Power from on High, Part 3

“We need to make certain our spiritual house is in order so that we can be mightily used of God in this end-time revival.”

Something is happening! It seems that the universe is preparing for the next great event in the unfolding history of mankind—the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As part of this last-day revival, God is restoring His people now, not waiting for some future day; and everywhere I go, I meet people who tell me there is a fervor in their prayer life as never before. Ministers say, “When I open the Word, it is exciting, alive, electrifying. There is a fresh breath of God blowing.”

It’s happening now! Are you ready?

When the children of Israel were on their journey, “the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud” (Exodus 13:21). Every time the cloud moved, they had to fold their tents, pack their bags, and begin walking. Those who didn’t follow the cloud were left behind to fend for themselves.

Likewise, we are about to see the greatest demonstration of the Holy Spirit in the history of man, yet some will not see it because it will pass them by. The cloud is moving, and you can’t afford to be late.

Hurry! There’s time to catch up with what God is doing.

I pray you are not so burdened, so heavy laden with bondage, that you are like the children of Israel when Moses came and said, “I’m bringing you out.” They wouldn’t listen. Their deliverance was at hand and they were not ready.

We need to make certain our spiritual house is in order so that we can be mightily used of God in this end-time revival.

The Holy Spirit is going to sweep through the land as never before, and He wants you to be an instrument to bring salvation and healing. This will be an ingathering unlike anything we have experienced. And I want to show you from God’s Word how the former and latter rain will descend on the world together!

Are you ready for the outpouring?

Your Season is Coming

I’m often asked, “Where do you think we are in terms of the Second Coming of Christ?”

Without hesitation I respond, “I believe Jesus could come at any moment. These are the end times the Bible prophesied about.”

In our services around the globe, we are seeing miracles at an unprecedented pace. There is a deep spiritual hunger worldwide. Literally millions are accepting Jesus as their personal Savior. I am convinced we are moving into the greatest revival in the history of mankind. There will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on a scale we cannot fathom.

How exciting that you and I are part of what God is doing!

This hunger for the supernatural has been amazing. The world knows something is happening, even though they don’t quite understand how to respond. Television and movie producers, for example, are dealing with angels and miracles. Even our politicians are talking openly about spiritual values.

A recent national poll revealed that 91 percent of Americans believe in miracles. What a marvelous opportunity we have to tell the world that Jesus is the answer to show them the way, the truth, and the life!

A Light in the Darkness

I remember the time when our children were small, at about one o’clock one morning, there was a storm, the power failed, and a blackout hit our neighborhood. I am sure you know how dark it can be when there is no electricity.

Quickly, I searched for the flashlight but couldn’t find it. However, there was a candle on a table. A match was located, and the candle was lit. Our children by now were awake, and one by one they came into the room. We remembered there were other candles scattered around the house, and we went from room to room, using the flame from that one candle, to ignite more.

Isaiah wrote:

“For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee” (Isaiah 60:2).

A candle glowing in a brightly lit world doesn’t seem to make much of an impression. But that dramatically changes when it suddenly becomes dark. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

They Will Come Running

In a world plunging into darkness, where will lost souls turn for help? I believe they’ll come running in your direction. Why?

You have a candle. You have a beacon that can lead them out of the night.

But are you ready for the Lord to use you as never before?

I am convinced people will walk up to you and say, “Pray for me!” in the workplace, in school, or on a busy sidewalk. They will plead, “Tell me about your God.”

Once, in the lobby of a hotel in Costa Rica, a group of people asked me to pray for them and suddenly they were slain in the Spirit, falling on the lobby floor under God’s power. The management had no idea what was happening and became extremely concerned. They thought people had become sick and fainted. Our staff had to explain to them that these people had been touched by the Lord.

Let God illuminate you and allow His glory to radiate through your life. The darker it becomes, the brighter you will shine.

Right now, the Lord is preparing His people for the incredible harvest about to occur. Scripture admonishes us to “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2).

Do you have a burning desire to be used of God? Are you waiting for the anointing to flow through you? Get ready! Your season is coming!

Paul the apostle was walking down the street when a woman possessed with a devil began screaming out at him. As the demonic activity continued, Paul turned and said to the spirit that possessed her, “I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour” (Acts 16:18).

