ENDORSEMENTS

Becky Dvorak’s love for God, for His Word and for people is bringing fresh inspiration in her newest book Greater Than Magic. Her passion to see other believers walk in the fullness of the Holy Spirit and experience the reality of biblical supernatural power is clearly communicated within this book.

Her writing helped me to gain new insight and Bible-based revelation into the supernatural power of God. I also could feel a new burst of faith for miracles arise within my spirit as I read all the different testimonies. I appreciate Becky’s intentional efforts for providing lots of scriptures, giving the reader sound doctrine and scriptural references to her message.

Becky’s childlike faith and her ability to teach and communicate biblical truths help to create a thirst and hunger for those who desire to experience the truth of God’s love and power within their own walk with God.

I enjoy the way she is able to provide a fresh insight and balance of biblical truth along with real, living-proof, practical examples within the pages of her book. With more than 20 years of personal experiences living in the supernatural, Becky is more than qualified to write on this topic.

This is a must-read for any minister, disciple and student of the Word who desires his or her everyday life to have a deeper walk with God. Her book also provides a biblical foundation and a practical application for any believer to benefit from. This book is also a great read for those seeking healing for their own life as well.

This book is a precious gift to the Body of Christ and is able to transcend denominational lines, providing the reader a clear view and understanding of God’s heart for reaching out and loving people, healing the broken and wounded, as well as saving the lost simply by using ordinary believers like you and me. We do represent Him on earth as He is in heaven.

JOHNNY MORALES

Certified Speaker, Coach and Trainer

The John Maxwell Team

www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/johnnymorales

CEO of Operation H.O.P.E. Inc.

www.operationhopeinc.com

Co-Founder of the Build Dream Grow Coaching Experience

www.bdgcoaching.com

Author and Prophetic Minister, Global Prophetic Training

www.propheticstreamsnetwork.com

For a life of fruitfulness, follow Becky as she follows Christ. Her biblical insights and practical illustrations create lighted paths for discipleship.

Becky’s work is powerful; it is on target, personal, biblical and helpful to those who want to grow in obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ and live lives that are worthy of His call.

If you want to follow the Lord with clarity and obedience, this book is for you. A disciple who practices what she preaches, Becky Dvorak’s book leads to increased intimacy and fruitfulness for His sake.

JO ANNE ARNETT,

President, Center for Biblical Studies: Bible College,

Seminary & Leadership Training Center, Tallahassee, Florida

www.centerforbiblicalstudies.org

Greater Than Magic is a book that will bless the Church of the Lord Jesus. It deals with faith and our identity in Jesus and shows us how to walk in the Spirit. This is a must-read for any minister or any child of God. In a world where many are turning to witchcraft, people need to know that the Word of God is “greater than magic”—this book shows just that. My hat is off to this woman of God.

BISHOP CARL D. COOK

Hour of Restoration Ministries, Inc., Cheneyville, Louisiana

www.forministry/USLAAPOSCTHORC/

In Greater Than Magic, Becky Dvorak challenges Christians to walk in their most authoritative anointing. An empowering book for anyone who wants to live victoriously, it is a faith-strengthening message of the supernatural power that Christ has available for those who will claim it.

SENIOR PASTORS JOSEPH and YOLANDA MORGAN

Celebration of Life Church

Everyone who wants to be used by God in the supernatural should read this book! Greater Than Magic offers clear teaching, answers important questions and gives faith-building examples that set the believer on an exciting journey. The simplicity and practicality resound in your heart and in your mind while protecting the uninformed by clarifying God’s ways from the deceptive paths of satan and the world. Becky is a Holy Spirit-anointed teacher giving a timely and much-needed word to a hungry world.

LINDA RYAN

Greater Works Ministries, Market 70

www.greaterworksministries.us

Becky’s timely message reveals her calling and giftedness in the area of the “supernatural power of faith.”

It’s as if she has her hand on the pulse of the Spirit as she teaches healing and deliverance. Becky is confident and strong from her personal experience.

I consider this work equivalent to a textbook that can be used to equip believers to demonstrate His miraculous power to change the world for His glory.

I believe that if we could operate consistently in these principles, we could eradicate the demonic and cause the supernatural power of Jesus Christ to be super and natural in our midst.

JEANNE GALLO

Training Faithful Women

www.churchpastorcoach.com

Becky Dvorak’s new book, Greater Than Magic, brings hope and inspiration to light, displaying the true revelation of God’s Word. Her book encourages faith to rise to hope and healing with a spirit of true revelation knowledge.

“But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation” (1 Thess. 5:8).

We must look at the truth, including the revelation knowledge of the supernatural. Our weapons are mighty through God. We encourage you to read and awaken the warrior in you with faith, love and the hope of healing salvation.

PASTORS FRANKLIN & SHARI PERRY

Senior Pastor and Head Apostles

River of Life Christian Center, Burbank, California

www.rolburbank.com

After reading Becky Dvorak’s first book, Dare to Believe, I felt so encouraged and so challenged at the same time. It was like pouring an accelerant on a flame. This book is a primer that teaches who we are in Christ and how to walk in that knowledge according to Scripture.

Now her latest book of instruction, Greater Than Magic, takes that understanding deeper and compels the reader to step up to a higher caliber of faith.

It is clear to most Christians that we are living in the last days. As pastors, my husband, Tim, and I have noticed that there seems to be a slumbering spirit that overtakes believers and leads them into a dull state of nonchalance with regard to the things happening in this world.

Romans 13:11-12 is a good way to describe this:

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”

God has given Becky Dvorak a word that is timely, relevant and powerful to this sleeping generation as well as to the Christians who have been living beneath their spiritual inheritance.

Having experienced her ministry firsthand in our church, we were pleased to witness the ministry of a woman of God who fully and completely takes God at His Word.

PASTOR BEVERLY BUCHHOLTZ

Transforming Life Church, Lloyd, Florida

www.transforminglifechurch.com

From my viewpoint, I agree with Becky’s presentation of doctrinal beliefs. The real power of the book is from her personal examples. It is eye-opening, faith-provoking and uplifting for believers and challenging for skeptics. Anyone reading this book will be greatly enlightened and blessed. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to evaluate this work. I believe for it to spread mightily to the Body of Christ.

BISHOP DR. GERALD RELIFORD

New Life for the Nations and AEGA, Columbia, Kentucky

www.nlftn.org

DESTINY IMAGE BOOKS BY BECKY DVORAK

Dare to Believe

© Copyright 2014–Becky Dvorak

All rights reserved. This book is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. This book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. The use of short quotations or occasional page copying for personal or group study is permitted and encouraged. Permission will be granted upon request. Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1 995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All emphasis within Scripture quotations is the author’s own. Please note that Destiny Image’s publishing style capitalizes certain pronouns in Scripture that refer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and may differ from some publishers’ styles. Take note that the name satan and related names are not capitalized. We choose not to acknowledge him, even to the point of violating grammatical rules.

DESTINY IMAGE® PUBLISHERS, INC.

P.O. Box 310, Shippensburg, PA 17257-0310

“Promoting Inspired Lives.”

This book and all other Destiny Image, Revival Press, MercyPlace, Fresh Bread, Destiny Image Fiction, and Treasure House books are available at Christian bookstores and distributors worldwide.

For a U.S. bookstore nearest you, call 1-800-722-6774.

For more information on foreign distributors, call 717-532-3040.

Reach us on the Internet: www.destinyimage.com.

ISBN 13 TP: 978-0-7684-4244-1

ISBN 13 Ebook: 978-0-7684-8461-8

For Worldwide Distribution, Printed in the U.S.A.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 / 18 17 16 15 14

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to those who seek to launch out into the deep things of the Holy Spirit, to radiate Jesus to the lost and to manifest His kingdom on this earth through His gifts of grace.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Destiny Image Publishers for investing their best into this work and for fashioning it with style for the Body of Christ.

CONTENTS

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

CHAPTER 1

Supernatural Illumination

CHAPTER 2

Our Identity

CHAPTER 3

Walk in the Spirit

CHAPTER 4

Spirit Led

CHAPTER 5

Water and Wine

CHAPTER 6

The Supernatural Power of Faith

CHAPTER 7

The Senses of Faith

CHAPTER 8

Supernatural Provision

CHAPTER 9

A Repairer of the Breach

CHAPTER 10

Our Title Deed

CHAPTER 11

Protection from Deception

CHAPTER 12

Ministering Angels

CHAPTER 13

Supernatural Collisions

CHAPTER 14

Lead Us to Jesus

CHAPTER 15

Get Ready!

Answers to Review Questions

Additional Faith Assignments

FOREWORD

Before Adam and Eve fell, the supernatural was the “normal” realm they walked in. They fellowshipped with God and talked with Him on a daily basis. They were His companions and were able to understand things on His level. You could say the supernatural was their “natural” realm! When they fell away from God, they fell into a realm of fear, doubt and skepticism. They could rely only on their own understanding, which left them in a position of great disadvantage. Their fall was one that destroyed their faith in their supernatural God, disconnected them from the God-realm, and confined them in a realm of the senses where reality was defined by what they could see, hear, touch, taste and smell.

Here comes Jesus on the scene—and the Bible calls Him the “Last Adam.” He shows us what it means to live a life of relying on our supernatural Father God! He is not God’s abnormal Man, but actually the pattern Man that Father has planned all along for all of us to be like. He shows us what a normal lifestyle of faith looks like, the life of faith that God has purposed for every one of us to experience!

You have in your hands a book that will help you connect and develop in your own supernatural lifestyle of faith. Becky has written this book to help you see your destiny and to equip you to fulfill your calling. She will help you see that you are not insignificant and your life truly does matter. Jesus was not kidding when He said that each of His believers could and would do the same marvelous, life-giving works that He did! (John 14:12). He is calling each and every one of us to step up and impact those in our circle of influence with the glory of His amazing gospel! You are holding in your hands a training manual that is full of life-changing, empowering truths that are not theory but are proven to work out on the battlefields of life. Becky not only gives you a wealth of revelation knowledge here, but also fills it with testimonies that bring glory to God and shows you how to flow with Him to see lives around you radically changed, too.

I would recommend that you go through this book with a friend or with a group of three or four, and then begin to put into practice and share together what the Lord is doing in all of your lives! Many times truths are better understood and grasped in a small group; and besides that, you will want to share the regular stream of testimonies with one another as you see the Lord begin to go to work in and through your group!

I want to remind you that the book you are about to read was written for you, so as you read of the things that the Lord has done through Becky’s life, say, “Lord, that’s for me, too!” I can feel an excitement rising up in me for you—you were born for such a time as this! Arise and step into a new dimension of life! A supernatural lifestyle of faith is what God has called you to!

STEVE C. SHANK

Founder/Pastor of City on the Hill Ministries International

and Confirming the Word Bible College, Boulder, Colorado

Author, Schizophrenic God? Finding Reality in

Conflict, Confusion, and Contradiction

PREFACE

There is a worldwide fascination for the supernatural. The supernatural is on front and center stage and has an audience of both Christians and non-Christians alike, who if not completely captivated are at least cautiously curious by its power. This intrigue is beyond a short-lived craze; it’s an actual and honest hunger to truly understand. And due to the hour in which we now live, an outpouring of God-inspired revelation knowledge and understanding concerning the supernatural is coming forth.

But beware, mixed in with the amazing realm of the supernatural are alluring strands of deception, misleading many down a dark path to destruction. Without the revelation of the Word, people will be deceived.

The pages of this book are not filled with cheap hocus pocus magic tricks, but are power packed with the supernatural power of faith. Our faith will be empowered as we enter into a new depth of revelation that the true power of the supernatural power of the faith of a Christian is greater than magic.

INTRODUCTION

Greater Than Magic is an interactive guide about the true power of the supernatural power of faith. It’s written to bring illumination about the amazing power of the Spirit that we possess by aligning our true identity with the Master of Forces, Jesus Christ. You will receive a biblical foundation to walk confidently in the miraculous as well as practical instruction, utilizing the senses of your faith, with hands-on assignments that will unlock the supernatural realm with unlimited signs and wonders following.

CHAPTER 1

SUPERNATURAL

ILLUMINATION

A display of unusual manifestations of the supernatural began to occur under a large tree in the Serengeti Plains of Northern Tanzania as I preached to a Maasai tribe about the true power in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Behind the tree was a thick protective wall of thorns. On the other side of it sat an infuriated witch doctor who was displeased by our presence and the message we brought. He stewed his spiritual pot filled with hatred and jealousy against us and hexed us with his curses and conjured up magic tricks to disrupt and stop us. We found ourselves in the midst of a supernatural battle.

The atmosphere of the meeting became chaotic. The witch doctor started to cause disorder and confusion. He messed with the elements of nature. Suddenly, the heat of the sun became so unnaturally intense I almost fainted, but by the true power of faith I stood my ground and continued to preach about God’s plan of redemption.

As I spoke, I watched the people as they moved like a row of dominoes that had been pushed over. I said to the interpreter, “It looks as if a snake is in our midst.” And sure enough a long, bright, green snake moved rapidly through the crowd and slithered right past my feet. I shouted, “I rebuke you, satan!” and it vanished.

It came time for the altar call, but the people hesitated to commit their lives to Christ because they feared the witch doctor’s probable revenge. Then one woman stood up and came forward and testified of her decision to follow Jesus Christ. It just so happened that this woman was married to the witch doctor and took a bold stand of faith against witchcraft. By the power of this woman’s bold act of faith, the people came forward and many gave their lives to Jesus that day. But this also caused the witch doctor’s wrath to be loosed against us.

Next, we ministered divine healing in an open field behind our equipment. As the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit manifested and the people were healed, a sudden and very strong wind commenced to blow. It became so strong that it picked up objects and hurled them directly at us. Then the wind ripped off a metal sheet from a nearby tin roof and it almost decapitated us as we ministered over a young girl. But as the sheet of tin drew near, something unseen hit it and it sailed off in the opposite direction. I looked up at the interpreter who was a bit shaken and said, “It’s all right, keep on; the enemy is just mad at us, but God will protect us.”

I then heard the people as they shouted. I looked over to the immense tree where I had just delivered the Word. The wind tried to pull this massive tree down on top of all the people. This would have killed many, but these newborn believers exercised their newfound authority in Christ over witchcraft, prayed corporately, and the tree lifted right back up.

Clearly, it was a power-filled encounter between the Christians and the occult world, but it was obvious to all present that the supernatural power of faith that we Christians possess is indeed greater than magic.

STEP FORWARD

A clear understanding of the supernatural is necessary. For too long Christians of the Western world have denied its existence while the Eastern world has readily walked in the supernatural, but denied God. Why did the Christians of the Western world deny the supernatural? Why did the Eastern world deny God but accept the supernatural? Where is the truth in all this denial?

A failure to understand the true power of the supernatural results in confusion and corruption of the truth. It is this confusion and corruption that mystifies the supernatural and leads many to stray from God and into occult practices. And this same mystification of the supernatural causes some Christians to become wary and fearful and step back and turn away from it. But is this fear the correct response from Christians?

People fear what they do not understand. This fear stems from a lack of knowledge. A deficiency of knowledge, especially in God’s Word, is destructive. God says through His prophet in Hosea 4:6a, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” He goes on to say that His people even reject it. They are unaware that everything that manifests in the physical world is an irrefutable result of spiritual occurrences around them. When it comes to partaking of the Word of God, many are malnourished. They do not have the substance to live victoriously. This insufficiency of the supernatural power of God causes great damage to the Body of Christ. It hinders God’s miraculous intervention to reach His people. God wants us to understand His supernatural ways. And according to John 16:13 in the Amplified Version of the Bible, He sends His Truth-giving Spirit to guide us into all truth, including the revelation knowledge of the supernatural. Jesus shares the power source of this truth in John 8:31-32. He says, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

I met a beautiful Christian woman at a private meeting in Chicago, Illinois, who suffered needlessly for 25 years of unbearable pain from a tethered spine because she was not taught the truth about supernatural healing. But her healing almost didn’t happen because she was afraid that perhaps God would not heal her. After she heard the truth from God’s Word concerning the Lord’s will to heal, she was released from fear. Healing hands were laid upon her and she was instantly healed and delivered from all pain and suffering.

When we walk in the revelation of the Word, the presence of the Spirit of Truth manifests with signs and wonders through us and draws the hurting to Himself. As we allow the reality of Christ to shine through us, their spiritual eyes see beyond the deadness of religion that quenches the power of the Spirit. And as His active supernatural power works through us, it shatters the spiritual darkness that holds them in bondage and escorts them into a living relationship with the one true God.

By the supernatural power of faith a man was saved just in the nick of time. I met this Guatemalan man for the first time while he was in a coma breathing his last breaths. He was quickly slipping away from this earth. Now, religion would read him his last rites and hope he makes it into the sweet by-and-by, but there is no need to guess when the supernatural power of faith is in operation and the Gifts of the Spirit are activated. As I walked up to his hospital bed, I could see a spiritual cloud of darkness all around him. I knew by the discerning of spirits found in 1 Corinthians 12 that he was not saved. I reached out and touched him and told him to wake up. He did, and he received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

What would have happened to this man had I not known how to operate in the supernatural power of faith? What if I had been intimidated by the situation and walked away? He would have died and been lost for an eternity in hell. I thanked God I arrived just in time and that I had the courage to believe what the Bible said about the supernatural power of faith. But how many people entered into their eternal destination without Jesus Christ because the brethren were either intimidated by the situation or did not know how to operate in the supernatural power of faith?

Dear Jesus,

As Your spiritual body, we repent for our part in the denial and rejection of the supernatural, for our lack of knowledge and for the unnecessary destruction that it causes in the lives of so many of Your people. Forgive us, for we do not realize the consequences that others suffer when we allow fear and ignorance to paralyze and override the supernatural power of our faith.

Holy Spirit, we need Your gift of discernment in these last days. Lead us and guide us into all truth that we may walk freely in the power of Your might.

In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

DEFINING THE SUPERNATURAL

I observe that one of the initial misunderstandings concerning the supernatural within the Church is with the term supernatural itself. To help bring clarity to this term we will discuss this right now.

What is the supernatural? What are the governing bodies of the supernatural?

The supernatural is an unseen spiritual force that operates like the wind in our natural world. Like the wind it transforms the atmosphere and causes change. These changes can be creative or destructive in nature depending upon the circumstance and the governing force behind the situation.

