Why Do ONLY Right-Brainers Get Slain in the Spirit? Can Left-Brainers Experience This Also?

Mark Virkler's picture

When talking to the leadership team at Catch the Fire in Toronto, they confirmed that when they pray for people, not everyone is slain in the Spirit. For those who don't know, being slain in the Spirit is falling over (generally backward), when someone is in front of you praying for you. The understanding is that the Holy Spirit is coming upon them and this weakens them so they fall down, and then normally they rest under the Spirit's power as they lay on the floor and He ministers to them.

My question was: "Is it the left-brainers who DON'T get slain in the Spirit?"

They paused and thought for a moment and then said, "Yes, it is the left-brainers who don't fall down."

Well, that makes sense to me. I'm a left-brainer and I don't fall down. By the way, left-brainers are the thinkers and right-brainers are the intuitive visionaries and feelers. Here is a free downloadable test you can take to discover if you are more right or left brain. 

Hmmm, so if I did want to be slain in the Spirit and rest on the floor under the Spirit's power, what might I need to do differently? When right-brainers are being prayed for, how do they posture themselves internally that is different than the way left-brainers posture themselves? 

Switching my internal posture from left to right, from thinking to seeing

As a left-brainer, I tend to be thinking all the time, analyzing, judging, fretting. In this case I am thinking, "Will anything happen to me? Probably not. It never does. I will be the only one left standing. I hate that. Get me out of here!" Right-brainers, on the other hand, live in pictures, feelings and flow, and anticipate with excitement the upcoming experience.

So I decide to picture what is going on as I am being prayed for. I see true spiritual reality even as King David did (Ps. 16:8). Jesus is standing there in front of me, laying His hands on me and releasing the Holy Spirit to me. I see the Holy Spirit's light, power and energy invading my body. My emotions become involved since emotions are byproducts of the pictures I am gazing upon.  

So yes, now in this posture, I do feel a weakness in my legs as the Spirit hovers over me. I do feel like falling over backward. I don't resist. Why would I ever choose to resist the Holy Spirit? I fall over backward and thankfully someone is there to catch me and lay me softly on the ground. 

I lay there in His presence, tuned to flowing thoughts, flowing pictures and flowing emotions (God's thoughts, pictures and emotions). I receive whatever He desires to speak to me. I honor what He is revealing, and enjoy the peace, power and love I am feeling. It is an enlightening, healing, soothing, empowering experience, and when it is over, I am refreshed in the Lord.

Now I can be slain in the Spirit!

The nice thing about realizing I can choose to change my inner posture from left to right brain is that I can now choose to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in one more way He desires for me to experience Him. I can be slain in the Spirit without faking it! I am still maintaining my integrity. 

Could I resist falling down and stay standing? Yes, because the Holy Spirit is a Gentleman and doesn't force Himself upon you. It is as I choose to YIELD myself to the Spirit that He fills those areas I yield to Him.

Yield yourselves unto God ... and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God… Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are? (Rom. 6:13,16 KJV)

Thayer’s Greek definition of this word “yield” (Strong's #G3936) is “to present, to place a person or thing at one’s disposal.

I choose not to resist the Holy Spirit, since I am passionate to live and walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:25). I choose to yield my being to be slain in the Spirit.

Was God really a Gentleman when He blinded Paul on the Damascus Road?

God did knock down Paul and make him blind for three days, and that sure looks like God used force and control to overwhelm Paul's spirit. Well, God did this because Paul's heart was in the right place. Paul's heart was after God. It is just that his head's theology was so messed up Paul thought he was doing God a favor by killing Christians. So God honored Paul's pure heart OVER his messed up theology, and although it looks like forceful control, it is actually honoring and responding to a heart that was wholly God's. 

In summary: Now I don't need to be the one left standing as others go down under the power of the Spirit. I can join the party, too. And who doesn't want to be part of a Holy Ghost party? Since a merry heart is good medicine, I choose the party (Prov. 17:22). I choose fun and thankfulness and gratitude. I choose to set aside my thinking for a bit and just enjoy His presence. It's a nice change. It's a refreshing experience.

Try it. You'll like it. Always ask for MORE! Why Not?!


P.S. Discover how to easily hear God's voice and see vision by moving from your left brain to your right brain: Hard copy package or electronic training module - both on sale now!


 

Related Resources: 

How to Be Empowered by the Holy Spirit!   

