The Fire Will Fall, When The Wood Is Wet

You hear a lot of talk amongst believers about the "Body of Christ," and rightly so. Still, I want to remind you today that the "Body of Christ" consists of many parts, which must function properly for the body to work the way it was created. Just like the human body has many bones, muscles, limbs, and organs to cause it to function correctly, if disease overtakes one part of the body, the rest of the body is weakened.  

Just like a wall has stones to support it, if all of the stones are not properly maintained, a few begin to fall apart, which weakens the wall.

An army has many soldiers that give it strength to overcome its enemies. Still, if some of the soldiers decide to stop resisting, the rest of the army is put at risk of defeat.

The point I'm trying to make is this: The Church, the "Body of Christ," can only be revived as its members are revived.

A wall can only be built by setting and fitting many stones. The word of God says that we are "living stones" that are alive; we are supposed to be stones with life in them. Revival can only come as the individual stones are set on fire.

In the 37th chapter of Ezekiel, there is no doubt that God is asking the prophet if revival is possible. 'Can life be restored to a bunch of dry bones? Can dead hearts come alive? And the answer is clear: Yes, but only if the blowing of God's breath, the power of the Holy Ghost, is reintroduced into their body. And when this happens a great and mighty army arises from the ashes of despair to once again lay hold of victory.

There is a spirit of revival on the horizon for many in the 'Body of Christ.' I believe the wind of God, the breath of God, the Holy Ghost, is getting ready to move again, just like he did on the day of Pentecost. Revival is coming to the Church of Jesus Christ; I believe it and prophesy it to you now. I can already see it in my home church as we are experiencing great moves of God's Spirit and I believe it will spread.

I believe God is raising up an army of blood-bought, Holy Spirit-filled, fire-baptized, Bible-thumping, pew jumping, Isle running, tongue-talking, sin-hating, Jesus-loving members of His body that are going to invade and overthrow Satan's strongholds.

But just as an army is many soldiers and a wall is many stones, the body comprises many members and many bones. Revival must be personal. Before there was an army in Ezekiel 37, there was just a valley of many dry bones, some leg bones, some arm bones, some neck bones, and some toes and fingers; all it was at the beginning of the prophet's vision was a boneyard. It was a cemetery where shattered dreams and hope had been buried.

I'm making the point that every bone needed a personal revival. The breath of God, the fire of God, and the power of God had to get inside every one of those bones, and as it did, every one of those bones began to shake and move.

We have come together with the desire to experience a divine visitation, a revival, but the only way to have revival in the "Body of Christ" is for each member to experience God's power and begin to move under the direction of the Holy Ghost. Each of us must become a revival.

Every bone must commit to the process and the product of personal revival. The wall is only as alive as the living stones that make up the wall are alive. The church is only as alive as the individual members that make up the body are alive. We must commit ourselves personally to the process of revival.

"It's not my brothers, nor my sisters but it's me O Lord standing in the need of Prayer"

We can all come together, we can shout and praise God, and we can experience the fire of God. Still, when each bone begins to catch fire, we will take it beyond the four walls of the church house and carry it with us everywhere we go.

True biblical revival is more than the Holy Spirit coming into service here and there and giving you a spiritual jump-start; revival is not a "five-hour Holy Ghost energy shot," true revival is getting back to the foundation of our faith, beginning with repentance. Let me say this boldly, you can measure the success of a revival by the genuineness and the depth of the repentance of the individual.

A.W. Tozor said: "The blessings follow the plow."

In other words, God's blessings come where the word of God is allowed to penetrate the heart, plow up the soil, and root out that which is offensive to the Holy Spirit.

Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord until He come and rains righteousness upon you.

John the Baptist's message was, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."

Jesus' message was, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."

The Apostles' message was, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19-21).

Revival follows repentance.

"If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).

The first step to personal revival is to humble ourselves and pray. One of the greatest sins of the church today is the sin of prayerlessness. We have all seen on the evening news that much of America has been in a severe drought for several years. Still, the worst drought in America, one you, unfortunately, won't be hearing about on the news, is the drought in the church for tears; it is the drought of dry eyes.

I am not surprised at the lack of power in the church in America, because a prayerless church is a powerless church.

The internal combustion engine is powered by fuel. The steam engine is powered by steam. An electric motor is powered by electricity. And the church is powered by prayer.

In many churches today the only prayer you hear is a short opening prayer and a quick dismissal prayer. Still, God said, "My house shall be called of all nations, a house of prayer" Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17).

It seems like they do everything in many churches today except pray. They have eating meetings, dramas, plays, seminars, and hold 'singspirations,' it seems the church has time for everything but prayer.

And then they wonder why they don't see revival: Why don't they have any power over sickness? Why don't they have power over the devil? Why aren't people getting saved and delivered? Why aren't people getting filled with the Holy Ghost?

If we want God to send the fire, like Elijah on Mt Carmel, we must build the altar and pour water (tears) on the sacrifice. Because it's still true: The fire will fall when the wood is wet. The Power of God only comes on those who pray. Prayerless saints are Powerless saints.

As 120 waited and prayed in the upper room, heaven opened, and fire fell upon every head. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and power and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Every head got a Flame, every dry bone was made alive, and personal power accompanied personal revival.

