I had a struggle with this many years ago. In the church I was in at the time this was a usual thing....people go up to the front and are prayed over....and they fall down. The thought of course is that this was God's power manifesting itself. I knew this thing certainly was possible but my mind was doing flips by keep on wondering if most of this was put on.....not with a consciousness that it was by the people but that they were actually thinking the power was upon them. I had made up my mind that IF the power came on me and I fell then I'd fall.....but never was I going to just think this was happening or put this on. I even heard some dear ones suggest one needs to yield to this but can't see anywhere in scripture of such an encouragement.
So I'd stand in prayer lines for prayer and I wasn't up there seeking to have this experience but for prayer. I'd get answers to prayer but as for being as they call it slain in the spirit NEVER. People all around me would but never me and to be honest I actually begin to feel that leadership there was actually thinking I just wasn't yielding to the Spirit. The whole thing begin to depress me no end not that I felt I needed this but well...I felt confused. At times I even started to have ridiculous thoughts that God didn't even love me for I was feeling left out. I knew at the time those thoughts were untrue but they kept knocking on the door of my mind. Ha...how come everyone else....and not me? lol.
Finally one day I just blurted it out to God in prayer something like, "Lord I need an answer to this! I mean this happens and that happens and not to me so please Lord tell me how I"m to think about this." Just a couple of hours later I was in my house and thought I'd like to hear some Bible teaching and I reached into one of my boxes of cassette teaching tapes I had hundreds of them on all sorts of things....I just picked one out randomly, put it in the machine and hit play, and here's what I heard, "For those who are wondering why some people are slain in the spirit and you're wondering why you're not, LOOK don't even give it a second thought! I believe (the tape minister said) I believe God can do certain things like this if he wanted to but if it doesn't ever happen to you don't even think about it. The WORD, the WORD, the WORD, is the important thing....develop your relationship on prayer and his WORD and seek to do his will" and that's the only thing that matters!"
I said to myself WOW! And this teaching tape subject wasn't even about this it was just a thought put into his teaching I guess knowing someone needed to hear it. But you notice that God didn't tell me that other people were as we might say, faking it. And why would he? The Lord would know that's none of my business. He was saying it could happen or not happen but don't even think about it if it doesn't happen to you. You're loved by me and that's the only thing that matters. I will say this though....don't go off and say things like this can never occur. You actually do see it at least one time some would argue a few times in the scriptures but one time was when Jesus was being arrested. The soldiers came and here's what we see,
Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground. Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way: John 18:3
There we see it. It happened. God chose to manifest his power and at times he does this it shows one how small they really are. Notice Jesus asked them who they were seeking for? Jesus of Nazareth! I am he and then they fell on the ground. What happened? Jesus said I am he but he is italicized in the scripture. He really said I AM! In other word Jesus is the I AM that I AM , the name they knew of as God AND the manifestation of power was released. In a sense God was trying to teach them even in that moment and later in their lives they would remember this Jesus was and IS God.
