Freedom Tools

Andy Reese

Description

What do you say to someone who is hurting?How many times in everyday conversation do we struggle to comfort others in a troubled world? Christians should be "first responders," say Andy Reese and Jennifer Barnett, yet we lack the tools and confidence to reach out. We end up frustrated by our own inability to connect meaningfully and make a difference.But what would happen if we had the ability and courage to speak out in love?In these pages Andy and Jennifer give you the practical understanding and simple tools to do just that. You can fill even your casual conversations with the gentle yet transforming power of Jesus Christ. Here is what you need to confidently step out to bring peace, give grace and help others experience renewal.Visit www.freedomprayer.org for more information."Extremely instructive and practical."--Max Lucado, pastor and bestselling author"This book will change lives--maybe even yours."--Rich Stearns, president, World Vision U.S."Solidly based on the Gospel and immensely practical. It has helped our leaders walk in increased freedom while we help many know the truth that sets them free."--David McQueen, senior pastor, Beltway Park Baptist Church, Abilene, Texas"Our leadership team is fully on board and delighted with the simple effectiveness of this ministry."--Michael Swecker, pastor of Prayer and Freedom Ministries, Hosanna! Church, Lakeville, Minnesota"For many people a ministry like Freedom Prayer is the best place to start . . and I am most impressed with the team at the Freedom Resource."--Stephen Mory, M.D., assistant clinical professor of psychiatry, Vanderbilt University; psychiatrist, Mental Health Cooperative "Freedom Tools offers piercing insights with keen discernment to empower the reader to be set free at last. . . .A great tool for your spiritual warfare arsenal."--James W. Goll, founder, Encounters Network, Prayer Storm and GET eSchool; author, The Lifestyle of a Prophet and many more"Freedom Prayer has been invaluable to me as a counselor.."--Wendy Barnes, LPC, San Antonio"Freedom Tools is both practical and profound. It does a masterful job of taking a potentially complex subject and bringing it into everyone's reach."--Bill Johnson, senior leader, Bethel Church, Redding, California; author, When Heaven Invades Earth and more"Through the partnership of truths from the world of psychology and those from the world of inner healing, we can see powerful healing and transformation. By integrating the two, we will see more people live abundant lives as they heal their connection with God and are restored body, soul and spirit."--Margaret Nagib, Timberline Knolls Clinical Development Institute"Freedom Tools gave me a biblical manual for helping people experience freedom.."--Kirk Freeman, lead pastor, CrossBridge Community Church, San Antonio, Texas"Professional counseling and prayer ministries work hand in hand as essential partners to facilitate inner healing in wounded lives. Working together we can maximize the freedom, recovery and renewing of all those in need."--Dr. Mark Jones, LMFT director, Liberty Alliance"This powerful book gives you the Freedom Tools you need to demolish the adversary's obstacles to freedom and prosperity. Use them and you, too, can experience the super-abundant life that God desires for you!"--C. Peter Wagner, chancellor, Wagner Leadership Institute "A great need has long existed for someone to reduce inner healing to simpler, everyday language and tools. Our friend Andy Reese has done that admirably in Freedom Tools."--John Loren Sandford, co-founder, Elijah House Ministries "This is ministry from the heart and by the Spirit--so simple and natural that you'll ask yourself, 'Why didn't I know this before?'"--David Kyle Foster, founder and exec utive director, Mastering Life Ministries

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Pentecostalism

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 10 mars 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441269843
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

