Friday, September 28, 2018

Heaven Touching Earth

Hello everyone,

What an amazing journey of discovering and exploring the powerful and precious gifts of the Holy Spirit we’ve been on! While doing this study and meditating on the truth we’ve found, I’ve experienced significant impartation from the Holy Spirit. The truth of His Word brings such freedom and confidence to dig deeper, expect and anticipate the practical experience of it in our lives! In our study together, we’ve discovered the gifts of the Holy Spirit are exactly what the Word says they are - gifts that enrich our lives more than words can express. Never have I been more motivated to move and operate in these gifts each day. Which is really what I’ve been praying would happen for each of you too!

Ephesians 4:23-24 in the Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) says, “…Be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], and put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.” To me, this describes a life that is continually operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts were never meant to be isolated in the four walls of a church building. They are a vital part of our spiritual lives. They are our direct link between heaven and earth, through which we communicate and demonstrate the power of God. They are in fact, heaven touching earth through us! It’s this power that constantly renews and refreshes us and causes us to walk in a partnership with the Holy Spirit to do His work and will on the earth. The powerful presence of God that is daily activated in our lives is what causes us to walk in daily victory.

Just the other day I was in a gathering where, out of the 35 people present, 21 nationalities were represented from all over the world. It was remarkable to see how each one individually communicated and expressed the culture of his country of origin by his name and language. For instance Mr Kuzentsov didn’t have to tell us he was from Russia when he introduced himself in his thick Russian accent. Neither did Mr Esposito, with his musical accent, need to tell us he hailed from Italy! What I’m trying to say is just as each nation on earth has its own distinctive culture that is communicated through its citizens’ names and languages; heaven has a distinctive culture too. Jesus told us that since we are in Him, we are not of this world but rather citizens of heaven - that is our real home. We have been adopted into His family and carry His Name; and we have a heavenly language that is directly linked to the culture of heaven!

Every gift of the Holy Spirit communicates the culture of heaven…Which brings me to the two gifts we are going to discuss in this letter and the next. They are the gift of interpretation of tongues and the gift of prophecy; both are inspiration or vocal gifts, and of course, they completely coincide with the gift of diverse tongues which we previously discussed in great detail. In fact, if you remember we spoke about diverse tongues: one being our personal heavenly prayer language and another, a language used as a sign for unbelievers. Either one communicates a heavenly culture that can’t always be expressed by our limited human intellect or expressions.

Haven’t you experienced times where you have a burden to pray but your own human language cannot express what you feel in your spirit? Or what about the times you are worshipping the Lord and there are simply no human words appropriate enough to express the affection your heart is simply bursting to tell Him? In Romans 8:26 Paul says, “So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.” There it is: the very essence and culture of heaven itself is communicated and transported into our lives and the atmosphere through the supernatural operation of each of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Whether it’s through the utterance gifts (through our heavenly language, or the revelation gifts) where a specific word directly from the heart of God is spoken that could not have come from our own knowledge; or the power gifts (where God’s power is communicated through healings and miracles). All demonstrate and communicate the divine, supernatural culture of heaven - something that has always meant to be a common, daily occurrence in the lives of every born-again believer!

Now, back to the gift we are discussing today: the gift of interpretation of tongues.

The Apostle Paul speaks of the importance of having the interpretation of a sign tongue accompanying it. Now, although only the tongue that is used for a sign to the unbelievers is required to have an interpretation, both our personal prayer language and a sign tongue can be accompanied by an interpretation.

Let me explain…
Kenneth Copeland tells of how he was preaching in a particular town and the meetings were extended. He knew in his spirit that this was the will of God and was happy to remain in that town to continue teaching and preaching to the people of God. The only problem was he had come to the end of the teaching material he had prepared for the trip. So he went before the Lord and began to pray in his heavenly language to receive guidance from the Lord. While he was praying in the Spirit, a thought suddenly interrupted his praying. It told him to go look in the back seat of his car. Now he couldn’t understand why he would need to do that and quite frankly thought it was a distraction to keep him from pressing into the presence and wisdom of God. So he pushed the thought aside and kept on praying. That thought just kept popping right back into his mind, again and again, until all he could do was go and take a look at what was in the back of his car - so that he could be done with that annoying distraction. When he did look in his car he found a pile of books and teaching material that a man had given to him during one of the services. He had forgotten all about it; and as he looked through the material, his spirit leapt inside him and he instantly knew this was what he was meant to meditate on and teach the people. Mr Copeland had gone before the Lord specifically asking for wisdom and direction; and while he was praying in his personal heavenly language, the Holy Spirit revealed exactly what he needed to hear.

