Table of Contents

Endorsements

Title Page

Copyright Page

Acknowledgments

Preface

1. The Revelation of a Supernatural God

2. A God of Miracles Through History—and Today!

3. The Purpose of God’s Supernatural Power

4. Jesus and the Cross: The Only Legal Source of Supernatural Power

5. Substitutes for the Supernatural Power of God

6. Faith: The First Dimension of the Supernatural

7. The Anointing: The Second Dimension of the Supernatural

8. Glory: The Third Dimension of the Supernatural

9. Miracles, Signs, Wonders, and Casting Out Demons

10. Principles for Moving in the Supernatural

11. Jesus Manifesting His Supernatural Power Through the Believer

About the Author

Apostle Guillermo Maldonado is one of the outstanding leaders of the twenty-first century. His prophetic insight into the apostolic foundations of the church and his passion and hunger for the manifestation of the supernatural kingdom of God on earth in our modern times are contagious. His books are destined to become classics for years to come.

—Dr. Myles Munroe

President and Founder, Bahamas Faith Ministries International

Nassau, Bahamas

Pastor Maldonado has a worldwide ministry specializing in the miraculous. His book contains great revelation knowledge. I have seen Pastor Maldonado’s ministry inside and out, and I like the fruit of it.

—Marilyn Hickey

President, Marilyn Hickey Ministries, Englewood, Colorado

Pastor Guillermo Maldonado is a dynamic leader of a vibrant ministry. I believe God has raised him up at this time to reach not only the Hispanic population in the United States but also all nations around the world.

—Dr. Mark Rutland

President, Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Guillermo Maldonado is one of the most eminent Christian leaders on the planet. He is an influencer of influencers, a brilliant orator, a quintessential teacher, and a loving pastor.

—Mark J. Chironna, Ph.D.

Bishop, The Master’s Touch International Church

Orlando, Florida

Pastor Maldonado’s heart for people and his family, and his family’s complete devotion to announcing God’s presence and power at all times, are completely pure and unrelenting.

—Darlene Zschech

Praise and worship artist

Pastor Maldonado is a man who has shared in my journey and recognizes the impact Jesus Christ has had on the lives of individuals like me. He understands that no matter how we measure success, true achievements are not reached without faith and devotion to the Christian life. If you are looking for someone to help bridge your spiritual gap, Pastor Maldonado is the man to do so. I am proud to call him a friend.

—Governor Rick Scott

Florida

In How to Walk in the Supernatural Power of God, readers will find a source of spiritual enrichment and an invitation to know, in the words of the author, a “supernatural, almighty God who still performs miracles.”

—Alvaro Uribe Vélez

Former President (2002–2010), Colombia

Guillermo Maldonado is a leader with great vision and faith. There is a great awakening coming to the nations of the earth with signs, wonders, and miracles, and Maldonado is on the forefront of it.

—Cindy Jacobs

Cofounder, Generals International, Dallas, Texas

Pastor Guillermo Maldonado is the most dynamic leader I have ever met! His ministry emphasizes power, spiritual maturity, and integrity. It has always impressed me how he can do all things with such excellence.

—Steven Strang

Founder and editor, Charisma magazine

Pastor Maldonado is truly an inspiring spiritual leader. He is an example of what deep faith, hard work, and dedication can accomplish. I am honored by his friendship and guidance and inspired by his leadership and willingness to always put others before him.

—Mario Diaz-Balart

U.S. Representative, Florida’s 21st District

Guillermo Maldonado is leaving a legacy to those who want to learn more about how to live in continuous revival. In How to Walk in the Supernatural Power of God, he makes every effort to place the miracle power of God within everyone’s reach.

—Cash Luna

Pastor, Casa de Dios, Guatemala City, Guatemala

Guillermo’s teachings and writings cover the fundamentals of the Christian faith.

—Bill Hamon

Founder and Bishop, Christian International Ministries Network

Pastor Guillermo Maldonado stands today as one of the leading voices in the kingdom of God and the preeminent forerunner of a biblical apostolic and prophetic movement with signs, wonders, and miracles following.

—Rev. Samuel Rodriguez

President, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

The compelling fact of Guillermo Maldonado’s life is that he has taken the words of Jesus literally: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). If your desire is to be a disciple-maker, I encourage you to embrace Pastor Maldonado and his teaching.

—Rich Wilkerson

Pastor, Trinity Church, Miami, Florida

Maldonado has made significant contributions to the kingdom of God, changing the spiritual climate with his empowering teachings, which have forever changed the lives of thousands in this country and abroad. As a leader, he has skills and gifting of an extremely high caliber.

—Tudor Bismark

Bishop, New Life Covenant Church, Harare, Zimbabwe

In Guillermo Maldonado, the Lord has found a man after His own heart who is dedicated to fulfilling the will of God. He is a pioneer who displays God’s power to a generation that desperately needs it.

—Hank Kunneman

Pastor, Lord of Hosts Church/One Voice Ministries

Omaha, Nebraska

By his words and by his example, my dear friend Guillermo Maldonado has touched the souls and revived the faith of many men and women around the world. He is a source of inspiration for those who already walk in our Lord’s path and a transforming hand for those who are close to the Creator.

—Elías Antonio Saca González

Former President (2004–2009), El Savador

Pastor Guillermo Maldonado is an outstanding pastor, church planter, visionary, and mentor to other church leaders. Both in the pulpit and through the power of his pen, Pastor Maldonado is a truly successful Christian leader, possessing both natural and spiritual gifts.

—Marcus Lamb

President and CEO, Daystar Television Network

Guillermo Maldonado is a humble man with huge, childlike faith. Through his ministry, God has performed many outstanding miracles. He is a loving pastor to his people, an excellent husband and father to his family, and a dedicated spiritual father to his flock.

—Alan Vincent

Cofounder, Outpouring Ministries, San Antonio, Texas

Pastor, teacher, preacher, author, composer, ambassador, statesman, and friend—this is who Guillermo Maldonado is. The ministry and message of this dynamic kingdom-builder are changing the world we live in by impacting thousands of lives each year. If you read his words carefully, they will change you, too!

—Paul Wilbur

Recording artist, Integrity Music

The heart of Guillermo Maldonado’s ministry is to get people saved, confirmed, trained, and discipled in order to send them out to evangelize and equip the body of Christ. In my forty-plus years of ministry and service unto the Lord Jesus Christ, I can truly say that Maldonado is the visual manifestation of the parable of the mustard seed that grew into a great tree.

—Dr. Ronald E. Short

Founder, Ronald Short Ministry

I call Guillermo Maldonado my friend and a man for whom I have the greatest respect. In his ministry, I see Jesus in the now, and the government of God is demonstrated in everything he says and does.

—Dr. Renny McLean

Global Glory Ministries, Dallas, Texas

Guillermo Maldonado is on the cutting edge of ministry, and his book blesses the body of Christ. He has a great hunger to see the souls of men and women saved by God’s power!

—R. J. Washington

Pastor, Titus Harvest Dome Spectrum Church

Jacksonville, Florida

Guillermo Maldonado is a man whom God has raised to manifest His glory and heaven’s supernatural power on earth. He is a teacher but also a prophet, evangelist, pastor, and apostle. It is a normal occurrence to hear him preach and, later, to see a flow of creative miracles take place that impact even the minds of unbelievers.

—Eduardo Cañas Estrada

Pastor, Iglesia Comunidad Cristiana Manantial de Vida Eterna

Bogotá, Colombia

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version,

© 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (kjv) are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Scripture quotations marked (niv) are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, niv®, © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (nlt) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. Scripture quotations marked (amp) are taken from the Amplified® Bible, © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org).

Boldface type in Scripture quotations indicates the emphasis of the author.

Some definitions of Hebrew and Greek words are taken from the electronic versions of Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (© 1980, 1986, and assigned to World Bible Publishers, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.), the New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (© 1981 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.), or Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (© 1985 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers, Nashville, TN).

How to Walk in the Supernatural Power of God:

Experience Signs, Wonders, and Miracles Now

revised and expanded edition

Guillermo Maldonado

13651 S.W. 143rd Ct., #101

Miami, FL 33186

http://kingjesusministry.org/

www.ERJPub.org

ISBN: 978-1-60374-278-8 • eBook ISBN: 978-1-60374-323-5

Second Edition

Printed in the United States of America

© 2011, 2013 by Guillermo Maldonado

Whitaker House

1030 Hunt Valley Circle

New Kensington, PA 15068

www.whitakerhouse.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Maldonado, Guillermo.

How to walk in the supernatural power of God / Guillermo Maldonado.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-60374-278-8 (trade pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Miracles. 2. Christian life—Pentecostal authors. I. Title.

BT97.3.M35 2011

234'.13—dc22

2011002517

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical—including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system—without permission in writing from the publisher. Please direct your inquiries to permissionseditor@whitakerhouse.com.

This book has been digitally produced in a standard specification in order to ensure its availability.

Acknowledgments

I take this opportunity to express my gratitude and to honor several men and women who have been a great blessing to me, not only in the past but also in the present. In one way or another, they have inspired me in the ministry by releasing the prophetic word over me and by their continuous prayers. Some have been “fathers in the faith” to me. Others have been mentors in a specific area of my life or ministry. Others are my personal friends, just like Paul and Barnabas. Still others are my spiritual children, as Timothy was to Paul. At all times, they have supported and stood by me.

The Word teaches us to honor those who deserve to be honored, and this is one way I would like to recognize their individual support.

The measure of faith God has given them has been of great help to me. It has strengthened and enriched me. These individuals have encouraged me to seek newer and deeper territories in God and a greater level of growth in His glory, anointing, and power. They have been role models in my life and have inspired me during the past two decades in ministry. When the ministry experienced times of great need, they gave me the prophetic word. During difficult times, they served me and my family. These things touched my heart so deeply that, today, I take this opportunity to publicly thank them. All of them have been a great blessing to me, in my personal life, as well as in the pulpit. I have learned much from watching how they conduct themselves in their personal lives and from their integrity. Many of them have shared important revelations that have inspired me and have helped me to write this book.

First, I thank my beloved wife, Ana, for her continued support in prayer, and my sons, Bryan and Ronald, for their unconditional support. Also, Prophet Cindy Jacobs; Apostle Ronald Short; Apostle Alan Vincent; Bishop Bill Hamon, my spiritual father; Prophet Hank Kunneman; Prophet Cathy Lechner; Apostle Cash Luna; Dr. Marilyn Hickey; Pastor Charles Green; Dr. Richard Roberts; Bishop R. J. Washington; Prophet Kim Clement; Pastor Tommy Tenney; Dr. Myles Munroe; Dr. Rodney Howard Browne; Pastor Benny Hinn; Evangelist Roy Durman; T. L. Osborn; and Dr. Renny McLean. Also, my most sincere thanks to the pastors, prophets, and ministers who are my spiritual children, for your support—for some have been with me since the onset of this ministry. My deepest gratitude to each of you. I honor you and bless you because you are a permanent source of inspiration to me. Thank you.

—Apostle Guillermo Maldonado

Preface

A Hunger for the Supernatural

I would like to begin this book by sharing part of my testimony with you, because I believe it is important to know what God can do in the life of anyone who makes himself available to Him and hungers for His supernatural power.

I was born in Honduras, Central America, in 1965. I came to the United States at a young age, and I have lived here for more than half my life. When I was twenty-one, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior at the Catedral del Pueblo Church in Miami, Florida—the largest Hispanic church in the country at that time—and then attended Oral Roberts University. In 1988, God called me to preach His Word, so I enrolled at the Living Word Academy in Miami. After graduation, I spent the next nine years preaching the gospel in more than forty countries. In 1996, I founded King Jesus International Church in Miami with a congregation of only twelve people. Today, we have more than 20,000 active members, including the founding church and our “daughter” churches.

My Calling

In 2000, God called me into an apostolic ministry. Several renowned apostles and prophets within the body of Christ have confirmed my calling and established me as an apostle. I founded the New Wine Apostolic Network, which offers spiritual covering to more than one hundred churches and pastors in thirty countries. The vision of the network is to “evangelize, affirm, disciple, and send.” I also host radio and television programs entitled Tiempo por Cambio [Time for Change], which are heard and seen through an extensive network of radio and television stations around the world in different languages.

My Mission

While praying and seeking God’s presence, I experienced a supernatural visitation in which He spoke to my heart, saying, I have called you to bring My supernatural power to this generation. In the midst of my tears and trembling, I heard the same voice once more; only, this time, it was audible and seemed to be right there in the room with me, saying again, “I have called you to bring My supernatural power to this generation.” Two weeks later, a prophet and friend, Hank Kunneman, called to tell me that the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that it was God who had visited me. He gave me a Bible verse as confirmation of the voice’s message:

For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. (Romans 9:17)

Since that day, my mission has been to bring the supernatural power of God to this generation by teaching, training, and equipping church leaders and believers to manifest that power on earth. In line with my mission, this book is for those who deeply desire to experience God’s supernatural power so that they may bless a world that now stands in crisis and hopelessness.

Answers for a World in Darkness

As we hear about catastrophic events taking place around the world, we begin to realize that biblical prophecies like the one Jesus gave in Matthew 24:6–7 are coming to pass. Both the frequency and severity of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis, seem to be on the rise. Evil appears to be increasing, not decreasing. Rebellion, wars, and rumors of war dominate the news reports in the media. Hunger is a terrible problem, as nearly one billion of the world’s people will go to bed hungry tonight. Financial crises are affecting countries around the globe where deceit, lies, insecurity, and fear abound. People are desperately looking for answers to these calamities, but neither governments nor political leaders nor religious systems seem able to offer valid solutions.

The fundamental purpose of How to Walk in the Supernatural Power of God is to give you the answers you need in order to live in victory, peace, and joy and to share them with others—even in a world that seems to be falling deeper and deeper into darkness with each passing day. In the midst of this darkness, people are wrestling with unanswered spiritual questions. They are hungry and thirsty for God, but their thirst has not been satiated because all they have been given is “religion”—and religion does not offer valid answers. Sadly, for the most part, people have been offered a deity who is an “elder of days”—one who sits on his throne in heaven, waiting for the world to fail so he can punish it, a distant god who lacks both supernatural ability and an intimate relationship with human beings.

The Real and Living God

Thankfully, this ineffectual god is not the real, living God of Scripture. Many people want to know how to have a genuine relationship with this living God. And, those who have already reconnected with Him yearn to be used by Him to manifest His supernatural power on earth. They seek answers to questions such as these:

- Does God continue to perform miracles today?

- Can Christianity be considered relevant if it operates without miracles?

- What makes the Christian life more than just another religion or philosophy?

- What makes a Christian credible?

- What proof can we offer people that Jesus Christ was resurrected and lives today, and that He is not just another good teacher or wise guru?

- Can rituals, rules, or regulations change people?

- Do we need the miracles mentioned in the Bible today?

- Through whom does God perform miracles?

- Can anyone be the recipient of a miracle?

All of these questions will be answered as you read this book. Here, you will come face-to-face with a powerful and supernatural God—a God who works miracles, a God who hates sin but loves the sinner, a God who desires to give us His provision and healing. You will discover the God who sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to earth as a sign of His infinite love for us. This is the same God who performed healings, miracles, signs, and wonders in the Old Testament, the same God who continued to perform them in the New Testament through the early church during the time of the apostles, and the same God who continues to perform them today through the “body” of Christ—consisting of all those who have put their trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness, salvation, and new life.

God has given us His supernatural power so that we can live in victory. Without the ingredient of His supernatural power, it is impossible for us to overcome tribulation, sickness, and any other adverse circumstances that rise against us.

In addition to getting to know the supernatural, powerful God who still performs miracles, you will learn about the complete work of Jesus on the cross, and how, through the cross, He fully provided for every need you might face. You will discover that the cross is the only “legal,” or legitimate, source that can open the door of God’s supernatural realm to you. You will also see how to live a life of faith in the midst of a dangerous and uncertain world. You will understand how to walk in the anointing and how to transition into walking in God’s glory. And, you will learn how to receive your miracle, as well as what to do so that God may use you to perform miracles that will bless other people. You will know how to walk in the supernatural power of God!

Revelation and Transformation

Even as you progress through this book, you may find yourself receiving healing and experiencing creative miracles. If you are missing an organ, God can create a new one within you, just as He did for others whose testimonies you will read in these pages. You may receive financial miracles or deliverance in your mind and emotions. God will impart revelation to you and effect transformation within you, activating you for service, so that He may manifest His power through you wherever you go. You will be enabled to testify about Jesus, pray for the sick, cast out demons, and work miracles as you carry out the Great Commission—taking the gospel into the world, making disciples, and having dominion over the earth. (See Matthew 28:19–20; Genesis 1:26–28.)

Dare to take this journey with me. With each chapter, you will increasingly come to know the supernatural, powerful, and immutable God for whom all things are possible, the God who can change and transform your life forever.

Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.(Psalm 66:5)

1

The Revelation of a Supernatural God

Fellow scientists scoffed at Louis Pasteur’s theory of the existence of airborne microbes that are invisible to the naked eye. The medical establishment told him, “The world into which you wish to take us is really too fantastic.” Pasteur proved his theory and became renowned for his scientific work and contributions to the field of medicine.1

Reality cannot always be seen, but it can be discovered.

Jesus said, “There is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known” (Luke 12:2). The most significant unseen reality that we must each discover, in order to live the lives that we were meant to, is the spiritual reality of our supernatural God.

God has left us evidence of Himself in the created world—in the intricateness, orderliness, and beauty of the natural environment around us. Yet, when we contemplate the greatness of His creation, our finite imaginations still cannot begin to fathom His vast love and immense power.

Man has also often tried to know God through intellectual means, but these attempts have proven insufficient. We can know facts and information about God, but we cannot know Him personally through intellectual knowledge.

How can human beings come to know their invisible, supernatural Creator? Through revelation.

Louis Pasteur entered into much experimentation in the natural world to prove his scientific theories. Likewise, we must enter into the experience of knowing God in the spiritual realm in order to recognize and walk in His supernatural power.

This is what happened in the life of Carlos Zambrano, who was an opening pitcher for the Chicago Cubs and the Miami Marlins Major League Baseball teams, and who has a record of 130 wins. Carlos had been raised in a Christian home in Venezuela, but his lifestyle was far from resembling biblical values and principles. He was living independently from God. Even though Carlos was lost in sin, God continued to demonstrate His love for him. The situation changed after God opened his eyes to the realm of the supernatural and to His glory.

Carlos says, “I remember that while in Guatemala, I was on the verge of death. I began to feel dizzy and have irregular heart palpitations, and my blood pressure kept going up and down erratically. Doctors from Venezuela and Chicago examined me. I spent twenty-four hours with a heart monitor, but they couldn’t find anything wrong. One Sunday, while in Chicago, I was rushed to the emergency room to be seen by the team’s doctor, but he couldn’t find anything, either. However, I still felt very sick, and I lived in desperation.

“Two months later, I came to understand what had been happening to me. I consulted my doctor and brother in Christ who is knowledgeable about both medical and spiritual matters. He said something to me that instantly made sense. ‘Carlos, we have done many tests, and nothing is wrong with you. What you are experiencing is spiritual. God is calling you, giving you an opportunity.’ These words were the beginning of my transformation, which would lead me to seek God and grow knowledgeable in kingdom matters. This has been the greatest decision I have ever made—better even than when I decided to sign a contract with the Chicago Cubs or when I decided to get married. This was the decision to die to myself so that Christ could live in me.

“Before making this decision, I used to constantly worry about material things and about my pride. I had no peace and was always angry. When this change took place, I stopped worrying about the harm that some people would try to cause me, because I knew that Christ fights for me. Now, I always think about God and obey Him. There is nothing more wonderful than to be led by God—not even winning the Cy Young award (for the best pitcher in Major League Baseball) or the World Series. Nothing compares to God’s love. Now, God leads my life. I live in Miami where, by God’s grace, I am growing and learning at King Jesus International Ministry under the fatherhood of Apostle Guillermo Maldonado, a man called by God to bring the supernatural power to this generation.”

Two Major Realms of Existence

The two major realms of life are…

- The natural realm

- The supernatural realm

Because of an overemphasis on intellectual knowledge, many people are very aware of the natural realm but are remarkably uninformed (or misinformed) about the supernatural realm. In the absence of progressive divine revelation, people tend to rely on formal, academic education, much of which attempts to discredit faith. Intellectual knowledge has its rightful place in society, but it is a poor substitute for spiritual knowledge.

The natural realm is the dimension that is subject to the laws of time, space, and matter. This realm can be accessed only through the physical senses—sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.

The supernatural realm, or the spiritual realm, is the dimension that operates above natural laws. It is permanent, invisible, and eternal—located outside of time—and it exercises dominion over the natural realm.

We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

(2 Corinthians 4:18)

Knowing God Through Revelation

It was never God’s intention to remain a mystery to His people. In fact, He has always desired for us to know Him intimately and to experience His attributes, strengths, and virtues. We must understand that only God can reveal God. He must do the initiating to reveal Himself. No person has the ability to know Him apart from His revelation.

Since the only way to really know God is through revelation, let us investigate what revelation is. In Greek, which is the language in which the New Testament was written, the word for “revelation” is apokalypsis, and this word means “an uncovering” or “disclosure.” Revelation enables us to understand truths about the spiritual realm—truths that are hidden from us on a purely natural level.

What do we know about God through His revelation? First, “God is Spirit” (1 John 4:24). He is a spiritual and immutable (unchanging) Being with supernatural attributes and abilities. Second, He is eternal, and He dwells in the dimension of eternity—the spiritual realm. “Thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity…” (Isaiah 57:15). Even though God inhabits eternity, He manifests Himself and His works, at times, in visible form in the natural dimension of our physical world and universe.

God reveals Himself to us as the supernatural and all-powerful God through His own Spirit, the Holy Spirit. There is no other means by which we can know Him. Again, we can know the “fact” of God without knowing Him. Even a theologian may know that a superior being exists, but that does not mean that he knows Him personally. Many theologians operate merely with information acquired through intellectual research, reasoning, mental processes, or the experiences of others. But the Holy Spirit is the Source of all revelation from God.

How do we receive revelation from God by His Spirit?

Human beings are made up of three parts: spirit (the essence of our being as created in the image of God), soul (mind, will, and emotions), and body. (See 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Genesis 1:26.) Revelation is the knowledge of God revealed to our spirits, and it is received by spiritually seeing, hearing, and perceiving. This process is referred to as “spiritual perception.” Revelation from God allows us to suddenly understand something without the aid of the natural senses.

It was God’s Spirit who inspired the writers of the Bible, also called Scripture or the Word of God.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.(2 Timothy 3:16)

For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

(2 Peter 1:21)

Jesus called the Holy Spirit the “Spirit of truth” (John 16:13). Once more, the Spirit is the only channel through which we have access to God’s revealed wisdom and knowledge. The Holy Spirit makes known to men and women on earth what has been expressed by God in heaven. Jesus said,

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.(John 16:13)

Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, received the revelation that Jesus was the Messiah because God revealed it to him through the Holy Spirit. Jesus told him,

Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father [God the Father] who is in heaven. (Matthew 16:17)

To receive revelation from God is to see as He sees, to hear as He hears, and to perceive as He perceives.

Revelation includes knowing things you otherwise would not know, perceiving things without having a prior awareness of them, and seeing things that have yet to occur. It is the mind of God made known so that human beings can exercise their God-given roles and responsibilities on earth.

Unfortunately, especially in Western culture, intellectual formation has pushed aside our awareness of and reliance on divine revelation. Thus, we are trained to reject anything that cannot be explained according to human understanding alone.

How Humanity Lost Its Spiritual Perception

Our general dependence on intellectual knowledge, as well as our lack of supernatural knowledge and experience, can be traced to something that happened early in the history of humanity. In the beginning, human beings were created to enjoy and exercise God’s supernatural power as they carried out dominion and rule over the earth.

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:27–28)

The event that changed humanity’s original way of life is often called “the fall of man.” It occurred when the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, essentially rejected the revelation of God in favor of natural, mental knowledge. God’s enemy, Satan, tempted them to do this, because he wanted to break their relationship with God and cut off their spiritual power—the very power by which they could defeat him. Adam and Eve listened to Satan and disobeyed God’s command not to eat of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (See Genesis 2:16–17; 3:1–6.) Disobedience to God is what we call sin.

After Adam and Eve sinned, the physical realm of time, space, and matter became the foundation of their reality—and it has been the foundation of reality for all human beings who have come after them (unless their spirits and minds have been renewed by the Holy Spirit). One of the consequences of sin was that Adam and Eve lost the ability to “see” into the spiritual realm. Their spirits, which had connected them with God, essentially died. This is the reason why the unspiritual, or “carnal,” mind has trouble understanding God and His supernatural power and why it has problems dealing with anything it cannot explain. The result of people’s disconnection from God is that they fall into thought patterns and actions that are contrary to His thoughts and ways.

So then, those who are in the flesh [carnal] cannot please God. (Romans 8:8)

The carnal mind determines people’s reality until they are born again, or “born of the Spirit” by receiving Jesus Christ. (See John 3:3–8.) As we will see, when we receive Jesus, our spirits are renewed, and we begin the process of renewing our minds with God’s thoughts. When we are born of the Spirit, we can receive the Spirit’s revelation.

What God has done, is doing, and will do in the future is beyond our natural understanding. Therefore, the degree to which we experience spiritual reality is determined by the level of revelation we have from Him through the Spirit. Unless we continually renew our mind, our intellect tends to remain in the natural dimension, thereby creating limitations in our lives.

Mankind criticizes everything it

cannot create or understand.

Please understand that I am supportive of intellectual pursuits and education that challenge and train the minds God has given us. I want young people to attend universities and to complete their studies. I have helped many of them to reach their educational goals and to graduate. However, problems arise when we try to use our natural minds to understand spiritual realities or to activate the supernatural power of God. Then, our minds basically become the enemy of truth because they attempt to displace divine revelation. If we surrender to the natural mind, we will end up doubting the truth of God’s supernatural power, and we may eventually even attempt to use counterfeit supernatural power.

I consider myself to be an intelligent person. I am an avid student who loves to learn. By God’s grace, I have earned several degrees. However, at the outset of my ministry, I had a difficult time trying to understand God with my mind until I recognized what I have been describing in this chapter—that God can be truly understood only through revelation by the Holy Spirit. It was then that I totally surrendered my mind to the Lord so that He could fill it with His thoughts. It was for this very purpose that Paul, the great apostle and theologian, urged believers to be transformed by the renewing of their minds. (See Romans 12:2.)

Moving Beyond the Natural Dimension

Thankfully, we do not have to be slaves to our natural intellects. God gave us something that enables us to move beyond the natural realm and to tap into His supernatural sphere and revelation knowledge. It is called faith.

Here is an illustration of how faith works. In August 2012, NASA successfully landed the space rover “Curiosity” on Mars. Curiosity began sending signals to orbiting satellites, which broadcast to us images of the “red planet” never before seen by human beings. The space rover was sent from earth into the universe to allow human beings to “see” what cannot be seen on earth by merely looking up at the sky or by even using the most sophisticated telescope. In a similar way, faith is the “probe” by which human beings have access to and can “see” into the spiritual realm; we can then take appropriate, knowledgeable action in the physical realm based on the revelation we have received.

If God had intended for humanity to remain only in the natural realm, He never would have provided a way through His Son Jesus for us to be restored to a relationship with Him, nor given us access to Himself and His supernatural power through faith.

We can move beyond the natural realm in the following ways:

- By exercising our faith in God, through which we enter into the spiritual realm.

- By receiving revelation, or revealed knowledge, from God through the Holy Spirit.

- By applying our faith once more, in response to the revelation, activating God’s supernatural power on our behalf, or on behalf of others.

The supernatural realm is the realm where miracles occur. To help us understand our invisible, eternal, and omnipotent (all-powerful) God and His supernatural works, let me describe what often occurs at our church, King Jesus International Ministry, during what we call a Healing and Miracle Service. At such a service, supernatural manifestations in the form of miracles, healings, salvations, and other transformations of people’s lives take place. Additional manifestations of the Holy Spirit also occur, including signs, wonders, unexpected cancellations of debt/financial miracles, deliverances from demons, and much more.

For a number of people who attend these services, it may be their last opportunity for health or even life. In many cases, medical science has reached its limit and is unable to provide a solution to their health problems. People come with the desire to experience God’s supernatural power for healing.

A man who was visiting for the first time went home with a tremendous miracle. For eight months, he had been connected to an oxygen tank 24/7 because he was suffering from pulmonary fibrosis, a serious disease that causes progressive scarring of the lung tissue, making breathing difficult and painful. On that day, I was preaching about our supernatural God—our heavenly Father—and I presented to the people a Jesus who is full of power to perform miracles. This man’s faith was activated by what he heard, and he came to the altar in front of the entire congregation. He took off the oxygen mask and was able to breathe with ease. The Lord had healed him instantly!

Another time, while I was praying at home, God specifically told me—through revelation—that He was going to heal the blind. During our next Healing and Miracle Service, I called for the sick and afflicted to come forward. Among them was a woman who had been blind in her left eye since birth. Doctors had told this woman that her condition was incurable and that she should settle for having sight in only her right eye.

As I prayed and declared God’s Word over the woman, she began to feel an intense heat within her body. At that moment, the Holy Spirit reminded her of the verse of Scripture that says, “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). Seizing that verse, she chose to believe God, claimed His promises, and forcefully took “possession” of her healing.

The audience was astonished to hear me ask her to do what she had been unable to do before the service. I asked her to focus all of her attention on seeing through her left eye. To her surprise, she found that she could see through both eyes! At first, all she saw were blurry images, but, in time, her sight continued to progress until everything became perfectly visible. God had restored the full sight that Satan, or the devil, had stolen from her at birth. Divine supernatural power had given her a creative miracle. What had been impossible by human means, God had done in one moment! Medical science could not heal this woman, but He did it instantly.

What was our part in what happened that day? We activated the supernatural power of God, so that the miracles started to flow.

Common sense, logic, and reason cannot produce miracles, which are manifestations of God’s supernatural power in the natural realm. They cannot make a person who is blind see or someone who is deaf-mute hear and speak. They cannot cure cancer or AIDS. Instead of relying on natural knowledge, we need to move past our own skepticism and fear of the supernatural to rely on God’s revelation, and we also need to raise a generation of believers who are not doubtful or afraid of the supernatural, either.

“Common sense” and human reasoning can

never produce a miracle.

Human Wisdom Versus God’s Wisdom

If we are to receive God’s supernatural revelation and manifestations, we must come to understand the difference between human wisdom and power and God’s wisdom and power. The apostle Paul wrote,

However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory.(1 Corinthians 2:6–7)

Philosophy is a field of study based on a love of wisdom that is obtained from the natural environment, and the above passage reflects an important life lesson that Paul had learned in regard to human wisdom. When he mentioned “the wisdom of this age,” he was referring to prominent Greek philosophy. He had lived in Greece for two years. Yet, during his time in Athens, when he had spoken to the Greeks about wisdom, he had failed to effectively preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and, after those two years, he had not planted a single church there. (See Acts 17:16–18:1.) Later, he emphatically expressed to the church in Corinth that he had come to them in God’s power and not in human wisdom. (See 1 Corinthians 2:1–5.) Paul had learned that human wisdom and philosophy are incapable of producing the supernatural power required to preach the gospel effectively and to manifest healings, signs, and wonders from God.

Why do we search for revelation from the world when all the deep “treasures of wisdom” (Colossians 2:2) can be found in Christ? Paul wrote to the believers who lived in the city of Colossae,

…the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations…now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.(Colossians 1:25–27)

God made known the hidden mystery of the ages, which is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

The natural senses alone cannot perceive the revealed wisdom or knowledge of God. However, a number of God’s mysteries have been revealed through His Holy Spirit.

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.…No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

(1 Corinthians 2:9–11)

This is an inviolable truth: The human mind is not able to know everything that is in man, let alone everything about God. Only God, our Creator, knows all things. Consequently, the only One who can reveal God is the Spirit of God, who is the administrator of the truth and power of Jesus Christ on earth.

It is surprising to me when I see Christians turning to philosophy, psychology, and psychiatry—the natural realm—to try to resolve their problems. These disciplines genuinely try to help people but fail to utilize the power of God to change and transform humanity. Some counselors may try to apply biblical terms while pursuing man-made methods, but such efforts are ultimately ineffective, “for the kingdom of God is not in word but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:20).

The truth of the Bible can be properly expressed only by using the language of the Bible, while also demonstrating its power.

The following are four truths that can be known only through revelation. They cannot be fully discovered through scientific, psychological, psychiatric, or philosophical means:

- The nature of God

- The nature of man

- The origin of life

- The origin of man

If we choose to reject the concept of divine revelation, we will never fully understand the truth of these realities, and we will continue to live in confusion and deception. Through mental processes and the systematic collection of information acquired through the natural senses, scientists have developed diverse theories on the origin of life. They have written countless volumes on the subject, all derived from the same restrictive sources of human senses and reasoning, as well as the limitations of creatures that fail to acknowledge the reality of their Creator.

Within such parameters, people will almost always end up denying the existence of God because their workable knowledge does not allow them to accept Him. Their information is sometimes based on hearsay, and they steadfastly believe that the world exists because matter somehow “created itself.” Sensory knowledge has become their primary source of wisdom, and again, this knowledge cannot fully explain the origin of creation or the beginning of matter. It lacks valid answers to the great “whys” of humanity.

Faith is the only way to know God and to relate to His supernatural and invisible realm.

Likewise, when scholars seek to understand the origin of life and the nature of God through logic and human perception, they fail in their attempts. Many philosophers, theologians, and scientists have come to the conclusion that God does not exist, and this is because they have failed to recognize that God can be known and understood only by faith and revelation, not logic or human perception. Formal education, which is often based on a natural mind-set, has not encouraged the faith of millions of young people. Instead, it has trained them to recognize and accept only that which they can see, feel, decipher, and explain with their physical senses and intellect.

Hidden Mysteries of God’s Kingdom

God is always the One who chooses to reveal Himself to us, and the One who has provided the way for this to occur. Thus, we must depend solely on Him. If God had not chosen to reveal Himself, we never would have been able to know Him.

God will not usually reveal Himself to those who lack the desire to know Him or who choose not to have a relationship with Him. It was for this reason that Jesus hid the mysteries of the kingdom of God from the religious leaders of His time and also told His disciples, “Do not…cast your pearls before swine” (Matthew 7:6). Jesus spoke in parables precisely to keep certain mysteries hidden from those who had no intention of knowing God and from those who sought knowledge of Him only as ammunition for debate rather than to gain an authentic experience of Him. (See Luke 8:9–10.)

Yet those who deny God are not the only ones who are, for the most part, living outside the realm of the supernatural. Many godly believers and Christian leaders who have a genuine relationship with God still lack revelation beyond a basic knowledge of the gospel. As a result, they have no idea what He is saying or doing in their personal lives, in the body of Christ as a whole, or in the world today. The following are two principles for us to consider as we seek to receive revelation from God.

God’s Revelations Are Connected to

His Time and His Will

1. His Time

God gives revelations according to His own timing. He will not reveal something to an individual believer, to a local church, or to the church as a whole if the person, congregation, or church is not ready for it. There are two main reasons why we might not be ready for a revelation at a given time. (1) We are not yet spiritually mature enough to receive it. (2) God knows we would not obey it. If we’re not ready to obey revelation, then we’re not ready to know it.

Only God knows the right time to unveil a specific revelation to us. Our part is to make sure we are willing to obey all that He wants us to do.

2. His Will, or Initiative

God said that in the last days on earth before Christ returns (see, for example, Acts 1:9–11), knowledge would increase because it is His will to fill the earth with His glory (see Daniel 12:3–4; Numbers 14:21). I believe that we are living in those last days, days in which the manifestation of His glory will be evident everywhere. God will fulfill His purposes by giving us the revelation of His kingdom for this momentous period in history.

Are you ready to receive it?

Revealed knowledge is closely linked

to Christ’s coming.

Summary

- God is a spiritual Being with supernatural abilities. He lives in eternity but manifests His presence in our physical dimension.

- Only God can reveal God. He must do the initiating to reveal Himself. No person has the ability to know Him apart from His revelation.

- Revelation is the knowledge of God that comes directly into our spirits in an instant, without prior knowledge or research.

- The Source of all revelation from God is the Holy Spirit.

- All the mysteries of wisdom are hidden in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, and are available to the humble who hunger to know God intimately.

- The four things that can be known only through revelation are God’s nature, human nature, the origin of life, and the origin of man.

- Faith and revelation enable us to live beyond the natural dimension.

- God’s revelations are connected to His time and His will.

1. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/louis_pasteur.htm.

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A God of Miracles Through History—and Today!

Faith enables us to move beyond the natural realm and to tap into God’s supernatural sphere and revelation knowledge. We must exercise faith in order to see the manifestation of His glory in our lives. Our faith will be strongest in the areas in which we have the greatest revealed knowledge from God through the Holy Spirit. Likewise, our faith will be weakest where we lack revelation or have little of it. Paul wrote, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Therefore, in this chapter, let us look to the Word of God to build our faith in the miraculous.

A Miracle Is God’s Supernatural Intervention in Natural Life

In the Scriptures, or the Bible, we learn of a God who operates in a supernatural way, just as we experienced at King Jesus Ministry with the woman who was healed after being blind in one eye from birth. God dwells outside of time but is able to “interrupt” time, space, and matter, if He so desires. This is what we call a miracle. I like to define a miracle as “the supernatural intervention of God that interrupts the normal course of natural life.” When God has completed His purpose and removes His direct involvement, natural life resumes once again. Every day, we urgently need God to intervene in our daily existence so that His divine manifestations and miracles can meet our critical needs.

In a remarkable account from the life of Joshua, who was the leader of the Israelites after Moses, God interrupted the daily existence of His people to enable them to prevail over their enemies:

Then Joshua…said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies.(Joshua 10:12–13)

God is able to “stop the clock” of earthly time at any moment. The book of Joshua says that when He did so for Joshua, “the sun stood still.” Of course, because of discoveries in astronomy, we now know that the earth orbits the sun, not the other way around. Thus, when Joshua gave the order, it was actually the earth that stood still, not the sun. In addition to orbiting the sun, the earth rotates on its axis, making a complete turn every twenty-four hours at a speed close to one thousand miles per hour. This rotation is what produces day and night, sunrise and sunset. So, why did Joshua order the sun to stop if it is the earth that is in orbit? He was simply speaking from his point of view. If you are in a moving car, and you see a person who is standing on the next corner, it might seem as if the person is approaching you, when, in truth, it is your car that is approaching the person.

Yet the most incredible aspect of Joshua’s miracle is that the earth actually did stand still! It stopped rotating without being destroyed. God honored Joshua’s faith in His miraculous power, even though he didn’t have the complete facts of astronomy available to him. We cannot limit God. He is supernatural and all-powerful. He has complete and total dominion over nature.

The Supernatural God Revealed

in the Old Testament

It wasn’t just in Joshua’s case, but throughout the Old Testament, that God showed Himself to be a supernatural God of miracles. Here are some additional examples:

- At the Tower of Babel, God separated rebellious people from one another by giving them various new, distinct languages, so they couldn’t communicate with each other. (See Genesis 11:5–8.)

- During the great flood, God preserved Noah, his family, and two of each of the animals from destruction when the rest of the world was destroyed. (See Genesis 6–9.)

- At Sodom and Gomorrah, God destroyed entire wicked cities with fire from heaven. (See Genesis 19:24–25.)

- God protected the infant Moses from Pharaoh’s plot to kill Israel’s firstborn sons. (See Exodus 12.)

- In the desert, God spoke to Moses from a bush that burned without being consumed. (See Exodus 3.)

- In Egypt, God turned Aaron’s rod into a serpent (see Exodus 7:10–12); He also turned the Nile River into blood (see Exodus 7:14–24) and caused other plagues, such as those of frogs, lice, flies, boils, and locusts, so the Egyptians would know that He is the true God (see Exodus 7–10).

- God parted the Red Sea, allowing Israel to pass safely through it on dry ground, as He delivered His people out of Egypt and slavery. (See Exodus 13:17–14:29.)

- In the wilderness, God caused manna to descend from heaven every day for the Israelites to eat (see Exodus 16:1–24), and He drew water from a rock to quench their thirst (see Exodus 17:6; Number 20:8–12).

- God caused earthquakes to defeat and drive off the Philistines, who were the enemies of His people. (See 1 Samuel 14:15–23.)

- He destroyed the walls of Jericho so Israel could take the city. (See Joshua 6.)

- He caused an axe head to float on water so that it could be found. (See 2 Kings 6:5–7.)

- He gave Samson the strength to kill a lion and tear down the columns of the Philistines. (See Judges 14:5–6; 16:21–30.)

- He gave Abraham and his sterile wife, Sarah, a son in their old age. (See Genesis 21:1–3.)

- He enabled a young shepherd named David to kill a giant named Goliath with only a sling and a stone. (See 1 Samuel 17.)

- He fed the widow of Zarephath and her son with the multiplication of oil and flour. (See 1 Kings 17:8–15.)

- He caused a donkey to speak as a rebuke to the disobedient prophet Balaam. (See Numbers 22–24.)

- He consumed the prophet Elijah’s water-drenched sacrifice on Mount Carmel with fire, demonstrating that He was the true God. (See 1 Kings 18:16–40.)

- He caused a three-year drought because of King Ahab’s idolatry and other wickedness, and then He enabled it to rain again. (See 1 Kings 16:29–17:5; 18:41–46.)

- He healed the Syrian army commander, Naaman, of leprosy through the prophet Elisha. (See 2 Kings 5:1–19.)

- He raised a man from the dead when the man’s body touched Elisha’s bones. (2 Kings 13:14, 20–21.)

- He kept Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego safe and unharmed in a fiery furnace into which they had been thrown. (See Daniel 3.)

- He kept Daniel safe after the king commanded that he be thrown into a lions’ den. (See Daniel 6:10–23.)

- He preserved the life of Jonah in the belly of a whale for three days. (See Jonah 1–2.)

And these are but a few examples.

The Supernatural God

Revealed Through Jesus Christ

An extraordinary miracle occurred when God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to earth as a Man to reveal that God is our heavenly Father and to demonstrate that He is still a supernatural God who desires to heal and deliver His children. Jesus, who was God in the flesh, performed spectacular miracles, such as when He…

- turned water into wine. (See John 2:1–11.)

- healed ten lepers, a centurion’s servant, a paralytic, Peter’s mother-in-law, and a deaf-mute. (See, for example, Luke 17:11–19; Matthew 8:5–13; Luke 5:17–26; Mark 1:29–39; 7:31–37.)

- straightened the back of a woman who had been bent for many years due to the bondage of Satan. (See Luke 13:10–17.)

- healed a blind beggar by the side of the road in Jericho. (See Mark 10:46–52.)

- gave sight to one who had been blind from birth. (See John 9:1–25.)

