Tag Archives: Gifts of the Spirit

March 17, 2015 · 11:33 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for Prisoners (3/17/2015)

Each Tuesday, I pray and fast for the nations of Asia, where 4.4 billion people live.

Why Asia?

1. 85.4% of world’s unevangelized people live in Asia. (Unevangelized means they may have heard the gospel but have no understanding on how to respond.)

2. The world’s three largest non-Christian religions – Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhists – are based in Asia.

3. Of the 37 countries of the world that are less than 10% Christian, 32 are in Asia. Of the 14 countries, that are less than 2% Christian, 12 are in Asia.

4. 85-90% of unreached people live in Asia. (Unreached means that they have never heard the name of Jesus.) (Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation)

My prayer emphasis was on the leaders of India and North Korea.

India is the second most populated nation in the world with 1.2 billion people and is the largest democracy in the world. North Korea has 24.9 million people and is a single-party Socialist republic. Both nations have corrupt governments where bribes and influence peddling are common practices.

India is ranked 85th on the Transparency Index out of 175 nations as compared to its neighbors Bhutan (30th), Bangladesh (145th), Myanmar (156th), China (100th), Nepal (126th), Pakistan (126th) and Sri Lanka (85th).

North Korea is tied with Somalia at 174th.

Just for your own information: USA is ranked 17th, tied with Ireland, Hong Kong, and Barbados.

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray for the political leaders and those in high government positions in India and North Korea to be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth so that the people in these two nations may lead peaceful and quiet lives. (Based on 1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Join with me on Tusdays to fast and pray for prisoners, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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March 12, 2015 · 10:13 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (3/12/2015

Those who planned ahead of time for a hurricane did not plan for a disaster; they planned for minor inconveniences…Plans must be based on worst-case scenarios… (Lt. General Russell Honore)

Have you ever gone through a terrible circumstance and wished you would have listened to those who warned you ahead of time? You felt terrible and wanted to smack yourself for being so hardheaded and not paying attention. Yet, it was too late and you suffered for your irresponsibility.

There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you. (James 2:13 NLT)

Memorize this scripture and then live it. Give to the poor and the helpless now. Be merciful to your neighbors and everyone now. Don’t wait! Begin now.

Why?

Because terrible tragedies and calamities may soon be common occurrences in America. Many lives may be wrecked and destroyed. And who knows? Maybe you and your family will be in the path of one of the disasters. So, plan for the worst-case scenarios by being merciful now.

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray that we Americans hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches by focusing our attention on giving to the poor and the helpless. So that, in the day of trouble, You will honor our acts of mercy by delivering us and protecting us and keeping us alive and even blessing us. (Based on Revelation 2:7 and Psalm 41:1-3)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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March 11, 2015 · 9:06 am

To Listen or Not to Listen to Prophecy…That’s The Question (Part 8)

If the Apostle Paul walked into most of today’s churches, he wouldn’t wait for the service to start, he would rush to the pastors, elders, and deacons and ask, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

The leaders might hem and haw, explaining their beliefs and theological insights on the Holy Spirit.

Paul would shake his head at their words. “Do you prophesy? Do you speak in tongues?” he would ask, with his dark eyes blazing.

Maybe you disagree.

Okay, did you know Paul spent one to five months planting each church in such cities as Pisidian Antioch, Iconic, Lystra, Derbe, Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea? Then he left them alone without pastors or leaders for a long time, as much as two years.

Now remember:

Fifty percent of Paul’s converts were slaves.

There were no Bibles and few had even one Old Testament scroll.

90% of the converts were illiterate.

95% could not write.

Average life expectancy for a male was 45 years of age and for a female 38. (The Untold Story of the New Testament Church by Frank Viola.

Yet, the gospel that Paul and Barnabas preached to these new converts that were once heathen and miserable Gentiles, was enough for them to love each other and evangelize their neighbors without any outside help.

How did Paul accomplish this feat?

