Norvel Hayes:  Teacher, Healer, Exorcist

by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2014, all rights reserved.

Chapter 1

Back in 1979 - 1981, I was living in Houston, TX, and attending Lakewood Church.  At that time, Lakewood did not yet have Compaq Center.  They had a "church in the round" on the North East side of town.  The main auditorium was circular, with the platform and pulpit at the center of the circle.

At the time, John Osteen was Pastor (father of Joel Osteen).  One of the frequent guest speakers was Norvel Hayes.  Hayes would speak at Lakewood Church perhaps three or four times a year.  I've also heard brother Norvel speak at Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship.

Hayes was also a friend of Kenneth E. Hagin, who would also speak three or four times a year at Lakewood Church, and has spoken at that Businessmen's Fellowship.

But I think that Businessmen's Fellowship stopped not long after the passing away of its Founder, Demos Shakarian.

I was working in the "Silicon Valley" area of California and heard that Hayes would be speaking in Palm Springs, CA  for a week.  I was able to take a week's vacation from my job, and go down there for the meetings at the Double Tree hotel.  I stayed at one of the motels there.

Another speaker at that week of meetings was Kenneth W. Hagin, son of Kenneth E. Hagin.  A local church came and provided music for the meetings.

Beside hearing Hayes speak, I've read his books, and listened to his cassette tapes.  (By now, they're probably Compact Discs, instead of tapes.)

Hayes' website is www.nhm.cc    He also has materials at www.amazon.com

Hayes said his mother was a wonderful Christian who loved the Lord, and would pass out tracts.  He said she could pray with the worst drunk in town and get him saved.

Hayes mother went to a church where they knew about Jesus the Savior, but they just didn't know much about Jesus the healer of our bodies.

Hayes' mother died of cancer.  I believe he said she was only thirty eight, while he was about ten years old.

So Hayes became an orphan, struggling to survive.  He became good at pool, and hung out at pool halls, using his pool skills to earn money.

Hayes became a Salesman, and began earning pretty good money.  He advanced to Sales Manager.

After Hayes began to be fairly successful financially, he started spending some time seeking the Lord.

The Bible says, "Draw near to God, and He'll draw near to you." (Jas 4:8)

It began to look like the Lord was going to have some kind of public ministry for Hayes.  But Hayes still had some bitterness in his heart toward the Lord about his mother dying of cancer at age 38 and leaving him an orphan.

Hayes said he prayed for three days about it.  He prayed like this, "Lord, what do you want me to do?  Do you want me to stand up in front of people and tell them about you?  Why did you kill my mother with cancer?"

He said he prayed like that for three days, and on the third day, the Lord answered him.

The Lord said, "Son, I didn't kill you mother with cancer.  I had nothing to do with it.  The Devil put those tumors in your mother's body, and your mother couldn't get healed because she had never been taught how to receive healing from God."

So Hayes saw that it wasn't the Lord who killed his mother, it was the enemy.

What you don't know can hurt you.  "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." (Hos 4:6)

Hayes' mother knew about Jesus the Savior from sins, but at her church, they didn't know about Jesus the Healer.  That lack of knowledge caused her premature death.

I've quoted Hayes several times in my writings.  He's heard from the Lord various times.  I've never heard him say the Lord told him something that it didn't seem like the Lord actually had told him.

Hayes said the Lord told him that the most important words that came out of His mouth are the words in Mark 16:17,18,

"And these signs shall follow those who believe, in my name they'll cast out devils, they'll speak with new languages...They shall lay hands on the sick, and they'll recover."

After hearing Hayes say that, I've tried to take note of churches where they have those signs following of Mark chapter 16.  I have found very few churches that have those three things going on.

The very first sign following there is the casting out of demons.  Why won't Christians cast out demons?  One problem, of course, is that Christians aren't being taught to cast out demons.  There are some pastors that will have a lot to answer for on Judgment Day.

I've written quite a bit about casting out demons in my other books.

Chapter 2

Another quote from Norvel Hayes is that the Lord told him, "Son my people don't worship me enough, and you don't either, son.  You tell the people that if they'll spend time worshiping me, they can have anything they want."

Anything you want.  Does that interest you?

Hayes found in the Bible that God doesn't want us to be ignorant about spiritual gifts. (1 Cor 12:1)

So Hayes went to his pastor and reminded him of that scripture, and told the pastor that Hayes didn't want to be ignorant about spiritual gifts.

The pastor told Hayes, "Aw, Norvel, don't worry about that."  But that was the wrong answer.

