Tag Archives: Church

January 7, 2024 · 4:48 pm

In the recent spiritual and sexual abuse scandals, could the church leaders have avoided moral failure by undergoing deliverance? (Part 3)

Judson Cornwall (1924 – 2005) was a noted preacher, pastor and prolific author of over 50 books, some of which are considered classics today.

Cornwall was invited to be the main speaker for a graduation ceremony at Elim Bible Institute in Lima, New York. He concluded his speech by saying, “Let me offer you some advice. Don’t go directly from this ceremony into fulltime ministry or to being a church pastor. Take three or four or five years off. Get a job and work in the market place. Discover the problems normal people struggle with every day. You will learn how to better relate to your congregations and how to help them. And all the while, the Holy Spirit will change you. So, do your congregations a favor, get a job.”

The result of Cornwall’s wise advice was that Elim Bible Institute never invited him to speak again at their college.

*******

Four months after Vice President Mike Pence eulogized Ravi Zacharias as “the greatest apologist of this century,” Zacharias’ reputation began falling apart. Three women who worked at two spas he co-owned in the Atlanta area came forth, alleging sexual harassment and abuse by Zacharias.

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) hired a law firm to investigate Zacharias. Their 12-page report contained findings far worse than anyone could have ever imagined. Two hundred contacts of female massage therapists with photos, some in the nude, were on Zacharias’ cell phones. A trail of misuse of RZIM funds to fund his sexual escapades in the US, India, Thailand and Malaysia was uncovered.

The law firm’s best estimates were that Zacharias’ sexual escapades had happened over the ten-year period leading up to just a few months before his death.

One woman told the investigators that “after he arranged for his ministry to provide her with financial support, he required sex from her.” She called it rape.

She said Zacharias “made her pray with him to thank God for the ‘opportunity’ they both received” and, as with other victims, “called her his ‘reward’ for living a life of service to God,” the report says. Zacharias warned the woman—a fellow believer—if she ever spoke out against him, she would be responsible for millions of souls lost when his reputation was damaged.

More information can be read here and here.

******

Okay, here’s my supposition and like all opinions, it can be somewhat true or totally false. So, reader beware!

Zacharias was delivered from the kingdom of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of God when he was seventeen years old. He was saved.

But like me, he may still have had some iniquity intertwined with his personality by puppet strings leading to a demon. This demon may have been able to pull on his soul – mind, will and emotions – at various times throughout his life, tempting him toward his inner sexual lusts. His inner lusts may have slowly overcome his spiritual learning and fear of the Lord, until he finally fell into sin. And the sin eventually became full-grown so that he was completely dead to any conviction by the Holy Spirit.

Was Ravi Zacharias ever possessed by the demon? No, but he was heavily deceived.

Maybe if Ravi Zacharias’ path would have crossed with Judson Cornwall, maybe Zacharias would have listened to the wise advice. But this did not happen because Zacharias moved from high school graduation, to emigrating to Canada, to Bible school, to marriage, to studying for his Masters of Divinity and then working in fulltime ministry. He never worked a normal job.

Thus, no friends talked with him after a church service, asking to pray for him so that he could be delivered from the demon.

Why have I mentioned Zacharias not having a normal job? Is this really that important?

Once Zacharias stepped into a pulpit of a traditional church, his gifting elevated him far above the people sitting in the pews before him. The congregation could no longer talk to him on an equal basis.

Can you imagine confronting Ravi Zacharias about his demon and his need for deliverance after a pulpit appearance? I can’t imagine that ending well, can you?

The biggest chasm in the traditional church system is between the pulpit and the pews. Seldom is there a bridge between the two.

I’ve used Ravi Zacharias in my article for a few reasons. One, he is dead; and two, there is so much info available about him.

But I have done some checking on other sexual abuse scandals, almost every pastor and leader has followed Zacharias’ example. Could these scandals have been avoided by deliverance from a demon at an earlier age? Maybe.

The comedian Flip Wilson used to joke, “The devil made me do it!”

Yet, pastors and leaders can’t use that for an excuse because the man with 2,000 demons ran up to Jesus, bowed down and worshipped Him.