It's time for a personal revival, and when we have a personal revival we will have personal power.

It's Time To Put The Fire To Some Flesh

  I Kings 18:21-39

What I am about to say may be a very bold statement, but I believe in my spirit that it is a statement of fact.  There has never been a time on the history of the Church where there has been a greater need for the men and women of God to take a stand and to boldly speak up for righteousness.  Our country needs a voice like Elijah’s to champion the call to righteousness and holiness.

There was a time, not that awful long ago, that you could walk into any Pentecostal church in America and hear the unadulterated Word of God being proclaimed in the power of the Holy Ghost and witness conviction over sin, souls being saved, devils being cast out, and bondages being broken.  But today in many of our churches, sadly, there is a watered down bless me message that has no power to convict the heart, a message that does not condemn sin, one that has no power to heal the sick, and a message that cannot set the captive free.

The voice of God is calling, is there a Man?  Is there a Woman?  Is there anyone left in My House that cannot be bought?  Is there a faithful servant among my people who will not be intimidated by politicians, or manipulated by public opinion, is there someone who will speak ‘thus saith the Lord.’  Is there someone, anyone left who will stand on the mountain and face off with a backslidden Leadership, false teachers and prophets, and a nation that has accepted a polluted religion that mixes the worship of ‘self’ with the worship of God.

Elijah knew it back then and the truth remains today, there is only one thing that can destroy this polluted mixture of religion and worship and turn this nation back to God: We must experience the fire of God.  The only thing that stop this invasion of secular humanism, fascination with the occult, the unholy mixture of Christianity and Islam, and stop our nation’s decline into utter depravity is to have an old fashion visitation of the Fire of God.

The church desperately needs to catch Fire again.  The the cry and the prayer of God's people, of the church, must be Lord, “send the fire again!”

The first place the fire must fall is on our pulpits:

There are people standing behind the pulpits in many churches today who are bound by pornography, social drinking and gambling. Mainline denominations are ordaining homosexuals and lesbians to preach the gospel.  Many preachers have fallen into the prosperity trap and they are money driven, they live loose and worldly lives.  They don’t fast, they don’t pray, they don’t seek God, they have no relationship with God, They have become pulpit celebrities who are more concerned with selling books than saving souls.

Lord send the Fire to our Pulpits!

The second place that the fire must fall is in the pews:

Sin has found a comfortable home in many churches today, few Christians really pray anymore or study the Word of God. Ball games, track meets, concerts, recreation, going to the lake, or back yard barbeques have all taken the place of closet time with Jesus.  Believers have found a soft comfortable spot on the pew, but have hearts that are hard, lukewarm, they’ve lost their first love, their passion for God has died, and they are simply going through the motions.  They still know when to shout, when to cry, and when to clap, but there’s no fire, there’s no power, and there’s no anointing.

Lord send the Fire to our Pews!

Finally, the fire of God must Fall in our homes:

Many Christians today have developed an unholy appetite for entertainment that is vile and ungodly. It is debas, sensual, worldly, filled with lust and deception, homosexuality and lesbianism, and because it is funny they swallow it down.  The devil believes that if he wraps his poison in humor that Christians will swallow it because it’s funny and apparently he is right.  The fire of God needs to fall and purify our lives until we won’t receive anything vile, unholy, or impure.

David Said: Psalms 101:3 – “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes.”

We need the fire of God to fall on our internet and burn up everything that shouldn’t be there.

We need the fire of God to fall on our cell phones.

We need the fire of God to fall on our music.

We need the fire our God to fall on our wardrobes.

We need to fire of God to fall on our hearts and minds.

Could you honestly invite Jesus to watch what you watch and listen to what you listen to?  How much impurity, how much sin are you making allowance for? How tolerant have you become to the vile and the unclean?

What are your kids watching and listening to?  Do your children hear Daddy and Momma praying in the Home?  Do your children ever hear you worship God"  Do your children ever see you reading your bible?  Is your house a house of Prayer?

There is only one answer for us: We need the Fire of God

Lord the the fire of God fall on our homes!

They make fun of us and call us holy rollers and they say it is all emotionalism.  Yes there is some emotionalism involved, because the fire of God touches every part of your being: spiritually, physically, and emotionally.  The Fire of God is our heritage.  It is not an unwillingness on Gods part that keeps the fire from falling, it is a lukewarm, indifferent, and tolerant attitude for the spirit of worldliness on our part that holds back the fire.

Matthew 24:12 – “Because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall wax cold.”

When we get sick of this worldliness, and we get hungry for God and begin to cry out to God, heaven will respond as it always has and God will answer us by Fire!

If we want the Fire there must be:

1.  An Altar: There must be prayer, there must be hunger for God, and there must be fellowship with God.

2. A Sacrifice: “I beseech ye therefore brethren that you present your bodies a (living sacrifice) holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.”  Romans 12:1

 

Focus on the Power, Not the Problem

In Ezekiel 33 God let the prophet Ezekiel know that when you see the sword coming and don’t sound the alarm, then the sword will come and take them away but ‘their blood will I require at your hands.’

However, if you sound the alarm and they don’t listen and they don’t heed the warning then the sword will come and take them away but their blood will not be on your hands, because you sounded the alarm and they refused to listen.