Hayes said if your pastor talks to you like that, get yourself a new pastor.  And that's good advice.

Hayes found a place to hold meetings, and invited Lester Sumrall to come and speak, and Sumrall came.

In one of the meetings, a lady came forward to be ministered to.  She said, "Every time I go downtown, I get this sharp pain in my back..."

Hayes said, "O.K. ma'am, I'll lay hands on you and pray for you."  As Hayes began to do so, the woman became like a fierce, vicious animal, ready to attack Hayes.

It surprised Hayes.

Sumrall looked over and saw what was happening.  Sumrall said, "Cast that thing out of her."

But Hayes still didn't know what to do.

So, Sumrall cast the demon out of that woman.

Hayes learned from Sumrall.  Please see my book, "Lester Sumrall, Preacherman."

Hayes told about a young man who needed to have one or more demons cast out of him.  Hayes spent about six hours with the young man, as I recall, and got the job done.

Hayes warned that the young man needed to get involved in a good church and be a strong Christian because once demons go out, they want back in. (Matt 12:43-45)

Hayes was talking with a Pastor who told of a husband and wife where the man was very sick, in the hospital, and close to death.

Hayes went to the hospital.  He found the man's wife there, and told her what to do.  Hayes told the man's wife to start repeating, "Jesus said, I can have what I say, and I say my husband will live and not die."

That's based on Mark 11:23, "For truly I say to you, that whoever shall say to this mountain, be removed, and be thrown into the sea, and doesn't doubt in his heart, but believes that the things that he says shall happen, he shall have whatever he says."

If you're a Christian, you can have what you say.

The woman did what Hayes said, and began repeating that sentence.  At one point, she fell asleep, but when she awoke, she resumed repeating what Hayes told her to say.

Her husband, who had been at the point of death, came out of it, and returned to normal health.  His wife got what she spoke.

I happened to catch Norvel Hayes on Direct TV, on the GTV channel ("GodTV," they call it).  Hayes was telling about a young woman who was one of his students.  She had something wrong with her legs.  She could walk, but only with the help of crutches.

Hayes told her to command her legs to be healed and normal every day.  She started doing that every day, and sometimes more than once per day.

After about six months, she went to the mall with her friends, and as she was walking along, she felt the power of God come on her.  She threw down her crutches, and walked off with normal legs.

Beside his ministries, Norvel Hayes is also a successful businessman.  I think he had about nine businesses at one point.

A word of prophecy came to Hayes from Kenneth E. Hagin.  Hagin said the Devil would attack Hayes' businesses.

One of Hayes' employees, a secretary of his who had been a good employee stole a lot of money from him.  But the Lord has helped Hayes with his businesses.

Hayes had a restaurant that had gone out of business.  It really irked him that he still had to pay taxes on the property, and yet it was bringing in no money for him.

Hayes said the Lord told him, "Your problem is that you're not laughing at the devil."

So Hayes drove over there at night to the closed down restaurant.  He didn't really feel much like laughing, but he started laughing at the devil.

Not long afterward, a cook came along that Hayes knew.  Hayes asked him how he was doing.

The cook said he had gone into business with some people, but he found out that they were cheating him, so he left that business and was unemployed.

Hayes hired the cook, and reopened the restaurant.  Hayes commanded the restaurant to be prosperous and have lots of people come in and order lots of food.

And that's what happened.  The restaurant reopened, and became successful.

Hayes has started a Bible College.  I believe it's "New Life Bible College," in Cleveland, TN.  Please see Hayes' website at www.nhm.cc

___James chapter 1

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are dispersed around, greetings.

2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations,

3 Knowing this, that the testing of your faith works patience.

4 But let patience have its perfect work, so you'll be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives to all men liberally, and won't find fault, and it shall be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.

7 For let that man not think that he'll receive anything from the Lord.

8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted,

10 But the rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he'll pass away.

11 For the sun has no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and the flower of it falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes, so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for after he's been tested, he'll receive the crown of life, that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt any man,

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then when lust has conceived, it produces sin, and sin when it's finished, produces death.

16 Do not err, my beloved brothers.

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.