- delivered the daughter of the Syro-Phoenician woman from demon-possession. (See Mark 7:24–30.)

- raised the son of the widow of Nain from the dead. (See Luke 7:11–17.)

- raised Lazarus after he had been dead for four days. (See John 11:1–45.)

- multiplied the bread and the fish to feed five thousand people. (See Mark 6:30–44.)

- walked on water. (See Matthew 14:22–33.)

- provided money from the mouth of a fish. (See Matthew 17:24–27.)

- cursed a fig tree, causing it to dry up. (See Matthew 21:18–21.)

- delivered a tormented man from a “legion” of demons. (See Mark 5:1–20.)

Most of all, God did the miraculous through Jesus when He surrendered to the cross, died for our sins, descended into hell, took the keys of death from Satan, and was bodily raised from the dead before ascending to heaven and sending us the Holy Spirit.

After Jesus returned to heaven, miracles took place in the early church as Jesus’ followers were empowered by the Spirit and healed the sick, cast out demons, and raised the dead. And, we can continue to marvel at the miracles, signs, and wonders God performs in the church today through the Holy Spirit.

Man Was Created with

an Instinct for Power

I hope you are coming to see that human beings were not created to trust solely in their natural abilities, mind, reasoning, or any other source of sensorial knowledge from the world. They were created to walk in the supernatural power of God.

Peter had an experience with the supernatural when he walked on the water with Jesus:

And Peter answered [Jesus] and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. (Matthew 14:28–29)

Walking on water was one of Jesus’ most awesome miracles. When Peter saw Him, he said he wanted to do the same thing, and Jesus answered, “Come.” As soon as Peter started to walk on the water, however, he felt the strong wind and focused on the storm, took his eyes off of Jesus, and began to sink. (See Matthew 14:30–31.) Notice that Jesus did not rebuke Peter for wanting to walk on water, as He was doing. On the contrary, He encouraged him to do it.

Why did Peter want to walk on water? What was his motive? Peter left the safety of the boat because he was prompted by a God-given, instinctual need for supernatural power, a desire to cross over from the natural to the supernatural.

The Two Sources of Supernatural Power:

- God

- Satan

Human beings must be careful, however, how they pursue their inherent desire for the supernatural because not all supernatural power comes from God. Any such power that does not come from God is from Satan and is therefore dangerous.

The enemy establishes a stronghold where God’s knowledge and revelation are obscured.

Unfortunately, a desire for the supernatural has led many people away from God and toward destructive supernatural avenues, such as magic, witchcraft, diabolical games, false religions, satanic sects, and much more. Therefore, we must be alert in order to avoid being deceived and allowing the enemy to establish a stronghold of deception and counterfeit power in our lives.

God’s Supernatural Power Active Today

We have seen that many men and women rely solely on their natural abilities and trust only in science, technology, mathematics, philosophy, logic, and other branches of human intellect and understanding. Other people opt for witchcraft or other ungodly powers. Most young adults have never witnessed or even heard about God’s supernatural power. They have an unstable faith, which is founded on human wisdom rather than on the revelation of Jesus. Many of these young adults fail to realize that the choices they are making in life based on human wisdom and knowledge actually lead to idolatry (putting worldly, temporary things above devotion and commitment to God) and, ultimately, dissatisfaction.

When this generation goes to church looking for the supernatural, most do not find it because many churches preach only a historical Jesus whom they believe was a “good man” who is now dead, or a watered-down figure from Sunday school stories. To these people, the powerful, supernatural, real, living, raised-from-the-dead Jesus remains a complete stranger. As a result, if they do witness a miracle, they are unable to believe it because they lack the revelation of the true Christ. And, due to the lack of power in the church, many young people have returned to the world in search of another source of “supernatural” power—including drugs, alcohol, divination, and witchcraft. Their desire for power is good, but the way they are trying to satisfy this desire is evil, whether they realize it or not. It separates them from a genuine relationship with their heavenly Father. Therefore, they become easy targets for the devil, who seeks to destroy them.

Yet some young people are discovering the source of true supernatural power. God is raising up a new generation of people—both young and old—who have the audacity to leave the boat, “walk on water,” and do miracles in His name. They want more for their lives because God has placed that desire within them.

The following are some testimonies of the activity of God’s supernatural power in this generation.

Several youths in our church have demonstrated for us how God’s truth can transform present reality. One young adult decided to go to a gas station and buy some coffee during his lunch hour. At the front of the line was a very attractive lady who gave the impression of being wealthy. Immediately, the Holy Spirit gave this young man the revelation knowledge that the woman needed help, so he approached her and said, “I have a word for you. Would you wait for me to pay for my coffee, and then I’ll share it with you?” She agreed. After he paid, they went outside, and the young man said, “I feel that you recently lost a loved one, perhaps a week ago.” The lady was perplexed and answered, “Yes, my father died last week.” Immediately, she began to cry. He felt such compassion for her that he said, “Your heavenly Father is watching you today, and He wants to become real to you, but only Jesus can bring you close to the Father.” He then shared a few personal details about her private life, including her marital relationship.

This young man had no idea what he was saying, so he knew that it was the Holy Spirit who was personally ministering to this woman. God was saying so much, and in such clear detail, that the words affected her spirit. Anyone would have noticed the impact those words were making on her by the way she was receiving them. Finally, she raised her hands and, in front of everyone at the gas station, confessed Jesus as her Lord and Savior and received the love of our heavenly Father as tears of joy fell down her cheeks. This is the love of God!

In another demonstration of His great love for His people, God performed a creative miracle that greatly affected me and the multitudes gathered at a Healing and Miracle Crusade in Villa Hermosa, Mexico. After praying according to God’s Word, I declared healing for the people. Afterward, a man came up to give his testimony. He had been born deaf in his right ear, and his doctors had discovered that his ear was missing the auditory system; he didn’t even have an orifice for the ear. It was completely sealed, having only a small trace of an external ear. Yet, when I declared God’s Word, he felt a quick “explosion” take place on the right side of his head, likened to a cork coming off a bottle, and he immediately began to hear out of the ear that had been sealed. God performed a creative miracle! He created a new auditory system where there had been none. God worked His wonderful will, and this man returned home with perfect hearing in both his ears. Praise the Lord!

One Thursday night, I was preaching at my church on the subject of boldness. After receiving the Word and taking hold of it by faith, one of our youth ministers dared to practice what he had heard during the message. So, after eating with a few of his friends at a restaurant in Miami, he decided to visit the bar next to the restaurant, saying, “I am going to win all those drunks for Jesus tonight.”

The young minister and two of his friends entered the establishment, while the rest of the group stayed outside, where they talked to people about Jesus. This young man began by sharing some words of knowledge with the people in the bar, who were already drunk. Then, he shared the message of the gospel of the kingdom, and something incredible happened. Everyone in the bar repeated the “Sinner’s Prayer” aloud, confessing their sins and receiving Jesus as their Savior. Through this testimony, we see that when we preach the gospel, the lost will be saved and the spiritual atmosphere will change. The atmosphere in that bar certainly changed because, before long, it closed down. Today, it no longer exists! This is a clear demonstration that the Word of God never returns to Him void but accomplishes what He intended. (See Isaiah 55:11.)

In a closing example, I was holding a series of miracle services in Barranquilla, Colombia, and my son Ronald accompanied me. A child was brought to me for healing. His arm was paralyzed and was soon to be amputated due to gangrene, which had set in after an accident. When I prayed for the child, the power of God descended upon him, and he was healed. Immediately, he was able to move the arm that had been paralyzed, and there was no more gangrene. At the end of the trip, I asked Ronald what moment of the crusade had made the greatest impact on him. He said that he would never forget the miracle God had given that child. My son is well rooted in the supernatural because he has seen, heard, and personally experienced God’s power from a young age.

Retaking the Path Jesus Set for Us

Most people in today’s generation have neither witnessed nor experienced what I’ve described in these testimonies. They do not know that we can go beyond medical diagnoses, beyond financial problems, and beyond all natural evidence. This is why believers must announce the good news of the gospel and tell people that Jesus lives and that He is powerful to do far more than the human mind can fathom.

Yet much of the church today tends to operate on the basis of human abilities. If something doesn’t fall within the scope of what is considered “normal,” it is not to be believed. Consequently, nothing supernatural ever happens. The result is that people attend church without expecting to see anything extraordinary or supernatural take place. Why, then, do we even go to church? Would we go to our jobs if we didn’t expect to be paid? Would we go to a restaurant if we didn’t expect to eat? So, again, why do we go to church if we don’t expect to witness miracles or experience some supernatural event—a healing, a new song, or a new sign? If none of these manifestations occurs in the church, something is not right.

Much of the church doesn’t know how to bring the supernatural into its services because the people lack a revelation of the supernatural, eternal, and all-powerful God. Human reason and intellectualism have robbed us of this expectancy. Many leaders and ministers have become stagnant and irrelevant, failing to generate positive changes that would make a spiritual impact on their nations and churches.

The time has come for us to retake the path set by Jesus and the early church and return once again to the revelation of the living Christ—raised, all-powerful, and supernatural.

If you genuinely desire to know the supernatural God, ask the Holy Spirit to open your understanding and to reveal His greatness, His majesty, His love, and His power to you. Receive the reality of this declaration, which I offer on your behalf:

Right now, I declare by faith that your eyes, ears, and spiritual senses will be opened to receive a supernatural experience with the living, real, supernatural Christ.

Summary

- A miracle is “the supernatural intervention of God that interrupts the normal course of natural life.”

- Our faith will be strongest in the areas in which we have the greatest revealed knowledge from God through the Holy Spirit.

- Throughout the Old and New Testaments, God showed Himself to be a supernatural God of miracles.

- The supernatural God ultimately revealed Himself through Jesus.

- God created man with an instinctual desire for supernatural power.

- The two sources of supernatural power are God and Satan.

- God’s supernatural power is active on our behalf today.

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The Purpose of God’s

Supernatural Power

To operate in God’s supernatural power, we need a deeper understanding of His kingdom. Jesus spoke of three divine realms:

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.(Matthew 6:13)

The “kingdom” is the government of God; the “power” is the supernatural ability found in God; the “glory” is the presence of God.

Expanding on the definition of the kingdom of God, it is the divine government that is established on earth when the will of its King has been carried out completely. It is God’s administration influencing the world, replacing its ungodly operating systems and order. The kingdom of God is the lordship and dominion of King Jesus on earth, manifested in visible form.

The essence of Jesus’ teaching is the kingdom,

the power, and the glory.

Divine Government on Earth

We read in the first chapter of the book of Acts that, after His resurrection, Jesus spent forty days teaching His disciples about the “kingdom of God” (verse 3). His goal was to prepare them for the day when they would receive “power” (verse 8) as the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them. The coming of this power is recorded in chapter 2 of Acts and is followed in chapter 3 by the manifestation of God’s glory in the miraculous healing of a man who had been lame from birth.

Today, some Christian ministries teach much about God’s kingdom but with little accompanying demonstration of His power. In other ministries, the opposite occurs—there is great manifestation of God’s power but little mention of His kingdom. In still other ministries, there is teaching on God’s glory but no manifestation of His power or kingdom. A balance of all three is necessary.

Jesus taught His disciples about the kingdom because He understood that if they were to be effective witnesses in a world that is hostile to the message of the gospel, they would need His power. (See Acts 1:8.) Furthermore, Jesus knew that the Roman government and the religious leaders of the day would try to eliminate any evidence left behind that might prove His resurrection. Since the time Jesus ascended to heaven, the most potent evidence of the resurrected, living Christ has been the work of the Holy Spirit in His church, enabling believers to supernaturally love others, spread the gospel, and demonstrate various miracles, healings, and signs.

Kingdom Revelation

Produces Kingdom Life

When we comprehend God’s kingdom and operate in it, the following five aspects of kingdom life will be evident in us.

1. Purpose

Knowledge, or revelation, of the kingdom will come first in our lives, producing an understanding of our God-given purposes. This principle was true in New Testament times, and it is still applicable today. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Similar to the followers of Jesus in the first century, we live in a society that is becoming increasingly hostile toward the gospel; it is full of wickedness and iniquity. Without God’s power and an understanding of the nature of His kingdom, we will never be able to succeed in it. The main reason God reveals our supernatural purposes is so that we may proclaim and expand His kingdom on earth.

2. Authority

The revelation of the kingdom will also produce within our spirits a knowledge of how to use God’s authority and how to submit to it in relation to supernatural power. If believers do not understand and apply this knowledge, they have the potential to misuse the power and to harm or even destroy other people. God gives us supernatural gifts and authority, and, as Paul wrote, “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance [“irrevocable” niv]” (Romans 11:29). However, we are responsible for developing Christlike character so that we use our gifts with maturity and bless others rather than harm them. Paul wrote, “In understanding be mature” (1 Corinthians 14:20).

In addition, we can comprehend Jesus’ subjugation of Satan and the demonic realm only when we receive revelation about the authority of the kingdom of God. When we finally understand and apply this truth, we will see the undeniable superiority of the kingdom of light each time it confronts the kingdom of darkness.

3. Order

When we take dominion over the kingdom of darkness through the authority of the kingdom of God, spiritual order is secured. Order cannot be established in the absence of government and authority. This is the case in the natural world, but it is also the case in the spiritual realm. When there is chaos, there is confusion, and the power of God is not able to manifest.

4. Structure

When Jesus taught His disciples about the kingdom, He was giving them a pattern, or structure, for how to conduct themselves in it as children of the King, as well as how to spread the kingdom on earth. God’s kingdom does not have a rigid structure. It is flexible, so that His supernatural power can operate as the Holy Spirit directs individuals and churches. Here, we see a balance between power and order. Only within godly parameters can the work of the kingdom thrive and grow.

5. Vision

The revelation of the kingdom generates in believers an ongoing spiritual vision for what God desires to do in the church and in the world. It keeps us focused on the mission we are to fulfill on earth. In the absence of a kingdom mentality, as well as spiritual vision, biblical principles, and godly character, supernatural power could be used for self-serving reasons—for purposes other than the expansion of God’s kingdom and the blessings He has for His people. In the hands of those who lack an understanding of the kingdom, supernatural power can become futile or destructive.

The “Explosive” Power of God

One of the main Greek words that is translated “power” in the New Testament—such as in Acts 1:8—is dunamis. This word refers to “miraculous power,” “ability,” “might,” “strength,” and “power in action.” Dunamis is the ability to perform miracles. It is the dynamic, explosive, power of God—His supernatural aptitude.

In many Christian circles, believers exhibit a negative attitude toward the idea that God’s power is available to us today, because they have never personally experienced or witnessed a physical miracle or a supernatural occurrence. Yet the biblical model is that God’s power is intrinsically tied to the message of the gospel. Mark 16:20 says, “And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.” The “accompanying signs” are the difference between true Christianity and other religions that cannot produce a supernatural experience.

Everything created by God has a specific purpose. He never creates anything at random. If He gave us His supernatural power through His Son Jesus, it is because we need it in order to carry out the Great Commission He has given us. (See, for example, Mark 16:15.) When people ignore the purpose of something, they use it ineffectively or pervert its function, and various negative results ensue. Therefore, let us discover the purpose of God’s supernatural power, how to receive it, and how to handle it properly.

Supernatural Power Advances

God’s Kingdom on Earth

Jesus did not give us His power in vain. He had clear, specific objectives in mind that are directly related to the advancement of His kingdom on earth. Let us look at eight of those objectives:

1. The Formation and Edification of Godly Character

Character cannot be sufficiently changed on the basis of personal ideas, concepts, philosophies, achievements, rules, norms, or disciplines. To effect true change in character, we need God’s miraculous power. Religion—the practice of following laws and rules in order to please God—cannot transform a person’s inner self; this can happen only by God’s grace. I define grace as “the undeserved gift of God’s supernatural power that helps us to do what we cannot do in our own strength and to be what we cannot be by our own merits.”

Grace is God’s divine power that helps us to obey Him and to function as He does.

2. The Development of an Effective Prayer Life

Jesus said, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). Therefore, if we want to develop a life of continuous prayer through discipline, commitment, and perseverance, it can be accomplished only if we also add the fundamental ingredient of God’s power. When our flesh refuses to seek God, we need to ask for His grace to withstand all temptation, and we do this by faith.

3. The Fulfillment of Ministry Functions and

Service to God

Serving God effectively is impossible if we depend on our own strength to do it. The preaching and teaching of the gospel must be anointed with supernatural power from God. Pastors may speak the words of the Bible with great eloquence, but if the element of power is missing, they will not produce the desired effect. People who try to serve God without His power will eventually suffer from spiritual or emotional burnout.

4. Victory over Sin

We cannot overcome sin by our own abilities. When we are confronted with impure thoughts, bondage, or addictions—perhaps on a daily basis—and we try to overcome them through rigorous disciplines or empty “spiritual” exercises, we can end up being destroyed by wickedness. Sin was conquered on the cross of Calvary. Through Jesus’ shed blood, we received the power to live a clean, pure life. Consequently, sin no longer has a hold on us; rather, we have dominion and control over sin through the transference of power that Jesus provided at the cross.

5. The Defeat of Satan and His Demons

Everyone needs God’s supernatural power to defeat Satan and his demons because we are in a continuous spiritual war against him. Many people fail to realize that the spirit realm is real, that there are two kingdoms in conflict—the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness—and that we are in the middle of this war. Jesus defeated Satan at the cross, but believers have to take action and manifest that victory on earth.

6. The Cultivation of Obedient Followers of Jesus

For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed.

(Romans 15:18)

Teaching the Word of God without a demonstration of miracles will neither excite people nor enable them to have radical changes in their lives. However, when miracles, signs, and wonders are evident, people will experience change almost immediately.

Sometimes, we try to reach out to people through counseling, pastoral care, or discipline. These practices can be helpful, and they have their place within the ministry. I also practice them, but when miracles take place, they appeal to the spirit. We can appeal to people’s reason, but this approach will work for only a short time. The supernatural power of God alone can leave a permanent imprint on their spirits, so that they can become obedient and enthusiastic followers of Jesus.

7. The Ability to Achieve Great Results in a Short Time

So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. (Acts 14:23)

I estimate that the apostles accomplished this feat of appointing elders in every church in approximately six months. Some ministries take three to five years to equip elders, ministers, and pastors. Was something happening in the first-century church that we rarely see in the church today? Yes! The power of God was being manifested for all to see, and it accelerated people’s spiritual knowledge and helped equip them for ministry. Moreover, when God’s power manifests, it produces an atmosphere in which the Holy Spirit is able to transform and deliver those who have been attending church for a long time without ever having experienced real change.

One of my editors experienced this type of transformation. She came from another country, where she had grown up in the Christian faith. When she came to our ministry, however, everything seemed so new that she felt as if she knew nothing. She asked herself, Where was I all those years? At the time, we were holding three services each Sunday and one service each Thursday. I remember seeing her at many services, receiving the revelation and impartation of the Word. She had never experienced God’s power in such a way as this. In one year, she matured and grew beyond what she had learned in her twenty-five years as a Christian. She’d had a hard time testifying about Jesus because she’d had no idea how to respond to questions posed by unbelievers. Today, she is a fearless witness because she acquired revealed knowledge through the Holy Spirit, and God’s power supports her testimony. When she speaks, people are transformed. Now, she serves the kingdom of God and makes a difference in the lives of those who know her.

A message full of God’s power can make us advance in minutes to a place that would have taken us years to reach in the natural.

8. The Development of Effective Witnesses for Christ

The most important purpose for which God has anointed us with His power is that we may become witnesses of Jesus’ supernatural power. A witness is someone who personally experiences something or who acquires knowledge directly from a source and is capable of presenting evidence to prove what he saw or heard. The human mind is incapable of producing supernatural evidence; only God’s power can do it.

God created us in His image. We are His representatives on earth, doing the same things He does. To do anything less would be an insult to Him. When do we receive the power to do what He does? We receive it when we are baptized—or filled—with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said,

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

(Acts 1:8)

We were created in God’s image to do what He does.

To this point, we could conclude that the main objectives for receiving God’s supernatural power are to shape our character, establish an effective prayer life, serve God, overcome sin, defeat Satan, help cultivate obedient followers of Jesus, accomplish more in less time, and become an effective witness for Jesus. Yet knowing these objectives is not enough. We must make the personal decision to commit ourselves to put His power into action. If we make this decision, God will support us and give us His power and grace to walk victoriously.

Conditions for Being Filled

with the Holy Spirit

According to God’s Word, we must meet three conditions to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to operate in His supernatural power. Jesus told His disciples,

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:49)

We can identify the three conditions as:

- Tarry

- Become endued

- Receive power

Jesus included these three conditions in His instruction to His disciples so that they would have the revelation of how they should go forth in His name and manifest God’s power to every person as they carried out their ministry on earth. This same mission must be carried out today by all believers. Let us analyze each of these three conditions in detail.

1. Tarry

The Greek word for “tarry” is kathizo. In Luke 24:49, it is an intransitive verb—referring to an action we take—and it means “to sit down.” Yet I believe that “to tarry” is to do more than merely wait or sit around doing nothing. It means to live in the authority God has given us in Christ. We gain insight into this perspective by looking at the transitive meaning of kathizo—referring to an action taken by someone else toward us—which is intimately connected to a degree of authority, for it indicates “to seat down, i.e. set (figuratively, to appoint).” God has appointed us to sit with Jesus “in the heavenly places”:

But God…raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4, 6)

Thus, we are to remain comfortably seated on the throne—our seat of authority through Christ—with a sense of belonging and ownership and with the purpose of exercising authority to reign and to govern through God’s kingdom on earth.

If we combine these meanings, then Jesus told His disciples, in effect, not to leave but to remain until they learned how to sit comfortably on a throne of spiritual authority, from which they would govern. Then, He gave them the power and the authority to govern.

I have identified three reasons why Jesus calls us to sit on a throne: (1) to govern in the political arena with authority, (2) to govern in the judicial and legal arena, and (3) to govern in the spiritual realm.

The idea of our sitting on a throne of authority should be applied in the same manner as it is used in Scripture where we learn that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father. (See, for example, Colossians 3:1.)

Spiritually speaking, Jesus taught from God’s throne when He was on earth and spoke the Father’s words. (See, for example, John 14:24.) This is why He taught with such authority. We need to learn to do the same. From this day forward, every time we speak, teach, or preach, we must do so from the throne of authority. This is how we will obtain God’s support. Jesus was resurrected so that He could ascend to heaven and sit on the throne. From there, He sent us His Holy Spirit. Now, it is our turn, as the body of Christ, to sit on the throne and to exercise the same authority.

2. Become Endued

The Greek word for “endued” is enduo, meaning “to put on,” or “to clothe or be clothed with (in the sense of sinking into a garment).” This definition refers to the way in which one might dye cloth. It means to be completely covered by a substance that cannot be removed, so that it becomes inseparably ours. It is the idea of wearing something until it becomes a “second skin,” indissoluble. This is what the anointing of the Holy Spirit does. If we are endued with the resurrected Christ, we become as one with Him. And He gives us the right “color” that reflects His nature, according to our various God-given personalities.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.(Romans 13:14)

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)

Are you clothed with “the whole armor of God”?

You have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. (Colossians 3:9–10)

Have you “put on the new man”?

Again, these concepts relate to the idea of being completely submerged in something until you are inseparable from it.

This is not like putting on ceremonial garb that is worn for a time and then removed. Students who graduate from high school or college wear caps and gowns, and they throw their caps into the air when the ceremony is over. Afterward, those caps and gowns are never worn again. This image of graduation attire is representative of the uncommitted “Sunday” believer who puts on the attire of king and priest (see Revelation 1:6) and receives the anointing of the Holy Spirit but is incapable of rebuking a slight cold after he or she walks away from the church. No! We are to wear permanent spiritual attire. A committed believer will be clothed—endued—with the power of God.

3. Receive Power

In Greek, we find several words that are used for various expressions of “power”: dunamai, dunamis, dunamoo, dunastes, dunateo, dunatos. Let us look at three of their meanings.

- Strengthen (dunamoo)

The word dunamoo is frequently used to describe everything God can do. In the New Testament, however, it is also used to indicate what we who believe in Him can do through the power He gives us. Dunamoo means “to enable,” “to strengthen,” or “to make strong.” In other words, the Bible places God and His people in the same category—but only after His people have been endued by the Holy Spirit with His power. Do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that we are “gods” or equal to God but that we can do the same things God does when He imparts His power and His grace to us.

Dunamoo denotes bestowing on someone the strong ability to do something or to carry out a task. That person is able to do it, having been given the physical and/or logical abilities needed for it.

Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do [ischuo] all things through Christ who strengthens [endunamoo] me.” Two Greek words are used here that relate to “power.” Ischuo means “to have (or exercise) force,” or “to be strong, have power.” Endunamoo is derived from dunamoo and means “to empower,” “to enable,” and “to increase in strength.” Therefore, this verse might read, “I am powerfully equipped to do whatever God calls me to do, through Christ who empowers me.”

Is there something specific in your life that you feel you should be able to do but can’t do? If so, through the revelation that comes from His Spirit, God assures you that you have the power to do it, in Him.

- Able (dunamai)

This word is used one hundred sixty-seven times in the New King James Version. It means “to be able or possible,” or “to have power.” Dunamai could describe a person marked by intelligence, knowledge, and ability, one who is highly competent.

Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power [dunamis] that is at work within us, is able [dunamai] to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams].

(Ephesians 3:20 amp)

God is able—dunamai.

- Possible (dunatos)

We find this Greek word fifteen times throughout the Bible. It means “powerful,” “capable,” “possible,” “strong,” “mighty,” or “able.” It can express the potential of something happening according to nature, tradition, or custom; something feasible that can come to pass.

Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible [dunatos].”

(Matthew 19:26)

All things are dunatos for those who believe.

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible [dunatos]….”(Mark 9:23)

The word power, in all its various forms, appears in Scripture hundreds of times with a connotation of explosive power and ability.

- Power, as in ability, occurs ninety-five times having to do with God and ninety-five times having to do with the believer.

- Power, as in capability, occurs seventy-eight times relating to God being able and seventy-eight times relating to the believer being able.

- Power, as in possibility, occurs fifteen times referring to something that is possible for God and fifteen times referring to something that is possible for us.

- Strengthened appears sixteen times declaring we are as strong as God, with His strength.

- Powerfully strong appears twice declaring that God is powerful and twice declaring how powerful we are in Him.

In the New Testament, we find a large group of Greek words, all of which are derived from the same root word. They are presented in different contexts, but they are all (for the most part) translated as power, dominion, strength, ability, and energy.

Jesus told His disciples—as He tells us, today—to tarry so that the power of God could become one with their power, a second skin that would make them inseparable from Him. Therefore, tomorrow, on your way to work or school or wherever you may go, wear your new royal attire. Assume the attitude and declare the Word; and then, when the enemy tries to attack your health or finances, remember that you have the power of heaven at your disposal.

God’s power is evident in the following testimony: At the end of a church service, while I was greeting a group of people, a lady approached me and said her doctor had determined that her esophagus was nearly destroyed. He had insisted that she urgently needed an operation in order to restore it. At that moment, I embraced her, told her that God loved her, and said a short prayer—nothing fancy. When she returned to the doctor for preoperative tests, he was astonished to discover that her esophagus was completely healthy. No trace of her previous condition remained. Further testing confirmed that she had been totally healed. Since there was no need to operate, she was discharged from the hospital.

God had given this woman the creative miracle of a new esophagus. I did not heal her—God’s power did as it was transferred to her body by means of simple acts of love: an embrace and a prayer. These were all it took for her to receive healing. Every disciple in my ministry is trained and equipped to walk under the same anointing that I have. Undoubtedly, a price must be paid—the price of sacrifice, holiness, obedience, love for your neighbor, and total surrender to God—in order for that anointing to be active in you.

Jesus Sends His Disciples in Power

In the New Testament, Jesus sent out His disciples in power and authority:

As you go, preach, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. (Matthew 10:7–8)

Today, Jesus sends us in the same power:

These signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;…they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.(Mark 16:17–18)

God is God everywhere. I have preached in more than fifty countries, and He has done the same things in all of them. He has never failed, not because I am special but because I make myself available. He wants to work through you, too, if you will make yourself available to Him. He wants you to receive the revelation that you were created in His image and therefore can do the same things that He does. You need only to establish and maintain a close relationship with the Father and receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Then, go and preach the good news everywhere. When you do this, God will confirm His Word.

For twenty-two years, a man had been controlled by a spirit of alcoholism that had been rooted within his family’s bloodline for three generations as a generational curse. Then, one day, this man saw me on television. He watched as I called over the airwaves for viewers to throw away their liquor. At that moment, he felt such a conviction in his spirit that he obeyed by throwing out his supply of beer. Immediately, he was fully convinced that it was God who was speaking to him. Since that day, he has served the Lord wholeheartedly, never again touching a drop of alcohol. Today, he is a mentor whose testimony edifies other people who are facing the same problem. Thanks to our loving Lord, that generational curse was broken in this man and in his family. And it all happened when God used a television program to do His will.

Personal Experiences

with the Supernatural

Here are some additional experiences I have had with the supernatural power of God.

The Deaf and Mute

During one service, when I started to walk down the aisle of the church, the Lord indicated to me that there was a person to my right whom He wanted to heal. I didn’t know who it was, specifically. All I knew was that the person was deaf and mute. When I called on this individual to come forth, someone helped a twenty-one-year-old Nicaraguan woman to come forward. She had been deaf and mute since birth. As soon as I prayed for her, her ears were opened, and her tongue was loosened. This miracle had a great impact because the young woman had never heard or spoken a word in her life. She had communicated only with sign language. What God did was so powerful that I asked her to give her testimony on our television program. A few days later, she returned, and her testimony was even more impressive because she had progressed in her speech. She was no longer speaking a word here and a word there; now, she was speaking fluidly. The community was deeply touched. This was the supernatural power of God!

Another day, during a Healing and Miracle Service, God urged me to pray for deaf-mutes, and I obeyed. Many were healed that day. Some of them, also, began the process of hearing and speaking for the first time in their lives.

A twenty-eight-year-old African-American man had been brought to the service. He had been deaf and mute since birth and was living as a homeless person in one of the worst sections of Miami. God poured out His love on him in such a way that the young man instantly received the ability to hear and speak. It was beautiful to see the joy on his face as he smiled, looked surprised, and applauded. This young man received his miracle, and God was glorified in him. His healing was complete and absolute! He left leaping for joy, hearing, and speaking of the wonders God had performed in his life. The same miracles continue to take place everywhere I preach the Word. God wants to do miracles in your life, too!

The Blind

During a Healing and Miracle Service in our church, the Spirit of God guided me to pray for the blind. Among the crowd was a twenty-two-year-old woman who had been born completely blind in her right eye. As the power of God descended upon the congregation and I declared the Word, she was touched by God and healed in a supernatural way. Instantly, her vision cleared, similar to what occurred to the woman in chapter one whose testimony I shared. What doctors had been unable to do in twenty-two years, God had done in an instant. When she realized that her sight had returned, she ran to the altar to give her testimony. The miracle was confirmed by the doctor who examined her. The Lord healed her to glorify His holy name and to demonstrate the fact that He continues to hear our prayers today and will forevermore. On that day, this woman walked away knowing that God had granted the desire of her heart for vision in both of her eyes.

The Paralyzed

One man in our church was only twenty-five years old when a terrible automobile accident landed him in a hospital bed, where he heard the doctors give him a 4 percent chance of survival. The doctors also predicted that if he beat the odds and survived, there was an 87 percent chance that he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

At our church, we train people to pray, to know how to appropriate God’s promises, and to loosen the power of the cross, especially when they face adverse circumstances. Taking what she had learned, this young man’s mother began to pray at her son’s bedside. With power, authority, and boldness, she claimed the promises of God for her son in the spirit realm. And the miracle took place! Against all odds, this young man held on to life and, in only a few weeks, began to show signs of improvement. Today, he lives and walks without difficulty. No traces of the accident are visible on any part of his body. His family and friends are still overwhelmed by the work of God’s supernatural power in his life. During the healing process, the Lord began to prepare him for the time when he would impart to others what he had received through this experience. God never gives us something and expects us to remain stagnant. He always wants us to do something for others.

This young man’s mother had received the anointing for healing that I had imparted over her life, and so she had prayed for her son’s healing. Today, God is ready to work in the same way through others who desire to walk in His supernatural power.

The Demon-possessed

During our Inner Healing and Deliverance Conference, I heard of a twenty-one-year-old woman who was dealing with addictions to marijuana and alcohol. These addictions were controlling her life, and she had tried everything humanly possible to overcome them, but she had failed at each attempt. Furthermore, for years, she had dealt with extreme episodes of depression as a result of her brother’s death. Consequently, her grades at school at that time were the worst she had ever received. Her life was a major disaster until the day someone invited her to our church.

During her visit, I ministered deliverance and cast out every spirit of addiction to drugs and alcohol, loneliness, rejection, depression, grief, and mourning. I led her to forgive, to renounce her past, and to break away from all bondage. God delivered her from all of her afflictions and healed her soul. Jesus did the miracle! Today, her life is completely new. She is an honors student and a leader of a House of Peace, our all-church home fellowship ministry that also inspires young people to follow God. Our Lord is the only one who can deliver us from our afflictions and bring real change to our lives!

The Dead

During one of our Healing and Miracle Services at a football stadium in Honduras, where over fifty thousand people had gathered, a pregnant woman came to the platform, accompanied by her doctor. The woman was crying inconsolably because the baby in her womb had been declared clinically dead a few days prior to the crusade. Because this woman’s life would be in danger if the dead baby were allowed to remain in her womb, the doctor had ordered a dilation and curettage, a procedure that scrapes the uterine walls in order to remove the fetus. But this woman’s faith was greater than the natural circumstances and the medical opinion concerning her condition. She had decided to take a personal risk and postpone the procedure so that she could attend the crusade and seek a miracle from God. Her doctor, concerned for his patient and not wanting to leave her alone, had decided to come along.

When I heard what this woman had done, I believed with her for a miracle and prayed for her. And God did it! Almost instantly, the baby began to move within her womb. A few minutes later, the astonished doctor testified that the baby was, indeed, alive. The mother testified, “God raised my baby from the dead. It is alive! It lives!” She repeated this over and over again. God’s Word says that nothing is impossible for Him. This was an incredible miracle. God raised a baby from the dead!

How to Operate in

God’s Supernatural Power

Once we know the purpose of the supernatural, we can make ourselves available to God and be ready to operate in it. Here are three steps to walking in the supernatural.

1. Connect to Jesus, the Only Right Source of Power

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

As I wrote in chapter 2, there is a life-giving supernatural power that comes from God, but there is also a destructive supernatural power that comes from Satan. Many people today are taking the wrong paths to find supernatural power and are tapping into Satan’s realm through palm readers, magic, Masonry, the occult, yoga, witchcraft, astrology, horoscopes, tarot cards, telepathy, levitation, mind control, and New Age practices, such as metaphysics, parapsychology, and hypnotism. Some delve into acupuncture, astral projection, Santeria, or reincarnation. Others prefer to dabble in the false religious pursuits of Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Hare Krishna, and Rosicrucianism. Still others seek the supernatural through drugs or a pursuit of fame, wealth, prestige, or social status.

All of these sources of power are not from God, and those who practice them will eventually find their lives to be empty and desolate. Thus, it is imperative for us to connect to Jesus, the Son of God, who died on the cross, was raised from the dead, and now sits at the right hand of the Father with power, authority, and glory. (See Ephesians 1:19–23.) Jesus is the only One who never changes. He is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He lives. He’s real. He continues to perform miracles, signs, and wonders. He saves the lost and transforms lives. And Jesus is waiting for you to connect with Him.

2. Change Your Mind-set

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)

It is essential to renew your mind through Christ so that you can have God’s perspective. A mind that has not been renewed is unable to manifest the fullness of God’s power in the world and is susceptible to falling into substitutes for the supernatural. When you renew your mind, you will be able to bring the reality of the supernatural world to earth and to experience the will of God.

3. Learn to Flow in Power and Compassion

Compassion may be defined as “heartache motivated by someone else’s pain that prompts us to take action by doing something for the one who is suffering.” In contrast, sympathy is often just a feeling that has no corresponding action. Compassion was the principle that moved Jesus in His ministry. (See, for example, Matthew 14:14; Mark 8:1–9.)

The compassion that Jesus felt gave Him the anointing to receive God’s power, and it motivated Him to take action and to accomplish His goal to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Many people have received God’s supernatural power before entering into the level of compassion Jesus has. We must ask the Lord to give us the power and the compassion to evangelize the lost, heal the sick, and deliver the captives. The power is not just for us but is intended to help us bless others.

Sympathy is a counterfeit version of compassion.

As you will see through the example of the following testimony, you and I were chosen and anointed to manifest the power and love of God in this generation through our daily lives.

A minister and his youth group were driving through the streets of their city, seeking souls to win for Christ, when, suddenly, God gave the minister a vision of a man wearing red shorts. When they stopped at a convenience store, they spotted three African-American men, one of whom was wearing red shorts. They presented the gospel to the men, and the Lord revealed to the minister that one of the men had knee problems and another suffered from asthma. The men confirmed that these things were true. Then, the minister said, “Before you confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He wants to show you His love and His power.” As he said this, the minister placed one hand on the bad knee of the one man and the other on the man with asthma and declared them healed. Immediately, the man who’d had the knee problems began to shout that the pain was gone! His friend affirmed that he was now able to breathe normally, and he declared that he no longer felt the effects of his asthma. To confirm their healing, the minister invited them to run. The man who’d had the bad knee took off in a sprint with no complaints of pain. The other man ran back and forth with no breathing problems whatsoever. God healed both men, and all three men received salvation. Praise the Lord!

I encourage you to take these steps to walking in the supernatural as you reach out to those around you. In the next chapter, we’ll see how to fully connect to Jesus, the only right and legal source of supernatural power, through the revelation of the cross. Then, in chapter 5, we’ll discover areas in which we need to change our mind-sets by exploring in greater depth various human substitutes for the supernatural.

Compassion without power is sympathy; power without compassion is “professionalism.”

Summary

- The revelation of the kingdom produces (1) purpose, (2) authority, (3) order, (4) structure, and (5) vision, which prepare us to receive God’s power.

- The main reason God reveals our supernatural purposes is so that we may proclaim and expand His kingdom on earth.

- Supernatural power is the explosive and dynamic ability of God to do anything.

- Some areas for which we need God’s power are the development of godly character, prayer, ministry, and service. We also need His power to obtain victory over sin, to defeat Satan, to cultivate obedient followers of Jesus, to obtain better results in less time, and to become effective witnesses for Jesus.

- The three conditions for being filled with the Holy Spirit that Jesus presented to His disciples and that He also asks of us, so we may move into the realm of His supernatural power, are (1) tarry, (2) become endued, and (3) receive power.

- In Scripture, several Greek words are used for various expressions of “power.” The meanings of three of those words are “strengthen,” “able,” and “possible.” Everything God does, we can do in His power; everything that is possible for God is also possible for the believer.

- In order to be able to do the things that God does, we need to have a relationship with Him and to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

- The steps to moving in God’s supernatural power are (1) connect to Jesus—the only right Source of supernatural power—in order to (2) experience a change of mind-set and (3) flow in His compassion.

4

Jesus and the Cross: The Only Legal Source of Supernatural Power

An amazing miracle took place at one of our miracle and healing services at King Jesus Ministry. It involved a forty-four-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with hepatitis C, which she had acquired through a blood transfusion during surgery. This infectious disease could have led to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and even cancer. The woman was invited by her doctor—a leader in our church—to attend the miracle service, where she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. When I began to rebuke the spirit of sickness, the power of God descended, and she felt an indescribable fire travel throughout her body. The next day, she returned to her doctor, who did new tests. To the surprise of the medical personnel, the tests came back negative! God had done a miracle of healing in which He completely eradicated the viral infection!

The Revelation of the Cross

True supernatural power is ultimately found in the revelation of the cross of Jesus Christ. It is necessary for all people to receive this revelation because, through it, we are redeemed from sin and healed of our sicknesses; we can defeat the devil and experience miracles. How can we receive this revelation, and what happens when we preach the message of the cross? We will discover the answers to these questions in this chapter.

For most people, the “cross” has become merely a piece of decorative jewelry someone wears around his or her neck, or an ornate piece of lumber displayed in a church. The cross, however, symbolizes everything that Jesus did to carry out God’s will on earth and to complete His redeeming work on behalf of human beings.

The message of the cross may be divided into three parts:

- Jesus’ physical torture and death on the cross

- Jesus’ spiritual death

- Jesus’ resurrection from the dead

Jesus’ Physical Torture and Death

Jesus died by crucifixion. I once read an explanation of crucifixion, including a description of the effects of crucifixion on the physical body, and most of what follows in this section is from that explanation.

Crucifixion is a form of capital punishment carried out by nailing or tying a person to a wooden post. The custom probably started with the Medo-Persian Empire during the reign of the Macedonian king Alexander the Great, who is believed to have introduced the practice in Egypt and Carthage. It appears that the Romans learned it from the Carthaginians, though it was the Romans who “perfected” this form of torture in a way that produced an agonizingly slow death with a maximum amount of physical and emotional suffering. It was truly one of the cruelest, most humiliating methods of execution, reserved specifically for slaves, murderers, traitors, and the vilest of criminals. Roman law protected its citizens from crucifixion, except for army deserters. For the Israelites, a person who was crucified was seen as cursed because of the following passage of Scripture:

If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day,…for he who is hanged is accursed of God.

(Deuteronomy 21:22–23)

Torture That Led to Jesus’ Physical Death

- He was whipped.

Pilate…delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified. (Mark 15:15)

In Jesus’ day, the whip was an instrument commonly used to inflict punishment. It was usually composed of several woven belts with small pieces of lead and sharp pieces of bone or sheep’s teeth. To undergo the punishment, the criminal was undressed, tied to a pillar, and flogged. The lashes were directed toward the back, torso, and legs, and the severity of each lash depended on which part of the body it made contact with. The intent of the punisher was to weaken the victim to the point of passing out. Traditionally, this punishment was accompanied by verbal scorn and mockery. With each lash received, the lead pieces caused deep contusions, while the sharpened pieces of bone or teeth lacerated the skin and damaged the subcutaneous tissue. As the torture was applied, the cuts went deeper and deeper, causing increased damage to the muscle. The extreme pain and massive loss of blood often led to death due to circulatory shock.

- His beard was plucked out.

I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard…. (Isaiah 50:6)

Plucking out the beard or hair was a major insult in Middle Eastern culture because the beard was a sign of virility and masculine dignity. This was the reason Jewish men grew their beards and meticulously groomed them. God had ordained that the Israelites should not trim even the corners of their beards. (See Leviticus 19:27.) To shave or hide one’s beard was a sign of humiliation, sadness, or mourning. So, when Jesus’ beard was plucked out, it was not only extremely painful but also deeply humiliating.

- His face was spat upon.

…I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.

