Slain In The Spirit?

“Thoughts on the phenomenon of people falling over during

times of prayer (and other manifestations).”
Burt Campbell, Harvest Christian Fellowship, Cambridge, OH

Perhaps you've seen the following scenario in a church service, on the television, the
internet, or somewhere else. People come forward to receive prayer and sometime during the
process suddenly fall to the ground. Some fall backwards, some forwards, some sideways. Some
go stiff as a board, others crumble into a heap. Some lay on the ground for a long time, others get
back up quickly. Some tremble, jerk, twitch and shake. Some weep, groan and cry out while
some burst into sudden laughter. Others may grow quiet and even begin to rest peacefully.

The act of falling, as described in this context, has sometimes been referred to as being
“slain in the Spirit,” or “falling under the power” of God. What is really happening here? Is God
really knocking people over and is this some kind of work of the Spirit or is it merely some kind
of emotionalism? Are those who are ministering physically pushing people down, or are they
somehow inducing some kind of psychological experience through the power of suggestion or
subtle hypnosis? Is this a relatively modern event, and part of some weird, religious fad? Does
the Bible specifically address any of this? These questions are all valid and worth exploring.

WHAT DOES THE SCRIPTURE SAY?

The idea of involuntarily falling before the Lord because of some kind of overwhelming
sense of God's divine presence does have some, if limited, Biblical precedent. Let's consider
some relevant scriptures.

In 2 Chronicles 5:13-14 (also 1 Kings 8:10-11) we have the account of the dedication of
the Temple of the LORD by Solomon. Having carried in the Ark of the Covenant, and as the
people began to play instruments and sing and give thanks to the Lord, these verses indicate that
the presence of God came into the room in the form of a thick cloud. One result is that the priests
were no longer physically able to continue their service in that moment. As the story continues,
in 2 Chronicles 7:1-3, we are told that when all of the people saw this taking place, they “fell
face down to the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord...”

The difficulty with this passage, as it relates to the modern observation of people falling
during prayer, is that we are not exactly able to compare apples to apples. The Israelites were not
coming forward for ministry. It is unclear whether the people falling in chapter 7 were doing so
voluntarily or not. Additionally, it does not seem that a thick, dark cloud is visibly and typically
filling the room in our ministry settings today (though there have been a few isolated stories of
this actually taking place in various locales through the years!). Nevertheless, there is certainly
an undeniable Biblical connection here between the presence of God and human, physical
reaction. In the presence of the Lord, in the midst of worship, people were somehow
incapacitated and unable to function as they were accustomed.

The prophet Daniel describes a couple of instances in his writings when he lost strength
and fell to the ground in the presence of an angel. Daniel 8:17-27 describes the aftermath of a
vision in which the angel, Gabriel, suddenly appeared with an interpretation of what the prophet
saw. Daniel says that as Gabriel approached, “I fell with my face to the ground” (v. 17). After the
encounter, he indicates that he “was overcome, and lay sick for several days” (v. 27). Some time
later, the prophet also had a vision of an angel appearing to him. Of that encounter, he states,
“My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. Then I heard the man
speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the
ground” (Daniel 10:7-9). In both of these accounts, we again see a connection between the
presence of the Lord (this time as expressed through an angel and a vision) and a reaction in the
physical body.

Saul of Tarsus was suddenly thrown to the ground when he encountered a bright,
supernatural light from Heaven and the voice of Jesus while on his way to Damascus to
persecute Christians (Acts 9:1-9 and Acts 26:12-18). That encounter changed his life forever.
Fascinatingly, Saul was certainly not seeking that experience...but Jesus was certainly seeking
him!

The Apostle John also describes a response in his body when his eyes were opened in
sudden revelation of the Lord Jesus, stating, “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if I were
dead” (Revelation 1:17). Again, the account indicates sudden bodily reaction to the presence of
the Lord. With so many examples, we start to see the beginnings of a pattern indicating that it is
not only understandable and appropriate that people would be overcome in the presence of the
Lord, but also something to be expected!