It still all comes down to having humility and a godly character

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January 3, 2024 · 3:12 pm

In the recent spiritual and sexual abuse scandals, could the church leaders have avoided moral failure by undergoing deliverance? (Part 2)

In the early months of 2020, I learned that one of my heroes of the faith, Ravi Zacharias, was suffering from a rare cancer – sarcoma. The article asked for prayers for him because without divine intervention, he was only expected to live a couple of weeks.

I prayed for Zacharias and even tried to negotiate with God. “Lord, I am willing to take Ravi’s sickness in my body so that he can be healed and live to touch millions more people.”

My negotiations and prayers were not heeded because Ravi Zacharias died on May 19, 2020. He was seventy-four years old when he died which was my age also. (I was born in February and he was born in March.)

A few months later, I was shocked to learn that Zacharias was not the man of God I thought he was.

******

Ravi Zacharias was born on March 26, 1946, in Madras, India. He grew up in the Delhi area and was fluent in both English and Hindi.

His parents were Anglican, but he remained a skeptic until a failed suicided attempt landed him in the hospital when he was seventeen years old. A Christian worker brought him a Bible and asked his mother to read John Chapter 14 to Ravi.

“Because I live, you will live also” were the words that sliced through Ravi’s skepticism. Ravi committed his life to Christ and prayed, “Jesus if you are the One who gives life as it is meant to be, I want it. Please get me out of this hospital bed well, and I promise I will leave no stone unturned in my pursuit of truth.”

Soon after, Ravi and his parents emigrated to Toronto, Canada, where he received his undergraduate degree from Ontario Bible College (now Tyndale University) in 1972. He furthered his education with a Masters of Divinity from Trinity International University and also studied in Cambridge, England, at a Church of England theological school.

Ravi first evangelized U. S. soldiers and Viet Cong prisoners in Vietnam and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Then, he packed his bags and traveled the globe. In August, 1984, he founded Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) in Toronto, with his goal to be a “classical evangelist in the arena of the intellectually resistant.” The ministry was later moved to the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia.

As an apologist for Christianity, Ravi argued that a coherent worldview must be able to satisfactorily answer four questions: that of origin, meaning of life, morality and destiny. He said that while every major religion makes exclusive claims about truth, the Christian faith is unique in its ability to answer all four of these questions.

Ravi wrote more than thirty books and hosted two radio programs, all while traveling the world to fulfill his calling. He touched millions of people through his ministry, including mine.

Vice President Mike Pence called Ravi “the greatest apologist of this century” at his funeral which was watched live by 1.2 million people. Tim Tebow and other luminaries spoke of their admiration for Ravi. Whitehouse spokesman, Kayleigh McEnany, summed up what many felt about Ravi: “He made us feel that we didn’t need to check our brains at the door to be a
Christian.”

And yet, he had a secret life which exploded onto the public scene only weeks after his death.

(Continued in Part 3)

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December 31, 2023 · 10:50 am

In the recent spiritual and sexual abuse scandals, could the church leaders have avoided moral failure by undergoing deliverance?

Have you ever had a demon throw you across a room?

Maybe your first thought was one of deep skepticism at my question, believing this types of demonic activities do not happen in America. Yes, it may occur in Nigeria where witch doctors are prevalent, but certainly not in America, right?

If these activities are in the Bible, they can happen anywhere, even here in America.

They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” (Mark 9:20-22).

In the early 1990’s, I spent three to four hours each day in prayer, an hour or more per day in Bible study and reading and two days per week fasting. You would think if anyone should have been free of problems with demons, it would have been me, right?

Let’s stop here and settle something: can Christians be demon possessed?

We humans resemble the Trinity in that we are also three-part beings. Our three parts consist of body, soul and spirit. Jesus moves into our spirit at salvation and reigns there forever and ever. He becomes our treasure in earthen vessel and we proclaim, “We’re saved.”

Our souls − mind, will and emotions − have to be renewed to agree with Jesus and His teachings while our bodies −lusts, desires, pleasures, appetites, etc. − have to be brought into subjection, much like slaves. Both our souls and bodies are continuing works, which we struggle with while we live here on earth.

To be demon possessed, a believer’s spirit would have to be inhabited by a demon. This cannot happen because our spirits are sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption.