So today I am the watchman on the wall and I am sounding the alarm.  I believe that the coming of the Lord is near.  If you are familiar at all with the prophecies and you look and see what’s taking place in the world today, unless you have your head in the sand, you have to believe it won’t be long now. 

I could try and make you feel good by telling you that everything is going to get better, that the economy is going to get better, that morality and integrity are going to get better, that racial strife and prejudice are going to get better, that our government is going to get better, and that all the tension with Iran, North Korea and Russia is just going to dissolve into world peace.  But if I did I would be a liar, because none of these things are going to get better.

There are a lot of so called prophets that prophesy peace and everything is wonderful and it’s just going to get better, but it’s not true.

Jeremiah 8:11 says, “For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.”

That means the false prophets have put a band aid over a cancer and said it’s going to be alright, but it’s not true.

I want you to know that Yes God is good and God is going to bless his people, and yes God is going to protect and prosper his own.  But I can see that the sword of judgment is about to fall on the ‘lukewarm’ church of America.

But everything is not fine: God is not happy with what is happening in his church, it is not a time of peace, it is not a time to be asleep like Jonah the prophet.

It’s a time of war, it's time for the church to beat her plowshares into swords and fight!

My heart is heavy as I share this word, but I also have the great joy of telling you, that in the midst of wrath and judgment, I feel in my spirit that God will once again make his mercy known and visit us again with revival.

But the first step to healing is being honest and recognizing that there is a sickness.  As a person who has recovered from alcoholism I have come to understand that the first step to recovery over anything is admitting that you have a problem.

Ezekiel 37:1-10

God asked the Prophet the question, “Can these bones live again?”

In other words:  Is there hope for these bones? Can they be restored? Let me bring it home: Can the church ever be revived? Can the Church of Jesus Christ ever quit fighting and arguing over stupid things that have no eternal consequences and get back to being the body of Christ the glory of God in the earth? Will it ever be possible again for the Church to once again be the representatives of the kingdom of God in the earth? Can the church strip off her worldly garments and be clothed in strength and put back on her robes of righteousness? Will the Church ever again be a mighty army of God beating down the gates of Hell setting captives free, healing the sick, delivering the bound and the oppressed?  Will we ever again experience, 'these signs shall follow them that believe?'

Ezekiel’s answer shows us just how bad the situation had become: “Lord God thou knowest.” He shifted his attention from the problem to the power of God.

If you need a miracle, if you need a deliverance, if you need a healing, or if you need a spiritual breakthrough, then you have to shift your attention from the problem to the power of God. Yes you first have to admit you have a need, but then you have to take your eyes off the problem and get them on the power of God.  The longer you look at the problem, the more you think about the problem, and the more you talk about the problem the worse it's going to get.

Ezekiel knew the situation was beyond his ability and that the only one who could change it was God.  Sooner or later every one of us will come to a place in life where we are going to have a ‘Lord God thou knowest’ moment.  It’s a going to be a place where you know that your circumstances are beyond human ability, your momma can't fix it, your daddy can't fix it, and your doctor or lawyer can't fix it. That’s the moment when you know that if it's going to get better, it is going to have to be the power of God.

Ezekiel's answer was a statement of dependency, a recognition of his insufficiency his weakness, and his need.

I love God's response.  God says prophesy upon these bones: God is essentially saying, “that's all I needed from you was your dependence upon me now let's get to work.”

God never shows us hopeless conditions and circumstances to overwhelm and frustrate and depress us.  God shows you these kinds of things because God has chosen you to use you and to change the situation.  It was already in the mind of God to make Ezekiel an agent of change.

We look at the Church today and so much worldliness has made its way into her.  Political correctness has overwhelmed the mindset of so many in the Church that now even mention of the Blood of Jesus is considered offensive by a lot of churches.  I'm angry at the devil, he has perverted our spiritual lifeline and many Christians do not even know what’s happening.  It's the blood of Jesus that saves me, that heals us, that delivers us, that sets us free, that sustains life.  The blood of Jesus is our lifeline.

I'm not condemning anyone, but I'm just sounding the alarm!

Virtually every sit com or situational comedy on television is now endorsing and encouraging either homosexuality or lesbianism or both and Christians sit and watch and laugh and don't know they're drinking poison.

The meaning of the word tolerance is:

1. The power or the capacity of an organism to tolerate unfavorable environmental conditions.

2. A disposition to allow freedom of choice and behavior

3. A permissible difference: allowing freedom to move within limits.

4. Broad mindedness showing respect for the rights or opinions or practices of others.

5. To survive the introduction of an organism or a poison in the body.

The church has become tolerant: We have allowed the world to pressure us into conformity, to accommodate the world in the church.  The Apostle Paul urged us not to let this happen:

Romans 12:1-2

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Colossians 2:8

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

The fact is whatever you tolerate will eventually control your life

The church was never called to tolerate sin: but to come out from among them and be separate, and touch not the unclean thing.  To shun the very appearance of evil

1 Peter 5:8

“Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may destroy.”

The church has fallen far from her high and holy calling.

