Two keys to the secret place

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 Psalms 91 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

This is one of the earliest verses the Lord ever told me to claim as my own. 

I was on the sandy shore of the Persian Gulf. I and two fellow soldiers stood on the beach and prayed- concerned for our lives (we were there for the Gulf War). I remember now how I prayed as we all walked away from each other- each seeking a solitary place to talk to God. 

I remember the Lord breaking in on my prayers and telling me to open my Bible. And there, in the quickly fading daylight (or was it by flashlight? I don't truly remember now), he illuminated a promise to me that I would make it through the Gulf War. 

I'm a little bit slow witted sometimes. It would be years and years later before I would finally begin to sense the deeper invitation that was hidden in plain view within those precious words, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high..."

I was freshly biblically born again, but the Holy God of the universe was inviting me to LIVE (dwell) in a secret place (a special close relationship) with him (the MOST HIGH). 

Through the years he would have me preach sermons with themes like, "Come up hither" and "living where I AM." But, I was too dense to see that he was still inviting me personally to that same "secret place." It's been over 32 years since that precious dusty beach, but God is finally clearing away some of the layers from my eyes. 

My questioning has become "Lord, how do I dwell (live in) that secret place with you?"

The first answers are obvious. 

Prayer and Bible study. Without prayer and study, we will never learn of God nor grow any deeper in God. So we must absolutely take the time- not find the time- but MAKE the time to pray and read his word. It HAS to be of the highest priority in our lives.

But, beyond that he's beginning to show me some things. 

There are at least 2 (probably more) keys that can open up the secret place in God within our lives. 

1) Staying focused on God

Isaiah 26:3

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." 

This ties in with Jesus being our priority. It's a promise. No matter what we are facing. No matter what we are going through. If we will keep our minds (our thoughts) focused on God, then he will keep us in perfect peace! This is exactly what Psalms 91 is saying. If we will stay focused on him, then we have the comfort (the peace) to know that we are under HIS shadow- he's watching over us. We know- no matter what- he's in charge. 

The three Hebrew men (Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednigo) in Daniel didn't have a direct word from God for their situation. But, they lived in prayer and in his presence every day. They knew that no matter what happened, they were not going to bow to the idol. They told the king that whether God chose to save them or not, they were not worshipping the idol. 

God showed up and shook the kingdom! They could stand on this because they dwelt in the secret place with God.

2) resting in the promises of God

Luke 8:22-25

King James Version

22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.

23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.

24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.

25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.

Jesus is 100% God, but also 100% man. 

But, in his earthly ministry, he walked in a way in order to show us how we are intended to walk in his spirit. 

This snippet is one example of how he did that. 

He told them to get in the boat. They were going to the other side of the lake. 

As they "got busy," he went into the deeper recesses of the boat and went to sleep. 

Two mistakes I've made when I've gotten a word from God.

1) File the word away and concentrate on what God has done in the past. They had just left some awesome ministry. Spirit's were high. Excitement was in the air. "Wow! Remember this...and that...?"

It's easy to focus on yesterdays blessings and not notice today's storms until they're in our face. 

2) Focus on the new word. Try to understand it, disect it, analyze it. What exactly does he really mean by what he said for the future?

It's easy to be excited about the future and not see today's storms bearing down on us. 

Jesus knew what had happened before. Jesus knew where they were going. Did he jabber about either? Did he stand around in awe of the past? Did he wonder about the possible glories of the future?

No. He rested in the promises. He slept in the presence of the spirit of God so that when the future arrived, he was ready to do whatever the spirit told him to do. When the storm arrived, he was much more bothered by their lack of faith than by the storm.

Peter was in jail. He was being gaurded by 16 Roman soldiers. He was under a death sentence. The only reason he wasn't dead already was because it was a Jewish holiday and illegal to execute anyone on that day. Was he worried? Was he bawling and squalling? Was he frantically seeking a way out?

No. 

He remembered how Jesus had said he was going to die, compared the circumstances to that, and said, "It's not my time yet." Rather than chewing his nails off, he followed the example of his master, and went to sleep. The angel that was sent to free him had to wake him up to get him out. 

He was able to do this because he was resting in the promises and presence of God. He had learned the lesson of the lake in Luke 8. 

Jesus rebuked their lack of faith. Why? Because Jesus had told them they were going to the other side before they entered the boat. But their faith was on the storm, the circumstances, rather than on his promise. It became a teaching moment for them. 

So when Peter found himself in prison under a death sentence, he remembered Jesus promise to him and just rested in that promise. 