Therefore, Christians cannot be demon possessed, but they can certainly have demon problems with their minds, emotions, wills and bodies.

My particular demonic problem proved to be a deep-rooted one.

We are all born into a fallen world, which is filled with sin and governed by the creator of sin: Satan. Our physical makeup is determined by genetics and statistical probabilities, but our spiritual DNA is always based on one thing: sin.

Keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 34:7).

The word iniquity means depravity and always carries within it the hatred of God and His ways.

Iniquity is not a voluntary disobedience to the commands of God, like sin and transgressions, but instead, it is a second nature sin. It is a demonic stronghold within the individual, which may have been passed on through one’s ancestors or the result of continued willful transgressions or the surrender of oneself to an evil ruling principality over a region.

The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin (Proverbs 5:22 ESV).

Ridding a person of iniquity is not as easy as it is for sins or transgressions because it may be intertwined with the person’s personality and attitudes. It requires acceptance of truth, God’s mercy, and the fear of the Lord to set an individual free. This normally depends on a deliverance move by the Spirit of God upon His creation.

My deep-rooted demonic problems were most likely caused by iniquity committed by my parents, grandparents or great grandparents. Do I have any clue about who may have committed it?

My grandmother was born in the mountains of Eastern Tennessee, but unlike my grandfather who was a staunch Southern Baptist, she never opened up to the gospel as a young woman. She instead enjoyed going to palm readers and learning about her future from them. Did she learn this from her parents? I do not know, but palm reading and understanding lifelines on hands are a part of mountain folklore, even today.

There shall not be found among you anyone who…tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer…For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord… (Deuteronomy 18:10, 12).

The story ends well because my grandmother accepted Jesus as her Savior just days before dying at 81 years of age.

On that particular Sunday, I attended church from 10 a.m. to noon. A married couple approached me before I left.

“Larry, we’d like to pray for you,” said the wife.

“When?” I said.

“Is right now, okay?”

“No, I’m taking my daughter Susan out to lunch.”

“Can we do it later?”

“Sure.”

We agreed on a time for later that afternoon.

I gave no thought as to why the couple wanted to pray for me. We were close friends and these types of things often happened at our small church because many had strong prophetic gifts.

The couple waited for me in the apartment attached to the rear of the church when I arrived. The church’s pastor, her husband and another couple also waited there.

What have I done now? I thought. Oh well, I guess they’ll let me know.

“Do you remember Ellen?” said the wife.

“Yes the intercessor who prays five hours each day.”

“One of the prophetic words you spoke to her was wrong.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll ask forgiveness of her.”

“No, that’s okay because your mistake caused her to spend time praying for you. She found some problems with you.”

With those words, I was thrown across the room. Everyone instantly began praying in tongues. The wife and her husband began commanding the demon to let loose of me. I rolled back and forth across the floor, out of control.

What was going through my mind during all this?

I hoped someone had enough spiritual power to set me free from this monster.

It ended after a few minutes. I stood up and hugged everyone.

“Do you feel better?” asked the wife.

“I don’t know…maybe,” I replied.

I noticed a big difference in the following days, which probably was not so obvious to others, but I felt freer in my spirit.

I eventually believed the Lord revealed it was a religious spirit, which had puppet-like strings attached to my soul −mind, will and emotions. The demon could pull on these at certain times, causing problems. The strings were so tightly woven around my personality I did not even notice them.

Here’s my take on this: hang around believers who pray, hear God’s voice, and have spiritual power and anointing. You need strong friends in spiritual warfare.

(Above excerpt from The Hunt for Larry Who by Larry Nevenhoven)

Continued in Part 2

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August 5, 2023 · 11:57 am

When and Where Does the Marriage Supper of the Lamb Take Place?

If you are a Pre-Trib zealot and believe the Church will be raptured just before the Tribulation, then your answer concerning the when and where of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is really quite simple. It will take place when the Church is raptured and will occur in heaven, continuing for the seven years that the Tribulation is being carried out on earth.

Now, most Pre-Trib enthusiasts believe the seven-year Marriage Supper is modeled after the Jewish wedding celebration where the feasting and partying can last up to seven days or one week. In the End-Times’ case, the celebration will take place in heaven and last for a week of years rather than a week of days – or seven years, right?