The Holy Spirit is the creative, explosive power of God and the governing force of the godly supernatural realm. When we release His power into the natural realm, the impossible becomes possible and miracles manifest.

I was ministering at a healing service in Hendersonville, Tennessee. I was stirring the faith of the people with great testimonies of miraculous healing. When the Spirit released me, I called the people forward to receive. I was taken back at first by the numbers that came forward. Almost three-fourths of the people, if not more, came. I silently said, “Lord, help me.”

As the people came forward, I quickly started to lay hands on people and they were healed immediately. I sent the people to testify to the others of the miracles they received. This released even greater faith in the people as the Spirit hovered over us. While His power moved swiftly, the people screamed, rejoiced, jumped and ran around as their broken bones, blind eyes, deaf ears and many other ailments were instantly healed.

But in the glory of all this supernatural power, we need to be careful because there is also a deceptive and lesser force in the supernatural realm. It is called the occult and it is governed by satan. The Bible warns us about him in 1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” The roar of this lion produces fear in its victim, then this fear paralyzes its prey and makes it difficult for that prey to escape and easy to devour. We will discuss further on in this book how to protect ourselves from his deception. (See Chapter 11, Protection from Deception.)

Even though we are to be sober and vigilant and keep a watchful eye to protect ourselves from the enemy, we do not need to fear him because our Jesus is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah (see Rev. 5:5). It is He who conquered satan at Calvary, and His Holy Spirit lives and resides within us. Jesus is very territorial and protects us, His pride, and gives to us everything we need to overcome in this world by the power of His supernatural strength.

Recently, the Spirit of Truth revealed to me in a dream what the enemy tried to do to one of my children. When I heard in the dream the attempt to harm my son, a godly wrath rose up within my spirit. I saw myself burst through a door and into a room where the enemy was hiding from me. I marched after him with all of heaven behind me. I said, “How dare you try to attack my son!” He was terrified of the authority with which I spoke to him. He tried to find a way of escape, but there was none. He ran and hid under a desk. I bent over and put my head under it. The little, frightened, fallen creature began to shudder with fear. I did not let up. He did not know what to do, so he jumped into the nearby wastebasket. I looked inside the trash can and rebuked him in the name of Jesus. He looked up from the bottom and started to falsely accuse Jesus. Desperate for something to say, he said, “Jesus was arrested!” My spirit was enraged by this and I started to shout inside the garbage can, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus….” The power in His name literally tormented satan. He lost all control and started to bang around the can.

I share this dream with you because, in reality, we do not need to fear satan. Did you notice in my dream that satan was a little creature? When we walk in the revelation of the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit within us, satan loses his power over us. We realize that he truly is the lesser force.

ENLIGHTENMENT

Without the enlightenment from the Word, the supernatural realm of the Holy Spirit is easily misunderstood. One reason for this work is to bring clarity where there is confusion.

But first, I want to make it perfectly clear that I am not referring to what New Age and other false religions call enlightenment. Even though what they believe sounds similar, it is not because they take a biblical truth and twist it. The twisted belief appeals to the flesh, but in the end leads its followers into eternal damnation.

The enlightenment that I speak of is what the Apostle Paul prays in Ephesians 1:18: “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” To enlighten means to illuminate, to light the way. The Amplified Bible translates this verse as saying, “By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones).” We need the enlightenment from the Word of God concerning the supernatural power of faith to clearly understand the hope of His calling and to learn how to activate His glorious inheritance.

This enlightenment that we lack but need can be compared to the first time I entered into a Maasai hut. I felt unsure of myself. I had stepped out from the natural light that I was accustomed to and into unknown territory. I was unfamiliar with the design of the building, it appeared strange to me, and I didn’t know what to expect. But as I took a few steps forward, I arrived into the main room of the hut. Once there, my eyes were drawn to a small fire in the center of the room. At first, I had to be patient and allow my physical eyes time to adjust to the light. But within a few minutes, I could see clearly as my pupils enlarged and drew in the light from the source of the fire. And as my eyes were enlightened, I realized that I had nothing to fear. What was a new experience for me was not new for my brethren. They were living in this light already.

Perhaps the supernatural way of the Holy Spirit is a new territory for you and you feel a bit intimidated, as I did the first time I walked into a Maasai hut. If so, I invite you to take a few steps forward into the sanctuary of His presence, sit for awhile and allow your spiritual eyes to draw in the light from the Word of God until you are enlightened by the spirit of wisdom and receive the revelation knowledge about His supernatural ways.

Take the first step; personalize and confess the prayer for spiritual wisdom that the Apostle Paul prays for us in Ephesians 1:17-23. Here it is from the Amplified Version of the Bible, with the pronouns changed.

[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant [me] a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, by having the eyes of [my] heart flooded with light, so that [I] can know and understand the hope to which He has called [me], and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones), and [so that [I] can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places], far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come. And He has put all things under His feet and has appointed Him the universal and supreme Head of the church [a headship exercised throughout the church], which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all [for in that body lives the full measure of Him Who makes everything complete, and Who fills everything everywhere with Himself].

So, let us put fear and misunderstanding in their proper place: behind us, as we step forward into the realm of revelation knowledge, with a clear biblical understanding that the true power of the supernatural power of faith is indeed “greater than magic.”

THE REASON FOR ILLUMINATION

No matter where we are in the world, a heightened interest in the supernatural is peaking. Both young and old, male and female, are seeking. The supernatural is far reaching into all spectrums of life, from the rich and famous, to the middle class worker, to the lower class struggling to make ends meet and to the down-and-out living on the street. There is something to be read or said on every form of media and in both circles, secular and Christian alike. A global spotlight is shining on the supernatural.

In Acts 2:17-19 Peter declares the words of the Prophet Joel from the Book of Isaiah: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath….” As well as a promise, we also see a warning for these times from Matthew 24:24: “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” We can see from these two portions of Scripture that signs and wonders will abound in these last days and that they will either lead people to the truth of Jesus or their misuse will deceive and lure people away from Christ.

Isaiah 60:1-5 speaks of a great contrast in the spiritual light of the people in these days. It says, “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. 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. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.” This portion of Scripture speaks of a deep spiritual darkness, wickedness upon the people of the earth in the last days, while at the same time the glory of the Lord shines brightly through us.

A Word from the Lord

“Wickedness is becoming wickeder than you have seen before. Right will become wrong and wrong will become right in the eyes of the unregenerate soul. It will be worse than in the days of Noah. Perversion will be worse than it has ever been. What was once inconceivable to the average person will become acceptable and normal. My Word prophesies these things; they cannot be stopped.

“But even in the midst of great filth there is a safe haven for My beloved Bride. In My presence she will find refreshing for her weary soul. Deep in My presence she will hide and ride in safety in the midst of a terrible and frightful storm. Even though the waves of this storm will crush and destroy, My Bride will outride the storm.”

The earth’s clock is winding down, and just as the gears in a windup clock spin faster as the alarm is sounding before it stops, so too are supernatural events happening on this earth before the glorious return of Jesus Christ. For this reason the supernatural is being illuminated like never before.

(You can read this word in its entirety in the last chapter.)

THE TRUE PURPOSE

The true purpose for signs and wonders is to equip us to reel in the lost. Jesus commissions us to “go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race].” (See Mark 16:15 in the Amplified Version of the Bible.) The Lord says He will give us the nations if we will ask Him for them (see Ps. 2:8). This is quite a large gift to receive. How do we accept this great inheritance? We first ask for it, then we make ourselves available for the Lord’s service. In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah responds to the Lord’s bidding when he says, “Here am I! Send me” (Isa. 6:8). This is to be our response as well.

Here is how I ask. I take a world map with me into prayer and declare specific nations as mine. I step into oceans and claim every nation that touches those waters as my inheritance. I intercede over bags of soil from other lands that others place into my hands during healing conferences, and I ask the Father to send me to bring healing to their nations. As I step off of planes, I personalize and confess the Word of the Lord from Joshua 1:3: “Every place that the sole of my foot will tread upon the Lord has already given it to me.” As the Lord opens up these nations to me, I go.

I encourage you to ask the Lord for the nations, make yourself available for His service, become creative in the things of the Spirit and prophesy yourself into these lands.

He says there are too few workers to gather in His harvest. It will take more than the leadership of the Church to accomplish this immense task. His plan is not to have a few reapers, but a whole force. He commissions all believers to win the lost and He wants to recruit you, too.

Concerning the end-time’s harvest, Jesus says that it is so great that we are to pray for more people to work the fields (see Matt. 9:37-38). Obey the Word of the Lord. Choose one nation and intercede for the people to come to know the Living Word in that part of the world. Pray for the missionaries stationed in that land that they will be strengthened in the power of His mighty Spirit. Pray that others who are filled with the Spirit would come alongside of them and truly help them to fulfill their calling. Be open to the leading of the Spirit and allow Him to use you as He wills. He may send you.

And in case you have not taken notice, people of all nations are living together in the same communities. You may not need to go any farther than your own hometown. Open up your spiritual eyes to the endless possibilities that await you. Ask the Spirit to give these people to you as your spiritual inheritance. Be willing to go and declare Jesus to them.

Later in Mark 16:17b-18, Jesus promises to equip us with signs and wonders: “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.” After He rises from the dead He commands them to wait for the Promise of the Father, which is the Holy Spirit. He tells them in Acts 1:8, “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 Judaea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Peter brings clarity to who this gift of the Holy Spirit is for in Acts 2:39: “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” The Word of God is clear: He gives to us the power of His Spirit to work miracles to win the lost.

The Holy Spirit is intentionally seeking people (see 2 Chron. 16:9a) like ourselves through whom can flow a display of His mighty, supernatural wonders to the world, so that they may know that Jesus Christ is Lord. Knowing this, we ought to make ourselves highly visible to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to move though us with miraculous signs and wonders for His glory.

He realizes the limits in our natural strength, but He never intends for us to do His bidding in our own strength. In fact, He says in Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.” We read in Luke 5:1-11 how Jesus teaches Simon this very lesson. In the New American Standard Bible, Jesus says to Simon in verse 4, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” And in verse 5 we see how Simon replies to the Lord’s bidding: “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” By the power of their natural strength their nets are empty. But this time Jesus goes with them and He instructs them to go out into the deep waters and cast their nets.

In this portion of Scripture Jesus teaches us how to effectively win the lost. First, He tells us to try it again. Let’s go out into the world again. And this time with Him onboard we are to launch out into the deep things of the Spirit, cast our spiritual nets and activate the supernatural power of His Spirit. When we evangelize the lost His way, according to the great commission, we will supernaturally draw in an abundant catch. Our nets will be so full that they will bulge and be on the brink of breaking with souls for Jesus. Isaiah 60:5 says that the abundance of the sea will be turned to us. This is the inheritance that we are promised in Psalm 2:8, the Nations.

Time and time again, I have seen the eternal results of supernatural signs and wonders; I have seen how just one person’s miracle can win countless others to the Lord Jesus Christ. I ministered divine healing to a young boy in Tanzania who could not walk, and he was miraculously delivered and healed. Because of this amazing wonder the people in his village and surrounding villages came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They said they saw the finger of God. Moving in the power of the Holy Spirit is the smart way to evangelize. And apparently from the point of the Scriptures, it is God’s way.

For the sake of the lost, the revelation of the true power of the Holy Spirit with the supernatural power of faith with signs and wonders following is being illuminated, to win them to Jesus Christ before His glorious return. This is the true purpose for signs and wonders.

In the next chapter we will study our identity in the Miracle Worker and the supernatural power that we have been given to master the forces around us.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Why is the supernatural being illuminated?

2. What is the definition of the supernatural?

3. What is the main purpose for the supernatural power of faith?

REFLECTION

Do I walk in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit? Are there any areas in my spiritual walk that are still obscure? If so, what are they? And what steps can I take to ensure enlightenment in these areas? And how and where can I take this revelation and evangelize the lost?

CHAPTER 2

OUR IDENTITY

Many Christians today walk this earth without the revelation of who they are in Christ. Their adversary, the devil, breaks into the depths of their souls and commits a serious crime: spiritual identity theft. Without the truth about their spiritual identity, they become poor in spirit, powerless to the wiles of the enemy and subject to a suppressed lifestyle because without their proper identity they are unable to activate their God-given inheritance.

WE ARE CHRISTIANS

A ploy of the enemy is to project an inferior image of Christians to the world. He portrays us as bumbling, idiotic fools who are spineless in our convictions. But let us not believe this lie. We are Christians, meaning we are Christlike.

Because we do not understand who we are, we also do not value what we have. This is part of the enemy’s plan of deception, to misconstrue our identity and, therefore, the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit is never enforced. As a result, we live like paupers in the kingdom of God. We render the blood of Jesus, our sacrificial lamb, powerless and dishonor the name of the King of kings.

When we say to others that we are Christians, we are not talking about a religious status but our identification with Jesus Christ. It is a confession that we have made a choice to follow after His ways.

Because the darkness of our sin was exposed and overtaken by His light, we no longer carry the heavy chains of bondage to sin, nor do we bear the consequences of sin. The image of the sinner upon us has been erased. No more does He call us sinners, but the redeemed. (See Colossians 1:13; Ephesians 1:17 and Isaiah 62:12.)

As ambassadors of Jesus Christ, we have been given His image, His authority, His rich robes of righteousness, a crown of glory and His power to rule as a royal priesthood. (See 2 Corinthians 5:20; Genesis 1:26-28; Luke 10:19; Zechariah 3:4; Psalm 8:5 and 1 Peter 2:9.)

We wear a clean turban and have the mind of Christ; our carnal minds have been exchanged for His and He gives freely to us the wisdom that we need for every situation. (See Zechariah 3:5; 1 Corinthians 2:16 and James 1:5.)

We have access to unlimited supernatural resources to meet all our needs; in Him there is no lack. (See Philippians 4:19 and Psalm 34:9.)

No matter what the situation may look like, we are not defeated, but we are more than conquerors. (See Romans 8:37.)

Regardless of the image that satan has falsely projected to the world concerning us, we will not be bamboozled with this wrong imagery. We are not inept, unwise or spiritless people, but we are clothed with Christ and we are not ashamed to be called Christians!

Dear Father God,

I come to Your throne of grace and I ask for Your forgiveness for walking in lies concerning my identity in Christ. I repent of weak faith in this area. Teach me, Holy Spirit, who I really am in Christ and help me to walk boldly in the power of Your might throughout this whole earth.

In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

ELOKIM, MASTER OF FORCES

In order to confidently operate in the supernatural power of faith that God gives to His children, we need to dig deeper into the foundation of the Word to find out why we can be confident in the supernatural. If we can understand who our faith is based upon, then we will be able to see clearly to walk in this truth.

In my first work, DARE to Believe, I teach how we are created in the mirror image of “Elohim.” The name Elohim, meaning the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, is used when we are referring to God as the “Great I Am.” And in Elohim we find our true identity. (See Chapter 1, Redeemed From the Curse, in DARE to Believe.)

And now in this second work, Greater Than Magic, I am going to discuss another name for God that I find particularly fascinating that helps to unlock the key to the supernatural realm for us. Elokim, Master of Forces, is the name of God used when He created nature.

Let’s look at Genesis 1:26-28. It says, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on 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.’”

When He created us in His mirror image, a little lower than the angels (see Ps. 8:5), He gave to us dominion over His creation and called us to subdue the earth. We will discuss this thought in the next chapter, but for now we will put our attention on this other name for God, Elokim.

While researching for further understanding of the meaning of Elokim in this portion of Scripture, I read an article by Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer. He had this to say:

The answer lies in the meaning of the term Elokim. It is derived from the word “el,” that means “strength,” or “force.” An Elokim is a “Master of Forces.” Any individual or deity that possesses authority is a “Master (or Mistress) of Forces.” When God is identified as Elokim, we are really describing Him as the ultimate “Master of Forces.”[1]

This enlightenment of God as Elokim, a “Master of Forces,” is an amazing truth for us to meditate upon. It is a foundational truth to be able to walk confidently in the realm of the supernatural because we were created in the image of God. We are trainees under the Master of Forces. As Jesus is, so are we in this world (see 1 John 4:17). And we have been given authority over all things (see Ps. 8:6), not just over the birds and the fish and the rest of the animal kingdom, but over all things, including satan and all of his wicked works (see Luke 10:19). So we too can walk in the true power of the supernatural power of faith as a master or mistress of forces on this earth.

WE BEAR THE IMAGE

In 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, we read, “And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.”

According to e-Sword, in the Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries the word borne (also, bare) in verse 49 mean “to have a burden, that is, (by analogy) to wear as clothing or a constant accompaniment:- bear, wear.”[2]

Even though we are born of the flesh we are created to wear, like a garment, the image of the heavenly Man, Jesus Christ. What does this mean? And how is it possible? This is all possible because Jesus Christ first bore our image on the Cross in exchange for His image. In Hebrews 9:28 it says, “So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” The word bear in this verse means to take up, or to carry.[3] He carried our image, a sinner, to the Cross and was crucified for our sinful image so that we could bear His image, the heavenly Man.

Included in the above definition from 1 Corinthians 15:49 the words borne and bare mean to have a burden. A burden is something that we spiritually carry. Before we are born again we carry a heavy load of sin and damnation.

But Jesus bore our sin and shame on His own body for us, so when we receive Him as Lord and Savior we become yoked with Him. A yoke is a wooden crosspiece that is secured over the necks of two animals, such as oxen, and connected to the plow or wagon that they are to pull. When we are born again we become yoked with Jesus Christ and the actual yoke that fixes us to Him is the wooden cross that He carried. For this reason He says in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

His yoke is easy and His burden is light because He bore the weight of the Cross, our sins and the consequences of those sins—sickness, disease, poverty and every form of the curse that should have been ours—upon His shoulders for us. And He admonishes us in Galatians 5:1 to “stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”

When we are born again, we claim the price that was paid to redeem us from our sin and from the consequences of our sin. We are completely released from the punishment and consequences of all our sin. Our filthy garments of sin are removed and are exchanged for His rich robes of righteousness, and by His redemptive blood we are free to walk in the supernatural power of His Spirit.

Along with His attire, we also bear His acts. In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus stood in the synagogue and read the following prophecy about Himself from the Book of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” We too bear the supernatural ability to preach, heal, deliver, recover and set others free in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But we are not expected to bear this responsibility on our own. In Genesis 2:7 it says, “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.” The definition found in e-Sword Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries for the word breath is spirit.[4] When God breathed into Adam the breath of life, He breathed into him His Spirit. Had God not breathed into Adam His Spirit, we would then have been like the animals, a flesh-being with no eternal spirit (see Isa. 31:3a). The breath of God changed the destiny of our earthen vessels for eternity.