Pursue love, and desire earnestly the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. (1 Corinthians 14:1)

The Apostle Paul made sure the spiritual gifts were working in the believers for each church. It was through the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts, especially prophecy, that Christ came to life in their midst.

So, do we really want to turn our cities upside down for Jesus?

If so, maybe we should rethink prophecy and the spiritual gifts. It worked for the Apostle Paul in Pisidian Antioch, Iconic, Lystra, Derbe, Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea.

And I believe it will work today in our cities, too.

(Conclusion)

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March 9, 2015 · 10:24 am

To Listen or Not to Listen to Prophecy…That’s the Question (Part 7)

In the late 1980’s, I attended a large meeting where Dr. Bill Hamon taught on prophecy. He had a unique way to encourage people to prophesy. “I want everyone to pair up with someone you don’t know,” he said, waiting for everyone to follow his directions.

The lady sitting next to me agreed to be my partner.

“Okay,” said Hamon, “I want each of the pair to give a personal prophecy to the other person. I will wait until everyone is done.”

My partner’s eyes were the size of pie plates. “I prophesy. What about you?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No. Why don’t you go first?” she whispered.

I prayed and prophesied to her. “Your words were just what I needed. Thanks.”

“Okay, now you prophesy to me,” I said.

Again, she shook her head. “I’ve never prophesied and never have thought about doing it.”

“We need to be obedient. If you make a mistake, I won’t tell anyone. So, just open your mouth and prophesy.”

She looked around and shrugged her shoulders. “Why not?” she said. Then, she spoke a long prophecy to me, which answered some important questions for my life.

“Wow! That was awesome,” I said.

“I can’t wait to pray and prophesy to other people,” she replied.

The best way to encourage people to prophesy is to have them speak personal prophecies to other people. This can be done in a small group, a church, or just two people sitting alone somewhere.

All you have to remember is that you are obeying:

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. (1 Corinthians 14:1)

Will all be able to prophesy? Probably not, but if all give an honest effort, there will be numerous surprised believers speaking words of prophecy who will be encouraged to prophesy even more in the future.

Why is there such an emphasis on prophecy for today’s believers?

(Continued in Part 8)

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March 7, 2015 · 2:47 pm

Second Chances for Women?

I attended a meeting as a young Christian where a prophet ministered for the evening. He pointed to me and asked me to come up front during the service. There, he gave a glorious prophecy for my life.

After the meeting, a woman in her late sixties walked up to me. “I used to get prophecies just like yours,” she said.

“Oh, really?” I replied.

“Yes, I wrote them all down in a spiral notebook.”

“What happened to them?”

“Oh,” she said, “I still have them and am waiting for the Lord to bring them to pass.”

The lady died a couple of years later. And as far as I know, none of the prophecies ever happened in her life.

Now, assuming the prophecies were accurate ones, it’s easy to think what she should have done. Maybe prayed more, fasted more, studied more, fought spiritual warfare more, and done more of whatever she needed to do so that the prophecies would have come to pass in her life.

Yet, the truth is that her husband was unfaithful, which resulted in a bitter divorce. She and her whole family attended a Pentecostal holiness church in which men were in charge and women sat in submission and kept quiet. She had no encouragement from the male leadership and no place to minister. At best, she could have been a Sunday School teacher at the church.

To even think she could have left her church, turned her back on her family, friends, and teachings she learned over a lifetime is a tall mountain for a woman, especially a divorced one, to climb. Thus, the prophetic words for her life died with her.

Okay, we’re in a new day!

I believe the Lord is about to release a powerful move of the Holy Spirit to set His Annas, Loises, and Eunices free so that they can fulfill the callings on their lives. He has heard the cries of these older woman and has seen their lifetimes of spiritual bondage. Now, He will move on their behalves.

Fear, which has been the major roadblock for these fifty-five years and older women, will be canceled out by the Holy Spirit so that these women can make their decisions based on faith, rather than in fear. Female apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers will be released to equip and build up the body of Christ.