Ah, but there are some chinks in the logic here!

Why would the Father overlook the greatest addition of new Jewish believers ever to the Body of Christ, especially since it’s a Jewish wedding celebration?

What Jewish believers will be missing at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb if the Marriage Supper is held in heaven while the Tribulation is carried out on earth?

1. All of Israel will be saved. (Romans 11.26). This could amount to a few million new Jewish believers.

2. The one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed martyrs slain during the Tribulation (Revelation 7:4-8)

3. The two witnesses – possibly Moses and Elijah. (Revelation 11:3)

Plus, in Isaiah 54:1-8 and Isaiah 62:1-5, the Father promises to marry Israel. If so, does this mean there could be a marriage supper in heaven for the Church and then a marriage supper for Israel on earth?

No, absolutely not!

And also, Jesus, Israel and the Church are interwoven together through –

1. Jesus is the Head of the Church (Ephesians 5:23), Bridegroom to the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33) and Husband to the bride who is named New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2). But Jesus is also the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David (Revelation 5:5) and the Son of David. (Matthew 21:9).

2. The twelve apostles are the foundation of the Church (Ephesians 2:20) and will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel ((Matthew 19:28) and the twelve apostles will be honored by having their names inscribed on the walls of the holy Jerusalem. (Revelation 21:14)

3. Jewish believers and Gentile believers are recreated into “one new man,” making peace between the two. (Ephesians 2:15)

Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride had made herself ready…Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. (Revelation 19:7, 9)

I just can’t see the Lord Jesus pouring a huge blessing on the basically Gentile side of the Church, while ignoring the Jewish believers. This is certainly not the way to make peace!

Studying the End-Times helps us understand the period better, but it also opens up new questions for us. But I believe I can make this one statement:

The marriage supper of the Lamb will not be happening in heaven while the Tribulation is being carried out on earth.

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July 30, 2023 · 1:23 pm

Who is Restraining the Antichrist?

There are so many ridiculous End-Time prophecies circulating on the internet that many of our brains are ready to explode. Let’s search Scripture for some answers, okay?

The Apostle Paul wrote;

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son on perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3 NKJV)

Frank Viola states that reading Paul’s epistles is like listening to one side of a phone call, and yes, we miss the other side of the conversation. Thus, we have to assume that Paul was answering questions that had been communicated to him by the various churches.

In Chapter 2, Paul was explaining to the Thessalonian Church that they had not missed the Lord’s return and the Rapture because two events needed to happen first:

1. The falling away (or apostasy).

2. The Antichrist is revealed.

Now, if you’re thinking Paul just pulled these two events out of thin air. He hadn’t! He was actually quoting what Jesus said in Matthew 24:

And at that time, many will fall away and will betray one another and will hate one another (Matthew 24:10 NASB)

Therefore, when you see the “abomination of desolation,” which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand (Matthew 24:15 NASB)

Have both of these events happened yet? No. Maybe a few preachers and others have fallen away from the faith, but it is not what anyone would refer to as “many.” And as far as the Antichrist’s identity? We have no clue as yet.

So, what’s holding back that Day?

And do you know what restrains the Antichrist now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed… (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 NASB)

Who is restraining or holding back the Antichrist from appearing right now?

For the answer to this question, let’s look at Jesus’ first coming, okay?

But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son… (Galatians 4:4)

What determined the fullness of time for Jesus’ first coming? Over 300 Old Testament prophecies had to be fulfilled in Jesus’ birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection. With one of the toughest ones being:

Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: “Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14)

Not only did the woman have to be a virgin, but also, her freewill could not be violated. Only a wonderful woman like Mary could fulfill this prophecy:

And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word…” (Luke 1:38)

Then, if you consider all of the prophecies for Jesus’ supporting cast, such as Judah, John the Baptist, Simeon and others, the fullness of time had to be determined by all of the Old Testament’s prophetic words coming to pass in their perfect timing.

Okay, did you realize that there are more prophetic words for Jesus’ second coming than there are for Jesus’ first coming?

Over 150 chapters in the Bible are devoted to His second coming. That’s more chapters than are in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John combined!

