various Kinds of Tongues:
a) Prayer language
b) Speaking in Tongues. Speaking in tongues requires interpretation for the edification of others. It is a transitory gift.
Gift of the Interpretation of Tongues, the interpretation of speech
Norma reminded us that when we accept Jesus as our Saviour, we become soldiers in the army of God a front-line fighter; serving God on the frontline: armour and weaponry; gifts of knowledge, wisdom, discernment. Where does God want you to be?
Following the mission, as participants prepared to leave, Joan Sheen, our excellent, hard working, interim convenor, apologized to them for the lateness of the hour. They responded, "We hadn’t noticed." One participant commented: "Excellent speaker.!" Others felt they had attended a worthwhile, wonderful mission. One gentleman, an O.S.L. member from Quebec, returned to St. Simon’s on Sunday to hear Norma’s homily. He was not disappointed by her message. A dynamic speaker, coupled with a wonderful sense of humour, Norma Dearing captured and held the attention of her audience from the outset sharing stories about both her family and her radio programme.
Throughout her three ‘teachings’ Norma recommended that the following scriptures should be read and studied: Psalm 139; Matthew 16; Matthew 28, Verse 14; Mark 13, Verse 11; Luke 2, Verse 25; Luke 12, Verse 12; John 14 to 26, Advocate; Acts 1, Verse 8; Acts 2, Verses 33, and 38; Acts 4, Verse 31, Courage, boldness; Acts 9, Verse 31; Acts 10, Verses 38, 44, 45, and 7; Acts 15, Verse 8; Romans 15, Chapter 13; Romans 94; I Corinthians; I Thessalonians, Chapter 1 to 5.