John Sandford is one of the heavy weights of Discipleship, Deliverance or Prayer Ministries. So don't start here if you are just figuring out that God is in the reconciliation and healing business, that God wants to free us from poor thinking, bad habits, anger, fear, and the effects of the fall. Start with Neil Anderson's Bondage Breaker.
In this book, he takes us into a detailed journey of what he calls the Slumbering Spirit. He coined this phrase after encountering people who seemed to have a bi-polar walk with God or who just didn't seem to respond to what works for most in encountering God. He says that God taught him the concept of the slumbering spirit and that through faith and repententance, you can awaken the slumbering spirit to new life.
When I say faith and repentance, let me be clear that without Jesus in this process, there's no healing. Nada. None. So John's prayers are not like a pagan spell that if you say it right, you'll get the results. No, John merely points the way to the kind of heart-generated prayers that anyone who believes they need to go deeper in healing can use to move closer to God, closer to His healing, and closer to what God has already promised us in terms of life, healing, and deliverance.
I enjoyed John's review of the spiritual gifts and his distinctions on the fruit of the spirit. I've known people who had many spiritual gifts yet had grossly underdeveloped characters. That's because gifts are gifts; they're not earned or a reward for being a good boy. They're given to those who desire them. Whereas the fruit of the spirit truly is the fruit that comes from honoring the spirit, walking in the spirit, and truly allowing the Word of God to live in them.
The prayers and insights found in this book are great for either pastors, prayer counselors, or anyone who wants more of God, less of themselves, and to find a greater freedom in Christ.