Remember, when we pray in the Holy Spirit, we speak the perfect will of God into our circumstances; as brother Kenneth did that, the Holy Spirit gave him the interpretation of what that will was!

When I heard that, I saw praying in the Holy Spirit in my own personal prayer time in a whole new light! I began to listen intently for any unction and tug from Him as I prayed; getting my mind to focus and follow the flow of power the Spirit was leading. Did I receive the wisdom or direction or peace or words I was looking and asking for? Yes, yes, yes - I did! Hallelujah! I started making this a habit in my life and using it as an opportunity to bless others. I would ask the Lord to give me a Word in season for a friend and as I prayed in the Holy Spirit, listening for His voice, a particular scripture would pop into my mind specifically for them. When I shared it with them it was exactly what they needed from the Lord for that time and situation. That’s all part of communicating the culture of heaven!

In the next letter, we are going to see how the gift of interpretation operates with sign tongues and how, together, they relate to the gift of prophecy.

Until then, enjoy communicating the culture of heaven, bringing its influence into your own personal life as well as those around you!

All my love,

Jenny 





Build Up, Lift Up, Comfort

Hello Everyone,

In my previous letter we spoke about how the gifts of the Holy Spirit communicate the culture of heaven here on earth. When they operate in our lives they actually give us a taste of how things are in heaven. They are a real demonstration of the supernatural presence and power of God touching our lives! I suppose you could say the gifts of the Holy Spirit are God’s way of communicating with us in a way that is unmistakable and undeniable.

This is what marks our God as the only true God! Look at what Habakkuk 2:18-20 says: “What profit is the graven image when its maker has formed it? It is only a molten image and a teacher of lies. For the maker trusts in his own creations [as his gods] when he makes dumb idols. Woe to him who says to the wooden image, Awake! and to the dumb stone, Arise, teach! [Yet, it cannot, for] behold, it is laid over with gold and silver and there is no breath at all inside it! But the Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth hush and keep silence before Him.”

In the Old Testament, the Lord dwelt in the confines of His temple which was a rigid structure; but in the New Testament, His temple is a living, breathing vessel called the human spirit. He lives within every born again child of God and is never asleep - nor is He silent!

The truth is: the Holy Spirit is continuously active in our lives when we choose to yield to Him. Operating in His gifts becomes a part of our nature when we learn how to work with Him in perfect harmony. We can reach the place where we have so allowed His Spirit to influence us that we see as He sees, speak as He speaks, and act in love and power as He does!  That’s what operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit is all about.

Besides Jesus, when He walked on earth, Paul is an excellent example of this beautiful partnership we can enjoy with the Holy Spirit. Did you notice how the disciples and apostles learnt from Jesus, as they personally knew Him while He was here? Paul, however, didn’t have Jesus in the flesh to teach him all he knew about the relationship we can have with the Holy Spirit and all the fruit and gifts that we can enjoy and develop in our lives. Paul learnt all he knew and experienced by the Holy Spirit Himself being his Teacher. If Paul could do it, we can too!

Now we have pretty much reached the final part of our study on the gifts of the Holy Spirit; and today we are going to carry on discussing the gift of interpretation of tongues and then bring in the gift of prophecy. It’s remarkable at how these gifts work together and interact with each other.

We saw how the gift of interpretation of tongues can operate when we are praying in our own heavenly prayer language. Today we are going to see how it works alongside the gift of speaking in a sign tongue (a heavenly tongue purposed to benefit others and is used as a sign to unbelievers). To begin with, we must understand an interpretation is not a word for word translation; rather, it’s revealing and verbally communicating what is on the heart of God for a particular person or circumstance.

