Can Prayer Reach Someone Who Doesn't Want to Be Reached? - #181 Phil Dougherty

Can Prayer Reach Someone Who Doesn't Want to Be Reached? - #181 Phil Dougherty

Can persistent prayer reach someone who doesn't want God? Phil Dougherty's story may change the way you answer that question. Phil Dougherty never imagined his life would change on a beach in New Jersey. Raised in a broken home, drawn into spiritual darkness, and convinced there was little hope for his future, he reached a point where he believed life wasn't worth living. What he didn't know was that two friends had been faithfully praying and fasting for him. In this conversation, Phil shares the remarkable encounter that changed everything: hearing God's voice, experiencing an overwhelming freedom he had never known, being confronted with a life-changing choice, receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and discovering that the prayers of others had been shaping his story long before he realized it. In this episode, you'll discover: • The hidden role prayer and fasting played in Phil's encounter with God • What happened during the unforgettable beach encounter that changed his life forever • How God rescued him from deep spiritual darkness • Why every person must ultimately choose how they'll respond to God • How Phil went from hopelessness and bondage to walking in spiritual authority and helping others find freedom Whether you're praying for a loved one who seems unreachable, wondering if God still speaks today, or longing to experience Him more deeply yourself, Phil's story is a powerful reminder that no one is beyond God's reach. ---------- ✟ Small Group Questions From This Episode: ⇨ How does Phil’s story illustrate the power of intercession in someone’s life? ⇨ What does Phil’s encounter on the beach reveal about God’s ability to break into a person’s darkest moments? ⇨ How does Phil’s transformation challenge our assumptions about who God can reach and how He works? ✟ Bible References for Further Study: ⇨ John 10:27 ⇨ Acts 1:8 ⇨ Isaiah 58:6 --------- You can reach Phil via email at: mystoryfindinggod@gmail.com --------- ✟ Donate to A Stronger Faith ⇨ https://www.astrongerfaith.org/give ----------- ✟ Recommend a guest for us ⇨ https://www.astrongerfaith.org/contact ---------- ✟ CONNECT WITH US! ⇨ Website: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/ ⇨ YouTube: https://bit.ly/asfmyoutube ⇨ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astrongerfaith/ ⇨ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@astrongerfaith ⇨ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/astrongerfaith --------- ✟ For prayer or deliverance, or to become a prayer partner, please visit: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/prayer. ✟ ASF recommended books: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/books

Why Most Christians Never Heal the Sick (And How You Can) - #180 Judy Deese

What if healing the sick wasn't reserved for pastors, evangelists, or people with a special gift? Judy Deese had no training, no theology degree, and never imagined God could heal through her. For more than two decades as a believer, she assumed this kind of authority was for someone else. Then she witnessed a healing right in front of her eyes—and shortly afterward discovered the same authority Jesus promised His followers was already living in her. In this conversation, Judy shares how it all began: a Wednesday night, a simple question to the Holy Spirit, a jolt awake in the middle of the night, and a voice she can still barely describe. From that moment, she began stepping out in faith—and hasn't stopped since. This episode covers: • How Judy went from watching a healing to administering one herself—with zero formal training • The difference between commanding healing and casting out a demon—and why she approaches them differently • Why she stopped praying for healing and started speaking directly to the affliction • The three open doors she believes can block healing: sin, unrepentance, and unforgiveness • What changed after she received the baptism of the Holy Spirit—and why she believes it's the missing piece for many believers • The surprising moment she realized her emotions didn't limit God's power to heal Did Jesus intend for every believer to heal the sick—or have most Christians settled for less than He promised? If you've ever wondered whether this kind of authority is reserved for a select few, this conversation will challenge what you believe about healing, the Holy Spirit, and the authority Jesus gave His followers. ----- ✟ Small Group Questions From This Episode: ⇨ How does Judy’s experience of hearing God’s voice challenge or shape your understanding of how the Holy Spirit speaks today? ⇨ What does Judy’s story reveal about the authority believers carry through the Holy Spirit? ⇨ How does Judy describe the simplicity of ministering healing, and what does that suggest about how believers can step into it? ✟ Bible References for Further Study: ⇨ John 14:12 ⇨ Mark 16:17–18 ⇨ Acts 1:8 ------- ✟ Donate to A Stronger Faith ⇨ https://www.astrongerfaith.org/give ----------- ✟ Recommend a guest for us ⇨ https://www.astrongerfaith.org/contact ---------- ✟ CONNECT WITH US! ⇨ Website: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/ ⇨ YouTube: https://bit.ly/asfmyoutube ⇨ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astrongerfaith/ ⇨ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@astrongerfaith ⇨ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/astrongerfaith --------- ✟ For prayer or deliverance, or to become a prayer partner, please visit: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/prayer. ✟ ASF recommended books: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/books