(Isaiah 50:6)

Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands. (Matthew 26:67)

For Jews, spitting in the presence of others was an insult; spitting on someone was an even more grievous affront. When the Roman guards spit in Jesus’ face, that was worse still.

- He was forced to wear a crown of thorns.

And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head. (John 19:2)

This “crown” was woven of thorn branches normally used to light fires. It is believed that the crown had more than three rows of thorns, and that it may have been shaped like a helmet, covering Jesus’ head from the neck to the forehead.

A Consideration of Jesus’ Health

The above are the types of torture that led up to Jesus’ physical death on the cross. Before we continue, let us consider His health at the time. Jesus’ profession as a carpenter undoubtedly prepared Him for the rigorous demands of His ministry, which included walking across Palestine as He preached the gospel of the kingdom. It can be assumed that Jesus was in good health and did not suffer from either an illness or a weak constitution.

It is therefore reasonable to assume that Jesus was physically healthy as He faced His twelve-hour ordeal when, after a sleepless night, He was forced to walk approximately two-and-a-half miles, coming and going through the streets of Jerusalem between the venues of His various trials. No amount of health, however, would prepare a person for the merciless punishment Jesus received after the trial, the emotional stress He undoubtedly felt as a result of being abandoned by His closest disciples, the rejection He experienced at the hands of the people who had praised Him only a few days before, and, ultimately, His crucifixion.

Agony and Physical Death on the Cross

As was customary, the condemned man was made to carry his own cross from the place where he was whipped to the place outside of the city walls where he would be crucified. Historians maintain that the weight of these crosses was almost always over three hundred pounds. The gallows, or horizontal crosspiece, alone probably weighed between seventy-five and one hundred twenty-five pounds.

During the procession to the place of crucifixion, which was led by a centurion, the criminal was escorted by a Roman guard. One of the soldiers carried a sign on which was written the name of the condemned man and the crime he had committed. Later, this sign would be placed on an upper portion of the cross for all to see. The Roman guard never left the offender until death was confirmed. After all the pain of the torture He had endured, Jesus’ clothing was removed, and He was finally placed on the cross in an uncomfortable position that made breathing difficult. Added to this were dehydration caused by the loss of blood; fever, which only increased His thirst; the further humiliation of His naked suffering; and the scoffing and insults of a bloodthirsty crowd. If the Roman guard took pity on the victim, he might offer him a mixture of wine and myrrh, which served as a mild anesthetic. According to Scripture, Jesus refused this. (See Matthew 27:34; Mark 15:23.)

At the moment of crucifixion, the criminal was thrown to the ground on his back. His arms were extended and were either nailed or tied to the gallows, his legs to the post. Apparently, Romans preferred nails to rope. Recently, archeologists discovered a crucified body dating back to the days of Jesus in a tomb close to the city of Jerusalem. They uncovered sharp iron nails approximately seven inches in length and one inch in diameter.

I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; it has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. (Psalm 22:14–15)

Eventually, excess blood accumulated in the heart, blocking circulation, which, combined with the fever caused by trauma, tetanus, and exhaustion, killed the victim in a matter of days or sometimes hours. In order to accelerate death, it was customary to break the offender’s legs with a hammer, preventing him from pushing up with his feet in order to breathe. On other occasions, the offender was pierced with a sword or spear, or was asphyxiated with smoke.

[Jesus] Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

Jesus suffered all of the above in our place. He allowed Himself to be treated as if He were the worst of criminals in order to redeem us. When we read the biblical account of this event, we realize the immense love that God the Father and His Son Jesus have for us—an unconditional love. Jesus died so that we could be free from sin and condemnation. If you doubt God’s love, please, look to the cross and observe what happened there out of love.

This was the physical death Jesus suffered. Now, let us consider His spiritual death.

Jesus’ Spiritual Death

Jesus’ physical and spiritual deaths were both set into motion in the garden of Gethsemane. There, God the Father provided the Lamb of sacrifice that would redeem mankind from all its sins. The animal sacrifices practiced by the Israelites, prescribed by God in the law of Moses, were forerunners of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice. He was the Lamb without sin or blemish who offered His life for humanity. (See 1 Peter 1:18–19.) The Father essentially said to Him, “Son, You must carry the sins of the world; You must be the Lamb.” No one can fathom how the Son of God—pure, holy, and without sin—agreed to take upon Himself all the vile sins of the world. The contemplation of this undertaking was so distressing to Jesus that while He was in the garden, He pleaded,

O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will. (Matthew 26:39)

Although the pain Jesus suffered on the cross was horrible, His spiritual suffering was even greater, because He had to carry on Himself the concentrated and sickening filth of human sin—the iniquity and wickedness of mankind throughout time, ages, and generations. He bore all of the sins of resentment, hate, lies, rejection, homosexuality, generational curses, theft, abortion, murder, sexual abuse, sickness, idolatry, witchcraft, Satanism, and much more. He didn’t just become sin, however; He also became the root of wickedness, or what the Bible refers to in Romans 7:18 as the “sinful nature” (niv). It was in this condition that He suffered on the cross, from which He shouted, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46).

That was the first and only time that Father and Son would be separated by the barrier of man’s iniquity. Jesus’ impending death was not a moment of communion for Them, as martyrdom was for the early Christian saints, who, as they were being stoned, burned, or devoured by lions, were often said to have been filled with God’s peace and grace, which allowed them to die in peace. That is not what happened to Jesus. He was left completely alone, separated from the Father’s presence and deprived of His grace. Because of our sin, it was necessary for God to abandon Jesus precisely when the Son needed His Father the most. When we understand the sacrifice this required on the part of both Father and Son, we can begin to love God more and to hate sin as He hates it.

In studying the gospel accounts of Jesus’ death, it is easy to perceive how cruel and horrible it was. Yet everything Jesus did on the cross, He did out of love for us. His physical and spiritual deaths loosened the supernatural power we needed to be forgiven, healed, and delivered.

The moment Jesus died, the veil of the temple in Jerusalem, which separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, ripped from top to bottom. This act by God signified that the path to His presence was now open to all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (See Matthew 27:50–51.) At the same time, the tombs of many of the dead saints were opened, and they began to walk throughout the city. (See verse 52.) What an amazing sign that Jesus’ death would lead not only to His spiritual and physical resurrection but also to the same resurrection for all believers!

I think that, after Jesus surrendered His human spirit and died, the centurion who stood guard at the foot of the cross marveled at the fact that He had been in total control of His execution, even to the point of choosing His moment of death. (See John 10:17–18.) What he saw left him stunned, giving him no other choice but to kneel and recognize that Jesus truly was the Son of God. (See Matthew 27:54.)

Jesus’ Resurrection from the Dead

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:40)

Jesus had conquered sin and death, but there were still things He needed to accomplish. As He had prophesied in the words of the above verse, He had to go to hell because that is what God’s justice demanded. There, He took the keys of hell and death from Satan. (See Revelation 1:18.) The sting of death could not hold Him any longer. God the Father raised Him from the dead so that He could sit on the throne of glory in heaven. God gave Him all power and authority over heaven and earth. (See Matthew 28:18.) Then, Jesus gave us the same power and authority to go in His name and proclaim the gospel of the kingdom throughout the world. (See Acts 1:8.)

The Revelation of the Cross

The cross was the sacrifice offered by Jesus for the human race, and it has many ramifications and benefits. As we explore the revelation of the cross, we see that it implies two fundamental roles for the Son of God.

- Jesus was the High Priest who offered the sacrifice.

For such a High Priest was fitting for us…who does not need daily, as those high priests [the high priests who operated under the Mosaic law], to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. (Hebrews 7:26–27)

- Jesus was the Sacrifice.

For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God…? (Hebrews 9:13–14)

The Greek word for “eternal” in the above passage is aionios and means “perpetual,” “everlasting,” or “endless.” That which is eternal surpasses the limits of time. The event at the cross changed history. It paid the wages of sin for all humanity, for all ages, for all centuries and millennia—past, present, and future, including the sins of those who have yet to be born.

The cross is the basis on which God provides absolute and total provision to mankind.

Everything we need, now and in the future—mentally, emotionally, materially, financially, or spiritually, be it power, authority, love, health, or anything else—was provided at the cross. There is no other source. All the countless messages that are preached in churches and all the theological books that have been written are good, but none of them will help us if we fail to appropriate the power of the cross.

It is time for the church to preach the preeminence of the cross. It must be given the highest priority. It must be the central theme of every message. We cannot surround the message of the cross with anything that robs it of power or diminishes the supremacy of Jesus. No religion in the world can equal the message of the cross.

Philosophers speculate in the abstract, but the cross of Jesus is a real event in history and eternity. There is no explanation other than it is genuine and true and the most important occurrence in human history. When we stop placing the cross at the center of our message, our faith loses its meaning and we end up in bondage to traditions, regulations, and laws that are impossible to obey.

Jesus Released Supernatural

Grace at the Cross

Through His sacrifice, Jesus released the supernatural grace of God. In considering this grace, let us remember that it is an undeserved gift. It is God’s eternal presence—full of power—that gives us the ability to be and to do everything we cannot accomplish in our own strength. When we act without God’s grace, we become legalistic, as we will see in the next chapter happened to the Galatians. The same situation is occurring in the church today. Hence, there is an absence of power.

How does Satan react to the work of Jesus on the cross? He tries to counteract it by provoking in people a spirit of witchcraft and rebellion, carnality, legalism, and paganism. This pattern has always been evident in every congregation of believers that has ever come under spiritual attack. Undoubtedly, legalism is the byproduct of carnality produced by witchcraft and rebellion.

For this reason, we need to recognize the characteristics of legalism. Legalism is the human effort of trying to please God on the basis of one’s own merit. It is an attempt to become holy or righteous through rules, traditions, and laws. It adds other elements to the requisites established by God for obtaining righteousness. God asks only that we believe and receive, since we are justified by faith in Jesus and in His redeeming work at the cross.

When a person trusts in his own strength to obtain salvation or to receive God’s blessings, he automatically falls under “the curse of the law” (Galatians 3:13). We must turn from legalism and all other aspects of the spirit of witchcraft and trust only in Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf.

Witchcraft leads to legalism, and legalism leads to

“the curse of the law.”

The Two Great Works of the Cross

The two great works that were carried out by Jesus on the cross are rarely taught today. When people lack a full understanding of Christ’s accomplishment, it causes many problems for them—spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

1. What the Cross Did for Us

The work of the cross was perfect. The last words Jesus said before He died were, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). In Greek, the word for “finished” is teleo, meaning “to end, i.e. complete, execute, conclude, discharge (a debt).” In effect, Jesus was saying, “The debt has been satisfied completely; there is no more liability for sin. It is perfectly and completely done. It is done in eternity.” These words were not a cry of pain or anguish but of victory, like that of a gladiator after winning a death match. When we understand the revelation of the complete and perfect work of the cross, we are able to begin receiving all of its benefits, including God’s supernatural power.

2. What the Cross Did in Us

The cross was designed to create a divine exchange. The essence of the cross consists in Jesus taking our place. He personally suffered the totality of the punishment that we deserved for our disobedience. In exchange, we receive all the righteousness of Jesus and all the blessings of His obedience. From the day we enter into this exchange, our goal should be to become like Jesus—living in the fullness of His righteousness—just as He became like us.

The Completeness of the Divine Exchange

On the cross, God the Father placed all the consequences of the world’s iniquity, guilt, shame, and rebellion on Jesus’ shoulders. Every wicked thing produced by our rebellion was put on Jesus, as all the goodness in Him became ours because of His obedience. The completeness of this exchange came about in the following ways:

- Jesus was wounded so that we could be forgiven.

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.(Isaiah 53:5)

- Jesus carried our sicknesses and suffered our sorrows so that we could receive healing.

Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment]….But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; 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.(Isaiah 53:4–5 amp)

- Jesus became sin and carried our sinful nature so that we could be justified.

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

(2 Corinthians 5:21)

- Jesus died in our place so that we could share in His eternal life.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having no been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.(Romans 5:8–9)

- Jesus carried our curse so that we could be blessed.

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”). (Galatians 3:13)

- Jesus paid for our poverty so that we could be prosperous.

Yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

- Jesus suffered our shame so that we could partake of His glory.

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

(Hebrews 2:10)

- Jesus suffered our rejection so that we could be accepted in Him.

…to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.(Ephesians 1:6)

A feeling of rejection is the most common emotional problem today, but thousands have been delivered from it in the deliverance sessions at our church as they’ve received God’s acceptance through Jesus.

Rejection is one of the deepest wounds the human soul can experience, but Jesus suffered it for us on the cross.

In fulfillment of the above truths, I have seen many people healed and delivered. Jesus took all curses so we could receive His blessings. Every time the Bible mentions the cross and the redeeming work that took place upon it, healing is connected to it. However, it is always mentioned in the past tense, indicating that healing already took place in eternity. Now, all we have to do is to appropriate the health that Jesus offers. We exchange our sickness for His wholeness.

To illustrate this point, let me share what happened to a friend of mine, the director of a well-known Christian university. In July 2009, at seventy-five years of age, my friend was taking a flight from Reno, Nevada, to San Antonio, Texas. At thirty thousand feet, he began to experience strong chest pains and to sweat profusely. At that moment, he could see the word aspirin in his mind. He asked the flight attendant to get him one, but she said that they did not carry medicine onboard. The person sitting behind him, however, was a nurse, and she gave him an aspirin. A doctor seated a few rows back approached him and, with the help of the nurse and a portable device she happened to be carrying, proceeded to give my friend first aid to keep him stable.

When the plane landed in San Antonio, my friend was taken to the hospital, where he went directly into surgery. When the doctors performed the preoperative check, they discovered that an operation would not be needed due to the excellent medical attention he had received on the airplane. He had suffered a cardiac arrhythmia that could have killed him almost immediately had it not been for the opportune intervention of the doctor and nurse. My friend never saw the doctor or nurse again. He never got their names or contact information, but, as far as he is concerned, they were angels placed there by the Lord to keep him safe.

In October of that year, this same friend found that he was unable to sleep due to his allergies. For fourteen days, he took two tablets of ibuprofen each day, hoping it would help him sleep. Unbeknownst to him, the frequent use of ibuprofen was causing stomach ulcers that went undetected because he was not suffering from pain or discomfort. When he noticed his skin color begin to change rapidly, he consulted a doctor, who told him, “I don’t understand how you could be standing here talking to me. You have an extremely low hemoglobin level of three. You should be dead.”

In January 2010, the doctor told my friend that he had cancer of the blood. He replied, “I do not accept it! I cancel those words!” By the end of March, after several tests and a brief treatment, the doctor was pleasantly surprised to find him completely healed, so he told him to return in July. On his return, the doctor declared that he was in excellent health and requested to see him again every six months for the next two years. The doctor also said that if, after two years, my friend continued to be healthy, he would close his case. When he heard this, my friend simply said, “When Jesus intervenes, He perfects all things. He never does anything halfway. Therefore, I am not worried. You can examine me as often as you please because I know that Jesus healed me and, for His glory, I will remain healed!”

In my friend’s three testimonies, God’s love for His children is clearly evident.

In another testimony, during one of our special services called “Nights of Supernatural Power,” a child was healed of a generational curse of astigmatism and myopia. The child had been attending Sunday school, and when I’d called the children to come for prayer, he’d come running, and God had instantly healed him. God is awesome! This is the kind of blessing Jesus provided for us by the divine exchange of the cross.

Receive the Exchange by Faith

How can we appropriate the benefits of the cross? By faith. There are no substitutions for living by faith. We must trust in God’s character and believe that He is righteous, just, and faithful, and that He will keep all of His promises.

I could share many examples to illustrate this point, but one that touched me deeply is the testimony of a woman who grew up with a spirit of rejection that kept her from giving or receiving love. Furthermore, she was besieged by unforgiveness and bitterness toward her parents. Her mother had traveled to the United States seeking a better future for her family, but, in the process, she’d had to leave behind her two-year-old daughter in the care of her father, a man who had no idea how to raise a child due to his alcoholism. Knowing the circumstances in which she grew up, it is easy to see that love had been scarce in her life. The feelings of abandonment this woman experienced caused her to find refuge in smoking, which enslaved her in the chains of addiction.

One day, she visited our church, accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, and surrendered her life to Him. Instantly, God began to work wonders in her. As the first step in her inner healing, we helped her to forgive her parents. Then, we had to rebuke the spirit of rejection and deliver her from her nicotine addiction. Once this was done, she received complete inner healing and deliverance. Today, she is living life to the fullest. She serves in the church and is an excellent disciple of Christ.

Benefits of the Cross

…through whom [our Lord Jesus Christ] also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand. (Romans 5:2)

Let us now review the benefits of the work of Jesus on the cross.

1. The Cross Delivered Us from the “Old Man” and the “Flesh”

Our old man was crucified with Him. (Romans 6:6)

The “old man” is the sinful nature, which can be summed up in one word: rebellion. We all carry this rebellious nature within us. From the time the first human beings, Adam and Eve, rebelled against God, every person has been born this way. We were “conceived and formed in iniquity.” (See Psalm 51:5 kjv.) The only way to defeat the rebellious “old man” is by spiritual execution—a sentence that was already carried out at the cross. This historic occurrence is real and unchanging. Knowing and understanding the reality of this event will set you free and enable you to conquer the sinful nature when it tries to rear its head.

Then [Jesus] said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)

Similarly, our carnal desires, or our “flesh,” always want to act independently of God’s will. “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption…” (Galatians 6:8). The only requirement to live in the flesh is to pursue our own will. However, if we continually apply God’s supernatural power to the flesh by obeying His Word and appropriating the work of the cross, we will always live in victory. “…but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:8).

2. The Cross Delivered Us from “Self”

The ego is the part of the soul where the “self” dwells. It is where “I want” and “I think” can be found. Many people choose not to surrender to Jesus because they want to preserve their current lifestyle—they do not want to risk losing their wealth, position, comfort, sense of security, or the respect of their family members.

Ego is the greatest obstacle keeping us from carrying out God’s will.

One manifestation of “self” is egocentrism, or selfishness. This is equivalent to thinking that the world revolves around us. It is believing that we are the center of attention and that other people don’t deserve to be appreciated or esteemed at the same level that we do. It also means we believe, to some degree, that Jesus exists to please us, rather than that we exist to please Him. A few manifestations of self or ego that need to be sacrificed are pride, an ambition to promote ourselves, radical nationalism, sectarianism, and racism.

What is the remedy for ego? It is the cross. Every man, woman, or church/ministry who fails to submit to the principle of the cross risks becoming corrupted. Therefore, you must decide to apply the cross to your ego. Otherwise, you will become a victim of the spirit of witchcraft, through which ego tries to exercise dominion and lordship over others by force.

When you apply the cross to your ego, Satan cannot touch you. The cross is the only safe place to be. I know when a person is applying the cross to his ego because the person becomes humble in word and action.

The more we humble ourselves, the more power God will manifest through us.

On the other hand, many people live in an apparently humble way, but without God’s power. This happens when religion leads people to seek salvation through good works. Once more, let us remember that it is impossible to be holy by our own strength and discipline. We need the power and grace of the cross.

3. The Cross Delivered Us from the “World”

But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Galatians 6:14)

Many believers live under duress due to following the world’s system—its power, comfort, and material rewards, as well as its fears and anxieties.

The Bible commands us not to allow the world to mold us according to its standards. To avoid this trap, we must reject the worldly mentality and begin to renew our minds so that we can think like God thinks. This does not require us to separate ourselves entirely from other people. God loves the world, but He hates the world’s anti-God system. We must go into the world as lights and remove the veil from the eyes of those who live in darkness. We must not become like the world, but we need to minister in the world to be able to lead people to Christ. (See John 7:14–18.)

4. The Cross Delivered Us from Satan’s Power and Authority

Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

(Colossians 2:15)

On the cross, Jesus defeated the devil. This victory is irrevocable and eternal. Satan cannot do anything to change it. If we try to deal with the enemy on any basis other than the cross, we can be defeated. But if we confront him at the cross, we will always be victorious. However, if we are not aware of the enemy’s schemes (see 1 Peter 5:8–9), he can camouflage Jesus’ work, thereby diminishing its power, and that is the goal of his strategies.

The message of the cross is the only source of the manifestation of God’s supernatural power.

Spiritual battles will come on a daily basis, but Jesus gives us the victory, as we can see in the following testimony.

Our church often encounters youth who need to be rescued from drug addiction and restored to a healthy life—spiritually, emotionally, and physically. This was precisely the case of a young man who was addicted to several different drugs, some of which he used as part of satanic rituals. After participating in these rituals, he would experience terrible bouts of anger, which scared even him. Thanks to God, at some point in his life, he began to understand that he needed help, and he visited our church in hopes of freeing himself from bondage.

My wife took over this young man’s case. For three days, she ministered deliverance to him with passion and perseverance until God’s power freed him from captivity! Today, we can testify that he has been totally set free, and he is a living testimony of unconditional service in the church. He is a new man. Undoubtedly, the Lord brought him to us with a purpose. He wanted this young man to be delivered from his bondage and to be free to serve Him.

When we take the path of the cross, therefore, we can expect many benefits, including deliverance, healing, and freedom of every kind of bondage.

Our Message Is Christ Crucified

Let us ask ourselves these questions: Why are the sick not healed? Why do the blind not recover their sight? Why are the lame not walking? Why are we not seeing cancer dry up and disappear?

There is only one answer to these questions: because we are not preaching the message of the cross.

We preach Christ crucified,…Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

(1 Corinthians 1:23–25)

Without the power of the cross, we can teach good morals, practice good Christian ethics, have good intentions, and even preach interesting sermons, but we cannot produce a changed or transformed heart. Yet if we preach the message of the cross—Christ crucified and resurrected—we will see God’s supernatural power confirmed with miracles, signs, and wonders. Jesus died, was raised from the dead, and defeated the enemy with power and authority in order to give us the same power and authority, which He loosened at the cross. Let us continue His ministry, expanding the kingdom of God throughout the world.

The cross is the true source of wisdom and power.

If you have never surrendered your life to Jesus, this is the moment for you to know the real, living, and resurrected Christ. The Word of God says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Jesus came to shed His blood on the cross and die so that we could truly live—here on earth and for eternity. If you believe this, then please repeat this prayer:

Heavenly Father, I recognize that I am a sinner. I repent of all my sins. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is the Son of God and that God the Father raised Him from the dead. I am saved, healed, and delivered. I am a son/daughter of God, created in His image to manifest His person and His power on this earth. Amen!

Summary

- The message of the cross may be divided into three parts: (1) Jesus’ physical torture and death, (2) Jesus’ spiritual death, and (3) Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.

- Before Jesus died, He was whipped, His beard was plucked out, He was spat upon, and He was forced to wear a crown of thorns. Finally, He was crucified.

- Jesus fulfilled two roles on the cross: the role of our High Priest and the role of our Sacrifice.

- The cross is the basis on which God provides absolute and total provision to mankind.

- On the cross, Jesus loosened God’s supernatural grace.

- When we set aside grace, we can easily become legalistic, which leads to “the curse of the law” (Galatians 3:13).

- The works of the cross are (1) what the cross did for us and (2) what the cross did in us.

- A divine exchange took place at the cross: Jesus took our wickedness and loosened His power and righteousness for us.

- It is through faith that we appropriate the benefits of the cross.

- The cross delivered us from the “old man,” the “flesh,” the “self,” the “world,” and Satan’s power and authority.

- The message of the cross—Christ crucified and resurrected—is the only source of the manifestation of God’s supernatural power in miracles, signs, and wonders.

- Without the power of the cross, we cannot produce a changed or transformed heart.

- Jesus died, was raised from the dead, and defeated the enemy with power and authority in order to give us the same power and authority.

5

Substitutes for the

Supernatural Power of God

Now that we know the true power of God available through the cross, we can more easily recognize the substitutes for supernatural power that many people hold on to. Some of these substitutes may look or sound good, but they are powerless to bring the transformation we desperately need. And any of us can easily slip into them if we are not spiritually diligent.

Countless churches today are full of people who are sick and oppressed because these churches have replaced God’s supernatural power with substitutes. The church of Jesus Christ in the first century evangelized people and established the kingdom using supernatural power as its primary tool. Indeed, manifestations of the power of God may be found in each of the twenty-eight chapters of the book of Acts. However, with the passage of time, the church’s expectation of God’s supernatural power has been largely abandoned, producing a need to seek idealized human talents and “tricks” as substitutes for the miraculous.

“Enemies” of the Supernatural

Before looking at these substitutes, let us explore four mind-sets that are in opposition to the supernatural and that lead people to seek replacements for God’s power. These enemies of the supernatural are (1) ignorance, (2) secular humanism, (3) the “spirit of Jezebel,” and (4) the spirit of rebellion, or “witchcraft.”

1. Ignorance

Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge. (Isaiah 5:13)

The devil hates revelation knowledge because it leads to deliverance. When people discover the truth about God’s power, they are set free, but when they lack this spiritual knowledge, they are held captive in their ignorance. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:3).

2. Secular Humanism

Some definitions of humanism relate to humanitarianism and the humanities. However, secular humanism is the collection of philosophical ideas that elevates man and the mind of man to the highest position of esteem. During the Renaissance, the value that people placed on reason and thought increased. Such an approach can be a good thing, if it is within the context of appreciating and developing the minds God has given us, so we can understand more about Him, more about one other as made in His image, and more about the world He created. However, especially today, humanism has become more and more secular. It rejects God and His supernatural power while essentially positioning man as a god. Secular humanism celebrates human reason and intellect alone, making it anti-God and idolatrous.

3. The “Spirit of Jezebel”

The “spirit of Jezebel” refers to Queen Jezebel, one of the most evil persons in the Bible. After she married Ahab, the king of Israel, her controlling and domineering nature led the nation into the worship of false gods. She also ordered the extermination of all of God’s prophets. (See 1 Kings 16:31; 18:4, 13.) Those who have a “spirit of Jezebel” act in the same manner she did—engaging in false teaching, idolatry, immorality, controlling actions, and unrepentant sin. (See for example, 1 Kings 21:4–16; 25–26.)

4. The Spirit of Rebellion, or “Witchcraft”

This enemy of the supernatural is related to number three, above. Jezebel schemed and beguiled others in order to get her way. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul was concerned that the Galatians had been “bewitched” or beguiled by those who would draw them away from the truth in Jesus Christ. He wrote,

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth…? (Galatians 3:1)

The word “bewitched” in the above verse means “to bring evil on a person by feigned praise, or mislead by an evil eye, and so to charm, bewitch” or “to fascinate (by false representations).” A spirit of deception, or “bewitchery,” was active in that church, blinding the Galatians’ understanding and keeping them from recognizing the redeeming work of Christ on the cross, so that they ended up with a legalistic mind-set, which is contrary to the freedom that comes through Jesus. (See, for example, Galatians 3:3.)

Though Paul may have been using the term “bewitched” in a figurative way, we must beware of the danger of falling into a spirit of witchcraft—including false teaching and idolatry—through rebellion against God. “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Samuel 15:23). Rebellion consists of antagonizing or subverting authorities that have been established by God. Rebellion replaces divine authority with an illegitimate one that is sustained by a spirit of witchcraft. The purpose of the spirit of rebellion is to manipulate, control, intimidate, and dominate in order to nullify the supernatural power of the cross and to leave people in bondage to their sin, sickness, and despair.

Substitutes for the Supernatural

Let us now see how these enemies of the supernatural contribute to various human and demonic substitutes for God’s power and ways. We need to be on guard so that we don’t fall into the following spiritual pitfalls. And, if we find that we have already fallen into one or more of them, we must repent and turn back to God and His truth. In chapter 3, we learned that after connecting to Jesus, we must renew our minds through Him so that we have God’s perspective. Let us seek to cleanse and renew our minds in relation to these substitutes so we may walk in supernatural power.

1. Rigid Laws, Norms, and Regulations Have Replaced Love

The Galatians, whose problems with deception and legalism we just discussed, had started out in the Spirit. They were saved, they were filled with the Spirit, and they had witnessed miracles, signs, and wonders. But a controlling spirit had influenced them to follow unbiblical rules, norms, and carnal ways, which caused them to lose sight of God’s power and the true message of the gospel. Paul wrote to them,

He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? (Galatians 3:5)

The spirit of witchcraft is in operation wherever you find carnal habits and legalistic practices.

The Galatians were caught up in legalism, thinking that they had to earn God’s favor through the works of the law. Likewise, many churches are more concerned with having people keep the norms, rules, and regulations of the church council or denomination than with offering the genuine love of Christ to the lost in the free gift of salvation. Love is the only thing that can loosen God’s power. Remember that Jesus’ miracles were prompted by His compassion.

2. Traditions Have Replaced the Word

You…[make] the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. (Mark 7:13)

In some Christian circles, it is common to hear preaching that is based merely on traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. The leaders in such churches fail to realize that their method of preaching nullifies the effect of the Word of God. Why? Many of these churches participate in long-standing traditions that do not necessarily come from God. In fact, if a tradition fails to produce new life or transform people’s lives, it is probably not from God. Tradition is not a substitute for the Word and the Holy Spirit, which truly change lives.

Most Christian movements, regardless of denomination, began with a supernatural revelation from God. Without this revelation, they never would have been able to make an impact in the world. But, how many of them are still operating under the supernatural power with which they began? Sadly, very few. At some point, human effort became a substitute for the Holy Spirit.

Let us recall that a human being is a spirit who has a soul and lives in a body. The soul has legitimate functions, but it cannot take the place of the spirit. When people begin to trust in their own abilities and strength, they move away from the spirit and toward the soul, which includes the intellect and the emotions. When this happens, a substitution takes place in which “religion” takes over for spiritual reality.

Religion is the result of not having

an experience with God.

In contrast, when people come to understand spiritual reality through revelation, amazing miracles and transformations occur, such as in the life of Apostle Benito Zamitiz Rodríguez from Veracruz, Mexico, who gives this testimony:

“I am the youngest in my family, and I grew up amidst punches, insults, and aggression. My oldest brothers would beat up my parents and vice versa. My mother was an alcoholic. When I was twelve years old, she took me to church, but the seed of violence had already begun to produce fruit in me by the time I became a teenager. Even though I never tried alcohol, I did practice martial arts and was very aggressive. I felt rage, jealousy, resentment, shame, insecurity, rejection, and low self-esteem. I had no friends.

“When I was on the verge of losing my marriage, I surrendered to God. He healed my heart and restored me. In time, I started a church in the backyard of my house. Five years later, we had six hundred people, but we had become stagnant. The truth is that we didn’t know how to train leaders. We were limited in teaching and in praise, and we lacked direction. Our economy was weak, and we were in serious debt. However, we knew there was something more for us, so we started to seek the direction of the Holy Spirit. It was then that we attended CAP (Apostolic and Prophetic Conference), sponsored by King Jesus Ministry, where we were radically transformed and renewed by the power of God. We received the spiritual covering of Apostle Guillermo Maldonado and felt true spiritual fatherhood.

“Since then, the congregation has grown supernaturally. Miracles began to manifest in every service and event. Of all the testimonies, this is the one that most touches me. Ana García was born with psychomotor retardation. When she was two, her bones became deformed, and she ended up in a wheelchair. One night, at church, while we prayed for healing, I called forth this young lady. She stood from the wheelchair and started to walk by the power of God!

“The influence of the spiritual covering has been vital to us. Right now, we have more than three thousand people. We are winning souls and training leaders! Our finances grew more than 400 percent, and we took a leap of faith and rented a bigger and more expensive place to have church. We also purchased land to build a church for three thousand people. Before we established this vision, the people were not committed. They were used to just receiving. Now everyone passionately serves God.

“Also, the miracles started small (relief from headaches, back pain, and so forth), but now they are powerful and creative. Our intercession used to last only an hour a week (if that), but now we have prayer every day. Our praise used to be monotonous, but now it is prophetically inspired. In deliverance, we have learned to deal with the root of the problem, and many who were addicted to alcohol or drugs, or who were prostitutes, have been delivered. Now we can say that we walk in the supernatural power of God, thanks to the spiritual covering and fatherhood that God has given us.”

3. Administrators Have Replaced Apostles and Prophets

We need administrators in the church. In fact, leadership or administrative ability is a spiritual gift. (See Romans 12:8.) Yet administrators are not meant to replace the roles of apostles and prophets, so that, for example, church programs and the church building become more important than the operation of God’s supernatural power. Apostles and prophets are part of the fivefold ministry offices that Christ gives to the church. (See Ephesians 4:11.) Their functions include bringing forth the revelation and the power that create breakthroughs within the church. They are also empowered by God with anointing for spiritual warfare. When we substitute administrators for apostles and prophets, we essentially take much of God’s power away from the church.

4. Human Ability Has Replaced God’s Grace

Rigid regulations, dead tradition, and administrators functioning outside of their role are all reflections of the substitution of human ability for God’s grace and power. Grace is the divine ability given by God for His people to become everything He has called them to be, and to achieve what they are unable to do in their own abilities.

There are men and women of God who have a supernatural ministry but fail to measure up in their character. As a result, other people reject them and thereby end up rejecting the supernatural. What can we do to avoid this situation in our own lives? With humility, we must ask God to intervene with His grace in the areas of our character in which we are weak, and then we must trust Him to do so, looking to His strength, as well as to the support of trusted brothers or sisters in the body of Christ. The Lord told the apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Christ was the only perfect Man, and His life was a manifestation of God’s supernatural power. He maintained a balance between His power and His character. If He was able to do it, then we should be able to do it, also, through the strength of His grace.

He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. (John 14:12)

5. Uninspired Theology Has Replaced Revelation

Theology is the study of God through the intellect and reason. This is a proper way to study Him, but in order for it to be effective and meaningful, we also need the revelation of the Holy Spirit. In other words, we need to balance the knowledge we derive from studying God’s written Word with the revelation knowledge we receive from God’s Spirit. This combination of the Word and the Spirit is what transforms our lives. Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

I am blessed to be a graduate of Oral Roberts University, and, without fear of making an overstatement, I truly believe it is one of the few universities in the world where the nature and ways of God are studied under the inspiration and authority of the Holy Spirit. After having earned my master’s degree there, I can say that I know God on a more intimate level. What I have experienced since then in His presence has been much more intense and powerful.

We need theology, but only that which comes by revelation imparted by the Holy Spirit. In contrast, when we study God with improper motivations, or without inspiration, illumination, and revelation from the Holy Spirit, theology becomes carnal—of a worldly intellect that is influenced more by the desires of the flesh than by the Spirit.

6. Reason and Logic Have Replaced Living by Faith

When we try to handle divine situations with a carnal mind, we limit God and lose hold of the supernatural. Faith gives us the ability to believe on a level above human reason because it supersedes all natural reasoning. Many of the things the Lord did in the Bible did not make sense to those who witnessed or experienced them. Recall that Abraham was the “the father of all those who believe” (Romans 4:11), and Paul wrote of him,

[Abraham], contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” Not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.(Romans 4:18–19)

7. Intellectual Education Has Replaced Character

When reason replaces faith, intellectual education often replaces the development of personal character. The carnal mind is based in only a worldly reality. I want to reemphasize that it is not bad to have an intelligent, brilliant mind, as long as that mind is submissive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul was a brilliant man, yet he learned to trust the illumination of the Holy Spirit rather than the carnal mind. God used Paul’s educational training for His glory, but Paul did not rely on it.

As I wrote earlier, education occupies an important place in the life of an individual. Thus, it is important for young people to study, pursue educational degrees, and become excellent professionals. However, we must keep in mind that intellectual education does not build or shape their character; it prepares them only to have a profession or to be trained for a job. The only thing that can shape character and change the heart of man is the transforming power of God.

When the carnal mind is educated without character training, a well-educated adversary of God is the result. Some theological seminaries do not believe in the supernatural revelation of the Holy Spirit. Because their only goal is to educate minds, and they ignore the shaping of character, their students (often unknowingly) become enemies of the gospel of the kingdom. Peter instructed us,

Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.(1 Peter 1:5–7)

It is very dangerous to train people intellectually without shaping their character.

8. Psychology and Psychiatry Have Replaced Spiritual Discernment

Psychology is a science that studies the soul (mind, will, and emotions). Psychiatry is an area of medicine that studies the psyche of the human mind and the illnesses connected to it. Through the Holy Spirit, God gives us perception and discernment, both of which help us to discover the root causes of our problems. However, instead of using these spiritual aids, we sometimes seek answers to our problems through psychological and psychiatric strategies and methods. Psychologists and psychiatrists have the best intentions to help people, but they often do not deal with the roots of many of their problems, which are spiritual. They deal with the symptoms—the branches—but this is often a superficial approach.

9. Man-made Programs Have Replaced the Leading of the Holy Spirit

The Bible teaches that if we want our works to prosper, we must commit them to the Lord. God must take the initiative in making them fruitful. (See, for example, Proverbs 16:3; 16:9 niv.) Unfortunately, many churches carry out their services according to their own agendas. Some even plan activities two or three years in advance, without allowing any room for what the Holy Spirit might want to do. This is one reason we see such powerlessness within the church.

10. Eloquence and Entertainment Have Replaced the Demonstration of Power

Many preachers fail to impart transformation to the hearts of people because they leave out the most important ingredient of ministry, which is the power of God. Instead, they focus on their speaking ability and what they think people want to hear. People have a tendency to run after personality-driven churches that are built on human charisma, talents, and gifts instead of on the name of Jesus.

Unfortunately, many believers attend church in search of being entertained, and a number of church leaders use entertainment as a means of keeping membership numbers high. However, the result is that these leaders never fully establish anyone in the power of God. This is another reason why so many of God’s people do not experience the supernatural in their lives.

When we don’t demonstrate God’s supernatural power, we just “entertain” people.

11. Motivational Preaching Has Replaced the Message

of the Cross

Motivational preaching can be effective for inspiring people, but when it does not have Jesus Christ as its central figure, it has no power to change hearts. To eliminate any mention of Jesus, or to “hide” Jesus within a message so as not to offend others, is the same as nullifying the power He activated with His death and resurrection.

Return to God and His

Supernatural Power

Once we become aware of all the things that many churches and individuals substitute for the supernatural, we recognize why so many believers lack God’s power, and why miracles, healings, and salvations occur so rarely. If you are operating under any of the aforementioned substitutes, repent and return to God; renew your mind, so that you may manifest His supernatural power to this generation. Ask the Lord to fill you with His power right now! The following prayer will help you to turn back to Him:

My Lord Jesus, I repent of replacing Your power with human substitutes. I commit to renewing my mind in the truth, according to Your Word. I ask You to fill me once more with Your supernatural power, which I need in order to carry out Your purposes here on earth. Amen.

How to Attain Spiritual Balance

To avoid falling into these substitutions for God’s supernatural power, it is essential that we attain spiritual balance in the following areas.

1. Power and Character

Believers in many congregations harbor a negative attitude toward anything that borders on the supernatural, whether in the church or in the world. As we have discussed, some people look at flawed leaders and say, “I don’t believe in miracles, in healing, or in the power of God, because the man who performs such miracles has terrible character.” Although character is not a requirement for obtaining a gift, it is important for pursuing holiness and for honoring the Giver of the gift and His gospel.

To one person, we might say, “You have the supernatural but lack character,” and to someone else, “You have character but are missing the miracles.” Jesus, with His holy character, manifested miracles everywhere He went. It is true that, in Scripture, we find men who lacked character but still had supernatural ability and were greatly used by God. For instance, regardless of how he ended his life, Samson is still counted as one of the heroes of the faith. (See Judges 13–16.) However, we must follow the supreme example of Jesus. We need to allow God to form our character, so that it will match the level of power we receive from Him. Only then will we find balance and true spiritual success. Accordingly, it is important for us to have a mentor—a spiritual father or mother—who can equip and train us in God’s supernatural power and also help us to shape and maintain our character.

On the other hand, we have to be careful not to give character more emphasis than power, because then we might turn the gifts of the Holy Spirit into rewards. In other words, we might no longer recognize them as gifts but see them as compensations or blessings for “good behavior.” As a man committed to demonstrating both the character and the power of God, I cannot say that one is more important than the other. But it is a mistake to think that we can be more effective if we dedicate time and effort to shaping our character while setting aside the manifestation of power. We need both.

2. Power and Authority

The Greek word exousia means “power to act, authority,” or “’power of authority,’ the right to exercise power.” Jesus said to His disciples,

Behold, I give you the authority [exousia] to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.(Luke 10:19)

When a person has dunamis (miraculous power) but lacks exousia (authority), he may find himself in a grave situation due to this imbalance. The duration of the supernatural power we receive is directly proportional to the measure of rule in which we operate. If you do not honor God’s authority, you might be able to perform miracles, signs, and wonders, but your lack of accountability and submission will begin to manifest in diminished results, because the power will expose the flaws in your carnal nature.

When I traveled as an evangelist, I met a pastor in another country who had a church with thousands of members. God was powerfully using him to perform miracles, signs, and wonders, but he did not submit to authority and refused all words of godly counsel. Eventually, at a time when his church was extremely effective, it was discovered that he was involved in an adulterous affair with a woman from his leadership team. In time, other sinful activities in his life were also uncovered. Because of his sin, his ministry was eventually destroyed. Sadly, this is a clear example of what can happen when there is an imbalance of power and authority in a person’s life.

Authority is the lawful right to exercise power and to act like God on the earth.

3. The Word and the Spirit

There must also be a balance between the Word and the Spirit in our lives. For example, when we preach and teach God’s Word, we must always wait for the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

(1 John 5:7)

I devote time during each service to teach from God’s Word and to minister what the Holy Spirit wants to give to His people. This demonstrates the power of the preached Word. An imbalance occurs when people focus only on the Word and never allow the Holy Spirit to move freely, or when they focus only on manifestations of power and neglect the priority of the Word. But if we keep these two—the Word and the Spirit—in balance, we will experience the full blessings of God.

It is possible to have an “experience” and to be deceived, but never having a genuine supernatural experience is already a deception.

There are two things we should avoid in our relationship with the Holy Spirit if we want to achieve this balance between the Word and the Spirit: grieving the Holy Spirit and quenching Him.

- Grieving the Holy Spirit

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)

In Greek, the word for “grieve” is lupeo, which means “to distress,” “to cause grief,” or “to grieve.”

How do we grieve the Holy Spirit? We do so by such things as harboring bad attitudes and thoughts, committing evil actions, and having angry outbursts, slanderous conversations, and bitter quarrels. We also grieve the Holy Spirit when we deliberately participate in sinful activities. When we live in anger, wrath, and deception, we impede the Holy Spirit from flowing through us. Therefore, we grieve Him.

- Quenching the Holy Spirit

“Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19). In Greek, the word for “quench” is sbennumi, meaning “to extinguish.” It also implies the idea of obstructing the flow of something—to drown out, kill, or block the source. Jesus said, “He who believes in Me…out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). He did not talk of drops of water or a trickle of water but “rivers.” To quench the Holy Spirit is to cut off His flow and dry up the river. It is like crimping a hose of running water to stop the flow.