Related Blogs: 

Honoring the Holy Spirit   
Add new comment

Add new comment

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Results

Results 41 - 50 of 490

Pages

Intimacy with the Holy Spirit

Intimacy with the Holy Spirit

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 223 Pages

This book leads you in meditating on and journaling about two hundred and fifty verses that discuss the Holy Spirit. You will grow in intimacy with the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the anointing within you will increase! You will exclaim as the disciples did on the Emmaus Road “Did not our heart burn within us…while He opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:32)! In addition to being led to journal through these verses, you will read numerous two-way journal entries from Mark Virkler, as well as a five-page prayer at the conclusion of the book.

Price: $10.95

Kids Can

by Karen Barnes | 98 Pages

This book will inspire you and train you to teach children to minister in the power of the Spirit! And the stories it contains will bring tears to your eyes! Kids Can is a message for the children of today about their destiny tomorrow. When kids encounter the pure essence of Jesus, they will become empowered, equipped and energized to serve Him accurately and with amazing clarity. As they hear His voice and are encouraged in their giftings, strong leaders are created and maturity, vision and skills are fine tuned.

Price: $14.95
Lamad Biblical Education Association

Lamad Biblical Education Association

4 Co-authors | 44 Pages

FINALLY - A Spirit-Anointed Epistemology! A system of knowing for the Spirit-filled believer. A fresh moving of the Holy Spirit has been upon the Church of Jesus Christ for the last 100 years, since the Asuza Street Revival in 1902. In all that time the Spirit-filled community of believers (now numbering 27% of all Christendom), had yet to delineate an approach to learning which restored the Holy Spirit to His rightful place as the primary Teacher in our midst.

Price: $10.00
Lamad Faculty Handbook

Lamad Faculty Handbook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 78 Pages

This book presents lamad (revelation-based learning) standards  for teachers and curriculum writers. Lamad is a Hebrew word found in the Old Testament and it is translated "to teach" or "to learn."  It is a kind of learning that involves the Holy Spirit granting divine revelation to the heart of man. Thus it goes beyond western rationalism as a learning methodology.

Price: $9.95
Living with Jesus Book 1 - Welcome to God's Family

Living with Jesus Book 1 - Welcome to God's Family

by Daphne Kirk | 47 pages

The Living with Jesus series is a unique, exciting  and transformational discipleship course for children, taking them through the fundamentals of the Christian faith in a relational, interactive and challenging way, always applying to their lives the commands to love God, love one another and love the lost.

Book 1 - Welcome to God's Family introduces the child to the Body of Christ.

Price: $9.95
Living with Jesus - Book 3

Living with Jesus Book 3 – Talking and Listening

by Daphne Kirk | 47 Pages

This delightful book teaches children ages 4-8 the four keys to hearing God's voice and gets them started journaling (drawing pictures if writing is too hard for them) and seeing vision.  It is ideal for parents and children to use together, or for use in a children’s Sunday school class or children’s home group.

Book 3 - Talking and Listening - Hearing the voice of God.

Price: $9.95
Living with Jesus Book 6 - What Do We Choose?

Living with Jesus Book 6 - What Do We Choose?

by Daphne Kirk | 47 pages

The Living with Jesus series is a unique, exciting  and transformational discipleship course for children, taking them through the fundamentals of the Christian faith in a relational, interactive and challenging way, always applying to their lives the commands to love God, love one another and love the lost.

Book 6 - What Do We Choose? introduces children to making kingdom choices.

Price: $9.95
Living with Jesus Book 7 - Having Faith

Living with Jesus Book 7 - Having Faith

by Daphne Kirk | 47 pages

The Living with Jesus series is a unique, exciting  and transformational discipleship course for children, taking them through the fundamentals of the Christian faith in a relational, interactive and challenging way, always applying to their lives the commands to love God, love one another and love the lost.

Book 7 - Having Faith introduces children to a life of faith.

Price: $9.95
Living with Jesus Book 8 - Staying Protected

Living with Jesus Book 8 - Staying Protected

by Daphne Kirk | 47 pages | Published 1999

The Living with Jesus series is a unique, exciting  and transformational discipleship course for children, taking them through the fundamentals of the Christian faith in a relational, interactive and challenging way, always applying to their lives the commands to love God, love one another and love the lost.

Book 8 - Staying Protected introduces children to spiritual warfare.

Price: $9.95
Operations Manual

Operations Manual

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 134 Pages

We have helped hundreds of churches establish Schools of Ministry or church-centered Bible schools over the last 25 years. This manual draws together insights and approaches for how to do it easier, faster and better. Enjoy as you build on the success of those who have gone before you.

Price: $69.95

Pages