From Desperation, to Manifestation

Mark 6:45-51 – Suggested Reading

This morning while reading this passage I was reminded of the positive power of desperation. As difficult as it is to goes through some storms, and as hard as it is to accept that they are part of God’s plan, many times the desperation that is created by the storm is exactly what we need to position us to receive the help and revelation that we need to, “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (I Peter 3:18)

Desperation is where we come to an end of ourselves. Desperation is where I was when God delivered me from the bondage of drugs and alcohol. The best part of coming to the end of myself, I found Jesus.

In the text from Mark 6:45-51, the disciples had received an instruction from Jesus, a word from the master, but not just any word, it was a prophetic declaration of destiny, “Cross over to the other side.”

As they were obeying the Lord, don’t miss this aspect of the story it’s significant, the storm arose. If you plan on doing anything for God, you better get ready for the storm. Pew warmers, those who never do anything for God, don’t have to worry much about the storm. But those who walk in obedience to His voice will find themselves constantly facing opposition. I’m talking about satanic opposition! When you start moving in destiny hell will resist you, and the satanic forces of this world will try to stop you.

Anyone can serve God when the sky is clear and the seas are calm, but it takes committed people of faith to stay the course through the storm. It takes courage to stay on board when everything around you is telling you to abandon ship.

God allows the storms, because they benefit his children and make them stronger. The storm tests our level of commitment, helps us see what is important and what is excess baggage, it shakes loose the things that aren’t connected in the spirit of Christ, it exposes your best and your worst. The storm brought these disciples to a place of desperation.

Why did they need to reach this place of desperation? Because Jesus was coming to them in a different way than they had ever seen him before and if they had not been desperate they could have easily missed this fresh revelation. Jesus waited until they were exhausted, worn out, and desperate. In other words, they knew that self-effort was useless, and without God’s help, they were going to die. It’s amazing how far we must go sometimes to run into grace.

They saw Jesus on the water but Fear almost kept them from receiving him. Fear hinders us from receiving from God: Fear of the unknown, fear of what other people might think or say, fear of breaking a tradition, but desperation forces us to overcome our fears. Their desperation became a positive force in preparing them for this awesome revelation and manifestation of the power of God.

Friends, I know God gave me this word today specifically for some of you, I feel in my spirit what God is showing me today. Many of you have sensed a growing desperation in your spirit. You have not known which way to turn, nothing seems to be working anymore, and your exhausted. The word that He gave me for you is simple, ‘don’t give up, Jesus is on the way.’

I believe you’re on the verge of a revelation that is going to bring you into a deeper relationship with God than you have ever known before, and you are about to experience a greater manifestation of the power of God in your life than you have ever imagined was possible. He can do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or even imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)

Nobody likes to feel weak, or unsuccessful or like they don’t know what they’re doing, but sometimes we must reach that place before our ears open to really hear what God is saying, and our eyes are open to see how to do it Gods way.

Like the woman with the Issue of blood for 12 years, it wasn’t until she had spent all her money and exhausted every avenue at her disposal that she came to Jesus. Had she had more money, or another doctor to turn to she may never have come to Jesus.

It was desperation that caused Jairus to risk his reputation by coming to Jesus because his daughter was dying. It was desperation that caused Bartimaeus to cry for mercy, despite the persecution of those around him. In 2 Kings 4, it was desperation that brought the widow woman to the prophet, her husband had died and left her in debt, and her creditors were coming to make slaves of her two sons. Her desperation created an avenue for a miracle of divine provision, as she poured from her pot of oil into many borrowed vessels.

Friends I know what it’s like to struggle with the feelings of desperation, when you’ve done all you know how to do. You have prayed, fasted, you’ve confessed, and it seems like nothing has changed. I’m on a mission from God this morning to tell you to get ready, because on the other side of your desperation is a miracle, is a greater revelation of Jesus than you have ever known.

Desperation is like the last stages of pregnancy. You’re uncomfortable, nothing feels quite right, you cry for no specific reason, your emotions are right on the surface all the time, none of your clothes fit you, you can’t sit where you used to sit, and you’re desperate to get it over with. Meanwhile, something inside is growing, you may not be able to see what it I or touch it, but everyone can see your pregnant.

That’s the way it is for those who follow the voice of the Lord, even in the storm that creates desperation. There is a ministry growing inside you, a new anointing growing inside you, a special gift, a new vision, or a new level. Something is getting ready to be birthed, and desperation is that last stage before manifestation, and it is here that you either break down, or break through.

It is at this point that the devil will try to convince you that it’s not worth it. That God has changed his mind, that you misunderstood God, or that you just dreamed your own dream. I feel I need to let you know, to help you understand, that delay is not denial and desperation is a positive power when it causes you to surrender yourself completely to the one who, “even the winds and waves obey.”