That is how God desires to use His people.

Not long after my conversion experience in Toronto as a young man, I met a woman who was working at the Fairview Mall, the shopping center where I once sold ice cream at a kiosk. She saw me reading my Bible and commented, “You must be a Christian.”

“Yes, I am,” I replied, smiling.

Day after day, we found opportunities to talk about the Lord. Then one day she said, “There is going to be a healing evangelist at our church, and we’d be delighted if you could come.”

She and her friends took me to the service. As a recent convert, it was a new experience for me. As the meeting progressed, I noticed that the woman’s eyes were filled with tears. Soon she was openly sobbing.

“Why are you crying?” I asked. The woman turned to me and said, “Once, I had a healing ministry like that young man on the platform.”

As the service continued, she quietly began to share some marvelous things the Lord had accomplished through her. She told me about a time when she was in India staying in a hotel. The window in her room looked over a marketplace. “One afternoon as I was in prayer for a service, I looked out of the window and people began screaming from below. I could tell it was not God, rather the power of the devil was upon them.”

“Well, what did you do?” I asked her. She replied, “I pointed my finger down at the people and said, ‘Come out!’” And she related that many of them began to fall under the power of God in the marketplace. “They were set free!” she exclaimed.

“Oh, that is wonderful,” I responded. “Why did you leave such a ministry?”

Her eyes lowered to the floor as she admitted, “The price was too high. I wasn’t willing to make the sacrifice.”

I often think about that woman. There was a sadness in her soul because she was not willing to yield her entire future to the Lord.

I pray that when God touches your life, you will not walk away and say, “The cost is too high. I can’t pay the price.”

The Lord is preparing the harvest. Will you be ready?

Now is the Time

Minute by minute, the sand is falling through the hourglass. Every moment is precious. Now is the time to pray. Now is the time to get into the Word. Now is the time for fasting.

What did Jesus do before the Father began to use Him in a ministry of miracles? He separated Himself from the world, finding a place in the mountain where He fasted and prayed.

I’ve encountered people who think God is going to choose them for a great spiritual work, yet they have not fasted for years. They spend only a few moments in trivial prayer, saying, “Oh, bless me, Lord. Amen.”

If you want to be an instrument in the hand of God, get on your knees and stay there till heaven floods your soul. Wait on the Lord, and seek Him with all your heart.

The coming days are going to be tremendous. You don’t need to be standing on the sidelines. Do you remember the story of Peter and the disciples who had been fishing all night and caught nothing? Jesus said to them, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught (large catch)” (Luke 5:4).

Peter listened to the Lord and said, “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net” (Luke 5:5). And after obeying Jesus, so many fish came into the net that the men began shouting, “Somebody help us!” They caught so many fish their nets almost broke from the weight.

It matters little how long you have been toiling in the field. Jesus is commanding you to “Launch out!” Sowing time is over. It is time to reap!

Our No-Limit God

Regardless of what you have lost, God will restore it. No matter how much is in your spiritual storehouse, the Lord is about to bring abundance into your life. You will experience the anointing abundantly. You will know the power of God abundantly. You will have the fire of the Holy Spirit abundantly.

Everything about God is without limits. And He desires there be no lack in you, for the Lord is speaking to us, His church, when He says:

“Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them” (Song of Songs 4:2).

None are barren! Are you ready for the unfruitfulness and emptiness to end? Are you ready for a double-portion overflow and harvest!

Jesus declared, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). The Lord didn’t say it would be just a trickle. A strong, rushing, plenteous, and constant fountain of blessing and sustenance will flow through you!

The Bible doesn’t tell us only to pray. We are commanded, “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is” (Mark 13:33). We are told to be on guard, to be alert, to be diligent! In other words, we are to keep our eyes open so none of us will be surprised by what happens during the coming prophetic days.

Remember Gideon’s army? Originally there were 22,000, then it was reduced to 10,000. Then the Lord said to Gideon:

“The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go” (Judges 7:4).

Those who put their heads down and lapped with their tongues were dismissed (Judges 7:5), but the 300 who lapped the water with their hands and kept their eyes on the enemy were chosen to be Gideon’s fighting force.

