As you read these testimonies of God’s goodness and power, you may come across some phrases or words that are new to you. With that in mind, here are some Bible-based explanations for these terms to help you in your understanding.
Anointing Oil
Throughout the Bible, oil is a symbol of healing and of the Holy Spirit. James 5:14 says, Is anyone among you sick? He should call in the church elders (the spiritual leaders). And they should pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Lord’s name. Anointing oil is a Bible-honored way to connect with God for our healing and health. When you pray in faith for yourself or someone else, you can use the oil as a point of contact to release your faith to God for Him to answer your prayer. Simply put a bit of the oil on your finger, use it to touch your own forehead or the forehead of the person you are praying for, and begin to ask God for what you need, trusting Him to send you an answer. (Click here to request a vial of anointing oil.)
Claim Your Healing
First Peter 2:24 tells us that by the stripes on Jesus’ back, we were healed. That means that Jesus took all our sin, sickness, and disease to the Cross. He bore them when He was whipped before His crucifixion so that we wouldn’t have to suffer. And through His blood, we can lay claim to—or reach out with our faith and expect to receive—His miracle-working power for the healing we need: physically, spiritually, emotionally, financially, in our families, or in any other area of our lives. According to His own Word (the Bible), God wants us to be whole—nothing missing, nothing broken in our lives.
Planting a Seed of Faith
Giving to the Lord is scriptural. God’s promise that seedtime and harvest will always remain is found throughout the Bible, beginning in Genesis 8:22. As any farmer knows, to receive a harvest, a seed must be planted. And when the seed is planted, it is done with an expectation for a harvest.
As Christians, we can give of what we have—our time, our prayers, our finances—and believe God to provide for the needs we have in our lives. You can give of your time, your money, your prayers, your encouragement—whatever it is you need in your life. Luke 6:38 says, If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving—large or small—it will be used to measure what is given back to you. So when you give, add your faith to that act of giving and expect God to honor your faith and multiply your giving back to you in the form of a miracle.
Point of Contact
A point of contact is something you do. It’s an action you take, in faith, as a deliberate, tangible moment when you can say you released your faith to God for what you need. It’s like turning the key to start your car: when you do it, you expect something to happen. A point of contact can be many things. It can be having someone lay their hands on you as you pray together in agreement. It can be a letter with a good word from the Bible that causes you to ask God for help. It can be a prayer cloth that has been prayed over, or anointing oil, or a word of knowledge…anything that helps you release your faith to God to receive the miracle you need.
The story of the woman with the issue of blood is a good illustration from the Bible of how you can use a point of contact to help you release your faith. As told in Matthew 9:20–22, A woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment. There was no healing power in Jesus’ clothes, but the woman knew that if she could just touch the hem of His garment, she would be healed. It was the act of releasing her faith in Jesus’ power to heal that brought her the miracle she needed.
Prayer Cloth
A prayer cloth can be a powerful biblical way to release your faith for healing. They’re described in Acts 19:12 this way: Even when handkerchiefs or cloths that had touched Paul’s skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases. Some scholars believe that at this particular time, there was some type of epidemic in a nearby city. For some reason, the apostle Paul couldn’t go there in person to pray for the sick. Instead, cloths that Paul had touched—maybe articles of his clothing that had been cut in pieces—were sent to the sick, and the Bible tells us that people were healed after laying those cloths on themselves and asking God to heal them.
A prayer cloth isn’t magic; it has no power of its own. But it can be a “container” or “transport system” for prayer. When someone requests a prayer cloth from a ministry, the cloth is prayed over before it is sent out. When the person receives the prayer cloth, they use it as a point of contact to believe God for their miracle. (Click here to request a prayer cloth.)
Prayer of Agreement
One way to activate God’s miracle power in your life is by praying in agreement with someone who believes God the same way you believe. Matthew 18:19 says, “If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” That is a powerful promise from the Word of God! When you have a need, you can pray with a friend from church, a family member, or someone from the Abundant Life Prayer Group, and let someone join their faith with yours in a prayer of agreement. Tell God specifically what you need, and remind Him of His promises in the Bible. Then expect to receive answers from Him.
Word of Knowledge
There are nine gifts of the Spirit given in 1 Corinthians 12:7–11, one of which is the word of knowledge through the Holy Spirit. The word of knowledge can be defined as supernatural information that’s not available by natural means. In other words, suddenly you know something about someone or a situation, and there’s no way—other than the Holy Spirit working in you— that you could have known it. Often when a minister is preaching or praying for people, the Holy Spirit gives the minister a word of knowledge about specific healings that are happening at that moment. When you hear someone say a word that relates to your situation, you can claim it by faith and miracles can happen.
Abundant Life Prayer Group
For over 50 years, the Abundant Life Prayer Group (a part of the Oral Roberts Ministries) has been a lifeline for people in need. All over the world, people can call for prayer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you have a need—any need—at any time of the day or night, call the Abundant Life Prayer Group and a prayer partner will agree with you in prayer, according to God’s Word, for the answer you need. (Send in your prayer requests by clicking here.)
School of Miracles – SOM
The Richard Roberts School of Miracles is designed to teach students how to tap into Biblical truths and the miracle power of God to make a practical difference in their world. Courses offer scriptural teaching on God’s healing power, the Holy Spirit, giving, miracles, and the eternal truths of the Bible. Classes may be taken Online On Demand at no charge or by DVD for a nominal fee, enabling distance learning students to enjoy their studies regardless of their geographic location. (Click here for more information on the School of Miracles.)
The Place for Miracles
The Place for Miracles is the daily television broadcast of the Oral Roberts Ministries, hosted by Richard and Lindsay Roberts. Seen around the world on numerous stations and satellites, as well as on the Internet, this features prayer, miracle testimonies, teaching from the Bible, and praise and worship. (Click here to watch The Place for Miracles online.)