Destination Destiny, All Aboard!

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (KJV)

“For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope.” (AMP)

God has a plan for all our lives. We often refer to it as our ‘destiny.’ It is a predetermined plan for the outcome of lives, but that plan is not forced upon, or even revealed to us, if we do not submit to the authority and Lordship of Jesus Christ. When we are in rebellion to God, we may see glimpses of what He desires for us, but we will never fully experience our ‘destiny,’ without complete surrender to His will.

Many have disputed predestination, but the bible is full of this truth. God predetermined that through Isaac he would bless all the nations of the world. He predetermined Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nations, Samson to be a judge and a deliverer to Israel, and John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus. God predetermined for Jesus to die for the sins of the world, and to restore what Adam lost, before Adam ever sinned:

Revelation 13:8

“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

God has a perfect and divine plan for your life. God is a God of destiny and purpose, everything about Gods dealings with man is connected with purpose.

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 17

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven… I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”

Romans 8:28-30

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

God has a desired outcome, His will for every person; it is that they should be saved, and can be saved, and can be conformed to the image of His Son. But beyond this, there is God’s predetermined plan for your individual life, your ‘destiny.’

It is a tremendous disappointment to the heart of God, that there are so many who will never fulfill their destiny. We will never find our individual destiny until we have fully embraced His will. We must act upon the Word of God and seek to be conformed to the image of Jesus, following Him daily through obedience and faithfulness. You will never know your ‘destiny,’ if your life is not in submission to His will.

So many in the church wonder why they constantly struggle, they are constantly in turmoil, and they cannot figure out how to get stability. It is because they are not living a surrendered life. They want life on their terms, instead of on God’s. They talk the way they want, they dress the way they want, and they live the way they want. God has called us to be like Jesus, but they want to be like the world. God’s blessings will never fall on lives like these, never!

Whether you reach your destiny, or not, is not up to God, or the devil. God has already predetermined what he desires for your life. Now it is up to you to set your course so that you reach your destiny.

We set the course of our destiny with our tongues. The Apostle James compared the tongue to a bit in a horse’s mouth, a rudder of a ship, and to a fire. The bit and the rudder, show us how something very small has the power to determine the course of something very large.

The tongue is compared to a fire, it can literally set on fire the course of nature. The tongue can totally alter the natural course of your life. The tongue is said to be an unruly member, full of deadly poison. The power of Your tongue in setting the course of your destiny.

Your life is that ship and your life always moves in the direction of your most dominant thoughts, and your most dominant thoughts will always find expression through your tongue.

Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

Luke 6:45: “For Of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaketh.”

Your tongue is the rudder of your life: You will either steer your life toward your destiny or away from it, with your tongue.

Proverbs 18:21

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

Your life today is the fruit of your words. With your tongue, you determine what comes to you in life

Mark 11:23

“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”

You Speak what you believe, and when you speak what you believe it releases faith, and that faith that is released in your words will produce fruit, according to your faith.

Job 22:28

“Thou shalt decree a thing and it shall be established unto thee.”

Galatians 6:7

“Be not deceived God Is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.”

Your words are seeds: You are sowing your destiny with the words you speak. I used to tell young people that I pastored, what you allow to come into your eyes and ears, takes seed in your heart, and once it takes seed in your heart it will eventually come off your tongue, and once it comes off your tongue it begins to steer your life.

Take control of the rudder of your life, seek holiness in all you do: in what your watch, in what you participate in, in your conversations, in the way you dress, and by speaking according to the Word of God.

Do not be conformed any longer to the patterns of this world, do not allow yourselves to be deceived by man-made logic and traditions that are not based in the principles of Christ, and offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, “holy and acceptable to God.” 

Set the course of your destiny by saying about yourself what God has already said about you: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light,” and you will find yourself moving quickly in the direction of your destiny.

The Road Home

Luke Chapter 15

There are three stories being told in the fifteenth chapter of Luke, but the moral of each of these stories is clear: Lost things matter to God.

To really understand this story, you must pay careful attention to the first couple of verses. If you read intently, you will see that there is a great deal of tension in these verses. Jesus was given many titles in the New Testament: The Door, The Light of the World, The Alpha and Omega, but in this passage, we see him labeled, though not with affection, “Friend of Sinners.”

In the first story, a farmer has one-hundred sheep and one gets lost. Jesus shows us how the Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and goes on a search and rescue mission for the one. In the second story, a widow loses one of her coins and then turns the house upside down to find it. And when the lost son returns home, he finds the father not just waiting on him, but running to meet the son he has been eagerly watching for in the distance. There are many things we could point out about these three stories but there’s really one common thread: Whenever the lost are found, there is rejoicing.