If we will a) stay focused on Jesus throughout our day and b) rest in his promises and presence, then we will be able to dwell in (live in) that precious secret place and know that no matter what- we are abiding under HIS shadow of protection- in his perfect peace. 

Keep providing the bread

 

John 21:15-18

King James Version

15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

As a new home church pastor, I must admit to some frustration. 

You pray. You study. You fast. You seek the mind and will of God for each service and each message. Finding this often brings tears and repentance in your own life. Yes, this is a good thing. Truthfully, whatever the congregation needs, the pastor needs it double! 

When the Lord finishes working on you and gives you the message he wants for the congregation (again, it's doubly applicable for you), you're profoundly moved by God and are very hopeful for what God is going to do for the congregation. 

The service starts and you move with the spirit of God and feel him strongly in the songs and the message. Not that any of the message is aimed at any particular person, but sometimes, you can see something make an impact on some of the congregation. 

When the message is over and you're expecting to see people responding to God, however, many times all you seem to get is.... nothing. No response. No tears, No repentance. An occasional nod of appreciation (maybe) is about all you can get. 

Oh, your wife seems to have enjoyed it. And she tries to encourage you. 

But, as soon as the service is over, the enemy starts in:

"Wow. What a disaster!"

"You thought you were doing God's will. Where's the move of God?"

"Just give up. Nobody's listening and you're not the right man for the job."

So, yes. Frustration settles in and tries to grind you to powder.

In moments like this, the Lord will sometimes reach down into our frustration and give you some encouragement and help. He did that for Elijah when he fled in fear from Jezebel's letter. He met him there and fed him under the juniper tree.

Though it's nowhere near on the same level as Elijah, the Lord gave me one of those moments. 

I'm not a paid pastor. The church doesn't pay me a salary (or anything for that matter). I make my living by working 60+ hours a week delivering bread to grocery stores and restaurants. Behind one of these stores, there's a small pond. In and around this pond has been a solitary goose for many months now. 

Several of us bread vendors (the general name that stores call us folks who deliver products to them) have been feeding the poor goose with the stale bread we pull out of the store. It has a broken wing and can't fly off like the others of its kind to find a better home to survive in.

But, yesterday there was a change. The goose had a new friend living with it. I was excited to see that it wasn't alone anymore. So, before I even went into the store, I took some of the stales from a previous stop and began to break them into pieces.

As I threw the pieces out to the birds, they slowly turned and began to make their way toward the bread- looking at me with a wary eye. One started eating while the other kept a watchful eye. Then, the other started to eat, and the other stopped. It was as if they had a defense system set up.

It was then that the Lord spoke a word of encouragement to me. He said, "Just keep throwing my bread. They will come. It may be slow, but they will come." 

So, with a thankful heart, I went into the store to deliver my product. Then, when I came back out of the store, I saw both geese eating- with plenty of pieces still on the ground for others to eat.

That's when the Lord spoke to me again, "And if you keep spreading my bread, they will still be feasting on it- even when you're not around. And there will be plenty left for others to eat." 

So, to all you fellow preachers, teachers, writers, evangelists, singers, etc who struggle in your calling sometimes: 

You're trying to do the best you can. But, it seems as if you're not seeing any results at all. Or if you are, it's just a tiny crack in the vast wall that needs to come down.

Don't stop praying. Don't stop reaching. Don't stop preaching. Don't stop teaching. Don't stop writing. Don't stop singing. Don't stop. Don't stop. Don't stop!

Because some are eating the bread of life you're sharing. Some are sharing the bread of life you're spreading with others. Some are being sustained by what God is giving you to give out. 

Keep giving it out. One day, the seeds you're sowing will sprout above the ground. One day, a mighty mustard tree will grow out of the seeds you're watering. 

Keep tilling the ground. Keep planting. Keep watering. 

One day, the fruit will be both beautiful to behold and wonderful to see it feeding others. 

 

A lesson from Elijah

 1 Kings 17:1-3

King James Version

17 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

2 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,

3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

If you read 1 Kings 16, there is a succession of kings. Omri's dad was bad, but he was worse than all the bad kings before him. Then comes Ahab, who marries Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal. And it says that Ahab did worse than all that were before him. 

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

They pushed the worship of Baal and Asherah, a false god and goddess. Asherah promoted the temple prostitutes that, for a price, would have relations with men and somehow guarantee them that they would have children and their crops would do well. The groves that are so prominently mentioned in scripture were an outgrowth of this practice. The prostitutes would go to these areas and practice their "arts" to bless the locals out in the country with the opportunity to worship Asherah the same way as the city folks did. 