God Showed Me Every Sin I Ever Committed. Then He Said, "I Chose You." - #179 Brad Richter

He hadn't prayed in 25 years. Then at 3:00 AM, a voice woke him up: "Get up. Find your Bible." What followed was a four-hour encounter with Jesus that Brad Richter had no framework for — a flood of memories of every failure he'd ever committed, followed by an answer he never expected: not condemnation, but "I chose you." Brad describes being embraced in his own filth, before any cleanup, before any effort to make himself presentable. Brad grew up a missionary kid in New Guinea, where the cost of the gospel — death, tragedy, and unanswered questions — hardened his heart by age 13. For the next 25 years he was disconnected from God: not hostile, just numb. He wasn't praying. He wasn't searching. In this conversation, Brad walks through: • The night God broke into his life with no warning and no spiritual buildup • Asking Jesus one question — "How much do you love me?" — and what happened next • How obedience in small, ordinary moments (fixing a stranger's roof, giving a ride to a woman searching for God, feeding a homeless brother in Christ) became the doorway to experiencing God personally • A vision of spiritual warfare — pinned in the mud with Satan's foot on his neck, refusing to tap out — and what he found in his hands when he didn't • What it means to invite God into your burdens instead of asking Him to remove them• Why God's delight in us is often harder to receive than His forgiveness This is a story about what happens when God interrupts a life that wasn't looking for Him — and what it costs, and gives, to say yes. ----- Small Group Questions From This Episode: ⇨ What impact did witnessing trauma on the mission field have on Brad’s view of God? ⇨ How did Brad respond when he heard the command, “Get up,” in the middle of the night? ⇨ How does Brad describe the moment when he realized Jesus knew his name? ⇨ What did Brad mean when he said receiving God’s love would “cost him his life”? Bible References for Further Study: ⇨ Acts 6–7 ⇨ John 10:3-4 ⇨ Luke 15 ---------- ✟ Donate to A Stronger Faith ⇨ https://www.astrongerfaith.org/give ----------- ✟ Recommend a guest for us ⇨ https://www.astrongerfaith.org/contact ---------- ✟ CONNECT WITH US! ⇨ Website: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/ ⇨ YouTube: https://bit.ly/asfmyoutube ⇨ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astrongerfaith/ ⇨ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@astrongerfaith ⇨ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/astrongerfaith --------- ✟ For prayer or deliverance, or to become a prayer partner, please visit: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/prayer. ✟ ASF recommended books: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/books

She Can See the Gifts God Placed in You. They Appear As Color. - #178 Erica Laney