This message is not to frustrate you, it is not to cause you to feel discouraged or depressed, and it is not so you can fold your hands and hang your head down in despair and hopelessness.  But, neither is it to bury your head in the sand like an ostrich and pretend evil does not exist.  This message is to make you understand that God has called you to be an Ezekiel to your generation.  He has called you to be a prophet and an agent of change.  He has called you to be an intercessor.

You may never stand behind the pulpit and declare the word of the Lord, but you can be an Ezekiel in your prayer closet. You can prophesy the divine destiny of the church, you can rebuke sin, you can cry out for revival, you can prophesy to the wind to come and blow up on His church again.  You can call for the fire of God to fall from heaven and purify his church.  You have a powerful call upon your life: you are called to be an intercessor to this generation.

My purpose today is to tell you: God is going to do it again; God is going to send revival.   The church may have gone down, but she is not out.  She may have fallen from her rightful place but she is getting back up.  She may have gotten her robes dirty with the filth of this world, but she is being washed clean by the blood of the Lamb.

Revival is coming to the body of Christ!

It may look impossible, it may look hopeless, it may look irreversible, and it may looks like the devil is winning, but that’s because we’ve focused on the problem instead of the power!

Truth and righteousness are going to be resurrected and the church is going to once again shine forth with the glory of God, when we focus on God’s power.

It's not over, these dry bone will live again!

 

Faith Is The Victory

This message may just be a word from the Lord for me today, it definitely comes straight from my own personal struggles this week.  The enemy has been working overtime to get me to believe that my life isn’t reflective of the abundant life God’s Word promises, that my faith is weak and useless, and that I have been wasting my time praying for things I will never see come to fruition.  It may be for me, but I believe many struggle with the same thoughts so I am sharing it with you anyway.

I John 5:4 - For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.

I love this old hymn that was taken from I John 5:4:

“Encamped along the hills of light,

ye Christian soldiers, rise,

And press the battle ere the night

shall veil the glowing skies.

Against the foe in vales below

let all our strength be hurled;

Faith is the victory, we know,

that overcomes the world.

 

Faith is the victory!

Faith is the victory!

Oh, glorious victory,

that overcomes the world.

 

To him that overcomes the foe,

white raiment shall be giv’n;

Before the angels he shall know

his name confessed in heav’n.

Then onward from the hills of light,

our hearts with love aflame,

We’ll vanquish all the hosts of night,

in Jesus’ conqu’ring name.”

Faith is the victory!

Faith is the victory!

Oh, glorious victory,

that overcomes the world.

Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.  That’s what the verse in I John 5 says, what an incredible promise from the Word of God!  God is telling us that faith is a powerful thing! It gives us power that we could not achieve any other way.

Hebrews 11:32-35

“What more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection.”

“Who through faith conquered kingdoms…were made strong out of weakness”

That’s the kind of faith and power I want in my life.

But the author of Hebrews doesn't stop there with the words we just read. He goes on to write:

“Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” Hebrews 11:36-38

I can almost guarantee that no Sunday school teacher ever taught children this side of faith. Can you imagine how that might go? ‘Class, today I am going to show you in the Word how trusting God can get thrown in jail, hated by your friends, and will force you to live in a trailer park the rest of your life.’

 It would certainly send a lot of people down the road.  And I can’t say that I would blame them.  

Nobody I know is interested in a faith that would lead to pain, struggling, torment and suffering. Most people want a powerful faith that gives them confidence – not fear.

That’s why so many preachers preach the “prosperity gospel.” They teach their followers that all they need to do is believe and have enough faith… and their faith will fix anything… and everything will be OK.  It’s a very popular message, I have to admit that even I want to believe it when I hear it preached, especially when I’m facing my struggles. It definitely draws the crowds. They sell a god whose power is channeled through visualization, positive thinking, and “Name it and Claim it.”

"Name it and claim it" is all about naming what you want, claiming it before the throne of God, and then being so intense about your faith that you must receive what you've named and claimed, that it will be yours by virtue of the fact that you vocalized your desire with such faith and intensity that God is obligated to give you what you seek.  Preachers like this draw in people by the 1000s because there are people out there who feel helpless in this world and they want a God who will step in and will fix all your problems.

Don't misunderstand me, I believe in a God who can do all those things.  I believe in a God that can part the sea, close the mouth of lions, deliver men from the fire, heal the sick, and give resurrection life to the dead. I believe in a God who can make me strong when I am weak.

But what I don’t believe in are the false teachings of charlatans who sell a fake faith that teaches people that all they need to insist "having it their way" and God will do what they want done. I don't believe in "Burger King Faith." They teach people that all they need do is speak something that they want to occur and they can get God to bend to their will, not the other way around.  And if it doesn't work, well, then it’s your fault not God’s.

If you don’t receive what you prayed for it’s your fault, because you didn't have enough faith.

The whole mindset behind those kinds of preachers and churches is that faith is the tool you can use get what you want. And if the tool doesn’t work… iit was your fault. You obviously didn’t have enough faith.

For these false teachers, faith fixes everything.  True Faith never lets you down. It makes it so we never suffer, we never fail.

But Let me bold enough to say, if that’s true, then the Apostle Paul didn’t have enough faith!  Paul was beaten and stoned and run out of almost every town.  If they’re right, none of the Apostles had enough faith!  Every one of them with the exception of John died a martyr’s death.  

