Marc & NorthGate Family,
Rhonda Whitmore
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Something in the Mail Today!
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Muchos Milagros
Miracles are normal. The supernatural has become natural. So normal and so natural in fact that it’s now difficult to muster up enthusiasm for the every day miracles that God is doing. Things like the ankles, backs, legs and diseases that run when we pray or the sinner that gets convicted by the Prophetic and gives their life to Jesus. That’s wrong, I know, but it’s a problem we’re dealing with. It’s a better problem than no healing and no power, but it is a problem. We can’t be ungrateful, we must not be ungrateful. Every healing and every miracle is a testament to God’s goodness and His great love for us and the people we are ministering to. Every soul saved and life delivered is a present tense, now demonstration of the power of the gospel.
So how do you fight becoming familiar with victory? How do you fight off what I term “Victory Fatigue”? You have to reach back into your history and attempt to remember what it was like when they didn’t get healed, when they didn’t get saved or didn’t get delivered. You have to drum up the old feelings of fear about talking to a stranger or insecurity that are so now long forgotten. Boldness is now the norm. I’m continually encouraged by the new and exciting ways our folks are pressing in and contending for more, but the water level has been raised. We’re not going back to where we were, we can never go back to where we used to be. There’s more, there’s so much more. We know this, we need this. Yet on our way to what is promised we must cherish what has already been realized or we risk losing it.
So we tell the testimonies and as we do so, we put ourselves in the shoes of the person we’re praying for and we rejoice. We thank God for what He is doing and has done. We are pressing in for more, but we are honoring what He is doing among us.
Check it out.
KINGDOM INVADES THE GAME
This testimony came in from Erin. They were at a high school football game recently and were having a slow night. So what did they do? They decided to liven things up!
"Several of us were in a group...we walked around for a bit...talked to a few people and nothing happened. Now, when I say "nothing happened" I mean, we gave some people prophetic words, and they were totally right on. We prayed for them, etc. But nothing really "took off". :)
So, I had this thought, "I'm not leaving until either something happens, or I preach the gospel to all of these kids".
Sooo, I stood up on the stone wall and shouted "Hey guys! I have some awesome news! Jesus is King and the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!"
I then told them we were here to prove it, and asked them if they needed healing, etc. They didn't, but they had friends and family that needed healing. So we prayed for them---which kind if got the attention of some kids... Bottom line, an hour later we were still there---healing kid’s ankles, knees, and hands. We taught the kids that since Jesus healed them, they had authority over that particular thing now. And we encouraged them to heal their friends and themselves...which they did!!! And their friends got healed! It was awesome!!!"
TELL THEM THEN SHOW THEM
An outreach team was in a local neighborhood and ran across a group of about 8-10 young people and started prophesying over them, releasing the Kingdom and telling them about the power of God.
A few minutes later, they went into the home of a lady we have been ministering to for several weeks and found out that she had injured her wrist, was in severe pain and was wearing a wrist brace. Not content to merely tell them about the power of God, they decided to SHOW the young people what they were just talking about. They called the kids and had them pray for the lady with the injured wrist. It was healed INSTANTLY! No pain, full mobility and she gave us the wrist brace! It's been added to the trophy wall!
LUMP DISSOLVED, ANKLE HEALED
One of our outreach teams prayed for a woman that had several lumps in her breast. After coming back they found that she had gone to the doctors, had a mammogram and the lumps had dissolved!
They also found out that she had pain in her ankle for the last 5 years after breaking it in an accident in two places. She couldn't go up or down stairs or put pressure on that foot and her toes wouldn't bend very far and always felt like they needed to pop but wouldn't. We prayed and she tested it out and she then went up and down stairs 3 times with no pain and then she moved her toes in like she couldn't before and when she moved them every time they would pop!
HOLY GHOST HIP REPLACEMENT
An outreach team was in a local neighborhood and prayed for a lady with severe hip pain during an equipping event we hosted recently. As they prayed for her, all pain left and she was able to walk normally without pain or lack of mobility. But that's not the best part...
The team came back a couple of weeks later only to find that she had been to the Doctors and demonstrated her lack of pain and mobility to her doctor. The Doctor was so surprised that he ordered a batch of X-Rays to see what had changed. What our outreach team did not know was that she had no cartilage in her hip, which was the cause of her pain. She was actually scheduled to have hip replacement surgery.
The doctor verified that where she once had NO cartilage, she now had PERFECT CARTILAGE! She is now pain free and has cut down on many of her once needed medications.
Come on Jesus!
So how do you fight becoming familiar with victory? How do you fight off what I term “Victory Fatigue”? You have to reach back into your history and attempt to remember what it was like when they didn’t get healed, when they didn’t get saved or didn’t get delivered. You have to drum up the old feelings of fear about talking to a stranger or insecurity that are so now long forgotten. Boldness is now the norm. I’m continually encouraged by the new and exciting ways our folks are pressing in and contending for more, but the water level has been raised. We’re not going back to where we were, we can never go back to where we used to be. There’s more, there’s so much more. We know this, we need this. Yet on our way to what is promised we must cherish what has already been realized or we risk losing it.
So we tell the testimonies and as we do so, we put ourselves in the shoes of the person we’re praying for and we rejoice. We thank God for what He is doing and has done. We are pressing in for more, but we are honoring what He is doing among us.
Check it out.
KINGDOM INVADES THE GAME
This testimony came in from Erin. They were at a high school football game recently and were having a slow night. So what did they do? They decided to liven things up!
"Several of us were in a group...we walked around for a bit...talked to a few people and nothing happened. Now, when I say "nothing happened" I mean, we gave some people prophetic words, and they were totally right on. We prayed for them, etc. But nothing really "took off". :)
So, I had this thought, "I'm not leaving until either something happens, or I preach the gospel to all of these kids".
Sooo, I stood up on the stone wall and shouted "Hey guys! I have some awesome news! Jesus is King and the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!"
I then told them we were here to prove it, and asked them if they needed healing, etc. They didn't, but they had friends and family that needed healing. So we prayed for them---which kind if got the attention of some kids... Bottom line, an hour later we were still there---healing kid’s ankles, knees, and hands. We taught the kids that since Jesus healed them, they had authority over that particular thing now. And we encouraged them to heal their friends and themselves...which they did!!! And their friends got healed! It was awesome!!!"
TELL THEM THEN SHOW THEM
An outreach team was in a local neighborhood and ran across a group of about 8-10 young people and started prophesying over them, releasing the Kingdom and telling them about the power of God.
A few minutes later, they went into the home of a lady we have been ministering to for several weeks and found out that she had injured her wrist, was in severe pain and was wearing a wrist brace. Not content to merely tell them about the power of God, they decided to SHOW the young people what they were just talking about. They called the kids and had them pray for the lady with the injured wrist. It was healed INSTANTLY! No pain, full mobility and she gave us the wrist brace! It's been added to the trophy wall!
LUMP DISSOLVED, ANKLE HEALED
One of our outreach teams prayed for a woman that had several lumps in her breast. After coming back they found that she had gone to the doctors, had a mammogram and the lumps had dissolved!
They also found out that she had pain in her ankle for the last 5 years after breaking it in an accident in two places. She couldn't go up or down stairs or put pressure on that foot and her toes wouldn't bend very far and always felt like they needed to pop but wouldn't. We prayed and she tested it out and she then went up and down stairs 3 times with no pain and then she moved her toes in like she couldn't before and when she moved them every time they would pop!
HOLY GHOST HIP REPLACEMENT
An outreach team was in a local neighborhood and prayed for a lady with severe hip pain during an equipping event we hosted recently. As they prayed for her, all pain left and she was able to walk normally without pain or lack of mobility. But that's not the best part...
The team came back a couple of weeks later only to find that she had been to the Doctors and demonstrated her lack of pain and mobility to her doctor. The Doctor was so surprised that he ordered a batch of X-Rays to see what had changed. What our outreach team did not know was that she had no cartilage in her hip, which was the cause of her pain. She was actually scheduled to have hip replacement surgery.
The doctor verified that where she once had NO cartilage, she now had PERFECT CARTILAGE! She is now pain free and has cut down on many of her once needed medications.
Come on Jesus!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Fall On The Rock!
Many times I have used the expression, “fall on the Rock!” It’s become something of a mantra for me when talking to other Christians. What I am doing is warning believers to embrace the cross and take initiative in humbling themselves. Lots of folks just look at me, kind of understanding but not really comprehending what I am saying to them.
Let’s make it clear:
And He looked at them and said, What then is this which is written, "The Stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the Head of the corner? Whoever shall fall on that Stone shall be broken, but on whomever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." Luke 20:17,18
In context, the Lord was telling the story about the owner of a filed that rented out his field to vinedressers. When the Lord of the vineyard sent his servants for fruit, the vinedressers beat and sent them away. Ultimately the Lord sent His son to them and they killed Him. The climax of the story is the owner of the vineyard coming back to take possession of his own vineyard and killing the workers that He hired! The point of this story is simple: be a good steward, the King is coming BACK.
Then the Lord tells them something amazing, He says:
“Whoever shall fall on that Stone shall be broken, but on whomever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." Luke 20:18
He tells them that He is the stone. More than that, He is making a statement that ultimately we will ALL be broken, regardless. It’s like we have no choice in the matter. God says that we can be broken big or broken small, but we WILL be broken! Of course, I would rather be broken in pieces than ground to powder and I don’t know anyone who is in their right mind that wants to be ground into powder. Big pieces are better.