That’s why it’s so important to have the interpretation of a sign tongue; because its purpose, as mentioned earlier, is to benefit others and specifically used as a sign to display the power of God to the unsaved. This usually takes place in a gathering of believers, where unsaved people are also present. Now the person who feels the unction of the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues during the meeting can have the interpretation of that tongue too. In 1 Corinthians 14:13, Paul says, “…the person who speaks in an [unknown] tongue should pray [for the power] to interpret and explain what he says.” That’s when we do what he says to do in verse 15: “... I will pray with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will also pray [intelligently] with my mind and understanding; I will sing with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will sing [intelligently] with my mind and understanding also.” I explained this concept a little earlier. Our minds get on board with our spirits that are taking the lead in this process.

It is possible and common for someone who is speaking in a sign tongue to not have the interpretation of that tongue but instead someone else in the gathering will receive the interpretation for it. For many, they begin with the unction or tug to speak, even if it’s only one word; but as thy step out in faith, as they open their mouths to speak that word, the rest of the interpretation just flows right out. It’s important to remember that this is an interpretation, not a translation; so while the tongue may be length or short, the interpretation doesn’t necessarily equal the length or duration of time of the tongue it’s interpreting. But those who are present and are filled with - and sensitive to - the Holy Spirit will be able to discern whether the tongue and interpretation is inspired by the Holy Spirit…what a beautiful, holy moment that is for the church! This is a very precious privilege we are able to enjoy together, receiving a spontaneous message directly from the heart of God for His people. That inspired word could either be direct to everyone present or just one particular person, depending on what the Holy Spirit desires for that moment.

Now, in 1Corinthians 14:26-27, Paul was addressing the very enthusiastic church of Corinth. They had so eagerly embraced the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to the point where their enthusiasm was proving to be a bit of a distraction and disruption in their church services. Instead of flowing with the pastor in charge of the service and submitting to his leadership in the flow of the service, they were just shouting out a tongue whenever they felt the unction of the Holy Spirit – without being sensitive to the appropriate time it should be released. You can well imagine this brought absolute chaos and frustration, not benefitting anyone. So Paul taught the believers to do things properly and in order by adhering to the leadership of the pastor and being sensitive to the timing and use of the gifts so that they will benefit all.

Let’s summarise what we’ve learnt from the gifts of a sign tongue and the interpretation of that tongue working together: they communicate what is on the heart of God at that specific moment for either a group of people or an individual person. At the very same time this is a powerful witnessing tool for the unbeliever to see God communicating His heart of love with people.

That, in essence, is what the gift of prophecy is. It really is the equivalent to an unknown tongue and interpretation of that tongue, with the exception that the gift of prophecy is specifically purposed to exhort or build up; edify or lift up; and comfort the believer. Paul said he would love it if every believer embraced the gift of praying in tongues because of the power it holds and carries. But, even more than that, he earnestly encouraged believers to operate in the gift of prophecy because of the way it empowers and enables us to encourage and strengthen each other by the Spirit of God.

It’s really important to understand that the gift of prophecy is not the same as operating in the office of a prophet. A prophet is one of the positions or offices of the fivefold ministry. Those called to this office certainly operate in the gift of prophecy, as well as the other gifts; however, operating in the gift of prophecy certainly does not qualify someone to be a prophet. Rather, this gift is available to every believer to operate in and be used of the Lord to encourage, comfort and build up other believers. It is never used to rebuke or criticise.  

Remember we are taught to test all things by being sure that they line up appropriately with the written word of God and His character, with the inner witness of the Holy Spirit within us.

The beauty of this gift of prophecy is that any believer who is walking in close fellowship with the Lord flows very easily in this gift. Anytime you speak or communicate to someone from the outflow of what the Spirit of God is causing you to feel in your heart towards them – that causes you to either build them up, lift their spirit or comfort them – you are operating in the gift of prophecy. You are being an extension of God’s heart to them. This is what Paul was speaking about being the most beneficial gift to operate within the body of Christ!

To end off this powerful series, I’ll leave you with this word from 1 Corinthians 14:1:
“EAGERLY PURSUE and seek to acquire [this] love [make it your aim, your great quest]; and earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual endowments (gifts), especially that you may prophesy (interpret the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching).”  