In the New Testament there is a second breath that God sends to His people, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He said in Acts 1:8a, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” With this second breath we are endued with His “dunamis”[5] miracle-working power. He’s giving to us His ability to be a miracle worker to do mighty and wonderful works by the power of the breath of His Holy Spirit. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit activates His miracle-working power within us.

When we receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the breath of His Spirit ignites us with His power from on high and enables us to constantly wear, like a garment, the image of the heavenly Man, Jesus Christ, and walk as He did, a Master of Forces, a worker of miracles doing mighty, wonderful acts for the glory of our God.

As we follow in the steps of Jesus, our Elokim, and become skilled at mastering the forces around us, we will learn to bear His image. And as we will discuss in the next chapter, we also will discover how to become natural in the realm of the supernatural.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What is a ploy of the enemy against the Christian?

2. What is the foundational truth for us to be able to walk confidently in the realm of the supernatural?

3. What garment are we created to wear?

4. What do we need from God that will ignite us with His power from on high?

REFLECTION

Do I understand who I am in Christ Jesus? Am I willing to allow His power to openly work through me? If so, in what ways has His supernatural power been demonstrated through me? If not, in what area of faith am I willing to begin?

ENDNOTES

1.

Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer, “In God’s Image,” Copyright © 1999 by Project Genesis, Inc., accessed July 30, 2012, http://www.torah.org/features/genesis/topic2.html.

2.

James Strong, Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionary (e-Sword Bible software, copyright © 2000 by Rick Meyers), G5409 from G5411, “borne,” “bare.”

3.

Strong, Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionary (e-Sword Bible software), G399 from G303, and G5342, “bear.”

4.

Strong, Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionary (e-Sword Bible software), H5397 from H5395, “breath.”

5.

Strong, Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionary (e-Sword Bible software), G1411 from G1410, “power.”

CHAPTER 3

WALK IN THE SPIRIT

When Jesus walked on this earth, He left His God powers in heaven and lived as a human being. Even though He lived in the natural realm, He walked in the supernatural. As He grew in this power and put it into practice every day, He became natural at it. He released the supernatural power of faith and He authorized us to walk this way, too.

Not only did He authorize us to walk in the miraculous, but He also declared that by His Spirit we would surpass His works. He says in John 14:12, “Most assuredly, I say to you, 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.” In order to walk in these greater works, we first must know Him and then train ourselves to become like Him, natural in the supernatural.

By the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we are supernaturally equipped with everything that is necessary to walk in victory on this earth. Our spiritual DNA is designed to allow His miraculous power to flow through us for His glory. The Old Testament says that we are created for signs and wonders (see Isa. 8:18), while Paul in the New Testament admonishes us to serve in the newness of the Spirit. He says in Romans 7:6, “But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” To serve Jesus in the newness of the Spirit is to allow the impressive power of His Spirit to work through our recreated spirits, not occasionally, but daily.

The Apostle Paul challenges us in Galatians 5:25, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Life with the Holy Spirit has a different stride to it. There are often sudden changes to life’s daily routine as the Holy Spirit guides us to accomplish His purposes. In order to keep up to His pace we need to learn to hear His voice and obey His commands. There will be times that He will have us marching and stomping on the enemy’s territory to advance His kingdom, while other times He will lead us to slow down and take quiet steps as we listen carefully for His direction.

To walk in the supernatural realm with the Holy Spirit becomes natural with practice. Let’s look at an earthly example to give us a visual for the supernatural. At first, when a young child learns to walk he is afraid to let go and take the first step. But when he conquers the fear and insecurity, he is able to let go and walk. Even though in the beginning of this process he stands up and then he falls down, he doesn’t give up, but he stands up and tries again. With practice it becomes natural for the child to walk. This is how it is for us, too. The first thing we need to do to walk in the supernatural happenings of the Holy Spirit is to let go of fear—the fear of failure, the fear of man and the fear of the unknown—and put our trust in the power of the Word of God and do what it says to do. Then, with practice, we become natural with our supernatural walk with Him.

Recently, a group of us ministered to people along the Las Vegas Strip. As I quietly strolled down the block, I asked the Holy Spirit to guide me to the people who would be open to receive from Him. I looked up and saw two showgirls. I walked up to them, introduced myself, and delivered a word to one of the girls. It was a message about her true identity in Christ and how the Lord’s will was to restore her inner beauty. When this young girl heard the word from the Lord, she confessed that she was a Christian but was not living right for the Lord.

Next, I noticed a young man who was dressed as the Mad Hatter. I walked over and introduced myself to him and asked him if I could pray for him. He agreed. I asked him what his name was and he replied, “Joshua.” The Holy Spirit instantly quickened to my spirit a message for him. He had me speak a word of restoration and hope to him concerning his name from the Book of Joshua. The man opened up immediately as he listened to an accurate prophetic word that described his life’s present situation and the root cause from his childhood. He then asked me to pray for him for deliverance from drug addiction. After I prayed, I encouraged him to attend a local church that I had been ministering at because I knew they had a program for drug addicts. When he heard me say the name of this church, he told me that his sister attended there and had invited him to come with her earlier.

I then turned and looked up at the man standing on stilts by him, and I called out to him, “Hey, guy, how are you doing?” Joshua turned to me with a puzzled look on his face and said, “That’s his name.” I immediately replied to Joshua, “Well, I guess God knows his name.” At first, Guy was closed, but as he listened to the message the Lord had for him, he confessed his bitterness toward the Church. I felt led to ask forgiveness on behalf of the Church and encouraged him not to give up on the Lord.

I walked a few feet farther and there was a man selling copies of his music. I asked his permission to pray for him, and the Holy Spirit revealed to me an incident from his childhood. I described what I saw. It was correct and I was able to open the closet door that this man had been hiding behind all his life. It was a time of restoration between him and his Father God.

Standing a few feet away was a man dressed up in a beautiful Native American chief costume. After introducing myself to him, I asked him if I could pray for him. The Holy Spirit ministered to him about not only playing the part of a Native American chief, but also that God’s intent was for him to be the priest of his home and wanted to restore the broken relationships between him and his family.

Then as I walked about ten feet away from this man, the Holy Spirit highlighted a man walking on crutches. I introduced myself to him and started ministering to him about faith. The man was stunned and said, “This is of God.” That very morning he had prayed to God and asked Him to teach him about faith.

This walk I am describing to you is a description of what it means to naturally walk daily in the supernatural. It’s a lifestyle and not a “once in a while” occurrence. Wherever you are, you minister to those around you. Dependence upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit is all that is needed to minister to others effectively.

As I write I can hear your thoughts: “Yes, this all sounds wonderful, but how do I walk up to someone I do not know and minister effectively into his or her situation?”

We minister effectively into the lives of others by training ourselves to be quiet before the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ and to surrender our will, mind and emotions to the Holy Spirit. As the Lord highlights a person to me, I immediately walk up to the person and inwardly I ask the Holy Spirit to speak through me. I fully expect Him to be faithful and minister through me to the person. I do not allow my mind to wander into the arena of doubt and unbelief. I keep my mind off of myself and on the Lord.

Usually as I walk up to the person I hear a word or a phrase in my spirit, such as in the case of the story of the showgirls. I heard the words in my spirit, inner beauty. I started to speak these words out to them and the Holy Spirit took over, and out of my mouth began to flow a direct message to one of these girls about restoration. With the others, I heard specific instructions, such as “Explain to him what faith is.” Other times, the Holy Spirit speaks through my voice without forewarning me, such as when He called out the man’s name who was walking on stilts. With one man He gave me a vision of his hurtful past, and for another He gave me a word of encouragement to share.

What I am describing to you doesn’t come from earning a degree in theology or from being ordained under an organization. Rather, it comes simply by developing a listening ear to the Holy Spirit. We will discuss how to develop this listening ear in Chapter 7.

THEY’LL COME RUNNING

This supernatural walk is not just for when we are out and about on the streets; it is to be put into practice in our daily lives.

The Spirit had given me an assignment to disciple a group of ladies in the small Latin town of Cahabon, Guatemala, where we had lived. While I set up for the weekly meeting, a woman whom I did not know burst through the gate and ran into our house because she thought she was late, but actually she was an hour early. She had heard great testimonies about these meetings and wanted me to tell her about the Holy Spirit. I ministered to her one-on-one about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and she received the infilling of the Spirit that day.

A little while later another lady came to the house. I sensed in my spirit that she was in pain. I asked her if I could minister healing to her. She told me that she was suffering from a kidney stone. She had a fever; her back, abdominal area and legs were swollen; and she was suffering with great pain. I released the power of the Spirit into her, and we both instantly broke out into a sweat as the heat from this power surged through me into her. Within a few minutes she was healed and even her pants became loose fitting on her as the swelling, along with the fever and pain, left.

After I finished teaching the message for that day, I asked the ladies if anyone needed ministry, and they all did. So, I went around the circle and ministered to the needs of each one. The power of the Holy Spirit broke loose in that place and it ended up being an amazing hour of power, with the Gifts of the Spirit in full operation.

As I reached my hand out to one woman, she started to scream and fell to the floor. The demonic spirits within her manifested. Within about 30 minutes she was set free and received Jesus as her Lord and Savior. But while she thrashed around the floor, the woman who sat next to her released a piercing scream as well because the demonic spirits that she carried could not handle the pressure of the presence of the Holy Spirit, nor could they remain as the Word of the Lord was declared with authority. This second woman also was delivered at the same time, and she too received Jesus Christ as Lord. Both of these ladies walked into that meeting bound by the powers of satan, but as I activated the supernatural power of faith, their chains were broken and they were set free.

I then came to the last person in the circle. It happened to be a young woman who came to the meeting for the first time who had sat down in the chair next to me. I did not know this woman, but I knew by the discerning of spirits that she was not saved. The Lord had given me a message for her that I had shared privately with her after the teaching. The Lord said to her that she had a good heart and was brought up to do good deeds for others, but that she was doing these good deeds for the wrong reason. She was trying to appease God and win His favor by her good deeds instead of trusting in God’s grace by the blood of Jesus. This young woman knew she had heard from the Lord and gave her life immediately to Jesus.

This is walking naturally in the supernatural. There are no gimmicks, no man-made formulas to memorize; it’s just simply listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit and doing what He instructs us to do.

IT’S RECOGNIZABLE

Others around you will recognize when you walk in the supernatural and they will seek you out. I was sitting down listening to one of the local pastors at an outdoor evangelistic campaign and a lady in a nearby house saw me sitting on the bench and sent for me to come and pray for her. When I arrived at her house, she shared with me that she was in great pain and was unable to urinate all day and wanted me to pray for her. I placed my hands on her and rebuked all infection, swelling and kidney stones and the woman went flying to relieve her bladder.

This is a natural walk in the way of the supernatural. The Spirit of God waits to release His power through us, to deliver those who are bound to satan, to release divine healing to those who are suffering from the devil’s wicked works, to give a prophetic word to those who are seeking direction and needing encouragement and to help those who are spiritually lost find their way to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Being fully aware of the times that we now live in and the condition of the hardened hearts of people toward the Lord and His ways, He has supernaturally equipped us with a power that is greater than any magic that this world has ever known. It is the supernatural power of faith. This faith will outshine anything that we face.

A GLORIOUS SHINE

The other day, after a DARE to Believe Healing Conference, I was sitting in a restaurant with a group of people near Ocklawaha, Florida. As the waitress came to our table, she asked us, “What church do you belong to?” And she continued to say, “I ask because you all just shine.”

We shared with her where we were all from and what we were doing. Then we asked her if she needed prayer for anything. She opened up to the three of us sitting at the far end of the table and shared some personal matters that needed inner healing. We also asked her if she needed any physical healing. She said she had a lot of trouble with her back and it was in a lot of pain. So, right at the table, we laid our hands upon her. I placed my hand upon her back and as soon as I reached out and touched her, all pain was gone. We prayed over the personal matters and spoke a prophetic word from the Lord, then we gave her some contact information for her to connect with the local body of believers in her area.

But did you notice that the opportunity opened up for us to minister to her because she first could see a shine on us? Do you shine? Can others see the glory of the Lord upon your life?

In Matthew 5:16 Jesus tells us to “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” We have been supernaturally equipped to create for the good of this earth—to create good that will bless and benefit the inhabitants of the whole earth.

In Genesis 1:28 it says, “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.’” God blessed Adam and Eve and said to them to be fruitful, to multiply, to replenish, to subdue and to have dominion on the earth. This is an amazing and insightful list of words in this verse.

When God blessed them, He was entrusting His prosperity, His wealth of blessings, into their care. They were to be fruitful or productive with this entrusted wealth; they were assigned to multiply, to bring further increase, and multiplication is a more productive way to add to something. It’s also a smart way to bring increase. They were to replenish the earth, to restore their supply; they were to be good stewards with what God had entrusted them. They were to subdue the earth, to bring the earth under their control. And they were given dominion, the power to rule or to govern this earth.

God is the creator of all, and He gave to all His children the supernatural ability to create by a good that it is so great that it glorifies God by the true power of the supernatural power of our faith.

God created us and everything He created was very good. We have been created with the ability to create good, not just good, but very good—a good that is so exceptional that it captures the attention of the world and those who are around us. It’s a type of good that shines the light of truth and turns the hearts of people toward Jesus Christ.

What do I mean by creating a good that is so great that it glorifies God? When the true power of the supernatural power of the faith of a Christian is released into an impossible situation, the supernatural realm of faith with its unlimited resources overpowers the impossible. A supernatural good that is so great, so miraculous, manifests, and the impossible surrenders to the realm of possible. This is the good that is so great that it glorifies our Father in heaven.

These words may sound lofty to some, but in reality they are humble because this type of faith is based upon pure trust in someone who is greater than ourselves: God Himself. The outcome of great good is founded upon the power of His supernatural greatness. And by His power we have the supernatural ability to create a good that is so great that it glorifies God.

This good will produce miracles wherever we are. The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the mute will speak and the paralytics will walk…and this is the good that we were created to create on this earth. These good works will glorify our Father in heaven and lead many to Him.

Recently, I received a letter about a woman’s unborn grandchild. This unborn child was given a grave prognosis and the parents were encouraged to abort the baby. I joined my faith with this grandmother and prayed over the internet for a miracle. This baby was miraculously healed while still in the womb! The doctor ran a second ultrasound to confirm what he had just seen in the first—a large mass that was the length of the child’s back and almost as wide and spots on the brain were completely gone! Even this doctor recognized that there is a “Great Physician” and this was a miracle and gave the credit to the power of prayer. With God nothing is impossible!

This is a good that is so great that it glorifies our heavenly Father through us as well a shining example of the true power of the supernatural power of the faith of a Christian—proof that it is indeed greater than magic.

We’ve gathered a deeper understanding of the supernatural together and discovered our position as a master or mistress of forces as we bear the image of the heavenly Man while creating a good that is so great that it glorifies our heavenly Father in this amazing miraculous realm called the supernatural. Now, let’s learn how to be led by the Spirit.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. How often does God intend for His impressive power to work through us?

2. By what power do we have the supernatural ability to create a good that is so great that it glorifies God?

REFLECTION

Do I walk naturally in the supernatural? Am I free to be used by the Holy Spirit? If not, what is holding me back?

CHAPTER 4

SPIRIT LED

In order to operate spontaneously in the supernatural power of faith, we need to learn how to be led by the Spirit. Here is a lesson from nature that we can learn from.

While in flight, a bird changes the position of its feathers frequently to take advantage of the air currents. Amazingly, God has created this creature with the ability to instinctively adjust its feathers during flight. How is this possible? Close to the quill of every flight feather under the skin there are nerve endings. Messages are sent instantly through these nerves to the brain to inform the bird which feather needs to be moved. An instant message then travels to one of the tiny wing muscles informing which feather to move. This fascinating creature has the God-given ability to instinctively adjust each feather to the correct position to instantly catch the current of the wind.

Just as a bird has been created with the God-given instinct to adjust its feathers instantly and effortlessly to flow with the air currents during flight, we too as believers in Christ Jesus have been gifted with supernatural ability and can learn to flow gracefully with the leading of the Holy Spirit.

I realize that some readers do not feel like they are able to flow gracefully with His leading, but as a word of encouragement to you, let me say I have found that the Holy Spirit is graced with all patience toward us and is more than willing to spend the time to train us to follow His lead. He uses all sorts of practical, hands-on, everyday experiences to prepare us for more important spiritual matters that will come later on as we develop our sensitivity to His leading.

SCREECH OWL LESSON

Once while we were living at the children’s home, we had a family of screech owls living in the forest. One night, my husband, David, and the older boys in the home went for a walk in the woods, flashlights in their hands, to see if they could actually spot these marvelous animals. I was not able to go with them because the 14 little children we took care of were sleeping. But as I was to find out, the Spirit was about to give me one of those hands-on training experiences that night.

As I sat in bed reading the Word, I could hear the excited voices of all the boys as they tromped in the woods with David. A short while after they set out on their mini-expedition to search for the owls, I heard the Lord say to me, “Get up and look out your window right now.” I immediately went to the window and, lo and behold, the screech owl that everyone else went to look for flew right past our window, swooped down to the ground and caught an unsuspecting mouse with its sharp talons.

You may wonder what the Lord was up to. Surely there must be more important matters than catching a view of an owl. But He was training me to be quick to hear and obey His voice. Had I waited a few seconds, I would have missed what the Lord had wanted me to see. He was teaching me the importance of the immediate response. Just like the bird in the opening paragraph of this section has the precise ability to immediately change the direction of its wings to follow the ever-changing wind currents, we too can learn to be this precise in the realm of the immediate to follow His lead.

Now here is one of the reasons for the lesson with the screech owl. Several months after this lesson He woke me up in the middle of the night and said to me, “Becky, look outside the window.” I immediately did as He said, and as I looked out the window I watched a tall, lanky and very agitated demonic spirit going from one door to the next at lightning speed, impatiently rapping on the doors at the Life Homes, trying to stir up trouble. I quietly slid our bedroom window open and whispered, “Get out of here, in Jesus’ name!” Immediately he was gone. I woke up David and told him what had just happened. We held hands and prayed in the Spirit against the attack of the enemy and the trouble this demon was sent to stir.