So how do we fall on the rock?
TWO STORIES
There are two stories in the Bible of people that came to Jesus that illustrate this story very well. Both of them we are very familiar with, but did we understand the message? The first is the story of the rich young ruler:
“And behold, one came and said to Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? And He said to him, Why do you call Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. He said to Him, Which? Jesus said, You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and mother, and, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. The young man said to Him, I have kept all these things from my youth up; what do I lack yet?” Matthew 19:16-20
This young man came to Jesus seeking a good thing, eternal life. When Jesus gave him the answer, “keep the commandments” his response revealed his heart. Instead of humbly accepting the Word, he still sought to be justified and replied: “which commandment?” Jesus gave him a laundry list including don’t murder, don’t steal and don’t commit adultery. The young man tells Jesus that he has in fact kept ALL these commandments, yet still profoundly feels lack and Jesus’ response is extreme:
“Jesus said to him, If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven. And come, follow Me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.” Matthew 19: 21,22
Jesus tells him, “Ok, if you want to be perfect (complete) go and sell EVERYTHING you have and give it to the poor, then come and follow me.” Jesus upped the ante and basically told the guy, “Give it all away”. The man went away sad, because he was rich and had many possessions. This story is a dramatic example of the cost of the cross and for years has inspired many folks to give everything they have away to pursue perfection. Now, that’s noble, but I think we are missing the point.
Let’s look at another rich man that came to Jesus, Zaccheus:
“And going in, He passed through Jericho. And behold, there was a man named Zaccheus, who was a chief tax-collector. And he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus, to see who He was. And he could not because of the press, because he was little in stature. And he ran in front and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him. For He was to pass through that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him. And He said to him, Zaccheus! Hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house. And hurrying he came down, and received Him joyfully.” Luke 19:1-6
We find the same basic story, a man of resource came to Jesus, but this story ends much differently than the last one. We know that Zaccheus had wealth because he was a tax collector and tax collectors became very wealthy extorting money from Jews as they gathered tax revenue for Rome. We also know that he was dishonest:
“And seeing, they all murmured, saying, He has gone in to stay with a sinful man.” Luke 19:7
The people were offended with Jesus because He was staying with a sinful man. Zaccheus was a known liar and thief. Yet this story ended so differently than the previous one with the “righteous” young ruler. In hearing the murmuring of the people that he was a wicked man, Zaccheus response was immediate:
“And Zaccheus stood and said to the Lord, Behold, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor. And in anything I accused anyone falsely, I restore it fourfold.” Luke 19:8
Zaccheus stood and willingly gave HALF of his possessions to the poor and returned four-fold what he had stolen and defrauded. Jesus’ response was awesome:
“And Jesus said to him, This day salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham.” Luke 19:9
Jesus proclaimed over Zaccheus that salvation had come to him! How is that? The rich man was REQUIRED to give his ENTIRE house to experience the blessings of salvation and Zaccheus got off with only giving HALF! How does that work?
“And whoever shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he who shall humble himself shall be exalted.” Matthew 23:12
Simple. It’s a heart issue. God looks at the heart. The rich young ruler thought he was hot stuff, so the Lord raised the bar to a level that he couldn’t reach. Instead of humbling Himself, the Lord had to do it for him! The rock (Jesus) fell on the rich young ruler and he was reduced to powder. Trust me, we don’t want God humbling us, he does a much better job than we ever could. Zaccheus on the other hand humbled HIMSELF. He fell on the rock. His sacrifice and repentance was acceptable in the Lord’s sight because it was willingly offered.
The moral of this story?
FALL ON THE ROCK.
Let’s make it clear:
And He looked at them and said, What then is this which is written, "The Stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the Head of the corner? Whoever shall fall on that Stone shall be broken, but on whomever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." Luke 20:17,18
In context, the Lord was telling the story about the owner of a filed that rented out his field to vinedressers. When the Lord of the vineyard sent his servants for fruit, the vinedressers beat and sent them away. Ultimately the Lord sent His son to them and they killed Him. The climax of the story is the owner of the vineyard coming back to take possession of his own vineyard and killing the workers that He hired! The point of this story is simple: be a good steward, the King is coming BACK.
Then the Lord tells them something amazing, He says:
“Whoever shall fall on that Stone shall be broken, but on whomever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." Luke 20:18
He tells them that He is the stone. More than that, He is making a statement that ultimately we will ALL be broken, regardless. It’s like we have no choice in the matter. God says that we can be broken big or broken small, but we WILL be broken! Of course, I would rather be broken in pieces than ground to powder and I don’t know anyone who is in their right mind that wants to be ground into powder. Big pieces are better.
So how do we fall on the rock?
TWO STORIES
There are two stories in the Bible of people that came to Jesus that illustrate this story very well. Both of them we are very familiar with, but did we understand the message? The first is the story of the rich young ruler:
“And behold, one came and said to Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? And He said to him, Why do you call Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. He said to Him, Which? Jesus said, You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and mother, and, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. The young man said to Him, I have kept all these things from my youth up; what do I lack yet?” Matthew 19:16-20
This young man came to Jesus seeking a good thing, eternal life. When Jesus gave him the answer, “keep the commandments” his response revealed his heart. Instead of humbly accepting the Word, he still sought to be justified and replied: “which commandment?” Jesus gave him a laundry list including don’t murder, don’t steal and don’t commit adultery. The young man tells Jesus that he has in fact kept ALL these commandments, yet still profoundly feels lack and Jesus’ response is extreme:
“Jesus said to him, If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven. And come, follow Me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.” Matthew 19: 21,22
Jesus tells him, “Ok, if you want to be perfect (complete) go and sell EVERYTHING you have and give it to the poor, then come and follow me.” Jesus upped the ante and basically told the guy, “Give it all away”. The man went away sad, because he was rich and had many possessions. This story is a dramatic example of the cost of the cross and for years has inspired many folks to give everything they have away to pursue perfection. Now, that’s noble, but I think we are missing the point.
Let’s look at another rich man that came to Jesus, Zaccheus:
“And going in, He passed through Jericho. And behold, there was a man named Zaccheus, who was a chief tax-collector. And he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus, to see who He was. And he could not because of the press, because he was little in stature. And he ran in front and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him. For He was to pass through that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him. And He said to him, Zaccheus! Hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house. And hurrying he came down, and received Him joyfully.” Luke 19:1-6
We find the same basic story, a man of resource came to Jesus, but this story ends much differently than the last one. We know that Zaccheus had wealth because he was a tax collector and tax collectors became very wealthy extorting money from Jews as they gathered tax revenue for Rome. We also know that he was dishonest:
“And seeing, they all murmured, saying, He has gone in to stay with a sinful man.” Luke 19:7
The people were offended with Jesus because He was staying with a sinful man. Zaccheus was a known liar and thief. Yet this story ended so differently than the previous one with the “righteous” young ruler. In hearing the murmuring of the people that he was a wicked man, Zaccheus response was immediate:
“And Zaccheus stood and said to the Lord, Behold, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor. And in anything I accused anyone falsely, I restore it fourfold.” Luke 19:8
Zaccheus stood and willingly gave HALF of his possessions to the poor and returned four-fold what he had stolen and defrauded. Jesus’ response was awesome:
“And Jesus said to him, This day salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham.” Luke 19:9
Jesus proclaimed over Zaccheus that salvation had come to him! How is that? The rich man was REQUIRED to give his ENTIRE house to experience the blessings of salvation and Zaccheus got off with only giving HALF! How does that work?
“And whoever shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he who shall humble himself shall be exalted.” Matthew 23:12
Simple. It’s a heart issue. God looks at the heart. The rich young ruler thought he was hot stuff, so the Lord raised the bar to a level that he couldn’t reach. Instead of humbling Himself, the Lord had to do it for him! The rock (Jesus) fell on the rich young ruler and he was reduced to powder. Trust me, we don’t want God humbling us, he does a much better job than we ever could. Zaccheus on the other hand humbled HIMSELF. He fell on the rock. His sacrifice and repentance was acceptable in the Lord’s sight because it was willingly offered.
The moral of this story?
FALL ON THE ROCK.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Miracles by Madden
For you guys that don’t know Madden, Madden is a young lady that went to our church for a couple of months before leaving for college. Before going to college, we hung out on the streets and “did the stuff”. She also went with us on the team to Indiana and we saw all sorts of cool stuff. Well, Madden has continued to take the reality of the Kingdom with her everywhere she goes, “As She Goes”. Here is a note that she posted on Facebook about her Adventures in God:
*edited for length.
Do You Believe In Miracles? I do.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Jesus is King.
If you are "religious" you won’t like what this is about, and I am okay with that. Every Tuesday & Thursday for the past few months I’ve been with people in downtown Atlanta. The people I enjoy being with do drugs, they drink, and some of them are even homeless. I do not hold that against them, in actuality it makes me love and care for them even more. A group of people from NorthGate (www.ngca.org) go all over Atlanta and share about Jesus. Simply share what Jesus has TOLD us to do in Matthew 10:8.
"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."
To my “religious friends:” I have “stepped out of the box.” This box was put around me by the church. The chains of religion. Rules. Regulations. Fake Sunday smile. The typical “STANDARDS” of a church. Jesus didn’t have standards for the people who really wanted His heart. He never once said, “Get on your best clothes, shining shoes, newly cut hair, and come sing a hymn to me.”