Part of Baal worship was child sacrifice! Another form of this false god was Molech. And God was very angry at his people for sacrificing their children "in the fires to Molech."

So the false goddess promised prosperity and children, while the false god required the same children to be killed in the fire for him. 

Yet, Israel and Judah, both turned away from the one true God and turned to worship these false ones.

Why? 

Jehovah God requires morals, honesty, morality, and faithfulness.  The false gods said, do this for me and I'll bless you and let you do what you want, how you want, and when you want. 

Along with this religious mess, the "school of prophets" that existed (not at God's behest, mind you), did little more than try and spit in the wind. Very few of these prophets prophesied truth. And the few that did flamed out very quickly. Note: ever notice in our history that whenever man tries to organize an education system in order to train workers for God that it never goes well and usually winds up badly? Study it out for yourself.

The school of prophets? No effect really.

The early church set up colleges to educate young preachers? The church wound up getting completely off track for hundreds of years.

One of the greatest evangelists of the 1800's started a college in order to help educate young preachers. It's now one of the most liberal and ungodly colleges in the world. In fact, nearly all of our major colleges and universities were started as Christian colleges to help young preachers. And the vast majority of them do not retain even a vestage of their original Christian heritage. 

It was in the backdrop of Baal worship and spiritual hypocrasy that Elijah seems to burst on the scene out of nowhere. He was not a member of the priesthood. He was not a member of the school of prophets. Yet, suddenly, boom! There he is facing down the king! 

And not only that, he makes an absolutely startling pronouncement. 

"And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word." 1 Kings 17:1

If you fixated on the part about the no rain or dew except by his word, you missed it. 

Yes, that was incredible. This previously unknown prophet has the audacity to burst into the kings audience room in the palace (God only knows how he got there in the first place) and makes his drought declaration. 

But, if you really pay attention, the most amazing part of his statement wasn't the drought. It was this phrase: "As the Lord liveth, BEFORE WHOM I STAND..."

Now think about this from a kingdom perspective for a minute. 

In a kingdom, when you go into the presence of the king, it is 1) at the kings request only (you don't just burst into his audience chamber. They'll kill you.) and at his chosen time, 2) and you must bow before him until he gives you leave to get up- IF he does. Only a precious few close friends and confidants were allowed to stand in the kings presence. It was a chosen place indeed.

Now Jesus is the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS. Soon, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW before him. Even in the tabernacle or the temple, you didn't just enter into his presence any old way. There were strict guidelines and procedures, a select few to begin with, and sacrifices had to be made. 

Yet, in walks Elijah and says in his self introduction, "Before whom I STAND..."

This strongly implies a very close walk with God almighty. How did he accomplish this?

Think about it. 

We tend to look at things from our modern experience. We live in a country where the word of God is readily available and easy to access. We have Christian book stores, Christian radio, Churches both on every corner and in the middle of nowhere. Most people here, to some degree, claim some form of belief in God. So, when a preacher says we can hear the voice of God through his word or from the preacher/teacher, we don't bat an eye. 

But, in ancient Israel and Judah, the word of God was pretty well just Genesis through Deuteronomy and was only found in the hands of the priesthood and read in masse to the congregation of Israel only on certain feast days. Otherwise, only they had the word of God. And since most of the roaming "prophets of God" were false prophets out to make a living for themselves, hearing the voice of God from the "man of God" was a shaky proposition at best. The school of prophets was mostly a farce. 

So, how did Elijah even hear from God, much less become the great prophet that he was?

It's simple, yet profound really.

At some point, Elijah, who obviously had a heart for God, decided that he wanted to talk to God himself. Forget the false prophets, the idol worship, the priests who were just going through the motions, and the country's leaders who didn't care about the people or the one true God. He was going to bypass the whole system and go straight to the source. 

He'd heard the stories of Israel's deliverence and establishment in the promised land and he believed them. He looked at where things stood and asked, "Lord Jehovah, where are you?" 

But, rather than get despondant and depressed, or angry and crazy, he apparently began to seek God for himself. He began to pray to find God and establish a relationship himself. He bypassed the whole religious system of his day and went straight to the source. 

We don't know how long it took for the relationship to form and grow. We don't know how many ups and downs Elijah experienced in his journey. But we do know that at some point, Elijah made a strong connection with the God of the universe. So strong in fact that when God had had enough of his people's antics, that God bypassed their religious system and tapped Elijah on the shoulder and said, "I got a job for you to do, son." 