All my love,


Jenny

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Your Heavenly Language

Hello everyone,

In our study of the various gifts of the Holy Spirit, we have discovered such powerful tools that intimately connect us in a marvellous partnership with the Holy Spirit. We have learnt how yielding to the Spirit of God allows us to be used by Him to connect people with the supernatural, tangible presence of God - where they undeniably experience His marvellous love and care for them in a very personal way. Operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, where we are in fine tune with the Spirit of Jesus, feeling His deep love and compassion for each person and being the vessel for Him to demonstrate His love to them is nothing less than miraculous! To me it seems to be the highest form of service in God’s kingdom; when you disappear, to have Jesus manifest Himself through you. Every spiritual gift has the purpose to magnify the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ as He heals, encourages, restores and empowers His church.

Today we are going to explore what is probably considered the single most divisive subject in body of Christ today, outside of water baptism. For centuries the devil has caused confusion and misunderstanding regarding this gift, to the point where some Christians claim it no longer exists, while others call it demonic. But it’s right there in the Bible, along with the other gifts of the Spirit and is mentioned and taught on more than most of the other gifts. That’s because it’s such a powerful tool that is probably the quickest and most effective way for believers to fine tune our spirits to hear and intimately connect with the heart of God. That’s because when we operate in this gift, we are not praying our own thoughts and plans, we are praying His!

The gift of diverse tongues is our subject for today and I’m praying that as you open your heart to what the Word of God teaches us about it, all your own misconceptions and misunderstandings concerning it will be completely cleared up and you will step out in faith and willingly operate in this gift - because it will completely transform your spiritual walk with the Lord, opening up a whole new dimension of experiencing His manifest presence in your life.

Remember the Bible clearly states how these gifts are wonderful, powerful tools for every believer to earnestly desire and operate in because of the tremendous benefit and profit they are to the body, as well as being strong, effective witnessing tools to unbelievers. They are excellent gifts the Father has given every believer (Ephesians 1:3) and nothing He gives us is to harm us, nor can it ever be evil. That simply isn’t the character of our Heavenly Father.

As with all the gifts of the Spirit, the Apostle Paul pleads with us to not be ignorant concerning this gift. As we understand how it functions in our lives, along with its purpose, our confidence in exercising it grows, as does the frequency of its use.  

The Bible teaches us that praying in tongues is evidence of being filled with the Spirit of God. It is a sign of His power being alive and activated inside of us. Now the reason 1 Corinthians 12:10 describes this gift as diverse tongues, or various kinds of unknown tongues, is because there are different kinds of tongues He gives us. I’m going to explain this to you as carefully and clearly as I can.

When we receive the gift of tongues, we receive a personal prayer language. The Bible says that when we pray in tongues, we are speaking the mysteries of God. His own Spirit is speaking God’s perfect will through us. Paul speaks about speaking in unknown tongues in 1 Corinthians 14:2, as a language not understood by anyone but the Spirit of God. A spiritual language communicated between His Spirit and ours. It says, “For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things [not obvious to the understanding].”

As I mentioned, when we pray in tongues, we pray the perfect will of God in and over our lives and any situation the Spirit of God leads us to pray over. The devil doesn't understand it, so he can't interfere; neither does our natural mind understand it, so our own reasoning can't interfere with our faith either.

Praying in the Spirit or tongues activates and stirs up the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us, like powering us up from the inside. It makes the power of God, that resides inside us rise up energise and dominate every part of us. It's a wonderful gift that empowers and strengthens the believer as we speak God's perfect will into existence. 1 Corinthians 14:4 says, “He who speaks in a [strange] tongue edifies and improves himself...”

Romans 8:26 puts it perfectly, it says, “So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.”

Jude 1:20 says, “But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit.” When we pray in the Holy Spirit in our personal time with the Lord, we build and strengthen our spirit man. It’s such a powerful prayer because it’s not contaminated with our own emotions of worry and fear. This means it supercharges us with our most holy faith - the faith of God released into our spirits. Hallelujah!

So let’s summarise this particular part of the gift of diverse tongues. It’s a personal prayer language that puts us in direct fellowship with God, where His own Spirit prays God’s perfect and accurate will through us. Because it’s God’s Spirit praying; we are ministered to while we pray in tongues. We are filled with His refreshing peace and our faith is built up as our spirit is strengthened. In fact, the very atmosphere around us becomes charged with power and faith.