I made this note to share with you the awesome things that Jesus is doing through me & my friends on a daily basis. He says ask and we will receive, so I am asking for supernatural experiences everywhere I go.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
August 4, 2009
I prayed for a lady that has been unable to walk, [in a wheelchair] for 14 years, she walked.
August 6, 2009
- A few friends and I prayed for a lady with hip pain. It was an 10 on a scale of 1-10, and went to a zero. She could walk again without any pain.
- A friend and I prayed for a guy's headache. It left instantly.
- A friend and I prayed for a guy's knee, it was a 6 on a scale of 1-10, pain left and went to "less than a 1."
August 13, 2009
- I prayed for a lady's headache, gone instantly.
- A few friends and I prayed for people in ATL tonight. 3 of them claimed Jesus as their King. New brother and sisters, that's what's up!!
- I attempted praying for a limping lady at Waffle House, and she dominated me(not a good dominate either). hahaha (Matthew 5:11)
August 17, 2009
- I was in class today, started a conversation with a girl next to me. She told me she was Methodist, but is now agnostic. I became very interested and I asked her what happened? I answered some questions she had and told her it’s not about church/religion, but relationship. I told her that I love Jesus with all my heart and that His power proves to me that He is real. I explained to her about deaf ears opening and blind people seeing. She then went on to tell me she has a brain tumor and constant headaches. I prayed for her headache, (starting was an 7/8 on a scale of 1-10), afterwards it was a 0! Thank you Jesus. I am believing for NO TUMOR, SHE IS TOO!
August 31, 2009
- I was in my dorm room with a friend that lives down the hall and she said, "Madden! Do you have any medicine? My back is KILLING." I replied, "Well, I believe I do but I could always just pray for your back and you won't need medicine." From what I understand, she doesn't do the whole "church thing" but she gave me permission to pray for her back. She said it was a 6 on a scale of 1-10, I prayed and nothing happened. But, her shoulder then began to hurt. I prayed for her shoulder, all pain left. I made her stand up, and then I prayed for her back again, all the pain left. Jesus is so awesome and showing Himself on this campus! YES!!
September ??, 2009
- A friend of mine has back pain, went from a two to a zero. Jesus is King over small pain too!
September 16, 2009
- A random guy at Wesley (organization on campus) was wearing a ankle brace. He said he felt pain, I prayed, and IN JESUS NAME all the pain left him instantly.
September 17, 2009
- I prayed for a friends "KILLER HEADACHE" and in Jesus name all of the pain left him on the spot. It was awesome, and Jesus is King over EVERYTHING. (Even hangover headaches)
September 19, 2009
- The same friend and I were walking around Wal-Mart waiting for Jesus to show us someone else. A man names George stuck out to me, so we talked to him. At this point George has two hearing aides and a knee brace. His knee was hurting as a 12 on a scale of 1-10. We prayed and commanded the pain and deafness to leave his body and it did! The pain went from a 12 to a 8, then to a zero. He said that before he has no cartilage in knee, but we prayed and afterwards he felt more strength than he ever has felt before. He was planned to have double knee replacement, but not we are all believing for this to not happen!! We walked away for a while, then we went back to talk to George again. We asked him how his hearing was and he took his hearing aides out! My friend and I began to whisper to him and he was talking back and having a PERFECT conversation. He said, "I can hear! I can hear without these hearing aides!!" After our whispering conversation he put the hearing aides in his pocket and walked away!!!! As I was praying I prayed, "Fire of God, burn these hearing aides up NOW in Jesus name." When we were talking later he told me, "My hearing aides are being burnt up. If they are not used the battery burns them up!" Deafness and a knee replacement DESTROYED in Jesus name!!!!
September 29, 2009
- A few weeks ago a friend told me that she possibly has breast cancer. We had people from NorthGate pray over a hanky, then we sent it to her in the mail. Today she is cancer free! Jesus is King over all sickness and diseases.
- Last night a friend of mine had a migraine. We prayed for it, and nothing was happening. We kept praying for it and the migraine went from VERY painful to nothing at all! We're believing for no more migraines. Migraines die in Jesus name!!
October 7, 2009
- I prayed for a guy who was weighed down with depression, anger, confusion, and also a hand that was broken and never healed. I prayed for his emotional problems, and Jesus healed my brother in Christ of those. I then prayed for his hand, and the bone snapped back into place! He was wearing a hand brace, took it off, and showed me the literal difference! It was insane, and Jesus can do unbelievable things. We started a wall of medical equipment in the Wesley Chapel!!
- After praying for him, a girl came up to Lydia and I and asked us to pray for her knees. Apparently she was born with her femurs twisted, and as a result her knees were out of place and her feet were twisted to the side. She has never been able to run around, sad. Lydia, Heidi, and I prayed for her knees and commanded them to get BACK IN PLACE IN JESUS NAME and THEY DID! It was a supernatural miracle, and it was the coolest thing to witness, her knees literally snapped back into place and she was able to jump around. I loved it! Jesus is King, and ALL sickness WILL BOW!
- Neck pain healed in Jesus name, Jesus is KING over all pain and sickness!!!!
Madden Sandlin
*edited for length.
Do You Believe In Miracles? I do.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Jesus is King.
If you are "religious" you won’t like what this is about, and I am okay with that. Every Tuesday & Thursday for the past few months I’ve been with people in downtown Atlanta. The people I enjoy being with do drugs, they drink, and some of them are even homeless. I do not hold that against them, in actuality it makes me love and care for them even more. A group of people from NorthGate (www.ngca.org) go all over Atlanta and share about Jesus. Simply share what Jesus has TOLD us to do in Matthew 10:8.
"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."
To my “religious friends:” I have “stepped out of the box.” This box was put around me by the church. The chains of religion. Rules. Regulations. Fake Sunday smile. The typical “STANDARDS” of a church. Jesus didn’t have standards for the people who really wanted His heart. He never once said, “Get on your best clothes, shining shoes, newly cut hair, and come sing a hymn to me.”
I made this note to share with you the awesome things that Jesus is doing through me & my friends on a daily basis. He says ask and we will receive, so I am asking for supernatural experiences everywhere I go.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
August 4, 2009
I prayed for a lady that has been unable to walk, [in a wheelchair] for 14 years, she walked.
August 6, 2009
- A few friends and I prayed for a lady with hip pain. It was an 10 on a scale of 1-10, and went to a zero. She could walk again without any pain.
- A friend and I prayed for a guy's headache. It left instantly.
- A friend and I prayed for a guy's knee, it was a 6 on a scale of 1-10, pain left and went to "less than a 1."
August 13, 2009
- I prayed for a lady's headache, gone instantly.
- A few friends and I prayed for people in ATL tonight. 3 of them claimed Jesus as their King. New brother and sisters, that's what's up!!
- I attempted praying for a limping lady at Waffle House, and she dominated me(not a good dominate either). hahaha (Matthew 5:11)
August 17, 2009
- I was in class today, started a conversation with a girl next to me. She told me she was Methodist, but is now agnostic. I became very interested and I asked her what happened? I answered some questions she had and told her it’s not about church/religion, but relationship. I told her that I love Jesus with all my heart and that His power proves to me that He is real. I explained to her about deaf ears opening and blind people seeing. She then went on to tell me she has a brain tumor and constant headaches. I prayed for her headache, (starting was an 7/8 on a scale of 1-10), afterwards it was a 0! Thank you Jesus. I am believing for NO TUMOR, SHE IS TOO!
August 31, 2009
- I was in my dorm room with a friend that lives down the hall and she said, "Madden! Do you have any medicine? My back is KILLING." I replied, "Well, I believe I do but I could always just pray for your back and you won't need medicine." From what I understand, she doesn't do the whole "church thing" but she gave me permission to pray for her back. She said it was a 6 on a scale of 1-10, I prayed and nothing happened. But, her shoulder then began to hurt. I prayed for her shoulder, all pain left. I made her stand up, and then I prayed for her back again, all the pain left. Jesus is so awesome and showing Himself on this campus! YES!!
September ??, 2009
- A friend of mine has back pain, went from a two to a zero. Jesus is King over small pain too!
September 16, 2009
- A random guy at Wesley (organization on campus) was wearing a ankle brace. He said he felt pain, I prayed, and IN JESUS NAME all the pain left him instantly.
September 17, 2009
- I prayed for a friends "KILLER HEADACHE" and in Jesus name all of the pain left him on the spot. It was awesome, and Jesus is King over EVERYTHING. (Even hangover headaches)
September 19, 2009
- The same friend and I were walking around Wal-Mart waiting for Jesus to show us someone else. A man names George stuck out to me, so we talked to him. At this point George has two hearing aides and a knee brace. His knee was hurting as a 12 on a scale of 1-10. We prayed and commanded the pain and deafness to leave his body and it did! The pain went from a 12 to a 8, then to a zero. He said that before he has no cartilage in knee, but we prayed and afterwards he felt more strength than he ever has felt before. He was planned to have double knee replacement, but not we are all believing for this to not happen!! We walked away for a while, then we went back to talk to George again. We asked him how his hearing was and he took his hearing aides out! My friend and I began to whisper to him and he was talking back and having a PERFECT conversation. He said, "I can hear! I can hear without these hearing aides!!" After our whispering conversation he put the hearing aides in his pocket and walked away!!!! As I was praying I prayed, "Fire of God, burn these hearing aides up NOW in Jesus name." When we were talking later he told me, "My hearing aides are being burnt up. If they are not used the battery burns them up!" Deafness and a knee replacement DESTROYED in Jesus name!!!!