No high priest was contacted. No prophet from the school was called. God reached out to Elijah and sent him from the backwoods of small town Israel to the kings audience chamber. There, he used this unknown, backwoods prophet to rebuke the king of Israel in front of his entire entourage! 

Elijah would do amazing things for God. He never was a part of the religious establishment. He was tacitly recognized by the school of Prophets, but nowhere does it even imply that the priests and levites even acknowledged him. He would bring Israel to repentance, call fire from heaven on several occasions, temporarily set back Baal worship in Israel, and set up the next great prophet in his stead. 

He probably prolonged Israels stay in the promised land.

But, it all started with a desperate prayer on some backwoods hilltop. "God, where are you?"

Imagine, even as backwards as our current society is becoming. Even as crazy as things are going to get, if we (you and I) were to take Elijah's attitude and reach out to God to find him and have a relationship with him. 

Elijah didn't start out trying to be a prophet. He didn't start out longing to bring revival in Israel. He sure didn't see himself facing down the kingdom. He just wanted to find God and get to know him. That's all.

And that's what Jesus came to do. He came to open the door wide for us to be able to do as Elijah did- become more than worshippers of him, more than religious followers, but become his friends! Just as the Apostles and early church. 

This is what Jesus offers us:

John 15

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

With this relationship, Elijah shook Israel to it's core. With this relationship, the early church changed their world. 

Scripture says "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts." (Haggai 2:9)

It's going to happen. Some people are going to reach past their limitations and find God and do amazing things because of that relationship. 

"...the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." Daniel 11:32

"20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." Mark 16:20

Since it's going to happen, why don't we decide to reach out to God and become whatever part of his endtime revival he wants us to play? Why don't we seek him and follow him- just to grow that relationship with him. How he uses us is up to him.

But, just as Elijah and the Apostles formed their relationship with God not knowing how they were going to be used, lets just fall in love with God and let him lead us. We may be amazed at what he decides to do with all of us nobodies. 

How about it?

Why don't we give it a shot? 

 

The peaceable fruit of righteousness: the fruit of the spirit

                                                         Photo by Andrés Dallimonti on Unsplash

 Hebrews 12:10-11

King James Version

10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

When God corrects us, it is because he loves us. He corrects us because he is holy and will not allow unholy people to enter heaven. But, he wants and desires us to be holy. He went to calvary to pay the price for our sins so that we could become holy. 

All of this we know, but I've learned something else today. I've never seen this before. It totally changes what I've always thought and been taught. 

It's why we must always stay in his word so that he can teach us all things. It's why I love the word of God so much! It truly is the only truly "neverending story."

I've always understood that the peaceable fruit of righteousness was simply becoming righteous. But have never really understood what that was or entailed. I've never really been taught by anyone what this mysterious fruit was. I was always just told, well, it's just righteousness- or being right. 

But, what does that really mean?

I finally know the answer, thank you, Jesus!  

In preparing for today's bible study lesson, I saw something in Galatians 5, I'd never seen before. I've always been told that there are 9 gifts of the spirit (1 Corinthians 12). This truly isn't true because there are other gifts of the spirit mentioned in Romans 12 that are not included in 1 Corinthians 12. So, there are more than 9 gifts of the spirit. 

Now, follow me here:

Galatians 5:22-25

King James Version

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Now, what I and most others have done here is counted, love (1), joy (2), peace (3), longsuffering (4), gentleness (5), goodness (6), faith (7), meekness (8), temperance (9). 

And we say, "see, there's nine fruits of the spirit." 

But, read it again carefully:

 But the fruit of the Spirit is..... 

So the ONE fruit of the spirit produces love, joy, peace, etc. in our lives!  The one fruit of the spirit is made up of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. 

So what is the name of the one fruit of the spirit that produces 9 characteristics in the life of the believer? 

The peaceable fruit of?

Righteousness. 

So, righteousness is the one fruit of the spirit. And righteousness produces, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance in our lives. 

So the closer we get to Jesus, the more righteous we become. Now, our righteousness is him living in and through us. So, the more we crucify our flesh, the more we can walk in the spirit. The more we walk in the spirit, the more of his righteousness we display. The more righteous we become, the more love we show, joy we have, peace we have and give, longsuffering we are, gentle we are, good we are, faith we gain, meekness we display, and temperance we have. 