So, we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. (2 Peter 1:19 NASB)

…For the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19:10 NASB)

Some scholars believe the Church is the one who restrains the Antichrist. Others believe it’s the Holy Spirit. Still others suggest different ideas.

But I believe it’s all of the prophetic words (or the Word) in the Bible that restrains the Antichrist so that he’s revealed in his time.

Hey! The prophetic words ushered Jesus into His first coming and I believe this will be true for His second coming, too.

My suggestion is that we study the 150 chapters and know His word so that we are not deceived.

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February 12, 2022 · 1:11 pm

Déjà Vu All Over Again: Revival of the Spiritual Gifts, Especially Speaking in Tongues

I recently gave a ride to a married couple. We talked about various subjects, with one of them being our Christian faith.

“Where do you attend church?” I asked.

“Assembly of God,” he replied.

“A charismatic church,” I said.

“Well, they aren’t into that so much anymore,” he replied.

His answer reminded me of what an Assembly of God pastor proclaimed to me almost thirty years ago: “I belong to a Pentecostal denomination that is almost embarrassed of its heritage – speaking in tongues.”

The Assemblies of God, Church of God in Christ and other Pentecostal churches have their roots in the Azusa Street Revival (1906 to 1913). It was during that revival that a black pastor named William Seymour taught on the gifts on the Holy Spirit. He watched thousands of believers being baptized in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues and eventually going into all of the world to introduce others to the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Most believers, then and now, do not have problems with the gifts of healing, prophecy, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, working of miracles and so forth, but there is one gift that carries a heavy stigma with it: speaking in tongues.

Does it make sense to speak in a mysterious language, not understood by other men, and only understood by God? No! It defies logic!

And yet, the early apostles felt every believer needed it:

The Apostle Paul said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (Acts 19:2)

If the believers answered Paul negatively, what did the apostle do? He prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit:

And when Paul had laid hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. (Acts 19:6)

“No matter how noble, persuasive, or convincing the argument, the decision to exclude the Baptism of the Holy Spirit from the life of the church is a decision conceived in hell. Omitting this Baptism was a masterstroke of Satan. He knew this was the most destructive deception possible. It created lukewarm Christians.” (Mario Murillo)

I believe the Lord will soon pour out His Spirit on men and women like He did at the first Pentecost, almost two thousand years ago.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with different tongues, as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out. (Acts 2:4)

This move of the Holy Spirit will totally shake up the Body of Christ. Believers will leave their present churches and seek ones that will allow them to use their gifts. This revival will make the Charismatic Revival of the 1970s and 1980s look small by comparison. It will be a spiritual tsunami!

“Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” (Hebrews 12:26)

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November 21, 2021 · 4:42 pm

Can the American Church continue to ignore Jesus’s and Paul’s warnings?

Eusebius, an early Church historian, stated that Matthew wrote his Gospel in 41 A.D. If this is true, then maybe the Apostle Paul had already read Matthew’s book when Paul wrote his second letter to the church in Thessalonica in 52 A. D.

At the time, the Thessalonians were facing severe persecution and needed to be encouraged by Paul. But also, the apostle wanted to derail a false teaching that the day of the Lord had already come. This false teaching undermined Paul’s words in his first letter to the Thessalonian believers.

Paul countered the false teaching by stating:

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day ofthe Lord had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 NKJ)

Paul gave two specific events that had to occur before the day of the Lord occurred: (1) the falling away of professed Christians from their faith and (2) the Antichrist is openly revealed for all to see.

Now, where did Paul get this information? Did he receive it solely through the Holy Spirit or was he also inspired by Matthew’s Gospel?

It’s just an interesting possibility that we’ll probably not know until we arrive in heaven. But look what Jesus said in Mathew’s Gospel:

And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another.

Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place—let the reader understand (Matthew 24:10, 15 NASB)

Even though Jesus and Paul warned us about the great falling away, what is the American church doing to prepare their congregations ahead of time?

90 – 95% of America’s Evangelical churches are not teaching on the end times or the Book of Revelation. This becomes even sadder when one considers that Jesus admonished us to understand the end times in Matthew 24:15.