September 29, 2009
- A few weeks ago a friend told me that she possibly has breast cancer. We had people from NorthGate pray over a hanky, then we sent it to her in the mail. Today she is cancer free! Jesus is King over all sickness and diseases.
- Last night a friend of mine had a migraine. We prayed for it, and nothing was happening. We kept praying for it and the migraine went from VERY painful to nothing at all! We're believing for no more migraines. Migraines die in Jesus name!!
October 7, 2009
- I prayed for a guy who was weighed down with depression, anger, confusion, and also a hand that was broken and never healed. I prayed for his emotional problems, and Jesus healed my brother in Christ of those. I then prayed for his hand, and the bone snapped back into place! He was wearing a hand brace, took it off, and showed me the literal difference! It was insane, and Jesus can do unbelievable things. We started a wall of medical equipment in the Wesley Chapel!!
- After praying for him, a girl came up to Lydia and I and asked us to pray for her knees. Apparently she was born with her femurs twisted, and as a result her knees were out of place and her feet were twisted to the side. She has never been able to run around, sad. Lydia, Heidi, and I prayed for her knees and commanded them to get BACK IN PLACE IN JESUS NAME and THEY DID! It was a supernatural miracle, and it was the coolest thing to witness, her knees literally snapped back into place and she was able to jump around. I loved it! Jesus is King, and ALL sickness WILL BOW!
- Neck pain healed in Jesus name, Jesus is KING over all pain and sickness!!!!
Madden Sandlin
Thursday, October 01, 2009
America’s ONLY Hope
Freedom and personal liberty are being stripped away at historic levels, our national debt is rising and the flood of immorality threatens the fabric of this land called America. Called to be both the salt and light of the world, more than I have ever seen, Christians are feeling the urge to “do something” to affect the situation. Many organizations both inside and outside the church are responding to the groundswell in the Christian community offering a/the “solution(s)” that, through some clever Biblical exegesis seems right, righteous and Biblical. From protesting to praying, Christians ARE mobilizing in record numbers for purposes, both political and moral.
Yet in all our fervor, it seems that we are neglecting the simple solution that Jesus gave us for all the ills of humanity:
Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom.
Yeah, I know, just saying that seems so tired and worn. It’s not nearly as exciting as maybe protesting, picketing or a prayer vigil. But it’s what we have to work with. How did the Gospel become so unpopular among Christians? Why is preaching the Gospel with power something we never do? Why will we pray, fast and worship for years on end but neglect preaching to the lost? Why can we mobilize for a march but not for preaching the message? Why are we so free and bold to “tell is like we see it” in a political discussion online yet so scared to tell our neighbor about Jesus?
How did preaching the Gospel become the last resort?
WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN
I believe that most Christians don’t know what we have been given in the Gospel. If we did, we would be more vocal about Jesus and His Kingdom than we would be about voicing our opinion on the latest newsbyte. I am not saying that political action or commentary is bad, it’s not. I’m not saying that prayer vigils or fasting is bad, it isn’t. It’s just not what Jesus told us to do to save a lost and dying world, that’s all.
I get the feeling that we think our problems in this day and age are unique, new and different than the ones Jesus faced in his generation. Maybe they are of a different scope and magnitude, but Jesus’ words and His solutions to the problems of humanity are timeless! They will work, IF we use them.
Boldly and brazenly I will tell you exactly WHY we as a country have found ourselves in such a dire predicament: We don’t preach or live the Gospel.
If we did, there would be no abortion problem, no national debt, near 100% employment and no healthcare debate. There would be no reason to protest immorality, pray against corruption or fast for righteous judges.
THE ABORTION SOLUTION
Abortion is the termination of life inside the womb. In the vast majority (95%) of abortions performed in the US, the main factor is not the health of the mother or baby or an abortion of a child caused by rape or incest but rather a simple inconvenience on the part of the mother. That’s right; most babies are aborted because the presence of a child in the mother’s life does not suit her. Juniors’ presence isn’t convenient so let’s kill the baby! From 1973 through 2005, more than 45 million legal abortions occurred in the US.
It’s right that the church is outraged over such a holocaust of the unborn. But her chosen solution to end this siege on life is unbiblical and largely ineffective.
God’s solution to abortion is simple. Preach the Gospel to the lost that are having abortions, leading them into a relationship with the Lord of Life. No Christian, full of the Holy Spirit would or could ever consider abortion as an option. If you have, you are not saved. That means that every person you have ever led to the Lord eliminated one person from the pool of eligible abortion participants. It’s actually very simple. Instead of being reactive against the sins of lost people, why not bring in the lost? Seriously, if the church spent one tenth of the time she spends protesting, praying or fasting about abortion in actually preaching the Gospel to people that have abortions, abortion would be a non-issue in a matter of a few years. Let’s have a real life movement that takes all the research that’s been done, identifies the primary recipients of abortions and mobilize to preach the Gospel to that demographic!
Why don’t we stop trying to change the laws that sinners cower under to excuse their sin and just get down to the dirty business of winning the lost?. What about a life movement that is pro-active instead of reactive? Why are we acting surprised at what sinners do and the laws that they pass? And speaking of immoral laws, here is the solution to the problem of liberal activist judges that pass laws that corrupt the fabric of our society: Preach the Gospel to lawyers.
Fewer lost = less sin.
It’s so simple no one will do it.
THE HEALTH CARE SOLUTION
A huge topic in the news now is the great Health care debate of 2009. Both sides generally agree that insurance premiums are skyrocketing and millions of people in America don’t have access to quality health care. Both sides are also proposing “solutions” that are extremely complicated and expensive.
What can the church do about this HUGE problem?
Look at the church in the book of Acts! When they prayed, people were healed. So many in fact that they brought in the sick from the surrounding towns and they were ALL healed! (Acts 5:16) Healing is as much in the Atonement that Jesus provided as the salvation of your soul and the forgiveness of your sins. The church has lost the conviction of this fact and has abdicated her responsibility to heal the sick to the government. Government is not responsible to heal or provide for the healing of those in our land, the church is! Jesus sent His disciples out in Luke to:
“And He sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Luke 9:2
Preach the Gospel and heal the sick; two things that the church won’t do. We’ll protest and we’ll pray but we have been called to preach and heal! Maybe instead of supporting one side over the other in the healthcare debate we should open a new front in the debate! What if our city or our town was recognized in the news as being one of the healthiest cities in the nation? Say it’s not possible? It’s already happened! From 1915 – 1920 John G. Lake trained a small group of minister’s that prayed for the sick and ministered healing full time. In 5 years they had over 100,000 documented cases of healing and were declared to be the healthiest city in the US! If Christians got serious about healing the sick, maybe a third option would open in this great healthcare debate? Our Gospel is free, it works against any disease on any demographic (even illegal aliens) and the trained practitioners can reproduce rapidly!
“And He said to them, Go into all the world, proclaim the gospel to all the creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. And miraculous signs will follow to those believing these things: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will be well.” Mark 16:15-18
Yet in all our fervor, it seems that we are neglecting the simple solution that Jesus gave us for all the ills of humanity:
Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom.
Yeah, I know, just saying that seems so tired and worn. It’s not nearly as exciting as maybe protesting, picketing or a prayer vigil. But it’s what we have to work with. How did the Gospel become so unpopular among Christians? Why is preaching the Gospel with power something we never do? Why will we pray, fast and worship for years on end but neglect preaching to the lost? Why can we mobilize for a march but not for preaching the message? Why are we so free and bold to “tell is like we see it” in a political discussion online yet so scared to tell our neighbor about Jesus?
How did preaching the Gospel become the last resort?
WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN
I believe that most Christians don’t know what we have been given in the Gospel. If we did, we would be more vocal about Jesus and His Kingdom than we would be about voicing our opinion on the latest newsbyte. I am not saying that political action or commentary is bad, it’s not. I’m not saying that prayer vigils or fasting is bad, it isn’t. It’s just not what Jesus told us to do to save a lost and dying world, that’s all.
I get the feeling that we think our problems in this day and age are unique, new and different than the ones Jesus faced in his generation. Maybe they are of a different scope and magnitude, but Jesus’ words and His solutions to the problems of humanity are timeless! They will work, IF we use them.
Boldly and brazenly I will tell you exactly WHY we as a country have found ourselves in such a dire predicament: We don’t preach or live the Gospel.
If we did, there would be no abortion problem, no national debt, near 100% employment and no healthcare debate. There would be no reason to protest immorality, pray against corruption or fast for righteous judges.
THE ABORTION SOLUTION
Abortion is the termination of life inside the womb. In the vast majority (95%) of abortions performed in the US, the main factor is not the health of the mother or baby or an abortion of a child caused by rape or incest but rather a simple inconvenience on the part of the mother. That’s right; most babies are aborted because the presence of a child in the mother’s life does not suit her. Juniors’ presence isn’t convenient so let’s kill the baby! From 1973 through 2005, more than 45 million legal abortions occurred in the US.
It’s right that the church is outraged over such a holocaust of the unborn. But her chosen solution to end this siege on life is unbiblical and largely ineffective.
God’s solution to abortion is simple. Preach the Gospel to the lost that are having abortions, leading them into a relationship with the Lord of Life. No Christian, full of the Holy Spirit would or could ever consider abortion as an option. If you have, you are not saved. That means that every person you have ever led to the Lord eliminated one person from the pool of eligible abortion participants. It’s actually very simple. Instead of being reactive against the sins of lost people, why not bring in the lost? Seriously, if the church spent one tenth of the time she spends protesting, praying or fasting about abortion in actually preaching the Gospel to people that have abortions, abortion would be a non-issue in a matter of a few years. Let’s have a real life movement that takes all the research that’s been done, identifies the primary recipients of abortions and mobilize to preach the Gospel to that demographic!