What if the reason you haven't experienced more of God has nothing to do with how hard you're praying — and everything to do with what you're asking for? Erica Laney is a wife, mother of five, and a woman operating in a level of prophetic gifting that is rare and specific. She sees spiritual gifts in people through color. She receives visions that have proven out in real life. And she traces every bit of it back to one moment when she stopped bringing God her problems and asked Him what she could do for Him instead. In this conversation Erica shares how that single shift in posture unlocked prophetic gifts she never sought, how fasting became the most direct line she has found to hearing God clearly, why she believes the enemy is actively working to keep the church from real fasting, and what it looks like to cultivate spiritual gifts once they arrive. She also did something in this very conversation that neither of us expected. In this conversation, Erica shares: ⇨ What she sees when she looks at people in the Spirit — and what each color means ⇨ How she witnessed a vision of demonic beings planning specific assignments against her family ⇨ Why she believes most Christians are fasting wrong — and why that's not an accident ⇨ How a 21-day fast and a 48-hour water fast led to the birth of a son she saw coming years before he arrived ⇨ What it means to ask God what you can do for Him — and why it changes everything 📩 Share your story: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/contact 💛 Support this ministry: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/give If you and a few people in your life are hungry for more of God, this episode was made to be discussed. Consider starting a small group around A Stronger Faith — we have materials to help you do exactly that. ✟ Small Group Questions From this Episode: ⇨ What does Erica’s story reveal about the difference between believing in God and fully surrendering to Him? ⇨ What does her experience teach us about the role of vulnerability and surrender in encountering God’s power? ⇨ How can believers discern the difference between emotionalism and a genuine move of the Holy Spirit? ✟ Bible References for further Study: ⇨ Acts 2:4 ⇨ Luke 11:13 ⇨ John 14:18 ---------- ✟ Donate to A Stronger Faith ⇨ https://www.astrongerfaith.org/give ----------- ✟ Recommend a guest for us ⇨ https://www.astrongerfaith.org/contact ---------- ✟ CONNECT WITH US! ⇨ Website: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/ ⇨ YouTube: https://bit.ly/asfmyoutube ⇨ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astrongerfaith/ ⇨ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@astrongerfaith ⇨ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/astrongerfaith --------- ✟ For prayer or deliverance, or to become a prayer partner, please visit: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/prayer. ✟ ASF recommended books: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/books

Presbyterian Pastor Spent 50 Years Casting Out Demons — Here’s What He Learned - # 177 Percy Burns

What if everything you were taught about demons, deliverance, and spiritual warfare was incomplete — or worse, intentionally left out? Percy Burns is a Presbyterian pastor and deliverance minister with over 50 years of experience who has ministered to thousands — and it all started the night Derek Prince nearly got him kicked out of his denomination. Percy believes the church has been silent on one of the most critical areas of the Christian life for far too long. In this episode: ⇨ How Percy received deliverance and was filled with the Holy Spirit in the same week ⇨ Why the church has suppressed deliverance ministry for generations ⇨ Whether Christians can have demons — and what scripture actually says ⇨ How generational spirits enter family lines and what to do about it ⇨ What a real deliverance session looks like from start to finish ⇨ How to minister deliverance to your own children and loved ones ⇨ Why demonic oppression may be behind physical symptoms you can't explain ⇨ How to keep demons from coming back after deliverance If you have ever felt like something was holding you back, oppressing you, or attacking your family — this episode is for you. 📖 GET PERCY'S BOOK GLORIOUS FREEDOM HERE ⇨ https://amzn.to/43qfkw4 Links to Derek Prince books mentioned in this episode: ⇨ They Shall Expel Demons: https://amzn.to/4fxFKDm ⇨ Blessing or Curse: You Can Choose: https://amzn.to/4xjVFeN 💻 Percy's ministry: https://www.gloriousfreedom.org/ ------- Small Group Discussion Questions from this Episode: ⇨ How should Christians understand and respond to the reality of spiritual warfare and deliverance as described in Scripture? ⇨ What does the baptism of the Holy Spirit look like in the New Testament, and how does that compare to modern church practice? ⇨ How can the church avoid “quenching the Spirit” and remain open to all the gifts God intends for believers? Bible References for Further Study ⇨ Mark 16:17 ⇨ Hebrews 13:8 ⇨ 1 Thessalonians 5:19 ---------- ✟ Donate to A Stronger Faith ⇨ https://www.astrongerfaith.org/give ----------- ✟ Recommend a guest for us ⇨ https://www.astrongerfaith.org/contact ---------- ✟ CONNECT WITH US! ⇨ Website: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/ ⇨ YouTube: https://bit.ly/asfmyoutube ⇨ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astrongerfaith/ ⇨ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@astrongerfaith ⇨ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/astrongerfaith --------- ✟ For prayer or deliverance, or to become a prayer partner, please visit: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/prayer. ✟ ASF recommended books: https://www.astrongerfaith.org/books