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I woke up rehearsing in my mind what I had said in my last post about feeling as powerless as ever. What a can of worms…

So… are we powerless?

Well, not according to God’s Word… yea, the God who cannot lie. He says that if you trust in Jesus for salvation you have the same power that raised Christ from the dead living in you. Here are a few Scriptures I have read over the past couple days:

“We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, 12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.” (Colossians 1)

“I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.” (Ephesians 1)

My family has been sick for the past two weeks. Like really bad. My wife seems to often suffer physically… for as long as I have known her. My daughter Ellie’s teeth had been rotting out of her face for no apparent reason for the past couple years (and we have good hygiene around here so don’t judge). My daughter Emma has been suffering with bad sickness too. Even my dog got so sick last week I had to put him down. (He was really old for a dog and it was his time, but that didn’t stop me from praying that God would reverse his aging and heal him.)

All of this has been prayed for… a lot! And seemingly with no results.

It was Ellie’s teeth situation that got me inquiring about and pursuing the gift of healing in the first place. I had the elders of the church come and lay hands on and anoint with oil with no results. Does this mean I think that the Bible is lying?

“Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him…” (James 5:13-15)

I guess we didn’t pray with any faith… whatever that means. What a can of worms… right?

What am I supposed to think?

But, here is what I know about the gift of healing:

I have personally experienced God healing someone through me. There was no second guessing it. God was present in and with me and moved in compassion for someone else and literally healed them.

I personally know someone (Bill) who, without even knowing who John Wimber was, found himself at a Wimber meeting. Wimber started getting words from God about people in the audience. He pointed straight at Bill and said, “You there. Pray for the woman next to you. God is going to heal her teeth.”

Ok… he turns and looks at this woman whose teeth are all crooked or missing and not knowing what else to say he mumbles a, “God, heal her.” Instantly he heard a crackling sound as he literally watched new teeth grow in and straighten much to her and his shock and delight.

Bill decided to become a pastor after that. (This is the stary as I remember it being told to me.)

John Wimbers journey started with a desire to see the gifts of the Holy Spirit operating. He had just come to faith (I think back in the 70’s) and would read the Bible and ask those in church,

“When do we get to do the stuff?”

“What stuff?”

“You know, like the hearings and miracles I’m reading about in here?”

“We don’t do that anymore,” he was told.

John Wimber wasn’t convinced. Once he became a pastor himself he started praying for the sick most every week. By his account no one ever got better instead some even became more ill and died. A year passed but he faithfully persisted in praying for the sick. One day a man calls him up on the phone, “Pastor, will you come over and pray for my wife? I have to get to work and she needs to watch the kids.”

Discouraged though he was he agreed to go over and pray. He prayed for her and then turned to the man and started to explain why these things sometimes don’t work. Meanwhile the man looks over his shoulder and sees his wife get out of bed and casually thanks John for coming over. She was healed!

On the way home John gets an open vision of a honey waterfall (representing healing or the gifts of the Spirit) and some people were loving it and entering into it. He saw others, however, reacting with disgust.

That was the beginnings of the gift of healing being released in John Wimbers life. He proved Jesus words true, “Ask and keep on asking and you will receive. Seek and keep on seeking and you will find. Knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened.”

(the following is his testimony and some really great teaching):

Persistence is required.

Jesus said, “men should always pray and never give up.” People have had visions of angels bringing the answer and about to deliver on a prayer request but actually being turned away by the very ones who prayed because they gave up and “let God off” making some excuse on his behalf.

So… I keep praying for my daughters teeth to be healed. She is likely going to have the healthiest teeth you’ll ever see with all the prayers that have gone up for her. And I am believing that God is going to “do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think.” Perhaps God will release a gift of healing in our family like he did for John G. Lake. (Read his amazing story here – FREE book!).

My wife recently prayed for a young girls ankle and the next day it was better… at least according to the report back we received. My friend who had come over and anointed my girl with oil and prayed has now seen a miraculous healing and recovery in his nephews life.

So are we powerless?

Not according to God’s Word… yea, the God who cannot lie. So put that in your pipe ‘n smoke it.