Why don’t we stop trying to change the laws that sinners cower under to excuse their sin and just get down to the dirty business of winning the lost?. What about a life movement that is pro-active instead of reactive? Why are we acting surprised at what sinners do and the laws that they pass? And speaking of immoral laws, here is the solution to the problem of liberal activist judges that pass laws that corrupt the fabric of our society: Preach the Gospel to lawyers.
Fewer lost = less sin.
It’s so simple no one will do it.
THE HEALTH CARE SOLUTION
A huge topic in the news now is the great Health care debate of 2009. Both sides generally agree that insurance premiums are skyrocketing and millions of people in America don’t have access to quality health care. Both sides are also proposing “solutions” that are extremely complicated and expensive.
What can the church do about this HUGE problem?
Look at the church in the book of Acts! When they prayed, people were healed. So many in fact that they brought in the sick from the surrounding towns and they were ALL healed! (Acts 5:16) Healing is as much in the Atonement that Jesus provided as the salvation of your soul and the forgiveness of your sins. The church has lost the conviction of this fact and has abdicated her responsibility to heal the sick to the government. Government is not responsible to heal or provide for the healing of those in our land, the church is! Jesus sent His disciples out in Luke to:
“And He sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Luke 9:2
Preach the Gospel and heal the sick; two things that the church won’t do. We’ll protest and we’ll pray but we have been called to preach and heal! Maybe instead of supporting one side over the other in the healthcare debate we should open a new front in the debate! What if our city or our town was recognized in the news as being one of the healthiest cities in the nation? Say it’s not possible? It’s already happened! From 1915 – 1920 John G. Lake trained a small group of minister’s that prayed for the sick and ministered healing full time. In 5 years they had over 100,000 documented cases of healing and were declared to be the healthiest city in the US! If Christians got serious about healing the sick, maybe a third option would open in this great healthcare debate? Our Gospel is free, it works against any disease on any demographic (even illegal aliens) and the trained practitioners can reproduce rapidly!
“And He said to them, Go into all the world, proclaim the gospel to all the creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. And miraculous signs will follow to those believing these things: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will be well.” Mark 16:15-18
Thursday, September 17, 2009
American Idols – Part II
In my last article on this subject I went after two primary American Idols. And idol is something other than God that we put our trust in. The point I was making is that I have been to several different countries, many of them known for their idolatry. In these countries, the idolatry is obvious, with shrines and graven images being displayed all over the place. I have heard the condescension in the voices of “enlightened” people here in the West as they roll their eyes in disgust at the heinous idolatry of the people of India and their 300 million “gods” and goddesses”.
But are we just as idolatrous?
I believe that while we here in the “enlightened” west are in fact VERY idolatrous, our idols are just not as obvious. We serve gods (world rulers in fact) like Mammon & Self. We have placed our marriages, our families, our callings and eternal destinies on the altars of Mammon and aborted millions of innocent babies on the altar of Self. And we do so with the greatest of confessions. Many a family and marriage has been destroyed to the mantra of “I’m just trying to be a good provider, giving my family what they deserve”. Many a baby has been aborted to the mantra of “they wouldn’t have had a good life anyway, with their mom being so young/poor, etc.”
MAMMON (CONTINUED)
Concerning Money and Mammon, Jesus was very clear that our primary pursuit was NOT to be our personal welfare and the accumulation of material things but rather the pursuit of an invisible kingdom and the King Himself!
“But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.” Matthew 6:33
We were created to pursue a Kingdom and a King! That is our primary purpose, our ultimate pursuit. God knows how He made us and gave us strict marching orders to go after His Kingdom and His righteousness and NOT the necessities of life! Isn’t that bizarre? This isn’t license to the lazy to do nothing because the Bible goes on to say,
“For while we were yet with you, we gave you this rule and charge: If anyone will not work, neither let him eat.” II Thessalonians 3:10
No, this command of Jesus was for the type “A” personality, the go-getters and the “doers” of the Word. The Lord’s commandment to “seek FIRST the Kingdom and His righteousness” was more of a direction or marching orders for productive people. He’s aiming us in the right direction, telling us to go after Him FIRST. If we would pursue Jesus and His Kingdom FIRST, then the provision for our daily bread would manifest MUCH easier. Imagine the words of Wisdom and direction you would receive as you lingered in the Presence of the Lord before work in the morning. Imagine the peace and ease that you would carry into your workplace and career as you became more conscious of Him than your circumstances and limitations y spending time with Him every day. Sales would come easier, the pressure would be off and you would soar in your career, working and providing for you and your family without pressure, fear or guilt. Your priorities would be in order and you would rest well knowing that you are RIGHT.
People, our #1 priority is to pursue the King and His Kingdom. That means what it means. Seek God FIRST, not your paycheck. The same devotion that you pay towards your career, your education and the betterment of your financial standing, invest that in God. The promise is wonderful! IF we will seek Him FIRST, He will GIVE unto us ALL that we need!
PRACTICAL APPLICATION:
When we’re talking about seeking FIRST His Kingdom and His righteousness, what are we talking about? We’re talking about the actual pursuit of God, but FIRST! So, how do you pursue God first? Make Him your #1 priority of your everyday life by seeking Him FIRST! Complicated, isn’t it? Practically speaking this means that we spend time with the Lord in worship, prayer and the Word at the start of our day. I’m not advocating a “quiet time” where we give the Lord a small slice of our day and then ignore Him the rest of the day, but I am saying that we make Him a priority and pursue Him FIRST. Turn on the worship music, lay down on the couch or floor with your family and worship God together! Read the Bible and seek Him in the Word, feeding on His Presence and His words, they are life! (John 6:63)
SELF (CONTINUED)
Jesus came walking the earth preaching a foreign message to the self-absorbed inhabitants of this planet. He said things like,
“For whoever wants to save his [higher, spiritual, eternal] life, will lose it [the lower, natural, temporal life which is lived only on earth]; and whoever gives up his life [which is lived only on earth] for My sake and the Gospel's will save it [his higher, spiritual life in the eternal kingdom of God].” Mark 8:35
He told people that if you held on to preserve your own life you would be guaranteed to LOSE it! But more incredibly, the way He prescribes to save and preserve is to GIVE IT AWAY for His sake! This Kingdom is an upside down Kingdom! Save it and you lose it or lose it and you save it!
The problem with Christians is we simply don’t believe that. We are vainly attempting to preserve our lives, our families, our schedules and our money all with the hope of saving ourselves and the ones we love. Yet we are losing our marriages, losing our families and losing our fortunes. Our kids grow up and don’t serve the Lord. We’re disillusioned with church, in debt up to our eyes and bitter against our spouses. Why? Jesus told us why! He said that if you would seek to save your lives you WOULD LOSE IT! Yet we spend our entire Christian lives trying to prove Him wrong!
The answer to our American dilemma is VERY simple: count your lives as nothing and LOSE them for His sake and you will FIND them! Consistently, the happiest people I have ever met with the most solid marriages and families are the ones that have completely LOST their lives in service unto the Lord.
They have less money because they give what they have and sow into the Kingdom, yet somehow they are always a conduit through which blessing flows and they seem to have more than the person that withholds their fortunes and loses their life savings in investments or the stock market. Kingdom economics; give and it comes back!
They have less “free” time than their self-preserving friends, committing large portions of their lives to the work of the Gospel and laid down service unto others yet they have a superior “quality” of time, free of bickering, anger and animosity within their marriages and families. They might spend a good amount of time helping others through “crisis” but for themselves, they spend much less time on “crisis” control within their own homes.
Their marriages and families are stronger, yet they spend less time & money on them than their self-serving friends. Many of them have never seen the inside of a counselor’s office, yet daily walk in healthy marriage principles. Their kids are better behaved and well adjusted because Mom and Dad discipline according to what they read in the Bible! Their kids also stick with a Jesus they KNOW on a daily basis in the home and not just one they hear about every once in a blue moon at church.
Jesus is right folks! Give your lives away for His sake and you will TRULY find them.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION:
In the Kingdom you GIVE and it COMES BACK! That means that practically we have to give ourselves, our time, our money, our service and our lives for the sake of the Gospel.
Invest your wealth IN THE KINGDOM and not only in this world and its resources. Give to the poor, give to your church and really invest, expecting a return as you would a popular stock or investment scheme. The Kingdom is a good investment!
Invest your time IN THE KINGDOM and not only on your personal, vain pursuits and self interests. This means that you willingly GIVE your time to benefit others! Preach the Gospel, heal the sick and raise the dead! It is ALWAYS good time to preach the Gospel. Offer your lives as a living sacrifice to God as you lay down your life for your friends.
So we’ve just touched on two common American idols, but are there more?
You bet.
But are we just as idolatrous?
I believe that while we here in the “enlightened” west are in fact VERY idolatrous, our idols are just not as obvious. We serve gods (world rulers in fact) like Mammon & Self. We have placed our marriages, our families, our callings and eternal destinies on the altars of Mammon and aborted millions of innocent babies on the altar of Self. And we do so with the greatest of confessions. Many a family and marriage has been destroyed to the mantra of “I’m just trying to be a good provider, giving my family what they deserve”. Many a baby has been aborted to the mantra of “they wouldn’t have had a good life anyway, with their mom being so young/poor, etc.”