In verse six the farmer calls his friends together and he says, “rejoice with me, I have found my lost lamb.”

In verse nine the widow says, “rejoice with me, I have found my lost coin.”

And when the lost son returns home the father throws a party, and again, they all rejoice.

I relate more to the son, so that is what I want to focus on today. He wants his inheritance and he wants it while his father is still alive. This was the same as saying, “Father, I’m eager for you to die.”

Normally in this situation a father would disown the son for making such a request. But instead the father gives it to him. He takes the money, leaves home and goes to a place the Bible refers to as a distant country. And there he spends his money down to the last cent. A famine comes in so not having any cash, he finds work. And the only thing he can find is to slop hogs. I’m pretty sure this was not the job he dreamed of, growing up as a Jew.

So how did he get to this place? How do you move from a life of luxury to living in a pigpen? Well actually it’s not as difficult as it may sound. The explanation, in my assessment, is simple: He was selfish, we all are to some degree because it’s in our nature, but he allowed his selfish desires to rule his heart.

Here’s why I relate to this story so much – I got lost the same way. After decades of preaching about the nature of all sin being rooted in selfishness, I forgot to ‘beat my body, and make it my slave.’

These are the words of the Apostle Paul, he says that we must do this as ministers of the Gospel, ‘so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

One decision of selfishness, led to another, and before long I was on the road to a distant country. A place I didn’t have any business going, because it led me away from the Father’s house.

I made a long string of bad decisions. This is the way sin works its way into our lives - one bad decision leads to another. You tell yourself, “I’m in pain, so it’s okay to take more of the medication than the doctor prescribed... Grandpa used to drink whiskey when he was sick... it’s not a sin to medicate yourself, and it just continues. Pretty soon you’re about 15 bad decisions down the road and then it’s just easier to keep traveling in the wrong direction.

Notice now what happens in verse 14. There was a famine in the distant country. That’s what happens when we lose our direction and we stray away. Everything looks good, plenty of opportunity; soon the money runs out, the road runs out and then you’ve lost everything. One who had it all, has now lost everything. He has bottomed out, and he realizes it. He came to his senses.

Philip Yancey tells the story of a prodigal daughter who grew up in a small town in Michigan. Fed up with her old-fashioned parents who didn’t like the music she listens to, the length of her skirts, she runs away. She ends up in Detroit where she meets a man who drives the biggest car she’s ever seen. She calls him boss. He recognizes that since she’s underage, men would pay a premium for her so she goes to work for him. For a while she thinks life is good. But she gets sick for a few days and it amazes her how quickly the boss turns on her. Before she knows that she’s out on the street without a penny to her name. She earns very little and all the money goes to support her drug habit. One night while sleeping outside, she began to feel less like a woman of the world and more like a little girl again. She begins to cry. God, “why did I leave?” My dog back home eats better than I do now. She knows that more than anything in the world she wants to go home. She calls home…three straight phone calls home and she is connected with the answering machine every time. Finally, she leaves a message. Mom, dad, it’s me. I was wondering about maybe coming home. I’m catching a bus up your way and it’ll get there about midnight tomorrow. If you’re not there, I’ll understand.

It was a seven-hour bus ride so she has plenty of time to prepare her speech for her father. And when the bus comes to a stop in a small town where she was raised the driver announces the 15 minutes stop. 15 minutes to decide her life. She walks into the terminal not knowing what to expect. But not one of the thousands seems that have played out in her mind prepares her for what she sees. There in the bus terminal stands a group of 40 brothers and sisters and great aunts and uncles and cousins and a grandmother and great-grandmother to boot. They’re all wearing party hats and blowing noisemakers and taped across the entire wall of the terminal is a large banner that reads-'Welcome Home!'

I remember when I came to my senses. I had left the ministry, moved to a city about 90 miles from home to work, I eventually called my wife one night and told her, “I think we should get a divorce. I’m never coming home.”

I had been living a double life. The next evening my phone rang, I saw it was my father-in-law, I hit the ignore button. He kept calling, so I just answered so he would stop bothering me. He said, “What is going on?”

I knew he had been told. I responded, “I am tired of not getting what I need, I do not want to be married anymore, I am going to do what I want from now on.”

Then he spoke words to me that I will never forget, “Where was God in anything that just came out of your mouth? Did you mean anything that you have preached for the last 20 years?”

I hung up on him. About a week later I found myself lying in the middle of the hi-way, unable to move my legs after a head on collision with a minivan, on my motorcycle. I knew I was about to die, and I was going to hell. 

