Below are a few of the books that I have read that helped me better understand the “how’s and why’s” of listening prayer, healing prayer, spiritual warfare, and the rest. Ultimately, I think these subjects are rooted in the power and work of the Holy Spirit, and as Jesus said to Nicodemus, the Spirit is like the wind – “it blows where it wants”. (Perhaps that’s why the Greek and Hebrew words for “spirit” also mean “wind” and “breath”) So these books should be considered as guides, not as how-to books. There is no magic formula that I’ve found, no official technique that is “guaranteed to work, every time!” But there are general principles, and there are stories that give real-life examples, and I have found those things to be quite helpful in this journey of trying to follow the “Wind”.
Stark Raving Obedience: Radical Results from Listening Prayer
– an excellent introduction to the subject of listening prayer and healing. It’s short, to the point, and it contains several first-hand stories that demonstrate the amazing things that happen when we listen for God’s voice and obey Him.
Surprised by the Voice of God
– a lengthy treatment on the subject of hearing God’s voice, not only through interior thoughts, but through dreams, visions, impressions, images, and so on. This book was written by a former professor of theology, and it shows; I appreciated the attention to Scripture, and the careful theological treatment of the claims the author makes.
Surprised by the Power of the Spirit
– written by the same author as Surprised by the Voice of God, this book reads more like an apologetics text, mixed with personal witness. The author went from believing that the gifts of the Spirit had ceased 2,000 years ago, to believing they still operate today, and this book is both his story of how that change came about, as well as his theological defense for making that change.
Miracles and Manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the History of the Church
– I like to know that the things I believe and practice have a historical precedent in the Church. I tend to shy away from novelty when it comes to theology and religious practice (which is probably why I’m a Catholic). This book is a massive collection of quotes from Christian writers, testifying to the power of the Spirit in their own period of time – healings, miracles, revelation, words of knowledge, casting out demons, and all the rest. The quotes begin with the New Testament, and go all the way to modern times. An incredible reference work.
Healing
– this was the first book I read on the subject of healing. The author comes from a Catholic background (a former priest), and I appreciated his sensitivity to Catholic tradition and theology. He deals briefly with the subjects of physical healing, inner/emotional healing, spiritual warfare and deliverance, and understanding it is still God’s “ordinary” will to heal today.
Deliverance from Evil Spirits: A Practical Manual
– by the same author as Healing, this book goes into far more detail on the subject of spiritual warfare prayer, praying for the spiritually oppressed, the difference between exorcism and deliverance, and more.
I Give You Authority
– this book deals with the subject of authority in prayer: the authority Jesus gave us over spirits and diseases, the natural authority God has built into creation, family structures, ownership, etc. All of this factors into how we pray, according to the author, especially when we’re dealing with deliverance and spiritual warfare. I found this book very helpful in laying the foundation for a critical component of prayer.