Grieving the Holy Spirit relates to character;

quenching the Holy Spirit relates to power.

At our church, the services occasionally last longer than expected. This happens because God’s Holy Spirit is moving—healing, delivering, and saving those who desperately need it. However, when I have been forced to cut services short for one reason or another, I immediately realize that I have quenched the flow of the Holy Spirit, which then stops the power of God from operating at that particular moment.

There was a time when I did not understand why many pastors who love God and His people fail to experience the power of God in their lives or their churches. Although they may not be quenching the Spirit in their personal lives, I now realize that they are doing so in their ministries by denying the Holy Spirit the freedom to use them to prophesy, to move in His gifts, to pray for the sick, or even to dance under His control. Each time the Holy Spirit inspires them to do so, they suppress or stifle Him. I had to repent before God for the many times when I quenched and suppressed the Holy Spirit by denying Him the freedom to flow as He willed.

Jesus modeled how we should live with the Holy Spirit without grieving or quenching Him.

As Christians, we should daily strive not to grieve or quench the Holy Spirit in order to maintain a good relationship with Him. Jesus lived in perfect obedience to the Father, and the Holy Spirit was present and powerful in His life. (See, for example, Luke 3:21–22; 4:14; 10:21; Acts 19:38.) As we seek to obey God, let us learn to listen for the Spirit’s leading and to follow His promptings.

Here is an example of what happens when someone acts according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. An evangelist in our church was on his way to Florida International University when God gave him a vision of students wearing red shirts. As he entered the university’s library, he saw a student wearing a red shirt leaving the premises. He immediately walked over to him and began to tell him about Jesus. In response, the young man kept repeating that he was an atheist. Then, he asked the evangelist how he was so certain which god was the true God since Allah, Buddha, and Jesus all easily fit the description of a god. The evangelist simply replied, “You have experienced moments of great risk in which you were in danger of losing your life, but you have not died, because of God’s infinite mercy.”

The young man could not understand everything he was hearing, but he admitted that these words were true. “I have seen many people die in the Iraq war,” he said, “but I have escaped death. I have often wondered why I was spared.” At that moment, the power of God came upon him, and his legs began to shake. He asked the evangelist, “How did you know this?” The evangelist answered, “Well, you asked me how I know who the true God is, and now I say to you that the One who revealed this to me was not Allah or Buddha but Jesus—the only true God!” The young man immediately said, “Now, I believe!” He instantly received Jesus as his only Lord and Savior.

4. Revival and Harvest

We must balance the manifestation of God’s presence in revival with the proclamation of the gospel by understanding the relationship between revival and harvest. I define revival as “receiving God’s power to go and gather the harvest of souls.” If we fail to gather the harvest, our revival experience has been in vain.

A ministry that performs miracles but fails to gather the harvest of souls is not fulfilling the complete will of God.

You are chosen, equipped, and anointed to go throughout the world seeking those who need Christ and performing miracles, signs, and wonders as a confirmation of the gospel. Many people stop for an “upper room experience” (see Acts 2:1–4) and never get around to gathering the harvest, even as people all around them remain ignorant of the gospel and bound for an eternity in hell. We can fill ourselves with power yet remain seated on our church pews, doing nothing. When this happens, we grow cold toward the things of God. But He has anointed us to gather the harvest and not to remain benchwarmers.

5. Words and Actions

Do your words and your actions agree? Or, are you “a hearer of the word and not a doer” (James 1:23)? The Scriptures tell us,

Jesus of Nazareth…was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.(Luke 24:19)

The fullness of the kingdom’s power comes when words and actions are working together.

Jesus operated in both words and actions.

The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach….(Acts 1:1)

God’s Word always shows Jesus…

- Doing

- Teaching

Without faith, the kingdom will not have maximum impact. When we act on God’s Word in faith, we enter into the “doing.” As the Scriptures say, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). Jesus stated,

Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. (John 14:11)

The multitudes followed Jesus not because they wanted to join a church but in order to hear about His kingdom and to see the wonders and miracles He performed. Most of the time, after demonstrating the power, Jesus presented the kingdom. This pattern appears throughout the Gospels.

Theology without works is dead knowledge.

When I preach in countries where people are reluctant to accept the gospel, often, the only way to soften their hearts is to show them God’s power. After praying for the sick, I demonstrate the supernatural through a person who is missing a bone or who is blind or deaf—someone in desperate need of a miracle of physical healing. After people witness the miracle, they are sensitized and ready for the call of salvation. They are eager to answer the call, walk to the altar, and receive forgiveness, restoration, and the Holy Spirit.

Let us always remember that supernatural power without balance can destroy the user along with those around him. However, if God’s power is demonstrated with wisdom and balance, it can impact thousands of lives in positive ways, glorify God, and, above all, result in a great harvest of souls.

Summary

- Four enemies of God’s supernatural power are (1) ignorance, (2) secular humanism, (3) the “spirit of Jezebel,” and (4) the spirit of rebellion, or “witchcraft.”

- The following are substitutes for the supernatural: (1) rigid laws, norms, and regulations have replaced love; (2) traditions have replaced the Word; (3) administrators have replaced apostles and prophets; (4) human ability has replaced God’s grace; (5) uninspired theology has replaced revelation; (6) reason and logic have replaced living by faith; (7) intellectual education has replaced character; (8) psychology and psychiatry have replaced spiritual discernment; (9) man-made programs have replaced the leading of the Holy Spirit; (10) eloquence and entertainment have replaced the demonstration of power; and (11) motivational preaching has replaced the message of the cross.

- Spiritual balanced is attained by having both (1) power and character; (2) power and authority; (3) the Word and the Spirit; (4) revival and harvest; and (5) words and actions.

6

Faith: The First Dimension

of the Supernatural

As blood seeped from his body, an eighteen-year-old man who had been stabbed seven times was loaded aboard a medical helicopter in a desperate attempt to save his life. On the way to the hospital, he cried out to God, “I know I have deeply hurt my family, friends, and people I have never even met. I might be responsible for the deaths of some people. I deserve what is happening to me, but please forgive me.”

At the age of eleven, this young man had experienced the effects of his parents’ painful divorce. Although their marriage had appeared to be perfect on the outside, the facade had masked the hidden reality of abuse, rejection, and rebellion. Trying to escape his dysfunctional upbringing, the young man had gone to the streets, where he was eventually arrested after a fight that was provoked by excessive drinking. Later, gang members had begun to attack his friends at a party. In trying to defend them, he had suffered the severe knife injuries that had left him in the critical state described above. Shortly after crying out to God, however, he heard a doctor’s voice saying, “You are okay. You are in the hospital.” God had given him a new opportunity to live.

And yet, his life continued to spiral downward. Despite his many friends, his women, and his attempts at escape through illegal drugs, he could not elude the void in his life. He would cry bitterly because of the emptiness he felt. He wanted to change but didn’t know how.

One day, he accepted an invitation to attend a gathering at a House of Peace (one of our home fellowship groups). The only reason he went was that he wanted to silence the person who had been persistently inviting him. Yet it was there that God began to speak to him. Eventually, he attended a youth service, where he saw hundreds of young people praising God and crying out to Him. At first, he thought they looked ridiculous. As he was about to leave, someone took him by the hand and led him to the altar. Not understanding what was happening, he began to tremble. Then, he heard the youth pastor speak these words: “The Lord says, ‘I know you have doubts about Me; you don’t believe.’” As the youth pastor continued, the young man was stunned. Someone he had never met before was talking about his life, about his relationship with his parents, about the bitterness he felt toward his mother, and about his relationship with a young woman. He began to cry like a child, and he asked God to forgive him. In that moment, he surrendered his life to the Lord. As he left the service, he felt the conviction that God is real. He also recognized that, despite everything he had ever done, God loved him. From that day forward, the young man’s life was changed. Today, he is full of love for his parents. God has filled the void in his life with faith in Him and in His supernatural power.

Three Dimensions of the Supernatural

The supernatural is an eternal realm—invisible, permanent, unchanging. It is where all things exist and are complete, the perennial “now” that can be accessed only by faith.

If we want to know the supernatural and move in it, we need revelation and an understanding of its three dimensions. These are fundamental requirements for receiving supernatural power from a supernatural God. The three dimensions of the supernatural are:

- Faith

- Anointing

- Glory

In this chapter, we will explore the dimension of faith, by which we have access to the supernatural. It was faith, prompted by the words given to him by God through the youth pastor, that led the young man in the above testimony to surrender His life to God, receive forgiveness, and become a new person.

What Is Faith?

Let us begin by recognizing what faith is not: Faith is not presumption or optimism. Legitimate movements of the Holy Spirit have blessed thousands of people in the body of Christ. In every move of the Spirit, however, there are always some people who will take a truth to the extreme so that it becomes a stronghold and then a legalistic dogma until, finally, it becomes a complete impediment to any further move of the Spirit. Faith is one of those truths that can be misunderstood. Some people think they live by faith when, in reality, they are far from doing so. In many cases, their faith has been reduced to something natural when it should be supernatural. While presumption and optimism can sometimes resemble faith, they are not faith. Let us, then, define true faith.

The word “faith” in Hebrews 11:1 is translated from the Greek word pistis, meaning “conviction” or “firm persuasion.” The Amplified Bible translates the verse in this way:

Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].(Hebrews 11:1 amp)

As you can see, these definitions of faith have nothing to do with presumption or optimism. The factor that assures us that God will act is that He cannot lie or fail to keep His Word. (See, for example, 1 Samuel 15:29; Isaiah 55:10–11.) If He has said something, you can rest assured that it will be as He has said.

I like to describe faith in this way:

Faith is our response to the mind of God, which is revealed to believers by the Holy Spirit so that we might operate in, and exercise dominion over, the dimension of time, space, and matter.

Faith is the divine ability given to man to go beyond the natural realm. Remember the illustration in chapter 1 of the Mars space rover “Curiosity”? Faith enables us to “see” into the supernatural realm. God created the natural realm, and, while He manifests Himself and His works in visible form in the physical world, He is not bound by the natural realm. He is much more than time, space, and matter. God set time in motion, but when He created human beings, He placed within them a yearning for eternity and enabled them to live in both dimensions—the natural and the supernatural. Faith allows us to cross the limits of the natural realm and to reach eternity.

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. (Hebrews 11:3)

“By faith we understand.” Note that faith in God and His Word comes first, and then comes understanding. In this case, it is an understanding of how our universe ultimately came to be. Trying to believe God with human intellect or reason alone won’t work, and it won’t increase our level of faith. The enemy’s goal is to keep us within the limits of human reason, as he did to Eve in the garden of Eden. This is why, each time we seek to understand God through reason, it is as if we once again eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Faith is the ability given to every

believer to believe the “unreasonable.”

While I say that human reason is the enemy of faith, or of the supernatural, I want to restate a very important point: reason, or intellect, has its place and should be used to make wise decisions in the physical world. Properly understood and used, reason is a God-given ability for operating in the natural realm. It is appropriate to use reason in this context. However, if we try applying its parameters in the spiritual realm, or to bring spiritual realities into the natural realm, it will not work.

We must keep in mind that the invisible spiritual realm is superior to, and has dominion over, the visible natural realm. The natural dimension is like a straight line that has a beginning and an end. In contrast, eternity is a circle; it has neither a beginning nor an end. When you enter eternity, everything “is.” Everything is finished and complete. This is God’s habitat, where time does not exist. God always speaks existence to the natural realm from the eternal realm.

Operating by Faith

Our lives, circumstances, and problems are often related to the natural dimension, but our breakthroughs will come when we begin to operate by faith.

When we tend to think of the natural realm as our whole reality, as if there is nothing else besides it, this leaves us vulnerable, because the natural realm is subject to being cursed. Nature has been devastated by the curse that was put upon it after the fall (see Genesis 3:17–18), and it cries out for God’s children to manifest the supernatural through faith (see Romans 8:19–22). We cannot get comfortable in the natural realm, especially since it is always changing. Our faith needs absolute, unchanging truths, such as the reality of Jesus, His kingdom, and His Word.

Everything to which you conform

will become your reality.

We must decide which realm will have power over our lives—the realm of time or the realm of eternity. If we walk in the spiritual realm by faith, we will, in the natural, receive all the benefits Jesus provided by the cross: salvation, health, deliverance, prosperity, strength, peace, and all other material, emotional, and spiritual provision we might need on earth.

Living according to the natural realm limits us as children of God. Since the natural, or visible, realm is all around us, we need a breakthrough to cross over the barriers of time, space, and matter. We must be free of the bondage that keeps us subject to the senses—free, so that we do not have to smell, feel, taste, hear, or see in order to believe. When we understand faith, the impossible becomes possible because faith has dominion and control over the laws of time, space, and matter. Faith changes our perception of what is real and possible.

For example, suppose you were to buy a house, and the bank established that it would take thirty years to finish paying off the mortgage. Due to interest on the loan, by the end of those thirty years, you probably would have paid more than two times the value of the house. In this case, the one who determined the time needed to complete your payments on the house was the bank. But what if you were to determine the amount of time by exercising your faith and paying off the mortgage in only five years? By faith, we can allow God to supernaturally bring into the natural realm the resources we need to keep us from being enslaved by a debt for a longer period of time. We can allow God to deliver His divine provision. When we do this, we “break” the laws of time. In the process, we submit to the provision, not to the debt!

I make my plans according to faith, not according to time. Let me give you a personal illustration that is similar to the example I just gave you. The bank financed a thirty-year mortgage on my house, but I believed that God would pay off that loan in only five years. One year ago, I declared, “Lord, I am believing that my house is going to be paid off within the next five years. I don’t want to live under debt, so I am asking You to pay off my house.” A few months ago, a “spiritual son” of mine from Brazil came to me and said, “Pastor, I just closed a business deal, and the Lord put it on my heart to pay off your house.” This man is not exceptionally wealthy. I had never told him about the matter, nor had I asked him to do this. He was following the Lord’s direction. And, in that moment, what I had believed came to pass.

Most people live only according to time. When the bank says it is going to take thirty years to pay off their house, they believe it and make plans that correspond with that time frame. But if you will plan according to the spiritual realm and not according to the natural realm, you will be able to “break” the laws of time.

Here is another example. When the doctor says, “Your cancer is hereditary. Your grandparents had it, your parents had it, and now you have it. All you can do is undergo an expensive and painful treatment,” it is time for a decision. Do you break the curse and operate by faith to receive your healing? Or do you believe only the doctor and wait for his prognosis to mature? In such cases, your greatest hope is to appropriate what Jesus did on the cross and begin to live by faith, even though you may also receive medical treatment.

When God spoke to me about building our current church home with a seating capacity of six thousand, every contractor said it would take no less than five years to finish. However, I believed God when He told me that it would be completed in less than three years. God provided the finances and gathered the right people, and the building was finished in twenty-eight months, within the time I had believed. Once again, this is an example of how faith can break the laws of time! If it happened to me, it can happen to you. The only thing you need to do is decide to live by faith and not by sight.

You might think, That is easy for you to say because God has blessed you with gifts, grace, and favor. Of course He has, but let me tell you that my beginning was just like yours. When God spoke to me about constructing a new building for six thousand people, He also said it would be completed debt free. I received an estimate of the cost, and I had to stretch my faith because the total cost, including land, materials, and labor, was close to twenty-seven million dollars. In that moment, when the Holy Spirit gave me the order to begin construction, I had faith but little money. This endeavor had a great impact on our geographical area because a project of this nature had never been done there before, much less in the Hispanic community. But we obeyed God and started construction with only seven hundred thousand dollars in the bank, which was barely enough to cover the cost of the steel beams. Yet God confirmed, through His prophets, what He had already said to me. It was then that I received what I call a rhema word from Him. A prophecy is a word from God concerning the future, but a rhema word from God is for today, right now. That rhema word included a biblical promise that kept me strong throughout the construction process:

For thus says the Lord God of Israel: “The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry.”(1 Kings 17:14)

This verse became a reality for me. In order to keep construction moving forward, we needed to come up with approximately five hundred thousand dollars each month. I had to believe for that amount every month. Over the next twenty-eight months, we experienced the faithfulness of God in the provision of these finances in a way that defies human logic. He never failed us. On several occasions, we owed as much as eight hundred thousand dollars but had only fifty thousand in our bank account just five days before it was due. But God was true to His promise and provided all of the twenty-five million dollars in construction costs in less than three years. Living by faith, we built our church debt free, and God did not use millionaires to do it. The biggest gift we ever received was twenty-five thousand dollars. The rest came from the united effort of a faithful people whom God blessed so they could give. He used office workers, laborers, professionals, youths, and homemakers—common folks like you and me. He did it this way so that we could announce to the four winds that He is our Provider, so that His name would be glorified.

If He did this for us, He can do the same for anyone who is willing to believe in Him. This provision has served as our powerful testimony that when God says something and we believe it, we can consider it a “done deal.” Today, many of our spiritual children and even other pastors have taken this testimony as an example to build their churches debt free. God is doing it. Praise the Lord!

Let us now turn to several principles that will help us to walk in faith.

Principles for How to Move by Faith

1. Faith Is in the Now

God dwells in the “now.” (See Exodus 3:14.) He does not need time; He does not depend on either the day or the night to do His works. In the supernatural realm, the past and the future come together in the present—constituting the now. From God’s standpoint, His future can invade the present. One reason we do not see supernatural manifestations of miracles, signs, and wonders in the church is that these things take place in the now, while we live our lives waiting for things to happen then. Many men and women of God speak in the future tense. They say that God will bring a revival, will perform great miracles, and will visit us with His glory. They use a language for the future, not the now. But faith is now! (See Hebrews 11:1.) We can believe that God is bringing a revival now and is performing miracles now! The harvest of souls is greater than it has ever been in the history of the church. It is ready for gathering—now!

Faith is God’s radar in the believer to determine the distance between the natural and the supernatural,

the visible and the invisible.

Faith compresses time. Therefore, what would normally take a year can now be done in one day. Everything works according to our faith.

You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; so light will shine on your ways. (Job 22:28)

One day, I was praying at home before one of our worship services, and the Holy Spirit said to me, If My people believe My Word, no spirit of infirmity can touch them. I believed it and taught it in the service, and many miracles took place right then.

On another occasion, I was asked to pray for a baby who was born with a collapsed pulmonary system, a cerebral hemorrhage, and retinopathy, which left him in danger of going blind. All these problems were the result of an incorrect oxygen level administered at birth. During his short life, this baby had already received five blood transfusions and, according to the doctors, was to remain hospitalized until they were satisfied with his progress. So, I prayed for the baby, declaring that what is impossible for men is possible for God.

A week later, the doctors released the baby from the hospital because he was completely healed. All his organs were perfectly normal, as if nothing negative had ever happened to them. In this case, medical science had to testify to the baby’s miraculous healing because the doctors had proof of this child’s condition before and after. What had happened? Through prayer with the child’s mother, we had activated our faith and, in essence, compressed time. We had surpassed the natural laws of healing and activated God’s supernatural power over her baby.

Faith is not in the future, because faith is not “going”

to be; faith is now.

Most believers know where they came from, and some know where they are going. However, few believe where they are now, according to the realm of the supernatural. They are unaware of what God is doing and saying at this moment.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

(Colossians 3:1–2)

When we live according to sight only, we essentially abandon the reality of our faith. In this state, we focus on our problems, infirmities, and difficulties. But let us remember that these things are temporary. By faith, they are dying each second and passing away. Sickness is passing. Poverty is passing. Oppression and depression are passing. By faith, we must believe that God is intervening now.

Now is the time to activate our faith. Right now, let’s declare and establish the time to receive healing for cancer or any other sickness we might have. Let’s declare the money we need and when it will appear supernaturally. Let’s declare a time—three or five days, you decide—in which God will do the miracle. We must determine the time, and God will do it. He said we were healed and we are prosperous.

I’m not suggesting that we are to order God around like a servant or a trained dog. I’m saying that these things are already done in the supernatural, and they are just waiting for us to decide when we will claim them. Things in the spirit are; they are complete. God placed in us the ability to determine the “distance” between the visible and invisible realms. When we speak, it is as if there is matter—raw material—in our mouths to create by His Word and to activate by faith.

2. Faith Originates from God

So Jesus answered and said to [His disciples], ”Have faith in God.”(Mark 11:22)

A more literal translation of the above verse is, “Have God’s faith.” In Greek, the verb is in the passive voice, which means that the action comes from the outside. Here, Jesus does not ask us to have faith in God; He is saying that God gives us a measure of the faith that belongs to Him. In other words, our human nature is incapable of generating faith on its own. We must take hold of God’s faith.

In essence, Jesus was telling His disciples, “Receive God’s faith to bless others.” Later, in Acts, we see Peter and John doing that very thing in the healing of a man who had been lame from birth.

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.(Acts 3:6–7)

Human nature can doubt but not believe;

divine nature can believe but not doubt.

3. Faith Perceives the Unseen

Faith sees as real and complete that which has yet to be revealed to the natural senses. When God commands that we do something, it might not seem to make sense, because, if it did, it would not be supernatural. The carnal mind cannot see the invisible; it is as if it did not exist. But if we recognize faith as “the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1), we will begin to see things as God sees them.

I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done. (Isaiah 46:9–10)

God declares the end from the beginning. How, then, do we appropriate what He has declared in the now? In our culture, we are used to seeing things from a linear, logical standpoint (corresponding with the natural world). In other words, to get to the end, we think we must start at the beginning. However, God has already finished something before He shows us the beginnings of it. In fact, nothing exists in this world until it has been finished by God.

This is where our faith comes in. It “touches” things in the supernatural realm that are already complete but cannot yet be seen in the visible world. When our faith touches the supernatural, it gives us a conviction of their reality and persuades us to wait for their fulfillment. Faith converts things that cannot be seen into certainties in the physical world. These “transfers” happen in the now, not in the future. If we read the definition of faith in a logical way, we will notice that there is still something pending, something that has yet to manifest, something that waits for the future—“things hoped for…not seen.” But remember that, in eternity, God has already completed everything. For example, He has already accomplished creative miracles by forming new organs and bones. He has already healed “incurable” diseases. What is our part in all of this? We appropriate the miracle by faith, now!

I challenge you to activate your faith to believe for miracles that appear impossible. Allow me to remind you that nothing is impossible for God. (See Matthew 19:26.) May the following testimony bolster your faith.

A miracle occurred in the midst of a normal church service while I taught the congregation on the fact that faith is for now. Among those in attendance was a woman who had suffered with bad knees for fifteen years. Doctors had told her that her ligaments and cartilage were destroyed, which was the cause of her chronic, intense pain. They told her to have surgery as soon as possible.

On that particular Sunday, this woman held on to her faith and decided to believe God and His promises found in the Bible. She said, “I have been taught that faith is for tomorrow, but I take it now. Today, God creates in me two new knees.” In that moment, God’s power descended and created something new. No one touched her. Suddenly, she felt an impulse to run to the altar. As she did, she felt no pain whatsoever; she just ran. What had taken place was not a healing of her bad knees but the miraculous creation of two brand-new knees. This is how God’s supernatural power often operates!

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

(Philippians 1:6)

God started creating us in eternity and “finished” us before giving us the shape and form we have today. We arrived in the now via God’s faith. We don’t have to seek faith, because God has already given it to us to receive all that He has promised. We will believe what we can’t see only when we see it through the faith of the One who does see it. (See, for example, Galatians 2:20.) God sees our healing, prosperity, and happiness because He has already accomplished it all.

4. We All Have Been Given a Measure of Faith

God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. (Romans 12:3)

The Word confirms that everyone has faith, although not in the same measure. God will take those who have believed for greater things to a higher level of faith. When we take our own measure of faith to the limit, He will take us to that higher level. It is possible for us to lose our measure of faith, instead of obtaining a new level, if we choose to remain comfortable at a place where our faith is not challenged. Yet, if we are being good stewards of the measure of faith we have, God will give us more.

What do we do with our measure of faith? We apply it to the sphere of influence we have been given by God, so that we can produce fruit for Him. He has given us a measure of rule that is equivalent to our particular spiritual authority and spiritual gifts. It is my firm belief that one human being is capable of influencing—for good or evil—an average of about ten thousand people in his or her lifetime.

In the spirit realm, everything operates according to measures of rule. Each person’s faith is to be used effectively in relation to his own measure of rule. God has entrusted us with faith and spiritual endowments. Remember, if our measure of faith is sufficient to move mountains or destroy strongholds, our measure of rule will be proportionate to it. (See Matthew 17:20.)

Since everyone was given a measure of faith, there will never be an excuse not to believe in God.

5. Faith Feeds on Impossibilities

Faith not only believes the “impossible,” but it feeds on the impossible. When God gave each one of us a measure of faith, an appetite for the impossible came into our spirits. We were created to have this hunger for the impossible. A believer who is full of God’s supernatural faith is passionate about what does not seem possible within the natural realm, and his faith is fed when he confronts “impossible” situations.

Every member of our church has been trained through discipleship groups and our Leadership Institute to exercise his or her God-given measure of faith. This includes those who are just starting out in the Christian life, as the following testimony illustrates.

A House of Peace, led by a young married couple who had joined the church only six months prior, was visited by a couple who had been diagnosed with AIDS. The leader’s wife stood with authority and prayed with faith, asking God to heal them. When the visiting couple went to the doctor to be retested, their results came back negative. Medically speaking, AIDS continues to be an incurable disease that attacks the immune system, decreasing the body’s ability to fight infection. To God, however, this disease has already been abolished from the face of the earth. What seems impossible to man is possible for God!

6. In the Realm of Miracles, the Power of God Is Faith

The tremendous power of faith is evidenced in these biblical examples:

[Abraham] did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened [endunamoo] in faith, giving glory to God. (Romans 4:20)

God’s supernatural power had to come upon Abraham because his faith needed strengthening. As a human being, Abraham did not have the faith he needed. Therefore, God had to fill him with His “dynamite” faith to help him wait for the son he had been promised. After Abraham had received strengthening from God, he was persuaded—he had the conviction—to wait for the certainty of his now. God wants to do the same with us. He wants to use “dynamite” power to blow apart our doubt and unbelief and to fill us with His faith to receive the miracles He has prepared for us.

[Abraham was] fully convinced that what [God] had promised He was also able to perform. (Romans 4:21)

When we are persuaded, or totally convinced, nothing will make us waver or doubt. Regardless of what people say, the symptoms we have, or the circumstances we are experiencing, we will know that these things do not change what God has promised. Some people doubt that God’s promises will come to pass because they are not fully convinced. God’s faith brings the conviction we need.

When we have God’s faith, His Word in our mouths is the same as it is in His mouth.

By faith Sarah herself also received strength [dunamis] to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.

(Hebrews 11:11)

Abraham’s wife, Sarah, needed to receive dunamis—God’s explosive or miraculous power—for her womb to become fruitful. When God told her that she would have a son at her advanced age, she laughed (see Genesis 18:12), but when He gave her His dynamite faith, her infertility was transformed into fruitfulness. Likewise, many people today are “sterile.” They don’t know how to bear fruit in their personal lives, marriages, or finances. Similarly, some ministries are stunted, unable to grow or bear the desired fruit. They need to be transformed by God’s dynamite faith.

We receive faith to believe as God believes by saying, “Lord, I open my heart so You can fill it with Your own faith. Destroy in me all doubt, unbelief, human reasoning, and argumentation so that I may receive the miracles You promised me, and so that I may minister to others through the faith You have imparted into my life.”

God’s truth is the highest level of reality, and it may be understood only by revelation that comes through Christ. (See John 14:6.) When God speaks, what He says is truth, and it will come to pass, regardless of the circumstances or what theologians, doctors, or the devil may say.

My friend, God wants to give us explosive faith today and to make us fruitful so that we can pray for the sick and see them healed, so that we can give sight to the blind, open deaf ears, enable the lame to walk, and deliver the captives. When God gives us His dynamite faith, and we are persuaded to use it, it is not time to remain still but to take action!

The only reason the Bible gives for failure is unbelief.

7. Faith Operates Beyond Reason

Human reason never stands on the side of faith. When we rely on reason exclusively, it separates us from faith.

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. (Hebrews 3:12)

Much of what God did, as recorded in the Bible, appears unreasonable to the natural mind, so we must learn to see and hear with spiritual eyes and ears. Here are some biblical examples of events that went beyond human reasoning.

- Noah built a massive ark and preserved his life and the lives of his family members.

By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

(Hebrews 11:7)

A miracle took place when animals began to arrive from everywhere to enter the ark: tigers, elephants, lions, kangaroos, and multitudes more. (See Genesis 7:8–9.) It was a miracle that many of these animals traveled in pairs according to species. It was a miracle that these wild animals coexisted peacefully within the ark for months without attacking each other. These miracles can be understood only by faith.

No Bible story of the miraculous makes sense until God comes on the scene.

- Abraham fathered the promised son, Isaac, in his old age, and had innumerable descendants.

No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. (Genesis 17:5)

Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude; innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.(Hebrews 11:12)

Again, trying to reason that a ninety-nine-year-old man and his barren ninety-year-old wife could conceive a child is impossible. This can be understood only by faith.

- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were cast into a fiery

furnace but not burned.

“Look!” [King Nebuchadnezzar] answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”(Daniel 3:25)

By human reasoning, it doesn’t make sense that while the king cast three people into the fire, four people appeared to be walking in the midst of it. Also, it doesn’t make sense that no one perished or even got burned in a fire that was at the highest possible temperature, and that the three emerged without even the smell of smoke on them. (See Daniel 3.)

When human reason is present, faith is absent, and the possible is impossible; but when faith is present, human reason is absent, and the impossible is possible.

Faith cannot be judged or proven in a court of law where reason rules because there are no books or codes that can judge faith. Jurisprudence is based on human reasoning and deals with only facts and tangible acts that can be proven on the basis of our natural senses. A court of law has no room for faith.

Similarly, if a doctor diagnoses a sickness, even when God’s Word says we are healed, the human mind will most often believe the verdict of sickness because it doesn’t understand that, beyond the natural realm, there is the supernatural. The more time we spend trying to reason what God wants to do in and through us, the more we will lose the actual manifestation of the supernatural—His miracles and blessings.

During a service at my church, God placed in my heart a directive to call forward women who were barren or otherwise having difficulty conceiving. Among the great number of women who came to the altar was a woman who’d had her fallopian tubes tied years prior, making it impossible for her to have more children. During that service, God was glorified in this woman. The following month, she became pregnant. God did a wonderfully creative miracle in her. He gave her a brand-new reproductive system, including new fallopian tubes. The miracle was even more amazing because the doctor later confirmed it by doing an ultrasound that revealed reproductive organs where there had been none. In the meantime, her baby was growing and in perfect condition. The doctor expected the birth to be on time. Several months later, this woman rejoiced at the arrival of her beautiful gift from God. A precious baby boy came into this world as a demonstration of God’s supernatural power to procreate. In our ministry, we often see women who were told by medical doctors that they could not have children activate their faith and become pregnant.

We must substitute God’s logic for our human reason. Only then will we be able to realize that everything He does makes sense. If you are a preacher or teacher of the Word, you are called to build the faith of those who hear you, so that unbelief does not take root in their hearts and minds, and so that their faith is activated for the supernatural.

To live by faith, therefore, we must “disconnect” our natural reasoning ability and allow the Holy Spirit to “loose” our minds to see what God can do. If we believe only in human reason, we will doubt God’s power. Faith doesn’t need human reasoning in order to believe because it supersedes such reasoning. Abraham exercised faith and spiritual reasoning when God instructed him to sacrifice his son, who had been given to him miraculously.

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

(Hebrews 11:17–19 niv)

Natural reasoning can become a mortal weapon against us when it causes us to accept, as inevitable, human explanations for why we are sick, impoverished, depressed, or experiencing marital problems, or when it makes us feel that we are justified to hold on to addictions, unforgiveness, bitterness, or other sins. Hence, the importance of rising to the dimension of faith, which sees beyond the natural.

A young man named Andrew Chutri attended a conference in South Africa at which I was ministering. He was in his first year of college and in the middle of a financial dilemma. Coming from a lower-income family, he had no way of paying for his studies and had to take out a loan for the first year. The moment he took out the loan, he told God that he did not want to have debts, and he believed that He would intervene. At the conference, I preached about sowing seeds of faith in order to receive the miracle you are expecting. This revelation opened his spiritual eyes, and he took the little amount of money he had in his wallet and said, “I don’t have much, but I will give it all to God.” He felt that God was pleased with him.

The realm of the impossible is founded on human logic and established in human reason.

Three months later, he received a call from the university’s financial aid office informing him that he had received an exclusive scholarship. He was shocked, and he screamed, cried, ran around his room, and fell on his knees, thanking God! A group in the United Kingdom was sponsoring South African students who were unable to pay for their education. Andrew had never even heard of this group before, and without even applying for assistance, he had received their support. The funds covered his tuition, books, housing accommodations, food, and extra expenses. As a result, he did not need to work and had time to devote to his studies and to serving God.

8. Continuous Revelation Will Take Us to Higher Dimensions of Faith

For in [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

(Romans 1:17)

Faith is movement. When we go “from faith to faith,” or from one level of faith to another, the movement does not begin at the original point of departure. It takes off from a place of faith to which we have already advanced. An essential key to advancement is continuous revelation, or revealed knowledge, from God.

Faith works with knowledge. The movement of faith occurs when we respond to, and/or act on, the knowledge we have received; therefore, to walk by faith, we must have God’s knowledge. Faith and knowledge from God always go together. When a person lacks revealed knowledge, it is impossible for that person to move to the next level of faith. But when revelation is present, faith can catapult the individual into a new place.

The amount of revelation an individual has determines the level of faith in which he can operate.

If revealed knowledge ceases, faith also ceases. It will decelerate and likely reenter the natural realm. We cannot believe in something we do not know. This means that we cannot allow our faith to become stagnant. We must go from faith to faith. As we will see, the same can be said about glory. “But we all…are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Christian life was never designed to stay at one level. We are always changing from faith to faith and from glory to glory.

In this testimony from one of the King Jesus daughter churches in Orlando, Florida, we can see how God first leads us to believe in something that, in turn, propels our faith to believe for greater blessings. A woman had been attending church there for eight months when she was touched by God’s power. She had been diagnosed with cancer of the uterus and had undergone surgery to have her womb removed. A friend told her that she should take advantage of the fact that I would be preaching at the Orlando church and go to the meeting so that I could pray for her, and she agreed to go. I did not see her, but God knew she was there.

According to her testimony, while I ministered, I passed by her and said, “The Lord already healed on this side.” She believed the words I spoke. However, this woman believed for more than healing for cancer, because she had also been diagnosed with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a condition that impeded her kidneys from functioning properly, and obstructive sleep apnea, which caused her to fall asleep anywhere. All these conditions had been causing problems in her relationships, and she believed that God would heal each one.

But the process through which the Lord wanted to take her to exercise her faith did not end there. Several Sundays later, she heard another of my messages through satellite transmission, in which I called forth, for repentance, people who were involved in fornication. This woman recognized her sin—she had been living with a man for fifteen years without being married to him. Her repentance of that situation was the key that loosened everything spiritually and brought her a creative miracle. She had dreamed of someday giving her partner a son, but, according to medical science, she had no hope. Yet the Lord manifested His great love and gave her the miracle she had been desperately looking for. She married her boyfriend, and, after the wedding ceremony, she received a new uterus (evidenced by the resumption of her menstrual cycle) and soon became pregnant. In addition, she can now drive without fear of falling asleep at the wheel, and she is overjoyed that her marriage is strong. She serves the Lord wholeheartedly.

God wants us to advance to a greater level of faith, but for that to happen, we need revelation to pave the way. If we want to walk in the now, we cannot ignore God’s revelation for this day and time. We cannot walk in the present truth with yesterday’s revelation because faith is now, always in the present.

[The Lord says,] “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”(Isaiah 43:19)

To have faith in the now, we must have present truth.

Your Faith Must Be

Accompanied by Action

Another indispensable key to the advancement of our faith is to take action. If our faith is not kept active, nothing will happen. Again, it is possible to become “stuck” in a certain level of faith, and there are clear signs that show when faith has become inactive among believers. For example, when evidence of spiritual life is lacking in a church; when the congregation no longer increases; when signs, miracles, and wonders cease; or when God’s presence is nowhere to be found, the people’s faith has stopped growing.

Truth is present, and faith is now. Faith has an expiration date. If yesterday’s faith were sufficient, the Bible would not command that we go “from faith to faith.” God wants to do something new and fresh now! If it is not now, it is not faith. Furthermore, yesterday’s revelation may not be relevant when we try to activate it now. What used to work may no longer work. Therefore, God motivates us to receive new revelation.

If you feel that your faith is inactive, this is the time to exercise it so that you may enter into a new level of faith in God. If your faith is active and you are serving God, you can move forward to the next level of faith. At your new level of faith, you will find something fresh and wonderful—miracles, healings, and all types of provision. No matter what stage of spiritual maturity you have progressed to, if you desire to grow spiritually, now is the time to pray this prayer:

Father, please give me new revelation that will take me to another level of faith. Connect me with men and women who can release my faith, so I can bless other people, pray for the sick, and tend to those who need a touch of Your supernatural power. Amen.

Summary

- Faith is not presumption, hope, or optimism.

- Faith is our response to the mind of God, which is revealed to believers by the Holy Spirit so that we might operate in, and exercise dominion over, the dimension of time, space, and matter.

- There is conflict between human reason and faith because each belongs to a different realm; reason is temporal, while faith is eternal.

- Faith is the past and the future united in the present.

- Principles for walking in faith include: (1) Faith is in the now. (2) Faith belongs to God. (3) Faith perceives the unseen. (4) We all have been given a measure of faith. (5) Faith feeds on impossibilities. (6) In the realm of miracles, the power of God is faith. (7) Faith operates beyond reason. (8) Continuous revelation will take us to higher dimensions of faith.

- Each person’s faith is to be used effectively in relation to his measure of rule.

- The power of God in the realm of miracles is called faith, and we need to receive it in dynamite proportions in order to bring forth the supernatural in the natural.

- One essential key to moving from one level of faith to another is revelation, or revealed knowledge, from God. Faith works with knowledge.

- Another important key to the advancement of our faith and the manifestation of the supernatural is to take action. If our faith is not kept active, nothing will happen.

7

The Anointing: The Second Dimension of the Supernatural

God’s supernatural power is released when we understand the three dimensions of the supernatural and walk in them. This reality was manifested when I was ministering on the activation of the power of God at a meeting in Argentina. I demonstrated that miracles are for today, and several people were healed instantly. I then activated all the people to pray for the person standing next to them, so that their needs would be met supernaturally. When I called people to come forward to testify, the altar was filled with those who’d received answers to these prayers. It was impressive!

In the crowd was a seven-year-old girl named Avid, who had been born without the optic nerve in her left eye and who also suffered from deafness in her left ear. The optic nerve transmits visual information from the retina to the brain. Avid was seated far from the altar, but someone prayed over her, and the power of God descended. When she went forward to testify, she cried and said that she had felt fire in her eye, and that it itched. I tested her vision by covering her right eye. With my hand in front of her face, I gestured for her to repeat the sign I was making, but the child didn’t move. The second time, while the congregation prayed for her, she repeated the sign! The entire auditorium broke out in shouts, celebrating the miracle. A doctor on our team tested her, and her eye responded to light and to every movement that was made before her. She was also able to identify basic colors, which she had been unable to do before. But the miracle didn’t end there. God also healed her deafness. Again, our team doctors tested her and concluded that her hearing had been restored.

This child had been scheduled for surgery. Her doctors had planned to take out her damaged eye and replace it with a prosthetic one. Instead, the Lord created a new eye with a functioning optic nerve. And, He restored her hearing. These miracles were a result of the anointing of God, working through His people. In this chapter, we will explore this dimension of the supernatural.

What Is the Anointing?

From the founding of the nation of Israel, anointing with oil was a means of sealing the consecration of God on certain people who were called to carry out special functions, for example, priests and kings. Through the act of anointing, the person was enabled to carry out the assigned functions. (See, for example, Exodus 28:41.) In the Old Testament, the anointing was only a shadow of what it is today through the new covenant in Jesus Christ.

Since the coming of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, the anointing has generally been the ability God gives the believer to accomplish the work of ministering in His name and serving Him. While this is a spiritual endowment, the physical act symbolizing that anointing still often involves the application of oil on the person for the purpose of consecrating the work of God in his or her life. It is a confirmation of a calling or function, sealed by the Holy Spirit. The person who anoints the individual is God’s agent. This person applies the oil, but God is the One who pours out His Holy Spirit.

It is important to recognize that there is a personal anointing, and there is also a corporate anointing. Both anointings are necessary in God’s kingdom.

Personal Anointing

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. (Ephesians 4:7)

Personal anointing is the measure of supernatural grace that God gives each believer to enable that individual to fulfill his or her calling. Our callings are varied, such as anointing for business, to restore families, to perform miracles, or perhaps governmental, ministerial, or prophetic anointing. Each of us should seek God to reveal the anointing He has given us.

Corporate Anointing

Corporate anointing is an anointing of the Holy Spirit that is poured out when all the believers present at a meeting or other gathering become as one in Christ. When this happens, we see Christ operating through the church with miracles, signs, and wonders. This anointing is a thousand times stronger and more powerful than the personal anointing. Thus, God always commands us to seek spiritual unity and to depend on one another, according to our measures of rule and spiritual gifts, in order to become powerful on earth for ministry, just as Jesus is.

…till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13)

In the previous chapter, we learned that each of us has been given a measure of faith. (See Romans 12:3.) I explained that our measure of faith is to be applied to our measure of rule and sphere of influence, in which we exercise the anointing and gifts God has given us. Thus, it is necessary for the body of Christ to join together the measures of faith and spiritual gifts of individual believers in order to operate at a greater level of power. We need each other. I need your measure of rule, and you need mine. When the measures of faith and the gifts unite, God’s glory descends. Otherwise, His glory—His manifest presence—will not come.

The anointing is God doing His work through

our humanity.

The Ingredients of the Holy Anointing

I have found My servant David; with My holy oil I have anointed him.(Psalm 89:20)

Today, a variety of oils are used for the purpose of anointing, but God gave the Israelites specific instructions on how to prepare the oil of the anointing:

Also take for yourself quality spices—five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels), two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling cane, five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil.(Exodus 30:23–25)

These ingredients were prophetic symbols of realities that would be fulfilled in the New Testament. We will briefly review each of them.

1. Myrrh

Myrrh is a bitter herb with a sweet aroma. It signifies suffering, pain, anguish, distress, trials, tribulations, persecution, and death. In effect, it represents the price we pay for the anointing. Many people desire the anointing but are not willing to pay the cost to have it. Paul wrote,

I have suffered…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.(Philippians 3:8, 10)

2. Cinnamon

Cinnamon represents firmness and stability. These elements relate to Christian character and are fundamental to operating in the anointing.

3. Cane

Cane, called calamus in the King James Version, is a long, straight reed with green and red coloring that smells a bit like ginger. It is associated with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and divine authority. This spice is indicative of the anointing flowing in us when we submit to authority.