I called my wife, while lying in the middle of that road, and told her I just wrecked the bike and I don’t think I’m going to make it. When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, she was already there.

I didn’t see anger in her face, I didn’t see happiness either, I seen love – I got a glimpse of the face of Jesus, “Friend of Sinners.”

I repented and asked the Lord to forgive me. Three days later, broken back and all, I walked out of that hospital. And the next day I called her and asked if I could come home. She had every right to say no. I had given her grounds to divorce me, but she didn’t hesitate to drive that 90 miles and get me. She brought me home. There was some healing that needed to take place, but that was years ago - it hasn't been perfect and neither am I, but I have been completely sober for 4 years now, I was baptized in Jesus' name, and filled with the Holy Ghost three years ago, God is good!

Friends I shared this today, got up out of bed a 3 a.m., to tell you this: it doesn’t matter how far down the road you’ve traveled from the Father’s house, He’s waiting, He’s watching for you in the distance, and as soon as He sees that you have turned around and are headed home, He will run to meet you and walk you to His house.

It's Time to Fight Fire, With Fire!

Exodus 7:10-12

“So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what the Lord had commanded them. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent! [11] Then Pharaoh called in his own wise men and sorcerers, and these Egyptian magicians did the same thing with their magic. [12] They threw down their staffs, which also became serpents! But then Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.”

There is a word that has been in my mind all week, it’s the word ‘Fire.”

If someone were to walk into a room and yell, ‘FIRE,” the whole atmosphere would change, hearts would race, eyes would open wide, nobody would just sit there, everyone would be looking for the exits wondering where the fire is, and somebody would run for the fire extinguisher.

But I want to tell you this morning about a fire, that we don’t want to run from. A fire, that we’re not looking to extinguish, and that shouldn’t send us running for the exits. Friends I am talking about a fire that we should be crying out for; the fire of the Holy Ghost!

What we're seeing in this text is a power confrontation: The power of hell versus the power of God. I am compelled to tell you today; the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ must catch FIRE. There is an unholy, satanic, and demonic fire that is being unleashed in the earth today; and the sleepy, sloppy, passive, half-hearted slumbering, half-baked churches and church members aren’t qualified to deal with it. It’s going to take a Holy Ghost Fire baptized church that can pray heaven down and cast hell out.

Hell is on fire: The devil is sending his fire out against the church. In other words, the snakes are coming out of the woodpile, they're coming out of hiding, they are bringing hell fire destruction, and friends I’m telling you, that a bunch of wet blankets won’t extinguish their poison.

I am sure that most of you have heard the saying, “You’ve got to fight fire with fire.” Well, it’s true; nothing less than the fire of God that can put out hell's fire.

Even Shakespeare spoke of this fire against fire, “Be stirring as the time; be fire with fire; threaten the threatener, and outface the brow of bragging horror.”

Friends you might be saying by now, “you’re laying it on pretty thick aren’t you, surely it’s not that bad?” Yes, it is that bad! And any Pastor, minister, evangelist, or leader that does not sound the fire alarm to anyone who will listen is failing in their call, and is inviting disaster.

When witches are banding together and calling for the country to join them in casting spells hexes and curses against the president and the Supreme Court: We have a problem and it's not a disagreement of political parties, it's spiritual warfare! The snakes are coming out of the wood piles!

 And the most important thing the ministry can do today is to equip the saints to fight.

It's time for the Church to pray! ‘Now I lay me down to sleep’ prayers won't work here. If the church in the book of Acts would have prayed those type of wimpy prayers for Peter, he would have died. But the church went into deep spiritual warfare, they went into heaven-shaking, hell-breaking, unceasing prayer, and God sent an angel who delivered Peter from the same fate that James suffered.

It's time for the church to wake up! This is no time for the church to rest on her laurels, is the time for the church to catch fire!

I haven’t been focused on the Holy Ghost so much lately, because I think it would be neat for you to speak in tongues. I am focused on the baptism in the Holy Ghost, because hell is being unleashed against the church and in the world, and the only thing that will qualify you, equip you, and empower you to fight against it, is the Power of the Holy Ghost and Fire.

The Holy Ghost baptism is a fire baptism, you cannot separate the fire from the Holy Ghost. Fire has always been a symbol of the Lords presence among his people. Fire has always been an identifying characteristic of the people of God. Fire is heavens answer to our prayers, and it is heavens solution for our weakness. Fire is Heavens witness to an acceptable sacrifice, any time God finds an acceptable sacrifice he testifies and responds to it, and answers from heaven by fire.

Romans 12:1

“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.”

Fire is Contagious; if there is material, the fire will burn. Proverbs 26:20 says, “Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out:”

Wherever there are hungry hearts, the fire will burn!