Do you see how the Holy Spirit equips us in the little things in life for the bigger and more important matters that we will encounter later on? What were some of the more important lessons I learned in this?

- It is important to be quick to hear and obey the voice of the Lord.

- The Spirit equips us using the little things in life for bigger and more important matters that we will encounter later on.

- We can learn to follow His lead with precision.

- The Spirit desires to reveal to us what is spiritually happening around us.

What can we learn from this lesson about demonic spirits?

- Demonic spirits are spiritually nocturnal and hunt the unsuspecting prey in the dark, when and where they least expect it.

- Physical attacks are mere manifestations of spiritual ones.

- The demon was sent to stir trouble while people were sleeping and unaware of its presence.

- It only takes a whisper of authority and they will flee.

Determine in your heart today to be attentive to His voice and quick to obey His commands.

Let’s pray.

Dear Holy Spirit,

I desire to be able to follow Your lead in my everyday life. I make a quality decision from this day forward to spend time with You in Your stillness, to be spiritually alert to Your presence around me, to make a conscientious effort to pay special attention to Your voice and command. I submit myself to Your will, and I ask You to train me to follow Your lead with precision.

In Jesus’ name I ask this, amen.

GOD CAN HANDLE OUR MISTAKES

I was mentoring a dear friend of mine in the ways of the Spirit, and while we were traveling in Tanzania together I asked her to share from her heart a testimony at the next service. At first she was apprehensive. She responded, “What if I make a mistake?” I replied, “God can handle our mistakes.”

During the earlier days of this training with the Holy Spirit, I recall a time when I did not heed the Lord’s voice quickly because I became sidetracked with something else.

While I was cooking black beans in the pressure cooker on the stove, I decided to take advantage of the time and went to clean out the storage area. I became distracted with the disorder in this room and forgot about the black beans on the stove, but the Lord remembered. He clearly said to me, “Go and shut the black beans off now.” I responded, “Oh, the beans!” I started off immediately to the kitchen, but before I could get out the door of the storage room I came across another mess that grabbed my attention. The Lord said to me again, “Go and shut the black beans off right now!” I said, “Yes, I will.” But again I became distracted. Then all of a sudden I heard a large BOOM! I ran into the kitchen as fast as I could, but because I did not move quickly to the command of the Lord, the pressure cooker had exploded and black beans dripped from the ceiling and ran down the walls. There were black beans everywhere!

The Lord tried to warn me, but I became distracted with other things and missed out on His timing of the immediate response. But even in this mess that I had created for myself I can assure you that God gave me another opportunity and I cooked another pot of black beans for Him.

Dear Lord,

Forgive me for the times that I do not heed Your voice immediately because I become distracted with the things of this world. Help me to set aside these distractions and respond quickly to Your commands.

In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Like a bird in flight can instantly change the direction of its feathers to flow with the current of the wind, what are we gifted with and what do we need to learn?

2. What were the four important lessons the Spirit taught me with the incident of the screech owl?

3. What can we learn about demonic spirits from this lesson?

4. What important lesson was the Holy Spirit trying to teach me in the black bean explosion?

REFLECTION

Do I know how to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit? Do I immediately obey Him, or am I easily distracted?

CHAPTER 5

WATER AND WINE

In John 2:1-12 we read the account of Jesus’ first miracle when He turned water into wine.

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.

Why did Jesus respond to Mary in this manner? What did He mean when He said, “My hour has not yet come”? This was a prophetic response referring to His redemptive work of the Cross to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, to purify us so that His Spirit could dwell within us.

Notice how Mary reacts when she hears the authority in Jesus’ response; she immediately says to the others, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

Jesus says, “Fill the waterpots with water.” Let’s look a bit closer at the symbolism concerning these waterpots in this portion of Scripture. Tradition says that there are six stone waterpots. The number 6 in the Bible represents people because on the sixth day of creation God creates human beings. These waterpots are made out of stone, once again referring to people, as we are earthen vessels (see Gen. 2:7; 3:19). But more importantly, the waterpot conveys a spiritual message to us concerning the sinful condition of our hearts before the act of repentance occurs. It says in Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Mark 7:21-23 reveals just what’s inside these stony hearts: “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

To correspond with this thought, we will delve a bit deeper into the Word. We read, “…according to the manner of purification of the Jews….” Allow me to explain what this means. Before these waterpots can be used to hold the wine, a cleansing process must first take place to remove the contamination. That’s why Jesus says to fill them with water. This act denotes a spiritual cleansing that must occur in us, and it is what Jesus explains to the spiritually blind Pharisee in Matthew 23:26: “…first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.”

Before our spirits can hold the wine, the Holy Spirit, our clay vessels must first pass through this purification by the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ that the work of Calvary offers us. After our sins are forgiven, our spirits resurrect with Jesus Christ, as He does on the third day. After the purification of our hearts, we are ready to receive the good wine, the Holy Spirit. As we continually fill ourselves to the brim with Jesus, we can give the power of the Good Wine with signs and wonders to others.

Three weeks before I graduated from high school, back in 1979, I went through this purification process as I received Jesus Christ, the Living Water, as my personal Savior. I became born again, and at that moment the Spirit of the Living God, His Holy Spirit, came and resided within me. I also was given the opportunity to receive the infilling of the Good Wine through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I readily received, and I have never been the same since that day. I would like to offer you the same opportunity to receive both the Water and the Wine. Let’s pray.

Dear Jesus,

I believe that You are the Son of God, sent to this earth to redeem me from all my sins. I ask You to forgive me for all my wicked thoughts and actions against You, others and myself. Cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I believe You are my only salvation. I receive You into my life as my Lord and Savior this day.

In Your precious name I pray, amen.

Now that you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, or maybe you already are born again, you can now pray to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

Dear heavenly Father,

I have received Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior and now I come to You to ask for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

As I lay my hand upon my heart, I believe and receive right now the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the manifestation of speaking in tongues. I cooperate with You, sweet Holy Spirit; I open up my mouth, I move my tongue as I would if I were speaking in my earthly language, and I give voice to this new language that is coming forth from within my spirit.

In Jesus’ name, I believe and receive, amen.

THE POWER OF BEING FULL

As we have seen, supernatural power can be released when our waterpots are clean and full. We also read in chapter 6 of Acts another example of this principle. A man named Stephen was chosen along with six other men to the ministry of helps so that the 12 apostles could devote themselves entirely to prayer and to teach the Word. These seven men were chosen because they met the required criteria to fill these positions. To begin with, they had good reputations and were full of the Spirit and wisdom. Stephen was singled out in verse 5, which states that he was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. It goes on to say of him in verse 8 of the New American Standard Bible that he was full of grace and power and performed great signs and wonders. Some religious men came against him, but as they argued they could not cope with the wisdom and the spirit that he spoke with. In fact, the only way they could stop him was to create a false witness against him. As the lies were being spoken, they could not take their eyes off of him because his face shone like that of an angel. He delivered a strong message of God to them that cut to their hearts. It brought such conviction upon them that they stoned Stephen.

Even in his terrifying death, he remains full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. He gazes intently into heaven and sees the glory of God. He sees the heavens open up and Jesus standing at the right hand of God to receive him. He declares all of what he sees to the people and they rush to attack him to silence him once and for all. At this point, Stephen calls out to the Lord to take him home.

His last acts and words are even more admirable. With his last few breaths, he kneels and intercedes to the Father to forgive them. He has a powerful testimony, even after his death, because he is full of faith and of the Spirit.

This is a supreme example of the supernatural power of faith that catches the full attention of heaven, as it literally opens a window to heaven and causes Jesus, the King of kings, to stand to His feet to honor His servant.

We can be like Stephen and choose to be people of good reputations, to be vessels that are full of the Spirit, full of faith and full of wisdom. We can activate and release a faith that is so great that it produces supernatural events, and even testifies after our deaths.

WHEN ORDINARY TRANSFORMS

INTO EXTRAORDINARY

Did you notice that Stephen and the others were not chosen because of diplomas and achievements, but rather because of inward qualities? Somehow, people believe if they earn enough degrees in biblical theology, then God will be able to use and promote them. But this is not how God promotes people to His service. It is a pure heart and obedience that catch the wind of the Spirit. Others will perceive Jesus in you when His miraculous power flows through you.

Peter and John were two powerful men of God, but the greatness of their testimony is that they were just two ordinary men who were transformed into the realm of the extraordinary. It says in Acts 4:13, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

The Lord doesn’t necessarily choose the most educated people to do His work. Peter and John were common everyday fishermen, but they obeyed the call to follow Jesus. It was Jesus who taught them to become extraordinary.

Once, I was ministering to a woman of God who was highly educated. She was in tears and said to me, “I have spent thousands of dollars to put myself through biblical studies, counseling courses and ministerial training, and I do not have what you have. You graduated from high school and yet operate as if you have a master’s degree.”

The Holy Spirit makes us smart. He equips us with abilities beyond our years of human knowledge and experience. He gives to us His revelation gifts—word of wisdom, word of knowledge and discerning of spirits—to reveal the secret things that we cannot know otherwise. Combine these with the power gifts of faith, workings of miracles and gifts of healings, and then add the vocal gifts of prophecy, tongues and the interpretation of tongues, and the supernatural invades the natural realm and the miraculous manifests.

GIFTS OF GRACE

The Spirit of the Lord graces us with nine supernatural gifts. These gifts are given to empower us to overcome adversities and live victoriously. We’ve all been given different gifts according to the will of the Spirit to use daily. Let’s learn of the nine Gifts of the Spirit together. What are they? And how do they serve the Body of Christ?

First Corinthians 12:4-11 says concerning the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”

Let’s examine each of the Gifts of the Spirit.

The Word of Wisdom

The word of wisdom is a message from the Lord about an event that will take place sometime in our future. The time frame isn’t necessarily disclosed to us by the Lord, but can be. It may occur in the near future or far off into the distance of time.

We can read an illustration of this in Acts 27:21-26, where Paul admonishes the weary men with a word of wisdom that he receives from an angel revealing his future and the safety of the men on board.

Here are two cases of the word of wisdom in operation in our personal lives to show you how the Holy Spirit might use this gift to lead and guide you.

David and I prayed to the Lord for guidance as we planned our yearly schedule. The Lord shared with us that we would be in the United States during the month of November. He also revealed to us the reason why. We were going to be grandparents. And it just so happened that we were grandparents twice that month, as the babies were born 19 days apart.

In another instance, we were being introduced to the owner of a restaurant in Guatemala. The owner was not Guatemalan. As she was sitting across from me at the table talking, the Lord said to me, “You are going to go to her country to preach.” I didn’t say anything to anyone at that moment what I just heard, but for the next month or so, the Lord gave me dreams about what I would be doing in her country. Then the dreams stopped, but I did not forget what the Lord had said. I just waited for Him to open the door. Twelve years later, the Lord started speaking to me about this country again. He opened the door and I went and did as He told me to do.

Note the time difference in the events foretold to us by the Lord. One took place that year, and the other did not take place until 12 years later.

The Word of Knowledge

By a word of knowledge, we become privy to secret, hidden or unknown information as the Spirit wills to inform us about present situations. The way I remember the difference between a word of wisdom and a word of knowledge is that the word now is in the word knowledge. That is the time frame for a word of knowledge, now. A biblical account of this very thing can be found in Acts 9:10-12 when Ananias receives a word of knowledge in the form of a vision from the Lord giving specific details and instructions on what is now happening in the life of Saul from Tarsus.

Here are two personal instances of the word of knowledge in action.

Our ministry friends, Oscar and Hector, were visiting us at our home one night. As we were all sitting in the living room discussing different things, they mentioned about the fall of one of our brothers, Miguel.

As they shared their concern for him, I heard this come out of my mouth: “He is going to die.” I was so stunned by the word of knowledge that I actually covered my mouth. Our son, Micah, who sat next to me, turned and looked for he heard it, too.

We did not know it, but our friend had just been shot by his drug buddies and was now dying in a hospital. He died that night, and we attended his wake the next day in his aunt’s home.

Here is another testimony to help you understand how this gift works. On another occasion, David and I were in the United States for the birth of our first two grandchildren who were born about two weeks apart from each other. In between their births, we were visiting with friends in Tennessee. We had planned on traveling down to Georgia in two days, but the day before we both woke up with a knowing on the inside that we needed to pack our things and travel that morning instead. So that’s what we did.

On our way we thought we would take a scenic route through the mountains, but as were approaching our turnoff, the weather became very bad. We actually had to pull off the road because we could not see where we were going.

After a discussion in the parking lot of a local gas station, my husband went inside to ask for directions. Sitting there I decided to watch the movie Jeremiah on my ipod. The opening scene is that of a lamb being sacrificed. I turned my eyes away from the scene and looked up at the clock in the car; it was the time 11:11. This has been a signal to me from the Lord for many years that I need to transition into something else. I saw the time, I looked down at the screen once again and the name of the movie appeared, Jeremiah. I realized that the Holy Spirit was very much involved with the change of plans. I said to Him, “It’s a boy, and his name is Jeremiah.”

I shared with David all that had just had taken place and we both transitioned into interceding for the baby’s birth.

Some may say, “Well, I do not know how to understand the Holy Spirit like that.” But I write to encourage you that He will work with you so that you do understand Him.

Another way a word of knowledge manifests in my life is when I am about to stand and preach at a healing service. The Spirit of the Lord will reveal to me the needs of the people through a word of knowledge. I will start to sense physical sensations all over my body of sick and hurting body parts.

For example, I physically felt my right ear pop and a wind blew through my ear. I knew that someone with a deaf right ear would be healed in that service. As I wrote it down on a sheet of paper, the word of knowledge manifested with a tinge in my kidney. I knew that someone with a kidney problem would be healed. I continued to sense these physical sensations throughout my body, as the Spirit of God revealed to me what ailed this body of believers.

It amazes me how the Holy Spirit will continue to manifest these physical sensations on my body until I write them down on a list correctly. Sometimes, He will manifest a large list of physical ailments very quickly to me. I will sense these sensations on my left side and then on the right side and they go back and forth from side to side. If I make a mistake, He corrects me and repeats the sensation again.

Case in point, I wrote down on my list a right kidney. I felt again this sensation in my kidney. I wondered if there were two people who were to be healed in their right kidneys, and I wrote a question mark by this. Then as I read to the congregation the list of physical healings of what the Spirit revealed to me, I felt the same sensation in my kidney. Then I realized what He was showing me. I had mistakenly written the right kidney instead of the left kidney.

In the midst of sensing physical sensations, He also speaks words to me, such as suicide. I write these words down on my list and I know that there is need for deliverance from a spirit of suicide.

Other times, I see with my spirit eye a vision of body parts, such as crooked hip bones, and I know that someone needs his or her hips realigned by the power of the Holy Spirit.

When I stand to minister, I call out these revelations that I receive by the word of knowledge to the people to encourage them that Jesus the Healer knows their needs and wills to heal them. It releases faith to the people to receive their miracles.

These are just some of the ways that a word of knowledge manifests, but whether you receive in these ways or others, the word of knowledge is for the present time frame, now.

Faith

According to Romans 12:3, everyone has been given a measure of faith to exercise in his or her everyday lives. This everyday faith is not what is being talked about in 1 Corinthians 12. What is being discussed in this portion of Scripture is a supernatural gift of faith, given to produce the miraculous.

Paul and Silas operated in the gift of faith when they were beaten and jailed for their faith in Acts 16. Despite the impossible situations they faced, they prayed and worshipped and the supernatural power of God manifested in their midst.

Here is one instance in which the Lord gave us this supernatural gift. David and I had signed an interest-free contract to purchase a piece of property for the ministry in Guatemala for $90,000 USD. At the time of the signing we paid $50,000 down, which the Lord had miraculously provided, and agreed to pay the remaining $40,000 balance within two years. That meant every six months, for the next two years, we were to pay $10,000.

Then during a time of prayer the Lord spoke to us and said, “I want you to start building homes and do not stop. And I do not want you to save one penny for those payments. I will provide.”

We put our natural faith into action and did as the Lord instructed us to do, but then our natural faith was replaced by a divine gift of faith.

We did not have the means in the natural to pay this bill. In fact, this was downright risky for us to do. Nevertheless, we knew we heard from God. We also knew that, in reality, this bill belonged to Him and that He was faithful, willing and able to pay the full debt for this piece of property for the ministry.

It was the week when the first $10,000 installment was due, and the owner of the property came to David and said, “I know that the payment isn’t due for a few more days, but you can pay me now if you’d like.” David looked at him and said, “I would like to do that, but I don’t have the money yet. But I will.” At first the owner thought David was joking with him, but he soon realized that David was telling him the truth. Then David testified to this man of God’s faithfulness.

A few days later, in the afternoon, we received a phone call from the mission’s office and they asked to speak to David. They said, “David, we just wanted to let you know that we just received a check in the mail for the amount of $10,000. When is that first payment due?” David answered, “Tomorrow morning!” The remainder of the payments all came in a similar fashion and right on time.

This was a divine gift of faith that the Spirit had given to us to believe for these finances. We did not fret over those payments. We knew we received an assignment and a word from the Lord and knew that He would provide. We thanked God for His supernatural provision before His provision had manifested. We had a peace within our spirits that He would provide. And He did.

Gifts of Healings

The gifts of healings are supernatural gifts given to an individual to release physical healings in the lives of those who are sick. The Book of Luke has 18 real-life healing testimonies to encourage us to believe and receive divine healing. (For an in-depth study on divine healing and miracles, please read my book, DARE to Believe.)

If you notice, this gift is plural. An individual who has been given the gifts of healings, even though he or she ministers healing of all kinds to individuals, will see a reoccurrence of particular types of healings over and over again. Another way to explain this is that the person has been given areas of specialties for healing. Some will see blind eyes open more frequently than other types of healings. Another will have deaf ears open more than other types of healings. Yet others seem to have several gifts of healings manifesting in their ministries more than other types. For example, they will have backs and lungs healed more frequently than other types of healings.

Here are a few healing testimonies to stir your faith from several different healing services that I conducted.

A young girl from Northern Minnesota suffered from epilepsy for eight years. Her grandparents brought her to a DARE to Believe Healing Service. Her grandmother wrote to testify that during the service they knew something happened. She slept quietly during the service, which was not normal behavior for her, then came forward for the laying on of hands. Then she slept for the rest of the evening. Even her schoolteacher noticed a change in her the next morning during class. They scheduled a doctor’s appointment for her to have an EEG. To the glory of God, the EEG showed no abnormalities in her brain. Her brain was miraculously recreated.