4. Cassia

Cassia is a sweet-smelling bush of yellow flowers. The leaves of this plant are dried and pulverized to prepare the anointing oil. The word cassia derives from a root word that means “to bow down out of honor and reverence.” Therefore, the cassia flower represents prayer, praise, and worship. Even the desire to pray and to worship God comes from the Holy Spirit.

5. Olive Oil

The oil for the anointing was extracted from the olive tree, and it represents the Holy Spirit. The anointing oil had two important characteristics: it was a tangible substance that could be applied with a cloth or by pouring from a pot or jar, and it was transferable from one person to another.

The following testimony confirms the fact that a specific spiritual anointing can “rest” on objects belonging to someone with that anointing and can be transferred to other people. Not long ago, I took my car to the shop for routine maintenance. One of the mechanics was suffering from intense pain due to kidney stones. The shop’s owner, knowing of my ministry and that my car was being serviced, told the mechanic to sit in the driver’s seat and rub the keys of my car over the area of his pain. The instant this man rubbed my keys on his back, he felt a sudden urge to use the bathroom. When he returned, he held in his hands all the kidney stones that he had just passed. His pain was completely gone.

Now, understand that objects such as car keys have no healing power in and of themselves. However, I believe that the anointing of God can accumulate on any object and convey supernatural power to perform miracles. (See, for example, Acts 19:11–12.)

Set Apart and Consecrated for Service

In the time of Moses, the oil of the holy anointing was used to anoint the tabernacle; the ark of the Testimony; the table and the lampstand, along with their utensils; the altar of incense; the altar of burnt offering with its utensils; the laver with its base; and the priests, so that they could be identified and consecrated as holy and prepared for service to God. (See Exodus 30:26–30.)

In the tabernacle, no one could touch an instrument or utensil unless he had first cleansed himself at the bronze laver, because this cleansing—a symbol of spiritual purification—is what prepared him to stand safely in God’s holy presence. (See Exodus 30:17–21.) A similar process is true for us today. We must first be cleansed, or sanctified, by the blood of Jesus and receive His righteousness through faith before we can enter God’s presence. God then bestows on us His holy anointing. He sets us apart, or consecrates us, by giving us His power and gifts, through which we are enabled to carry out His will. In this cleansed and anointed state, we are prepared to receive His glory.

In Him you also…were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

(Ephesians 1:13)

The anointing of the Holy Spirit is a deposit for receiving God’s glory.

Many people trust and depend solely on their talents. Thus, when they praise, worship, and serve God, they don’t do so wholeheartedly. Doing these things in a right manner has nothing to do with talent but with the anointing. I have seen people with little talent bring God’s presence like no one else when they praise. I believe gifts and talents are needed, but we must learn to depend completely on the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

The Purpose of the Anointing

Jesus taught His disciples about the kingdom of God in order to help them understand the purpose of supernatural power. In the same way, we must understand the true purpose of the anointing in order to use it wisely and effectively. If we don’t, it will be worthless to us.

When Jesus began His ministry on earth, He said,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free.(Luke 4:18 nlt)

The key word in this verse is “for.” Why did the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus? Note that each purpose Jesus listed was neither selfishly motivated nor personally beneficial to Him; it was to bless others. We cannot forget that God anoints us to heal the sick, to cast out demons, to preach the gospel, to perform miracles, and, most important, to exalt Jesus. This is the reason we were separated and consecrated for ministry. When men and women use their anointing for self-promotion or dishonest gain, in order to satisfy a personal need for fame or possessions, their end will be painful.

The world today is full of people who suffer from insecurities, fear, depression, sadness, bitterness, and loneliness. They are tormented by wicked spirits; their lives are empty and aimless, and they need someone who is anointed to break the strongholds of Satan in their lives, someone whom God can use to deliver them and give them hope.

It shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

(Isaiah 10:27)

Through His anointing, God wants to use your life to break the yoke of people’s slavery to sin; to addictions, such as those to drugs and alcohol; and to other vices.

As I wrote earlier, at King Jesus Ministry, each minister, elder, deacon, mentor, and House of Peace leader has been trained and has received an impartation of the anointing for healing and miracles that is upon my life. The proof of this lies in the countless miracles that God performs in the Houses of Peace and in the context of discipleship training through our leaders. Let me share one of those testimonies.

Mrs. Hazel Arroyo, who is originally from Puerto Rico, testified that four years ago, her family was all but shattered. She and her daughter were living in Miami. Her husband was in jail in Puerto Rico, facing a six-year sentence for drug trafficking and drug abuse. Hazel had epilepsy, and her daughter had asthma. Both women were full of pain, resentment, and frustration. They did not know what would happen to them.

During those days, Hazel was approached by many people who told her about King Jesus Ministry and invited her to a service. She finally decided to attend a House of Peace gathering with her daughter. Both of them found peace, which they had not experienced in years. The following day, they went to a church service and received the Lord as their Savior, convinced that only He could help them.

Since then, Jesus has radically changed their lives. Hazel received the revelation of the power of prayer and the impartation of the strength of the Holy Spirit. She immediately began to attend early-morning prayer meetings at our church. Her commitment to prayer, and her exposure to God’s presence, brought drastic changes to her life. God began to produce a chain of miracles, like a domino effect. Her husband, José, was transferred from the jail in Puerto Rico to one in Miami, where he decided to give up drugs and adultery forever. This restored their marriage.

José was freed from jail on Father’s Day. Hazel met him at the prison and, together, they went straight to church. That day, I was preaching on spiritual fatherhood, and José said he felt I was talking directly to him. He surrendered his life to Christ. Also, Hazel’s father was delivered from alcohol addiction, and her mother was delivered from nicotine addiction. Today, her parents are the leaders of a House of Peace in Puerto Rico, where they watch King Jesus Ministry on television. Several miracles have taken place through the impartation of my anointing on that family. For example, Hazel’s sister had been diagnosed with cancer, and God healed her in the House of Peace. In Miami, José prophesized to his barren sister that she would have a son, and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy not long ago. José’s daughter, Lola, has begun evangelizing other children in their House of Peace, and God has used her in healing and creative miracles. For example, the little toe on the foot of one girl was unusually small; it had not developed properly. Lola prayed in the name of Jesus and declared that the toe would grow. Miraculously, this girl’s toe is now a normal size. Praise God!

The Mantle

In the Old Testament, a person’s anointing was sometimes symbolized by his “mantle,” as in the case of Elijah, who threw his mantle on Elisha to signify that he would succeed him as prophet. (See 1 Kings 19:13–19; 2 Kings 2:8–15.) The anointing and the mantle, therefore, generally refer to the same thing.

According to Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary, the word mantle has several meanings, including “a loose sleeveless garment worn over other clothes” and “a figurative cloak symbolizing preeminence or authority.” It also refers to “the part of the interior of a terrestrial planet and especially the earth that lies beneath the crust and above the central core.” In all its meanings, the mantle represents a covering, or protection. In the spiritual realm, I believe a mantle refers to “glory, kindness, lordship, excellence, nobility, authority, strength, essence, and great courage.”

The mantle is our spiritual covering

while we reside on this earth.

The Two Mantles of Jesus

Because Jesus is fully divine as God the Son, as well as fully human as the Son of Man, two mantles apply to Him—the mantle of glory and the mantle of anointing.

1. The Mantle of His Deity—His Glory

Christ Jesus,…being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation…. (Philippians 2:5–7)

As our Forerunner, Jesus demonstrated the anointing in His life and ministry on earth. He ministered in the same way any other human being must—in the anointing of the Holy Spirit. To become a Man and be our Savior, He willingly left behind His mantle of glory, which He had in heaven before coming to earth. (See Philippians 2:7–8.) Nevertheless, in the gospel of John, we read of seven miraculous signs that confirmed His identity as God’s Son. The Father personally testified of Jesus’ deity. In chapter 9, we will explore those seven signs.

2. The Mantle of His Humanity—His Anointing

For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. (John 3:34 niv)

This verse confirms that Jesus did all His works in the form of a common man who ministered under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. With the Spirit’s anointing, He healed the sick, blind, and deaf; He rebuked demons and defeated Satan; and He raised the dead—not as God but as a Man full of the Holy Spirit. If Jesus did this, we can do it, too. In fact, Jesus promised that we would do even greater things than He did on earth! (See John 14:12.)

Two Kinds of Anointings

In my many years of ministry experience, I have observed two different types of anointing, or mantles, operating over individuals:

1. Generational Anointing

Generational anointing is transferred from natural or spiritual fathers and mothers to their sons and daughters. Whenever a mentor/disciple relationship is established, in time, the anointing is transferred from one generation to another, as from Moses to Joshua and from Elijah to Elisha.

When God bestows an anointing on us, He will often give us a preview of what to expect in the ministry, as long as we persevere and remain faithful until the end. More than fifteen years ago, God told me what would happen in my ministry. He spoke to me first during a service at which I was preaching in Cuba. I saw all the sick receive healing instantly. Then, in Argentina, the Lord showed me the most powerful creative miracles I had ever seen up to that point. After that day, I did not witness miracles to such a degree until 2000. During those times, God was giving me a preview of what He was going to do through me in order to encourage me to seek them. Today, I flow in that anointing, and I witness manifestations of God’s glory everywhere I preach.

An anointing will often be accompanied by a taste of what will come in the future.

Therefore, when something extraordinary takes place in our lives, seemingly only once or twice, it could be a preview of what is to come. Anointings are being loosened on the earth right now, including some that have never been seen before. Keep your eyes open.

2. Special Anointing

A special anointing is placed directly upon certain men and women to carry out a specific mandate for a particular generation. Once the purpose is carried out, the anointing cannot be duplicated. We see an example of this type of anointing in David, whom God called a man after His own heart. (See 1 Samuel 13:14.) Except for Jesus, we cannot find another man like David in the Bible. Even though he was a dysfunctional king, he received a special anointing for praise, worship, and warfare.

Anointings Are Waiting for God’s People

How many people have abandoned their anointings, or mantles? How many have never accepted them in the first place? How many anointings—for teaching, for the apostle and prophet, for politics, for music and worship, for spiritual warfare, and so forth—are waiting for God’s people to take them? How many anointed men and women with powerful mantles are there on earth right now who do not have spiritual children who serve those mantles in preparation to inherit them later?

In light of these questions, now is a good time to clarify that we will never wear a new mantle until we let go of the old “cloaks” of religion and tradition. If we are not ready to get rid of the old mantle, we will not be ready to receive the new one.

And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these [pieces of armor], for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.

(1 Samuel 17:39)

King Saul had placed his own armor on David to give him protection as he faced Goliath in battle. However, the armor was useless to David because it was too heavy, making it impossible for him to move under its weight. Saul’s armor symbolized the traditional and the religious—the old “garments” that many of us are used to wearing. Unlike David, who immediately removed the armor, we walk around with religion and self-effort, even if we hate it and find it unproductive.

Sometimes, God allows us to experience a season of feeling burned-out, a season in which nothing happens, in order to help us remove the old anointing, or mantle, and receive a new one. In these cases, we may perceive in our spirits that God has something more for us, but we have no idea how to receive it. We may experience frustration, desperation, or dissatisfaction that cause us to seek His face and thereby allow Him to give us the new anointing. This process is not easy, because God has not called us to do anything easily. Therefore, we must be prepared to pay the price.

The Difference Between

Anointing and Impartation

An anointing is given to each believer specifically by God. Sometimes, however, a portion of our anointing can be “imparted” to another person or to many other people. The anointing is direct, while the impartation is transferred from one person to another. We might be used by God to activate tens, hundreds, perhaps thousands of other people, to various degrees, in the same anointing that we have.

In the 1950s and 60s, God raised up men and women with the goal of bringing forth a great revival through healings, miracles, signs, and wonders. Most of these men and women, however, never realized that the anointing and grace they received were not just for themselves; they were for the purpose of teaching, training, and equipping the church for future generations. They used their gifts but rarely imparted, or transferred, their anointings to others so their ministries could continue after they had gone to be with the Lord. We admire those generals of God. Yet, unfortunately, the anointing that came upon them often died with them because they failed to teach the church to flow in the same supernatural power, as Jesus did with His disciples.

Likewise, today, some believers have great anointings but have not imparted them to others. This is probably due to their inability to see beyond themselves or their ministries. It is possible, however, for individual believers to receive a portion of their anointings by exercising faith, regardless of whether those who are anointed are actively seeking to impart it. For example, under an apostolic and prophetic ministry, because of faith, people may receive the impartation of all types of gifts. Either way, the key to receiving an anointing is to have an open heart.

The anointing comes from God to man, but impartation is given from one person to another by God’s will.

Impartation takes place due to a direct intervention of the Holy Spirit. He takes the gift of one individual and gives a measure of it to others who desperately seek it. This transfer is a mystery of God that allows gifts to reach others. Interestingly, impartation produces a similarity between the giver and the recipient.

How can gifts or power be imparted to others? Through books, preaching, teaching, prophecy, God’s Word, the laying on of hands, and even anointed cloths or clothing. This exchange can also take place by personal association. In our church, every House of Peace leader, mentor, deacon, elder, and minister flows in the same anointing of miracles that I do because I have imparted into each of their lives from the anointing that God has placed upon me. We receive an impartation when we capture the spirit of the anointing that rests upon a man or woman of God.

Here are two testimonies of some creative miracles we have seen in our ministry as a result of the impartation of my anointing to others.

In the middle of a service at our church, God glorified Himself by causing hair to grow on the head of a man who had been bald for twenty years. Three weeks prior to that day, I had declared that, on that night, the Lord would perform creative miracles and that even baldness would disappear due to regrowth of hair. That night, as I began to pray, I included in my intercession everyone who was bald and in need of hair. It was at that moment that hair began to grow on this gentleman. This miracle was witnessed by everyone around him. When he realized what was happening, he ran to the altar to testify, carrying his driver’s license. The photo on the license attested to his prior baldness. He showed us that his hair had grown supernaturally. God did a creative miracle!

The same night, we had a similar testimony. For fifteen years, a man had suffered from high blood pressure. Four years prior to this service, he had lost all the hair around the crown of his head. When he testified, he declared that while I had prayed, rebuking all spirits of sickness, his head had begun to itch intensely, and when he went to scratch it, he felt hair where there had been none before. Needless to say, this man is now a very happy and grateful child of God because he enjoys normal blood pressure and has a full head of hair. Praise God!

The Consequences of

Rejecting an Anointing

We receive an anointing, or mantle, the same way we receive a gift—with openness and gratitude. If we do not respect it—if we criticize it, judge it, or reject it—we will not receive it.

The main enemy of the anointing is familiarity, which may cause us to take lightly, or to disrespect, the anointing upon a man or woman of God. This attitude goes hand in hand with the familiarity people can develop in a general way toward God’s servants and their anointing. For example, people who take their pastors’ anointings lightly may no longer receive spiritual food from them; they may let their minds wander and stop taking notes when their pastors preach or teach. These people neither hear God’s Word with reverence nor intend to obey it. They give priority to lesser things, and being under their pastors’ anointings, or mantles, no longer gives them joy because they do not expect to receive as they did before.

The moment someone speaks badly about the anointing of a man of God, he schedules the funeral for his own anointing. The person who betrays a prophetic mantle will never again flow in that prophetic mantle. Likewise, the person who betrays the apostolic mantle will never again flow in the apostolic anointing.

The apostle Paul lived in Corinth for three and a half years. He taught, imparted spiritual gifts, and expended his life for the Corinthians. Sadly, the people did not grow or mature much but remained as spiritual children. This happened because they did not receive the full anointing that God had placed on Paul. However, the same apostle visited the Thessalonians for three weeks, was welcomed there as a man of God, and delivered a message that was accepted as God’s Word. As a result, the Thessalonians grew, matured, and evangelized Macedonia.

How many anointings have been rejected by the church? I believe that the number is great and that this is a major reason why the body of Christ is incomplete. We cannot live with only one measure of faith, one gift, or one anointing. We need anointings for healings, miracles, prosperity, worship, knowledge, politics, government, and so forth. If we did not, God would not have provided these anointings.

And [Jesus] Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.

(Ephesians 4:11)

This verse refers to what is commonly called the “fivefold ministry,” which should still be active within the church today. Unfortunately, many churches fail to acknowledge and support all five roles, or mantles, within the church. When we reject the pastoral ministry, we fail to care for the sheep, and they are likely to lose their way. When we reject the teacher’s mantle, we may perish for lack of knowledge. (See Hosea 4:6.) When we reject the evangelistic mantle, many souls are not saved. When we reject the ministry of the prophet, the church lacks important vision and direction concerning the things that God is doing and saying today. When we reject the apostolic mantle, the church operates largely without direction, vision, edification, impartation, revelation, advancement of the kingdom, and supernatural power to perform miracles. Every time we reject one of the fivefold ministries, the church suffers because God’s power cannot manifest fully.

When we receive someone’s anointing, we don’t necessarily fulfill his or her particular role. However, we do become active participants in the anointing his or her mantle radiates. For example, even if we are not apostles ourselves, when we welcome an apostle, the apostolic anointing flows through us. Some people reject certain mantles because they have seen others take them to the extreme with negative results. We cannot allow the past sins and errors of some people to cause us to reject a God-given mantle, for He will give us the wisdom and discernment to use it properly.

Some anointings have never been used because they were rejected. The anointing you reject becomes the one that will judge you.

In traveling to other nations, I have noticed that wherever I and my anointing are welcomed, the people receive my anointing of miracles, supernatural power, signs, deliverance, evangelism, teaching, governmental anointing, and revelation of the Word. The anointing manifests fully in that place. The deaf, mute, and blind have been healed, the lame have been raised from their wheelchairs, and many who had been suffering from terminal illnesses have been instantly healed and delivered. However, in places where my anointing is not fully accepted, the people experience God’s supernatural power in a limited way—only in those areas in which it is received.

“Touching” an Anointing

Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.

(1 Chronicles 16:22)

In this verse, the word “touch” has a negative connotation. It indicates criticism, obstacles, or harm. The verse also implies that if anybody “touches” the anointed of God, they are, in fact, “touching” God. You cannot touch the anointed without touching the divine anointing that rests upon his or her life.

Here is a biblical example of touching the anointing, or mantle. Aaron and Miriam touched Moses’ mantle of leadership by criticizing him:

Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married.(Numbers 12:1)

What were the results of their criticism and lack of respect for their God-given leader?

- Judgment came upon Miriam.

“Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”…Suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow.…

(Numbers 12:8, 10)

- Chastisement and distress came upon Aaron.

…Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb!”

(Numbers 12:10–12)

- God kept Miriam under punishment for a time.

Miriam had to undergo her chastisement for a full week because she had been disrespectful (she may have been the one who instigated the complaint against Moses), and perhaps in order to be an example to the other Israelites.

So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “Please heal her, O God, I pray!” Then the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.” So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again.(Numbers 12:13–15)

Let me give a contemporary illustration of touching the anointing. A woman left our church because she was upset with me and our leadership. Not satisfied with merely leaving, she also went to the media and spoke harshly of me. She even joined with other pastors to criticize and judge my ministry. A short time later, I was informed that she had suddenly developed cancer. I prayed for her but felt in my heart that the reason such a terrible illness had befallen her was that she had dared to touch the anointing of God that is on my life. Without hesitation, I sent her a message informing her that I wanted to speak with her so her heart could heal, but she refused to come. Unfortunately, she died of cancer two years later.

As I write this, the Lord is speaking to my heart the hope that the truths expressed in this chapter will save many lives from spiritual, financial, relational, and physical death, because many people have been mistreating the mantles of God’s anointed, not knowing how delicate this matter is. If these people do not repent, judgment will come upon their lives. But if they repent, God will restore them, and they will receive the benefits of the mantles.

When someone becomes too familiar with a man or woman of God, he will not be able to gain anything from that person’s mantle.

Placing a Demand on the Anointing

Many people respect the anointings of men and women of God and are eager to receive, so they place “demands” on those anointings. To place a demand on a God-given anointing is to express a deep desire or hunger for a supernatural manifestation of God’s power in one’s own life. Demand manifests by faith. For example, when a pastor is preaching, and he suddenly stops to call someone with a specific condition to come forward for prayer, deliverance, or healing, it is sometimes because that person has made a demand on his anointing.

Some preachers struggle to minister and teach because of attitudes of familiarity and apathy on the part of the people in their congregations. When people lack respect for, and are indifferent toward, their spiritual leaders, they obviously no longer exert the same level of demand upon their anointings. As a result, the power of God fails to manifest within these leaders, and the people are unable to receive from their anointings.

When a person does not place a demand

on an anointing, he or she stops being a

recipient of that anointing.

There are many people around me, who are close to the anointing for miracles, healing, and deliverance, who prefer to visit their doctors instead of giving me the opportunity to pray for them. I fully acknowledge that God uses doctors and medicine to heal, and that it is proper, and often necessary, to consult them. Without doing so, many people alive today would have died. As believers, however, we must go to God first. Unfortunately, many people no longer have faith in the power that flows from the anointings of their spiritual leaders, so they do not seek their ministry for healing or deliverance. At other times, they do not seek the man or woman of God because they have feelings of shame or fear, which is another form of familiarity. Regardless of any shame or fear, you should seek the healing you need through a spiritual leader you trust.

If a person cannot receive from an anointing, it means that he is not ready to receive it.

Faith and the Anointing Work Together

The anointing is never received by skeptics, but only by people who actively exercise their faith. This is why, while preaching, a pastor, apostle, or evangelist tends to reach out to one segment of the congregation more than another. It is likely that someone in that sector is placing a demand on the anointing—which is another way of saying he is exercising faith. People with faith absorb the gift in the anointing, and, in the end, the preacher does not need to minister to them individually, as they have already received through the Word.

In fact, someone’s faith can keep a servant of God preaching, even when he does not want to continue. He does not always understand why he feels he must carry on, but the reason is that one or more of those listening to him are placing a demand on his anointing and not letting go until they receive what they need from God.

Individual faith can powerfully influence the anointing on a man or woman of God.

How to Receive the

Benefits of the Anointing

Let us conclude this chapter with how to receive the benefits of the anointing and how to receive an anointing, or mantle.

It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. (Psalm 133:2)

I have asked the Lord what needed to be done for my anointing to flow through my spiritual children. Then, I noticed that some of them were already flowing in the fullness of my anointing, some had only a portion of it, and others barely had it. After this, the Lord taught me four principles about receiving the benefits of the anointing.

1. Recognize the Anointing

To recognize the anointing is to realize that the leader is the person whom God has chosen as a teacher over our lives. This is the person whom God will use to help take us to our inheritance—the one whom we must learn from and follow. That man or woman is the vessel through which God will pour out the anointing into our lives and release our purpose and destiny. He or she will also lead us to flow in the same level of his or her anointing.

2. Receive the Anointing

Similarly, we must welcome this person as an anointed one and understand that his or her message is from the living Word of God. It is also important for us to understand that anointed men and women have weaknesses as well as strengths. Therefore, we cannot expect that person to be perfect before we welcome him or her.

You cannot receive the strengths of an anointed one if you do not accept the fact of his weaknesses.

3. Honor the Anointing

Honor is demonstrated verbally and materially through obedience and submission. In the Old Testament, people did not approach a man of God with empty hands, not because the anointing could be purchased but because it was a matter of honor (though sometimes the prophet did not accept the gift, as was the case with Elisha and Naaman in 2 Kings 5). The power of honoring one who is anointed or beloved of God was expressed by Jesus when He said,

He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.(Matthew 10:41–42)

Honor gives us access to the systems of reward of a man of God.

This principle of honor may be seen in the ministry of one of my spiritual sons, whom God placed under my spiritual covering when his congregation numbered only about one hundred fifty people. Today, his congregation has increased to more than two thousand, and God is using him to manifest supernatural healing, miracles, signs, and wonders. His church is one of the fastest growing in his Central American country.

4. Serve the Anointing

Serving the anointing implies working with and “sowing” into the anointing without a personal agenda. It means loving the man or woman of God and the mantle that God has deposited upon him or her. The Lord once said to me, When your disciples and spiritual children obey these principles, they will flow under your same anointing. This word has come to pass. I have witnessed it over and over again. Everyone who obeys these four principles will manifest the anointing of the mantle.

You are able only to carry the mantle

of the one you serve.

A second example of the bestowal of an anointing is the ministry of another of my spiritual sons. He came under my spiritual covering when his church had only forty attendees. Five years later, his church had more than four thousand active members, and God is powerfully using him to perform signs, miracles, and wonders in order to impact the Caribbean island where he lives.

Here are several signs that show God is releasing an anointing on us.

Signs That Indicate God

Is Releasing a New Anointing

- God gives us a hunger and thirst that cannot be satiated until we have received what we desire. When we experience this hunger and thirst, we place a demand on the anointing. Often, when I pass by people in a meeting, I feel no hunger or thirst pulling on the anointing. If God were to cut off the flow of the anointing, I would end up doing courtesy prayers.

- God adjusts our spiritual appetites. Whereas we used to settle for crumbs, now we want to eat full meals. We no longer want the spiritual milk of the Word, but we seek to satisfy our hunger with spiritual meat and vegetables. We no longer enjoy only inspirational and motivational messages because we want messages that help us to grow, mature, and become disciplined so that we can commit to God’s service and seek more of Him.

- God gives us a strong desire to change. Regardless of your age, if you are ready for change, God will give you a new anointing and impartation. Some people want new wine before they are ready to discard their old wineskins; when that is the case, God is not able to pour His new wine into them. (See, for example, Matthew 9:17.)

When God releases an anointing directly upon a person, in most cases, the person receives a revelation—a mandate from God or a supernatural visitation—as happened to Jesus and others in the Bible. God also provides for an anointing to be transferred from one person to another. One of the examples we noted was that of Elijah and Elisha.

The transfer of an anointing from one person to another can happen in three ways: (1) by experiencing, in some manner (such as through writings), the influence of the one who is anointed; (2) by being in the same spiritual “atmosphere” as the one with the anointing, such as during a healing meeting; and (3) by association, or ongoing contact and ministry with the one who is anointed.

Your blessings and destiny are closely related to those to whom God has connected you.

The reason God-ordained relationships are heavily attacked by the devil is that our blessings and destiny are closely related to those to whom God has connected us. The enemy does not fight against us without a motive. When God connects us to other people for His purposes, Satan will do anything he can to destroy those relationships, because he knows that if we never establish such connections, our full purposes will not be carried out and completed.

God will connect us to other people. Therefore, we must become wise discerners of our relationships. Most of my disciples end up becoming my spiritual children. In that type of relationship, they capture the spirit of the anointing that is upon me and learn how the Holy Spirit flows through me. When they obey the four principles previously mentioned (recognize, receive, honor, and serve), they begin to flow with the same anointing. However, those who disconnect themselves from my spiritual covering without God’s leading often lose their anointing because they have been cut off from my influence, atmosphere, and association.

The anointing you receive by association can be

lost if you begin to criticize or dishonor the mantle

you have received.

How to Receive an Anointing, or Mantle

Here are five requirements for receiving a spiritual anointing, or mantle.

1. Yearn for the Anointing

As we have seen, those who genuinely desire the anointing are the best candidates for receiving it. In the natural, if people are extremely hungry for something, they tend to forget the norms of courtesy because they seek only to satisfy their yearnings. The same is true in the spirit realm.

Hunger and thirst can manifest in an individual

when he is fully aware of his personal need to receive the anointing.

Unless we are aware of our personal need to receive an anointing, we will not seek that anointing with passion, or risk anything to acquire it. Even when we have such an awareness, we need to keep seeking until we receive the anointing. In some instances, as time passes, a passion for the anointing may begin to subside, and we may stop being attentive to the need for it in our lives. We must guard against spiritual apathy. I was once asked what was necessary for me to maintain my yearning and hunger for God’s power. My answer was plain and simple: I am always fully aware of my need for God.

2. Be Prepared to Pay the Price

When considering who might be one of my spiritual sons, I ask myself how I could give something that has taken me twenty years to build to someone who is not willing to pay the price. If we are not willing to sacrifice, we are not willing to be persecuted for the sake of the anointing. Countless preachers have cheapened the anointing. Consequently, today’s youth regard the pastoral office as one more career choice instead of a holy ministerial calling. This is one reason I don’t lay hands on people hastily. I do so only upon those who are genuine in their hunger and thirst for God’s supernatural power. I lay hands on them for three reasons:

- To activate a gift in them

- To impart my anointing to them

- To identity their purpose

The belief that the anointing is

“free” is a great misconception.

I cannot activate a spiritual gift in you if you are not willing to do God’s will. I cannot impart the anointing over you if you have not resolved to use it to bless others. Likewise, I will not lay hands on you if you do not identify with the anointing that is on me.

How much do you desire the anointing, or mantle, that rests upon a man or woman of God? How much do you love that man or woman in the Lord? Are you strong enough to endure the persecution the anointing will cause? Are you willing to accept criticism, tribulation, and rejection? I believe we are activating too many people with gifts and anointing who are rebellious by nature. Therefore, it is important for pastors to carefully choose leadership teams they can activate with their anointings and impartation.

3. Allow the Anointing to Be Planted in You

Fatherhood and discipleship are sown in believers as spiritual leaders continually teach, train, and equip them. Therefore, if we want God to give us an anointing, we must allow it to be planted in our lives by the one with the anointing. If a seed is allowed to drop to the ground, it is wasted, but if it is actively planted, it can grow and bear fruit.

When an anointing is planted, or sown, in people’s spirits, they begin to flow in that anointing because they have received it. Remember that every seed grows according to its species. I have used this principle to raise up hundreds of men and women around the world—apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, teachers, leaders, businesspeople, politicians, intercessors, elders, disciples, and mentors. All of them flow with the same anointing that I have. As the mentor/disciple or father/son relationship grows, the flow of the anointing and its manifestation also grows.

We will flow in the same anointing

as the mantle we serve.

4. Cultivate the Anointing

For the anointing to increase, we must also cultivate the anointing. This will keep us permanently connected to the source of the anointing. If we fail to do this, the anointing will weaken. In my experience with my spiritual children who have been sent to establish their own ministries, I have found that those who disconnected themselves from my anointing, for whatever reason, experienced a slowing down of the growth of their churches and of the flow of God’s power in their lives. In other words, they decelerated, and the anointing decreased. This can happen when someone operates under an anointing that was received only by association. When people stop feeding their anointing through a relationship with their mentor, it is eventually lost.

5. Develop Covenantal Relationships

As we seek an anointing, God will cause our relationships to change, because one key to becoming a carrier of the anointing is not to be emotionally tied to people who are potential obstacles to our receiving and flowing in that new anointing, especially if they have a traditional, denominational, and rigid mentality that keeps them from changing for the better. Instead, we must develop covenantal relationships with those who understand and have an appreciation for the anointing we are seeking or that we are already beginning to flow in.

Seek Divine Revelation

In closing, we must discern the present move of God. There are waves and moves of the Holy Spirit we cannot afford to overlook, or we will be left behind, only to realize later that God is no longer where we expect to find Him.

The church needs to constantly seek divine revelation. Our spiritual power and relevance, and perhaps even our spiritual survival, will be determined by the degree of preparation we undertake to walk in the supernatural. God is raising a new generation of people who know how to walk in the dimension of eternity and draw forth the wealth of the spiritual world. This generation acknowledges that the purpose of the anointing is to bless others by healing the sick and by performing miracles, signs, and wonders, as Jesus commanded. We were chosen and anointed for action. Now, we must take action, because the power of God is already in us and upon us.

Summary

- The anointing, as an integral part of God’s supernatural power, is generally the ability God gives the believer to accomplish the work of ministering in His name and serving Him.

- There is personal anointing, and there is corporate anointing; both are necessary for God’s kingdom.

- The elements used to create the holy anointing oil were myrrh—symbolizing the suffering and price of the anointing; cinnamon—representing the strength and stability of character required to flow in it; cane—representing spiritual gifts and authority; cassia—signifying prayer, praise, and worship; and olive oil—symbolizing the presence of the Holy Spirit as the One who anoints.

- The anointing is used to identify, consecrate, and prepare a man or woman to manifest God’s glory.

- Gifts and talents without the anointing will never bring glory to God.

- The mantle of the anointing is a spiritual covering, or protection.

- Jesus had two mantles: the mantel of His deity, which is His glory; and the mantle of His humanity, which is His anointing. He took off His mantle of glory to carry out His ministry in His humanity.

- The anointing is used to bless others, not for personal or selfish motives.

- Generational anointing is transferred from natural or spiritual fathers and mothers to their sons and daughters. A special anointing is placed directly upon certain men and women to carry out a specific mandate for a particular generation. Once the purpose is carried out, the anointing cannot be duplicated.

- The greatest enemy of the anointing is familiarity with a man or woman of God or with the mantle of the anointing that is upon him or her.

- The anointing is activated by faith that demands action.

- To receive the benefits of an anointing, we must recognize it, receive it, honor it, and serve it.

- For God to give us a new anointing, we must have an insatiable hunger and thirst for the anointing and a clear change in our spiritual appetite, coupled with a strong desire to change.

- The steps to receiving an anointing, or mantle, are: (1) Yearn for the anointing. (2) Be prepared to pay the price. (3) Allow the anointing to be planted in you. (4) Cultivate the anointing. (5) Develop covenantal relationships.

8

Glory: The Third Dimension

of the Supernatural

King Jesus Ministry was sponsoring a conference for leaders in Argentina, and while my musicians were ministering at one of the sessions, I felt the need for us to continue worshipping God. The worship level went deeper and deeper, and I knew that God was definitely there. Later, a woman came forward to testify what she had experienced during the worship. She had been blind in one eye and had only 30 percent vision in the other due to advanced glaucoma. This woman had experienced great difficulty in walking because she kept bumping into things and falling in the potholes in the streets. She would regularly listen to my television program but could hardly see the picture, so she would often ask God to grant her the miracle of seeing my face.

While we worshipped at this conference, she participated with her hands raised before the Lord. She completely surrendered to the worship. No one touched her. No one prayed for her. Suddenly, she felt something in her eyes. She became very emotional and joyfully shouted, “I can see the pastor! His shirt is blue!” God regenerated the lesions in her optic nerve, allowing her to see. She received her healing during worship in the midst of the glory of God, with no human intervention.

In this chapter, we will learn how God’s glory operates and how we can manifest it on the earth through revealed knowledge. We will discover how to transition from the anointing to the glory and how to awaken this generation to the benefits of moving into, and permanently remaining within, God’s presence.

What Is the Glory of God?

The Hebrew word for “glory” is kabowd. Its literal meaning is “weight,” but, figuratively, it has the sense of “splendor,” “abundance,” “honor,” or “glory.” Kabowd is used in the Old Testament to describe wealthy men of great reputation, but it is also used to refer to God.

In Greek, the word used for “glory” is doxa. This word leads to the notion of reputation, honor, fame, praise, dignity, splendor, and brilliance. Doxa speaks of the real majesty belonging to God as the Supreme Governor—the absolute perfection of His deity. God’s glory is the intrinsic essence of His presence. It is also the atmosphere and environment of that presence.

God’s glory is the manifest presence of Jehovah.

God’s glory is reflected in His creation in a multitude of ways. Paul wrote about the glory of celestial and terrestrial bodies.

There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. (1 Corinthians 15:40)

The external glory reflected by a body shows the internal condition of the same. The internal glory is its intrinsic value and worth.

Glory, “in the Beginning”

One of the most remarkable truths in Scripture is that God imparted His glory to human beings in creation.

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

In the beginning, God created man in His image and likeness, shaping him from the dust of the earth and breathing into him the breath of life. That breath included His glory. At that moment, God imparted the fullness of His virtues, nature, and glory to man.

Human beings dwelled in the atmosphere of God’s glory, and in that realm of glory, the mind of man functioned at 100 percent, because the mind of the Spirit was in him to exercise dominion over creation. Adam was so intelligent that he was able to exercise lordship over all created things without any problem. He was fully capable of carrying out this task effortlessly because he dwelled in the glory of God. Within God’s glory, man had no understanding of sickness, poverty, depression, sadness, or death, because they were not in his experience.

The Word teaches that when creation took place, everything was already fruitful and mature. I believe that Adam did not have to wait to gather a harvest in the garden of Eden, because waiting implies the passage of time, and glory is eternity, where everything is “now.” Plants and trees grew as seeds hit the ground. In the dimension of glory, the earth was completely fertile. Its order was harvest/seed rather than seed/harvest.

Likewise, Adam and his wife, Eve, did not undergo the stages of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual growth that we must endure. It is important to note here that, as a Man, Jesus did experience each stage of human growth, and this is why He has the ability to comprehend what it feels like to be a child, a teenager, and an adult. He understands what it feels like to be rejected, judged, and condemned. (See Hebrews 4:15.) But these experiences were unknown to Adam in the garden.

The Loss of God’s Presence, or Glory

Tragically, Adam and Eve disobeyed God, bringing sin and death into the world:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned….(Romans 5:12)

When God went looking for Adam and Eve in the garden and talked with them, He explained the deep consequences of their disobedience, cursed the earth, and withdrew His presence from them. (See Genesis 3:8–24.) In fact, I believe that He inhaled His glory from Adam and Eve, resulting in their spiritual deaths. At that moment, human beings exited the dimension of glory and also began to experience physical death, even though the deaths of their bodies did not come immediately.

We could say that the residue of glory that lingered in Adam was enough to enable him to live to the age of nine hundred thirty years. (See Genesis 5:5.) That inheritance was passed down for a number of generations, so that many of his descendants also enjoyed years of life into the hundreds.

As we discuss the glory of God, it is important to note that the word glory is often applied to fallen humanity in a different context. We speak of the “glory” of men and the “glory” of the world. The Bible generally describes these types of glory as vain and temporal, consisting only of prestige, fame, position, comfort, reputation, and recognition. (See, for example, 1 Corinthians 1:29.) This “glory” is nothing like the honor, fame, praise, dignity, splendor, and brilliance of the glory of God.

The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the world.(1 John 2:16)

Everything that has God’s glory has life.

Death indicates an absence of His glory.

When Adam and Eve sinned, something also shifted in the mind of man. Many lines of genuine knowledge were disconnected from their original source, and human beings lost a major percentage of the usage of their brains. Today, scientists have discovered that we use only a small amount of our cerebral capacity, which could lead us to the conclusion that Adam substituted limited rational knowledge for infinite revealed knowledge. Albert Einstein, whose ability to reason well exceeded that of the average human, used a little more brain capacity than most of us. Yet, if the average man, despite his limitations, has been able to make so many discoveries, travel into space, and develop cures for countless sicknesses, among other achievements, imagine how spectacular Adam’s mind must have been under God’s glory! Our full redemption in Christ includes the recovery of our mental capacity. I believe this is what the Bible is referring to when it urges us to renew our minds. While full restoration may not occur until we receive our resurrected bodies, remember that faith is “now,” and we should always ask God for His knowledge and creativity to be manifested through us.

We have seen that after the fall of man, God cursed the land, and man was disconnected from His glory. The process of provision was no longer harvest/seed, as it was in the beginning, but seed/time/harvest.

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.

(Genesis 8:22)

Today, in many areas of our lives, we go from process to process, each process taking time to complete. As a result of the curse, which has left us dependent on time, we must wait to gather the harvest or reach a goal. The revelation of God’s glory, which He desires to give to each one of us, is that everything is complete in His presence. Remember, this is precisely why God gave us faith—to “break” the law of time. When His presence manifests itself, everything in the natural accelerates, and the supernatural appears.

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed.” (Amos 9:13)

The key word in this verse is “overtake.” God promises to loosen the house, the job, or anything else we need, as long as we believe we will receive it. I have seen God cancel debt instantaneously. This is one good reason for us to stay full of faith. Our seed will activate the promise of God to accelerate His provision.

God Reveals His Glory

Even though human beings lost the breath of God and the environment of His glory when they sinned, God desired to restore them to His presence. He continued to reveal His glory to His people over the millennia—especially in the life and ministry Jesus Christ, who is “God with us” (Matthew 1:23), and the gift of the Holy Spirit—as He unfolded His restoration plan.

How has God revealed Himself on the earth? God’s glory is the visible and tangible manifestation of His presence impacting the physical senses of human beings. It is God making Himself known to us by “moving” from the spiritual realm to the natural realm. Let us look at some biblical examples of His manifest presence.

- God appeared to Abraham.

The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran. (Acts 7:2)

The physical manifestation of God’s glory transformed Abraham forever, changing his life, motives, priorities, and intentions and prompting him to seek the Promised Land. Likewise, anyone who experiences a visitation of God’s glory should be transformed forever. People transformed by God’s glory receive revelation from Him and bring forth His glory to the natural dimension.

- God manifested His glory to the Israelite nation.

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. (Exodus 13:21)

God manifested His glory to the Israelites in the form of a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. The cloud protected the people from the sweltering heat of the desert during the day, and the fire kept them warm at night, when the temperatures dipped to near freezing. The cloud is known as the shekinah, which is God’s eminent, transcendent presence. Shekinah is a Hebrew word that indicates the “dwelling place of God” or “place where God rests.” It refers to the dwelling or settling presence of God among His people. Shekinah comes from the root word shakan, meaning “to settle down, abide, dwell, tabernacle, reside.” God’s will and desire have always included dwelling, resting, and living among His people.

Under the protective covering of the glory—the shekinah—many supernatural events took place on behalf of the Israelites: the Red Sea opened before them, manna descended from heaven, and their footwear never wore out. During the forty years they walked the desert, no one experienced sickness (unless they rebelled against the Lord), and God provided water from a rock and kept their enemies from destroying them.

God’s glory also manifested in the form of a cloud when Solomon’s temple was dedicated. It was the sign that informed the people that Jehovah was dwelling among them. These are only a few of God’s supernatural manifestations on behalf of His people.

- God revealed His glory through Christ.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

The New Testament tells us that Jesus came to reveal the fullness of the Father’s glory. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus led us back to that dimension of glory in which we could walk as Adam had in the beginning.

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory….

(Hebrews 2:9–10)

Jesus suffered shame and death so

we could share in His glory.

Everything the Father is—His virtues, attributes, character, nature, power, authority, and grace—was manifested in His Son. Furthermore, Jesus promised to manifest Himself to those who obeyed His Word. (See John 14:21.)

Just before His arrest, Jesus prayed to the Father, asking Him to return the glory that humanity had lost so that each believer could live in its manifestation.

And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:…that they may behold My glory which You have given Me. (John 17: 22, 24)

The final objective of Jesus’ sacrifice was to restore human beings to the realm of God’s glory, for which we were created. Here is another testimony about what can happen when we enter into the dimension of God’s glory.

A man infected with HIV visited our church. At the time, he was only a carrier of the virus, but, as the illness increasingly manifested itself, he started to feel weaker and weaker until even his skin color began to change. He became very pale and suffered from chronic fatigue. His condition caused him great stress. He was unable to sleep, frequently vomited, and had dark blotches on his skin that were spreading across his body. His condition worsened to the point that his immune system completely shut down.