The Fire of God will burn out of you everything that is not like God; it will burn out selfishness, anger, drug addiction, alcoholism, lust, bigotry, fear, pride, deceitfulness, and unforgiveness. There are too many people in the church who want to know God, just as ‘Blesser,’ but God is not just a “Blesser,’ He is a possessor! God wants to possess you, He wants to fill you, control you, and flow through you. Jesus, the Holy Ghost, wants to make you a channel of his power.

When the Holy Ghost came on the day of Pentecost: He came as a rushing mighty wind and tongues of fire. Why? Because God knew the church without power was no match for the devil. He knew that hell’s fire was burning against the church, and the only thing that could put it out was fire From Heaven.

It’s still true today: I pray about many things through the week, but at the top of my list, and first in priority is, God send the fire. Baptize me with fresh Holy Ghost, and Baptize your church in the Holy Ghost.

The fire of God is not a mental concept or idea to be analyzed by the mind: The fire of God is the tangible manifested power of God – it is Heaven touching earth. The power of God invading the earth's realm, consuming your mind, your soul, your body, and setting you on fire for his Kingdom Sake.

This is not a time for the Church to go AWOL, it is the time for the church to catch fire, so that we can fight hell’s fire with fire from Heaven.

What's In Your Belly?

John 7:37-39 (KJV)

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

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.

Acts 2:38

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Friends, if you haven’t figured it out by now, I am a Pentecostal, and this morning the message the Lord has given me to share is from the heart of a man who knows that trying to live a holy life without the power that comes from the baptism of the Holy Ghost, is impossible.

For generations, the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and the ministration thereof has been going through a process of disintegration; not from Gods perspective, but from man’s perspective. Disintegrate means to break apart, dissolve, to break up, or crumble. We have reached the place where even within many so-called ‘Pentecostal' denominations, the baptism of the Holy Ghost has been reduced to the mere acknowledgement of an indwelling presence of Jesus experienced by all believers.

There is today, not only a depreciation for speaking with other tongues as the spirit gives the utterance as the initial sign and evidence of being Spirit filled, there is tremendous opposition against speaking in tongues; because it is not seeker friendly. We are told that it is putting emphasis on the wrong thing and that by acknowledging speaking in tongues as the initial sign and evidence of being baptized, that we are belittling those who do not speak with other tongues. That’s hogwash, and it’s not scriptural!

Friends, if we are going to be New Testament believers, if we are going to be a book of Acts church, and be followers of Jesus, then we must do what he told us to do and follow the example of the Apostles in the book of Acts!

On the day of Pentecost all that were in the upper room were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance, and every occasion, in the book of Acts (the only NT book that records anyone being filled with the Holy Ghost), when they were filled with the Holy Ghost, they spoke with other tongues.

When the door of grace opened to the gentiles, they received this same gift and spoke with other tongues. And the Jewish believers that were there, knew that they had received the gift of the Holy Ghost. How? “And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. (Acts 10:45-46)”

They knew because, 'they heard them speak with tongues.' And all those there this time spoke the same language, so that different languages thing is out the window this time!

Why is speaking in tongues so important? As my pastor would say, “Glad you asked.”

Because it the reception and activation of this initial gift of the Holy Ghost that opens the door to the operation and the manifestation of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit that are listed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12.

The Holy Ghost in you by virtue of the baptism in the Holy Ghost is the river of Ezekiel 47, that brings life everywhere it flows, but it is through the gifts of the Spirit that this river travels and extends itself.

John 7: 38-39 “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

There are no rivers until we receive the Holy Spirit. It is impossible to experience the full, free, and abundant life that Jesus came to give us without the baptism of the Holy Ghost. And without the living water being placed in us by faith, it is impossible for the rivers to bring the blessings of the supernatural power of God into contact with the needs of the lost. Jesus in you, is a blessing to you alone, but it is Jesus flowing out of you through the gifts of the Spirit, that make you a blessing to others.

We must come back to the original purpose and power of the giving of the Holy Ghost: He is to first be in us as helper, teacher, comforter, illuminator, counselor, friend, and power to live a holy life. Then, He is to flow out of us by virtue of the gifts, to bring salvation, healing, deliverance, miracles, and signs and wonders, to set people free.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, (because) he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised… (Luke 4:18)”

How did Jesus do those things? By the gifts of the spirit: every blind eye opened, every demon cast out, every sick body he healed, feeding the multitudes, walking on water, calming the storm with His word, raising Lazarus from the dead, was all one or more of the gifts of the spirit at work in His life.

