Dear Friends,

When you sit down at the end of the day and think back over your day, how much of it was truly you and how much of it did you fake? You became that person you want people to see, that person you want people to think you are so they will value you, like you and accept you. We are called by God to walk a life of holiness, honesty, transparency and integrity. It is difficult, especially when it’s easy to fake it. No one really knows who you are except God. Your motives, thoughts, secrets, desires and actions are all open to Him. But people see what you want them to see and treat you accordingly.

One of my favorite authors, Francis Frangipane wrote, “Our experience of Christianity must go beyond just being another interpretation of the Bible; it must expand until our faith in Jesus and our love for Him becomes a lightning rod for His Presence.” If our experience of Christianity is not growing and changing, if it does not attract people to God, if it doesn’t work in helping us to deal with life, then we seriously need to ask ourselves is it real or is it fake!

A lightening rod attracts. It says throughout the Word that we will do the works that Jesus did. If we examine what Jesus did we clearly see that He walked in holiness and power. He spoke and people were transformed from death into life; he prayed and people were healed. People were attracted to Him. They saw what he did and they listened to what He said. The Truth that He spoke changed those who heard it. He didn’t have to fake anything; He was what He spoke, the Truth. His faith was extraordinary; His life was anything but normal. He did not have to make excuses for God, pretend He was something He was not, or pump up His faith. He was as real as it gets. He did not fake anything. We however, can easily fake Christianity. Francis Frangipane further wrote, “If we have been indoctrinated to believe that the Kingdom of God, and Christianity itself, does not really have to work, or if the absence of holiness and power fails to trouble us, something is seriously wrong with our concept of truth.”

As I have traveled around this world exposed to thousands of Christians I have been amazed at the number that are not bothered by the lack of power in their walk with God. They never see the sick healed, or God provide in miraculous ways, or lives radically changed and they accept this as normal! I believe that, “if this does not bother you, something is seriously wrong with your understanding of God’s truth.” Our message must work. It must be a message of holiness and power! I heard Bill Johnson say, “The Gospel without power is not Good News! Think about that. What do we have to offer people if it is not power to change, to expect miracles, to provide in miraculous ways? To me, this is the crux of the Good News.

If you are not drawn to holiness, if you do not see power manifest, if your prayers are not answered then it would seem logical to ask why things are not working for you. Perhaps it’s something as simple as accepting this as “normal.” Sadly, many Christians have no higher goal, no greater aspiration, than to become normal. Their desires are limited to measuring up to others. We like familiarity, we like routine, and we don’t like to step out of the boat and walk on the water because it’s scary and we might drown. There is nothing wrong with the familiar but the familiar is often too comfortable and by nature we like comfortable. Staying comfortable with those things that are normal and familiar keep us from experiencing that which is extraordinary.

Many of the extraordinary stories we read in the Gospels required stepping out in faith, expecting something to happen. My experience in this journey has been such that when I pray for healing, I expect change! That is what the Gospel teaches, that is what Jesus demonstrated over and over. Further, that is what my experience has been. Of course there are times when healing doesn’t happen but that does not keep me from continually praying, expecting change.

So, rather than move into a place of faith, expectancy and obedience, a place where we are drawn closer, week by week to knowing and loving Jesus Christ we stop obeying and we start faking. Think about this; “If Christ is within us, we should be living holy, powerful lives. No excuses!” Christianity is not just accepting some doctrine, but is living daily in the reality of Christ’s presence in our homes, schools and jobs. Lets purpose to press in until we “…lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:12) When we settle for anything less than the fullness of Christ in our lives our Christianity doesn’t have to work we can just fake it!

God bless,

Mike

Dear Friends,

In his book, The Father’s Blessing, John Arnott writes about setting a high value on God’s anointing. He gives an example of how Elisha kept following Elijah; he was persistent and wouldn’t leave Elijah’s presence until he received a double portion of Elijah’s anointing as described in 2 Kings. When you read about Elijah in First and Second Kings you will understand why Elisha wanted a double portion of Elijah’s anointing.

John Arnott wrote, “When the Holy Spirit imparts His anointing to the body of Christ today, testing will come to see if we are going to value the anointing or not. Are we going to treat Him as true riches and not just as someone we can exploit?”

A large part of my journey has been a desire to move closer to God, and operate in a greater measure of power and authority. In this journey, which started for me in 1984, I have sought out those with an anointing of power and authority in praying for the sick and hearing from God. These are the people I wanted to hang around and learn from, as it was obvious from the fruit of their lives that they were operating in that anointing of power and authority.

But I also had to face those parts of my life that God wanted to change. I began to better understand what He meant when he talked about fire and purging. At one point He brought me up short when a young friend gave me this word from God, “I want there to be Love Motivated Obedience!” This says to me that what you do must be from love, not obedience out of a sense of duty or the law or because of what it will do for you, but obedience truly motivated by love. As we move closer to God, the cost goes higher because the anointing becomes greater. Words like intimacy and holiness began to take on new meaning and you begin to understand what friendship with God means.