Here's a word picture:

They now have learned how to splice different trees together in ways that cause it to produce more than one fruit. For instance, you may have a tree that grows apples, oranges, pears, and plums- all from the same tree. They may produce each fruit at different times of the year, but the same tree produces all these different fruits. 

God was the first to do this.

When we become born again, he grafts his spiritual tree to our flesh tree. And then sets to  fertalizing us, pruning (correcting) us, shoring us up (providing support), getting rid of pests that will eat us up or eat our fruits up, etc so that we will produce the fruit of righteousness in our lives. Then, we will show forth love, joy, peace, longsuffering, faith, gentleness, goodness, meekness, and temperance. 

 One fruit.

Nine characteristics in the life of the believer. 

The name of that fruit?

Righteousness.

So, truthfully, rather than us stressing out over trying to be more loving, joyful, etc. What we should be doing is trying to grow in walking in the spirit. Then, we become more righteous and he can produce these godly characteristics in our lives.

That's the fruit he wants to find when he looks. 

Matthew 7:15-20

King James Version

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

John 13:35

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

If we will allow God to show up, they will too!

 

5 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

Full disclosure: I am not writing this as one who has arrived. I have not done what I am writing here. I am trying hard to do exactly what I'm writing here.

Churches in America used to have no issue gaining converts and attendees. As a self-avowed "Christian nation," it was a part of our national psyche to go to church. For millions of Americans, it was a normal part of life.

But, over the years, with government programs replacing church generosity, anti-God changes in our public schools, and anti-God policies being adopted by our leaders and entertainers, church attendance and participation have been falling. 

Add to this, the fact that many churches turned into little more than country clubs or bless me clubs, and the public view of churches has severely suffered. Many believe that all they want is for you to show up, pay up, and shut up.  

One thing, however, that has been a real constant in church history is that revival will draw people. People, at their hearts, are hungry for real. If they truly believe that God is there and will change their lives for the better, they will show up. And they will show up in masse! 

When Jesus was here physically on the earth and people got wind of his teaching and miracles, they showed up in droves. In the passage above, they forced him into a boat so he had enough space to teach! In many places, Jesus had to escape the crowds in order to pray and teach his disciples. 

One thing that marked his ministry was signs and miracles. It was the same for the Apostles and the generation after them:

Mark 16:20

And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

So the early church grew like wildfire and turned their world upside down! From ungodly to godly in many places. 

Many of our churches have tried a "show up as you are" approach. Many more have brought in concert-like atmospheres- complete with light shows and sound effects- and why not? Millions flock to concerts every year. Some have tried giveaways. Yet, except for a hard-headed few, people stay away and church attendance falls.

Could it be that we've gotten away from "the gospel of the kingdom?" 

Have we become building-focused, rather than kingdom and people focused?

Have we decided that people are to serve our organization, rather than us having an attitude of serving the people?

If we will learn to listen to and follow the spirit of God- preaching and teaching what he wants us to, hungry people will show up!

If we will truly fall in love with Jesus and let him give us real burdens for real people, hungry people will show up!

More importantly, if we will dive deep into the waters of life, then God will confirm our words with his signs and wonders and people will come in droves! 

The great revivalists of the past were sold out to Jesus and allowed God to operate through them. The crowds showed up. Millions of lives were changed. Sometimes, because of the operation of the spirit of God, whole towns were shut down for a time in order to let people seek God! 

It can happen again! 

It can happen today! 

Biblical and historical revival is not a series of meetings that bring small changes, make us feel better, and see a few people saved. Don't get me wrong, I thank God for every soul reached for the kingdom, but we've set our sights way too low! 

What God did for the early church, he can and will do today! 

What God did a hundred years ago at asuza street, he can and will do today! 

If we will but repent and allow God to take us to where he wants us to be, he can start yet another wildfire that can encompass the whole world!

God help us all to die to ourselves, our platforms, our ideas, our programs, and our organizations, and rise to real life in you so that you can actually work through us in Jesus' name! 

When people truly believe that their lives will be impacted significantly, they will show up!

If we will allow God to show up, then the people will too!

Farewell to a great man of God

 It is with great adoration and love that I offer this farewell to a great man of God. Though I am not close to the family, brother Winslow made a huge and lasting effect on my and my family's lives and walk with God. He will be missed greatly! I pray those who watch this will be blessed and encouraged in their own walk with Jesus.

You've earned your rest, my friend. I love you with all that is in me! May the hand of God rest upon your family and the seeds that you've sown blossom until the Lord returns!