I was conducting a healing service on the East Coast of Florida. A desperate woman came forward with the help of a friend to receive healing for eight herniated disks. She was in severe pain, she could not stand or walk on her own and she no longer wanted to live. But by the gifts of healings all pain was instantly gone and she could stand, bend and walk all on her own.

A woman came forward at a meeting in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Her foot was broken and in a boot; she walked with the help of a walker. I touched her and she let out a scream because her foot was instantly healed. She ran around the church and rejoiced.

The Working of Miracles

This gift produces the spectacular workings of the Holy Spirit to produce the possible out of the impossible circumstances in life. One prime biblical example of the working of miracles is when Jesus rebukes the wind and the waves and calms the storm. (See Luke 8:22-25.)

A miraculous occurrence of the working of miracles happened during the dry season in Sumpango, Guatemala, where we started a home for abandoned and abused children. The local farmers slash and burn their fields to prepare for planting in the rainy season. Our home was completely surrounded by thick smoke from the fires. Many in the home were suffering and having difficulty breathing due to the heavy smoke.

I was standing on the balcony sizing up the situation. The fires were burning all around, thick smoke filled the air, there was not a cloud in the sky and the rains were not due for a few more months.

I felt frustrated by the situation; in the natural there wasn’t anything anyone could do. I prayed to the Lord, “Please, make it rain and clean the air.” He responded to me immediately, “You do it!” I was taken by surprise by His response. But I know His voice, and I heard Him very clearly. I replied, “Okay.”

At first I said, “I command it to rain in Jesus’ name.” Then I quickly corrected myself and said, “No, let me do that again. I command in Jesus’ name for thick rain clouds to form and to pour down heavy rain to clean the air.” And I waited.

As I waited, my daughter-in-law walked in the house. I told her what just happened. I went back on the balcony and waited. Within a few minutes the wind started to blow stronger and stronger. It was so unusual that the workers in the home stopped what they were doing and looked to the sky. I saw my husband, David, and shouted down to him what had just happened.

As we all stood there, the wind became even stronger and we could feel the temperature start to drop. Small branches and leaves started falling from the trees and the sky became dark. Then, all of a sudden, raindrops started to fall. Before long the rain started to pour down hard.

Tears started to stream down my face as I watched the rains pour down. I heard myself repent because I did not understand what I possessed, the working of miracles to produce rain, to clean the air, so that everyone in the home could breathe with ease once again.

Prophecy

The Holy Spirit has graced the Church with the gift of prophecy to build up and to edify the people of God. There is not a revelation of future events. It is a word from the Lord that exhorts. In 1 Corinthians 14:3 we find the biblical purpose for this gift. It says, “But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.” A life example of this gift in operation happened one time as I walked into a church and a visiting pastor walked up to me. He introduced himself to me and said, “The Lord has a word for you. He says, ‘You are a woman of great faith, but others around you are trying to stop you. Don’t let them.’” What a simple message that was, but it was encouraging to me and gave me the extra push I needed to persevere.

Discerning of Spirits

When someone operates in this gift, he or she spiritually discerns, perceives, detects, sees, hears and senses the spiritual realm around him or her. In Acts 16:16-18 we read how Paul, by the discerning of spirits, was able to detect in the slave girl a spirit of divination. Peter and John were able to pinpoint the evil intentions in the newly saved sorcerer in Acts 8:14-24. Jesus perceived great faith in the centurion in Luke 7:2-10. Another true experience of this gift is when Peter, John and James saw into the spirit realm on the Mount of Transfiguration and saw Jesus speaking with Moses and Elijah. These are a few different examples of the discerning of spirits, but there are many more recorded in and throughout the Bible.

Let me give several examples in the way in which this gift is used.

Once I was staying at a friend’s apartment in Hopkins, Minnesota, before flying out to another country the next day. That night before I fell asleep I saw thousands of demonic spirits of all shapes and sizes passing through the apartment walls. They were not staying at my friend’s apartment; they were just passing through from one apartment to the next looking for someone to inhabit.

By the discerning of spirits I saw a glimpse of the spiritual activity around us, of what was spiritually happening in that apartment complex. It revealed how to intercede for the people in that building that night as well as our need to exercise our authority in the power of the name and the blood of Jesus Christ.

Another interesting example of the discerning of spirits happened while we were traveling through Tanzania and came upon a stalled bus on the side of the road. The passengers were outside of the bus waiting for the driver to repair it. Our driver wanted to stop to find out what was going on, but for whatever reason I discerned that we were not supposed to stop. I said to the driver, “No, don’t stop.” But he did anyway. A woman walked up to my window, I looked at her and said, “Excuse me, but do you know that your body is crawling with roaches?” She didn’t look at herself; she just picked up a big roach and flicked it off of her. She didn’t even care that there were thousands of roaches crawling all over her. I looked at the driver and said, “Let’s get out of here!” And we sped away.

You may wonder what this hideous encounter was all about. This driver, before he was saved, had a serious problem with women. We were witnessing to him about his need to receive Jesus as his savior. The woman we saw was not a human being but a demonic spirit in the form of a seductive woman to keep him from hearing the gospel. But by the discerning of spirits our ministry time with him was protected.

This spiritual gift will protect us in our everyday lives as well. I was about to check out a website that someone had recommended to me. As I started to click on the site, I saw a quick vision of an ugly bug crawling up my finger from the computer. I lifted my finger off of the computer, clicked out of the site and renounced it. By the discerning of spirits I was protected from something wicked.

This gift of the spirit also will show us how to minister to people. While ministering over a hurting Christian woman, I could see the face of a skeleton shadowing her face. At once I knew she was struggling with a spirit of suicide and began to minister deliverance.

The discerning of spirits will reveal to us when we have breakthrough during times of ministry or intercession. In this case, I was ministering healing over a very sick and dying woman. While casting out a spirit of death attacking her, I saw a demonic spirit dressed in very colorful white and red feathers running out of this woman’s house in sheer terror. I knew the woman was set free and healed.

With this gift we will discern the hidden secrets around us. My husband was starting to close the church service when he looked over at me and asked me if the Lord was showing me anything. I closed my eyes and one of the things that I saw was a serpent. I knew that someone in this meeting was battling against a spirit of witchcraft, so I called out what I saw. No one came forward for this particular need. I knew that there was someone struggling with this, but you cannot force people to come forward to be free. I gave brief instruction for this individual on how to be free. It wasn’t until the next day that this person came to me for prayer and counsel and shared a testimony of a life filled with witchcraft.

When operating in the gift of discernment, one doesn’t necessarily discern only demonic spirits; a person also may discern heavenly beings as well.

Before a church service in Kenya, the pastor was introducing me to the people. As he was speaking, I looked up and coming down from heaven and through the open doors was Jesus, the great Shepherd. Behind Him were beautiful, clean, white sheep. I knew that the people were clean in spirit and ready to receive a mighty move of the Holy Spirit.

Before a conference in Tanzania where I was equipping the leadership for a week, I saw Jesus, and this time following Him were very dirty sheep. I knew that the leaders at this conference were in need of repentance.

During a church service in Guatemala, while I was teaching the Word, I looked up above the crowd and saw two large angels hovering above the people with large bellows in their hands. They were using them to fan the fire of the Word, to increase the anointing over the people to receive the message.

Tongues and the Interpretation of Tongues

This gift is a heavenly language given to the believer in Christ who has received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:4; 9:17; 10:44, 46; 19:6 and 1 Corinthians 14:18). First Corinthians 14:2 says concerning the gift of tongues, “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.” And in verse 4a it says, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself.” The gift of tongues is a special prayer language that helps you pray effectively and powerfully. But there is a partner with this gift that is necessary for understanding; it is called the interpretation of tongues. The Bible makes it plain that in order for the gift of tongues to profit others, it must be interpreted. And 1 Corinthians 14:13 gives us simple instruction about this: “Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.”

Never underestimate the power of praying in the Spirit or in tongues. I am amazed at the supernatural revelation I receive from the interpretation while praying in tongues. This is an example to stir your faith to develop your heavenly prayer language.

While washing the lunch dishes, I started to pray about our first missions trip to Guatemala, Central America. I honestly cannot tell you how long I had been praying; I just know that I found myself leaning up against the kitchen wall saying out loud in English, “An orphanage? I do not know how to cook for that many people!” I was astounded at what I had just heard myself say to the Lord. We had never been to Guatemala before. We had no plans on moving from Minnesota. But several years later our family did move to Guatemala and we did start an orphanage. Through the gift of tongues and the interpretation of tongues, I was interceding for the plan of God for our lives and was receiving revelation knowledge of those plans by praying in tongues.

Do you see how these nine Gifts of the Spirit are truly beneficial to the Body of Christ? Let us now study the supernatural power of faith.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What must happen before we can hold the Good Wine?

2. What were the required criteria that Stephen and six other men fulfilled to be in the ministry of helps?

3. What was Stephen singled out for?

4. What was the greatness of Peter and John’s testimony?

5. What are the revelation gifts and what do they do?

6. What are the power gifts?

7. What are the vocal gifts?

8. What happens when the Gifts of the Spirit are in operation?

REFLECTION

Do I operate in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit? Are there any of the gifts that I do not quite understand yet? Have I underestimated the value of these gifts because I did not understand them? Am I willing to be teachable? Am I willing to be used in the gifts as the Holy Spirit wills?

CHAPTER 6

THE SUPERNATURAL

POWER OF FAITH

To walk in victory, it is imperative that we as Christians have a working knowledge about faith and how to release the power of its supernatural ability into our lives. We are going to turn our focus toward this subject now and discover how to activate this amazing supernatural power that we have.

THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH

God created us to be faith beings like Himself. His Word says, “The just shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17b). Many Christians do not understand what it means to live by faith, so they live far below what God intends for them. Oftentimes when people hear the term “living by faith,” they envision impoverished people in the ministry with wornout shoes and broken down vehicles. This is not living by faith, but living in the spiritual realm of poverty. To clarify the matter, living by faith hasn’t anything to do with finances. It’s not limited to the monetary means of this world; its source is actually outside of this world in the supernatural realm and flows from the throne of grace. When we truly live by faith, whatever we have need of, whether the need is financial, physical, spiritual or emotional, the answer to the need is manifested into existence by the release of the supernatural power of faith-filled words (see Rom. 4:17) and then by lining up our actions to those spoken words.

After I ministered at a Holy Spirit conference for three days in the 10/40 Window, I had a personal encounter with Jesus. He was dressed in a pure white tunic with a regal purple robe. He walked up a majestic staircase that was covered with a royal wine-colored carpet. As His robe flowed elegantly behind Him, He turned toward me and asked; “Who can a king show His treasures to?” He answered His own question and said, “To those He can trust.” Then He motioned to me with His right hand to follow Him. As we arrived at the top of the staircase, we turned to the right and entered into the first of many treasure rooms.

These treasure rooms are beyond our wildest dreams. They are piled high with living gemstones. The colors of the gemstones are not like the colors we have on this earth. Their colors are brilliant and glow from within. As I passed through the room with green gemstones, I looked closely and saw that these stones were alive, filled with the miraculous power of the Spirit waiting to be released. I went from one room to the next. The tangible presence of the richness of our Lord was most apparent. The atmosphere was supercharged with His greatness. There is no lack of provision in the treasure rooms of heaven. There is an answer to our every need, and these answers are waiting for us to claim them by the true power of faith. The abundant life with all our needs met according to His great riches in glory is what He desires for us all.

Let us properly train ourselves to function like God created us to live, by the supernatural power of faith.

THE POWER OF CONFIDENT FAITH

As we exercise our faith, we build up confidence that we will receive what we ask from God. We can see this confidence being exercised in 1 John 5:14-15: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

While preparing for my first ministry trip into the Maasai land, I asked God for a personal favor. I asked Him to show me a male lion. I made it clear to Him that I didn’t want to see it in a park reserve, but out in the wild. I left His throne fully confident that He was going to give me this request.

As we were about to enter into the Serengeti Plains of Tanzania, Africa, I told the archbishop and the national pastors we were traveling with that I asked God to show me a lion. Their first initial reaction was that of doubt. They said that the Maasai warriors were looking for lions and could not find any, and that I would not see them either. I was not moved by their unbelief; I responded to their negative response that I had asked God to show me a lion, and I was going to see one. They all laughed, but I again assured them that I would see one.

Late in the afternoon as the sun was setting, just a few hours before arriving at our destination, the driver stopped the vehicle and the men excitedly shouted, “Look, look!” And wouldn’t you know, God was honoring my faith, for right in the middle of the trail was a huge male lion waiting for our arrival.

They were amazed and said, “He’s been waiting for you.” We sat in the vehicle and just watched this majestic creature show off the true power of faith in a mighty God who hears and honors confident faith.

One of the life lessons I have learned about our faith walk is to never become comfortable with the level where we are at, but always move forward and believe for more. In sharing this thought with you, I will continue on with my lion testimony. I saw my first real lion out in the wild that first year. The following year I put my request in to the Lord and said, “This time I want to see not just one lion, but a pride of lions.” What do you think I saw? You’re right, a beautiful pride of lions.

We can be fully confident with our faith in the Lord that He is listening to us and wants to give us the desires of our hearts. He has made a way for our prayers to be answered: it’s by the supernatural power of our faith.

Faith believes and then receives. Mark 11:24 states, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

How do we develop strong faith? Faith in God develops by hearing the Word. There is a direct correlation between the strength of our faith and the time we spend with God in His Word. The strength of our faith will increase or decrease depending upon this time. If our time in the Word is minimal, then the strength of our faith will be weak. We strengthen our faith by increasing our time in the Word of God. Let us study the Word until its power manifests itself stronger than our present situation.

Our confidence in our Father to be true to His Word produces results that make a difference. So, let’s open up our Bibles and build up our confidence level in Him and believe.

FAITH REQUIRES ACTION

But it’s not enough to just spend time in the Word. We also need to live out what it says because faith requires action. If there is no action, then there is no faith. In the Amplified Bible, we read in James 2:17, “So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).”

During a special service, a Guatemalan man with his niece stepped forward for prayer. The man shared the situation. His niece suffered from a lack of oxygen during birth, and because of it she could not stand and walk on her own. The healing power was released, but nothing happened. I could see that we were about to lose this girl’s healing. I looked the man in the eye and said to him, “Let go of her.” I stepped back and held my hands out to the girl to come to me. He released his faith and let her go, and she walked to me. As soon as she grabbed my hands, I released her from my grip and continued to step backwards while she continued to step forward. We walked around the front of the church, in between the crowd of people that came for prayer, and then I led her back to her uncle. Her uncle was amazed and this young 12-year-old girl was filled with joy. Faith always requires action.

A SUPERNATURAL WEAPON

Faith is a supernatural weapon that we possess to walk in victory. Ephesians 6:16 tells us the purpose of this spiritual weapon: “Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” First Timothy 6:12 forewarns us of the battle we are to fight while using our shield of faith; it says, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” Ephesians 6:17 talks of two other weapons we are to use in spiritual battles: “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” These verses make it plain to us that we are in a spiritual battle and we are to fight using our spiritual weapons that have been given to us.

Once while teaching the Maasai Tribe about fighting the good fight of faith, I painted a clear visual for them with words about a spiritual battle. I said there was a group of warriors that were given weapons but did not learn how to use them. The heads of the spears were dull; their shields and helmets were left on the ground. Their opponents, however, were wise in the use of their weapons; their spears were sharpened, they wore their helmets and they held their shields in their hands. They were ready for battle. I then asked them if given the choice, which army of soldiers would they choose to be with during a battle. Having been raised to be warriors, the answer was obvious, as it should be to us.

You have an enemy who will try to stop you from moving forward in the promises of God. He will attack you from all sides and will defeat you if you allow him. But the Lord says to the one holding this book right now, “Hold up your shield of faith and defeat your enemy by the sword of the Spirit.”

Your response to this type of message may be that you are a peaceful person and do not believe in war. Then you will live a defeated life because your enemy, satan, is not peaceful and is out to destroy you and your loved ones. He knows his time is short, so he is designing weapons of mass destruction to use against you. The Lord, though, has given you the weapons you need to overcome every raging battle that satan launches against you.

Faith is not passive, but aggressive. It doesn’t step backwards when faced with adversity, but marches forward into battle with a shield of faith in one hand and the sword of the Spirit in the other. It is willing to fight the enemy. If it hears a cancerous report, it responds, “No, not in my body!” and moves forward with all boldness and lives. If it is facing financial collapse, it declares, “My God shall supply my every need,” and then gives generously. Whatever the situation, it aggressively defeats the enemy with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

Passiveness is not a godly characteristic; rather, it is a result of fear and insecurity. It stems from not understanding who you are in Christ and what rightfully belongs to you as a member of the royal family of God.

The promises of God are activated in our lives by acts of courageous faith. They will not come to us unless we diligently and unrelentingly seek after God and His kingdom ways. Matthew 11:12 in the Amplified Version of the Bible beautifully states it like this: “And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize—a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].”

David and I were fostering a house full of boys from the streets. These boys had tremendous problems. One of the more common problems they shared was strong demonic oppression and possession.

Many of these boys had been involved in great wickedness that had opened them up to high levels of demonic activity. These demonic forces would unite in their efforts against us and the ministry. Their mission was to try to steal, to kill and to destroy us all. (See John 10:10a.)

These demonic spirits were bold and very conniving. They recognized who was spiritually in tune and who was not. They were masters at deception and division. They knew when to manifest and when to hold back.

This was a season of on-the-job training in spiritual warfare, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, that we were to pass through. It was difficult and at times very draining.

I remember one night in particular; I had had enough. With my shield of faith I marched outside to the edge of the soccer field where I could literally see the demonic spirits and sense their evil presence. I stood my ground, and I shouted out to them, “You think you know the meaning of fear and torment, but you have yet to learn the meaning of these things. God has a place prepared for you and it is called hell, where you will be bound for an eternity.” I took up the sword of the Spirit and started quoting Scriptures to them with all boldness, and they started to flee!

Ephesians 6:12 enlightens us to the truth about spiritual warfare. It says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” By the supernatural power of faith, we overcame this spiritual attack as well.

An active lifestyle in the Word of God empowers our faith to confidently trust in God’s faithfulness to perform His Word through us and to successfully obtain victory in every spiritual battle we encounter.