Sometimes we seek power or we run to the latest place where something is “happening” to catch it, but we don’t allow God to do His full work in us as our lives don’t change all that much. We look for shortcuts to the power of God and at best become frustrated. One doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to sense that God is doing something special in our world today. The young people of this generation are looking for relationship and intimacy with God, not church or religion; and they are willing to sell out for it! Pastors of many denominations are actively seeking reconciliation among the churches of our cities. Cooperation and unity are becoming key words among us as we meet and talk with each other.

What an exciting time to be alive! I believe there are two issues facing us today; first, will you value the anointing, and second, are you willing to pay the price of operating in that anointing? It is special what God wants to do with each of us. My prayer is that you will want this more than anything else.

Here is a prayer that I pray in regards to this anointing that God lets me experience. Perhaps you will find this helpful: Father, where I have looked for shortcuts to operate in your power, or not treasured the anointing you have given, I ask your forgiveness. Help me to know and treasure the privilege of walking with you. Though it may be costly, I will value what you give to me for I know it is only because I am your beloved that you give it to me.

BOOK AN IN-PERSON MINISTRY SESSION
We have found these ministry sessions with people to be invaluable in healing them from wounds from their past. In some cases after two or three sessions, they experience freedom! If you need deep-level healing prayer or know someone who could benefit from this, here is how to start the process. Send an email to mevans@wholeness.org or call 661-833-2920 to schedule an appointment. On our website, simply follow the instructions under Personal Ministry.

Thank you for your continued support of this ministry. Your gifts are much appreciated and are used to help bring in His kingdom and bring glory to God.

God bless,

Mike

Dear Friends,

I always look forward with excitement to the New Year. It brings new possibilities and challenges. In the past God always surprises us with something that we knew nothing about and I’m anticipating that 2019 will be no different.

I see an interesting transition happening with Wholeness Ministries. For many years much of my work was traveling to numerous churches, training and equipping people in praying for the sick. As of late, an area that has increased is our one-on-one ministry to people who come for deep level healing from those hurts that many of them have carried around since childhood. If you read my book, Before You Get Here, you know there are numerous burdens that oppress and defeat people. Many of these can be effectively dealt with by walking people through a prayer of forgiveness. Over the years I’ve seen God effectively lift these burdens off of people after a couple hours of ministry. The healing is so significant that people leave the office profoundly changed.

Early on in ministry, I loved praying for physical healing as the results were usually immediate. I did not actively pursue this area of ministry as it seemed to take a long time and I thought the results were often negligible. Of course, God in his gentle loving way helped me over the years to see that this healing was often the most profound healing that one could experience. As I came into this realization God began bringing more and more people to me that needed this deep healing. Now it has become such a large part of the ministry that we not only meet with people in the office but minister with people in other states and countries sitting in front of my computer screen using Skype and Face time.

This seemed such a natural transition for us that I cannot help but think that God will continue moving Wholeness Ministries in this direction. In reality, there are very few ministries that do this type of work.

BOOK AN IN-PERSON MINISTRY SESSION
We have found these ministry sessions with people to be invaluable in healing them from wounds from their past. In some cases after two or three sessions, they experience freedom! If you need deep-level healing prayer or know someone who could benefit from this, here is how to start the process. Send an email to mevans@wholeness.org or call 661-833-2920 to schedule an appointment. On our website, simply follow the instructions under Personal Ministry.

Bill Wright Jr.
One of the saddest things that has happened recently is that we lost our dear friend Bill Wright Jr. to cancer. Bill was on our Board of Directors and a good friend. At the meetings he was such a positive person, his attitude was infectious. I would bring up something I thought about doing and he immediately saw all the reasons why it was a good idea. I rarely heard him say anything negative. He was full of ideas. Some of them great and some crazy but I never discouraged him sharing what he was thinking.

After I’d written my first book and had decided I wasn’t going to write another, he not only informed me I would be writing another book but kept asking me if I had started on it yet. And then he had the audacity to tell me I had many more books in me yet to write so I better get with it. I am now working on book four in part due to his encouragement. He kept saying to me, “Michael you have to tell the stories of all the healing and miraculous things you have seen God do. People need to read that, as it would be very encouraging.” So, this new book is about all the miraculous things I’ve seen God do over the last 24 years. When I gave him the first unedited draft to read, even before he had read much of it, he excitedly told me what a great book it was and how encouraged he was by what little he had read.

So it is with sadness we say goodbye to a man and a life well lived. Outgoing, encouraging, enthusiastic, dear friend and close buddy, that was my friend Bill Wright Jr.

My thanks to all of you that have been such faithful supporters over the years. If you receive this newsletter and have not yet made the decision to financially support Wholeness Ministries I would ask that you consider doing so. You can donate over the website, set up an automatic donation monthly or simply write us a check.