MAMMON (CONTINUED)
Concerning Money and Mammon, Jesus was very clear that our primary pursuit was NOT to be our personal welfare and the accumulation of material things but rather the pursuit of an invisible kingdom and the King Himself!
“But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.” Matthew 6:33
We were created to pursue a Kingdom and a King! That is our primary purpose, our ultimate pursuit. God knows how He made us and gave us strict marching orders to go after His Kingdom and His righteousness and NOT the necessities of life! Isn’t that bizarre? This isn’t license to the lazy to do nothing because the Bible goes on to say,
“For while we were yet with you, we gave you this rule and charge: If anyone will not work, neither let him eat.” II Thessalonians 3:10
No, this command of Jesus was for the type “A” personality, the go-getters and the “doers” of the Word. The Lord’s commandment to “seek FIRST the Kingdom and His righteousness” was more of a direction or marching orders for productive people. He’s aiming us in the right direction, telling us to go after Him FIRST. If we would pursue Jesus and His Kingdom FIRST, then the provision for our daily bread would manifest MUCH easier. Imagine the words of Wisdom and direction you would receive as you lingered in the Presence of the Lord before work in the morning. Imagine the peace and ease that you would carry into your workplace and career as you became more conscious of Him than your circumstances and limitations y spending time with Him every day. Sales would come easier, the pressure would be off and you would soar in your career, working and providing for you and your family without pressure, fear or guilt. Your priorities would be in order and you would rest well knowing that you are RIGHT.
People, our #1 priority is to pursue the King and His Kingdom. That means what it means. Seek God FIRST, not your paycheck. The same devotion that you pay towards your career, your education and the betterment of your financial standing, invest that in God. The promise is wonderful! IF we will seek Him FIRST, He will GIVE unto us ALL that we need!
PRACTICAL APPLICATION:
When we’re talking about seeking FIRST His Kingdom and His righteousness, what are we talking about? We’re talking about the actual pursuit of God, but FIRST! So, how do you pursue God first? Make Him your #1 priority of your everyday life by seeking Him FIRST! Complicated, isn’t it? Practically speaking this means that we spend time with the Lord in worship, prayer and the Word at the start of our day. I’m not advocating a “quiet time” where we give the Lord a small slice of our day and then ignore Him the rest of the day, but I am saying that we make Him a priority and pursue Him FIRST. Turn on the worship music, lay down on the couch or floor with your family and worship God together! Read the Bible and seek Him in the Word, feeding on His Presence and His words, they are life! (John 6:63)
SELF (CONTINUED)
Jesus came walking the earth preaching a foreign message to the self-absorbed inhabitants of this planet. He said things like,
“For whoever wants to save his [higher, spiritual, eternal] life, will lose it [the lower, natural, temporal life which is lived only on earth]; and whoever gives up his life [which is lived only on earth] for My sake and the Gospel's will save it [his higher, spiritual life in the eternal kingdom of God].” Mark 8:35
He told people that if you held on to preserve your own life you would be guaranteed to LOSE it! But more incredibly, the way He prescribes to save and preserve is to GIVE IT AWAY for His sake! This Kingdom is an upside down Kingdom! Save it and you lose it or lose it and you save it!
The problem with Christians is we simply don’t believe that. We are vainly attempting to preserve our lives, our families, our schedules and our money all with the hope of saving ourselves and the ones we love. Yet we are losing our marriages, losing our families and losing our fortunes. Our kids grow up and don’t serve the Lord. We’re disillusioned with church, in debt up to our eyes and bitter against our spouses. Why? Jesus told us why! He said that if you would seek to save your lives you WOULD LOSE IT! Yet we spend our entire Christian lives trying to prove Him wrong!
The answer to our American dilemma is VERY simple: count your lives as nothing and LOSE them for His sake and you will FIND them! Consistently, the happiest people I have ever met with the most solid marriages and families are the ones that have completely LOST their lives in service unto the Lord.
They have less money because they give what they have and sow into the Kingdom, yet somehow they are always a conduit through which blessing flows and they seem to have more than the person that withholds their fortunes and loses their life savings in investments or the stock market. Kingdom economics; give and it comes back!
They have less “free” time than their self-preserving friends, committing large portions of their lives to the work of the Gospel and laid down service unto others yet they have a superior “quality” of time, free of bickering, anger and animosity within their marriages and families. They might spend a good amount of time helping others through “crisis” but for themselves, they spend much less time on “crisis” control within their own homes.
Their marriages and families are stronger, yet they spend less time & money on them than their self-serving friends. Many of them have never seen the inside of a counselor’s office, yet daily walk in healthy marriage principles. Their kids are better behaved and well adjusted because Mom and Dad discipline according to what they read in the Bible! Their kids also stick with a Jesus they KNOW on a daily basis in the home and not just one they hear about every once in a blue moon at church.
Jesus is right folks! Give your lives away for His sake and you will TRULY find them.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION:
In the Kingdom you GIVE and it COMES BACK! That means that practically we have to give ourselves, our time, our money, our service and our lives for the sake of the Gospel.
Invest your wealth IN THE KINGDOM and not only in this world and its resources. Give to the poor, give to your church and really invest, expecting a return as you would a popular stock or investment scheme. The Kingdom is a good investment!
Invest your time IN THE KINGDOM and not only on your personal, vain pursuits and self interests. This means that you willingly GIVE your time to benefit others! Preach the Gospel, heal the sick and raise the dead! It is ALWAYS good time to preach the Gospel. Offer your lives as a living sacrifice to God as you lay down your life for your friends.
So we’ve just touched on two common American idols, but are there more?
You bet.
Friday, September 11, 2009
American Idols
In the last couple years I have traveled to several different countries, each known in its own way for their idolatry. And while the idolatry of India, Africa and Central America may be terribly obvious, with their shrines, offerings and devotion to inanimate objects and deities, it has struck me that we in the West are no less idolatrous.
Certainly, the idolatry of India is pronounced. It’s said the Hinduism has produced some 300 million “gods” and “goddesses”. Everywhere we went throughout the country there were small shrines with incense, food offerings and candles being offered to pagan deities. On the streets, in restaurants and even in the dashboards of taxis we used. Shiva the Destroyer and Ganesh the blue elephant are terrible to behold in all of their fell demonic glory. Yet in Mexico, the shrines and the offerings were identical but the images lovelier. Instead of Ganesh and Shiva they worship Mary, the mother of Jesus and other saints. The most obviously demonic was “Holy Death” or Grim Reaper. To them, the one the Bible calls “the last enemy to be destroyed” is worshiped as a saint. How bizarre.
Yet, when I come home to America, we revel in our ingenuity and glory in our intellect. Certainly we are far too advanced of a civilization to worship dumb idols and erect shrines to our gods. Or are we?
As I look around my home in the States I see the same look of devotion and commitment to “gods” other than the one true God and His Son, Jesus Christ. We erect shrines all right and we give costly sacrifices and offerings at the altars of our idols, they are just prettier than the gods of India, yet no less captivating. Remember that the true test of devotion to an idol is how much we trust in it rather than God and I would venture to say that our trust in many ways is NOT in the Lord, but in other things.
MAMMON
Without a doubt here in the United States we worship money. Jesus called the Spirit behind the love of money and the pursuit of things Mammon and made a startling contrast saying, “You can’t serve both God and money” making the Spirit of Mammon one of the ultimate adversaries or enemies of true worship of God.
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24
Yet in the US and especially in the church, the pursuit of money and things is a full time obsession. Christians are urged from the pulpit to exercise their faith to get more stuff and be more comfortable in ever larger and larger homes, cars and excessive lifestyles. The #1 destroyer of marriages in the US is financial pressure as people are pushed to the brink to pay the bills for the stuff we don’t really need!
Aren’t we exhorted in the Gospel to be content with what we have, whether little or much? I don’t see any encouragement whatsoever to better our life situation by the accumulation of more and more “stuff”.
“Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.” Philippians 4:11
“For we brought nothing into the world, and obviously we cannot take anything out of the world; But if we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” I Timothy 6:7-8
There is virtually NOTHING that we here in the US will not do for money. We sacrifice our time, energy, calling, marriages, families and eternal destinies for the pursuit of things and are encouraged and cheered on by many in the church. Our lives are virtual graveyards of relationships, destinies and callings sacrificed to our favorite idol with benefits, Mammon.
Now there is nothing inherently wrong with money and I would MUCH rather be comfortable
driving a nice car and living in a nice house than some piece of junk. But the Biblical response is to seek FIRST the Kingdom and God will give us everything we NEED, not necessarily all we WANT. Instead of sacrificing our walk with God and our marriages and families for the sake of money, why don’t we like Paul learn to live contentedly with less for the sake of the Gospel?
Mammon, the pursuit of “wealth” and other “things” are a true American Idol.
SELF
In the United States, one of our ultimate idols is the pursuit of “Self”. We have self-help, self-awareness, self-consciousness and self-discovery. The doctrine of Oprah and Dr. Phil have infected the pulpits of the church. We are drowning in a sea of self love as we are encouraged more and more to “discover” who we are and love ourselves. In the church we have a very serious plague of selfishness as we hop from place to place to see “what’s in it for me” and all the while making place for “me-time”.
But isn’t the EXACT opposite nature of the Gospel?