Other scriptural accounts deal with those who were demonized. On numerous occasions,
those afflicted by demons would be suddenly tossed to the ground, or into convulsions, in the
presence of Jesus. Mark 3:11, Mark 9:20 and Luke 8:28 are a few examples of this. Of course, in
these accounts, "falling" was part of the person's on-going problem (something akin to
epilepsy?), and these accounts mark moments of deliverance.

Of course, what we don't see exactly spelled out in the Scripture are comparable accounts
where people would regularly fall to the ground after receiving prayer from others in apparent
reaction to the presence of the Holy Spirit. This may be because such things didn't happen, or
because such things were not understood to be worth mentioning. So while we do have some
indications and incidence of this kind of general experience in the scripture, we aren't able to
make any truly direct comparisons. Does that mean that such phenomenon today can not be of
God? By no means! But neither do we have undisputed scripture references that showcase God
working in this way. Because the exact comparison of “falling down under the power” or being
“slain in the Spirit” is not specifically addressed in the scripture, we must now undertake other
considerations and then decide if such activity is in “harmony” with the scripture. In other words,
are such things contrary to the heart and message of the scripture?
WHAT DOES HISTORY TELL US?

Being so-called “slain in the Spirit” is often viewed as a fairly modern experience, made
much more familiar in our culture by the charismatic movement during the late 1960's and '70's.
There is no question that the availability of various media and the internet in our advanced era
has helped exhibit this experience in expedited fashion. When we look back at church history,
however, we find that the act of falling to the ground while receiving prayer, in apparent reaction
to the presence of God, is not without precedent and is definitely not confined to the modern era.

I have yet to find specific mention of this exact “falling” during ministry in the writings
of the church during the first several hundred years of history. That doesn't mean that such
references don't exist, only that I am not aware of them. What is evident, however, is that
charismatic activity such as healings, miracles, prophecies, speaking in tongues, and etc., are
documented multiple times during the first 300 years of Christianity. During this period, the
believers gathered primarily in home settings and such supernatural activity flourished
throughout the Body of Christ. With the rise of Constantine and the institutionalizing of the
Church, however, we see a rapid decline of the “charismata” (supernatural experiences in the
Spirit) in the experience of the Church at large. In fact, such “giftings”became reserved for only
the local bishops (along with particular functions, such as the authority to read scripture and to
administer communion, among other aspects of Church-life) . It wasn't long, then, before the
occurrence of such activity begins to all but disappear from historical record. Some would
eventually argue that the supernatural activity of the Spirit in the life of the Church had ceased
altogether and was not meant to continue at all. Interestingly, however, as the now legalized
Church became institutionalized with buildings and a hierarchy, some began to reject those
developments and instead started various monastic orders as a way of preserving more of what
they understood to be an actualized, living faith in God. It is through their records that we find a
preservation of the supernatural activity of the Spirit in the experience of the Christ-follower.

In my own, short, limited study, the first actual documentation for being “slain in the
Spirit” is found in the early 14th century and concerns Vincent of Ferrier, part of the Dominicans,
a Catholic order founded by Dominic (Dominic, and his contemporary, Francis of Assisi, were
both recognized as regularly demonstrating charismatic giftings: tongues, miracles, healings, and
even raisings from the dead, etc.). Living almost 200 years later, Vincent of Ferrier was known
for preaching and teaching with incredible results all across Europe. It is said that during his
preaching, overpowering sobs would rise up from the congregations. Everywhere he preached,
countless conversions and amazing miracles were recounted along with numerous reports that
many suddenly “fainted” (Eddle L. Hyatt, 2000 Years of Charismatic Christianity, Dallas: Hyatt
International Ministries, 1998. p. 66). This seems quite similar to the modern day observations of
this experience.