When he came to church, I prayed for him and declared his healing from the dimension of God’s glory. I knew that his sickness was incurable according to medical science, but I also knew of God’s supernatural power, which is capable of doing the impossible. Because that man’s desire to live was so great, he received the Word and claimed his healing. In the same slow and progressive way he had seen his illness advance, day by day, he also began to watch it disappear. The blotches started to fade, and lab tests confirmed that his immune system was showing signs of improvement. A short time later, he regained his strength and vitality. Eventually, God healed him completely! Today, he is a minister in our church, a man with a powerful gift of service, full of gratitude to God, and a passion for the ministry of intercession.

Entering Into the Knowledge

of God’s Glory

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory! (Isaiah 6:3)

Scripture affirms that the earth is full of God’s glory, but the channel that grants us access to the manifestation of His glory in the natural realm is revealed knowledge, or revelation by the Holy Spirit. While it is true that God’s presence is everywhere, it is also true that He does not manifest everywhere.

God created the heavens and the earth and filled them with His glory. However, I want to highlight Genesis 1, which informs us that before God initiated the process of creation, He sent His Holy Spirit to “set up camp” with His energy—His glory—in order to make creation possible.

And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.(Genesis 1:2)

When God plans to do something, He first sends His Holy Spirit, followed by His Word.

Paul made reference to God’s “energy,” or glory, as he affirmed the following:

To this end I also labor, striving according to His working [energeia] which works [energeo] in me mightily. (Colossians 1:29)

The literal translation of this verse suggests that Paul worked hard and gave his best because of the energy, or power, God gave him. This energy activated a miraculous power within Paul that elevated his capacity, potential, and authority.

Have you ever felt completely exhausted when you entered a church service but had your strength renewed and your hope encouraged when God’s presence manifested? If the answer is yes, it is because you experienced a touch of God’s powerful energy.

God’s glory provides the necessary

energy to create any matter.

Ever since the fall of man, human beings have had difficulty seeing and working with God’s glory. But if His glory exists on the earth and has the power to create, then God can form a new heart, lung, ear, eye, arm, or any other organ someone may be missing. This type of creative miracle happens only when God moves His Holy Spirit and then acts on His Word. The key is to call forth a visible manifestation of God’s glory in the natural realm.

God’s glory cannot be understood without knowledge.

I have seen miracles occur when we declare the Word of God from the dimension of His glory. Let me share the story of a woman who was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis at the age of nine. At that time, the doctors removed one of her lungs to stop any advancement of the illness. She felt better, but, in the years that followed, although the illness was under control, her breathing capacity never returned to normal. This woman never felt well. For the next twenty years, she suffered from extreme exhaustion, chronic pain, and sporadic bleeding. As time when on, her remaining lung began to bleed more frequently. Her doctors agreed that her symptoms were getting progressively worse.

The first time this woman visited our church, it was because someone had invited her to attend one of our Healing and Miracle Services. During the service, when I declared that creative miracles would take place, she believed God and took hold of her miracle. Instantly, she felt herself breathing at a faster and stronger pace. This was an experience she was unfamiliar with. Then, she took a step of faith and ran to the altar. Afterward, she returned to her doctor, who ordered that X-rays be taken. When these new X-rays were compared to her previous ones, the doctors made a discovery—she now had two lungs. “This is a miracle!” exclaimed the surprised doctor. God had created a new, healthy, fully functioning lung within her. “God gave me a new lung! I have two good lungs!” shouted this daughter of God.

God’s glory is on earth. Now, all we need is the knowledge to manifest it.

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14)

The word “knowledge,” as used in this verse, is the Hebrew word yada, which means to have intimate knowledge of something, or to know someone on an intimate level. It is used in Genesis 4:1 to describe sexual intimacy between Adam and Eve.

In Greek, the two words for “knowledge” are gnosis and epignosis. The former indicates scientific or theoretical knowledge, and the latter refers to observable, practical knowledge. There is a place for both types of knowledge, but revealed knowledge comes to our spirits by the Holy Spirit when we have a close, intimate relationship with God. Knowledge of God is something to be experienced, not merely “stored” in our minds.

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge [epignosis] of Him.(Ephesians 1:17)

Knowledge will never become ours until we obey it, practice it, and experience it.

God’s glory must be revealed by the Holy Spirit; it cannot be discovered by research or understood by reason. It must be experienced! Bringing forth His glory cannot be reduced to a formula because the glory can be initiated only by God and for God. Thus, there are no specific “rules” that we can follow in order to activate and flow in His glory. What I have written in this chapter is simply what God revealed to me in order to establish a foundation in His church to receive the glory He wants to bring to it. I believe that our generation will see the former glory (represented by the miracles of the Old Testament) and the latter glory (represented by the miracles Jesus predicted would occur in the church) manifesting together. God is raising up apostles and prophets to bring this revelation to our generation. He is opening the heavens and pouring out the revelation we need to manifest His glory, because, without it, we will never see beyond what we can see today. For centuries, the church has been seeking manifestations of power without much success, not because God chose to withhold them but because the church lacked the required faith and knowledge to manifest His glory. Manifestations of His glory will take place only when the spiritual foundation is established and the necessary knowledge is revealed—whether from the Scriptures or from a fresh revelation from God.

A revelation from God will undoubtedly lead you to a supernatural experience.

If there was ever a time when God desired to deliver revealed knowledge of His glory, I believe it is now. Many biblical prophets, including Isaiah, Habakkuk, and Haggai, prophesied of the glory but never fully experienced it. They died with their hopes rooted in a later era. (See Hebrews 11:39–40.) We are living in the final move of God, in which the earth will be full of visible manifestations of His knowledge and glory. Then, we will experience the greatest demonstrations of His presence ever seen in history, and no person will be able to attribute that glory to himself.

For God’s glory to manifest, it must be captured, received, and recognized by our spirits through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. I know several people who experienced manifestations of God’s glory but were unable to continue in them because their knowledge was imparted to them by someone else. In other words, they lacked a direct revelation from God.

If a person never receives revelation, he will not see continuous manifestations.

The mistake many people make is that they move into the dimension of glory for a short time and later return to the dimension of the anointing because they fail to allow God to take the initiative. Thus, they have learned to operate by faith under the anointing, but they have never learned to move in the glory because it is a mysterious dimension in which the initiative belongs to God. Glory demands an even greater degree of humility and dependence on God. It demands pure motives and boldness in the Holy Spirit.

God will not visit us with His glory beyond the revelation we have of it.

If the Lord visits us with His glory and we are not ready for it, it can destroy us. If He brings forth unusual manifestations, creative miracles, signs, and wonders, but we lack the revelation to receive them, we will judge and criticize what is happening, thereby grieving the Holy Spirit. When the manifestation of God’s glory comes, we must know how to respond to it. Otherwise, we may be like Uzzah, who disobeyed God, even with the best of intentions, by reaching out to steady the ark of the covenant when God had strictly forbidden that it be touched.

Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. (2 Samuel 6:7)

The glory that is manifested to us can also

destroy us if we are not ready for it.

How the Manifest Glory Operates

The manifest glory of God operates on the basis of the following:

1. The Will of God

Again, the original intent of God’s heart has always been to manifest His presence to His people. Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23).

2. God’s Sovereignty

God does what He wants, when He wants, and in the manner He wants. Sadly, many believers have grown accustomed to denying the Holy Spirit the freedom to exercise His divine sovereignty in their personal lives and in their churches. As a result, the services they attend are monotonous and lack supernatural manifestations. We must allow the Holy Spirit to manifest the sovereignty of God and permit the Lord to do as He wills. As it says in Ecclesiastes,

Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases.

(Ecclesiastes 8:3 niv)

3. Our Obedience to What God Has Already Ordained

It is God’s prerogative to initiate the action and move as He desires. However, there are times when He will not initiate the action because He wants us to do what He has already told us to do in His Word. When this is the case, we should do what He has commanded, making sure that we understand His command. We must avoid inventing something to do just to “get it over and done with,” in hopes that He will manifest Himself. For example, God has specifically ordained that we evangelize, make disciples, heal the sick, and cast out demons. This is the proper action for us to take.

In contrast, consider the example of King Saul, who acted in an improper way when he waited for only a certain period of time for the prophet Samuel to arrive and offer the sacrifice to the Lord—in direct disobedience to God’s command. When the prophet delayed, Saul decided to do it himself—which he was not permitted to do. (See 1 Samuel 13:6–14.) Do you see the difference? Saul’s disobedience cost him the kingship—and his relationship with the Lord.

Most believers understand the concept of God’s sovereignty, but they don’t understand how to live in it by faith. On the occasions when God’s presence has not yet manifested, we must exercise our faith, anointing, and gifts. If we do nothing, always waiting for God to take the initiative, then we are taking things to the extreme. For example, if we feel that the Holy Spirit has not sovereignly touched the lost during a service, causing them to respond without being prompted, we should still, by faith, make a call for people to receive salvation. Since God has already commanded us to do this, we should not wait for Him to make the next move. Clearly, the next move is our responsibility.

The Difference Between

Anointing and Glory

Let us be clear about the distinctions between the dimension of anointing and the dimension of glory, in preparation for our next topic, which is how to transition from the anointing to the glory.

- The anointing is for the earth and can operate only in our world. Glory testifies of the powers of the coming age because it is the atmosphere of heaven. Just as air is the atmosphere of earth, glory is the atmosphere of heaven.

- The anointing prepares us for the glory that is God’s presence.

- The anointing gives us the ability or power to stand in God’s presence; the glory is His presence.

- With the anointing, the believer takes the initiative through his or her gifts and faith. With the glory, God takes the initiative.

- With the anointing, faith places a demand on the mantle of an individual; with the glory, faith places a demand upon God’s presence.

- The anointing was given to heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead, but the glory of God makes sickness, Satan’s power, and death illegal.

- With the anointing, Jesus is the Healer; with the glory, He is the Creator.

- We work in the anointing; we worship and rest in the glory.

- With the anointing, we experience God’s power leaving us; with the glory, the power comes directly from God.

After operating under the anointing for a long period time during a meeting, I feel physically exhausted because many people have placed a demand upon the anointing God put within me. Perhaps this is similar to what Jesus felt when the bleeding woman touched His robe and received healing.

Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”(Mark 5:30)

However, when I operate in the glory, instead of feeling tired, I feel full of energy because God is doing all the work. In the glory, God does not need my human effort. The anointing is the divine power God gives His servants to carry out their callings on earth. The anointing is amazing and holy, and we will continue to operate under it whenever the glory or presence of God does not manifest.

The Transition from the

Anointing to the Glory

God is leading many believers on the path of transition from the anointing to the glory so that they can enter into the river of God’s shekinah. Those who resist the transition will become stuck and will be unable to participate in this final move of God. Because they are afraid of the demand that seeking and living in the glory will make on them, many have decided not to make the transition. But if God sees a sincere heart that is desperate for His glory, He will not allow that faithful one to be deterred.

We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us.

(2 Corinthians 10:13)

A man knows he is in the dimension of glory

when he no longer operates in his personal measure

of faith or anointing.

To progress from one level of anointing to another requires a strong set of spiritual exercises, including fasting, prayer, and the thorough study of God’s Word. However, after a person has advanced through various levels of anointing, there will come a time when he will reach a peak and can go no further. When this happens, the person is ready to make the transition from anointing to glory. The transition into glory, remember, requires revealed knowledge, even though spiritual exercise will also be necessary.

The anointing will not grow unless we use it with discipline and good stewardship.

We must decide to make the transition from anointing to glory. If you have reached a level of faith in which nothing new is happening, you are a candidate to enter into the dimension of glory. I believe that God is raising a generation of spiritual pioneers who hunger and thirst for His glory and who are willing to enter into the next measure of faith, as well as the dimension of glory—men and women who are willing to pay the price and who wholeheartedly desire to see the manifestation of the glory of God.

O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.(Psalm 63:1–2)

Until now, God’s desires for this generation have not been satisfied. Now, only God’s move will suffice; it will fill us completely. Cry out to God so that the revelation of His glory will descend on your life in this season.

How the Three Supernatural

Dimensions Work Together

By reviewing the dimensions of the supernatural—faith, the anointing, and the glory—we can understand how they differ from one another and how they work in conjunction with one another.

Faith is the ability given to the believer by God to enter into the spirit realm. Anointing is the ability given to the believer by God to do whatever He has called him to do; it is the life of Jesus working through His body, the church. Glory is the presence of God manifested in visible form. It is God Himself doing His works and operating according to His sovereignty and initiative.

A dimension is not just one step—it is something deep, wide, and long, similar to what we read in the Scriptures about the love of Christ:

That you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height; to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge. (Ephesians 3:17–19)

As we established earlier, we are to move “from faith to faith”

(Romans 1:17)—from one dimension of faith to a higher dimension of faith.

The anointing (as well as faith) prepares us to receive the glory, which is God’s manifest presence. In short, faith calls the anointing, but the anointing calls the glory.

There are many levels of the anointing. When we exercise our spiritual gifts, we can minister to one or several members of the body of Christ. When we operate under the anointing, we can reach multitudes. However, with the glory, we can reach and impact nations. If something took ten years to accomplish under the anointing, we will be able to do it in one year under the glory.

This type of acceleration is what happened to Peter at the Sea of Tiberias. After he had spent a night of fishing without success, Jesus appeared on the shore and gave the order to cast the nets on the other side of the boat. It took Peter and his fellow disciples only a few minutes to fill the net with hundreds of fish. (See John 21:1–8.) When the glory of God manifests, everything moves quickly.

Acceleration can happen in churches that stopped growing after reaching a few hundred members. When the glory of God manifests, churches supernaturally explode, growing into the thousands in a short time.

The Bible relates a similar event in Acts when the apostles started to preach the gospel of the kingdom. In one day, after the apostles received the power of the Holy Spirit, three thousand people were converted and baptized. (See Acts 2:41.)

Overcoming Darkness with the Glory

Today, the people of the world are shrouded by darkness. As we discussed in the introduction to this book, the news headlines are filled with wars, famines, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, violence, pestilence, and genocide. Cruelty and injustice are reported each day.

For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. (Isaiah 60:2)

As the darkness grows darker, God’s light will shine brighter. We must choose sides; we are either with Jesus or against Him. Do you love the light? Then, run toward it. Do you love the darkness? If our works are evil, we will reject the light, which is His glory. (See John 3:19–21.)

He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.(Revelation 22:11)

Now is the time to choose. We cannot remain neutral. There will be a time when we will have established ourselves in obedience or disobedience. We must not be deceived into thinking that salvation is a static state, because it is not. Salvation is a way of life in which we are to go from one dimension of glory to another dimension of glory.

Will you run to the light? Will you be part of the glory, or will you continue to live in darkness? Are you willing to pay the price to move in His glory? The life of the surrendered believer becomes brighter with each passing day, more glorious than the dawn.

The essence of Christian living consists

in becoming like Jesus.

Jesus will come for a glorious church that will manifest God’s tangible and visible glory with miracles, healings, signs, and wonders. Every believer who is sanctified and separated for Him will be a vessel of both the latter and former glories that will invade this world. I believe the day is coming when a carrier of God’s glory will step through the door of a hospital, and all the patients within will be instantaneously healed. I believe the day is coming when it will be a normal occurrence for believers to raise the dead. In these last days, I believe that the media will cover all types of manifestations worked by average Christians who choose to separate themselves for God’s exclusive use. I consider myself to be one of these Christians because I have an insatiable desire to see the former glory and the latter glory manifest together. It will be unlike anything that has ever been seen. Dear reader, the decision is yours, and I sincerely pray that you will make the right one.

The earth is full of the glory of God, and He is revealing it to this generation in order to bring great manifestations. God is raising a generation with a different mentality—a generation of those who are willing to run and be carriers of His divine glory. We must decide today whether or not we want to enter into the realm of His glory. This is not a matter of one believer having a ministry but of the sovereignty of God initiating manifestations of miracles, signs, and wonders. It is a blessing to be alive and to witness God’s glory manifest everywhere, right in front of our eyes!

Summary

- The Hebrew and Greek words for “glory” convey splendor, abundance, honor, reputation, fame, praise, dignity, and brilliance.

- God’s glory is the intrinsic essence of His presence. It is also the atmosphere and environment of that presence.

- Adam was born under the glory, and he never experienced a process of physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual growth. He never had to wait for the earth to produce fruit. The seed of every plant produced fruit instantaneously. Adam had a brilliant mind because the mind of the Spirit was in him.

- The moment Adam and Eve sinned, God inhaled His glory from them, and man became a mortal being sustained physically by the residue of the glory he once enjoyed.

- God’s glory on earth is the visible and tangible manifestation of His presence impacting the physical senses of human beings.

- God revealed His glory through Jesus and all His divine virtues.

- The channel through which we can reach the manifestation of the glory of God is revealed knowledge through the Holy Spirit.

- When God wants to do a miracle, He moves His Holy Spirit and then acts on His Word. He is capable of creating anything.

- God will not visit us with His glory beyond the revelation we have of it.

- Faith and the anointing operate by human initiative; glory works by divine initiative.

- Faith calls the anointing, but the anointing calls the glory.

9

Miracles, Signs, Wonders,

and Casting Out Demons

As we examine the Bible, we discover it to be a book full of miracles, signs, and wonders, from Genesis all the way to Revelation. It is an account of the most important events realized by a supernatural God. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, walked the earth, healing the sick and performing other miracles as clear signs of His deity. But it did not end there. The mission and power He delegated apply to believers of all times. We, too, can perform miracles, signs, and wonders in His name.

Jesus’ life is associated with numerous miracles. His conception and birth through a young virgin was a miracle. His knowledge and wisdom, which confused the erudite experts in the Jewish law, were miracles. His entire ministry was a torrent of miracles that inspired awe and wonder in the multitudes that witnessed them. His crucifixion, death, and resurrection were also miraculous events. After His resurrection, He delegated His mission to His disciples by giving them the same supernatural power He had exhibited on earth. As its name implies, the book of Acts is filled with accounts of many miracles, signs, and wonders performed by the disciples of Jesus. These are descriptions of supernatural “acts” that took place after the Holy Spirit descended upon the faithful. Through them, the early church was able to proclaim Jesus’ name with power and supernatural evidence. Today, we have the same privilege. We are the continuation of His miracle ministry. When miracles are absent from Christianity, there is nothing to offer an unbelieving world but another form of religion with the appearance of godliness. (See 2 Timothy 3:5.)

Christianity is life—the nature of Jesus manifested through His people. In the Old Testament, one of the purposes of miracles was to divert people’s attention from their worship of pagan gods and lead them to worship the one true God. In those days, when miracles ceased, people quickly reverted to their old rituals and pagan ceremonies. The same thing is happening today. Most churches are full of people who need a miracle from God today, because tomorrow they will look for it somewhere else.

My Experience with Jesus,

the Miracle-Working God

I have enjoyed many incredible personal experiences with my beloved Jesus:

- I have seen Jesus perform miracles, signs, and wonders in His Word.

- I have personally witnessed the real, resurrected Christ performing miracles, signs, and wonders through other men and women, both in the past and the present.

- I have personally experienced, and continue to experience, being used by God to perform miracles, signs, and wonders.

- I work to teach, train, and equip others to be used by God in ministries of miracles.

I have witnessed the blind see, the deaf-mute hear and speak, and the lame walk. I have seen people suffering from cancer, AIDS, and other supposedly incurable diseases walk away completely healed. I have seen flesh and bone created where there were none before. I have witnessed wonderfully unusual miracles, such as the growth of new teeth, the regrowth of hair on bald heads, and the loss of weight in mere seconds. All of these miracles were done in the powerful name of Jesus. No longer must we go back to the days of the apostles to read of miracles. We can see them with our own eyes. Jesus was raised from the dead, He is alive, and He continues to perform miracles today! I have experienced these miracles in over forty countries, and you can experience them, too.

You can know that Jesus lives by seeing Him perform the same miracles He did while He walked on earth.

If the Christianity you practice is not based on the miraculous, then all you have is a dead religion. The world needs to see the resurrected Christ, the One who lives and continues to perform miracles as a sign of His love. One problem with “religious Christianity” is its inability to bring Jesus into the present—into the now. People focus on the past and pray for the future, but they ignore the present. If Jesus is unable to do miracles today, why call Him God? If God cannot perform miracles, how can we refer to Him as being love? I pray that while you read this chapter, the supernatural experiences I have witnessed and shared with you in this book will take place in your life. I am praying for you to receive a creative miracle of healing and, later, to be able to go and do the same for others.

Genuine faith brings Jesus into the now.

I believe that God is loosening the most extraordinary miracles, signs, and wonders the world has ever seen. Each miracle will impact cities, nations, and continents, as happened in the book of Acts. This will cause people to believe that Christ is Lord and to kneel before Him.

Let us recognize that Jesus performed miracles through many different means. The Holy Spirit does not always do things in the same way. Sometimes, Jesus barely touched a person whom He healed. At other times, He laid hands on someone. In various cases, He declared the Word, touched a deaf person’s ears, or made mud with His saliva and put it on a blind person’s eyes. If we desire the supernatural, we must be flexible and ready to obey the Holy Spirit at a moment’s notice.

To help us better understand the supernatural, let’s define some fundamental terms I have been using throughout this book and examine the differences between them: healing, miracles, signs, wonders, and the casting out of demons.

What Is Healing?

In the original Greek of the New Testament, several words are used to describe healing, although we will look at only the three that are used most often. The first is iasis, which means “a healing, cure.” It generally refers to an act of healing, such as in the following verse:

Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures [iasis] today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.(Luke 13:32)

The second word, therapeia, means “a service rendered by one to another…a specific medical service: curing, healing,” but it could also refer to services other than healing. The word “therapy” derives from this word.

They followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing [therapeia].(Luke 9:11)

The third word, iama, points us to the depth of God’s power to heal because, in addition to meaning “a cure,” or “a healing,” this word derives from a root word, iaomai, a verb that can mean “make whole.” Making people whole was the ministry of Jesus, as seen in this verse:

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing [iaomai] all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

(Acts 10:38)

The following is an account of someone who was made whole in her body through the power of God.

During a testimony service, a woman came to the altar who had been diagnosed with an autoimmune illness that was attacking and destroying several of her internal organs, including her liver. She suffered from spontaneous bleeding, and her doctors had warned her that she was at risk of dying. In addition, she suffered from diabetes, and kidney dialysis was becoming a part of her daily routine. As part of her treatment, she had undergone approximately three hundred blood transfusions.

We prayed for her, and the Lord did an extraordinary healing. A few days later, she found that she was able to walk normally. In the days that followed, she began to recover progressively. Today, she testifies that she is born again and completely healed. The results of her earlier medical tests confirm what her health status was prior to her miracle—her condition was without hope, medically speaking. Subsequent medical tests document the fact that, today, she is completely healthy. God’s power healed her supernaturally. This woman remembers her doctors’ diagnosis that she would probably never recover. “But, I am alive,” she confirms with a smile, “because God healed me!”

I know many believers who personally understand what Paul meant when he confessed that he had a thorn in his flesh. (See 2 Corinthians 12:7.) I know of those who have experienced boils, as Job did (see Job 2:7); stomach pain, like Timothy had (see 1 Timothy 5:23); and much more. Some think that sickness is a punishment sent by God, or that their suffering brings glory to God. Others use the Bible to try to justify their illnesses. None of these perspectives is scripturally correct. Few of these people can quote verses on healing because many of their pastors have failed to teach on the subject.

My dear brothers and sisters, if we fail to teach and preach on the supernatural miracles of God, people will lack the faith to believe in miracles, and unbelievers will not be persuaded to trust in God.

According to Scripture, the power of sickness was destroyed by Christ over two thousand years ago. If this is so, why are people still getting sick? In truth, sickness expired the day Jesus paid the price for our iniquities on the cross of Calvary. Therefore, it is illegal for sickness to enter the bodies of believers. Healing is not a divine gift; it is a legal right. Yet the church continues to seek the “gift” of healing more than the “right” of healing.

Healing is a legal right that belongs to the believer—both to receive and to impart to others.

What Is a Miracle?

As I mentioned earlier, one of the main Greek words that is translated “power” in the New Testament is dunamis. Dunamis is the dynamic, explosive power of God. Miracles are manifestations of God’s supernatural power. They are His visible, spontaneous, and sudden intervention in the normal course of people’s lives; they are “interruptions” of the natural laws of time, space, and matter.

Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds [dunamis]. (2 Corinthians 12:12)

The following testimony shows the undeniable works of miraculous power that God performs.

While I was ministering in the Republic of El Salvador among some fifteen hundred Christian leaders, God’s glory suddenly descended, and several people saw a visible cloud of His glory in the auditorium. We learned in the previous chapter that when God’s glory manifests, miracles begin to take place without any need for prayer. They take place not because of human anointing but because God chooses to perform miracles in His perfect will. Among those present at this meeting was a doctor who, several years prior, had had her auditory system surgically removed and the opening of her ear completely closed on one side of her head. It was physiologically impossible for her to hear anything from that side. Under the presence of the glory of God, however, she came to the altar, crying tears of joy, to testify of God’s great power. “I can hear on the side of my head on which the ear was removed, the side that doesn’t have an auditory system!” No one was more qualified than she, a doctor, to testify of and confirm this miracle. Medically speaking, it was impossible for her to hear through that ear, but God had created a new auditory system. It happened in the midst of the presence of His glory. God is amazing!

The Difference Between

a Healing and a Miracle

A miracle is an instantaneous event that is evident to the human senses, while healing is progressive. A miracle, therefore, produces a change that goes beyond healing. In the aforementioned testimonies, note that, in the case of the healing of the woman with the autoimmune illness, God restored human organs to their proper function. But in the case of the miracle of the auditory system, God created something that had not been there before.

Everyone wants miracles. Humanity is crying out for a living God. The call for a miracle is not a sign of ignorance or weakness but an intense desire to connect with the invisible God and to see Him in action. Some people maintain that education can take the place of miracles, so we don’t need them any longer. Regardless of how effective education can be, it will never eliminate or nullify the need for the supernatural.

A miracle performed in the name of Jesus is more valuable than a year of academic theory.

Here is a powerful testimony that demonstrates the miraculous intervention of God.

During a service we conducted in Mexico, a fifteen-year-old boy, accompanied by his mother, came forward to testify. He had arrived at the service in a wheelchair because his doctors had diagnosed him with chronic renal failure, a condition that destroys kidney function. In essence, they had told the young man that he was slowly dying. According to the doctors, his liver was too small and his heart was too large. As a result, his kidneys had been seriously compromised. His physical growth had also stopped due to the illness.

This boy came to the altar, and he could not stop crying. When I asked him why, all he could say was, “I am crying because I am happy. I was going to die, but today, God healed me!” He and his mother had traveled from a small town two hours away, thanks to the help of friends who had prayed for God to perform a miracle. This young man was testifying to the world. He cried tears of joy, knowing that God had done a powerful miracle in his life. He no longer needed to use his wheelchair. His heart was beating with a normal rhythm, and he had two newly created and fully functioning kidneys. When I asked his mother what she was feeling, she simply said, “The best Doctor healed my dying son.”

What Is a Sign?

In the New Testament, the Greek word translated “sign” is semeion, which means “an indication, especially ceremonial or supernatural—miracle, sign, token, wonder.” A sign is a demonstration of God’s love or a seal that signifies that a person is distinguished or acknowledged. Semeion refers to a wondrous occurrence that takes place in an unusual way and transcends the common course of the natural world. God uses signs to verify those whom He has sent, as well as to prove that the cause they are defending comes from Him.

Signs Glorify God and His Son Jesus

God uses signs not only to help people but also to give glory to His Son Jesus. We must pay close attention to this point, because there is a great difference between recognizing the signs that follow us as believers (see Mark 16:17–18) and worshipping those signs. God prohibits our worship of signs. Yes, signs will follow those whom He sends, but only when their passion for God goes beyond their passion for the appearance of signs.

The following is an example of a sign we experienced while ministering in Mexico.

During a healing service, a man whose left thumb was shorter than his right thumb by almost an inch prayed, with his eyes closed, asking God for a creative miracle for his thumb. At that moment, he felt the sensation of heat in his hand. When he opened his eyes, he saw that his left thumb had grown! He placed both of his hands together and showed those around him that both of his thumbs were now the same length. This man was deeply touched, crying over what God had done for him. Beyond the miracle, however, this occurrence served as a sign to all those present that God was restoring the apostolic ministry in Mexico. The glory always belongs to God!

Seven Signs That Prove Jesus Is the Son of God

This beginning of signs [semeion] Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

(John 2:11)

As I mentioned briefly in a previous chapter, the gospel of John describes seven miraculous signs Jesus performed that demonstrate His deity. Each sign has its own profound meaning.

1. At a wedding in Cana, Jesus turned water into wine. (See John 2:1–10.) This sign marked the transition from the prophetic ministry of John the Baptist under the old covenant to the ministry of Jesus the Messiah under the new covenant and the kingdom of God. It marked the transition from the old wine to the new wine. And, as the Scripture above says, “This beginning of signs…manifested [Jesus’] glory; and His disciples believed in Him” (verse 11).

2. Jesus healed a nobleman’s son in Capernaum. (See John 4:46–54.) This sign showed the importance of believing in God by faith in the authority of His Word rather than relying only on His works. It marked Jesus’ authority over the limits of space and time.

3. Jesus healed a lame man at the pool of Bethesda. (See John 5:1–15.) This sign symbolized the need for people to leave behind the wounds of their pasts and to move forward in God. It marked their transition from that which had paralyzed them and was preventing them from experiencing the kingdom of God to new life as God’s children.

4. Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves and two small fish. (See John 6:1–13.) This was a metaphor for becoming an instrument through which God can multiply provisions and spiritually feed the multitudes. It marked Jesus’ authority over the limits of quantity.

5. Jesus walked on water. (See John 6:16–21.) This marked Jesus’ authority over the elements of nature.

6. Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth by covering his eyes with mud. (See John 9:1–7.) This illustrated the limits of religious blindness and of the Pharisaic mentality. It demonstrated how the Son of God restores spiritual vision and has authority over human misfortune.

7. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. (See John 11:1–45.) This symbolized that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and that He exercises dominion over death.

The purpose of these signs was to prove that Jesus was the Messiah and that He was capable of giving people eternal life, along with the ability to understand spiritual truth and to experience intimate communion with God the Father. Each sign pointed not to a human being, a church, or an organization, but only to Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Man.

What Is a Wonder?

The Greek word for “wonder” is teras, meaning “a wonder,” “a marvel.” It describes something unusual that dazzles and amazes the spectator. Wonders are God’s divine acts.

Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders [teras] and signs were done through the apostles. (Acts 2:43)

The difference between a sign and a wonder is that “a sign is intended to appeal to the understanding, a ‘wonder’ appeals to the imagination.”2 The purpose of wonders, such as the apostles performed, is to amaze people with the power of God and to lead them to receive the gospel. The following testimony describes a wonder.

While we were worshipping and ministering at a service for ten thousand people at a conference in the Los Angeles Sports Arena, God’s glory and power descended until the fire of His presence was manifested. It was so powerful that people felt like they were actually burning. Suddenly, in the audience, a man began to jump and shout. When he arrived at the platform up front, he testified that he was a pastor who had spent the past eighteen years preaching against miracles because he did not believe in their veracity and thought they were the inventions of various preachers. He had not informed his congregation that he was attending this conference. I noticed that he carried a cane in his hand and asked him about it. He said that as a child, he had suffered from polio, which had damaged the muscles of his left leg and paralyzed it. As a result, his leg had atrophied so that it had become much thinner than the right. It looked like a thin bone covered by a layer of skin. He had not been able to raise it or move it around.

No one had laid hands on this man. But as he’d sat in his seat, he’d begun to feel his leg grow. When he touched it, he felt muscles growing from the knee down, but the leg was still thin and weak from the knee up. It was then that he cried out, “Lord, finish Your work in me, please!” Instantly, he felt his leg fill in with muscle from the knee up. He began to move the leg, showing everyone his healing. His testimony was wonderful. It amazed all who were present, led hundreds to salvation, and exalted the name of Jesus. This miracle received so much attention that some in the secular news media in Los Angeles covered the event for several days afterward.

What Is the Casting Out of Demons?

The war between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness is fought over the “territory” of the human soul. God created us, but Satan has worked hard to destroy us because he hates God and anything that resembles Him. As the temporary “ruler of this world” (John 12:31), Satan desires to gain lordship over the Father’s most valuable possessions: His children—us! When an individual refuses to welcome Jesus into his heart, the enemy takes over that “territory” and colonizes it, blinding that person and preventing him from seeing and knowing the Son of God. Satan’s ultimate goal is to contaminate us with sin, sickness, and death, and to eternally separate us from the Father. But Jesus came to stop him and his evil works.

The casting out of demons is a visible manifestation of the presence of God’s kingdom.

Two kingdoms cannot govern an individual at the same time. The casting out of demons implies the establishment of the kingdom of light and the displacement of the kingdom of darkness. Jesus came to establish the kingdom of heaven on earth, and He has the power to cast out Satan. Remember that after His death on the cross and before His resurrection, Jesus descended into hell and took the keys of death and Hades away from the devil. (See Revelation 1:18.) He has given us the authority, in His name, to defeat Satan, also. (See Matthew 16:18–19; Luke 10:19.)

Thus, when a believer casts out demons, it is the act of uprooting them from a body they control, on the basis of the authority Jesus has delegated to him and by the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, to cast out a demon is to dethrone Satan and to stop his control of an individual, thereby allowing the light of Jesus to shine on that person and to lead him to reconciliation with the Father. This process makes the person who has been delivered an active member of the kingdom of heaven, taking him from death to life.

Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.” But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.”(Mark 9:38–39)

In the above verse, and elsewhere in Scripture, we see a direct relationship between miracles and the casting out of demons. The casting out of demons is a miracle because it is a supernatural occurrence.

And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.(Acts 8:6–7)

The signs mentioned in Acts 8 were visible miracles that happened instantaneously, before the eyes of witnesses. As I have ministered the supernatural power of God over the years, I have discovered that many illnesses are related to demonic activity in the body, the emotions, and/or the bloodline. Again, Satan’s plan is to kill and destroy God’s creation—mankind—and this is his purpose for causing sicknesses and plagues. (See John 10:10.) Frequently, when we cast out demons from people, they are healed instantly. I have witnessed this manifestation even in those who suffer from cancer. Therefore, if we continue to cast out demons, the lame will walk, the blind will see, and other healings will occur as a result of the signs performed.

A young woman came to our church who had spent almost all her life dealing with depression. At the age of eleven, she’d started to use drugs and alcohol. She often ran away from home and had even tried to commit suicide seven times by cutting her wrists. Then, one day, she saw a video of our youth pastor on the Internet, and she wrote to her. In time, this young woman received deliverance from the demons that had controlled her, she prayed the “Sinner’s Prayer” for salvation, and God transformed her life. Satan had been controlling her through depression, drugs, alcohol, and even the spirit of suicide, but God rescued her, and, today, she is free and loves life.

Miracles Should Be a Normal Occurrence

God’s supernatural power was evident in the lives of the apostles.

And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people.(Acts 5:12)

For the members of the early church, miracles were a normal, frequent occurrence. During the first years of Christianity, people experienced miracles and supernatural dimensions rarely seen today.

Our responsibility is to present this generation with the powerful message of the gospel, with demonstrations of iasis healing, therapeia cures, and iaomai wholeness—of body, mind, and spirit. People need to experience dunamis (miracles), semeion (signs), and teras (wonders) that include the casting out of demons. These supernatural acts make up the gospel of the kingdom because they testify that Jesus lives and is available to all who believe in Him and desire to manifest His power as a blessing in the lives of other people. Presenting this generation with anything less is not the gospel of the kingdom.

Healing, miracles, signs, wonders,

and the casting out of demons are keys to expanding God’s kingdom on earth.

Every miracle performed by God is amazing and wonderful, but some seem to have a more dramatic effect than others. I remember a woman who had spent eighteen years suffering from chronic hepatitis C, the most devastating type of this disease. She had been infected through a blood transfusion and had been treated with chemotherapy, which had resulted in hair loss, depigmentation, weakness, depression, damaged internal organs, and memory loss.

The day I preached at this woman’s church, God spoke directly to her, saying that everything the devil had stolen from her would be returned. She felt a strong pressure and internal heat that seemed to enter through her head and travel down to her feet. As I prayed for her and said, “I declare life to your body!” she wasted no time and appropriated her blessing. Afterward, she went to her doctor, who confirmed that the virus was gone. The medical professionals had to acknowledge that her healing was a miracle because they knew that there is no human cure for this disease. In addition to this miracle, God recreated the woman’s spleen, which she had lost previously due to an accident. Plus, she found that she was no longer barren when she soon became pregnant. Praise God! This was one of several miracles that took place after I spoke the word that God had given me.

People who personally experience a miracle exercise their faith. They do not idly stand by, waiting for something to happen.

God Confirmed and Validated Jesus’

Ministry with Miracles, Signs, Wonders,

and Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Earlier, we looked at seven miraculous signs Jesus performed that demonstrated His deity. In this section, we will explore various ways in which God the Father affirmed His Son Jesus and His ministry. It is important for us to understand these ways because God will validate our ministry in a similar manner.

So great a salvation…at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will. (Hebrews 2:3–4)

God testified concerning Jesus through four methods: miracles, signs, wonders, and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Let us keep in mind that, because of their culture, the Jews required signs from men who claimed to be of God. They did not acknowledge anyone as a prophet until they saw some demonstration of a supernatural work. Thus, every prophet in the Old Testament distinguished his ministry with signs and miracles. We will never reach the Jews—much less the Muslim nations—with a gospel that lacks supernatural signs and wonders. As a matter of fact, I would not go to any other country to preach the gospel if I were not convinced that God would support my message with miracles, signs, and wonders.

No man moves in the supernatural with a truth that does not exceed the common.

[Nicodemus] came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”(John 3:2)

As I’ve stated, everyone who operates in genuine miracles does so by revelation, or revealed knowledge. In the presence of genuine revelation, there is no way to avoid the manifestation of miracles, which serve to confirm that the revelation came from God.

Likewise, in the history of the church, everyone who has ever moved in true miracles, signs, and wonders was obeying a revelation of God that was confirmed by His Word. These men and women left their legacies on earth. They were pioneers who went ahead of their generations in order to teach its members to do the same, as well as to transfer their legacies to the next generations.

When God has raised up men and women with revelation, their names are often associated with the power in which they operated. The name William Seymour of Azusa Street is associated with revival and miracles. The name A. A. Allen is associated with miracles and saved souls. The same goes for Yiye Ávila. The name Carlos Annacondia is associated with salvation and deliverance. Omar Cabrera personifies salvation and the destruction of strongholds. Bill Hamon deals with the prophetic word, Alan Vincent with the revelation of the kingdom and spiritual warfare, Dr. T. L. Osborn with miracles, wonders, healings, and salvation, Morris Cerullo with miracles, salvation, and the prophetic move of the Spirit, and Apostle Cash Luna with healing, miracles, and financial provision.

If I were to mention other preachers, and you immediately associated them with particular aspects of God’s supernatural power, those aspects would be their “apostolic seal”—the revelation in which they operate. Today, many people in ministry lack revelation. If all they do is manifest miracles, for example, and not other aspects of the supernatural, it may be because they are using principles they learned from others who have received revelation for miracles, rather than having direct revelation themselves.

Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst…. (Acts 2:22)

After John the Baptist declared Jesus to be the Messiah and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (see John 1:29), he began to doubt this truth when he was imprisoned (see Matthew 11:2; Luke 7:18–23). So, he sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask Him if He was truly the Messiah.

Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: the blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”

(Matthew 11:4–5)

The thing to admire here is that Jesus did not answer John’s question regarding whether He was the Messiah by listing His many personal achievements or by telling John how good or holy He was. Rather, He recounted all the supernatural works God was doing through Him. These works confirmed His identity as the true Messiah. Similarly, supernatural works should be our credentials as Jesus’ followers. When people criticize, persecute, judge, or doubt our ministries and callings, we should respond with evidence—signs that prove that our ministries and callings come from God and that we belong to Him.

Certainly, there have been excesses and abuses by people in the area of miracles. Yet these negative examples should not be obstacles to our manifesting miracles, because many of those who have feared the excesses and abuses have ended up on the other extreme—living without God’s power or miracles. Therefore, to shed light on the value of the supernatural, let us review God’s many purposes for miracles, signs, and wonders.

God’s Purposes for Miracles,

Signs, and Wonders

1. Miracles Testify to the World That Jesus Is the Son of God

If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.

(John 10:37–38)

God can testify to the validity of His Word through supernatural works the instant it is preached. If people fail to believe by the Word, they will believe by signs and miracles. Moreover, if a miracle does not point to Jesus, I doubt that it comes from God.

We live in a generation that yearns to see the power of Jesus. As we have discussed, many motivational preachers deliver inspirational messages that simply meet the temporal needs of people and are unable to prove with supernatural evidence that Jesus is the Son of God. When Moses spoke with Pharaoh, God supported him with powerful miracles that forced the pharaoh’s hand and gave the people of Israel faith to believe that they would escape from slavery and reach the Promised Land.

It is an insult to the cross to preach a message that does not deliver. Many self-appointed leaders give themselves titles, calling themselves apostles, doctors, evangelists, and so forth. But, regardless of what titles they choose or which offices they claim to hold, they will be deemed credible when the blind can see them and the deaf can hear them praise and worship the name of Jesus. Only these kinds of miracles will verify their authenticity.

2. Miracles Speak an Allegorical Truth Concerning the Kingdom of God

So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. (Mark 8:23)

Every time Jesus performed a miracle, it was to illustrate the spiritual condition of the people and to confirm His identity as the Son of God. For instance, when He healed the blind, He illustrated spiritual blindness and God’s desire to reveal Himself to us. I often see this manifestation in my own ministry. I may be teaching on the kingdom, and God will heal the blind as a sign that He is giving spiritual sight to His people and enabling them to see the reality of the kingdom.

God performs signs as allegories to communicate great truths of the kingdom and of Jesus.

During one healing service at our church, God revealed to me that He wanted to heal the blind. When I made the call, a woman who had been blind in her right eye for thirteen years came forward. The retina in her eye had been destroyed, making it impossible for her to see. I prayed for her, and Jesus instantly healed her. I cannot express the joy and surprise that this woman showed when she began to see people’s faces with an eye that only minutes before had been totally blind. And, as God was restoring sight to the physically blind, He was also restoring sight to the spiritually blind, allowing them to see how He was moving in their presence.

3. Miracles Persuade People to Seek God

Some people want God to use them to perform miracles, but they feel they will not be able to until they develop better character. This mind-set is a traditional religious mentality. The Bible does not mention the need to have a developed character before one can move in miracles. We all need to continue to mature in our faith, and although I consider character to be essential for living a holy life, it is not essential to perform miracles. All that is needed for miracles to happen is to do them in the name of Jesus. Signs and miracles will persuade unbelievers to run to Jesus because they will realize that He lives, that He is real, and that He did, indeed, resurrect from the dead.