Acts 10:38

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”

That’s how Jesus did it: By the anointing of the Holy Ghost through the mighty gifts of the Spirit.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. (John 14:12)”

Someone might say: ‘Well the gifts of the spirit are only for certain individuals.’ Yes, they are, they are for humans: born again, blood bought, blood washed humans! “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal (1 Corinthians 12:7)

I like the way the Contemporary English Version puts it,” The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others.”

Why should we desire spiritual gifts? First, because the Word tells us to. Second, so that we can participate in the process of building up the Church, The Body of Christ. And thirdly, so that we have the power to overthrow the devil’s kingdom in the hearts and lives of lost men and women. The enemy’s kingdom is real, and it is through the gifts of the spirit that we meet the challenges of the enemy and bring deliverance to the oppressed.

Why are so many people unconcerned about the gifts of the Spirit and the operation of these gifts in their lives? Because they are not committed to living a holy life, because they are not committed to the building up and edifying of the church, and they are unconcerned about the condition of the world around them - unconcerned in the sense that they are unwilling to take steps that can make the difference.

To not Know these mighty gifts of power are available is ignorance, but to know and not care, and make no steps to receive them is foolishness.

Acts 2:38 - 39 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

The promise of the Holy Ghost is to whosoever will repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and the gifts of the spirit are offered, to every believer, on the same basis.

You Don't Have to Be a Blind Beggar

Mark 10:46-52

46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, ‘Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.’

48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, ‘Thou son of David, have mercy on me.’

49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, ‘Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.’

50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?’ The blind man said unto him, ‘Lord, that I might receive my sight.’

52 And Jesus said unto him, ‘Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.’ And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

I’m going to start by stating with authority; someone reading this word is about to be transformed.  God is giving you the opportunity today, to receive your sight. Your eyes are about to be opened to see the life that God has prepared for you. Satan has been lying to you! The devil has been deceiving you, and you’ve been unable to picture what the unfettered power of the Holy Ghost can do in you, and through you. But if you will receive this word today, God’s about to bless you with an incredible vision.

It’s time for you to get indignant, downright angry at the devil. It’s time for you to stand up in the anointing, to move out in faith, and go after your inheritance in Christ. You don’t have to be a victim of your circumstances, sickness can’t stop you, your past can’t stop you, doubters can’t stop you, finances can’t stop you; your circumstances don’t determine your destiny. Stop wearing your circumstances like chains, stop letting them hold you in bondage, stop letting them blind you to the overcoming power you have through the Holy Ghost, and stop letting them keep you from the abundant life that Jesus came to give.  It’s time to break the chains! It’s time to let the Holy Ghost open your eyes so you can see what God sees, and it is time for you to possess the promises!

Blind Bartimaeus represents those trapped in the darkness of sin.  Before we met Jesus we were foul, unclean, polluted by sin, and yet we were so important to God that He manifested Himself in the flesh, He became a man, and He dies for our sins so that we could be free from our sin, so that we could walk in a newness of life, through the power of God, the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Ghost, who lives in every true child of God.

You may be a millionaire, you may live in a mansion, but if you don’t know Jesus, you are no different than a homeless beggar, or someone who is a slave to alcohol and drugs. Without Jesus everyone is in the same condition: blind, lost and polluted by sin. There is only one cure for rich and poor alike, the blood of Jesus.

However, Bartimaeus also represents another group, not in the world but in the church, people who are in the body of Christ, who love God, who are saved, but are living a limited life.  They are living like beggars. They live with the mindset that they are not worthy, that if they could just get the crumbs from the Masters table, they would be satisfied. They are living in spiritual blindness. They are blind to their inheritance in Christ, unaware that being worthy has nothing to do with us and everything to do with Jesus. Our righteousness is in him, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” – II Corinthians 5:21

Jesus didn’t come to give us crumbs, He came to give us life and that more abundantly (John 10:10): many have gone to great lengths for eternal life, but fail to experience abundant life right here, right now. Jesus came to give us power to live extraordinary lives, and yet so many are satisfied with crumbs.

The road represents the place where the business of life is going on.  And Jesus is coming toward you on the road and He carries with Him, the anointing that brings peace, joy, abundant life, and God’s favor.  Too many of God’s children are like Bartimaeus, stuck on the side of the road begging.  People who love God and yet they are willing to live a substandard life. Willing to eat a bologna sandwich, when there is a T-bone steak laid out before them, and all they have to do is make the effort receive it.

Too many of Gods people are saved but they’re living on crumbs, just getting by, trying to hang on and hold out till Jesus comes, saved but living defeated lives.  You are discouraged, anxious, fearful, worried, and stressed out.  You have no peace, no joy, and your life is a life of want, and not abundance.  Jesus didn’t come to bring us a “crumby” life, a life of just getting by, of just surviving, or of just holding on by a thread.  He came to give us abundant life, unlimited life, and a life of Joy unspeakable and full of glory.  He came to give us peace like a river and power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy.