Some of these women will serve in their callings for only six months and others for one, two, three, five, ten, or more years, but all will know the satisfaction of serving Jesus at their highest levels before walking into heaven and hearing the Lord say to them, “Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master.“

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March 3, 2015 · 8:23 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America on Tuesday (3/3/2015)

electionsmeter.com

At that time Michael, the archangel who stands guard over Israel, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued. (Daniel 12:1)

Like all nations, Israel is imperfect and flawed, but no other nation in the history of the world has so many promises and a divine destiny written in the Bible like Israel does. America doesn’t. England doesn’t. Russia doesn’t. Only Israel has such unique promises spoken by the Creator for His chosen people: the Jews.

Now, if you believe the Bible is truly God’s Word, then you only have one choice: to stand with Israel. Otherwise, you may find yourself fighting against God, which I guarantee will be a losing position for you.

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray that we Americans bless Israel and also that we pray for the peace of Jerusalem so that our nation will prosper in the future. (Based on Genesis 12:3 and Psalm 122:6)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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February 27, 2015 · 1:15 pm

What’s Our First Response? (Part 2)

Untergang der Titanic (“Sinking of the Titanic”) by Willy Stöwer, 1912

When I wrote Part 1, my thinking was that the answer to the question – What’s my first response – would be to pray. But after reading the comments on Part 1 and upon further reflection, prayer may not be the best answer for us at the precise moment that calamity ambushes our lives.

Why?

Let’s say, our ship is rapidly sinking in the midst of the ocean or a tsunami is staring us in the face or an epic earthquake strikes our homes, are we really going to take the time to pray? Probably not. Every second may be the difference between living and dying. We will need to react without thinking.

How can we do that?

“It is better to live ready than to get ready!” (Smith Wigglesworth)

To Wigglesworth, living ready meant spending time with the Lord and His Spirit in prayer and studying the Word on a daily basis. Wigglesworth then expected the Holy Spirit to lead him in every situation – expected or unexpected.

Is this scriptural?

One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. (Luke 6:12 NLT)

The next few verses reveal that Jesus called all of His followers together for a meeting. There He chose twelve men to be His inner group or apostles. Now, do you really think He interviewed the whole group to find the best men? No, of course not. Jesus lived ready and was the Son of God. The Holy Spirit then led Him to choose Peter, Andrew, John, James, and the rest of the apostles.

What about us believers?

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Romans 8:14)

The secret to being led by the Holy Spirit is to follow Jesus’ example, and in the words of Smith Wigglesworth, “living ready at all times.” To do this, we need to spend time in prayer and study the Bible on a regular basis.

So, what is my answer to the question: “What’s my first response?”

I don’t know right now, but I will know at the time because I live ready and expect the Holy Spirit to lead me if calamity strikes. As for now, I will walk in peace, trusting the One who can see my future before it happens.

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February 23, 2015 · 12:04 pm

What’s Our First Response? (Part 1)

Untergang der Titanic (“Sinking of the Titanic”) by Willy Stöwer, 1912

In her article, “The Simple Secret to Surviving Any Crisis or How to Prevent Paralysis During an Emergency,” Patricia Lewis quoted military survival instructor, Dr. John Leach, on how we can prepare ourselves ahead of time:

“All you have to do is ask yourself one question – if something happens, what is my first response? Once you can answer that, everything else will fall into place. It’s that simple.”

Lewis also quoted Dr. Leach’s research on survivors and victims from dozens of life-threatening disasters from around the world:

“… around 75 percent of people are so bewildered by the situation that they are unable to think clearly or plot their escape. They become mentally paralyzed. Just 15 percent of people on average manage to remain calm and rational enough to make decisions that could save their lives. The remaining 10 percent are plain dangerous: They freak out and hinder the survival chances of everyone else.”

Why do 75% of the people in life-threatening calamities freeze and become mentally paralyzed?