During the 16th century, the Anabaptists became highly persecuted for their belief that
water baptism was only for believers and that infants should therefore not be baptized (That is a
huge simplification, but a detailed history of the Anabaptists exceeds the intentions and scope of
this writing). That persecution caused them to often meet secretly in homes, forests and fields. At
their gatherings, they were known for reading the Bible aloud and for asking that the same Spirit
that had been known by the early Church to come upon them as well. Though the widespread
nature of typical charismatic activity in this group is debated, it was certainly not unusual for the
Anabaptists of that day to dance, “fall under the power,” and speak in tongues during those
gatherings (Franklin H. Littell, The Origins of Sectarian Protestantism, New York: Beacon,
1964, p. 19).

The Huguenots of the 17th century were severely persecuted by Louis XIV. While many
fled France during this time, large numbers chose to remain and concentrated themselves in the
Cevennes Mountains. They became known as the French Prophets because of what seemed to be
the tremendous power of the Holy Spirit in their midst. It is said that tongues, visions, prophecies
and other supernatural phenomena were common among them. A particular gathering is
described as one in which those present “fell on their backs, they shut their eyes, they heaved
with their breast, they remained a while in trances, and coming out of them with twitchings, they
utter'd all that came into their mouths” (Hyatt, p. 94).

The 18th century is noted for the powerful prayer gatherings of the Moravians. Fervent
times of intercession were known to last all night long, and spontaneous yearnings for prayer
would happen in children and adults alike. On August 19, 1727, a Moravian congregation had
gathered in Herrnhut for Sunday worship. Around noon that day, the pastor was “overwhelmed
by the presence of the Lord and fell to the floor. The entire congregation, overwhelmed by the
Spirit and presence of the Lord, then sank to the floor with him. The service continued until
midnight with prayer and singing, weeping and supplication” (Hyatt, p. 104, - also John
Greenfield, When The Spirit Came, Minneapolis: Bethany, 1967, p. 25).

John Wesley also experienced similar ministry during the 18th century. His meetings were
marked by strong preaching, healings, deliverances and experiences such as falling, trembling,
roaring, crying and laughing (John Wesley, The Works of John Wesley, Vol. I, Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, n.d., p. 187, 189, 210, 271-73, 403.) During the rise of this Methodist movement,
these kind of experiences spread throughout many local parishes under a variety of leaders
including: John Berridge, Thomas Walsh, John Fletcher, among others. Similar accounts were
also noted under the ministry of Wesley's friend, George Whitfield, and his contemporary,
Johnathan Edwards.

The exact phrase, “slain in the Spirit,” may have originated during the 19th century.
Presbyterian pastor, James McGready, led a series of small congregations in Kentucky. In 1800,
after four years of regular congregational prayer and fasting for revival, the Red River Church
that he served had an encounter with God that resulted in meetings that went on for days and
drew in many outsiders, including both unbelievers and Christians from a variety of other
congregations. On the final day of meetings, Methodist minister John McGhee gave an
exhortation near the end of the gathering, amidst a time of prayer and weeping. He declared:

I exhorted them to let the Lord Omnipotent reign in their hearts and submit to Him and
their souls should live. Many broke silence. The woman in the east end of the house
shouted tremendously. I left the pulpit to go to her. Several spoke to me, “You know these
people Presbyterian are much for order, they will not bear the confusion, go back and be
quiet.” I turned to go back and was near falling, the power of God was strong upon me. I
turned again, and losing sight of fear of man, I went through the house shouting and
 exhorting with all possible ecstasy and energy and the floor was soon covered by the
slain.” (Charles A. Johnson, The Frontier Campmeeting, Dallas: S.M.U., 1955, p. 35.)