© 2008, 2015 by Andrew J. Reese and Jennifer R. Barnett
Published by Chosen Books
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www . chosenbooks .com
Chosen Books is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www . bakerpublishinggroup . com
Ebook edition created 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-6984-3
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations identified NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Names and some details in the stories in this book have been altered to protect the privacy of the persons involved.
Cover design by Dual Identity
Praise for Freedom Tools from pastors
“ Freedom Tools is both practical and profound. It does a masterful job of taking a potentially complex subject and bringing it into everyone’s reach.”
Bill Johnson, senior leader, Bethel Church, Redding, California; author, When Heaven Invades Earth and Face to Face with God
“ Freedom Tools gave me a biblical manual for helping people experience freedom. God is receiving glory as more healing is taking place, more people are using their gifts and talents and more are guarding their freedom and reaching out in love to others.”
Kirk Freeman, lead pastor, CrossBridge Community Church, San Antonio, Texas
“Freedom Prayer is one of the sharpest tools in our toolbox, cutting through the fog of ministry philosophies and helping us lead people quickly to the heart of their loving Father.”
Brad Bowen, lead pastor, Heritage Church, Moultrie, Georgia
“Freedom Prayer is solidly based on the Gospel and biblical teaching while being immensely practical. Like few tools available to the Body of Christ, it has helped our leaders walk in increased freedom while we help many know the truth that sets them free.”
David McQueen, senior pastor, Beltway Park Baptist Church, Abilene, Texas
“Finally, a good, simple and gentle approach. I encourage you to try Freedom Prayer and partner with God to bring people to a place of freedom in Christ!”
Michael Swecker, pastor of Prayer and Freedom Ministries, Hosanna! Church, Lakeville, Minnesota
“Salvation needs to reach body, soul and spirit. In order for this to happen, we often need the help of others who listen to the Holy Spirit with us, asking Him to reveal those forgotten shadowy or even darkened places of the past. Often these are childhood wounds in our soul or spirit, wounds afflicting our young hearts with no accompanying path to wholeness.
“Andy knows about those things. So do I. That’s why I shout with him, ‘Yes, freedom! In every part of me!’ So don’t just read this book; live with it and with the Holy Spirit. Gather the right people alongside you to be sure you really get free.”
Don Finto, author, Your People Shall Be My People ; pastor emeritus, Belmont Church, Nashville; founder and director emeritus, Caleb Company
Praise for Freedom Tools from mental health professionals
“After forty years in medicine and fifteen years doing inner healing prayer ministry, I can recommend any combination of prayer ministry, professional counseling or psychiatric care when needed. But for many people a ministry like Freedom Prayer is the best place to start. I have seen dozens of folks completely healed, and I am most impressed with the team at Freedom Resource.”
Stephen Mory, M.D., assistant clinical professor of psychiatry, Vanderbilt University; psychiatrist, Mental Health Cooperative and Davidson County Jails
“Freedom Prayer has been invaluable to me as a counselor. I have seen it be effective in a ministry setting and in counseling sessions. I trust folks who go to Freedom Prayer will be listened to, prayed for and encouraged. The work often results in an individual strengthening his or her relationship with Christ.”
Wendy Barnes, LPC, San Antonio
“Through the partnership of truths from the world of psychology and those from the world of inner healing, we can see powerful healing and transformation. I believe that by integrating the two, we will see more people restored to wholeness and live abundant lives as they heal their connection with God and are restored body, soul and spirit.”
Margaret Nagib, Timberline Knolls Clinical Development Institute
“Professional counseling and prayer ministries work hand in hand as essential partners to facilitate inner healing in wounded lives. Working together we can maximize the freedom, recovery and renewing of all those in need.”
Dr. Mark Jones, LMFT director, Liberty Alliance
“My practice has shifted to a place of bringing others to freedom using tools that quickly get to the root of the issue. I have ‘worked myself out of a job’ in exponential ways, and it is my great thrill to see others encounter His power and love that delivers and transforms.”
Amy Black, LPC, Abilene, Texas
Praise for Freedom Tools from other leaders
“A great need has long existed for someone to reduce inner healing to simpler, everyday language and tools. Our friend Andy Reese has done that admirably in his book Freedom Tools . I heartily recommend using it to help laypeople minister to each other.”
John Loren Sandford, co-founder, Elijah House Ministries
“This powerful book gives you the Freedom Tools you need to demolish the adversary’s obstacles to freedom and prosperity. Use them and you, too, can experience the super-abundant life that God desires for you!”
C. Peter Wagner, chancellor, Wagner Leadership Institute
“ Freedom Tools offers piercing insights with keen discernment to empower the reader to be set free at last. This book will be a great tool for your spiritual warfare arsenal.”
James W. Goll, founder, Encounters Network, Prayer Storm and GET eSchool; author, The Lifestyle of a Prophet , Praying for Israel ’ s Destiny and many more
“I am convinced that most Christians fail to become dynamic and effective ambassadors for Christ because they carry with them heavy loads of emotional baggage. Freedom Tools provides a way to help you ‘travel light’ by unpacking those bags and leaving them behind. This book will change lives—maybe even yours.”
Rich Stearns, president, World Vision U.S.
“This is ministry from the heart and by the Spirit—so simple and natural that you’ll ask yourself, ‘Why didn’t I know this before?’ Freedom Tools should be a required text in any program that equips the saints to do the ministry of the Church.”
David Kyle Foster, founder and executive director, Mastering Life Ministries; author, Love Hunger
To Susan: You are my best friend and most gentle Freedom Prayer partner ever. Let’s grow old together!—A.R.
To Cory, who humbly pedals this bicycle built for two and grins while I steer and take the sharp corners, all the while tickled that I have no idea where I am going. Good thing you have the directions and love me like no other.—J.B.
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Endorsements 5
Dedication 9
Foreword by Neil T. Anderson 13
Preface 17
Acknowledgments 19
1. Polite Society 21
Part One: The Ten Foundations 39
2. Two Foundations about God 41
3. Two Foundations about Our Enemy 55
4. Two Foundations about Us 73
5. Two Foundations about Being a First Responder 87
6. Two Foundations about Tools and Process 103
Part Two: Getting Started 113
7. Key Elements 115
8. Putting It Together 135
Part Three: More Advanced Tools 157
9. The Four Doors 159
10. The Father Ladder 183
11. Inviting Jesus 197
12. Dealing with Demons 225
Part Four: Application in Church and Life 245
13. Building a Freedom Prayer Ministry in Your Local Church 247
14. Freedom Prayer as a Lifestyle 261
Epilogue 289
Notes 291
Index 295
About the Author 301
Back Cover 302
Foreword
M y good friend Andy Reese and I were both raised in Minnesota and both worked as engineers. We then followed somewhat different paths but seem to have come to similar places so many years later. I took the professional track into ministry and adopted an evangelical mind-set. I diligently searched the Scriptures to understand truth and tried to faithfully teach it to the best of my ability. I did so as a youth pastor, college pastor, associate pastor, senior pastor and seminary professor. Along the way, my western rationalism and naturalism were being seriously challenged, and my ability to impart information was not bringing about the transformation that Scripture seemed to offer.
God led me through some life-changing events that enabled me to discover who I am in Christ and opened my eyes to the reality of the spiritual world. My ministry transitioned from a knowledge encounter with Scripture to a personal encounter with God. Now when I have the privilege to help another individual, I do so with the understanding that God is always present and there in a role that only He can play in the other person’s life. I cannot set a captive free and bring emotional healing to the brokenhearted, but He can—and He wants to. In fact, that is why Jesus came. To get to where I am today, God had to orchestrate a period of brokenness in my own life. In doing so, He brought me to the end of my resources so I could discover His. Until that time I had no