One day Blind Bartimaeus the beggar heard Jesus was coming and he decided that day he wanted abundant life.  He decided he was tired of begging, tired of living on crumbs, tired of being in want, always in need, always in lack, always coming up short, and just barely surviving.

What happened to Bartimaeus that delivered him from the place of living the life of a beggar, with no vision, no dreams, no passion, no hope of better days, just getting by living on crumbs? You say Jesus healed him: Yes, but before healing came, something else happened in him.

First he recognized he had a need and acknowledged his deficiency.  Second, He became desperate for a change, desperate for abundant life, desperate for vision, and he wanted deliverance from a life of impotency, from a powerless life. Third, he recognized that Jesus was the only one who could deliver him, who could open his eyes and bring him into a life of vision, a life of power and abundance.  And finally he sold out, he tossed convention to the side, he wasn’t worried about what anyone thought, he would not be hindered by his circumstances, and did whatever it took to get Jesus’ attention.

A lot of people want what Jesus has, but they’re unwilling to pay for it. No you can’t buy a miracle, you can’t buy Gods presence or power with money.  But it’s not free, it will cost you something: It will cost you your pride, it will cost you your preconceived religious ideas and traditions, it will cost you your old way of doing business, and you’ll have to do what the Holy Spirit tells you to do.  It will cost you time.  It will cost you your old associations, you’ll have to run with a different group of people.  It may even cost you your reputation among men, as you may be criticized and persecuted, you may be labeled a fanatic.

That’s why there are still a lot of blind beggars in the church, they would rather be blind than pay the price to be healed.  They would rather live on crumbs from someone else’s table than to pay the price to receive personal revelation and the abundant presence and power of Jesus in their lives. 

I’m not in a position to criticize: I used to be one of those people.  I would blindly follow and be led around by someone else, living off crumbs because I wasn’t willing to pay the price for personal revelation and have the power of God in my life.  It’s not sin that is keeping most Christians from the abundant life, its self.

Bartimaeus robe represents his old life, the life of “self”.  As he came to Jesus he cast away his robe. He put off the “self” life to receive abundant life.  The only way for you and I to receive the abundant life that Christ came for us to have, is to let the cross deliver us from ourselves.

Friends today God told me to speak to those still begging and remind you: The only way to resurrection power is through the cross.  The abundant life that God offers can only be manifested in us to the degree that the cross has exercised its power over “self” in our life. First comes repentance, we turn around and leave our old life, we throw off the coat of the beggar. Second, we must be baptized for the remission of sin – we follow Jesus in his death and resurrection. The we receive the Holy Ghost which gives us the power to live in Him (Acts 2:38).

Listen to what I am saying!  Your miracle, your healing, your deliverance, and your spiritual breakthrough are in His presence.  There is peace, joy, and restoration are in His presence.  Just lift your hands right now and begin to call on his name.  Don’t watch it pass you by!  Cry out to Jesus and get His attention. Don’t let His presence pass you by.

The Stone Rolling Voice of Jesus

In the first 40 verses of the 11th chapter in the book of John you find the amazing account of the resurrection of Lazarus. The story of Lazarus is one of my favorite stories of the New testament. I love the story of Lazarus because it reminds the reader that, it's not over till God says it's over!

It reminds us that: God can do anything, that God works in the darkest hour, that man's impossibilities are God's opportunities. It teaches us that God is not glorified by our sin, or sickness and disease, but he is glorified by our deliverance, our healing, and our salvation.

In the beginning of the account of Lazarus’ resurrection, word comes to Jesus that his friend Lazarus is sick, but Jesus does not rush off immediately to his rescue, Jesus waits 2 days to respond. So what? What are two days to Jesus? It could just as easily have been 12 years, like the woman with the issue of blood, or 38 years like the man at the Pool of Bethesda. The point is, that it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how long you been sick, or how wrong your choices have become, or how strong the chains that have you bound are; it is all the same to Jesus.

The same power that heals a headache, can drive cancer out of your body! The same power that heals a pulled muscle, can drive demons out. The same power provides bread and fish to feed the hungry can heal the blind, make the lame walk, make the deaf hear, and break the power of addiction!

After 2 days Jesus says, “Now Let’s go wake Lazarus up.” Jesus is even reluctant to speak of Lazarus as dead, he simply says: he's asleep and I'm going to wake him up. Because as far as God's power is concerned there is no difference.