Apparently all kinds of people were suddenly falling under the power of God as they
submitted themselves to the Lordship of Christ. The fervor from these meetings soon spread
across Kentucky and beyond, sparking what became known as the Second Great Awakening.
Such activity began to be more and more typical of various ministries throughout the U.S.,
including that of revivalist Charles G. Finney. Of one particular meeting in Rome, New York,
Finney wrote that as he was praying near the end of the gathering, “...a young man...being one of
the first young men in that place, so nearly fainted, that he fell upon some young men who stood
near him; and they all of them partially swooned away, and fell together” (Charles G. Finney,
An Autobiography, Old Tappan: Revell, 1908, p. 20)

The 19th and early 20th centuries would be marked by numerous “revivals” and ministries
across the United States and Europe that all featured demonstrative activity attributed to the
supernatural work of the Spirit of God, including both the Welsh and Scottish revivals and the
often discussed Azusa Street “out-pouring” of 1906 in California. This latter event is considered
the launch of what would become the Pentecostal movement. The references to Spirit-activity,
including the now common-place occurrences of being overcome by the power of God, became
widespread and normative in these settings. The Pentecostal movement then, in turn, fathered the
modern-day Charismatic movement in which people began to have supernatural encounters with
God, including numerous experiences of losing strength and falling under the power of God,
across a widespread variety of denominations, both Protestant and Catholic. Such activity
was eventually brought into the light of mainstream public consciousness through the much
publicized and influential ministry of Kathryn Kuhlman during the 1960's and '70's, who almost
single-handedly popularized the expression being “slain in the Spirit” to describe those falling in
the midst of worship and while receiving prayer. That awareness continues today, worldwide,
through the ministries of numerous figures and the relative ease of electronic communication via
television, satellites and the internet.

What this history demonstrates, is that the idea of being “slain in the Spirit,” as well as
numerous other physical responses to the presence of God (both voluntary and perhaps
involuntary) is by no mean unique to the modern era. It's not simply a fad of religious fanatics
who are somehow and necessarily predisposed or manipulated to embrace this activity as
supposedly divine. It is a series and pattern of occurrences, repeatedly documented for more than
700 years, and certainly implied in the centuries before.

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS

I first encountered Charismatic/Pentecostal style ministry when I was around age ten. The
involvement of my family in a brand new “full gospel” church allowed me to see first-hand
regular occurrences of people experiencing various aspects of “Spirit-filled” ministry. For years,
I witnessed people going to the altar for prayer and often falling in response to the ministry.
Sometimes this would happen in very gentle, graceful fashion. Other times, it would seem
sudden, and forceful. More than once I saw someone fall hard on concrete floors while receiving
prayer. In my memory, however, I don't recall anyone ever being injured in the process which I
also found amazing.

As a child, I recall working up the courage to go forward and receive prayer at various
times. I wondered if I too would fall under the power. I remember being nervous and having to
overcome the fear of wondering what might happen to me. There were many times when I would
receive prayer and I would sense absolutely nothing happening in terms of a physical reaction.
Occasionally, though, I would have this general peaceful feeling, and would eventually fall
backwards. What did this accomplish in me? It's hard to specifically quantify. What is
undeniable, though, is that it was during these years that I really learned to fall in love with Jesus
and develop a faith that was meaningful and my own. For a large part of my childhood, I had
been the victim of sexual abuse, and with some hindsight I now look back on this time of
charismatic ministry as the beginning of some inner healing in my life. Additionally, it was
during my sophomore year of high school that I began to believe that God was calling me into
full-time ministry. The ministry environment all contributed to a walk with God that became
personal and intimate, and for that I will be ever grateful.

As my teen years progressed, some friends and I took initiative to pursue various ministry
opportunities whenever we could. We become vocal and intentional about sharing our faith with
others. I personally looked for opportunities to develop close friendships with lost and broken
people, and that began to occur with both people my age and with adults. Over time, as these
friends (and even one of my teachers) would open themselves to Christ, I would find
opportunities to pray with them for extended times. I would discover that this phenomenon of
people feeling overcome by the presence of God would occur in them too, despite the fact that
they had no particular framework for the experience.