It is important to pray, but we must always stay alert. Keep watching.

The Lord is saying to us today, “Prepare. Be ready for the coming revival.” What we have been privileged to witness is only the beginning. God is about to move mightily on a massive scale. Now is the time to pray, “Lord, resurrect everything that is dead in me and cause me to be totally alive for You.”

Let the searchlight of heaven reveal every weakness that needs to be strengthened and every imperfection that needs to be repaired. God knows you better than you know yourself, and He won’t overwhelm you by exposing all of your shortcomings at once.

The Lord reveals your faults one at a time, then He graciously helps you resolve the issue. When you say, “I’m free!” God will probably show you something else that needs to be dealt with. From glory to glory He will transform you.

I can still see Kathryn Kuhlman standing on the platform of the First Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With tears streaming down her face, she prayed, “Lord Jesus, if there’s anything in me you hate, take it out and kill it.” And she would say, “Lord, take me and turn me upside down. Shake everything out of me that should not be there. Then put me back right side up and fill me with what You want.”

Oh, how often I have prayed that same prayer. And I pray that it will become your plea, too.

Look for the Sunrise

Forget about what happened yesterday. Bury the past. God is saying:

“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:18-19).

Just before God makes the promise of a mighty revival, He tells us not to look back: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Clear your mind of yesterday’s misery, pain, confusion, and sorrow. Focus on tomorrow in the mighty name of Jesus, and you will be rekindled once more. The Lord is about to set you free from everything that has oppressed, harassed, or bound you:

The words God spoke through the prophet Isaiah are about to be fulfilled:

And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off (Isaiah 29:18-20).

God is touching our hearts with His presence. He is touching our minds with revelations. He is quickening our spirits. And even those who have strayed will return.

The Lord is bringing His people back into the fold. He says, “They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine” (Isaiah 29:24).

The revival we are talking about will bring stability even to the weak and the unsteady. God will use His people—all of them.

What a time of historic outpouring and harvest it will be, and you can be a special part of it as you dwell richly in God’s presence every day!

Before I close, let me quickly share how you can play a special role in the coming outpouring and harvest. One of the first (and most effective steps) is through having a giving heart.

And if anything, the great victories we are witnessing should motivate us to do more, win more, give more, and pray more—while there is time!

We know with certainty that “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13), but “how then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?” (Romans 10:14-15).

By sending me to the nations, through your prayers and seed-gifts, you are instrumental in every Kingdom victory! And as a partner of this ministry, you are making a difference every day in the lives of hurting people—through our miracle services, television programs, mission outreach, and more!

Together, we are impacting people around the world! Only in heaven will we understand the full scope of what the Lord is doing globally through this ministry.

You can plant your offering into this ministry with solid confidence, knowing that every seed you sow brings souls into the Kingdom of God!

Giving Toward Your Own Financial Harvest

Remember, significant seasons call for extraordinary steps of faith. What kind of steps, you ask?

1. If you need a spiritual miracle, a step of faith in the spiritual realm will be required. You had to ask Christ into your heart before He became your Lord and Savior. He knocked at the door of your heart, but you had to open it (Revelation 3:20).

2. If you desire a physical miracle, then God will require an act of faith in the physical realm, just as He told the lame man. “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole!” (Luke 17:19).

3. If you want a financial miracle, it’s important to act on the revelation you’ve received: “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6).

Our precious Lord always requires a step of faith as part of His covenant. Even in the Old Testament, the children of Israel were told, “They shall not appear before the LORD empty: Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given them” (Deuteronomy 15:16-17).

You can give with great expectation for your own harvest as well, for nothing touches God’s heart like your giving toward the Gospel. Remember this promise from His blessed Word:

“Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10).

The biblical law that activates prosperity is this: “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6).

Plant your most generous seed-gift in expectation that God will do something unprecedented and wonderful in your life as He uses your gift to touch souls around the world! Sow today, wrapping your seed with great faith and high expectation of a mighty harvest of supernatural provisions and blessings in the name of Jesus Christ!

Sow in faith today toward the preaching of the Gospel and see what God will do through you.

In warmest Christian love,