When we sing in the Holy Spirit in our worship time, it elevates and magnifies our time of worship because the Holy Spirit is worshipping and praising, perfectly through us, in ways we cannot humanly express what our hearts feel. We actually sense ourselves being transported right into the throne room of God in this time, where everything of this world fades in the light of knowing and experiencing the glorious presence of Jesus this way. Spirit to spirit; deep to deep - worshipping in spirit and truth! This is where we drink deep of the living water of Jesus and we are completely filled and satisfied because we have a clear sense that there is nothing hindering this intimate connection with God; where He manifests Himself to us like a consuming fire that overwhelms us and we become a body wholly filled and flooded with Him - lacking nothing.

What a marvellous, glorious gift we have been given to experience this kind of intimacy with the Lord.  

Now next week we’ll look at another part of this gift of diverse tongues, see it demonstrated in the Bible. And if you want to have this gift activated in you, I’ll pray for you to receive that activation.

All my love,

Jenny




Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Working with the Healer

Hello Everyone,

Is there anyone on this earth who doesn’t need the healing touch of God in some area of their lives? Would anyone willingly not choose to live in divine health? I think the answer is obvious, don’t you? We all need the healing power of God to not only bring healing, but sustain the wholeness it brings. Because of the shed blood of Jesus, and the presence of the Precious Holy Spirit in our lives, we can experience this! Now, contrary to what some Christians may think, I wholeheartedly agree with the Word of God that clearly tells us Jesus suffered the severest flogging prior to His crucifixion so that we can be healed and made whole in this life. The Word declares that God is our healer; that He is impartial on this matter and not a respecter of persons when it comes to His will for ALL people to be healed and made whole. God is the Divine Healer and it is His divine will that every one of His creation walks healed and whole!

Jesus Christ went to the cross and endured so much suffering so that we could receive healing from every disease. 1 Peter 2: 24 says, “He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.” Matthew 10:1 says, “And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal ALL kinds of sickness and ALL kinds of disease.”  

Isaiah 53:5 says, “He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our guilt and iniquities; and the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him, we are healed and made whole.” The Hebrew word for healed here specifically means physical as well as mental and emotional healing. Jesus died for the complete healing of our bodies, souls and spirits.  

Now, having said that, since the Word of God tells us His Spirit lives on the inside of us – and that His power to heal is alive and active in Him – we can expect that healing power to be alive and active in us too. I understand that this may be a bit of a mind bender for some.  But the time has come for the church to see God’s Word for what it says and what it is, and acknowledge it as the ultimate truth concerning us. When we agree with the Word, believe it and begin to appropriate it as the final authority for all things, we will experience a shift in our mindsets where we begin to see and believe things as God does. This shift is where faith in God’s Word becomes the dominating influence in our lives, instead of the natural circumstances that seem to limit us.

Smith Wigglesworth strongly reminded believers of our responsibility in this regard. He said where much is given, much is required. In other words, if we don’t move forward and walk in the light of the truth that has been revealed to us by the Holy Spirit from His Word, we will forfeit living in the supernatural here on earth. If living supernaturally is something we can actually experience, would we really want to opt for anything less? Would you be content to live at the mercy of your circumstances, letting the devil reap havoc in your life, while you suffer and say, “God is in control, so I’ll just sit by and let things happen.”? Really…is that in line with God’s Word? Absolutely not! Jesus said while we are here on earth, we are to be vitally abiding in Him, filled with His Word and power, taking authority over the devil and ministering the life and peace and miraculous in people’s lives. We are supposed to be His representatives by bringing the reality of the supernatural into this natural world. Many people say we are to only represent Jesus in His character traits by being peaceful and kind and tolerant of all people. But when you take a look at the nature and character of Jesus in the Word, as much as He loved people, He had no tolerance for sin or powerless religion. He had no tolerance for deception that kept people in bondage and lack, or sickness and pain and suffering. And neither should we.  

Our enemy is not flesh and blood, but principalities and rulers of darkness that manipulate and keep people in bondage through sickness. If we are to fight the good fight of faith and overcome the attack of the enemy in this life, do we even suppose we will do it without being skilled in operating in the supernatural power of God? Do you think being a passive Christian who tolerates every kind of evil, and just looks the other way saying “God is in control” is going to make any difference in this world? Yes, God is in control; that’s why He sent Jesus so that whoever receives and believes on Him will walk in His authority to stand up to the devil, supernaturally turning the tables on him and all the evil he spews out on people in this world.