Later, while I was a college student at Oral Roberts University and involved in various
ministry capacities there, I had opportunity to be involved in significant amounts of “altar
ministry.” It was during this time that I got to witness large numbers of people receiving this
experience of being “slain in the Spirit” in a variety of expressions, some gentle and some
forceful. By “forceful,” I mean that in at least a couple of different ways. There would be a few
instances where it seemed obvious to me that overzealous ministers were pushing on people,
trying to get them to fall down, as if that were the objective of true “Spirit-ministry.” This always
left me with a bitter taste and angered me greatly. But I also witnessed numerous times where
people would come forward for prayer, and the minister would hardly touch them at all, yet they
would crumple both suddenly and dramatically to the floor. It was as if they had been strangely
overcome by some kind of invisible energy.

During early years of my vocational ministry, a sudden outpouring of the Holy Spirit
came to the church where I was on staff. It was in this season that I first began to experience this
kind of more “forceful” encounter with falling under the power of God. Previously, such
experiences were not ever common in terms of me being on the receiving end, and then they
tended to be of the quiet and peaceful variety. Now there would be occasions where I would be
suddenly and quickly overwhelmed, losing all strength. There would be occasions where I would
even shake and tremble while on the ground for extended periods of time. Often, in the moment,
I would not have any real idea of what was transpiring internally (as it relates to immediate,
spiritual understanding), but my heart and mind were focused on God and I had a tremendous
sense that He was present in a powerful way. As I have the benefit of hindsight now, however, I
can see how God also began to expose both sins and hurts in my life in order to confront and heal
them. I went through a time of brokenness and healing in my life and marriage as I began to face
childhood heartaches and patterns of sinfulness in me. Personally, I believe there is a strong
connection between these encounters in the presence of the Lord and the work of inner healing
that God brings.

Today, people regularly experience being “slain in the Spirit” in our church, and it is
something that still regularly occurs with me. Additionally, it is also my experience that such
activity is not confined to church services, but takes place in people's homes (both in small
groups and even in individual moments) and in a variety of secular and public locales, with
believers and with skeptics alike!

But does the widespread nature of this activity across the Church, or in my localized
setting, automatically mean it is the Spirit of God working in someone's life? Is it possible that it
is merely some kind of emotional frenzy, stirred up by an over-hyped imagination? How can we
know that it really isn't some kind of demonic manifestation? Based on what's been written here
so far, let us evaluate some potential considerations and implications.

DO WE HAVE TO CALL IT BEING “SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT?”

In my view, one of the unfortunate aspects of this experience of being overcome by the
Spirit is what we call it: “slain in the Spirit.” That terminology creates interesting, and sometimes
fearful views of how God works, to say the least. The idea of being “slain” hardly seems like a
positive to the uninitiated and can potentially create feelings of apprehension regarding whether
to expose oneself to the possibility and implications of this kind of ministry.

In 1990, former Catholic priest (and now Episcopal) Francis MacNutt wrote a book
called Overcome By The Spirit (Grand Rapids: Chosen Books). Known for offering services that
focused on bringing divine healing, MacNutt notes his surprise at discovering how people would
often end up “slumping over” and “losing strength” during times of receiving prayer. In his style
of ministry, he would pray for people as they were seated. Initially hesitant and resistant
regarding what he viewed to be questionable displays of people falling under the power of God
in typical charismatic settings, he realized that the very same thing was actually happening to
many people being prayed for in his ministry. It simply did not appear as immediately dramatic
because those receiving prayer had begun in a seated position instead of a standing one. MacNutt
grew to adopt the term “resting in the Spirit” to describe this same phenomenon, feeling that
“slain in the Spirit” was too fear-inducing. Personally, part of me tends to prefer his terminology
as well, though my experience and research suggests it is not necessarily accurate. Though it
seems that sometimes people gently receive this experience, other times it undeniably looks
much more sudden, unexpected, and demonstrative. That's why I work to generally refer to this
kind of experience simply as “falling” or being “overcome.”
BUT WHAT'S IT ALL FOR?