In the weeks ahead, let’s take a look at what we can do to prepare ourselves for the end times so we do not end up being casualties in the “great falling away.”

(Continued in Part 2)

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October 17, 2021 · 10:06 am

Why are our healing prayers so ineffective?

The female pastor walked to the pulpit and began her eulogy for my friend Brad. I have no idea what she said because the Lord chose that moment to speak to me.

I felt Him whisper to my heart:

“My church is a bunch of nice losers. They lay their hands on the sick and pray for them, but when they die, they aren’t mad at all. They don’t check themselves out to see what happened or what they may have done wrong with their prayers and actions. They accept defeats and don’t think any more about them.

“Now, Major League baseball teams are all filled with good players. Each player has to be one of the best in the world to make it to the Major Leagues. Losing teams have good players on their rosters, too. But after a while, losing teams’ players don’t mind losing because after all, they still receive their Major League paychecks and bonuses.

“But winning Major League baseball teams are different. They hate losing and will do anything and whatever it takes to win. They hate losing.

“I want My church to hate losing!”

This time the grief, which hit me, measured a ten on the Richter Scale. (Excerpt from my memoir, The Hunt for Larry Who)

These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” (Mark 16:17-18)

I have prayed for numerous sick people in the last few years. What have been the results? Many have died and others have continued on in their ailments. I’m not exactly a ringing endorsement for the truths of Mark 16:18.

Finally, I am fed up and angry about my efforts!

You see, I mirrored what the Church as a whole has been doing. Like them, I’ve gone through all of the traditional motions. Anointing the sick with oil. Laying hands on them. And tossing prayers out there for their healing. Maybe even fasting a little. But I failed to ask myself some tough questions: why are the sick still dying after my prayers? Why are they still ailing and crippled? What am I doing wrong?

I have become like the losing Major League baseball teams. I didn’t hate losing…until now.

Recently, I sought the Lord on what I was doing wrong.

The Lord showed me that my healing efforts were centered on the hope that one of my gifts – gift of healing, gift of faith or the gift of working of miracles – would show up and the sick person would be healed right then and there on the spot.

Yes, I have seen healing miracles through these gifts over the years, but to be honest, these gifts have not been consistently working through me in the last few years. And from my observations, these gifts haven’t been working that well in the Church as a whole.

You see, the Church and I have been guilty of trying to walk in the gifts used by Kathryn Kuhlman, Oral Roberts, William Branham, Jack Coe, Paul Cain, A. A. Allen and others during the healing revival of the 1940s and 1950s. But the problem is that healing revival is over and the next healing revival has not arrived here as yet. We are living in the in-between time period.

So, what changes am I planning on doing in the future?

But Jesus turned around and when He saw her, He said, “Be of good cheer, your faith has made you well…(Matthew 9:22)

Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way, your faith has made you well… (Mark 10:52)

And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:19)

This man was listening to Paul as he spoke. Paul looked at him intently and saw that he had faith to be made well (Acts 14:9 NASB)

I plan on giving a short teaching to each person that I pray for. Something like this:

“Listen, I am going to anoint you with oil and lay my hands on you according to James 5:14- 15 which states that my prayer of faith will heal you. Do you believe that? If you are instantly healed, we will both rejoice.

“But if you aren’t instantly healed, do not despair because instant healing is not always the Lord’s way. Instead, it will probably be through your faith. My anointing you with oil and praying a prayer of faith will be your point of contact to activate your faith in the Lord for your healing. Our belief is that the Lord will eventually say to you, ‘Your faith has made you well.’

“Do you believe that?”

Healing by faith works. We need to learn how to walk in it and also teach people how to receive their healing through faith.

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October 9, 2021 · 9:16 am

Our unfulfilled promises from God may be our parachutes during America’s freefall into calamity if we only…

“You have six months to a year to live. Not much can be done for you. Sorry!” proclaimed a surgeon to his cancer patient.

None of us ever want to hear these words, but Glen, a close friend of mine did hear those words just a few days ago.

What Glen did after hearing the surgeon’s message was a game changer for him and can be a valuable lesson for all of us.