We are the light of the world, we are the salt of the earth and we need to supernaturally influence it if we are going to be counted as Christ’s representatives. In John 15 Jesus tells us we must abide in Him by having the truth of His Word mould and shape the way we think and speak and act. When we do, there will be real evidence of what that abiding Word produces in our lives. That evidence is called fruit and it fills our lives with the actual substance of what the revealed truth has promised. In other words, when we understand and agree and believe what the Word says about God being our healer and that His Holy Spirit has empowered us with spiritual gifts to operate in partnership with Him to bring healing to all who need it; then we will begin to do just that! And as we do, there is actual evidence of God’s Word being alive and productive in us.  

Listen, Jesus said if we don’t bear evidence of what His Word says, we will be cut off as a withered branch; and if we don’t allow our saltiness to influence this world, we are of no significant value to the kingdom of God. But, on the other hand, if we do abide in Jesus and have His Word remain and produce fruit in our lives so that we begin to live supernaturally by the power of His Holy Spirit, He said “Ask whatever you will and I will give it to you” (John 15:7).

God has given us all these powerful and marvellous gifts of the Holy Spirit as tools to manifest His goodness and love on this earth. They are such a dynamic way to supernaturally represent the truth of Who He is to all people. When we stop being ignorant about them and learn to yield to the Holy Spirit, asking Him to teach us how to sharpen our sensitivity to remain in tune with Him, He will do His supernatural work through us! Can you imagine to what extent we can destroy the work of the devil and extend the kingdom of God if we live this way? All we need to do is be willing and obedient to the Spirit of God Who lives inside us.  

Now, when we explore the gifts of healings, there is a reason for the plural use of the words gifts and healings. That’s because when people need the healing power of God in their lives, every situation is different, which means different gifts will work together to bring different healings. Smith Wigglesworth operated in the gifts of healings in such a powerful way, and he said the Holy Spirit would always reveal and teach him how to deal and work with each individual person that he would minister to. He said the most important requirement for this gift to work is to feel and be led by the compassion of God for the person who is in need of healing. He also said it’s vital to exercise the fruit of patience while ministering to them. He said he would always see the person through the eyes of God, being ready with a word of comfort for them, encouraging them in their faith. But he said he would always have a Holy anger towards the devil and the pain and suffering he inflicted on them. 

He said we are to deal with sickness as we deal with the devil. There will be times when the Holy Spirit will reveal that something is amiss in the person’s life, either through a word of knowledge or the gift of discernment. In some cases they may have neglected certain things in their lives which gave place to the devil, and they first need to deal with that before healing can take place. Things like unforgiveness, or known sin, can certainly give the devil permission to hold them in bondage through sickness. Once that is quickly taken care of, he would feel the faith of God rise up inside him, and his own faith would rise up to embrace that conviction and he would curse the sickness or cancer or whatever was plaguing that person and holding them in bondage.  

The Bible says we have been given the power to bind and loose on earth, whatever is bound and loosed in heaven, and it’s important to remember that it’s not our power that deals with the devil, but the power of the Living God that lives inside us. We are a temple; a vessel filled with the Holy Ghost Who longs to operate His supernatural healing power through us!

The Holy Spirit is the part of us that connects us to all the power and resources of heaven, while we are on the earth! God wants the very atmosphere of heaven to touch and influence people; without the manifestation of these supernatural gifts, heaven is only going to be what they read about in the pages of the Bible.  

Most importantly, we must understand that faith is what is required for us to receive healing, and operate in the gifts of healings. In Luke 8:42-48, we read how Jesus felt the healing power go out from Him when the woman with the issue of blood’s faith put a demand on that healing power. Then, after she received it, she openly declared her healing. This is very important. The Bible says we overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony! Whenever the healing power of God is manifest, we must testify of it because that testimony becomes a powerful weapon against the devil. It not only builds our faith, but builds the faith of others to believe God for their healing too. 

Now, to close off this powerful letter, for those of you believing God for healing in your own body, here are three primary ways to receive healing…

To being with, we must have the Word of God as our authority to believe for our healing. We went over some powerful promises for God’s healing at the start of this message. These promises provide the concrete foundation for our faith to receive and enable us to resist the devil’s attempts to convince our minds otherwise. The devil cannot dispute the truth of God’s Word; in fact, he’s defenceless against it.  