Did Jesus not have enough faith?  He ended up on the cross and died a terrible death.  

Just before he was betrayed Jesus spent a long time at the Garden of Gethsemane praying about His impending crucifixion and death. Do you remember what He prayed?  “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.  Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42}

True biblical faith is different than what these preachers preach.  They teach that true faith is when you hand God a sheet of paper with all your requests written on it… and then you believe, expect actually,  God to do what you want.  That’s not Biblical Faith!   Biblical Faith is when you hand God a blank sheet of paper, and then you tell God – not my will, but yours be done. 

Here’s a blank piece of paper. I trust you to fill it in with things You want done in my life. Granted, I’ll still make my requests known to God. I’ll still tell Him what I’d prefer to see done in my life.  But I trust Him to choose what He wills.

Jesus told His followers:

"… In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Jesus never taught us that a life of faith would be filled with sweetness and light.

Jesus never taught that a life of faith would always be painless and comforting.

IN THIS WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE.

Listen to me please, I am speaking from experience, misunderstanding that truth can sour your attitude toward God and drive a wedge between you and Him. A wedge that may ultimately drive you completely from His presence.

If you look at the stories in the Bible you find that God’s people sometimes had to wait years to see how God working in their lives.

Joseph waited 15 years

Abraham waited 25 years

Moses waited 40 years

Jesus waited 30

Paul pleaded with the Lord 3 times, and was beheaded still waiting

If God is making you wait – you’re in very good company.

My point is this:

Our faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

Our God does mighty things in response to our faith.

Our God is faithful.

He doesn't do things on our terms, or on our timetable, or in our way.  That’s not how He works!  But let me tell you how He does work: My favorite example of how faith ought to be is the account of Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego.

In Daniel 3:1 we’re told that “King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.”

Everybody was commanded to bow down to this image, but Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego refused to do that. They were brought before the King who said they would have one more chance to bow down to his idol - or they’d be thrown into the fiery furnace.

Their response blows my mind every time I read it:

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18

In other words… our God can deliver us us, but if not - even if He doesn’t remove this persecution, take away this present suffering, deliver us from this pain, or save us from this physical death, we still won’t bow down because He is our God and our faith will ultimately give us the victory over your kingdom when He welcomes us into His.  

And most of you know the rest of the story.

They were saying their faith was the victory that overcame their world.

The King could kill them, but he couldn't kill their faith.

Their God was big enough to rescue them.

But if He did not… they still believed and they would not disobey Him in this matter.

They had no intention of trying to manipulate God to do things their way, in their time.

That’s the kind of faith I want in my life, that’s the type of faith that will lead to victory, and that is the power that comes from the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit in your life.

Acts 1:8

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Romans 8:18

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

God has given us everything we need to stand our ground against the discouraging lies of the enemy:

Ephesians 6:10-20

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,  20 for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Faith is the victory that assures that I will someday be free of the suffering of this life and in the presence of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  That is the victory which overcomes the world and the truth that I will continue to preach, truth that gives hope to the hopeless, truth that points us to the cross of Jesus, truth that directs us to die daily to our own desires, truth that reminds us of the resurrection power found only in the Son of God and of the fact that if our hope is in this life only we of all people are most miserable, and the truth of a faith that shuts the mouth of that roaring lion who seeks to devour.

Faith is the victory that overcomes this world!

Let Us Get Over, And Go Over

Mark 4:35 – “On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 

“Let us cross over to the other side,” That’s the Word of the Lord to someone right now, and you need to hear it.  The Lord has spoken to you and given you a word, listen to what I’m saying; someone has a word from God!

God said, “Your prodigal children are coming home.”

He told somebody, “Your ministry is about to go to another level of effectiveness.”

He told you, “Your prayers for a godly spouse are going to be met.”

He has proclaimed to someone, “I will break the chains of your addiction!”

“Hold on, trust in Me, stay in the boat and keep calm.  We’re going to the other side!”

You have a word from the Lord, but your circumstances seem to be challenging your word.  Listen, between your word and the other side you’re going to have to endure a storm.  Between Your word and the other side you’re going to have to stay on course.  Between your promise and it’s manifestation you’re going to have to fight the good fight of faith.  It’s important that you remember in the struggle, the enemy may have enough power to challenge the word that God gave you, but he doesn’t have the power to change the word that God gave you!

Jesus said, “let us go.”

His presence is what will make the difference.  He never promised us that storms would never come, but He promised He was in the boat with us.  He promised His presence, and it is His presence that renders the storm powerless.

King David said, “Yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.”

Moses depended upon the presence of God so definitely that he said, “If your presence does not go with us, don’t take us from this place.”

Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

I’ve had friends that told me that they would always be there, “you can count on me,” but when things got ugly for me, when the storms were raging in my life, I looked around and they were nowhere to be found.  They were either gone or they became invisible.

Jesus is a friend that sticks closer than a brother, He was there in all my storms, even when I didn’t see Him, He was there!  Before I got clean and sober, He was there.  Before I had nice clothes to wear, He was there.  When I was a child and we lived in a tarpaper shack with no electricity and no running water, He was there!  Regardless of my circumstances, He’s always been there.  I haven’t always been able to enjoy His presence, especially when I was running from it, but He was right there waiting for me to become willing.  He has promised us, no matter what comes your way in life, I will be there with you.