“Seek the LORD while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near.
Let the wicked change their ways
and banish the very thought of doing wrong.
Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them.
Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.” Isaiah 55:6-7 NLT

Come Lord Jesus from our new album Reflect Love. Now available at www.reflectworship.com:

The idea for this song, Come Lord Jesus, came as I was reading a book by C.S. Lewis called the “Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” to my five year old daughter. C.S. Lewis wrote this book as an allegory for the Gospel. In this captivating story there is a white witch who had kept Narnia under her spell for a hundred long years. It was always winter and never Christmas. Everyone suffered under her rule and everyone who opposed her was turned to stone.

Then Aslan, the Creator of Narnia and the Christ figure of the book, returns to Narnia. The white witch loses her power. Everything thaws and Spring comes in a single day. The birds are singing, trees and flowers are blooming. It is beautiful!

As I read that to my daughter, a thrill came to my heart. I thought about the day when Jesus will come back to this world he created. The devil will lose his power and my prayer is that our hearts, which the devil has kept frozen, untrusting, and suspicious of the true nature of Jesus, will thaw at his return!

This is also what happens to anyone who comes to the Lord. Spring enters our heart. All your life previous to knowing Christ was the longest, hardest, most brutal winter you’ll ever know and then you meet Jesus! Spring has come at long last!

The first century church had an Aramaic word they used to greet each other: “Maranatha”, which means, “Our Lord is coming” or “Come Oh Lord”.

Jesus is returning soon!

Lyrics:

Come Lord Jesus

The winters passing on and spring has
Come, come, come Lord Jesus
Our hearts are thawing ever drawing
Near to you Lord Jesus

Fill our hearts with love and beauty
Fill our lives now, Holy Sprit

The trees are reaching for Yeshua,
Come, come, come Lord Jesus
The birds are singing Hallelujah,
Come, come, come Lord Jesus

Fill our hearts with love and beauty
Fill our lives now Holy Sprit
Fill our hearts with love and beauty
Fill our lives now, Holy Sprit

Spring rain is falling down,
Spring rain is washing out,

All the filth, all the things we could do without
All the pain all the stains you are cleansing out
All the filth, all the things we could do without
All the shame all the stains you are cleansing out…

(Instrumental)

Come Lord Jesus, Come Lord Jesus
Come Lord Jesus, Come Lord Jesus

The winters passing on and spring has
Come, come, come Lord Jesus
Our hearts are thawing ever drawing
Near to you Lord Jesus

Come, come, come Lord Jesus
Come, come, come Lord Jesus

Click on Album Cover to Listen or Download

A few extra details about this song: I wrote the music for the song after a concert one day at a nursing home. The song was first recorded on a smart phone on the first day of Spring as I played it for Daniel Betters, a man of God who was on his way to be with Jesus. He passed on into the next life that day and I later played this very song at his funeral. They had called the memorial service a “celebration of life”. And it most certainly was! I was delighted to hear all the amazing stories of this man of profound faith and love for Jesus. I was so excited and glad to have been there to hear of his walk to remember!

Jesus would tell each one of us, “Love the person you are with in the moment.” This is how we will change the world!

Enjoy!

A little over two years ago I heard Howard Storm’s for the first time. It changed the course of my life forever and healed my heart. I remember telling Catherine his story and weeping. Why my reaction? Because his story is fairly similar to my own. Please take the time to listen. You won’t be sorry that you did.

So Howard died and was escorted by familiar spirits into darkness. Howard had failed at life and was flushed down the toilet bowl of the universe. He went to hell.

I was so moved when Howard speaks of how the glimmer of hope entered his heart, and describes the pin prick of light that appeared and grew more and more glorious when he called out to Jesus to save him.

This described my own experience so very well.

I remember well the glorious moment in 2006 when the spark of hope lit in my heart. The glorious Light of Jesus has been growing ever since!

Jesus saved me from a very dark and utterly hopeless place. The stark terror, the despair and deep depression I had experienced I would not wish upon anyone.

There was even times along this journey that I thought exactly what Howard thought, that Jesus made a mistake and that I don’t belong.

Jesus has personally assured me, “You’re going to be with me forever!”

You are too if you trust in him!

Love you all!

#savedbyJesus

The story continues:

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

Last night my girl woke up very upset and I wondered if there wasn’t something going on in the spirit realm. So I prayed quite simply, “Go in Jesus Name”, to any evil spirits. I said it softly and I didn’t repeat it. I simply said, “You heard me. You must submit to his Name no matter how softly it is spoken”. My girl calmed down soon after that.