The big question, of course, is why does this phenomenon occur at all? I suspect there are
a variety of reasons. I believe that there is no question that many times people lose strength
during moments of ministry as a direct result of some supernatural working of the Holy Spirit.
Whether it be because of something the Lord wants to accomplish, or rather the physical reaction
of a particular person to coming into some kind of intangible contact with the power of God, it is
a divine work. Some people may be very aware of what God is specifically doing in them during
these moments (some have visions; some have a great sense of God's healing, either physical or
emotional), while many others may not have any specific understanding, but perhaps only a
general, yet powerful sense of the presence of God.

This description does not preclude, however, the fact that certain people may fall over for
any variety of other reasons. It seems absolutely conceivable that some may fall out of a possible
sense of religious frenzy, wanting God to do something powerful in their lives. This could
happen either deliberately or even subconsciously. It could also be that some falling is the result
of demonized people reacting to the manifested presence and power of the Holy Spirit. In this
case, the falling could either be a distraction from, or a response to, the deliverance taking place
by the Spirit, depending on any number of variables. Our finite minds want to define these
experiences in exact categories with specific boundaries, when it seems more likely to me that
the inner activity taking place could be as varied as the individuals themselves. We need to be
careful to not decisively dismiss or judge what's happening in others based on our limited view
and instead focus on our own submission and surrender to the Lord!

HOW DO WE RESPOND TO SUCH THINGS?

I believe that responsible ministry will simply not make a big deal out of whether people
fall over during times of prayer. The objective of ministry should never be to make people fall
over. What would be the point of that? Rather, the objective of ministry should be that people
would receive the life, hope, healing, wisdom, blessing, conviction, and grace that God wants to
minister to them. Falling, or other manifestations, is often only incidental to the heart of ministry
we want to see take place in the lives of people. How good it would be if we would only
prayerfully declare “Holy Spirit, have YOUR way!” --and then not be offended or be overly
critical when He does.

Many ministries have utilized “catchers” who stand behind people receiving ministry in
order to better facilitate their falling, protecting them from possible injury. Some object to this,
arguing that if the Spirit is really working in people that they wouldn't be harmed if they fall.
While I suppose that makes a certain logical sense, I also think it lacks compassion. Under the
self-righteous guise of wanting to make sure that whatever happens is “only God,” this view fails
to allow for the fact that people are nevertheless “fleshly” may fall over for any variety of
reasons. I believe, therefore, that love should compel us to provide a sense of safety and care for
those receiving ministry.

Some ministries also cover the “fallen” with large cloths in order to help deal with
potential modesty issues created by those falling in awkward positions. Opponents of the “slain
in the Spirit” phenomenon argue that such falling cannot be of God because He wouldn't
condone such potential embarrassment. I think that says more about us, however, than it does
about God, who is certainly more concerned with inner transformation than with outward
appearance. We tend to be the one's with the hang-up's, not Him, and again love should compel
us to be proactive in these circumstances without dictating what kind of ministry the Spirit is
allowed to undertake.

Again, some may argue that the mere presence of "catchers" and "covering cloths"
creates a psychological climate that induces people to fall over. There may be some merit to this
criticism, so I think the careful minister will take care to regularly explain that the goal of
ministry is NOT to make people fall over and the fact that somebody might fall is not in itself
absolute evidence of the supernatural work of God. At the same time, we should recognize that
God seems to have often worked in this way and that we should not be surprised or put off if it
occurs.

In the end, if someone does fall over because of their own fleshly motivations or self-
imposed desires, is there really any harm being done? Can we trust that God is big enough to
overcome those issues and really deal with the hearts of people despite any such false
motivations? Similarly, some people surely may come into any given church gathering for a
whole variety of suspect reasons: to satisfy a sense of religious duty, to maintain an image of
spirituality, or even to meet people for dating possibilities! Can we believe that if we are calling
on the Lord Jesus, declaring the words of scripture, and earnestly seeking the Lord in prayer, that
God is big enough to move past these false motivations in a person's life and still impact them
greatly? I hope so!