Sadly, some people are desperately seeking God without success. For them, a miracle would be the sign that would show them where to find the God they yearn for. We must remain open to God and allow Him to use us to perform miracles that will reach other people for Him.

4. Miracles, Signs, and Wonders Expand and Establish the Kingdom in Spiritually Hostile Territories

For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance.

(1 Thessalonians 1:5)

A few years ago, Miami was referred to as a “cemetery” for pastors because it was a difficult place for churches to grow. For almost a generation—more than forty years—churches were unable to develop beyond twenty-five hundred members. However, when our ministry started to preach the gospel of the kingdom with demonstrations of God’s power, including miracles, signs, and wonders, the city opened up. King Jesus Ministry became the fastest-growing Hispanic church in the United States. We are one of the pioneering churches of Miami, and God has raised other anointed men to serve Him in other sectors of the city. At first, there was great opposition from several pastors who were not in agreement with the ministries of deliverance and miracles, but God quickly testified to our veracity and confirmed that He had sent us. Today, some of those pastors send men and women to our Leadership Institute to be trained and equipped to serve as leaders in their churches.

Our ministry continues to grow and to help expand the kingdom of God. I believe that God has asked us to reach 12 percent of the population of Miami—He promised it. To provide the infrastructure required to welcome such a great harvest, God ordained that I should build an arena for twenty thousand people, as well as an accredited Christian university that will also be able to serve the secular sector. The purpose for doing these things is to impact the professional and Christian realms and to give the leaders of our society the ability to understand and work according to the laws of both the spiritual and natural worlds. This vision has brought about growth at levels that are difficult to describe, but the growth has been a result of miracles, signs, wonders, gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the casting out of demons, all of which God has performed through leadership that is trained in His ways and has the revelation of His power.

5. Miracles, Signs, and Wonders Are Among the Keys to

Church Growth

We find this pattern in Scripture: wherever a church or ministry was planted on the foundation of the supernatural, there was rapid growth that naturally affected the entire region. In my experience with planting churches and helping others to do the same, I have observed that the keys to acceleration are evangelism, prayer, deliverance, the restoration of the family, miracles, signs, and wonders. I can testify that all the churches and ministries under my spiritual covering, in thirty-five countries around the world, have expanded their membership numbers from hundreds to thousands in a short period of time.

6. Miracles, Signs, and Wonders Are Powerful Means of Winning Souls

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

(Matthew 24:14)

To be a witness, or to testify, is to make something evident. The above verse says, in effect, “This gospel will be proclaimed to make evident and manifest God’s supernatural power to all the nations of the world.” The proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom will be a replica of the ministry of Jesus. Otherwise, it is not the gospel of the kingdom. Preaching the gospel without the evidence of miracles will not do. The world is waiting for miraculous evidence that can be seen only when the gospel of the kingdom is preached. More people can be saved in less time with supernatural evidence than without it. The gospel of the kingdom must be preached with testimony that is supported by the supernatural.

Our testimonies are our message. How do we know people can be delivered? Because we have been made free! How do we know people can be healed? Because we have been healed! We will never be credible witnesses if God does not give us personal testimonies. When we can say, “I was blind but now I see,” and “I was deaf but now I hear,” we become witnesses of Jesus—those who have seen, heard, and personally experienced God’s power.

7. Miracles, Signs, and Wonders Challenge the Minds of Skeptics and Others Who Are Hostile Toward the Gospel

When God manifests miracles, signs, and wonders, people are amazed and convicted. Seeing such manifestations is one way in which people are encouraged to recognize that God is real, respond to the gospel, and change their ways. Again, there are countries in the world where it is difficult to evangelize without the clear demonstration of miracles, which remove the veil of unbelief and sensitize the hearts of the people toward God.

And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. (Mark 16:20)

In the days of Jesus, miracles, signs, and wonders always confirmed the message of the gospel of the kingdom. They were never performed out of context with the Word or to exalt a particular individual. If someone has a good product, he doesn’t have to lie to sell it because the product will speak for itself. It will become his best testimony. In the case of God’s Word, supernatural works give it credibility. They penetrate the intellectual and humanistic minds that are opposed to the gospel.

8. Miracles, Signs, and Wonders Are Proof That Jesus Is Alive

And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

(Acts 4:33)

Miracles done in the name of Jesus are supernatural evidences of His resurrection. Because Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended to the Father in heaven, He will do even greater things through us than He did while He walked the earth. (See John 14:12.) The following is a powerful testimony pointing to the fact that Jesus is alive.

One Sunday, when I visited one of our daughter churches in Cape Coral, Florida, the building was overflowing with people. As I ministered, God’s glory descended. His presence was so powerful that it caused a beautiful new song in the Spirit to come forth, a song that brought a stillness to the atmosphere in the place. In the midst of the powerful presence of the fire of the Spirit, a woman came forth to testify, saying that she was missing seven teeth, but that, when the glory of God descended, she felt heat in her mouth. Later, when her dentist examined her, he found that God had created seven new teeth. This was a glorious miracle!

Many miracles took place that weekend. In another case, there was a man who had been in an accident, and his injuries had required that screws and metal plates be put in his knees. Yet, when God’s glory came, he began to jump up and down. When he came to the altar, he held the screws in his hands. They had fallen off, and he was totally healed!

Principles for Operating in Miracles

Now that we have explored God’s purposes for miracles, signs, and wonders, let us examine several principles that will prepare us to minister in supernatural power. These principles will also serve to reinforce what we have been learning throughout this book.

1. To Move in the Supernatural, We Must Put Aside

Human Reason

We have seen that miracles originate in the spirit realm and then manifest in the natural realm, and that we can enter the spirit realm only by faith, not by human intellect. Understanding these truths is not enough—we must act on them. To perform miracles, we must set aside natural human reason, because very little of what God does makes sense in the natural. If it does make sense, it probably doesn’t come from God. Again, the world’s Western cultures tend to operate almost exclusively on the basis of reason. For people to believe something, it must have a certain logic to it; otherwise, they reject it. Nevertheless, God can do much more than what our human intellect is able to understand, assimilate, or reason. To operate in the miraculous, therefore, we must keep in mind that miracles do not exist in the natural intellect or imagination, but only in the supernatural dimension, to which human reason has no access.

The majority of what Jesus said to His disciples made little sense to them when He said it.

When we do things in line with the spiritual realm that seem to make no sense in the natural world, people may be quick to label us as “crazy.” Yet the following is a testimony to God’s supernatural power, which goes beyond reason.

Some time ago, God began to do a particular type of miracle that took me a while to fully accept and act on: spontaneous weight loss. During a crusade, as the Holy Spirit led me to pray for obese people, a highly emotional woman came forward to testify. She was crying and laughing at the same time. This woman said that she had arrived obese but had been prepared with a safety pin to hold up her skirt in case she needed it, because she had believed that I would be praying for obese people that day. Right after I loosened the word, she made it hers. Almost immediately, she had to hold up her skirt to keep it from falling off. In seconds, her body had lost so much weight that she was approximately four dress sizes smaller. If I had not obeyed the Holy Spirit’s prompting, her miracle would not have manifested. Sometimes, what God asks us to do does not make sense to us, but, for the one who needs the miracle, it makes a lot of sense!

Our reality is too often determined by the natural dimension. If something miraculous happens, it is hard for us to understand it because we see it as an isolated event. This mind-set has to change. We must reach the point of total persuasion and conviction that God is supernatural and that He continues to perform miracles. This has nothing to do with “talking up” God but seeing and acknowledging His manifested presence. If God cannot heal the sick or perform miracles, then we must stop calling Him God. If the supernatural offends people, it is because they don’t know Him. We won’t understand God’s true nature unless we acknowledge the supernatural aspect of His nature. If something out of the ordinary takes place, why does the church feel the need to have meetings and debates in order to explain it away? We must be fully convinced that God is a supernatural God who continues to perform miracles according to His will.

People often criticize what they cannot produce.

God often manifests His will by doing extraordinary things. Eduardo Rodríguez is a pastor in Uruguay who is under the spiritual covering of one of my spiritual sons in Argentina. One day, he purchased my video “How to Walk in the Supernatural Power of God,” because he wanted the supernatural in his life and ministry. At the time, he was in total misery—he was financially ruined and on the verge of divorce. Through the video, he learned his proper role as a husband. After God restored this pastor’s marriage, He released a greater level of glory in his church.

Even though Pastor Rodríguez was still undergoing economic adversity, in obedience to his spiritual covering, he hosted his first ministry meeting for businesspeople, merchants, and entrepreneurs. During the seminar, he played the video, and it revolutionized his church and finances. People began to experience God’s provision in their lives. A businessman showed off a truck that God had given him debt free, and he testified that he had been healed of diabetes. One of his disciples testified that when he went to the bank to withdraw $1,000, there was $25,000 in the account! He asked the people at the bank about it, but no one could give him an explanation for the increased funds.

Today, Pastor Rodríguez is prosperous, and his marriage is a living testimony of the restoring power of God! Wherever he goes, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the blind see, and creative miracles take place. At times, other pastors invite him to preach in order to test him, but God backs him up. A young man who had been born deaf and had never talked was touched by the power of God and began to hear and make sounds. A woman diagnosed with uterine cancer testified that God had healed her. As she was being ministered to, she began to menstruate. This had not happened in seven months due to the cancer. All this began because Pastor Rodríguez believed the teaching about how to walk in the supernatural power of God!

2. The Anointing Is Attracted to Faith That Places a Demand on It

Miracles don’t happen “just like that.” We have to operate by the principles of faith and the anointing. God always moves in His glory by His sovereignty and His initiative. Similarly, we often have to take initiative when operating in faith, the anointing, or the gifts. This is especially true when we minister in places where the revelation of the glory is virtually nonexistent. Here is a testimony that demonstrates the application of faith for miracles.

Rodman Martínez came to our ministry through a friend at a House of Peace and immediately began to serve with the new believers. He had a small business selling shoes, but he received a prophetic word that he would have one million dollars in sales that year, two the next year, and three the following year.

This word came to pass, so he went to China to buy merchandise and obtain an even greater profit. He made a covenant with God and offered $1,000 for the first million. God kept His word and Rodman earned that money. For the second year, he made a new covenant and earned 1.3 million. Now, a couple of years later, he is selling over 300 percent from the previous year. In addition to financial prosperity, God said that He would give him three buildings, and He did. However, at first, it seemed as if he would not obtain one building that had a market value of $1,245,000, because it was to be sold to a nonprofit organization. When that organization’s contract with the institution they were dealing with did not go through, the building was offered to Rodman once again. He had originally offered $800,000 and covenanted with God for it. Finally, his offered was accepted. In addition, this year, he purchased his house debt free. Rodman Martínez lives one step at a time, holding on to his Creator. He is a faithful witness of the Lord and continues to grow in faith and to accept new challenges.

3. Miracles Should Be a Lifestyle, Not Isolated Events

We discussed earlier that miracles should be a normal occurrence in our lives. In some churches, miracles take place only when a famous evangelist comes and holds meetings. This is not how it should be! Every believer has received a mandate from God, along with His dunamis power and exusia authority, to heal the sick, perform miracles, and cast out demons. This is Jesus manifesting His life through us!

4. Miracles Must Be Declared and Received

Major manifestations of God’s supernatural power are evident today, but the only ones that remain are those that are declared and confirmed. Some people receive miracles but never testify of them. This can cause them to lose their miracles a short time later. When a miracle is not declared, its presence in the natural realm essentially becomes illegal. Healings and miracles of deliverance will not remain unless we testify of them. When Jesus healed the ten lepers, He told them to go and show themselves to the priests, as the law required, for verification of their healing. As soon as they obeyed Jesus by starting on their way, they were healed. (See Luke 17:11–14.) However, one of the lepers gave public glory to God and thanked Jesus:

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

(Luke 17:15–19)

This Samaritan was cleansed and made well because of His faith and heartfelt gratitude to God, which he expressed openly. It is true that, at times, Jesus would specifically tell those whom He healed not to say anything about it. For example, after He’d cleansed another leper, He said, “See that you tell no one…”

(Matthew 8:4). However, He added an instruction for the man to testify to his cleansing: “…but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them” (verse 4). Jesus likely asked certain people not to say anything about their healings in order to protect Himself from overzealous people who wanted to push Him into becoming an earthly king. (See John 6:15.) Note that, on another occasion, when Jesus healed a man who had been plagued by a legion of demons, He told him to testify of his healing:

[Jesus said,] “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

(Mark 5:19–20)

Miracles must be received and declared;

otherwise, they will not remain.

One Sunday, I was ministering in our church during one of our “Nights of Supernatural Power,” and we had another instance of the supernatural growth of hair. While we worshipped, God’s glory descended, flooding the church with His presence. Suddenly, a man began to see hair grow at an incredible speed on the head of the man sitting in front of him, who’d previously had very little hair. As soon as the “bald” man realized what was happening, he stood up and ran to the front to testify. In His sovereignty and glory, God had performed an instantaneous miracle for this man. But it did not end there, because He continues to perform this type of healing for other men and women in our congregation. To prove the veracity of their testimony, they often show me their driver’s license photos, in which they appear bald.

These are creative miracles that remain intact, thanks to the power of testimony. I once asked God why so few miracles take place among His people if His presence is so strong and belongs to everyone. God’s answer was that miracles are always taking place, but people fail to declare them and testify of them. Therefore, we must declare and testify of our miracles!

5. Miracles Exist in the “Now,” Not in the Past

Jesus never prayed for a sick person, but He did declare the Word with power and authority. He would say, “Be healed,” or “Be free,” because He knew that the kingdom of God had already come. Jesus essentially said, “Your miracle is now!” He continually broke the laws of time, space, and matter.

Some preachers say that miracles are for some later time. As a result, their people seek healing only and not miracles. Other pastors have caused miracles to be delayed because they speak of them in the future tense, saying, “God will create a miracle,” or “God will bring a revival,” or “God will visit us with His glory.” Rarely do they declare what God is doing and saying now. Perhaps some people would not have died had someone proclaimed that miracles are available today. It is good to clarify that even if a miracle does not manifest immediately in the physical realm, it can still be received in the spirit at that particular moment!

Faith is for now! This is the principle required to receive your miracle.

Most of the men and women who received or performed miracles in the Bible broke the laws of time. Let’s look at the case of the Syro-Phoenician woman:

Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.(Matthew 15:28)

Jesus had told this woman that it was not her time, as a Gentile, to receive God’s supernatural healing for her daughter because He had been sent first to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (See Matthew 15:21–27.) Jesus had not yet died for the sins of the whole world and been resurrected. (See 1 John 2:2.) So, how did she obtain healing for her daughter? I believe that her faith prompted Jesus to enter the spirit realm, go to the provision of the new covenant that He provided through His blood as the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8), and bring her daughter’s healing into the now.

Likewise, the resurrection of Lazarus was an example of a present manifestation of an eternal spiritual reality. When Jesus told Martha that her brother would rise again, she replied that she knew he would rise again in the resurrection of believers at the last day. (See John 11:23–24.) Their conversation continued:

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

(John 11:25–27)

A little while later, Jesus told Martha,

Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?(John 11:40)

After this, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead—after he’d been in the grave for four days! Jesus lived in the power of God in the now; Martha spoke only of Lazarus’s future resurrection. Jesus had to surpass her intellect and reason in order to lead her into eternity, where everything is in the now; it is the eternal present. That is where Jesus entered to “bring back” Lazarus, alive and healthy.

Most believers have a future mentality,

not a now mentality.

The following testimony demonstrates that miracles exist in the now rather than in the future.

During a healing service in Maracaibo, Venezuela, one of the pastors from our church prayed for a woman who had lost the use of her right ankle due to an automobile accident six months prior. Her foot looked like it was hanging from her lower leg, and she suffered from intense pain that kept her from walking, even with the help of a crutch. As soon as the pastor prayed for her, the Lord did a creative miracle and gave her a new ankle in front of everyone. The woman shouted with joy and began to run and jump all over the church. She affirmed that while they were praying for her, she had felt a strong pull in the bone of her leg and an intense heat throughout her body. It was then that she realized she could put weight on her foot. She had received her creative miracle! No longer would she need an ankle transplant, because God had given her a new one! Today, she walks normally and is happy and grateful to God for her miracle.

God’s Representatives on Earth

The message of the gospel of the kingdom, accompanied by supernatural evidence of its authenticity, must be preached to all the nations of the world in order to gather the harvest of souls. This combination of the Word and miracles convicts people and is more effective than any philosophical lecture. A miracle is better than a thousand empty sermons. People of every social stratum, race, and profession have a desire to know the truth and are ready to accept Jesus when miracles appear. They are desperate to know and to serve the God of miracles. As believers, you and I are God’s representatives, or agents, on earth, anointed by Jesus to do the same miracles and signs He performed.

Every believer can move in miracles, signs, and wonders. They are available to each person who preaches the gospel. Let us receive the revelation that Jesus lives and will manifest Himself through us when we surrender our pride and humble ourselves. He is ready to continue performing miracles. He wants to use our humanity so that we can become conduits of God’s blessings through signs and wonders.

If you need a miracle of healing, I want to pray for you now, declaring that while you read this book, you will be healed:

Father, in the name of Jesus, I command every person who is sick or needs a creative miracle in his or her body—physical healing or a new organ—to be restored at this moment. I declare every person to be healed, delivered, and transformed right now! Furthermore, I ask for those who are skeptics and need a visible sign of Your supernatural power to receive a miracle. I further declare that everything covered in this book will manifest in visible and tangible ways in their lives. Perform miracles, reveal Your signs, and show them wonders as they read, so they will believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He lives, and that He loves them. Amen.

Summary

- A “healing” is a progressive work of God’s supernatural power.

- A “miracle” is an instantaneous work of God’s supernatural power, a divine intervention in the natural laws of time, space, and matter.

- A “sign” is a demonstration of God’s love or a seal that signifies that a person is distinguished or acknowledged. God uses signs to verify those whom He has sent, as well as to prove that the cause they are defending comes from Him. God also uses signs to glorify His Son Jesus.

- Jesus performed seven signs that affirmed His deity. He turned water into wine, healed a nobleman’s son in Capernaum, healed a lame man in Bethesda, miraculously fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish, walked on water, healed a man blind from birth, and raised Lazarus from the dead.

- A “wonder” is something unusual that amazes the spectator and testifies of Jesus while appealing to the imagination, intellect, and heart.

- The casting out of demons is the act of uprooting them from the physical body of an individual whom they control, in the name of Jesus and by the power of His Spirit, in order to establish the kingdom of God in that person and to give him eternal life.

- God confirmed and validated the ministry of Jesus with four things: miracles, signs, wonders, and gifts of the Holy Spirit. By them, He publicly approved Jesus and His ministry and confirmed His identity as the Messiah.

- God’s purposes for miracles, signs, and wonders are: (1) Miracles testify to the world that Jesus is the Son of God. (2) Miracles speak an allegorical truth concerning the kingdom of God. (3) Miracles persuade people to seek God. (4) Miracles, signs, and wonders expand and establish the kingdom in spiritually hostile territories. (5) Miracles, signs, and wonders are among the keys to church growth. (6) Miracles, signs, and wonders are powerful means of winning souls. (7) Miracles, signs, and wonders challenge the minds of skeptics and others who are hostile toward the gospel. (8) Miracles, signs, and wonders are proof that Jesus is alive.

- Some principles for operating in miracles are: (1) To move in the supernatural, we must put aside human reason. (2) The anointing is attracted to faith that places a demand on it. (3) Miracles should be a lifestyle, not isolated events. (4) Miracles must be declared and received. (5) Miracles exist in the “now,” not in the past.

2. Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (© 1985 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers, Nashville, TN), 682, s.v., “Wonder,” G5059.

10

Principles for Moving in the Supernatural

I think you will find that this is one of the most useful chapters of this book. Here, I share the principles, concepts, and revelations I have learned over my twenty years of experience in ministering the supernatural power of God to thousands of people. This chapter is the result of my having seen God perform all kinds of healings, deliverances, transformations, salvations, miracles, signs, and wonders. In addition, I want to share what I have learned from other men and women of God who also exercise this power. I want you to know the truths and fundamentals that will make you desire more of God’s power until your passion leads you to experience His supernatural power in your life.

1. Sustain a Consistent

Personal Prayer Life

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1)

Jesus’ disciples were aware that He often prayed, but only one of them asked Him to teach them to pray. It seems that in those days, the same as today, believers had a difficult time understanding the importance of prayer. Perhaps that disciple made his request because he understood that all of the healings and other miraculous works of Jesus were made possible by His prayer life. Indeed, Jesus’ continuous and persistent life of prayer was the main force behind all the miracles, signs, and wonders He performed. Furthermore, prayer connected Jesus directly to the power and authority to deliver the oppressed by casting out their demons. Jesus spent hours in close intimacy with the Father, which empowered the minutes He spent healing the sick and afflicted and raising the dead.

If we take hours with God, it will take only minutes to resolve the issues of men.

Jesus’ prayer life…

- opened the heavens.

- caused God’s power to be manifested everywhere He went.

- helped Him to choose His disciples.

- filled Him with the power to heal the masses and to deliver people from demonic possession. Jesus did not pray for healing when He was with the people to whom He ministered—He simply declared the word, and they were cured. Because of His intimacy with the Father, He had already won the battle, and He held their healing in His hands.

- caused God’s power to permeate His body and clothing, with the result that people were healed by His mere touch—or by touching Him in faith.

- produced authority and the anointing for the disciples to heal the sick. They did not carry the message of the kingdom under their own anointing but under the anointing produced by the prayer life of Jesus. Likewise, today, many people move under the anointing generated by another person’s life of prayer—for example, someone who is in authority over them. Under such authority, even a new believer can perform miracles.

- Enabled His disciples to receive a revelation of His true identity.

- awakened within His disciples a desire to pray. We have just read the gospel account in which Jesus was asked by one of His disciples to teach them to pray. Other examples of the disciples’ desire to pray are recorded in the book of Acts; they never made a decision without seeking the counsel of the Holy Spirit in prayer.

- taught the disciples the need for, and the power of, persisting in prayer.

- produced zeal for God’s house.

- kept Peter’s faith from failing in the midst of a trial.

- led Him to fight and win the war against death. Thanks to His life of prayer, He obtained the resurrection even before going to the cross.

Jesus’ prayer life and intimate relationship with the Father produced a supernatural atmosphere that loosened miracles and cast out demons everywhere He went. I can testify that all men of God who walk in the supernatural “walk on their knees.” This is the key to the success of Jesus’ ministry on earth, a principle of success I apply to my life every day. I know what it is to be in the presence of God for hours before conducting a service, as I study His Word, praise and worship, and wait on Him. During this time spent in His presence, the Holy Spirit gives me instruction on what He wants to do with His people and how He wants to do it during the service. He also shows me the direction in which He wants to take the church. I always write down His instructions: when He wants to heal certain types of sicknesses, when He wants to baptize in the Holy Spirit, or specific prophetic words.

2. Operate in the Spirit

of Wisdom and Revelation

And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. (Mark 16:17–18)

Note that this passage says the signs will “follow those who believe.” It does not say that they will “follow only the preacher or pastor.” It seems that very few of the signs noted in Mark 16 follow today’s believers, mostly due to their unbelief. We have seen that when “the spirit of wisdom and revelation” (Ephesians 1:17) is absent, it is replaced by “common information.”

Some people base their works on information rather than revelation. As a result, they lack manifestations from God. God gives us revelation, or revealed knowledge, when we have renewed our minds according to His thoughts. Then, He gives us the concepts, such as the “how.” The spirit of wisdom and revelation teaches us how to flow in the supernatural. In the spirit realm, we must learn to act according to specific instructions for access to the supernatural that the Holy Spirit gives us for various situations, because natural methods are inoperable there. Numerous miracles remain unused in eternity because they cannot manifest until their particular “how” is known.

Many Christians believe in miracles but have no idea how to operate in them because they do not have the necessary revelation. Each revelation given by God includes the way or method to carry it out because the spirit of wisdom is in it. Even when miracles are in place, or ready to be manifested, it is rare for God to do anything without the cooperation of a believer. Remember, He operates through you and me. We cannot do anything if God does not tell us how to do it. If we don’t know the “how,” then how will we accomplish it? We must be ready to receive revelation and wisdom through the Holy Spirit.

If there is an absence of revealed knowledge,

or revelation, there will be no impartation or

progress of faith.

Has God ever asked you to do something you didn’t know how to do? If we don’t know the specific instruction, or method, that He wants to employ in a particular instance—which comes through the spirit of wisdom imparted to us—it is impossible to enter into the supernatural. If God does not give us a revelation, as well as instruction that enables us to enter into it, we will not have access to what the apostle Paul described as things the “eye has not seen, nor ear heard” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Entering into the supernatural takes more than confessing and declaring, more than believing or personal effort. Those who receive the spirit of wisdom know how to manifest the signs of God’s power.

An example of someone who had access to the supernatural is Dr. Oral Roberts, whom I met and visited on several occasions during the sunset of his life. This man, who laid hands on more than one million people, shared with me one of his “how” instructions. He said that whenever he was about to minister, he would lock himself in his room beforehand to pray and seek the face of God. He would not leave until he could feel God’s power in his right hand. Only then did he know that he was ready for the sick to be healed. His hand had been anointed to heal the sick; it was the method God had revealed through the spirit of wisdom for him to be an instrument of healing. It was the how God had shown him. In his case, this was an ongoing instruction for accessing the supernatural for healing. Of course, it will not always happen the same way for everyone, but Dr. Roberts’s experience does help us to begin to understand that there is a how that God’s revelation will give us.

The world has various principles by which it conducts itself, and it knows the “how” for behaving within the natural realm. People in the world collect information, perform experiments, use trial and error, and develop concepts and practices that can be transferred to future generations through education and practical application.

In contrast, few principles pertaining to the spirit realm are operating in the church today because of a lack of revelation and an absence of the spirit of wisdom. This should not be so. God will often work something new regarding the revelations He gives. That is why it is so important for people to learn the spiritual how for each situation.

Shammah Apwam, the pastor of a church in Durban, South Africa, had been praying to the Holy Spirit for guidance. He saw an advertisement for our meetings there, and he attended. I ministered to Pastor Shammah and prayed for him, prophesying that he would be used to precipitate healings and miracles in Africa. Later in the day, the presence of God fell upon him, and he felt overtaken by His fire. “I stood on the floor for about an hour. Real fire was burning me! When I went back to the hotel, I could not even sleep,” he recalled.

The fruit of that experience began to be evident soon afterward. In his local airport, he saw a woman who worked for the airline. He released a word of knowledge to her about a back problem she was experiencing and expressed the Lord’s willingness to heal her. When she heard this, she became uneasy, stood up from her chair, and literally ran away. A couple of days later, one of her colleagues went to Pastor Shammah and asked how he knew about her problem. After he explained, this coworker told the woman, who had been unable to go to work because of her pain. Pastor Shammah then prayed for the woman over the phone, and she immediately received healing and was able to return to work.

At the same airport, this pastor was guided to a woman in a wheelchair. He approached her and, with bold faith and conviction, asked if he could pray for her. When he held her hand and began to pray for her, the woman had an unusual sensation, as if something had entered and moved through her. Much to the surprise of this woman’s sister and other witnesses, she took her first unassisted steps in many months of suffering from liver cancer.

Three days later, the Holy Spirit led Pastor Shammah to pray for a woman at one of his services. This faithful member had been unable to stand straight for more than thirteen years, but she received healing instantly!

Early this year, this pastor traveled to Madagascar and was led by the Spirit to make prophetic declarations against strongholds and the forces of witchcraft that had caused much oppression to the people in that city. A few weeks later, there were reports that an out-of-control brush fire was affecting the entire area. The next morning, it became curiously evident that the homes of renowned witches were completely charred and burned to ashes, while the homes of believers in Jesus Christ remained completely unscathed.

No leader can take you beyond his knowledge

or where he has never been.

The supernatural does not work for those who haven’t received the knowledge to activate it. Thus, they have no right to expect manifestations. Recall that many revivals in this country and throughout the world have died due to a lack of continuous revelation of what God desired to do. In such situations, the leadership may have stopped seeking God or may have expected Him to work in the same way He did before, when He wanted to do something different. As a result, they shut off the revelation.

Revelation is the prerequisite for manifestation, just as hearing is the prerequisite for faith. (See Romans 10:17.) We cannot move in our present measure of faith without a present revelation. Therefore, if we have no revelation, we shouldn’t try to do so. Jesus said,

The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

(John 5:19)

You cannot have faith to do that which you

don’t know how to do.

In my own experience, I have noticed that God cannot manifest in a ministry or church beyond the revelation, or knowledge, the ministry or church has acquired. But when revelation is taught to the people, the supernatural manifests. Some time ago, I taught in a church about knowing God as our Provider. The Lord manifested as the Provider, and many financial debts were supernaturally cancelled. God provided work for people, and new businesses flourished. Several financial transactions were successfully closed, young people received college scholarships, and court cases were resolved in favor of the faithful.

Similarly, every time I share an aspect of revealed knowledge concerning God’s power, He manifests with miracles. When I teach on a specific topic, He manifests on that topic. This reality, of course, shows the importance of teaching on all areas of life in relation to God. If we have only a minimal revelation of God, then the manifestations will also be minimal. If we want God to manifest in any area, we must first have the revelation.

As it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets….(Ephesians 3:5)

Apostles and prophets bring revelation. Without them, the church is limited to basic doctrine.

In most cases, whatever spiritual knowledge the members of a particular church have is due to the ministries of the pastor, evangelist, and teacher exclusively. The result is that the people’s understanding of the doctrines of Christianity is often limited to the fundamentals, because the above offices generally do not include such important aspects as apostolic revelation—revelation for now. As we have seen, apostolic revelation breaks new ground by declaring what the Father is saying and doing at this moment in time. This revealed knowledge causes the heavens to loosen what God has authorized for earth. When the Holy Spirit reveals something through the apostles and prophets, it must be released!

To move in God’s supernatural power, we continually need fresh revelation. We need to hear, see, and perceive in the Spirit. Furthermore, we must know how and when to take action. Miracles do not happen by chance. We must learn to bring them forth.

For example, I have been in services in which God’s presence and power were not “felt.” But such a situation does not mean the supernatural will not manifest. In my case, I do what God has commanded me to do. I pray for people, declare the work of Jesus on the cross, and watch miracles take place. This is called “activating the faith,” or walking in faith under the anointing. We must learn to exercise our faith in all circumstances.

Do you want to begin walking by faith in order to be used by God to bring forth miracles? Then, consider the following testimony and start walking under its anointing.

At a healing service in Los Angeles, California, one miracle stood out among all the rest. A young man had a painful degenerative disease that compromised his bones and extremities, blocking his growth. Every time he tried to walk, it was a painful process because his feet were malformed. That night, while this young man was worshipping God, declaring His Word and obeying His instructions, God’s glory powerfully descended upon him and healed him. His feet were straightened, allowing him to begin to walk and even run without pain. I will never forget the look on that young man’s face when he realized that God had healed him.

3. Persist in Continuous Corporate

Prayer and Intercession

Another necessity for operating in the supernatural is the corporate prayer and intercession of a church or community. These elements will loosen God’s presence to perform miracles and healing.

God has blessed me with a wife who has a strong calling to prayer and intercession. For more than two decades, she had led the ministry of intercession at our church. She begins each day at three in the morning and prays until seven, accompanied by an army of intercessors who pray with spiritual boldness. Personal and corporate prayer are the keys that have created the supernatural atmosphere that rests upon our ministry. Apostles and prophets who visit always comment on the atmosphere, saying that it seems saturated with God’s presence and that anything could happen at any time. When we are visited by a prophet, the prayer we continually offer to God makes it easier for him or her to enter into God’s presence and to loosen the prophetic message for me, our church, or our leadership. Similarly, if we are visited by an apostle, when he brings forth a revelation, miracles and healings occur.

I believe these things happen because the atmosphere of our church is built on the continuous prayer and intercession of my wife, Ana, and her God-given team of intercessors. I can testify to this reality because it is common for me to preach and then experience God’s presence through supernatural manifestations, such as the blind seeing, the deaf-mute hearing and speaking, the lame walking, and those with cancer being totally healed—all types of miracles. When I travel to other countries, I can feel the support of their prayers and intercession over my life and the lives of the team members who accompany me. Wherever we go, we carry the atmosphere of our church. Thus, supernatural power is loosened in the nations.

4. Offer Continual Thanksgiving,

Praise, and Worship to God

But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.

(Psalm 22:3)

To flow in the supernatural, another essential practice is to offer God thanksgiving, praise, and worship. In the above verse, the word “praises” is translated from the Hebrew word tehillah, which means “praise,” “a hymn,” or “song of praise.” It indicates a joyful song that praises the powerful deeds of our Lord. Another word in that verse is “enthroned,” which is translated from the Hebrew word yashab, meaning “to dwell,” “to remain,” or “to sit.” God wants more than just to pay us a visit. He wants to stay, to get comfortable, and to govern His people who rejoice in His victories. An experience of God’s presence can occur only after thanksgiving, praise, and worship. Only when we “build a throne” with these three elements will God manifest among us.

At King Jesus Ministry, we have intercessors and musicians who pray, praise, and worship God together with the people, at various times, for twenty-four hours a day. The intercession and worship edify God’s throne and produce supernatural manifestations that demonstrate His power and glory.

Many believers think that praying means spelling out a list of petitions for God to answer, but the truth is that thanksgiving, praise, and worship are central aspects of prayer, without which we will never have full access to God. They are the conditions by which we may enter into His presence and receive the answers to our prayers. Each of these three activities is a particular way to approach God, and each can help us to relate to Him on a different level. Let us define them more specifically.

Thanksgiving

In thanksgiving, we recognize God’s goodness.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

(Psalm 100:4)

The Word of God teaches that we must always give thanks for everything (see, for example, Ephesians 5:20), and that our petitions must always be accompanied by thanksgiving (see Philippians 4:6). Some people try to gain access to God by using other methods, but they won’t work. Gratitude and thanksgiving are the keys to loosening God’s supernatural power. They are expressions of our heartfelt love for Him.

Praise

In praise, we recognize God’s greatness and amazing works. Praise is the proclamation and declaration of His powerful deeds, articulated with jubilee and excitement through such avenues as music, applause, shouts, and dance. To praise is to exalt God in a brilliant, extravagant celebration that includes even powerful sounds that border on the ridiculous. Praise can make us look like people who have lost their heads and their good sense. Note that this description of praise has nothing to do with the mechanical, uniform, monotonous ways in which praise is expressed in many churches, where neither the life nor the joy of God is on display. Biblically speaking, praise is a celebration that breaks all barriers, making it able to penetrate even a hostile environment.

God’s glory manifests where praise is

high and worship is deep.

Worship

In worship, we recognize God’s majesty, sovereignty, and glory. The Hebrew word for “worship” in the Old Testament is shachah, which means “to prostrate oneself in homage to God,” “to bow down.” In the New Testament, one of the Greek words for “worship” is proskuneo, which comes from a combination of pros, meaning “toward,” and “a probable derivation of kuon, ‘a dog,’ in the sense of ‘to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand.’” Proskuneo, therefore, means “to prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore).” Based on these meanings, to worship is to bow down in respect and reverence and kiss the hands and feet of a superior. It is the ultimate expression of submission and honor, and it may include humbly begging that superior to do something on one’s behalf. It is comparable to a dog licking its master’s hand as a demonstration of its affection.

Then she came and worshipped [proskuneo] Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”(Matthew 15:25)

Worship of God should be a humble, respectful attitude and reverence toward Him, expressed outwardly by our physical posture and through acts of unselfish and sacrificial service. Some people believe that the only difference between the expression of praise and worship is one of “rhythm.” They think that praise is up-tempo, while worship has a slower beat. Yet this is not the case. Praise proclaims God’s powerful works, while worship offers Him humble reverence for who He is.

Praise recognizes God’s powerful works, while worship acknowledges the person of God.

The definitions of worship from both the Old and New Testaments that we just examined include the posture of the body in worship. Some physical postures used in worship are bowing the head, raising the hands, extending the arms, kneeling, and lying prostrate—facedown—on the ground.

Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him.

(Genesis 17:3)

All these postures express the idea that we depend totally on God, that we cannot do anything in our own strength, and that, without His grace, we are lost. Even so, true praise and worship go beyond physical posture. And they have less to do with what we say than with the attitude with which we say it. Praise and worship involve our whole being—they are attitudes of the spirit, soul, and body.

“Now” Principles of Praise and Worship

- Praise and worship cause God to reveal Himself.

Once we have truly thanked, praised, and worshipped God, His glory will descend. His presence is the sign of His habitation, indicating that the throne upon which He sits has been edified.

And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. (Isaiah 6:3–4)

When we worship wholeheartedly, we move God to reveal Himself, as He did in Scripture. In the verse above, when God was worshipped, He revealed His glory. Today, many churchgoers arrive late, missing the time of praise and worship. They attend only to hear the message, with many considering themselves to be so spiritual that they don’t need to worship. How will God speak to them if they don’t worship first? Worship loosens the seals of revelation. When worship does not reach God’s throne, revelation cannot take place. Also, when there has not been sufficient worship, those who operate in the prophetic gifts will be limited in the revelation they receive, and, as a result, creative miracles will not take place. One reason the Bible compares the Word to a hammer (see Jeremiah 23:29) is that, in some places, the spiritual atmosphere is so hard to break through that it must be hammered away. But this situation occurs only when there is ineffective or insufficient worship.

Often, our lack of acceptable worship is what keeps God’s presence from manifesting. It is because we fail to build His throne due to our meaningless singing and our incorrect attitudes. If our worship is conducted in an improper manner, God’s glory will not descend. On the other hand, if we build God’s throne through genuine worship, His presence will be in our midst and Satan cannot remain near us.

God reveals Himself through worship, and this means that true worship indicates He is among us, manifesting His presence. When human beings fail to worship, something is wrong with them. And, when they don’t connect with God through worship, they will inevitably seek to worship created things, including idols or other human beings.

Praise until the spirit of worship comes;

worship until God’s glory manifests.

- Praise and worship elevate us beyond ourselves to be

conscious of God.

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24)

Worship is a mandate. It has nothing to do with how we feel. Some pastors consider themselves too important to participate during the worship time in a service. They wait while others prepare the atmosphere. Yet genuine worship is complete when we forget ourselves and focus only on God. If we are thinking about ourselves and our circumstances, we are not worshipping Him. If we are constantly worried about what other people think of us, we are not worshipping. If we continue to occupy our minds with the concerns of our day, we are not worshipping. On the contrary, we have made ourselves into a type of idol before God’s presence.

Some people are more aware of their own circumstances than they are of Jesus.

- Worship reveals where God is: a place called “there.”

The Word says, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there” (Matthew 18:20). If we want to know where God is, we must worship Him there—wherever we are. In Adam’s case, the garden of Eden was there. (See Genesis 2.) Jacob also found there, saying, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it” (Genesis 28:16). The desert was the there where God often met with His people. (See, for example, Genesis 28:10–16; Exodus 20:18–21.)

The Lord makes a divine appointment with us and names the place. When we find that place—our there—through worship, we will see what He is doing and hear what He is saying.

While I was ministering in Argentina, I met ten-year-old Verónica Barrientos, who was born with a malfunctioning heart valve that bled. She was to have open-heart surgery to either repair the valve or receive an artificial one. Verónica suffered from a lack of oxygen and was chronically tired. She could barely walk, was unable to go up stairs, and could not overexert herself. She obviously could not exercise, jump, or run. What other children could do easily was a supreme effort for her that put her life at risk.

It was in this condition that Verónica attended one of our meetings. She went full of faith, believing that God would heal her. As I ministered, she felt a chill, and the presence of God began to touch her. One of my leaders saw her, laid hands on her, and prayed over her. Suddenly, she began to run toward the altar. The leader followed her, but he arrived breathless at the altar and had to sit down, while Verónica just smiled and was anxious to share that God had healed her! She showed no signs of agitation or any other symptoms of difficulty breathing. The doctor present examined her, but the most convincing proof of her healing was that, after such a run, she was not out of breath, had no chest pain, and was not turning blue—symptoms that would have been normal in her condition. The doctor explained that the absence of these symptoms meant that God must have created a new heart valve, artery, or even a new heart. Today, Verónica leads a normal life. She plays, runs, jumps, and enjoys herself in all the activities that used to be impossible for her to do before the miracle took place.

“There” is the place where you meet

with God through worship.

- The level of praise and worship will determine the kinds of

miracles that will manifest in a place.

If the praise and worship we offer are not sufficient, someone with a headache may receive healing, but someone with terminal cancer probably will not. Although there are services in which the level of praise and worship is greater than others, we must always strive to raise the level if we want to see His glory. No church service should regress to a previous, lower level of worship.

Also, when we praise and worship God but our lifestyles are not holy, we will not be able to ascend into His presence because we will be spiritually weighed down. Anything that is not aligned with God will be a weight that keeps us from rising to higher levels of worship. The Bible calls these weights sin.

Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us.(Hebrews 12:1)

In the spirit realm, sin is like spiritual gravity, weighing us down so that we can’t go higher in God.

There are levels of God’s presence to which some people might not be able to ascend, regardless of how much they jump, crawl, shout, or prostrate themselves. If they are not ready to let go of the weight of their sin, they will never go higher. This explains why some people enter into God’s presence faster than others. Some never enter due to the weight of their sin.

- Worship is defined as intimacy that produces life.

If our worship cannot produce life, it is dead. Worship involves an intimate relationship with God, much like that between a husband and wife. My children were born as a result of the intimacy between my wife and me. It was not a chance encounter. It was planned and intentional, and two lives were created because of it. Worship, too, is planned and intentional.

Too much of what takes place during worship in the church today has to do with the soul. It is a “worship” that produces emotions but often fails to touch the spirit. Too many of the songs we sing—be they traditional, cultural, or contemporary—center on our earthly needs. When the needs of the earthly realm become our god, we have fallen into idolatry. Worship should reveal God’s existence, not satisfy our own flesh. Worship that is based on our selfish human attitudes is impotent. It lacks revealed knowledge and is unable to produce miracles.

- Our worship is linked to our revelation of God.

We will always worship in connection with the revelation we have of God. We cannot praise or worship what we don’t know. We can praise or worship only what we know. For example, if our worship is based on God’s love for us, we will not need to be told to sing or to raise our hands to Him. The more intimate our knowledge of God, the more details we will have with which to acknowledge Him and His worth.

We cannot live on yesterday’s glory.

The higher we rise, the greater His glory.

Some believers are incapable of praising and worshipping God for long periods of time. They run out of words and stamina because they don’t truly know Him whom they are worshipping. Certain people grow angry when the praise and worship segment of a church service lasts an hour. They consider it to be a waste of time. Yet if they really knew Jesus, they would be able to fix their eyes on Him during worship and forget time, circumstances, and personal needs. When we center on Jesus, He will be enthroned over our needs.