In the scripture passage that I chose it says that, 'there arose a great storm.'  Arose means that it came up out of nowhere.  There was no warning, there was no early warning broadcast system, and there was no advance notice.  One minute everything was going good, all was smooth sailing, and then all of a sudden, the storm is upon you and its in-your-face.

One day you’re feeling fine, and then the next thing you know you’re hearing a bad report from a doctor saying, “I’m sorry there’s nothing else we can do for you.”

One day you think that your marriage is fine, and then suddenly you’re sitting across from your spouse and out of the clear blue sky they hit you with, “I want a divorce.”

One day you go to work and you thought you had job security, you had seniority, you had a nice little retirement building up and that golden parachute was on the horizon, then suddenly your ship starts to get tossed when you hear them say, “the economy is bad and the company is downsizing we have to let you go.”

Storms come and most of the time they appear with no warning, and there are storms in every life.

Living in the South you learn the difference between a common everyday type storm and a super cell storm.  The typical average storm may have a little wind and rain maybe even some thunder and lightning.  But a super cell can produce softball size hail it can produce winds over 100 miles an hour it can spawn multiple tornadoes it’s always filled with deadly lightning.  A super cell is self-perpetuating, the longer it lasts the stronger it gets.  The Bible says that this was, ‘a great storm.’ 

I believe this word is for someone who is in a storm, it’s not your average storm, it’s not just a little wind and rain, the storm you’re in is a ‘great storm.’  And your circumstances appear to be hopeless.  But I want you to know that when Jesus in in the boat, it’s never hopeless.

The devil wants to drown you; he wants to drown you in debt, drown you with sickness, drown you in fear and despair, and drown you in depression and confusion.  But I have a word from the Lord for you, you’re unsinkable.  Listen to what I am trying to tell you, God has a purpose for you and the destiny in you is greater than the storm you’re in.

So what do you do when you’re in the middle of the storm?  You go back to your word, go back to what the Lord spoke into your life and that word will get you through the storm.

Peter started to get out of the boat and onto the water.  I can almost hear the other disciples saying, “Are you on drugs dude?  Get back in this boat, you can’t walk on water, have you lost your mind?” But Peter said I’ve got a word, Jesus said ‘come.’

An anointed word from God spoken over your life will do for you:

What money can’t do

What education can’t do

What friends can’t do

Just one anointed word from the Lord will:

Open doors that were closed in your face.

Cause things to turn in your favor.

Hold you up when everything else is falling down.

Before any of the storms that I have faced came, the Lord gave me a word.  He gave me a word, but He never said there wouldn’t be obstacles, He never said there wouldn’t be problems, He never said there wouldn’t be things that rise up against me.  He never promised ‘victory without fighting.’

He never promised that there wouldn’t be attacks on my marriage, that sickness would never attack my body, that I would never have to fight a financial battle, or that my children would be perfect angels. He never told me that people wouldn’t lie on me, stab me in the back, or steal from me.  He never said I’d never have a broken heart, or that there wouldn’t be times when I’d cry myself to sleep. But he did say, ‘let us go,’ we’re in this together, and so I am not alone.

If you’re going to get to the other side there are some things you have to get over.

Somebody lied on you, get over it.

Somebody cheated on you, get over it.

Somebody else has the ministry you wanted, get over it!

They failed to invite you to some meeting, get over it!

Somebody abused you: mentally, emotionally, sexually, physically, and you hate them.  You’re holding unforgiveness in your heart toward them, you better get over it.

Your destiny depends on it, to get to the other side you have to get over it.

Don’t let what somebody did to you or didn’t do stop your destiny, it’s not worth it, they’re not worth it.

No man or woman is worth your destiny.

No amount of money is worth your destiny.

Watch out, your boat is taking on water.  I’m trying to reach someone who has let bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness get into your boat.  You’ve let anger, jealousy, and a critical spirit into your life, and it’s filling your boat and if you don’t get rid of it you’re going to sink.  The only way you’re ever going to get to the other side is to get over it!

Get it out before it kills you, get it out before it sinks you, get it out before it destroys your marriage, get it out before it destroys any hope you have for a ministry, get it out before you say something or do something that you can’t undo, get it out before it sends you to hell.  I don’t know who I’m talking to but God said, “You better get it out.”

There is somebody on the other side of your storm whose life depends on you making it over.  There is somebody who is bound and it is your testimony that is going to set them free.  Someone you know is sick, and you’re going to lay hands on them and bring healing to them.  Someone in your own family is suicidal and God’s word in your life is going to speak hope to them and drive the darkness out of their lives.  Someone else is going through the greatest storm of their life and the testimony of how you made it through is going to help them make it.  You’ve going to make it, because you’ve got to make it.

In or Out?

Acts 20:7-12 (NLT)

“7 On the first day of the week, we gathered with the local believers to share in the Lord’s Supper.  Paul was preaching to them, and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until midnight. 8 The upstairs room where we met was lighted with many flickering lamps. 9 As Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he fell sound asleep and dropped three stories to his death below. 10 Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!” 11 Then they all went back upstairs, shared in the Lord’s Supper, and ate together. Paul continued talking to them until dawn, and then he left.  12 Meanwhile, the young man was taken home alive and well, and everyone was greatly relieved.”