Let us continue on in the next chapter with our study of the supernatural power of faith and how faith involves our whole being.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. When we truly live by faith, how is the answer to our need manifested?

2. As we exercise our faith, what do we become confident about?

3. What is the way that God has made for our prayers to be answered?

4. What does Mark 11:24 teach us about faith?

5. What does faith require?

6. According to Ephesians 6:16, what is the purpose of the shield of faith?

7. What battle does 1 Timothy 6:12 tell us to fight?

8. According to Ephesians 6:12, who do we wrestle against?

REFLECTION

Am I a person of faith? Or do I struggle with doubt and unbelief? Am I timid or bold? What do I need to do in order to strengthen my faith?

CHAPTER 7

THE SENSES OF FAITH

Our spirits are supernatural beings, created in the mirror image of Elohim, that are temporarily housed within physical bodies. The redemptive work of Christ endorses us to operate in the supernatural and equips us with the ability of faith to maneuver in this stunning arena. Let’s consider the senses of faith. These supernatural senses function similar to the five natural senses, except that they work in the spirit realm.

To begin with, we have spiritual hearts that will beat for an eternity, with or without God; spiritual ears that are able to hear His voice; voices that possess the potential to speak things into existence; and spiritual eyes that can see into the spirit realm and envision God’s promises already fulfilled in our lives. We also have hands to work the vision of the Lord, as well as feet to follow the leading of the Spirit. Let us begin our study by closely examining the spiritual heart.

A HEART OF FAITH

A vibrant relationship with the Spirit of God ignites the heart with faith, erases the concept of impossible and releases the possible into every situation. This is why it is most important to closely monitor the spiritual condition of the heart. The spiritual heart is a vital organ; the strength of its intentions controls our every thought and action. A spiritual heart becomes strong by dying to the desires of the flesh and self-centeredness. It takes on the attitude, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). It also accepts the way of Christ: “Not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42b). The Spirit of God closely examines the heart to see if it truly belongs to Him. He tests it (see Ps. 7:9). In 1 Samuel 16:7b we see the importance that God places on the condition of the heart: “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” It either compels or repels Him. Also, a heart of faith is what keeps the rest of the spiritual body alive and active for His glory.

A heart that compels the Spirit is one that has been broken by Him. Just as when a horse is broken in by its master, the wild will is broken into submission. Submission goes beyond mere obedience; it deals with our willingness to surrender to His will. Being broken by God is a matter of the heart. It’s a painful and yet very freeing process. I asked God to break me and refashion me. I took a clay pot into prayer once. I dropped it on the floor and it broke into pieces, then I asked Him to do that with me. Why? I had been a Christian for many years and was even a missionary. I had a good relationship with the Lord, but I was hungry for Him. I said in my heart, “Lord, I desire to have a deeper relationship with You.” He granted me my request. He broke me. But He did not leave me in pieces on the floor. In time, He picked up the pieces one by one and refashioned me so that I could be used by Him more effectively.

This heart of faith desires to be at the feet of Jesus. It longs to be in His presence and to minister to Him. As a little girl I learned how to sit at the feet of the Lord by my earthly father. I looked forward to the late afternoon when my dad would come home from a long day of work. He would sit down at the kitchen table and I would kneel at his feet and remove his boots. It was one of those moments that I looked forward to every day with great anticipation, and he knew it.

I looked up to my dad with respect. I trusted him to honor his word. I listened to him and I obeyed him. I would start at my father’s feet ministering to him, but I would end up in my daddy’s lap with him ministering to me. This daily time spent with my earthly father prepared me to spend time with my heavenly Father.

I start with worship at the feet of my Lord, then end up in His lap while we fellowship with one another. I talk less and listen more to His loving words of encouragement and wisdom.

I encourage you to spend time alone with your heavenly Father every day.

FAITH HEARS

Faith hears into the realm of the supernatural. A well-trained spiritual ear will hear and know the voice of the Lord. Jesus says in John 10:27, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Notice He says that His sheep, not the lambs, hear His voice. One of the main differences between lambs and sheep is maturity. Mature faith can hear and recognize the voice of the Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and will follow after Him.

Let’s examine several venues that we hear the Lord speak to us.

1. Through His Word

2. Through the inner voice

3. Through an audible voice

The Spirit speaks to us through His Word. It says in Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” When we move out of religious duty and into actual relationship with the Lord, He will communicate with us while we fellowship with Him in His Word. Before I open the Word, I pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead me and guide me and to teach me how to apply His Word to my daily life. I have developed my spiritual ear to hear Him speak to me through His Word.

The inner voice is another way the Spirit speaks with us and is found in Isaiah 30:21: “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.” This is one of the more common ways that He speaks to us.

I was traveling with a friend on a train in a foreign country and as we were chatting I heard the Lord say to me through the inner voice, “The man sitting across from you is following you.” My friend was unaware what the Lord had just spoken to me. As she continued to speak, I looked up and sure enough this man had been following us.

He also will speak to us at times with an audible voice as He spoke to Moses in the burning bush (see Exod. 3:4). On different occasions the Lord awakens me from my sleep by audibly whispering my name, “Becky.” I can physically feel the breath of His voice in my ear, giving me clear instruction on what I am to do at that moment or revealing to me in the supernatural realm things that are taking place.

In 1 Samuel 3 we read about a young boy named Samuel who can hear a voice calling out to him, but he does not recognize the voice speaking to him. It takes the maturity of Eli to teach him who is calling out to him and how to respond to the voice of the Lord.

It is of utmost importance that we train our spiritual ears to hear and recognize the voice of the Lord. To do so we must know the Word of God. The more we know the Word, the more we understand Him and His ways and we can protect ourselves from voices that would mislead us. The Lord will never compromise His Word. This is important when we learn to recognize His voice. Jesus says in Matthew 13:9, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

There are three sources of voice that could possibly speak to our spiritual ears.

1. The voice of God

2. The voice of satan

3. The voice of human reasoning

The voice of God is always honorable and faithful to the Word of God. It releases freedom to the hearer and never compromises the Word. In Hebrews 4:12 it says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” In John 8:32 Jesus says, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The voice of satan is deceiving; it twists the Word of God just enough to make it sound appealing and accepting to the human flesh. In John 8:44b Jesus says concerning satan, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

The voice of our human reasoning is based upon our five senses and our emotions and is limited to human intellect. It says in Proverbs 28:26a, “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool.”

A mature spiritual ear hears and knows the voice of our Lord; it protects us from misguiding voices and is trained to follow after the will of the Spirit of God in all situations.

I was packing my suitcase for a two-week trip to the United States. I would be making multiple stops ministering in churches and visiting family. As I was finishing up, I heard the Holy Spirit say to bring a copy of a tract that I was given about the deception of false religions. I stopped what I was doing and went to find it. I found it and tucked it into my Bible.

The next morning I was seated on a plane to the Midwest for a week. I had forgotten about the tract. Then the next week I traveled to California and had a short layover in Salt Lake City, Utah. After I boarded the next flight to LAX, a young Asian man sat in the seat next to me. Shortly after takeoff, he pulled out what I thought to be a New Testament and proceeded to read. I commented that I noticed he was reading the Bible and that I was a missionary from Guatemala.

This young man spoke only a few words of English, but he had a pocket translator and communicated to me that he had just visited his sister in Salt Lake City and she gave him this book to read. He had a lot of questions about this book, so with his pocket translator he started to ask and I answered.

I quickly realized that what he had in his hands was not the Holy Bible but the Book of Mormon. Then the Holy Spirit reminded me of the tract that He instructed me to bring.

I had to smile at the Lord and His ways. This man was about to have an encounter with the Lord, high above the clouds, seated next to a missionary from Guatemala who did not speak Chinese, but who took the time to work with him and his pocket translator and shared the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I started out by sharing with him about the tract that the Lord had told me to bring, and there was no mistake in this young man’s mind that God meant for him to have it. He said he would throw away the book he had and purchase a copy of the Christian Bible to read instead.

This encounter reminded me of the story of Philip and the Ethiopian in the Book of Acts (see Acts 8:26-40). The Ethiopian read the Scriptures but struggled to understand what he read. The Holy Spirit sent Philip to this man and he guided him in the way of the truth of the Scriptures. When Philip reached him, he asked the Ethiopian, “‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ and he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’”

Now, this happened because Philip had developed his spiritual ear to hear the Word of the Lord that was spoken to him by the angel (see Acts 8:26).

Like Philip, we also need to develop our spiritual ears so we too can hear and recognize the voice of the Lord and His angelic messengers. Mature spiritual ears hear God’s voice and obey.

Let’s take the time to develop a listening ear. The following is a spiritual exercise to train us to hear the voice of our Lord.

Find a quiet place that you can go to and be silent before the Lord. Bring your Bible with you and something to write with in case this is how He chooses to speak to you. But do not play music or have any form of distraction. For some, this place may be found in the middle of the night when the rest of the family is asleep. (This is where I personally meet with Him.) Wherever this place may be for you, go there. Spend a few minutes praying quietly in tongues and invite the Holy Spirit to come and speak to you, then wait patiently. As you learn to be still before Him, you will hear His voice. How He speaks to you is His decision to make. Your part is to create an inviting place for Him to meet with you and then be still before Him and listen. He will speak.

With practice, you will learn to recognize when He is tugging at your heart to go someplace quiet so that He can be alone with you. Learn to sit still, be quiet and listen to Him speak.

FAITH SPEAKS

In Mark 11:23-24 Jesus is teaching the disciples about the voice of faith. He says, “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” He was teaching them the power of faith-filled words that stem from a heart full of faith.

The Holy Spirit wants to train us in His Word and will use all sorts of different methods to do so. He once taught me by using a Morpho butterfly. Our son, Micah, and I were visiting a butterfly museum in New York City. There were butterflies of all kinds flying all over and landing on everyone but me. Then I saw the most beautiful Morpho butterfly sitting on a leaf. I silently said to the Lord, “I wish that butterfly would land on me.” He replied, “Call it.” So I whispered to the butterfly, “Butterfly, come.” It immediately flew to me and stayed for the longest time.

We can wish all we want and nothing will happen because wishing is not faith. Faith is active, and the action God was showing me that day was that faith has a voice, that it speaks. He said, “You want the butterfly to come to you, then you call it over to you yourself. Don’t ask Me to send it. I already gave you the authority to do so.”

Faith has a voice and it speaks. You speak to the butterfly directly. Call it to come, and if you believe, it will. I understand that there have been misuses of this biblical principle in the past, but that does not nullify the Word of God. If we will examine the condition of our spiritual hearts, it will keep our motives pure and free us from selfish gain so that we use the supernatural power of faith for His glorious purposes.

Perhaps you don’t desire a butterfly, but you have a physical need such as food to feed your family. Listen to this next testimony and learn how to speak to that need, too.

In the mid-1980s when our biological children were very young, my husband’s business was going through a difficult time. Our family was feeling the crunch. We didn’t have a lot of money and even meeting the basic needs was a struggle. We weren’t sure how we were going to be able to purchase groceries, but we knew that God was faithful and that He would provide.

We were young Christians and were learning how to put our faith into action. We were being taught faith lessons to trust God for our daily provision from Matthew 6:25-34. Those were very tough times for our family, but what we learned back then we have taught to thousands today. He is faithful. His Word says to speak to the mountains in our lives and if we believe they will move.

Instead of being all stressed out, I called our young children to the kitchen. I didn’t fill their minds with fear by saying we had no money for food and we were not going to be able to eat the next meal. I chose to put my faith into action. I told Annie, Micah and Aaron to lay their hands on the kitchen cupboard doors with mama and to repeat what I said. So, we all laid our hands on the cupboard doors and we spoke the following faith confession: “Thank You, Jesus, that these cupboards are full and overflowing with good food to eat.”

The next day was Sunday. We went to church that morning. We didn’t say anything to anyone about our need. That afternoon as we returned home from the church service, someone was knocking on our door. When we went to the door, we were amazed at what we saw. Some dear friends of ours, whom we had not seen or heard from in several years, were standing at our door with bags of groceries for our family.

They told us that as they were sitting in their church service on the other side of the city, the Spirit of God spoke to their hearts and told them to go and purchase groceries for our family. They didn’t even know where we lived and had to call up a mutual friend to find our house.

We didn’t speak our lack of food. We spoke our provision into existence. We needed food and so we thanked the Lord by faith that our cupboards were full and overflowing with good food to eat. Faith has a voice and it speaks. Our voice of faith continues to speak provision as we thank the Lord daily for our food set before us and thank Him that we continue to have an abundance of food to give to others around the world.

Faith has a voice. It speaks God’s language of creation by speaking provision for the spirit, soul and body into existence. Here is how I speak provision: “In Jesus’ name, we give to the poor so the needs of our family are met abundantly. We have freely built houses for the poor, so I thank You, Father, for a nice, safe home for our family and that it is paid in full. We have raised money to purchase property for the poor, so I thank You for a piece of property that suits the needs of our family and it too is paid in full. We give food to the poor, so I thank You that our dinner table is always filled with good food to eat and that we have an abundance to give to others around the world. We have given shoes to thousands of people around the world, so I thank You that each member of our family always has a good pair of shoes to wear. We have given clothing to thousands of people, so I thank You that we are richly clothed. We have provided an education for many children, and so I thank You that our children and our children’s children are blessed with a good education. We have ministered physical healing and life itself for thousands of people around the world, so I thank You that our family is strong and healthy and that we all will live to be a ripe old age, each one fulfilling his or her destiny. We have equally ministered eternal life to thousands, so I thank You that all our relatives will hear and receive the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name I say, amen.”

I gave examples of the Morpho butterfly and the kitchen cupboards and how the Lord taught me that faith has a voice and calls things into being by speaking words of faith. What need or God-given desire do you have? Use the creative power of your words, write up a confession of faith and start to speak the answer into existence.

FAITH SEES

Faith has spiritual eyes; it’s visionary and sees into the future with hope. It can envision the promises of God already fulfilled via dreams and visions. God tells Abram to look up at the stars and to count them if he can. He is not able to count them all because there are so many. God uses this visual to stir hope within this man and tells him that his descendants will outnumber these stars. (See Genesis 15:5.) Like Abraham, our faith also needs a vision for the future to hope for and to follow.

The supernatural power of our faith has the ability to see into the spirit realm what God chooses to reveal to us.

Back in the early 1990s God started to introduce David and me to the concept of missions, but it was not to remain just as a concept to us for very long. I read a book by the late Kenneth E. Hagin called Plans, Purposes and Pursuits. After reading the book, I prayed and asked God to do spiritual heart surgery within us.

During one very cold, winter night in Minnesota, the Spirit of the Lord prompted me to get up and go into the living room to pray. So, I crawled out of bed, grabbed a thick blanket to keep warm and went and prayed. After I prayed for several hours in the Spirit, I started to see a vision. At first, I rubbed my eyes and thought whatever I saw would go away, but it didn’t; it only became clearer.

Right before my eyes, on that cold wintry night, the living room turned into a huge ocean. I saw it. I heard the sounds of the ocean and felt the wind. In the middle of it all was the most beautiful sunset I ever saw. On the right hand side of the ocean scene was a little tiny sailboat.

In the large expanse of the water, the sailboat looked small and insignificant in size. As I observed what He showed me, I also heard Him speak to me about His plans for my life. He told me my life was like this little sailboat. At first it went back and forth, from side to side, but as He instructed me to allow His Spirit to take control of my life, I heard and felt the wind catch the sail.

The Holy Spirit was the wind, my life was the sail and His supernatural power caught my sail. As He continued to speak to me concerning His will for my life, I saw the little sailboat head toward the sunset. Eventually this sailboat transformed into a large sailboat, then aligned itself with the direct sunlight and quickly sailed off into the sunset.

After we had lived on the mission field in Guatemala for several years, God spoke to our hearts to purchase property to build homes for children. One day after street ministry, David went out to lunch with one of our volunteers. While they spoke, God gave my husband a vision of the property we were to purchase. With his spiritual eyes he actually saw the land the Lord had for us. As he went out to look at different properties with a realtor, he knew when he reached our land because he had seen it with his spiritual eyes before.

A few years later while I prayed to God outside under the stars, the Lord flashed a vision before my eyes. I actually had to turn to follow it. It was a two-story building that was under construction. At first I stood on the outside, then suddenly I jumped over the wall to the inside. The place was a peaceful yellow and was filled with beds for sick children. God spoke to me and said that we were to build a special home for Him, for children who were born infected with the HIV virus, and that He would heal every one of them. This was the beginning of the “LIFE Tender Mercy Home.”

During my preparation years for the healing ministry, God gave me a vision of what I would do for Him for the next few years. He showed me a very sick child who was at the point of death. I saw my hand reach out to her and I put an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth to give her life. For the next five years or so, that is actually what I did for Him. I stood against the spirit of death and released the Spirit of Life to flow into the lives of very sick children.

Even the medical profession could not deny what transpired in our children’s home. Whether the children came infected with HIV or other life-threatening situations, they all were healed.

He also showed me that this sick and dying little girl represented the Church and that she was physically sick. He revealed that I would be ministering life and healing to her. But He trained me with these sick and hurting children first.

The Lord communicates with us through dreams to prepare us for things to come. One night David rolled over and started speaking out his dream to me in his sleep. He said, “Becky, we are on the top of a very tall ladder and the ladder is swaying back and forth, but we are holding on tight.” I knew in my spirit that we were about to embark on another faith project for the Lord.

Another reason the Lord communicates through dreams is to encourage us. I was physically exhausted after moving from one part of Guatemala to another. The house was in total disarray with boxes and furniture piled high to the ceilings. I was feeling irritable and was starting to complain. I decided the best thing for me was to go to sleep. That night I had a brief dream from the Lord. A man of God appeared to me in the dream and said, “Iron sharpens iron; be careful not to speak negatively.” In my dream I thanked God for the gentle rebuke and was encouraged that all would be well.

God also gives warnings through dreams. Divine warning is just as it sounds; it is God warning us of imminent danger ahead of us.

In Matthew 2:12 we read in the story of the birth of Christ how the wise men receive warning by God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, but depart to their own country going another route.

God still gives us visual warnings today in the form of dreams. Within one week, five of us in our home and ministry had the same dream. We knew then that the attacks would be against both our family and our ministry. The enemy was against our new ministry endeavors and was trying to stop us from moving forward. The attacks came in all sizes and for awhile from every direction. We battened down the hatches and began to pray. These attacks came as we saw in the dreams, but we held our ground and by the true power of the supernatural power of faith we overcame.

