We are told to heal the sick and we do this by praying and laying on of hands. (Mt 10:8, 1James 5:16& Mark 16:18). However if we are to be conduits of the Holy Spirit we want to make sure that we make ourselves available to Him speaking his words and not give our own personal opinions. When we pray we are to pray the prayer of faith believing. (1James 5:15 and Mat 12:15) We have this believing faith by knowing that we are praying in accordance with God's will and the Holy Spirits direction (See the roll of Faith).

Recognizing that God is not bound by rules or formulas and that the Holy Spirit may lead in many ways and patterns as He sees best there is a set of patterns I learned from the Vineyard that I have seen to be very effective. I refer to this as the "6 step approach."

Step 1: Preparation Time Out - Before we begin praying for some one the individual or preferably the group should take time to prepare. We should call upon the Holy Spirit and make sure that we are in His presence and that we are right with Him. We should ask him to suppress our personal feelings, opinions and agendas. We should offer our selves up to be His conduit and seek His direction. In the case of a group we should share our impressions and look for confirmation.

Step 2 Interview (Where does it hurt) - Ask the individual what the problem is and what they want prayer for.

Step 3 Diagnose (Clarify the condition not the symptom) preferably one in the group, maybe two should take the lead in asking additional questions. This allows the Spirit to make known the base issue and what needs to be prayed for. During this time hopefully the individual(s) will be getting an impression of what to pray for.

Step 4 Prayer Selection (What does God want to do for this person) They don't always ask for what is best, and some times they avoid the real issue. Some times one issue, a cause or barrier, must be addressed before the next issue can be addressed. God's ways are mysteries and we must determine what He wants prayed for.

Step 5 Prayer Engagement (Ask the Holy Spirit to Show you what and how to pray and then pray) - As we begin praying ask the Holy Spirit to lead our hearts, our minds and our tongs. Ask him to give us the words to pray. At times a part of the prayer in tongs may be appropriate but remember a part of the prayer is to build up the faith of the individual receiving the prayer. If they do not understand the prayer it will not go as far in building up their faith.

Step 6 Post-Prayer direction (What Needs to be done to keep the healing) - After the prayer, if directed by the Spirit, we may need to explain why we prayed the way we did. Explaining what we saw (visions) or heard (impressions we receved). In other cases this will not build the individuals faith and we should not. We should ask the Spirit what we need to do next. The individual may need soaking prayer. They may need counseling or just follow up friendship/love.

If there is any possibility that evil spirits were involved the group should pray over each other for the cleansing of and protection from those spirits.

The six step approach does not guarantee a healing, for we can not put God in a box and dictate to Him that He does something because we did something. There are many effective ways that have been demonstrated. The six step approach does minimize the possibilities that we minister in the flesh and project our opinions and agendas. It does help to minister in the Spirit.