Secondly, when we pray in agreement with another believer, our faith is strengthened to receive the outcome of God’s promise. Matthew 18:19-20 says, “Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven. For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My name, there I AM in the midst of them.”     

Thirdly, the Bible does say we can go to the elders or pastors of the church so they can lay their hands on us to receive healing. This way we can combine our faith with theirs to receive healing.

Now I’ve given you more than enough material to meditate on concerning the spiritual gifts of healings. Until next week, choose to be sensitive to the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and practice working in partnership with the One Who is our Healer.

Much love,

Jenny


Monday, September 10, 2018

Expect the Miraculous!

Hello everyone,

The other day I was talking to a friend who was sharing about the home group her pastor had started for the people in his neighbourhood. He had reached out to his neighbours knowing full well that some would never darken the threshold of a church, but were comfortable enough to listen to him share the truth of God’s Word in a home environment. After one of the evenings, where the pastor had shared about the Person of Jesus and His kingdom way of life, one neighbour approached him. With such sadness weighing down on his heart he looked the pastor in the eyes and said, “I want to believe in a good and loving God, I really do, but with all I have seen in this world, I just can’t.” Do you know that is the most common response to the Gospel that people in the world present to the church? The darkness and evil the devil has lorded over this world has so dominated, influenced and blinded the hearts of the unbelievers to the truth of Who God really is. He has deceived them into being ignorant of God’s power and ability; even His willingness to redeem them, set them free, heal them of their physical, emotional and mental pain, and then fill them with Himself, empowering them to overcome and fill this earth with His glory.

The greatest problem the church is facing today is not the overwhelming evil, because Jesus has already given us the authority over it. No, our greatest threat is our ignorance concerning the power of God that is in us and available to us to effectively and supernaturally win the lost to Jesus. That power is also here to activate, encourage, build up and empower the church to raise a mighty standard against the enemy and usher in the greatest influx of souls into the kingdom of God this world has ever seen. The tragedy is our apathy and reluctance to know and experience the Person of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Can you even imagine what this world would look like if we all chose to yield to the Holy Spirit and make it our priority to remain in tune with His leading in our individual lives? Imagine the church working as a body, perfectly in sync with the Spirit of God, to get the job done, while the devil unleashes all He has on the earth… All the evil he has is no match to the power of God in full display and operation in the church!

Well, when we see how divided the church is, it seems like a hopeless task doesn’t it? But, when we look through history, any life surrendered to the Lord, is a powerful tool for the miraculous! Gideon’s small group of men was a match for the armies that outrageously outnumbered them, but God miraculously gave them an overwhelming victory! The fortified walls of Jericho collapsed without one battering ram; Queen Esther and Abigail turned the hearts of kings to save countless, innocent lives. The Prophet Elijah heard the deepest military secrets of the enemy and singlehandedly marched them into the Israelite king’s hands. In the New Testament, people were healed and delivered when Peter’s shadow fell on them as he walked through the streets. Hundreds of people were added to the church daily as believers operated under the power and unction of the Holy Spirit. Today there are countless testimonies of missionaries in China and lands forbidden to preach the Gospel, where the miraculous, supernatural hand of God moves mightily on their behalf and in their midst. 

All it takes is one person to be in tune with the Holy Spirit and obedient to His voice to see the supernatural power of God impact lives and change atmospheres all around the world. If you and I do our part, there is no limit to what the Lord can do in and through us. So where do we begin? 1 Corinthians 12 has three powerful words that have really impacted my life recently. They are: “don’t be ignorant”. Obviously Paul was teaching the church of Corinth about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And quite frankly, he’s teaching us too isn’t he! Operating in partnership with the Holy Spirit is exactly what we are meant to do. If we make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit and remain fine-tuned to hear and obey His promptings and leading, the powerful gifts will flow more readily in our lives.  No matter what gift seems more dominant at a particular time, the other gifts are operating alongside it, supporting and complementing it. All the while we are developing sensitivity to the flow of the Holy Spirit in all the gifts, simultaneously. What a marvellous and exciting privilege for every believer to enjoy!

We can live every day expecting the miraculous!