A VISIONARY EXERCISE

As we have discussed, faith has spiritual eyes, it’s visionary and it sees into the spirit realm. To help you learn how to open up your spiritual eyes, I have a simple visionary exercise for you. Close your eyes and ask the Holy Spirit to give you a simple vision of an object that describes how He wants to use you. God gave me a vision of a big spoon and explained to me that He uses me to stir faith in others. What was the object that you saw? How does He will to use you?

A Word of Wisdom

The spiritual eye can see into the spirit realm, but we do need to be cautious and judge what we see according to the Word of the Lord. There is more than one source for dreams and visions. There are godly dreams and visions that come from the Spirit of the Lord, and this source of guidance matches the Word of God. Then there is a spirit of deception that lurks around in the darkness waiting for an easy target to fool. We do not want to become a victim to satan and his misleading. There is also the human will that can conjure up false dreams and visions according to the desires of the flesh. These types of dreams and visions are very self-centered and will out-reason any form of godliness. An easy way to know if a dream or vision is derived from the human will is to ask ourselves, “Who receives the glory?”

Therefore, before falling asleep at night, I take the time and plead the power in the blood of Jesus over my mind, thoughts, dreams and visions. I do not allow the enemy room to maneuver in the area of my spiritual vision. I also judge what I see according to the Word of God. I strongly recommend you do the same.

WORKING HANDS

By the true power of faith we heard God speak, we saw what He had for us and we gave voice with our faith and spoke hope into our future. But had we stopped there, nothing would have happened because faith needs works to be alive. It says in James 2:17 that faith without works is dead.

Faith involves action; a person of faith is a doer of the Word. It says in James 1:22-25, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

Hearing God speak His plan to us was the first step, receiving the vision from God was the second step, then by speaking this vision out with our faith-filled words we were completing the third step. These first three steps were necessary to fulfill His purposes, but without the fourth step the vision would die and our faith for this vision would be dead.

In order to bring the vision of God into fruition, we must physically work it out with our hands.

While living in the children’s home, the Holy Spirit never told me to speak a word and the babies would be supernaturally fed and changed. I had to physically feed and change them myself. But He did tell me to speak to their sick and crippled body parts and they were made whole supernaturally. He never had me speak to the mountain of dirty laundry and say, “Be thou cleansed and removed from here and back into the closets!” I had to physically work that part of the ministry, but He did teach me to speak words of faith to empty closets and cupboards and they were filled with the daily provisions that we needed.

Why would I share this with you? Many people are quick to hear God, they are excited to see the vision, they talk the talk, but many are not willing to work the vision that God has given. It takes the working hands of faith to work out a vision. Working hands take and transform a vision into reality.

As we can see, faith involves action. What is God asking you to do? Be a doer of the Word, activate your faith and do what He has asked of you. Perhaps you may not be able to do it all in a day, but you can start the process today.

WILLING FEET

Faith has feet that are willing to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. The path isn’t clearly marked. He gives us a starting point, but many details are unknown, especially in the beginning. It takes sheer trust in the Lord to walk down this pathway.

Abraham received direction from the Lord and by faith he obeyed and went without knowing where he was even going. (See Hebrews 11:8.) In the New Testament Jesus called the 12 apostles to follow after Him; by faith they obeyed the call even though they did not know the details or the direction they were going.

When David and I first received the call from God to move to the mission field in Guatemala with our three biological children, we wanted to be sure that we heard correctly, so we went into a time of prayer and fasting. I remember the last night of our fast we were on our knees before the Lord and we asked Him to make it very clear to us if we were to go. He very clearly responded to us and said, “You ask Me where to go, I already told you where to go. Go to Guatemala, but do not be closed to other countries.” He continued to speak to us and told us that within two years we would be living full-time on the mission field, and it happened just as He spoke to us.

Two years later David and I with our three children, Annie, Micah and Aaron, drove from Minnesota all the way down to Guatemala. In the wee hours of the morning on August 11, 1994, we drove up the mountain and entered into Guatemala City, Guatemala. The volcano was spraying red-hot lava. It was a powerful welcome and we knew we were in for an adventure of a lifetime.

About eight years later during a time of prayer and fasting, the Lord spoke to my heart. He said to me, “You are going to start traveling now.” I was not sure what to say to my husband. I actually waited for three days before I said something to him. When I told him, he looked at me and said, “So, you are going to go to Africa.” I looked at him and said, “Yes, I am.” We were in agreement about the next assignment. A few months later I was in Nigeria for a week-long healing conference with three other people. While I was there, God again did spiritual heart surgery within my spirit. I remember as I stood in the midst of the crowd tears ran down my face and I asked Him, “God, what are You doing to me? How can this be happening to me again? You did this to me the first time I entered into Guatemala for a short-term mission trip ten years before.” He broke my heart for the people of Africa. When I returned to Guatemala, He told me to study healing. For the next two years, that is exactly what I did. I prayed and fasted and studied the Word concerning healing, and God gave me a deep understanding and taught me how to operate in this gift He had given to me. He had me step out in faith and minister to the children in the children’s home in Guatemala and with the Guatemalan people in local hospitals and churches. I boldly followed Him down this path of a healing ministry.

During another time of prayer and fasting, He told me that I was to go to East Africa in the month of September. I knew my husband was not to go with me on this trip, but I didn’t know who was to accompany me, so I prayed, “Lord, if it is Your will that I go alone, I will, but I don’t have a peace in my heart that You would ask that of me. Lord, who is to come with me?” He gave me a name immediately. So, I sent this person an email and asked her to pray about coming with me. She first responded with doubt that this was of God, but that she would take it to prayer. The next day she confirmed that she knew she was to come. Thus, my friend Linda Ryan and I prepared ourselves to travel to East Africa.

It may sound odd that God would send two women to East Africa without their husbands. But this trip was more than just going to minister the healing power of Jesus Christ to the lost and hurting people of that land. In the midst of this assignment there was an underlying lesson to learn, and that was to be Spirit-led.

About one month later I was in the United States to help our son Micah get settled in the States to attend college. While there, some other missionary friends of ours returned to Guatemala and spoke with David and told him that while they were there, they met a pastor who worked in Tanzania, East Africa, and they had spoken to him about me. The inner witness confirmed within everyone’s hearts that this was our connection. Before I knew it, I was in communication with an archbishop who was overseeing 13 African nations. A few months later, Linda and I stepped off the plane and onto the red soil of Tanzania.

A year later, during another time of prayer and fasting, I read the book Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets. While I studied from this book, I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit say to me, “You are going to go to the Maasai Tribe.” I replied, “I am?” He said, “Yes, you are.” So, I contacted the archbishop the next day via email. I wrote to him telling him that the Holy Spirit said that I was to go to the Maasai Tribe. He responded back and said, “Oh, Becky, you ask a big thing.” I responded to him the next day, “Maybe it is a big thing, but God said I am to go.” He responded again and said, “Oh, Becky, much money.” I responded to him the next day again and said, “Bishop, I may be asking a difficult thing, and perhaps it will be a lot of money, but God said I am to go. Are you the contact person or do I look for another?”

While we communicated back and forth with one another over a three-day period, the Holy Spirit also spoke to a Maasai brother and told him to travel to the Southern border of Tanzania and go and speak with the archbishop. He left the next day and took the two-day journey to see the archbishop.

It was now Christmas Eve and a young Maasai brother walked into the bishop’s church and asked him, “Bishop, why am I here?” The bishop knew immediately and gave the young man my contact information. We have worked with one another ever since September 2002.

This is how I receive the direction of where I am to go and minister. I hear His voice, I receive His vision, I speak it out, I work the vision with my hands and I go where He sends me.

Faith has a set of feet that go wherever God leads. It will cause us to walk confidently into the unknown, into an impossible situation, and turn it around for God’s glory. Other times it will lead us to foreign lands to declare the name of the Lord. It may direct us to spy out new spiritual territory right where we are. But wherever faith leads, we will travel down a new path where we must depend upon the leading of His grace to guide us to our next destination.

Faith has a set of feet that go wherever the Spirit leads. Has God asked you to go somewhere for Him? If He has asked you to go and pray for a sick neighbor, then go in the name of the Lord. Has He asked you to go on a short-term mission trip to a foreign land? If so, make the necessary contacts and go. Do you have a call on your life to become a full-time missionary in another country? If so, pray and seek direction, then obey the plan He gives and travel and settle in that new land and win a million souls for Jesus!

We can see that we are created to be faith-based beings, and what God has given to us, the supernatural power of faith, in its true power is greater than magic.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. How does faith involve our whole being?

2. What are three venues through which we hear the Lord speak to us?

3. What are the three sources of voice that could possibly speak to our spiritual ears?

4. What does faith do with its voice?

5. With its spiritual eyes, what is faith? What does it see?

6. What do I recommend you do before falling asleep every night?

7. What are the four steps to bring a vision from God to fruition?

8. What are the feet of faith willing to follow?

REFLECTION

Is my spiritual heart right with the Lord? Do I see and/or hear into the spirit realm? Do I regularly use my voice and speak words of faith to change my everyday situations? Am I willing to put my faith into action and do what the Word of God says to do? Am I really willing to go wherever the Holy Spirit directs me to go? In what areas am I lacking? What steps do I need to take in order to change?

CHAPTER 8

SUPERNATURAL PROVISION

A supernatural provision of the divine order is available for the believer in Jesus Christ. Even though the world’s economy is unreliable, God’s economy has not changed. He is ever constant and His provision is stable.

By the supernatural power of faith we are to speak to the mountains in our lives and curse any area of lack that we have. Jesus gave us an example to live by in Mark 11:12-14: “Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, ‘Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.’ And His disciples heard it.”

Jesus is teaching us something very important in this portion of Scripture for us to apply to our daily lives. Did you notice that He went to the fig tree because He had a need? He was hungry, but there was no fruit on the tree because it was not the harvest season. So what did He do? He cursed the lack of provision.

It is important for us to understand what He is showing us here in this portion of Scripture. Times are financially tough for many people. Many people are out of work; they have lost their homes and are fighting to pay their bills. Their resources are dwindling away. They are struggling daily with a lack of provision. The world’s government that many depend upon has run out of supply. This season is lacking the fruit of provision.

Even though the world’s economy is collapsing, God’s economy is as strong as ever. It never lacks provision. The world’s economy is based upon a precious metal called gold—and the purer the gold, the more valuable it is. But our God uses the purest gold for His asphalt to pave the streets of heaven with. In God’s economy there is no lack. But how do we free ourselves from the world’s lack? How can we access God’s abundance?

WALKING IN GOD’S ECONOMY

First, we need to use our authority and do as Jesus does and curse the season of lack in our lives. We read on in Mark 11:21 in the Amplified Bible, “And Peter remembered and said to Him, Master, look! The fig tree which You doomed has withered away!” He cursed the supernatural force of poverty and did not allow it to affect His life. He doomed it from its very roots so that its lack could not affect Him ever again. He refused to accept its weakening power in His life. Neither should we.

We read in 3 John 2, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” The Apostle John is speaking a blessing of prosperity with his words to the beloved, which includes us.

In Mark 11 Jesus cursed a lack of provision and lived a life of abundance. In 3 John the Apostle John spoke words of prosperity over us.

The Lord does not want us to be poor in spirit, soul or body. His plan is that spiritually we are saved and physically we are whole in our mind and emotions while our bodies are strong and healthy, free from all sickness and disease.

Jesus became the curse to deliver us from it, so that we could walk in the blessings of Abraham and obtain the promise of the Spirit by faith (see Gal. 3:13-14). A lack of provision is a form of bondage that He shed His blood to free us from.

Essentially, we are to use our God-given authority and exercise the supernatural power of faith-filled words to destroy the works of satan, such as poverty, coming against us. With the supernatural power of faith, we are to speak words of provision and blessings over our lives.

Jesus encourages us in Matthew 6:31-33, “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (NASB).

Jesus tells us not to worry about our daily provision. Even though we’ve heard this message many times, we sometimes do. The key to living a worry-free life with our daily needs met is found in verse 33: “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” It’s not our witty ideas or clever ways that bring God’s provision into our lives. It’s simply a daily intimate relationship and doing things His way that open the windows of provision that supplies all of our needs.

MIRACULOUS PROVISION

We were living in Guatemala as missionaries, building homes for children, and were in need of a second vehicle that I could use to run errands with. We didn’t have the extra funds on hand to purchase one. But we learned to take the limits off of God and believed Him to supply our need.

I was unlearned about cars, but I knew what I needed. I prayed to the Lord and thanked Him for a car that was just the right size for me, that would meet our needs, that was in excellent condition, that made good gas mileage and that looked nice, too. I thanked Him every day for His provision. Several months passed and I continued to thank the Lord for His faithfulness.

We were now in Minnesota itinerating and staying with family and friends. My husband was on the phone making reminder calls to different pastors to make sure that our scheduled meetings at the churches had not changed. As he was in between calls, a wonderful Christian lady whom we had met at a church the weekend before was on the phone. She explained who she was and that as she was praying she heard the Lord tell her to give us her car. So, she was asking if we would like to have it.

The next week, while we were at her house, she called me specifically into the kitchen, said this car was for me and handed me the keys. It was a white Honda Accord, was just the right size for me to drive, was in excellent condition and made great gas mileage, too. We ended up putting 300,000 miles on that car and it ran excellently.

Another time, my husband needed a pickup truck and a trailer for the Life Homes to haul construction materials. We started to pray and thank God for His provision. A few months later we were in Minnesota speaking at a few churches and a man gave David his trailer. Then other people started to donate specific building materials.

The situation looked ridiculous to some people as we had a trailer that was packed full of construction materials, but no pickup truck to haul it all down to Guatemala with. People were calling us, asking us if God had provided our need yet; others called to encourage us with their prayers. Each time someone asked us about it, we were able to give voice to our faith and speak our provision into existence. We would say, “God provided a trailer and filled it for us with construction materials; He will provide the pickup truck to haul it.” Some people were so concerned and afraid that we would not receive a pickup truck, but we knew that God is faithful and He honors faith.

We were ministering at another church one night and a kind brother stepped forward and gave David his beloved pickup truck.

Faith believes, it speaks and it acts on the promises found in God’s Word.

A few years later, we needed a van for the children’s home. With the life lessons we had learned, we taught the children in the home to believe God for a new van. We put a picture of the van we desired for the ministry and, together with the children, we thanked the Lord for His supply. We received exactly what we trusted God for.

Years later, David and I needed a vehicle for our personal family to use. We thanked the Lord by faith for His provision for one week, and the next week within one day we had all the finances needed to purchase the vehicle.

OVERTAKING THE REAPER

There is yet another promise of supernatural provision that has come upon us. It is found in Amos 9:13, which says, “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed….’”

This is a supernatural provision that defies the natural realm. It is time to release the Spirit from our limitations and allow Him to make a way where there seems to be no way. Here are a few testimonies to encourage your faith to receive.

We were preparing to move to the mission field, my husband’s business was feeling the crunch of the financial hard times and our bills were piling up. My husband and his business partner were driving down the freeway during rush hour traffic when all of a sudden two, $100 bills went flying past the car. The bills actually stuck to the car windows for a moment so they could see the monetary value of the bills. Then the wind picked up the bills and carried them down the road. They decided to get off at the next exit and backtrack to look for the bills. Wouldn’t you know they easily found both of them lying on the side of the road, as if they were waiting for them?

Our family was new to the mission field, and our dependence was upon the Lord for our daily substance. Our rent was due, we needed to pay for our children’s schooling and we had to purchase food for our family. We did not know how the Lord was going to provide, but we believed He would.

Our family had some errands to run that day. We pulled up into an empty parking lot and as we stepped out of the van, there sitting in the bush in front of us was the exact amount of money we needed for that month.

My husband and I pulled into a parking lot at a mall in Guatemala City. After we pulled into the lot, we saw that they had installed a new system and we needed to pay cash to get out of the lot. We didn’t have the cash. We searched the cubbyhole, my purse, David’s wallet and our pockets inside and out, but we did not have cash on hand. My husband went to go talk to the people at the service desk to ask for some help in the matter. While he was gone, I said to the Lord, “This is not right that Your servants do not have money to get out of a parking lot.” As soon as I said this to the Lord, I jumped because money supernaturally appeared in my hand.

As I was figuring out finances, preparing a bank deposit slip and setting aside a tithe and offering for the Lord, I happened to see that I had a wornout bill in the pile. I said to the Lord that I didn’t want to give Him that bill, then exchanged it for a nice, new looking one. I turned away just for a moment to find a fresh looking bill. I quickly found one and went to place it in my tithe and offering. I was amazed because my cash pile supernaturally multiplied over $200. You may think that was a financial mistake on my part. It was not. I had carefully counted the money three times and everything was in nice neat piles with amounts accurately written down. This was God supernaturally multiplying my finances because of right motive in my heart toward Him.

During the early years of our mission work in Guatemala, we worked with street kids. We had a daytime center where we taught them the Word of God and met their daily needs. It was a particularly busy day. I had dished out a hot meal to everyone; there was just enough food to feed the crowd. Then along came three other street boys. These boys were extra needy and very hungry. I knew in the natural that the pot was empty, but I thanked the Lord under my breath for His provision. Then I supernaturally dished out three more heaping bowls of hot food for these boys.

In the natural I had no time to run home and prepare another pot of stew for these boys, but the plowman overtook the reaper and God’s sons were fed, and fed well.

I was heading to Tanzania in two days to minister. The Lord told me to gather up school supplies and deliver them to a local Maasai school of 500 children. We lived at the children’s home in Guatemala and did not have easy access to school supplies, especially not in large quantities. I also did not have the time or the finances to do this task. But, I knew I heard the Lord, and so I asked Him to supply. He told me to look in a closet where I kept all the babies’ clothes and supplies. I opened up the door and there sitting right on top of the babies’ clothes I found all of these school supplies. Now, we took care of 14 little ones at the time, and I was in and out of that closet many times a day. There were no school supplies on that shelf earlier, but I heard the Lord tell me to look in that closet and that is where the majority of the supplies were. A little later on that day He told me to look in the bathroom cupboard—and there was another supply. He sent me to the kitchen cupboard—and there was still another supply. By the end of that day I had enough school supplies to give to 500 children. This was another supernatural real-life example of Amos 9:13. I treaded the grapes before the seeds were planted.