In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Set your house in order, for you are going to die and not live.’” (2 Kings 20:1 NASB)

King Hezekiah was the King of Judah who did what was right in the sight of the Lord, much like King David did. He would have been about 39 years old when Isaiah prophesied these words to him.

Isaiah was one of the most accurate prophets in all of the Bible. So, his message was a death sentence to Hezekiah. It would have been understandable for Hezekiah to give up, lie down and await his impending death.

But Hezekiah did not do that!

Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Please, Lord, just remember…and Hezekiah wept profusely. (2 Kings 20:2-3 NASB)

King Hezekiah humbled himself and asked the Lord to remember his journey with Him.

His prayer was answered almost immediately.

“Return and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David says: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I am going to heal you…And I will add fifteen years to your life… (2 Kings 20:5-6 NASB)

By putting the Lord in remembrance, King Hezekiah added fifteen years to his life. Not bad, right?

What did Glen do?

Glen’s first words were: “That’s the doctor’s report, not God’s report!”

Then, Glen reminded the Lord of his near-death experience with COVID in January of this year. Glen was in the hospital for over a week, hovering close to death, but it was at this time that the Lord spoke to him, giving him insights and promises for his life. Glen wrote pages of stuff about his experience.

“God is not going to allow me to die after speaking to me in January,” Glen proclaimed.

What Hezekiah did and what Glen did and is doing, we can do the same!

If you are like me, we have promises from the Lord that are not fulfilled as yet. So, we can remind the Lord of His promises for our lives. It’s up to Him to make His promises come to pass, not us.

And trust me on this: God will bankrupt heaven – if He needs to do so – to fulfill His promises for our lives. COVID, other diseases and pestilences, famines, earthquakes and whatever are nothing compared to His faithfulness.

And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon…and it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus…then he took Him in his arms, and blessed God, and said, “Now, Lord, You are letting Your bond-servant depart in peace, according to Your word…” (Luke 2:25-29 NASB)

God will make our crooked ways straight for our lives if we walk with Him and remind Him of His words, just as He did for King Hezekiah and Simeon and Glen.

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September 26, 2021 · 11:13 am

Let’s Be Political Dropouts

https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2016/02/08/if-youre-indifferent-about-reading-this-article-it-may-be-genetic/

I had a vision in the first month of 2021 in which I saw a train speeding across the plain states. Somehow, I knew the train represented America.

My perspective changed in the vision and I saw hundreds of miles ahead of the train. There I saw a deep gorge, but the bridge over the deep chasm was out. The train was heading toward disaster!

My perspective changed again in the vision and I was inside the train. There I watched Christians preoccupy themselves with attempting to change the train’s engineer and crew to their viewpoints or if that didn’t work, to set in place a new engineer and crew. It was loud and competitive! A few people had divine insights about the disaster lying ahead of the train and attempted to warn the Body of Christ, but their seemingly mere whispers were drowned out by the louder voices concerned with the engineer and train crew.

I then felt the Holy Spirit ask me: “Do you want to board the train and attempt to warn people? Or do you want to spend your time preparing for the upcoming disaster?

I chose the latter.

The vision ended.

“Politics is one of the Church’s worst problems. It is her constant temptation. The occasion for some of her worst disasters. It is a trap set for her by the prince of this world.” (Jacque Ellul)

Whether we like it or not, America’s government and political system is a part of the world system which is under the rule of Satan. This system is fueled by lust, greed, pride, selfish ambition, contentions and idolatry. To ever think that we could somehow clean up this system is foolhardy for us believers to even consider. This won’t happen until the seventh trumpet is blown and the angel announces, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and He shall reign forever and ever!”

Yes, we should vote for good, moral men/women to represent us. This is our civic duty and I believe the Lord endorses our efforts in carrying out these obligations.

But…

I believe the Church needs to wash its hands of ever endorsing a political party or any candidates. Let each believer make up his or her mind without any judgmental attitudes from churches or its leaders. Period.

Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are not called to be cheerleaders for political parties or politicians. Their callings are to help equip believers for service in the Body and to help bring us into maturity so that we are able to walk in unity and full knowledge of our Lord.

Most unbelievers think Christians are nothing more than Trump supporters and Republican voters. They can’t see Christ in us because our political clatter and partisan stances overwhelm them.