Thank you,

Mike

Dear Friends,

It’s hard to believe that this year is almost gone and we are heading into 2019! A lot has happened in the last year for which we are very thankful. In addition to all the many miraculous healings we observed we celebrated our 24th Year Anniversary!

To think all of this started with my attending a healing conference in 1984. I was on staff at First Baptist Church in Bakersfield, CA. My boss and Senior Pastor Dr. John Lavender insisted that we go to a healing conference conducted by John Wimber at The Vineyard in Anaheim, CA.

What I observed at that healing conference and the encounter with God that I had, left me a changed man. I came back to First Baptist Church and began forming prayer teams to pray for the sick on a regular basis. Over the next ten years I went to every training event, and healing conference that John Wimber conducted. I read every book I could get my hands on that had to do with healing. This led to writing our first training manual, Learning To Do What Jesus Did, followed by Why Not Waste Time With God, and Before You Get Here.

God has opened many doors for us in various denominations, ministry streams and other countries outside the United States. There have been trips to Qatar, Kuwait, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Serbia, to name a few. Plus we have been to numerous churches around the United States.

God has been faithful in providing for all the needs of our family. Not once have we wanted for anything that we needed. Admittedly, I didn’t know how God was going to provide, but He always did. In addition, along the way He surprised us with gifts that went far beyond our needs. Much like a loving father would do for his children.

BOOKS BY MIKE EVANS MAKE GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFTS!
Check out the entire Wholeness Ministries Catalog at www.wholeness.org/catalog/ or call Wholeness Ministries at 661-833-2920.

BEFORE YOU GET HERE

Before You Get Here subtitled, Baggage To Drop On Your Way To Heaven, is a guide to assist in discovering freedom from the invisible burdens that oppress and defeat many Christians today.

Chapters include: The Importance of Forgiveness, The Traps of Unforgiveness, A Look in the Mirror, I Will Never, Harmful Words and Harmful Connections, Let Yourself Be Loved By God, The Recovery of Intimacy, and more.

Copies are available at Wholeness.org and at Amazon.com.

WHY NOT WASTE TIME WITH GOD?

Many of us draw our value from who we know, what we do, and what we have. Do you long to experience the intimacy, joy, and freedom that comes from being deeply connected, soul and spirit, with your Father God? If so, you must prepare yourself to “waste some time” with God. You will be able to break free from dependence on others for approval.

You can stop your pretense and striving for approval, and instead, sitting quietly with your Father God, you can be confident that you are significant, accepted, and loved.

This is not a “how to” book. Rather it looks at all those things that keep us from spending time with God. You will be intrigued.

Copies are available at Wholeness.org and at Amazon.com.

It has been an exciting journey and I cannot express how grateful that He chose me to walk this journey with Him. Indeed I want to give God all the glory and I look forward to many more years in this exciting journey. Thank you for your continued support. Without you we could not have done all this.

Have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

God bless,

Mike

Dear Friends,

I was watching my three year-old granddaughter recently and was reminded of the excitement and wonder of being a child. Everything is new and exciting every day. Looking at a flower or exploring the worms and critters hiding under the rock is a wonder to behold. Watching a plane fly overhead, or swinging ever higher to touch the sky. When she jumps off the chair into my arms there is complete trust that I will be there to catch her. And she is quick to call out for help when things overwhelm her. Each day is faced with childlike excitement at what the new day holds.

One of the dangers of “growing up” is that we can lose the child within and become adults who are critical, distrustful, and independent. While we may realize we have limitations and need help; our pride, pompous piety, fear or self-hatred can keep us from that child within which so easily recognizes its limitations and cries out for help. When things become overpowering children have no problem calling out for help.

Likewise they are incredibly honest and trusting. In Matthew 18:3 Jesus says, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus is pointing out that we can possess the humility necessary for entrance into the kingdom of heaven if we are prepared to come as little children who are open, trusting and unashamed.

Thomas Kelly wrote, “The life that intends to be wholly obedient, wholly submissive, wholly listening, is astonishing in its completeness. Its joys are ravishing, its peace profound, its humility the deepest, its power world-shaking, its love enveloping, its simplicity that of a trusting child.”

Is the simplicity of the child within a distant memory? Do you look at children and miss the unbridled enthusiasm they have for each day? A wise man wrote, “A child lives in constant wonder, makes toys out of trash and finds life a high romance. A child expects great things of life and finds them.” My question to you is have you lost the child? If so, why not go back to your Father God and rediscover that you are “the beloved.” Enjoy being a child again and discovering each day the wonders around you.

$ $ $ $ $
Yes, this is the place where I talk about dollars, geld, pesos, gold, moolah, etc. We are facing some challenges. Many of you have been faithful supporters for years and I appreciate your faithfulness. Like everything else our expenses creep up from year to year but the dollars never seem to creep up beyond the basic expenses.

We proudly offer secure transactions via PayPal directly from our Donate Page.

Join us in praying for others to come along side as new supporters of Wholeness Ministries. Thank you for you love and prayers.

God bless,

Mike