“For the others all seek [to advance] their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ (the Messiah).” Philippians 2:21
The Bible says that pagans run after and are concerned after their own interests, but NOT those of Jesus Christ! If we are to be the salt and light we are called to be, let’s start by maybe sacrificing our personal interests for those of others. Isn’t that the very definition of love?
“No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends.” John 15:13
Our willingness here in the United States to sacrifice all on the altar of the demon god of self is proven. In the name of “self” we have slaughtered countless innocent children while indefensible in the womb. We call it abortion. But the worst part of it is in the why. Why have millions of babies been aborted? Because the children we would have had would be an inconvenience to our selfish lifestyle. The ultimate blood sacrifice of human life is done all in the name of self.
Make no mistake America, we are no less devoted to our gods than the heathen of India, Africa or Central and South America. If devotion is measured by what we are willing to give up in pursuit of our demon gods, we win.
Certainly, the idolatry of India is pronounced. It’s said the Hinduism has produced some 300 million “gods” and “goddesses”. Everywhere we went throughout the country there were small shrines with incense, food offerings and candles being offered to pagan deities. On the streets, in restaurants and even in the dashboards of taxis we used. Shiva the Destroyer and Ganesh the blue elephant are terrible to behold in all of their fell demonic glory. Yet in Mexico, the shrines and the offerings were identical but the images lovelier. Instead of Ganesh and Shiva they worship Mary, the mother of Jesus and other saints. The most obviously demonic was “Holy Death” or Grim Reaper. To them, the one the Bible calls “the last enemy to be destroyed” is worshiped as a saint. How bizarre.
Yet, when I come home to America, we revel in our ingenuity and glory in our intellect. Certainly we are far too advanced of a civilization to worship dumb idols and erect shrines to our gods. Or are we?
As I look around my home in the States I see the same look of devotion and commitment to “gods” other than the one true God and His Son, Jesus Christ. We erect shrines all right and we give costly sacrifices and offerings at the altars of our idols, they are just prettier than the gods of India, yet no less captivating. Remember that the true test of devotion to an idol is how much we trust in it rather than God and I would venture to say that our trust in many ways is NOT in the Lord, but in other things.
MAMMON
Without a doubt here in the United States we worship money. Jesus called the Spirit behind the love of money and the pursuit of things Mammon and made a startling contrast saying, “You can’t serve both God and money” making the Spirit of Mammon one of the ultimate adversaries or enemies of true worship of God.
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24
Yet in the US and especially in the church, the pursuit of money and things is a full time obsession. Christians are urged from the pulpit to exercise their faith to get more stuff and be more comfortable in ever larger and larger homes, cars and excessive lifestyles. The #1 destroyer of marriages in the US is financial pressure as people are pushed to the brink to pay the bills for the stuff we don’t really need!
Aren’t we exhorted in the Gospel to be content with what we have, whether little or much? I don’t see any encouragement whatsoever to better our life situation by the accumulation of more and more “stuff”.
“Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.” Philippians 4:11
“For we brought nothing into the world, and obviously we cannot take anything out of the world; But if we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” I Timothy 6:7-8
There is virtually NOTHING that we here in the US will not do for money. We sacrifice our time, energy, calling, marriages, families and eternal destinies for the pursuit of things and are encouraged and cheered on by many in the church. Our lives are virtual graveyards of relationships, destinies and callings sacrificed to our favorite idol with benefits, Mammon.
Now there is nothing inherently wrong with money and I would MUCH rather be comfortable
driving a nice car and living in a nice house than some piece of junk. But the Biblical response is to seek FIRST the Kingdom and God will give us everything we NEED, not necessarily all we WANT. Instead of sacrificing our walk with God and our marriages and families for the sake of money, why don’t we like Paul learn to live contentedly with less for the sake of the Gospel?
Mammon, the pursuit of “wealth” and other “things” are a true American Idol.
SELF
In the United States, one of our ultimate idols is the pursuit of “Self”. We have self-help, self-awareness, self-consciousness and self-discovery. The doctrine of Oprah and Dr. Phil have infected the pulpits of the church. We are drowning in a sea of self love as we are encouraged more and more to “discover” who we are and love ourselves. In the church we have a very serious plague of selfishness as we hop from place to place to see “what’s in it for me” and all the while making place for “me-time”.
But isn’t the EXACT opposite nature of the Gospel?
“For the others all seek [to advance] their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ (the Messiah).” Philippians 2:21
The Bible says that pagans run after and are concerned after their own interests, but NOT those of Jesus Christ! If we are to be the salt and light we are called to be, let’s start by maybe sacrificing our personal interests for those of others. Isn’t that the very definition of love?
“No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends.” John 15:13
Our willingness here in the United States to sacrifice all on the altar of the demon god of self is proven. In the name of “self” we have slaughtered countless innocent children while indefensible in the womb. We call it abortion. But the worst part of it is in the why. Why have millions of babies been aborted? Because the children we would have had would be an inconvenience to our selfish lifestyle. The ultimate blood sacrifice of human life is done all in the name of self.
Make no mistake America, we are no less devoted to our gods than the heathen of India, Africa or Central and South America. If devotion is measured by what we are willing to give up in pursuit of our demon gods, we win.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Summer of Miracles!
INDIANA
We just returned from a ministry trip to
LESBIANS MEET A HAPPY GOD
I was with a small group from the church in a low rent trailer park near the church. We were just walking around looking for opportunities to release the Kingdom “as we went”. I ran across two young ladies and the Lord started showing me some stuff for them. They were really impacted by it and came under some real conviction; mainly because they sheepishly confessed that they were a lesbian couple. They were shocked that God would reveal something GOOD about their lives and destinies. I’ve almost never had to bring down fire and brimstone with unbelievers, normally all I have to do is reveal the kindness of God and they fall apart under conviction, giving their lives to Jesus. So the Lord showed me their histories and what they had been through and as I told them how God wanted to redeem them and bring peace to their lives, with tears in both their eyes they happily turned to Jesus and asked (with their own mouths) for Jesus to come into their lives and rescue them from the mess they made!
“Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, and the forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” Romans 2:4
I COVET YOUR CANE!
We were just finishing with the now totally undone lesbian couple and saw a couple ladies walk by on the sidewalk, one of them with a pretty serious limp and walking with a cane. One of the ladies in our little party instantly recognized her as being the lady from Wal-Mart who greets folks as they walk in. I followed them to their doorstep where I asked them why she was walking with a cane. She went on to describe a horrible accident that she had suffered many years before, with surgeries and now arthritis had set into her knee. After asking some questions I told her, “Do you want to know why I asked you about your cane?” She was like, “Yeah, why did you ask me about that?” I went on to tell her that “I covet your cane.” She looked at me like I had three heads. I explained that at our church we had an entire wall covered with canes, casts, crutches, braces and that I had the perfect spot on the wall for hers!
She was pretty weirded out so I proceeded to tell her about the
We prayed a simple prayer and commanded the pain to GO! When we did, the Power of God went out from us and hit her like a flash! She jerked so hard she almost went through the back wall of her trailer. I had to totally support her weight with my arms to keep her from crashing into a drawer behind her. She said, “OH MY GOD!” and started freaking out. Tears ran down her face as she was getting blasted by God. She immediately started saying, “I can’t believe this, I can’t believe this!” We told her yes she can believe it. She was trying to compose herself and I asked her where her pain went. She started to check it, bending over and moving all around, something that she couldn’t do only moments before. She was touching her toes! We had her check her arthritic knee and it popped! When she showed us her knee, it had straightened out! We had her walk in her house and she dropped the cane and walked perfectly normal!!
She told us, “Well, one leg USED TO BE shorter than the other!” God LENGTHENED HER LEG without us even praying! She walked up and down her hallways with tears streaming down her face, in total shock. Jesus healed her of arthritis in her knee, the effects of surgery in her right knee, osteoarthritis throughout her entire body, a short leg and I believe her diabetes!!
Come on Jesus!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Multiple Miracles!
Several weeks ago I went with a Pastor from Kentucky to Grady Hospital in downtown Atlanta. The Pastor was here because he had heard some stories through Sid Roth’s TV program and My Dad’s appearance on there. He had also read my Dad’s book and wanted to see it for himself. That day, our goal was to see the Kingdom of God come with power and destroy the work of the enemy.
Mission accomplished.
RIGHT FOOT, RED FOOT, BLUE FOOT
We got to the Hospital and just hung out for a few minutes, asking the Holy Spirit what He was doing. I was with another brother who immediately took off after a young lady that was totally demon possessed! (She ended up getting delivered of her demons!) He went after her and I just sat down on a bench where lots of folks were hanging out. A young man came walking out of the hospital on crutches, strongly favoring his right foot, which had seen better days. It was totally mangled and you could barely call it a foot. It was bruised, broken, bloody and poorly wrapped in a bandage. With great care he made his way over to the bench and then sat down with a thud, unable to put any weight on it.
I was sitting next to him and asked him what happened to his foot. He said that he was in a car with his girlfriend, coming home from a party, late at night. They got into a terrible car accident and his foot and ankle were crushed. His girlfriend was in much worse shape and when the paramedics showed up, they sent her by helicopter to another hospital. He was taken to a hospital where he was quickly bandaged up and the wound was cleaned. When they were treating him, he kept asking about his girlfriend and they wouldn’t tell him her condition because of privacy laws (they weren’t married). So before they could set the broken bones he jumped up and walked out of the hospital, still bleeding mind you, to go find out what happened to his girlfriend. She wasn’t doing very well and needed several surgeries, but was now recovering at Grady Hospital.