- Praise and worship release the atmosphere of glory.

When we enjoy a time of intimacy with God, His plans will be birthed. If praise prepares the terrain for the type of worship in which we can become one with Him, we will not be content to sing four “dead” songs and pretend to enter into His presence with bored expressions on our faces. If we are worshippers in spirit and truth, we will edify God’s throne and build a dwelling place that He can inhabit among our new songs, which will be given by His Holy Spirit. This type of worship will heal the sick, create miracles, transform lives, and glorify God, thereby producing new life in each person at our services.

5. Build a Spiritual Atmosphere

As we have been discussing, one requirement for operating in the supernatural is to build a spiritual atmosphere. Each time I preach or minister healing and miracles, I do so in an atmosphere produced by my life of prayer and worship, as well as the church’s corporate prayer and worship. God has always spoken from the cloud of His glory. Thus, it is important that we know how to build a spiritual atmosphere that will bring His cloud.

What Is Atmosphere?

In the realm of science, the atmosphere is the layer of gases surrounding a planet. In the realm of the Spirit, the atmosphere is the cloud of God’s presence that surrounds the believer. On cold days, if you go outside, you can see your breath when you exhale. In other words, you can see part of the physical atmosphere surrounding you, which you produced by your breath. Praise and worship produce the breath of God in our midst—and His breath gives life.

We must create a heavenly atmosphere for miracles, healings, and wonders to take place, an ambiance in which we are able to see the manifestations of the words we speak in faith. Sometimes, people will fixate on things in which faith cannot operate. When this happens, we must change the atmosphere or ambiance.

Jesus went to His hometown to teach and to heal, but “He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief” (Mark 6:5–6). When Jesus left Nazareth (see verse 6), it was not to prove a theological point or to demonstrate that He was the Son of God. Jesus left because the atmosphere was wrong. Many people are dying in places where the supernatural has not been revealed, where neither the life nor the presence of God can be experienced because a divine atmosphere has never been generated. Prayer and intercession are not practiced in these places, and the praise and worship are insufficient to build the “tabernacle” where God’s glory can manifest.

Because I have experienced weak spiritual atmospheres such as this, I made it a point to hire full-time, professional musicians who are full of the Holy Spirit, and I taught them to manifest God’s glory and to flow with me in the supernatural. Today, they know how to build an atmosphere in which God’s presence can manifest so that miracles will happen. They do this in our church and wherever we travel to minister as they lead people in worship.

Worship establishes the divine atmosphere on earth.

From God’s perspective, everyone and everything that is “stuck” on earth—unable to access, or be influenced by, the heavenly realm—is in this condition due to the fall of man. As you know, in the beginning, heaven and earth were as one, but, when man sinned, a separation, or a dislodging, took place. The glory of God no longer continually manifested in the natural realm. In the Old Testament, there were instances and periods of time when God manifested His glory to His people. However, through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection, we now have full access to the throne of God and His presence. And, as we learned in the previous section, the way to manifest God’s glory is through praise and worship.

Understanding this truth leads us to the realization that we cannot rush praise or worship during services. The duration of praise and worship depends on the place. If the atmosphere is hard to pierce, it will take longer for us to build the throne, beginning with praise. Where a spiritual atmosphere already exists, we can go directly into worship.

How to Discern, Release, and Receive from

the Spiritual Atmosphere

Here are three important revelations regarding building a spiritual atmosphere that edifies God’s throne:

(1) We must perceive or discern the atmosphere in any given place.

(2) We must loosen and declare what we perceive as spiritual in the atmosphere.

(3) We must take and receive what is loosened in the atmosphere.

During a crusade in Mexico, I perceived that the atmosphere was not yet ready for God to manifest His glory. A spiritual dryness was evident. However, I had my own musicians with me, and they helped to spiritually saturate the atmosphere. As we began to praise and worship God, the atmosphere suddenly changed. People who at first had been detached spectators were raising their hands and allowing themselves to become broken in God’s presence.

Bringing a spiritual atmosphere is often a matter of not only building the atmosphere but also discerning the type of spiritual atmosphere that may have existed there previously—whether it was one for miracles, healing, deliverance, or something else. As we discern the atmosphere, the next step is to speak into it in order to make what we declare come to pass.

The following testimony demonstrates how we can discern an atmosphere and how God works miracles according to His will.

During the same crusade in Mexico, God showed me that many people there were suffering from bone problems. The spiritual atmosphere was present for them to be healed. So, I called for them to come forward. Some of these people were actually missing bones. Many came to the altar limping, on crutches, or in wheelchairs. Others came who’d had screws surgically implanted in their bones. Because the atmosphere was ready, I declared and loosened what I knew was in that atmosphere and began to pray for those people. Specifically, I prayed for the conditions that God had shown me.

In the crowd of people who came forward to declare their healings was a woman whose friends called her “the one who limps.” She had been missing an inch of bone in her hip, which had made her lame. As if that were not enough, she had also been missing a portion of muscle around the same area. God was greatly glorified on that day because He filled her hip with muscle and created the bone she had been missing. Suddenly, the woman was walking around and even jumping without the hint of a limp. She was moving so fast, it looked as if she were late for some important appointment. She could not stop giving thanks to the Lord. God did it again!

6. Understand the Law of Expectation

So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. (Acts 3:5)

When people visit our church for the first time, they typically have not experienced the supernatural and do not come with the faith to believe for a miracle. I cannot lay hands on those who do not expect anything to happen. In some cases, they become offended by this, but no one can give them what they are not ready to receive.

Faith manifests what was already predetermined; therefore, faith expects something to happen.

Some people may be accustomed to singing worship songs that actually destroy their faith—songs that highlight their pain instead of declaring the healing that God has already provided for them. Some preachers may struggle to help their congregations to receive miracles because they themselves lack genuine expectancy. I have noticed that the level of expectancy generated by guest preachers is usually higher than that generated by the local preacher. As believers, we must always expect to receive a miracle, a healing, a deliverance, or some other supernatural work.

I believe that God is in the process of loosening a supernatural expectancy in all believers. When He does so, regardless of who is preaching, people will be able to take their miracles from the eternal realm. Can you imagine the entire body of Christ expecting something from God? When those days arrive, for example, even if a preacher has not been given the specific gift of healing (see 1 Corinthians 12:7–11), the expectancy from the people of God will cause His power to manifest healing in their midst. The following is an example of how God works miracles when people are living in expectancy.

I was once in Peru preaching to two thousand pastors and leaders. The level of expectancy was high. They welcomed me as a man of God and accepted my message as God’s word. Their expectancy placed a great demand on the mantle God has given me. In the crowd was a woman on a stretcher who had an illness that affected her back, keeping her from making even the slightest movement. As I preached, this woman placed a demand, or expectancy, on my mantle. Soon, she stood, grabbed her blankets, and came down to the altar to testify that God had healed her. The next day, she returned with her family and with medical documentation confirming her previous medical condition and the fact that God had healed her. Another woman in the crowd testified that God had created five new gold teeth in her mouth. Dozens of other miracles also took place because the people placed a demand upon my anointing and their level of expectancy was high.

The secret to flowing in miracles is knowing

God’s time to manifest them and always expecting something to happen.

7. Declare the Rhema Word of God

Beyond Any Doubt

We cannot declare the Word of God without having foreknowledge of what will happen. If we don’t want something to happen, we shouldn’t declare anything. If we are going to speak to a blind person but don’t expect his sight to return, we shouldn’t say anything. If we are going to tell someone who is lame to stand up but don’t expect him to be able to walk, we shouldn’t say anything. On the other hand, if we are going to speak to a person who is deaf and mute, and we fully expect that he will hear and speak, then we must declare his healing and wait for him to hear and speak.

There should be no doubt in our minds that the words we speak will accomplish what they were sent to do. If we have the smallest doubt that something will happen, we have not yet exercised the full measure of our faith, or we have not yet moved to the next level of faith. We are still in bondage to time, matter, and space. We cannot speak to matter until we have control and dominion over it. Do you now understand why intellectual knowledge is insufficient when it comes to spiritual matters? To move in the supernatural, we must go beyond the natural, material realm. We must begin to exercise dominion over the laws of nature.

Don’t speak the Word if you doubt that

anything will happen.

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. (Psalm 33:6)

When God’s Word is spoken, and it joins with the breath of the Holy Spirit, it produces an explosion called “creative power,” and that Word is confirmed by the Holy Spirit. This divine, supernatural power will make the blind see, the deaf hear, the mute speak, and the lame walk. God still performs creative miracles. If we speak like God, with the intent of seeing something happen, there is no alternative—something will happen! What we speak can be declared without any margin of error.

…upholding all things by the word of His power. (Hebrews 1:3)

Confession is speaking what God has said; rhema is speaking what God is saying now.

God’s Word will come to pass. Here is a testimony that demonstrates this truth.

During a healing conference in Mexico, a thirteen-year-old boy who had been missing two toes since birth came forward to testify. He was poor and had sold pastries in the street in order to earn money to attend the conference, where his determination to receive a miracle paid off. When God’s glory manifested, a wave of creative miracles began to take place. I instructed the people to check themselves to see whether any conditions they’d had were healed. This young boy hurriedly took off his shoes and socks and, to his surprise, saw two new toes on the foot that had been missing them for years! God did a creative, visible, tangible miracle in that young man’s life. He was so ecstatic that he could not stop smiling.

Too many Christians have a belief that is based on only their own abilities. And, if what they see or hear in the spiritual realm doesn’t fit with what they consider normal, it is rejected. Few dare to go beyond the natural. Instead, they prefer to stay comfortable in a church where nothing happens, because they fear making mistakes or looking foolish. The vast majority of believers don’t attend church expecting to see something supernatural take place. If anything supernatural does occur, they are shocked and amazed. I have to ask once more: If we don’t expect God to manifest His glory, why go to church at all?

Without faith, there is no access to the supernatural.

As I said earlier, to activate God’s supernatural power, we must be able to respond to the spiritual atmosphere generated by thanksgiving, praise, and worship. To do this, we need to expect something supernatural to happen. If we expect nothing, we will be unable to respond when there is a manifestation of God’s power to create miracles. God is extending His hand to give us the supernatural, but we have to extend our hands to receive it.

8. Exercise the Law of Response

Many Christians have seen excesses and abuses committed by those who claim to walk in the supernatural, and they have therefore rejected the concept completely. Some religious folks resist the miraculous because they think it has to do with the emotions exclusively. We must learn to respond to genuine supernatural power without fear and skepticism. When we receive authentic manifestations of the supernatural, we reap the kinds of victories and blessings that elude those who react in error. Sometimes, Christians try to seek neutral ground on which they can continue to believe in God without having to risk taking a step of faith. They fail to see that this approach makes them useless to God and unable to bless other people. Furthermore, this type of Christian represents no threat to the enemy.

Today, some preachers work hard to stimulate their people to respond to what God is doing. Others have no idea how to do this or even that they should do it. We cannot stand rigidly by, doing nothing. We must praise and worship God. He wants to be celebrated, not tolerated. God must be loved, His glory yearned for, and His power perceived.

We will be judged for our lack of response when we are in God’s presence and power.

In some churches, God’s presence can be felt, but nothing more happens. His presence is there because some people pray and fast, but no one knows how to respond or act when they encounter God’s glory. The atmosphere remains charged, yet nothing comes from it. This means that the miracles, signs, wonders, deliverances, and transformations remain unclaimed, because people have no idea how to appropriate them.

In Luke 5, Jesus was teaching at a particular house, and “there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them” (verse 17). In other words, the atmosphere was ready to produce miracles. Still, nothing of that nature appeared to be happening. Perhaps the people there were in unbelief. Or, perhaps they were waiting for Jesus to lay hands on them or to call them by name. Someone had to take hold of the supernatural. Soon, a bedridden individual who arrived late made his way into their midst by force (see Matthew 11:12 niv) and took his miracle from the supernatural atmosphere that had been created by Jesus’ prayer life. This man was lowered down to Jesus by his friends from a hole they had made in the roof of the house! (See Luke 5:18–25.) The power of God meets every need; His grace encompasses all things—healing, deliverance, and so forth. It is necessary, however, for us to respond as the man and his friends in Luke 5 did, or God’s power will depart.

The manifestations of the power of God to which we respond are the only ones that remain.

In some churches, there are believers who used to know how to respond to God’s power but then became too religious. They used to freely shout and dance during worship, but now they think of themselves as being too dignified for that kind of thing. Our apathetic response to God is one reason why He allows (rather than causes) pain in our lives. When we hurt, we have no choice but to cry out to God, forgetting our reputations or what others might think, and praise Him wholeheartedly. Many people who have suffered much praise God continuously. I challenge us to respond right now! God is loosening His power for healing and deliverance. I challenge us to give a shout of victory and proclaim ourselves to be healed and free. I declare that a creative miracle is taking place in our bodies right now.

God’s power is present; it waits only for us to respond, regardless of what we need—whether physical healing or a creative miracle, such as a new bone, an internal organ, eyesight, hair growth, muscle growth, or anything else. Now is the time to receive it. Those who have faith to act, do it now!

God’s power is always present,

but it is not always received.

We can preach a powerful revelation, but nothing will happen if people don’t respond. Where there is freedom in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit can perform miracles. However, if people lack faith and are apathetic about seeking God, they will remain in bondage. God loves spontaneity. Anything else is just a mechanical, empty act. Feel free to praise, worship, dance, shout, and respond in ways you have never responded before. Remember, we are responding to God’s anointing and glory.

I encourage you to begin doing what you could not previously do because of illness or injury. As you do it, I declare you healed and free. I declare that, even now, creative miracles are occurring in your body, and supernatural manifestations of God are taking place in your mind and heart. I pray that as you read this chapter, you will start to respond and receive your miracle. Declare it with your mouth. Begin to praise and worship God and to take action corresponding to your need. Then, thank Him in the name of Jesus. Amen!

I want our faith to rise to a new level. Here is another testimony that clearly shows that God is ready to heal.

During a healing service, a woman from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, came to the altar to testify. As the result of a terrible car accident, she had been in a wheelchair for twelve years, and she could not move. But when the power of God descended upon her, she was suddenly able to do all of the things she had not been able to do since she was injured. Now, she was able to move, walk, jump, bend over, and even run without pain. This woman was overjoyed. She could not believe what had happened to her, and she never stopped giving thanks to God. What had occurred? The woman had responded to the glory of God in our presence, and she had taken hold of her miracle. She had also taken a corresponding action by immediately testifying to her healing. Will you follow her example?

9. Act on Your Faith

with Supernatural Boldness

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). The Greek word for “go” is poreuomai, which can mean “to travel,” “to depart,” or “to make a journey.” We will never be used by God to perform miracles by His supernatural power if we don’t dare to go, or journey, and gather the harvest.

“Go” implies continuous action. In other words, everywhere we go, whether at the grocery store, at our workplace, or on an airplane, we should be about our mission of healing the sick and delivering the oppressed. The Greek word from which poreuomai is derived is peira and means “a test, that is, an attempt,” or “a trial, an experiment.” Going requires a voluntary action, but God also does His part as we go. If we remain rooted, signs will not follow us. What I want us to understand is that as we go, we become instruments of God’s power. I have great passion to see my nation, as well as all the nations of the world, transformed through signs, wonders, and miracles produced by His power.

Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts.

(Isaiah 8:18)

When we seek Jesus, not only will signs follow us, but we ourselves will become signs. We are the living, genuine testimony of the wonderful work of Jesus Christ in our lives, through which He forgave us, saved us, and transformed us. He made us to become signs for the whole world to see that He lives and can save and change anyone who humbly and wholeheartedly seeks Him.

[The disciples prayed,] “Now, Lord,…grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29–30)

How did God answer their prayer?

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

(Acts 4:31)

Jesus is as much the miracle-maker today as He was when He walked the earth and when He worked through the early church. Humanity needs a touch of His miraculous power as never before. Wherever a man or woman of God demonstrates supernatural boldness and faith in God’s Word, there are healing, miracles, signs, and wonders, and people are drawn to Christ. Look at how God continued to answer the disciples’ prayer:

And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people.…And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.(Acts 5:12, 14–16)

Personally, I refuse to preach a gospel that does not have accompanying miracles. What type of Bible would we have if it were not full of miracles? What type of message would we preach if it never manifested miracles as evidence of its veracity?

In conclusion, we have learned a number of principles, concepts, and revelations related to flowing in the supernatural, including personal and corporate prayer and intercession, the spirit of wisdom and revelation, thanksgiving, praise, worship, building a spiritual atmosphere, the law of expectation, declaring the Word with conviction, the law of response, and acting on our faith with supernatural boldness. All of these aspects work together to enable God’s glory to manifest in order to heal the sick, deliver the captives, and proclaim the gospel of Jesus throughout the earth so that His name may be glorified. This is how the world will come to know our supernatural God and be able to experience Him.

Today, my dear friend, you can flow in the supernatural. All you have to do is respond to the things you have read here with expectancy, believing that the God who moved in the Bible and in my life will also move in your life.

Summary

- A supernatural atmosphere is built through a life of personal, collective, conscious, and constant prayer.

- To operate in the flow of the miraculous, we must receive wisdom and revelation from the Holy Spirit.

- In thanksgiving, we recognize God’s goodness; in praise, we recognize His greatness and amazing works; in worship, we recognize His majesty, sovereignty, and glory. Thanksgiving, praise, and worship build a throne on which God can sit in our presence.

- Praise and worship are the elements most closely connected to the manifestation of God’s glory because they move Him to reveal Himself. They are genuine expressions in which we lose all awareness of self and focus only on Him.

- The level of praise and worship will determine the kinds of miracles that will manifest in a place.

- With regard to a spiritual atmosphere, we must discern it, loosen whatever exists within it, and expect to receive from it.

- When God’s Word is spoken, and it joins with the breath of the Holy Spirit, it produces an explosion called “creative power,” and that Word is confirmed by the Holy Spirit.

- Signs will follow us only if we go. When we seek Jesus, not only will signs follow us, but we ourselves will become signs.

11

Jesus Manifesting His Supernatural Power Through the Believer

The book of Acts, also called The Acts of the Apostles, marks the end of Jesus’ ministry on earth and the beginning of the ministry of His church. The first five chapters can be viewed as a bridge that leads to a new stage in God’s plan of redemption for the world. From that point forward, we who are the followers of Jesus Christ are to continue the work that He started. We were born for this purpose. He empowered us with the same power and authority He received from the Father, so that everyone who believes in that power can access it and do the same works that He did. The book of Acts records the many miraculous works performed by the apostles as they were led by the Holy Spirit, but it also opens the way for every believer to participate in the personal victories God gives to him as he obeys the Word in the name of Jesus.

An act refers to an action, a work, or an event. It is something we do, such as preaching the Word with demonstrations of God’s supernatural power to heal and perform miracles. The Acts of the Apostles records the disciples’ progress in the fulfillment of the Great Commission. In the same way, you and I should be able to write accounts of the works of the Holy Spirit performed through our lives.

The first apostles seemed to be working constantly. They healed the sick, rebuked demons, and performed miracles. They shouldered the responsibility of advancing the kingdom of God. They formed the first church. Interestingly, Jesus mentioned the church considerably less than He did the kingdom. From the onset of His ministry through His resurrection and ascension, Jesus made the kingdom of God His priority. The church is the growing manifestation of God’s kingdom that serves Jesus, but the kingdom is greater than the church.

The Body of Christ, Called Out to Serve

In the New Testament, God’s people are referred to by different names: church, body, work, temple, family, bride, and army. Some say the church is like a hospital, but the Bible never refers to it by this term. Yes, the church restores and heals the sick, the fallen, the sad, and the depressed, but this is not its most important function. The church is primarily the body of Christ.

The Greek word for “church” is ekklesia, which means “a calling out.” In its concrete form, it refers to “a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (a Jewish synagogue or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both),” or “an assembly.” It is similar to two Hebrew terms: edah, which can refer to “‘a company assembled together’ for a certain purpose,” and qahal, meaning “assembly” or “company.” The church has two main characteristics: first, there is a calling of individuals to gather together; second, there is a purpose for the calling. In short, ekklesia is a group of people called together for a specific purpose. The church is called by Jesus for the purpose of carrying out His will on earth.

Jesus does not delegate the task of building His church to anyone else. He does it Himself, founded on the revelation, or revealed knowledge, that He is the Messiah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

We were called out of the world to form the body of Christ and to obey Jesus, its Head. However, the Head can do nothing unless the body is willing to move. If my head wants my body to go through a doorway, it makes the decision, and the body must obey and move. If I want to pick up something from the floor, the head will decide to do this before the hand stretches to perform the corresponding action. Likewise, Jesus—as the Head—has a purpose, a mandate, and a mission, along with plans and desires, but these cannot be carried out unless the body obeys. For example, even if my head wanted to leave my body behind and carry out a plan on its own, it couldn’t because the function of the head is to command, and the function of the body is to execute, or carry out, that command.

We have seen that God will not do something that He has told us to do. Jesus told us to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom throughout the world, beginning in our homes, neighborhoods, cities, and nations, and He also told us to make disciples, heal the sick, and cast out demons. If we would obey, He promised that supernatural signs would follow us.

When God tells us to do something,

it is because He is not going to do it for us.

In ancient Greece, the term ekklesia was used to designate the state governmental body, which was led by its male citizens. For Christians, the church comprises people from around the world who are called to establish a spiritual government, or kingdom, and authority on earth by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ with signs and miracles. Unfortunately, today, there is insufficient evidence of God’s kingdom government on earth because we have failed to fully exercise our responsibilities as administrators of His government. The church is even responsible for many bad things currently taking place because we have not used our delegated authority to declare them illegal on the basis of God’s kingdom.

If we want to change our nations, we must begin by changing the church. Are we aware of our responsibilities? In Rome, once a law was passed, it could not be challenged. Local officials, however, could issue decrees over the areas they ruled. Similarly, Jesus created our laws, and they cannot be challenged. But we can make “decrees” in conjunction with those laws to address circumstances in our particular “areas.” As Jesus said,

Whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19 amp)

We must learn to speak new, specific decrees in order to make the laws of the kingdom come to pass on earth. Jesus carries out His eternal goals through the church, regardless of how long it takes. In fact, it has taken twenty centuries for us to carry the gospel to the nations, and we still have not finished reaching the last corners of the earth. We must flood the nations with miracles, signs, and wonders. Jesus will not do the job that He has entrusted to us. Sadly, many believers lack supernatural authority because they have not learned to walk under supernatural authority. Some are rebellious and must learn to submit to Jesus as their Head.

Anything not subject to the Head is

not truly the body of Christ.

Purposes of the Church

Let us now explore the purposes to which we are called as the church.

1. To Proclaim the Kingdom of God with Visible Demonstrations of Power

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

(Matthew 24:14)

In Scripture, the believer’s role as a witness is described in various ways, such as the following: We are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (see Matthew 5:13–14), ambassadors, or representatives, of Jesus (see 2 Corinthians 5:20), fishers of men (see Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17), armor bearers (see Ephesians 6:11, 13), kings and priests (see Revelation 1:6; 5:10; 1 Peter 2:9), and peacemakers (see Matthew 5:9). In essence, we are to be “little Christs.” We have a mandate and a mission: to preach the gospel to every creature with miracles, signs, wonders, and other demonstrations of God’s power that confirm we are an extension of Jesus on earth. God continues calling people to go and carry out this mandate.

Then many came to [Jesus] and said, “John [the Baptist] performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.”(John 10:41)

John the Baptist preached about the coming of Jesus, but he was not able to manifest any miraculous signs of the kingdom. In a similar way, today, some men and women of God preach the truth and have the right doctrine but are unable to demonstrate the supernatural power of God with miracles and signs.

When John the Baptist ended his ministry of announcing God’s kingdom, a new phase began—that of divine power. Jesus said,

But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Matthew 12:28)

Jesus initiated this phase by preaching, teaching, and demonstrating the kingdom with miracles, signs, wonders, and the casting out of demons. This demonstration of power was a new, unique occurrence. Never before had someone come to the Jews with the authority to cast out demons from the bodies and minds of people. Starting with Jesus, God’s kingdom began to expand via the visible manifestations of His power. Announcing, proclaiming, and teaching the kingdom through words are necessary as the first phase. But then, the manifestations should come with power through Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit.

The following testimony illustrates how the coming of God’s kingdom can make demons flee at the mention of the name of Jesus.

A young woman who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) visited our church. This woman suffered from hallucinations, catatonic behavior, irrational behavior, and the imagining of strange voices in her head. She was chronically angry, anxious, and paranoid. Doctors had declared that she would most likely never be able to raise a family, drive a car, or function without the aid of prescription medication.

Her condition had started when she was only eight years old. She thought that she heard a voice laughing and became so frightened that she went to her room and stayed there, unable to sleep, for a week. When she was twelve, she was institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital, where she was sedated twenty-four hours a day. After she left the hospital, she would periodically escape to a park, where she would spend the night getting high on illegal drugs. She was taking up to fifteen pills each day and had tried to commit suicide several times. She claimed that she could see demons tormenting her and threatening to kill her family. This young woman hated the world and was angry at everything and everyone around her.

One day, a fellow student invited her to church, and she received the Lord. The following Sunday, the Holy Spirit led me to where she was sitting, and I prayed for her, rebuking all the demons that were tormenting her life, in the name of Jesus. That day, she became free. As soon as she got home, she threw away all of her pills. Her mother was initially angry at the church, but her daughter kept insisting that she was healed. A few days later, her mother took her to the doctor, who confirmed that she was free indeed! Today, this woman, her mother, and the rest of her family attend our church and serve God.

2. To Make Disciples of All Nations

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.

(Matthew 28:19)

We are called to make disciples, teaching them to observe everything Jesus has commanded us. (See verse 20.) King Jesus Ministry has thousands of disciples, both in the United States and in twenty-five other nations. Each disciple is being trained and equipped to heal the sick, preach the gospel of the kingdom, and perform miracles, signs, and wonders in his neighborhood, territory, and city of the world.

3. To Manifest the Life of the Kingdom

That the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.(2 Corinthians 4:11)

The life of the kingdom is the resurrected life of Jesus, which has been made available, by faith, to every believer. The life of Jesus is manifest in our mortal bodies. It is what I call “divine health and healing.” If we have it, then we can also minister that life of resurrection to others in order to heal and deliver them. Many believers are incapable of manifesting the eternal, or resurrected, life of Jesus because they have yet to “die to self.” That means dying to the soul-led, emotional life and choosing to live a Spirit-led life. This is the only requirement for manifesting the life of Jesus.

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.

(John 12:24)

Before Jesus went to the cross, He gave His disciples a kingdom principle that would guarantee their success and manifest the life of God: If you plant a seed, it will die; however, when the seed dies, it will reproduce a hundred times over. (See also, for example, Matthew 13:8, 23.) The plant that grows out of the dead seed will be the same as that seed because it has the seed’s DNA. Until the moment of His crucifixion, Jesus had been unable to truly reproduce His life in the lives of His disciples. He first had to go to the cross to die for the sins of humanity and to redeem us. His sacrifice and subsequent resurrection made available the seed that, when planted in the spiritual womb of a believer, can reproduce its exact genetic components. Because of that seed, we can reach the measure of the perfect Man—Jesus. (See Ephesians 4:13.)

Therefore, God’s pattern of transformation for each believer includes planting a seed in our spirits that will grow and become like Jesus. This is known as the “new birth” (1 Peter 1:3 niv). Jesus had to die to deposit that seed. Likewise, we must die to self so that our seed can produce abundant fruit, and so the resurrected life of Christ can powerfully manifest through us to touch thousands who are suffering and in need. Ours is a death of the soul, not of the body. If we want to minister Jesus’ life to others, we have to die to our fleshly desires and to our emotions and will. This process alone will open the door that allows Jesus to manifest.

Believers who manifest the life of the kingdom experience death to self.

4. To Manifest the Authority and Power of the Kingdom

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19)

As previously stated, power is the ability to carry out something to completion. Authority is the legal right to exercise that power. Let me give you another illustration of these concepts. Imagine that a police officer orders a driver to pull over. If the driver has good judgment, he will stop out of respect for the officer’s uniform, his weapon, and the government he represents. If the driver is drunk, however, and his judgment is impaired, he might try to flee in an effort to avoid a ticket. In this case, the officer has the authority to order him to stop but not necessarily the physical power to make him stop. The drunk driver may drive faster than the officer and elude him. But what would happen if the officer called for backup and two police helicopters and three other police cars were sent to his aid? Even a drunk driver would probably think twice before challenging two helicopters and four squad cars. Now, the officer would have both the authority and the power to stop and detain the driver.

The authority of the kingdom gives us the legal

right to exercise God’s power.

This illustration is relevant to our condition in the spirit realm. In effect, God gave us His authority when Jesus paid the wages of our sin on the cross, died, and rose again, because, when Jesus accomplished our redemption, He made full provision for us to become coheirs with Him. God gave us His power when He sent His Holy Spirit to live within us at the point when we acknowledged Jesus as the Lord of our lives and received Him as our Savior. In other words, the day we were born again, we also became God’s children, with the legal right, the authority, and the power to exercise divine ability in order to manifest the kingdom and to carry out the mission Jesus commanded us to fulfill.

5. To Expand the Kingdom of God Forcefully

At the onset of creation, God made man to govern and to exercise dominion and lordship over the earth. At the onset of the church, God gave believers the mandate to go to all the world with the gospel in His authority and power. We believers are the primary instruments God uses to carry out His will and to expand His dominion upon the face of the earth, which we accomplish by proclaiming and demonstrating God’s kingdom.

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence [“has been forcefully advancing” niv], and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12)

A more literal translation of this verse might read, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of God has been governed by force, and only those with power control it.” This is the “violent” aspect of our spiritual war—the conflict between God’s kingdom of light and Satan’s kingdom of darkness. With supernatural power, we preach and teach, establishing and extending God’s divine government over new territories. With each step we take, we uproot, remove, and cast out the enemy from his territory, causing a violent collision between the two kingdoms.

For we are God’s fellow workers.(1 Corinthians 3:9)

As we learn of the purpose and responsibilities of the church, we often realize that we have failed Jesus. He has called us to be His associates—His collaborators and representatives on earth—because, again, He will not to do anything without us. All of His plans will be carried out by His body, the church.

We are the extension of Jesus. Through our lives,

He touches the world.

As the body of Christ, we are the only ones capable of putting limits on what Jesus can do on earth. He usually will not do more than what His body asks or allows—not because He can’t or doesn’t want to but because He has delegated His authority and power and the proclamation of the gospel to His body—His church.

Since the kingdom of God is within us (see Luke 17:21), we are extremely valuable. What requirement must we fulfill in order to operate as His body? The requirement of interdependence. Each member of the body needs the others (see, for example, 1 Corinthians 12:12–27), and yet, not one member is indispensable. The purpose of the body is to be used by Jesus to manifest the supernatural in the natural realm of space, time, and matter. He depends on us in order to operate in this realm. When Jesus came to earth, He Himself needed a body to carry out His Father’s will. The same is true today. After Jesus returned to heaven, the body of Christ became the instrument He uses to continue His ministry and to establish His will in this world.

Jesus paved a new way that allows believers to enter into God’s presence and to know Him personally. He did not create a religion based on rituals, which are the antithesis of miracles. Our mission is to share His life and love with the world. God is love, and He loves us! If we love Him, then we will also love other people. How? By praying, serving, and ministering as His instruments through which Jesus can perform His miracles as a way of validating our message.

The Type of Dwelling Place

God Is Looking For

The main reason God gave us physical bodies was to make us His habitation, placing His glory within us. God does not live in man-made temples. The temple He designed is your body and mine, and that is where He wants to live.

Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. (Revelation 21:3)

You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood.(1 Peter 2:5)

God did not dwell permanently in a man-made temple. His habitation is the temple of His making—us.

After many years and a huge amount of money, Solomon’s temple in Israel was finally completed. It was an amazing structure. It did not last, though, because it was destroyed as a result of Israel’s sin. God no longer invests in stone and mortar but only in “the dust of the earth.” With the coming of Christ, we believers became God’s temple. He could not have worked with more valuable materials, as we were purchased with blood—the blood of His precious Son, Jesus.

That the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.(John 17:23)

As believers, we no longer belong to the devil; we belong to God. God is looking for a dwelling place in human beings because this gives Him the legal right to operate on earth and perform supernatural signs and wonders. Is there a better reason than that to glorify Him through our lives? Let us surrender our bodies to Him!

Christ in Us

God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.(Colossians 1:27)

We must truly understand that Jesus ministers today in the same way He did in the early church: by working through believers. We are His collaborators, associates, friends, ambassadors, interpreters, witnesses, and communicators. We carry His message of love, power, glory, and authority. Unfortunately, many believers have abandoned these responsibilities. Many are content to pay others—their pastors and other church staff members—to fulfill them because they don’t want to carry them out themselves. Yet the revelation of “the glory of this mystery” (Colossians 1:27) is that Jesus lives in us and wants to minister through us. He needs us to lend Him our lives so that He can reach our families and friends.

Jesus redeemed us so that He could live within

us and express Himself through us.

God’s power to heal and to deliver has been given to all believers, as we can see from the following testimony.

During a Sunday service at our church, I declared that everyone who had arrived there with a sickness or any other problem would not return home in the same condition. A House of Peace leader who had been attending our church for only a few months and was already trained to walk in the supernatural appropriated that word. At the end of the service, she encountered a man from the Dominican Republic who was completely bald. She approached him in a very gentle way and asked if it was all right for her to pray for him. He accepted her request, and, in one of the hallways of the church, in front of many witnesses, she placed her hands on his head and prayed. Immediately, all who were present witnessed the miracle of his hair growing before their own eyes.

By myself, I cannot heal anyone. Jesus is the only One who heals. This is the mystery: Jesus came, died, was resurrected, received all authority and power, and then delegated that authority and power to us before ascending to heaven. Why didn’t God send His angels to do the job? Because the angels were not redeemed. We are the only beings for whom Jesus died. If we don’t take our responsibility seriously, many will be lost!

The proclamation of the gospel is limited to our will to obey what God has commanded us to do.

Jesus visits the sick and imprisoned through us. He goes in us and with us. Except for extraordinary cases, He does not reach people any other way. Unfortunately, many people use prayer as an excuse not to go out and minister to people in Jesus’ name. They feel that interceding for others is enough. Please, don’t misunderstand me. Jesus prayed because it is essential to do so, but when He lived on earth, in many cases, He also went to people.

Jesus…went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.(Acts 10:38)

Jesus can visit the needy and heal the brokenhearted and the depressed only through us. He encourages those in despair through us. Therefore, if all we do is pray, and we never visit the lost and the sick or testify to others of His love and saving grace, then we are not His body.

As Jesus went, He testified, preached, healed, rebuked demons, and demonstrated God’s compassion. He put His words into action. Do we want God to do our part, too? He will not do it! We have to do the possible, and then He will do the impossible. There are two types of prayer that God will never answer: when we ask Him to do what He has already done, and when we ask Him to do what we are supposed to do as His church. How will Jesus do His part? By using our lives. Rest assured that He will work in you, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

We must pray, but we also must go and do.

People will never see Jesus except through us.

How to “Go” with the Gospel

The glorious gospel of the blessed God…was committed to my trust. (1 Timothy 1:11)

God ordained that His gospel should be entrusted to regular people like you and me. It is a great privilege to preach it. One of the reasons Jesus sat down in heaven (see, for example, Hebrews 1:3) was that His ministry on earth was completed. He entrusted us with it in order to share it with the world.

Now that Jesus has restored us to the Father, revealed God’s supernatural power, chosen and anointed us to go in His name, and made us His representatives, we must “go” (Mark 16:15). Yes, now that we understand that…

- each believer has the authority, power, and ability given by God to move in miracles, signs, and wonders;

- each believer’s supernatural power comes from Jesus’ provision through His death on the cross, His resurrection, and His gift of the Holy Spirit; and

- the anointing is available to everyone;

we must decide to go!

Jesus in us gives us purpose.

Jesus served the people, spoke what was needed, and ministered His love and compassion. He has not changed. The only difference between the time when He lived on earth and now is that, now, He does these things through you and me—but only if we allow Him to. How does this happen? The fullness of His power will be loosened if we meet these basic conditions:

1. Total Commitment and Surrender to God’s Will

We must surrender without reservation and present our bodies as a “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1), so that our hands can become His hands, our feet can become His feet, and our mouths can become His mouth. Then, we can heal the sick; deliver the captives; save the lost; perform miracles, signs, and wonders; and manifest His glory everywhere.

2. Unconditional Obedience

We must decide to obey His Word and keep His mandate. We don’t need further confirmation; the harvest is ready. People are alone, sick, and without God. They are hopeless and lost, crying out for help. As I said, all we have to do is go and gather the harvest.

3. Complete Availability

And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

(1 Corinthians 12:21)

Christ is the Head, and, as such, He cannot tell the hands or feet, “I don’t need you.” What the Head requires of the hands and feet is complete availability and a willingness to carry out its decisions. Regardless of how talented I might be as a Christian, if I am not available and willing to submit to Jesus as the Head, I am worthless for the kingdom. Christ will use His body to destroy the works of Satan, such as sickness, oppression, and captivity.

Once, when I was making my way out of the church at the end of a service, exhausted and ready to go directly home, a young woman approached and asked me to pray for her healing. She had been deaf from birth. Although I was exhausted, I felt the demand of God and His compassion asking me to lend Him my humanity. I didn’t even lay hands on her. As I spoke, the power of God fell, and she was instantly healed. From this experience, I was able to conclude that regardless of how tired we might be, it is wonderful to surrender our bodies to the Holy Spirit so that He can use them to bless others.

The only ability God seeks in mankind is availability.

We must be ready the moment the Lord wants to manifest His glory through us. As members of Christ’s body, we always have to be prepared, willing, and available to be used by the Head. Regardless of how strong a body part is, it is useless if it is not available to do what the Head wants it to do.

The people of the world are hurting, waiting for a special touch that can rescue them from the emptiness of life. Remember that Jesus will continue His healing ministry through you, and that you will continue to grow spiritually as you share Christ with others. As long as you allow Him to use you as His instrument to bless others, you are His body, His temple. To be used by God to bless other people brings incredible joy and is at the heart of Christianity: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). He is in you to proclaim the gospel; to perform miracles, signs, and wonders; and to win souls.

Chosen and Anointed for Action

Remember, we cannot learn to move in God’s anointing if we are not guided by revealed knowledge. When revelation knowledge is received and shared, enjoyed and given, heard and communicated, it becomes rooted within us—it becomes ours. Otherwise, it is like a dead tree, stagnant water, or dry seed. In Matthew 5–7, Jesus preached His Sermon on the Mount. But when Matthew 8 begins, we see Him perform miracles and demonstrate the things He taught. You would be surprised to see what could happen if you were to lay hands on the sick, declaring the Word that lives within you. People can be healed, freed, and restored, because we walk in the same anointing that Jesus did. Will you answer God’s call, saying, as Isaiah did, “Here am I! Send Me” (Isaiah 6:8)? Through that response, you are saying, in essence, “Lord, I lend You my humanity of my own free will to speak words of life to the lost, to encourage the brokenhearted, to heal the sick, and to deliver the afflicted and those in mourning. Lord, I will serve You. Send me!” That challenge comes from God to you.

I invite you to repeat this affirmation and prayer aloud:

I am a believer—a Christian—and Jesus is my Lord. I believe that Jesus was raised from the dead. He guarantees His promises, and I will experience His supernatural power because Christ is resurrected in me. The Holy Spirit has anointed me with power from above to believe that all things are possible. Jesus is greater than any problem or challenge before me. He lives in me, and the power that raised Him from the dead is working in my life as I speak. Satan knows this and cannot do anything about it. Jesus, You publicly humiliated the enemy and destroyed his works. Now, You live in me, giving me the grace to experience Your power, heal the sick, deliver the captives, perform miracles and marvels in Your name, and preach Your gospel throughout the nations. As long as there is breath within me, Lord, use me wherever I may go to continue Your ministry. Amen.

Let me close with a final testimony. God used me in a powerful miracle during a crusade in the city of Villahermosa, Mexico. A police officer who had been almost entirely paralyzed for one year was brought to the crusade. He had been shot in the back, which had necessitated the removal of two discs. While we were praying, I asked those who were sick to repeat the following prayer: “Tonight is the night for my miracle.” At that moment, this man appropriated the word and repeated it with all his might. Suddenly, he felt the right side of his body begin to tremble so much that he thought he was dying. When I ordered the lame to rise and walk, this man desperately began to look for someone to help him stand up. He called to his daughter, who was sitting near him, but she was too afraid to help him. Not to be denied his miracle, the man used her for support, pushed himself up, and began to walk. After a few steps, he realized that he had been completely healed. Later, he even returned to his job as a police officer. His testimony has led more than sixty people to Christ, including the chief of police.

God wants to use you to minister to others in similar ways. If you have never given your life to Jesus, I want to give you another opportunity to know the real, living, and resurrected Christ. If you believe that Jesus came to shed His blood so that you might live, please repeat this prayer:

Heavenly Father, I recognize that I am a sinner. I repent of all my sins. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is the Son of God and that the Father raised Him from the dead. I am saved, healed, and delivered. I am a son/daughter of God, created in His image, to manifest His person and His power on this earth. Amen!

About the Author

Dr. Guillermo Maldonado is a man called to bring God’s supernatural power to this generation at the local and international levels. Active in ministry for over twenty years, he is the founder and pastor of Ministerio Internacional El Rey Jesús (King Jesus International Ministry)—one of the fastest-growing multicultural churches in the United States—which has been recognized for its development of kingdom leaders and for visible manifestations of God’s supernatural power.

Having earned a master’s degree in practical theology from Oral Roberts University and a doctorate in divinity from Vision International University, Dr. Maldonado stands firm and focused on the vision God has given him to evangelize, affirm, disciple, and send. His mission is to teach, train, equip, and send leaders and believers to bring the supernatural power of God to their communities, in order to leave a legacy of blessings for future generations. This mission is worldwide. Apostle Maldonado is a spiritual father to more than 100 pastors and apostles of local and international churches as part of a growing association, the New Wine Apostolic Network, which he founded.

He has authored many books and manuals, a number of which have been translated into several languages, including The Kingdom of Power: How to Demonstrate It Here & Now (El Reino de Poder Cómo Demostrarlo Aquí y Ahora), The Glory of God (La Gloria de Dios), and The Glory of God Spirit-Led Bible Study (La Gloria de Dios Estudio Bíblico Guiado por el Espíritu Santo). In addition, he preaches the message of Jesus Christ and His redemptive power on his international television program, Tiempo de Cambio [Time for Change], which airs on several networks, thus reaching millions worldwide.

Dr. Maldonado resides in Miami, Florida, with his wife and partner in ministry, Ana, and their two sons, Bryan and Ronald.