Today, most Americans have the attitude that someone will take care of them and therefore they have nothing to worry about. They’ve lost the courage to think for themselves, so they put their lives into the hands of others. This propensity starts young, when schoolchildren are taught to accept without question whatever is the current government line, rather than learn independent thinking skills. As adults, we specialize in denial unless told otherwise. (Patricia Lewis)

I read this article three times before it dawned on me: most of us Christians belong under the 75% heading of victims who will be bewildered and freeze in almost every crisis. We may even fall under the 10% grouping that will freak out and hinder others in their chances for survival.

Why?

Well, what do we Christians really know?

For sure, we know how to sit in pews. Stand when told to stand. Sit when told to sit. Sing when told to sing. Throw a check into an offering plate when told to give. Say “Amen” when told to respond to a sermon. And leave all decisions in the hands of the paid professionals – the clergy.

This is not biblical discipleship because we are not equipped, not built up, not walking in the unity of the faith or the knowledge of the Son of God and in His fullness.

So, what can we do?

Each of us needs to ask himself, “If something happens, what will be my first response?”

Then, we need to come up with the right answer for ourselves now.

(Continued in Part 2)

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February 20, 2015 · 6:27 pm

To Listen or Not to Listen to Prophecy…That’s the Question (Part 6)

With our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection, He made the Old Covenant obsolete.

With this, we no longer need to appoint a high priest to go into the Holy of Holies to offer gifts and sacrifices for our sins. Jesus is our High Priest forever and His blood has cleansed us from all our sins. We also no longer need a Temple because we are His living temples and His Spirit dwells in us.

Thus, the ministry of the New Testament prophet has changed dramatically from that of the Old Testament prophet.

First: the New Testament prophet is still a mouthpiece for the Lord, but he no longer is the Lone Ranger galloping into town on a white horse ready to speak the word of the Lord to people. Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, all believers can prophesy and are encouraged to do so.

Second: Prophecies spoken by a prophet (or a believer) are not to be accepted as prophetic words straight from the throne of God without being judged first by other believers. We judge prophecies by checking scripture and our inner spirits.

Third: A prophet or believer can no longer burst onto a scene, like a church, and prophesy. Everything has to be done decently and in order. Thus, the Holy Spirit has to make a way for the person to prophesy.

Fourth: If a prophet or a believer makes an error in his (or her) prophecy, he is to humble himself and ask forgiveness. Believers are to forgive him as the Lord has forgiven them.

Fifth: Prophets are still held accountable for prophesying words of warning and the full counsel of the Lord, but the sting of failing to do so has been removed at the cross.

The one thing that has stayed the same is that prophets or believers who prophesy may suffer afflictions, even severe ones.

Okay, what can we do to encourage believers to prophesy?

(Continued in Part 7)

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February 15, 2015 · 3:57 pm

Too Good Not to Post Today…Really!

I have been praying about something for years and recently I acted on them. I sent an email to a person in hopes of seeing my prayers being turned into reality. I laid everything on the line: my hopes, my dreams, my vulnerabilities, and so forth.

The net result of my email was zero. Nothing happened. The man never sent me a reply nor did he even acknowledge my email.

Now, this doesn’t bother me in the least because after almost thirty years of walking with the Lord, I have learned a few things about myself. The chief one being that not every idea of mine is from the Lord. Thus, I need to test them and see if they are from Him.

Okay, working with that particular man in the way I envisioned was not from the Lord. Thanks Jesus, I get it.

Then, Mark Pedder, a missionary to the Philippines, posted the above video on his Facebook account. I watched it and bingo! It grabbed my heart. I transcribed the three-minute video word for word and a powerful revelation arose within me. I am now praying and seeking the Lord on the rest of the details and the Lord’s timing.

Here’s the point I want to make: we never know exactly how the Lord is going to speak to us. We just need to seek Him and allow Him to be a BIG God…One that can even use a dancing guy to reveal His plans to us.

(The video is from Derek Sivers and his website can be seen here)

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