BUT WHAT IF I DON'T WANT TO FALL OVER?

I also believe, for many people, that possible questions and apprehensions about whether
they might “fall over” (or twitch, or laugh, or weep, or do something that seems out of character
and comfort) can significantly distract or deter them from receiving ministry. Therefore, I
regularly encourage people to take the fear and wonderment out of the experience by simply
sitting, kneeling, or even purposely laying down. People don't have to worry about whether they
are going to physically react to being overcome by the Spirit if they simply enter into a prostrate
position from the start! In that posture they can be free to yield to the workings of the Spirit with
less worry about who is around them and what they might be thinking. The effect of this style of
ministry is to keep the focus primarily on the Lord and not on the physical experience, without at
the same time resisting what the Spirit of God may want to accomplish.

I would also emphasize that just because one may not be feeling any physical sensation
during prayer does NOT therefore mean that God isn't moving! Being “slain in the Spirit” (or
any other charismatic manifestation) is not some kind of litmus test for the work of Christ in a
person's life. We are to put our faith in Jesus and in the scripture, not in some kind of outward
experience. During my early days as a child in a newly established charismatic church, I was
often told by my pastor that it doesn't matter how high someone jumps in worship or often one
might be slain in the Spirit--what matters is how well we “walk the line” before God with our
lives. That thought reminds me that what's ultimately important is the development of Christ-like
character in our lives. Any physical expressions must always eventually contribute to that when
measured over time.

CONCLUSION

So how are we to judge this activity of being “slain in the Spirit?” Mostly, I would
encourage us not to be quick to do so and certainly not to merely measure by what we see with
our eyes in the moment. We should evaluate our own hearts and simply maintain a humility and
openness toward God.

If we are receiving prayer, we should not become fearful of an outward experience but
rather trust in the goodness of God and be open to whatever He wants to do. Are we calling on
the name of Jesus? Are we coming in faith to the Father? Then we should trust in His goodness
and seek Him above all. As we are praying for others, we should be expectant that God wants to
impact people powerfully and not make a big deal about whether someone falls or not. In all
things, we should direct attention to the One who loves us most and not to the experience. When
we see others ministering (in person, or on TV), we may want to take note of what is being
emphasized, in order that we may determine what should or should not be reflected in us. Rather
than being too quick to decide what must and must not “be of God,” however, I would
encourage us to take a long term view by looking at the change in someone's life over time.
In the end, it really isn't about whether someone falls or not or how their particular reaction to the
Spirit may look or sound; it is about the very real transformation that God wants to bring to our
hearts and lives.

Personally, I do not see how someone's feeling “overpowered” by the presence of God is
therefore in any way out of harmony with the scripture. It is interesting to note that such
experiences have been documented in church history for centuries. Overall, such phenomena is
also associated with people looking to yield themselves to the Lord and to be right with Him, and
the impact for the vast majority has been the contribution to a changed heart and life. Though the
temptation can be to become distracted or critical when witnessing such phenomena, we should
trust that God is both powerful and good, able to work beyond the boundaries of our
understanding, and competent to overcome that which is the result of mere religious fervor.

If our hearts are set on the Lord and our intentions are to seek first His Kingdom and His
righteousness, then we should be free to approach Him in prayer and not be overly surprised by
physical reactions that may occur. It is the development of Christ-likeness in us that matters. Let
us pursue that, without becoming unduly judgmental of experiences that may subsequently
happen along the way. We are finite beings reaching out to an infinite and almighty Lord. Why
should we be dumbfounded, then, that we may experience powerful encounters of His presence?

I'm asking God to help me be discerning without being critical. I'm pretty sure Jesus
would be asking me to search my own heart and to be overly cautious about the assumptions I
make of others. And I encourage you to adopt a like-minded view. Along the way, lets commit to
love our brothers and sisters in the Lord and pray for the Holy Spirit to have His complete way in
all of us!