When I am writing these messages, I try to be as positive as I can be and to speak a word that will encourage people in their faith and lift them up and help them to place themselves in a position so they can receive all the promises of God.  Sometimes in order to receive the blessings God wants for us, we have to be corrected so that we can make some adjustments.

I have a strong feeling that this word may be critical for someone.  I don’t know who you are, but what you do with this word is going to either open a door to blessing, or it’s going to open a door of opportunity for your enemy to prosper instead.

My goal in writing this is that anyone who reads it and finds that they have been sitting in the window, sleeping, will awake and move off the window sill before they fall.

In a spiritual sense there are many in the church today, like this young man, that are sitting in this most dangerous place.

We could assume any number of reasons that he finds himself in this place

* The place was crowded and there was no place to sit

* It was hot and stuffy and he wanted some fresh air

But I tend to believe that he had begun to become disinterested in what was taking place inside, the preacher was long-winded and so he had lost his desire for the things of God, the Word of God was no longer exciting to him and he had stopped being entertained and so he drifted farther and farther away from the presence of the Spirit and Word.

The window is the Place where you can be inside and still see what’s going on outside.  In this context then the window represents that condition of drawing back.

Hebrews 10:39

“But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”

Today in our churches there is a very obvious “draw back” spirit.  It is the spirit that wants all the blessings of God, healing, miracles, prosperity, but without making a commitment.  If it’s the blessing line they’re first to the front, but if it’s the commitment line, the dedication line, or the consecration line, for some strange reason their bladder goes to acting up, or they have to step out and make a phone call.

This is the spiritual condition that I want to call the “Window Seat”

From the window seat it appears that you have a spectacular view.  The People who are in the window seat can see all the problems in the church.  They can hear every sour note, see how everything should be done, they know right away what kind of praise we should have, they know when the preacher preaches a dud, and they can see all the weaknesses and faults of others.

You still have a great view of all the things that you left outside from the “Window Seat.”  The things that the Lord brought you out of come back into view.  You know what I’m talking about, habits that you had shut the door on, the things that were killing you, hurting your marriage, sins that were causing division in your family and turning your children from God, all of a sudden they become visible again, and from the window seat they don’t appear to be as bad as you remember.  The window seat is a very dangerous place to be, and there are so many that are deceived into believing that they can look at those things and it won’t affect them.  They believe they can stare at it as long as they don’t touch it.

I’m strong I won’t fall out of the window.  It doesn’t kill you to look, right?

It all starts with a flirtatious thought, “Man wouldn’t a cold beer taste really good right now?  Wouldn’t it be fun to smoke just one more joint, or maybe watch one of those dirty movies, just one more time?  Of course I would never do that they think to themselves, I’m just window shopping, just taking a peek, just having a moment of imagination.

Another word that we equate with the word window is “opportunity” and we are told in scripture not to give opportunity to the devil.

Eutychus never intended to fall out of the window.

Hebrews 2:3

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him;”

Why did Eutychus fall to his death?

He neglected his passion for the things of God

He was more out than he was in

At midnight he fell from his window seat: all through the scripture midnight is a very critical time:

It was midnight when the death angel passed through Egypt and smote the first born

It was midnight when the cry was made that woke the sleeping virgins

It was midnight when Paul and Silas turned the corner and turned their pain into praise.

“Midnight” is where your situation can go either way, “Midnight” speaks of decision time.

The “window seat” is very uncomfortable at first.  When we first begin to turn our thoughts back on the things of the world we feel shame, we think, “How could I even be thinking about those things.” 

But the more you allow yourself to think about it the more comfortable, it becomes, then without any warning you’re falling.  You’re falling back into that lust, back into those old associations, falling back into your old ways of talking, back into desires that you thought were dead, back into those flirtatious ways, falling back into the habits that the Lord delivered you from.

I am speaking to those who have known the goodness of the Lord, but for one reason or another you have found yourself in the window seat and now you’re more out than you are in.  Please come back inside, get out of the window before you fall and find yourself dead on the street.  There may not be a Paul to bring you back in.

 

The Table Is Set

Acts 2:1-16

 

“1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. 12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 13 Others mocking said, these men are full of new wine. 14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;”

 

On the day of Pentecost the Holy Ghost fell and 120 men and women and all of them were filled with the Holy Ghost.  Tongues of fire sat upon their heads and they began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

 

People who were in Jerusalem for the feast from everywhere witnessed this supernatural manifestation from heaven.  Just like it was back then, it still is to this day, when the Spirit of God moves there will always be a variety of people that will show to witness it.  Of course there must be present the people of God or there will be no manifestation because the Word says there must be at least 2 or 3 “gathered together in His name.  But there will also always be skeptics, doubters, mockers, the fearful, and the pious religious self-righteous scoffers as well.

 

But thank God, most of the time, mixed into the crowd there are usually the hungry and thirsty that are looking for something real, those that are tired of religion and tradition and they are ready to receive.