These spiritual gifts are not only to strengthen and encourage the church; they are powerful tools to win the lost to Christ too. We have been briefly exploring these gifts. In fact, we’ve touched on what we call the three revelation gifts: the gift of a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, and the discerning of spirits. Then we started speaking about the power gifts, being the gift of faith; and today, we are going to speak about the gift of working of miracles!

Now, when it comes to God’s perspective on life, the miraculous is not unusual at all. It’s actually an everyday occurrence when we open our eyes to what He is doing in the earth today. Pastor Neal Reyes describes this gift as the supernatural power of God operating in a way that goes beyond our natural laws. For instance, in 2 Kings, Isaiah told King Hezekiah that the shadow of the sun would go back ten steps as a sign that God would heal him. In Joshua 10, we are told that Joshua commanded the sun and moon to stand still until the Israelites won their battle, which lasted almost an entire day. In both these instances the law of nature was interrupted and violated by the supernatural. It was miraculous. Moses parting the Red Sea and Elijah parting the Jordan River were again miraculous demonstrations that defied the laws of nature. In the early church, the Bible says in Acts 8:4-8 that when Phillip preached, the people were in one accord and heard and saw miracles that left them full of joy. In Acts 19:11-12, we hear that God performed unusual miracles by the hands of Paul.

Miracles are the supernatural intervention of God in the impossible circumstances of man. Apostle Maldonado made a statement that without the working of miracles, Christianity is just another religion; we have nothing of real significance to offer people; no power to break them out of the bondage of the enemy. It’s miracles, signs and wonders that separate us from all other religions.

How do we flow in this powerful gift? To begin with, Apostle Maldonado speaks about us cultivating a constant expectation for the supernatural. Understanding – and this is so important – that miracles are a mark of the love of God; an visible and tangible extension of His love for people.

Now take note of this statement: “To say ‘we don’t need miracles today’ is a sign of a lukewarm Christianity that has no desire for the tangible manifestation of God’s power and love.” That’s because miracles are God’s sign language. A miracle happens when God dominates the atmosphere with His tangible power and love.  

In Mark 16:15-20, we are told that miracles, signs and wonders followed the preaching of the Word. The full gospel is preached when signs, wonders, and miracles confirm what has been preached. They give the Word tangible substance for unbelievers and believers to grasp and believe the Word of Truth.

Apostle Maldonado explains how miracles can happen sovereignly, or by the working of our faith. When they happen sovereignly, it’s without the touch of man (where someone lays hands on someone to receive a miracle). God just does it as the individual opens his heart in faith to receive. However, the working of miracles involves exercising our faith. For example – and I have seen this with my own eyes – when someone comes forward for a specific miracle, like standing up out of a wheelchair and being able to walk unassisted after being unable to do so before. In many instances, that person will exercise their faith and begin to do something they were not able to do before. In other words, they will begin to stand up, then they begin to take one step, and then another, and keep working that miracle until they are running full strides around the auditorium, or up and down the length of the room. Sometimes it doesn’t happen the first time. 

Apostle Maldonado said he once prayed for a woman who put her faith out with his and attempted three times to leave her wheelchair before she stood up and began to walk unassisted. I’ve seen people who I know couldn’t move their arms above a certain height because of an accident or injury; as they put their faith out, they would keep moving their arms higher and higher until they could swing them around, up and down, with ease! I’ve seen people who have had back injuries and couldn’t bend down, begin to exercise their faith after being prayed for, and they would begin little by little doing what they couldn’t do before until they were stretching down with ease – even touching their toes! Oh my, I have cried and laughed and rejoiced with so many people who have experienced the working of miracles in their lives and experienced the overwhelming love of God in such a tangible way. What a wonderful, glorious way to experience the touch of God like this! 

As we remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit and cultivate an outrageous expectation to have Him work in and through our lives in this gift, I have no doubt that is exactly what we will experience. One key way to do this is to frequently expose ourselves to the atmosphere of the supernatural. There are churches that operate in the supernatural manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit all over the world.

Now remember, you have the Spirit of God living inside you, so you will immediately discern if it’s the Spirit of God at work in those services or not. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to a church that worships the Lord Jesus Christ, preaches His Word and operates in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, demonstrating signs, wonders and miracles. Then, as you constantly expose yourself to that atmosphere that is charged with faith, you will find those gifts begging to develop and flow in and through you too.

Until next week, begin to develop an expectation for the miraculous in your life!

All my love,

Jenny