18 He chose to father us with the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

19 So, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,

20 For the anger of man doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God.

21 So, lay apart all filthiness and the unnecessary naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man seeing his natural face in a mirror,

24 For he sees himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

25 But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

26 If any man among you seems to be religious, and doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is for nothing.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

___James chapter 2

1 My brothers, don't have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

2 For if a man with a gold ring comes to your assembly in fancy clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes comes in also,

3 And you have respect to him that wears the fancy clothes, and say to him, "Sit here in a good place," and say to the poor, "Stand there, or sit here under my footstool,"

4 Aren't you then partial in yourselves, and have become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Listen, my beloved brothers, hasn't God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?

6 But you have despised the poor.  Don't rich men oppress you, and bring you before the judgment seats?

7 Don't they blaspheme that worthy name by which you're called?

8 If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor like yourself," you do well,

9 But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as sinners.

10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

11 For he that said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not kill."  Now if you don't commit adultery, yet if you kill, you've become a breaker of the law.

12 Speak in such a way, and do, as those who'll be judged by the law of liberty.

13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment.

14 What does it profit, my brothers, though a man says he has faith, and doesn't have works?  Can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister needs clothes, and lacks daily food,

16 And one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you don't give them the things that are needed for the body, what good is that?

17 Even so faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yes, a man could say, "You have faith, and I have works, show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works."

19 You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But don't you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar?

22 Do you see how faith worked with his deeds, and by works faith was made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God."

24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise also wasn't Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26 For like the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

___James chapter 3

1 My brothers, don't be many masters, knowing that we'll receive the greater condemnation.

2 For in many things we offend all.  If any man doesn't offend in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

3 See, we put bits in the horses' mouths, so they'll obey us, and we turn around their whole bodies.

4 Look also at the ships, which though they're so large, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they're turned around by a very small helm, wherever the captain wants.

5 Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things.  See how great a matter a little fire kindles!

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of sin, so is the tongue among our members that it makes dirty the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell.

7 For every kind of animals, and of birds, and of snakes, and of things in the sea, gets tamed, and has been tamed by mankind,

8 But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With it we bless God, the Father, and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God.

10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be.

11 Does a fountain send out at the same place sweet water and bitter?

12 Can the fig tree, my brothers, produce olive berries?  Or a vine, figs?  So no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.

13 Who is a wise man, possessing knowledge among you?  Let him show out of a good lifestyle his works with meekness of wisdom.

14 But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, don't glory, and don't lie against the truth.

15 This wisdom doesn't descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be reasoned with, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

18 And the fruit of righteousness is planted in peace by those who make peace.

___James chapter 4

1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from?  Don't they come from your lusts that war in your members?

2 You lust, and don't have, you kill, and desire to have, and can't obtain, you fight and war, yet you don't have, because you don't ask.

3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask wrongly, so you can consume it on your lusts.

4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?  Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God.

5 Do you think that the scripture says for nothing, "The spirit that lives in us lusts to envy?"

6 But he gives more grace.  So he says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he'll run away from you.

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and cry, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he'll lift you up.

11 Don't speak evil about each other, brothers.  He that speaks evil about his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil about the law, and judges the law, but if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge.

12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy, who are you that judges someone else?

13 Go on now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we'll go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and make a profit,"

14 Actually, you don't know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is a puff of steam, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.

15 For you ought to say, "Lord willing, we'll live, and do this, or that."

16 But now you rejoice in your boastings, all such rejoicing is evil.

17 Therefore to him that knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin.

___James chapter 5

1 Go on now, you rich men, cry and howl for your miseries that shall come on you.

2 Your riches are corrupted, and your clothes are moth eaten.

3 Your gold and silver are rusted, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire.  You've heaped treasure together for the last days.

4 See, the wages of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you've kept back by fraud, shouts, and the shouts of those who've reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath.

5 You've lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton, you've nourished your hearts, like in a day of slaughter.

6 You've condemned and killed the just, and he doesn't resist you.

7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.  See, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.

8 You also be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is getting near.

9 Don't grudge against each other, brothers, so you won't be condemned, see, the judge stands at the door.

10 Take, my brothers, the prophets, who've spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

11 See, we count them happy that endure.  You've heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

12 But above all things, my brothers, don't swear, not by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath, but let your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you don't fall into condemnation.

13 Is anyone among you afflicted?  Let him pray.  Is anyone merry?  Let him sing psalms.

14 Is anyone sick among you?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord,

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he'll be forgiven.

16 Confess your faults to each other, and pray for each other so you'll be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man is does a lot of good.

17 Elijah was a man subject to the same kind of passions that we are, and he prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain on the earth for three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

19 Brothers, if any of you strays from the truth, and someone converts him,

20 Let him know, that he that converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.