Fast forward to today. It had been 6 days since this all had taken place and now we were in front of the Hospital where he had been visiting his girlfriend and also had seen a doctor. They told him that he had to come in and have the bones re-broken so they could set them, since it had been more than 72 hours since the injury. So here he was, in pain, visiting his girlfriend who was in pain and about to have his foot and ankle re-broken. He was having a bad day.
I told him why I was talking to him in the first place. I told him that I noticed his crutches as he walked up and that I wanted them. He looked at me like I was crazy. I told him that I had several pairs of them hanging on the walls of our church and that I knew the perfect place for his! Again, he looked at me like was totally NUTS! I told him, “Let me explain”. While I was speaking to him, this huge man came walking by very slowly, in obvious pain and sat down next to me on the bench. Now there were three of us on the bench. I then told him about the Kingdom of God and the effect it has when it comes on people like him, who have injuries and need crutches. What brought it home is when I explained to him “On earth as it is in Heaven”.
The big guy next to us was watching and listening intently now as I asked if I could pray for the guy’s mangled foot and ankle. He was like, “Sure, go for it!” But before I would pray I had him stand up and try to put weight on the foot and rate his pain. Every ounce of pressure on the foot brought intense pain. Just standing there on his crutches he was in intense pain. His pain was a 9 or 10. So we prayed. I don’t know what it is, but over the years we have developed a real breakthrough in pain and especially broken bones. I knew exactly what was going to happen. I was so confident that I directed my Pastor buddy from Kentucky to watch his face. I told the pain to “GO!” And it left!
The look on this guy’s face with the busted foot was a million dollar look. His eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped. I said, “Where’d the pain go?” He was dumbstruck. He literally couldn’t communicate. I could tell that he had absolutely NO grid for what had just occurred. It was awesome. We had him check the foot, put weight on it and then put ALL his weight on it. He had NO PAIN!!!
HEALING LEADS TO HEALING
The big guy sitting next to us was obviously affected. I could see a tear in his eye and I asked him, “Are you seeing this?!” He said, “Of course!” I said, “This is REAL, you know!” He fired right back, “I know, I know!” I asked him what was wrong with him and he said something about his leg. He had a long standing injury and lots of pain. He had plates and screws in his shin, limited mobility and some pain. I told him that God is no respecter or persons and what He would do for one, He would do for another! He let us pray for his leg and the pain left! He had tears coming down his face and I asked him if there was anything else as he was still moving pretty slowly. He called me close and explained to me where his REAL pain came from.
19 years ago he had an injury where he crushed one of his vertebrae. The doctors had done EVERYTHING they could do and for 19 years he had been in excruciating, blinding pain. 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. The only relief came from serious drugs (Opiates) and after so many years of using them, he was hooked. He said that his normal pain level is a 10 and the drugs would take it to an 8. He was actually at the hospital to pick up his prescription. He had taken the drugs a little while before and was at an 8. I told him that God could take care of this and he weakly smiled, scared to believe, even for a minute or two. Before he could think about it, I had him do something that caused him pain. He was walking like a mummy, very stiffly and not bending his back at all! I had him try to bend front to back and back to front and he could barely move either way. I had him try to bend side to side and he could hardly move at all. Then I told him, “Watch this!”
I put my hands on his back, commanded the pain to go and the vertebrae to be healed in Jesus name. We commanded the Kingdom to come to his body. When I told the pain to “GO”, I felt the presence of God surge out of me into his back. I knew he was healed. So I asked him the same question I asked the other guy, “Where’d the pain go?”
He started to check it, the tears ran down his face and he said, “It’s gone!” I had him bending side to side and front to back, all without pain! He even missed his bus while talking to us. I started to apologize but he stopped me saying, “I’ll get another bus, this was WORTH IT!”
19 Years of the devil’s work destroyed!
Mission accomplished.
RIGHT FOOT, RED FOOT, BLUE FOOT
We got to the Hospital and just hung out for a few minutes, asking the Holy Spirit what He was doing. I was with another brother who immediately took off after a young lady that was totally demon possessed! (She ended up getting delivered of her demons!) He went after her and I just sat down on a bench where lots of folks were hanging out. A young man came walking out of the hospital on crutches, strongly favoring his right foot, which had seen better days. It was totally mangled and you could barely call it a foot. It was bruised, broken, bloody and poorly wrapped in a bandage. With great care he made his way over to the bench and then sat down with a thud, unable to put any weight on it.
I was sitting next to him and asked him what happened to his foot. He said that he was in a car with his girlfriend, coming home from a party, late at night. They got into a terrible car accident and his foot and ankle were crushed. His girlfriend was in much worse shape and when the paramedics showed up, they sent her by helicopter to another hospital. He was taken to a hospital where he was quickly bandaged up and the wound was cleaned. When they were treating him, he kept asking about his girlfriend and they wouldn’t tell him her condition because of privacy laws (they weren’t married). So before they could set the broken bones he jumped up and walked out of the hospital, still bleeding mind you, to go find out what happened to his girlfriend. She wasn’t doing very well and needed several surgeries, but was now recovering at Grady Hospital.
Fast forward to today. It had been 6 days since this all had taken place and now we were in front of the Hospital where he had been visiting his girlfriend and also had seen a doctor. They told him that he had to come in and have the bones re-broken so they could set them, since it had been more than 72 hours since the injury. So here he was, in pain, visiting his girlfriend who was in pain and about to have his foot and ankle re-broken. He was having a bad day.
I told him why I was talking to him in the first place. I told him that I noticed his crutches as he walked up and that I wanted them. He looked at me like I was crazy. I told him that I had several pairs of them hanging on the walls of our church and that I knew the perfect place for his! Again, he looked at me like was totally NUTS! I told him, “Let me explain”. While I was speaking to him, this huge man came walking by very slowly, in obvious pain and sat down next to me on the bench. Now there were three of us on the bench. I then told him about the Kingdom of God and the effect it has when it comes on people like him, who have injuries and need crutches. What brought it home is when I explained to him “On earth as it is in Heaven”.
The big guy next to us was watching and listening intently now as I asked if I could pray for the guy’s mangled foot and ankle. He was like, “Sure, go for it!” But before I would pray I had him stand up and try to put weight on the foot and rate his pain. Every ounce of pressure on the foot brought intense pain. Just standing there on his crutches he was in intense pain. His pain was a 9 or 10. So we prayed. I don’t know what it is, but over the years we have developed a real breakthrough in pain and especially broken bones. I knew exactly what was going to happen. I was so confident that I directed my Pastor buddy from Kentucky to watch his face. I told the pain to “GO!” And it left!
The look on this guy’s face with the busted foot was a million dollar look. His eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped. I said, “Where’d the pain go?” He was dumbstruck. He literally couldn’t communicate. I could tell that he had absolutely NO grid for what had just occurred. It was awesome. We had him check the foot, put weight on it and then put ALL his weight on it. He had NO PAIN!!!
HEALING LEADS TO HEALING
The big guy sitting next to us was obviously affected. I could see a tear in his eye and I asked him, “Are you seeing this?!” He said, “Of course!” I said, “This is REAL, you know!” He fired right back, “I know, I know!” I asked him what was wrong with him and he said something about his leg. He had a long standing injury and lots of pain. He had plates and screws in his shin, limited mobility and some pain. I told him that God is no respecter or persons and what He would do for one, He would do for another! He let us pray for his leg and the pain left! He had tears coming down his face and I asked him if there was anything else as he was still moving pretty slowly. He called me close and explained to me where his REAL pain came from.
19 years ago he had an injury where he crushed one of his vertebrae. The doctors had done EVERYTHING they could do and for 19 years he had been in excruciating, blinding pain. 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. The only relief came from serious drugs (Opiates) and after so many years of using them, he was hooked. He said that his normal pain level is a 10 and the drugs would take it to an 8. He was actually at the hospital to pick up his prescription. He had taken the drugs a little while before and was at an 8. I told him that God could take care of this and he weakly smiled, scared to believe, even for a minute or two. Before he could think about it, I had him do something that caused him pain. He was walking like a mummy, very stiffly and not bending his back at all! I had him try to bend front to back and back to front and he could barely move either way. I had him try to bend side to side and he could hardly move at all. Then I told him, “Watch this!”
I put my hands on his back, commanded the pain to go and the vertebrae to be healed in Jesus name. We commanded the Kingdom to come to his body. When I told the pain to “GO”, I felt the presence of God surge out of me into his back. I knew he was healed. So I asked him the same question I asked the other guy, “Where’d the pain go?”
He started to check it, the tears ran down his face and he said, “It’s gone!” I had him bending side to side and front to back, all without pain! He even missed his bus while talking to us. I started to apologize but he stopped me saying, “I’ll get another bus, this was WORTH IT!”
19 Years of the devil’s work destroyed!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Stopping for “The One”
One of our teams had been referred to a large neighborhood several weeks before. They had been plugging away at this particular complex for several weeks without a lot of outward fruit. They had been praying for the sick and prophesying over everyone that moved but hadn’t really seen a breakthrough. The hunger for discipleship seemed quite low. That night I decided to go with them and check the place out, wondering to myself if perhaps we needed to just pull up stakes and move on. I mean, Jesus told us in Matthew that if it didn’t work when we preached to go somewhere else!
The group was rowdy and not making a lot of sense. They were talking about some basketball game and slamming Vodka like there was no tomorrow. We made a little small talk, told them of the
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