God has put someone on my heart this morning, I don’t know who you are, but friend God told me to tell you, ‘your case it's not too hard for Jesus.’ It may be too hard for doctors, but Dr. Jesus will take your case. The marriage counselors may say there’s nothing else they can do; Jesus can restore your marriage. The devil is whispering that your life isn’t worth living anymore, Jesus said that he came to give you life and the devil is a liar! Jesus is the healer, and nothing is too hard for Him!

I love the story of Lazarus because it screams out to me, ‘It's never too late! Never give up! Never quit praying, never quit confessing, never quit praising God, never quit believing!’

We are living in a generation of spiritual zombies, people all around us are lost in a world of depravity, they are truly the walking dead. A generation of millions who have turned their backs on God. Our country is in danger of destruction, and it seems like there is no hope.

For many years the church has used this portion of Scripture to refer to what they have called the Lazarus generation. Because Lazarus represents a hopeless cause, an irreversible situation, a condition beyond repair. That which has gone beyond the Hope of no return, and that, which from all natural evidence is dead and buried.

That’s what it meant when they rolled the stone across the door: It meant, It’s over, it’s passed, it’s decided, it is what it is, and it’s never going to change. But you cannot refer to the story of Lazarus and end at the tomb! The message of Lazarus is one of redemption, of resurrection, of healing and wholeness and deliverance. At the voice of Jesus: Lazarus is raised from the dead and the end becomes a new beginning, where death had reigned life begins again.

And that is the message that God has given me today to proclaim to this Generation, ‘God is not finished with you! You may be bound, you may be full of demons, you make look dead, and act dead, you may look like you’re beyond hope, but at the Sound of His voice, the dead are raised! This generation is not unreachable, and they are not beyond hope.

But the answer is not in religion, it’s not in philosophies, or traditions of man. It’s not in our ideas, or superficial spirituality, or semi-religious songs! It’s not in the I’m okay, you’re okay, judge not lest ye be judged satanic everything goes mindset: Just like Lazarus, if this generation is to be raised from their slumber of death, they must hear the voice of Jesus!

John 5:25

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.”

The sad thing today is that: There are not many places today where Jesus voice is being heard. We’re hearing all kinds of goofy doctrine, and all kinds of self-help gurus, and cheap grace teachings, teachers and life coaches, but we don’t hear very many pure, simple, undiluted, unadulterated preachers of the gospel anymore.

When Lazarus hears the voice of Jesus he was resurrected, and if this Lazarus Generation hears the voice of Jesus they will also be resurrected. They might rise from the dead with green hair, with tattoos, with piercing all over their bodies, and they might even rise from the dead not sure of whether they are male or female, but they will rise and the Church must to be ready to loose them from their grave clothes.

We have to have enough of the love and the compassion of Christ to look beyond their past, and equip them for their destiny. If the Church is not able to do this: As far as making a difference in the world is concerned, the church is irrelevant.

Now I’m going to ratchet up a notch: Friends you might want to check your seat belt and make sure you’re buckled in. I Believe that if we were honest about it, we can see that the Lazarus generation has crept into much of the church in America today.

The church that has fallen asleep. It has become spiritually lifeless, dormant, and powerless. It is important to note that Lazarus was sick before he died. The church has become sick by mixing with the world, the spirit of worldliness has poisoned the church! Something that shouldn't be in the body has poisoned it! Sin is poison to the body of Christ! Sin kills, it destroys, it weakens, and it makes us cowards!

The wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are bold as a lion. (Proverbs 28:1)

Sin separates us from God, and robs us of our power!

Lazarus was sick, and by and large today, the Church is Sick. ‘He whom thou lovest is sick.’ God loves the church, but she is sick. Gambling, social drinking, fornication, adultery, pornography, homosexuality, shacking up, perversion, is poisoning churches. If you want to know why the Church today, for the most part, is powerless: it's because she's been drinking poison!

What are you saying preacher? I'm telling you that the church is asleep and many would even go so far as to say dead, But the good news is that Lazarus was raised from the dead! Even though he had been sick and died that wasn't the end of the story!

I don’t know about you, but I’m glad when I was sick and dead in my sin, a praying wife wouldn’t let go! She held onto God, kept praying, kept confessing the promises of God, and kept believing. And I once was dead, but I’m alive again in Jesus! Because He called out to me in the depths of the darkest sin, and I heard His voice. Praise God, I heard His voice!

Somebody I'm speaking to right now through these words, you are just like Lazarus, you are dead and stinking in your mess. But God. But God hasn’t written you off. You did everything you could to roll the stone in front of the door. God loves you too much to give up on you. Some of you are in a mess right now: but Jesus is coming to you.

Some of you feel like you've gone too far, you've done too much, you can never be saved, you can never be free, but that's why this story is in the Bible, to show you the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. To show you the power of His love, and to show you that the power of His love is greater than any Stone that sin has rolled across your life.