That night I had a “dream” that I was wrestling with a demon. It was so confident and experienced. It had both my wrists in a pressure point hold and had me kneeling before it. I truly realized I am just a ‘babie’ in the face of such experienced and crafty enemies such as these. This was a “samurai warrior” of a demon.

I said, “I submit myself to the Lord Jesus Christ” and felt the power of God come into me while I simultaneously woke up. Upon waking I knew it was still there and then this debate started to rage in my mind. All these arguments about why God was done with me or how I must be a false prophet or reasons why I really am separated from God barraged my mind. These arguments had previously overthrown me in years past. I can tell you from experience that when you let one of these lies take root in your mind – when you believe the enemy – such terror and despair can so flood your mind and leave you in a depressed sad state for years… such is my history.

But, I countered with the promises of God that had previously set me free, namely these:

“However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. 38 For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. 39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:37-40 NLT

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 NKJV

And:

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:1-3 NIV

I was reading those verses in John 17 tonight about how the Lord has authority over all mankind to give eternal life to as many as the Father has given him. Couple that idea with the above Scripture and think through the implications. Staggering isn’t it?

When you come to Jesus you cannot be rejected. He guarantees to give you eternal life… defined as a relationship with Life itself. When you believe in Jesus “there is no judgement that remains for anyone who believes in him” (Jn 3:18). Your “in” and he desperately wants for you to know it and have proof (based on the fact that God cannot lie). I know this will mean the world to someone who is reading this.

I guess I’m just amazed that God gives his babies like me authority even over the devil himself. That the devil has to flee from little ol me as I submit myself to the LORD Jesus Christ.

Becoming familiar with Scripture and the promises of God will be vital to our continued success in our wrestling match against all the kingdom of hell that surrounds us.

Saturate your mind in the Word (the Bible) and get to know the Word (Jesus).

I almost left out the best part. The next morning I talked with my girls about how there is power in the Name of Jesus and I taught them the song. It was delightful to hear my 2 year old sing it throughout the day:

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:5 ESV)

My wife had shared the above verse with me and it struck a chord with me. That idea, that he is making all things new is quite intriguing, isn’t it? It gives me hope.

I knew I wanted to write a song about it, so I did. Here it is:

One of the parts of the song goes like this:

Just like the wildflowers, springing from the desert
When the latter rains fall to the earth
You’re sons and your daughters, will rise with love’s power
When your Presence drenches your church…
With your love!

I had a vague recollection of the latter rain being from a Scripture passage somewhere so I looked it up and found this:

“Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before.” (Joel 2:23 ESV)

This chapter in Joel 2 describes an army led by the LORD that most certainly bring ruin and destruction to any who maintain their rebellion against him. Listen to this:

“The LORD is at the head of the column.
He leads them with a shout.
This is his mighty army,
and they follow his orders.
The day of the LORD is an awesome, terrible thing.
Who can possibly survive?
12That is why the LORD says,
“Turn to me now, while there is time.
Give me your hearts.
Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
13Don’t tear your clothing in your grief,
but tear your hearts instead.”
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He is eager to relent and not punish.
14Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve,
sending you a blessing instead of this curse.
Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine
to the LORD your God as before.” (Joel 2 NLT)

Please take the time to read the whole chapter!

So an interesting thing happened after I wrote the song. I had a dream in which someone was about to say something derogatory against the Latter Rain and Fresh Fire movement of God. I interrupted them by saying, “Isn’t it wonderful? I just want to receive everything that our loving heavenly Papa wants to pour out on his kids!” As I said this, I looked up and was filled with God’s Spirit.

I got curious about what this was all about. What is this Latter Rain and Fresh Fire? I looked it up and learned that there is an anointed man of God named Todd Bentley who is part of the Fresh Fire movement and draws heavily upon the inspiration of the Latter Rain Movement of God from the 1950’s. After a brief investigation I found this video.

I hope you find this video intriguing enough to do your own research and make some amazing discoveries!

“Seek the LORD while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near.
Let the wicked change their ways
and banish the very thought of doing wrong.
Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them.
Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.” (Isaiah 55:6-7)