 

I used to waste a lot of time and energy on doubters, critics, and religious people, trying to convince them that they were missing out on the fullness of God’s gifts, trying to create a hunger in them so that they would desire more and have more of His presence.  Attempting to make them reach for more and become passionate for a visitation from God.  But I have to say I have abandoned that mission, my assignment has been redesigned, I don’t have time to run you down and force feed you God’s gifts, so I am here for those that are hungry and thirsty.

 

I’m going to attempt to teach the teachable, I am going to preach the Word, I am going to set the table, I am going to lay out a feast of God’s power and His anointing in front of you, I am going to ring the bell and call you to the table, and if you’re hungry and thirsty you’ll come and get it.

 

These men and women were under the power of the Holy Ghost and people began mocking them and saying that they were drunk, “These men are full of new wine.”

Peter answered their criticism by saying, “These men are not drunk as ye suppose.”

 

In other words:

The bars are not even open yet, this isn’t happy hour

This isn’t Jack Daniels or Bud light

It’s not the kind of intoxication that you think

It’s not the kind of spirit you’re used to

You can’t get this out of a bottle.

 

Then Peter begins:

“16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh:”

 

All Flesh:

This is not a Baptist thing or a Methodist thing, or even a Pentecostal thing

It’s a Spirit Thing.

It’s not given to an organization or a denomination

It’s given to all flesh

White flesh, black flesh, brown flesh, red and yellow flesh.

It’s for the rich the poor

It’s for male the female

It’s for the young and the old

 

There are only two requirements to receive this last day out pouring:

You have to be flesh

You have to be thirsty

 

David said: “God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;” (Psalm 63:10)

 

David was saying, I have a thirst that nothing in this world can quench.  I have searched for it but it cannot be found here in this world which is a dry desert land.  It is a land that leaves my soul parched and the only thing that can deliver me from dying of thirst is the Spirit of God.

 

If we came to every service with that kind of passion and pursuit of God, we would never have a dry service, because that kind of thirst will break open the heavens every time.

 

Isaiah also had that kind of thirst – “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,”

 

One hundred and twenty of God’s children shut themselves up in a room and declared that they weren’t leaving until the rain fell.  They declared by their presence and their persistence that they were drought stricken, their spirits dry to the bone, and bound to die of thirst unless the heavens opened.  Then suddenly, after praying for days, after persistently knocking on heaven’s door, after declaring their need to be refreshed in their spirits, Heaven responded and the Spirit of God rushed in like a mighty wind and filled them all.

Suddenly there came a sound from Heaven:

Not from the synagogue

Not from the scribes and Pharisees

Not from the supermarket

Not from the radio or television or the internet.

But from heaven

 

It was known instantly that something holy, something divine, something supernatural was taking place:

It came as a mighty rushing wind

It arrived with ferocity, intensity, power

It didn’t just drift in like a gentle summer breeze

It blasted through that house like a tornado

And it filled all the house where they were sitting

 

The presence of God does not just come to touch you, it comes to envelop you, and the very atmosphere around you will become thick and saturated with the glory of God.  There is a presence of God that is so heavy and so tangible and so powerful that you can’t even move.

 

2 Chronicles 5:13-14 - “13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; 14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.”

 

Isaiah said:

“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.”

 

Then it goes on to say: “The house was filled with smoke, and the door posts shook at the voice of God”.

 

When the glory of God comes, He doesn’t come to touch us and make us feel good, He comes to fill us and transform us.  That’s why backsliders don’t want to come to church, they know that if they come into His presence He will change them and they will have to stop living for themselves.  I know, because the first day I walked through the doors of my church and into the sanctuary I knew I was in His presence and I knew I was done running from His will.

 

We cannot be effective in the Lord's work without being full of His power, and we can’t be full of His power without being full of His Spirit.  We’re not qualified till we’re full:

Full of the Holy Ghost

Full of Faith

Full of Power

 

Luke 24:49 Jesus knowing full well the work that needed to be done, told his disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promise of power from on high.

 

Peter being full of the Holy Ghost and full of holy boldness, and full of power, lifts up his voice and declares.  THIS IS THAT!

 

Joel said, and Peter quoted him:

When this is that gets here your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:  And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

 

Then he said there would be visible wonders in heaven above and on the earth there would be visible signs of blood and fire and vapour of smoke.  And there would be a great harvest of souls.

 

I can almost hear someone responding to what I’m saying, “We are not to seek after signs, we are not supposed to follow after signs. I understand that, but my God if you're on the right road you should see a sign every now and then to confirm it.

 

I have rode my motorcycle many miles for ministry and pleasure.  There have been times I have traveled unfamiliar roads, and I thought I might be going the wrong direction, that I might be on the wrong road, but then I would see a sign and breathe a sigh of relief because the sign told me I was on the right road.

 

If we're on the right road, the bible tells us we should be seeing signs and wonders.

Let me go a little farther: The bible actually says signs should follow every true believer.

 

I do believe we’re living in the last days. And the power of God has not diminished, and God has not changed his mind.  But the church has gotten lazy, selfish and worldly.  If we’re going to see another visitation of Pentecost and Pentecostal power, the church has to get back to the upper room.  We’ve got to free ourselves from the gravity pull of worldliness and indifference.  We’ve got to shake loose from all this worry, anxiety, and fearfulness.  We have got to get behind closed doors, get down to business with God, and Cry out till heaven opens and earth shakes.