Now, should we be surprised by this type of supernatural provision? In the Scriptures we find testimony after testimony of how God supplied the needs of His people supernaturally.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What did Jesus do with His words in Mark 11:12-14?

2. We need to take our authority as Jesus did in Mark 11:12-14 and curse what from having an effect in our lives?

3. What is the blessing that the Apostle John prays for us in 3 John 2?

4. How did Jesus free us from the curse?

5. Instead of worry, what are we to do?

6. According to Amos 9:13, what is the promise of supernatural provision that has come upon us in these last days?

7. What do we need to do to walk in this supernatural realm of provision found in Amos 9:13?

REFLECTION

Am I bound with worry concerning the world’s economy? Have I allowed lack to take root? Will I curse its control over my life? Can I honestly say that I seek first the kingdom of God and all His righteousness? Do I believe that God wants to prosper me in spirit, soul and body? How do I feel about what it says in Amos 9:13? Am I willing and ready to take this next step of supernatural provision?

CHAPTER 9

A REPAIRER OF THE BREACH

Many people have been hurt by religious theology, fallen Church leaders and other backslidden Christians, or by painful circumstances that have left their lives in ruins. Because of these experiences they are bitter toward God and do not want anything to do with the Church. So, we are going to talk about the need to rebuild spiritual ruins, look at some of the main causes for spiritual deterioration and see how to rebuild and restore trust and hope in the lives of these people.

First of all, compromise and corruption within the Body of Christ have weakened the basic foundation of faith. As a result, many struggle to trust God. It is time to rebuild this foundation. It says in Isaiah 58:12, “Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.”

Jesus Christ repaired the breach that existed between us and our heavenly Father; in 2 Corinthians 5:18 He has called us to be ministers of reconciliation: “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.”

Now, more than ever, we need to take serious the ministry of reconciliation that Jesus calls all believers to and repair the breach. The only way to build up these old waste places is to restore trust between the lost and our witness. Put aside vain religious philosophy, all forms of ungodliness, repent and get real with Jesus so that others may know there truly is a God in heaven who cares for them.

For many years, twin spirits called religion and tradition have hardened the hearts of the people. They demanded that the people strive to obtain the appearance of godliness with a total disregard to the condition of the human spirit. The Lord called these people whitewashed tombs (see Matt. 23:27).

Once while I was traveling to East Africa, there was a man of the cloth who sat in the seat behind me. But unfortunately his spiritual garments were worn out; he set a poor example as he became sloshed and babbled foolishness. The other passengers were not impressed with his religious title or collar. In his drunken stupor, he was unaware of the negative comments that were made against him. My heart was grieved and I turned to the man and shared Jesus with him and told him how to get saved.

This is what happens when people are apathetic toward the Holy Spirit and His ways. Religion’s harsh and abrasive edges creep in and corrode the very fiber of godly morals. Then, with these worn down morals people rewrite His commandments to suit the desires of their flesh. As a result, the hearts of many wax cold and they become complacent to their Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Matthew 24:12 expounds on this and says, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

Religion succeeded relationship. Grace was replaced by works mixed with a constant trickle of condemnation. Tradition became the standard; man-made doctrine was elevated higher than God’s Word. The heart was pulled out of worship, while the spirit of the people became lethargic.

However, God’s blueprint is already drawn and the original design is not complete without the Designer. Without Jesus Christ, the person is incomplete. This feeling of being incomplete causes a deep inner loneliness, which dictates a search to satisfy the soul. Without firm faith in the one true God, the soul is open to search out strange gods and religions. A wandering lost soul will encounter a deceptive side of the supernatural, the person’s emotions will seize control and, without true biblical discernment, he or she will become ensnared by the spirit of deception. Being spiritually dead, such people cannot understand what evil they have encountered because the one true God is discerned only spiritually by the born-again resurrected spirit in Jesus Christ. Without being intercepted by the Spirit of Truth, these individuals will walk down a slippery slope of deception. The spirit of deception will tantalize the fleshly desires of the lost individual until it consumes and destroys him or her.

SHARING JESUS

It was never the intent of the Lord for us to sit idly hidden behind four walls. He created us to have an interactive relationship with Him, to worship Him in Spirit and in truth, to be about our heavenly Father’s business, to go out into all the world (not to be conformed to this world, but to transform it; to allow the creative power of His Spirit to manifest miracles through us), and to be wise and lead others to Him. (See John 4:23-24; Luke 2:49; Romans 12:2; Mark 16:15-18 and Proverbs 11:30.)

The Word says we are to raise the spiritual foundations and reestablish the pathway for our future generations. One of these foundations is the supernatural power of faith. The next generations need to be taught how to inhabit this spiritual realm of the Holy Spirit.

It is sad to say that, because of religion, scores of people today are turned off and embittered toward the Church. Many parents no longer teach their children about Jesus. Our future generations are ignorant concerning the most important part of life, Jesus Christ. Several years ago, my mom was stunned by a little boy’s question during VBS, “Who is Jesus?” Regrettably, countless numbers of people, both the young and the old, do not understand the answer to this all-important question.

While I sat on a plane from Guatemala to Minnesota, a young lady next to me, after she learned that I was a Christian author, inquired of me about my beliefs in God and my personal opinions concerning current issues. This woman was raised in a Christian home and lost her father to a terminal illness at a young age, but had a mother who faithfully held the family together during the difficult years that followed. This young woman attended a Christian college, but she did not know the Lord. She was currently angry at the Church for the stance it took against current social issues and wanted to know what I taught my children about the tolerance movement. I shared openly and honestly my deep Christian faith, but I kept the doors of communication wide open for further discussion. I shared with her the following testimony about the effects of the tolerance movement that I have witnessed.

One time as I walked into a hospital for the terminally ill in Guatemala, I was asked to pray for a dying man. As I sat down next to the person, I couldn’t help but note the spiritual confusion of the institution where this man was dying. In an attempt to be tolerant of different religions, this institution hung a collage of different religious figures on the walls and displayed various religious statues and trinkets. This hodgepodge of conflicting religions caused an uncertainty concerning faith and sent forth a subliminal message that they themselves did not know what to believe and that they lacked faith. This atmosphere of doubt left this family in a state of despair. They lacked the security and support to believe for a miracle, they had no hope and, without hope, they had no faith. The tolerance movement produces doubt, unbelief and insecurity.

This young woman made another comment to me. She said, “This prayer stuff doesn’t work for me.” I replied, “No, it won’t work if you don’t believe. Prayer is communication with God and you cannot have intimate fellowship with someone you do not know. It is like talking to a spouse you do not have.”

She went on to explain to me that her generation is more knowledgeable and accepting of different religions because they are taught to do so in public school and, as a result, she felt they were better than the previous generation. I explained to her that I am not religious and that religion is dead. She was a little taken back by my response. But I continued to explain to her that I believe in having relationship with Jesus Christ.

With tear-filled eyes, she continued to challenge me with deep questions about the Lord. Even though her remarks spilled over with unbelief, I would not allow her doubt to dictate my responses. I shared with her many testimonies filled with supernatural healings and miracles. She had never encountered a believer in Jesus who had actually walked in miracles before. The supernatural power of the Spirit of God captured her heart. She started to see God in a whole new light. The bitterness she harbored toward the Church and Christians lessened. As we stepped off of the plane, we hugged and she said to me with a tender tone in her voice, “You have given me many things to think about.”

Dear heavenly Father,

We ask You to forgive us for being religious in our spiritual walk, for being calloused in our hearts toward You, for being filled with the things of this world but empty in our spirits and void of hope for others. Help us to be living testimonies for Your glory, which draw and woo people to You. May we take serious our call to be witnesses to the lost, to be tools in Your hands to repair the breach and to mend the violations of mistrust that we have caused in others. May we be Christians who act out what we say we believe and walk in the miraculous so that the world may know You are the one, true God.

In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

REBUILDING OLD PLACES

Acting out what we say we believe is not as difficult as it may sound. Recently at a DARE to Believe Healing Service in Tallahassee, Florida, a seven-year-old girl heard the foundational truth of faith that Jesus wants to heal us of all things. Her faith was stirred to come to the altar to receive healing for over 30 warts on her hands and feet. Within three weeks all the warts were completely gone. This stirred this young girl’s faith to believe for healing and miracles. Now she is praying and laying hands on others and claiming their healings in the name of Jesus. This little girl is living out her faith; she is being a willing vessel that the Lord can minister hope and supernatural healings through. If this little girl can do this, so can we.

Another day I was sitting on a plane that was returning to the gate because it was too heavy to lift off the ground. The airline company was asking for volunteers to de-board the plane and take the next flight that evening to Guatemala instead. Five of us volunteered. We were well compensated for any inconvenience. I was to find out that God had a much broader plan in mind than just a mere $800 voucher for my next trip. I was about to have lunch with Jesus and a few other guests, and I was being summoned to do some repair work for Him.

There was an older man in the group named Sam who was loud, offensive, controlling and obviously very angry with God. I had to fine-tune my spiritual ears to hear above his rough speech and listen to his underlying message. I gave him permission to share his opinions and I said that I would listen to him.

He said he had visited many denominations in his lifetime and basically was turned off by the hypocrisy that he saw. He claimed he read the Bible once all the way through about 30 years ago and tried to persuade me that it wasn’t true. He knew a little bit of Church history and was well versed in its fallen leaders, but clearly had no understanding of the Scriptures. He would ask me questions, but not really want me to answer him. I did anyway. He mocked everything I said, except for my testimonies. My personal testimonies were filled with the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit raising the dead, giving sight to the blind, opening deaf ears, giving voice to the mute and mobility to paralytics. My real-life stories silenced his critical tongue and made him extremely uncomfortable, but after awhile he interjected with this statement: “That’s true faith.”

A young woman in her early twenties named Kati was with us. She shared that she was raised in the Church, but was hurt by the Church as a child. Now, she said, she was agnostic. As I listened to her, I felt I should apologize on behalf of the Church for her pain, so I did. As she listened to Sam and me share our beliefs, this agnostic young woman was verbally agreeing with me. She said, “I too believe in a triune God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” She admitted that she was searching.

The other woman in the group was named Beth and confessed that she believed in Jesus, but that it was best not to talk about “religion.” Yet, she interrupted Sam several times and disagreed with his unbelief. She made it very clear that she believed in Jesus.

I was and am not offended by Sam’s harsh words. The truth of the matter is that he is not against me, but against Jesus in me, and he detests the hypocrisy that he sees within the Church. In all honesty, I can look beyond his arrogant nature and see with my spiritual eyes a hurting and lost man who needs the love of God.

For many like Sam, the foundation of faith is already in ruins. We are to rebuild these old waste places. But before we can do this, we first need to excavate the foundation of faith that is buried under a mound of bitterness and mistrust.

In Guatemala we have the famous Mayan Ruins. They are amazing to walk through and climb, especially the ruins in Tikal National Park. The architecture is remarkable, the temples are massive and most impressive is that it was all made by hand by a gifted and ingenious people group.

But as I listened to our tour guide explain the beliefs of the Mayans and the reasons why the structures were made the way they were, my spirit felt grieved. The Mayan religion was based on the false foundation of works and witchcraft. That is why I believe it fell into ruins.

Digging up and restoring old ruins is very difficult and time-consuming; therefore, it is best to lay a solid foundation of faith first.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What two things have weakened the basic foundation of faith?

2. What is one thing we are to build for our future generations?

3. As repairers of the breach, what do we need to do?

4. As restorers of paths, what are we to do?

REFLECTION

Does my lifestyle glorify God? Are there any areas that need to change? Am I willing to be a tool used by God to help repair the breach in another’s life? Is there someone I know who needs me to repair this breach?

CHAPTER 10

OUR TITLE DEED

One of the foundational elements that we need to stand firm in faith is an understanding of our spiritual legal rights. Without this revelation knowledge it is difficult to take ownership of God’s promises and confidently believe.

Many people are suffering from broken marriages, financial difficulties and incurable sicknesses and diseases. They desire a miraculous touch from God and do not understand why it is not happening. They have not been taught that they possess a title deed called “faith” that gives them covenant rights with the Father to make their hopes a reality.

Recently, after ministering the Word of God at a faith and healing conference, I went to minister healing to the sick. I was presented to a woman who had been bound to a wheelchair for many years. She was bitter and angry with everyone, but mostly at God. Her marriage was in ruins. Her dream to be a mother was stolen from her. Her financial situation looked impossible. And, she lost her desire to live.

As I went to lay my hand on her, she screamed out with all her might, “When, God?” I knelt down and looked her in the eye and said, “God is not withholding your miracle from you. This tragedy in your life is not of God, but of satan. Right now, we are going to take our authority over satan and all of his wicked works and release God’s healing power into your body. Then, we are going to put our faith in action and you will walk again.”

TITLE DEED

How could I be so sure that God was going to heal this woman? Because I know God, and His Word says in 1 John 3:8b about Jesus, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil,” and Hebrews 13:20 speaks of the everlasting covenant we have with the Father: “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.”

This everlasting covenant we have with our heavenly Father is our title deed that states in 1 John 5:14-15, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

A title deed is a legal document that has been signed, sealed and delivered that lawfully transfers property to a new owner and verifies that person’s legal right to possess it.

Hebrews 11:1, in the Amplified Bible, says, “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].” Faith is our title deed; we are the rightful owners of those things we are hoping for.

What is it that we are hoping for? Are we hoping for physical healing? Our title deed states in Jeremiah 30:17a, “‘For I will restore health to you, and heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord.” Are we hoping for a restored marriage? It is written in Matthew 19:26, “But Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Are we hoping for a better job that can support the needs of our family? Philippians 4:19 promises us, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

The woman who was bound to a wheelchair, whose marriage was in ruins, whose dream to have a child was lost, was in need of a title deed called “faith” in order to make her hopes a reality.

She received this free title deed and now walks; her marriage is restored; she has given birth to a child; and her financial situation is better than it was before.

We too need a title deed that gives us the legal right to possess our hopes; trust in God’s goodness and grace to honor His Word is our title deed of faith.

Now that we have studied about the supernatural power of faith, let’s take a closer look at signs and wonders in the next chapter and learn how to protect ourselves from deception in these last days.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What does our title deed of faith give to us?

REFLECTION

Am I accessing my legal rights to possess my hopes and dreams?

CHAPTER 11

PROTECTION FROM

DECEPTION

I defined the supernatural in Chapter 1 and explained the two governing forces behind it: God and satan. Even though the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit is exciting, we need to inform and train ourselves about the other side of the supernatural. I agree completely with the words of Paul in Romans 16:19b (NIV): “But I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” In this chapter we are going to discuss the dangers of the deceptive force of satan and learn how to recognize the truth from the lie, so that we can protect ourselves from falling into deception in these last days.

NOT FOR SALE

In Acts 8:9-25 we read about a skillful sorcerer named Simon and how he had bewitched the Samaritans with his impressive power. His supernatural abilities in magic were so incredibly striking that he had the people spellbound and deceived into believing that he was the great power of God.

Then a follower of Jesus Christ named Philip came to Samaria, who preached and baptized in the name of the Lord. He bore the supernatural ability of the Holy Spirit and walked in the Spirit’s power and grace, becoming naturally supernatural. The creative-explosive power of the Holy Spirit flowed through him. The Samaritans witnessed the mighty miracles that he performed in the name of the Lord and many of them believed and received Christ. Even Simon, the famous sorcerer with all of his bewitching sorcery, was not able to compete or to compare to this supernatural ability. The true power of Philip’s faith in Christ had out-powered and out-shined the occult powers of Simon. Simon the great sorcerer believed and was baptized unto Jesus Christ. But, it said that Simon wondered about the miracles and signs that were done.

It had happened just as Jesus had prophesied before He had ascended to heaven; with the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, the apostles went into Jerusalem, throughout all Judaea and into Samaria and were a witness unto Jesus. (See Acts 1:8.)

It would not be possible for the disciples to represent Jesus Christ and win the lost for Him, except that they bear the image of Jesus Christ and walk in the supernatural power of true faith. But God has an even greater plan than for just 12 apostles to walk in the supernatural power; He desires that all believers in Jesus receive the promise of the Holy Spirit.

It says in Acts 8:14-17: “Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

There had been great supernatural power of the Holy Spirit demonstrated before Simon. He had pondered these great marvels that he had witnessed through Philip. Simon had believed in Jesus Christ, but he was a new and immature believer. His mind had not been renewed by the teachings of Jesus at this point. He was a sorcerer in recovery, and his addictions were power, fame and gain. He was tempted by this great power that manifested through Philip.

Then, again, he witnessed the true power of the supernatural ability of the faith of believers who had been endued with the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit as it worked through Peter and John when they laid hands on the people for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Thus he entered into sin and coveted what they had. He walked in the carnality of the flesh and conjured up a wicked plan—offering to purchase this power from Peter and John. He did not understand what he had done. He had exposed his ignorance and the evil motives in his heart. So he was not prepared for the refusal and the rebuke he received. (See Acts 8:18-24.)

Like Simon, we need to understand that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are not for sale. We are not to use the power of the supernatural to bribe and manipulate others. Healings, miracles and prophecies are not for profit, but for the benefit of all. They are freely given to us by the payment of Christ’s blood to administer or to receive by faith in Him.

FOLLOWING AFTER SIGNS AND WONDERS

We are not to live for supernatural manifestations, but to live to glorify Jesus Christ. Neither are we to serve signs and wonders; on the contrary, they are to serve us. These things are to be a witness, a testimony of the Living Word, Jesus Christ activated in our lives. Signs and wonders are not to control us but are created for our benefit so that we can dominate our natural surroundings, such as divine healing and miracles recreating a sick and crippled body. Signs and wonders are not to lift us up, but to lift up the name of Jesus Christ. When the supernatural is manifesting around us, we should to ask ourselves, “Who is being glorified? Is the name of a person being lifted up? Are supernatural creatures being magnified? Or is Jesus Christ being exalted?”

There are Christians today who are getting caught up in the excitement of supernatural manifestations and are unintentionally being led astray by the power of counterfeit winds. They desire these manifestations more than a relationship with the Holy Spirit, the author of the supernatural. They run from one meeting to the next to receive a fix of the supernatural. By doing so, they inoculate their spirits from the true power source of the supernatural: the Holy Spirit Himself. These individuals never take the time to seek God and study His Word for themselves. By walking so precariously in the spirit realm, they are easily deceived by counterfeit winds of satan and his seducing spirits. Sadly, their lives end up in ruins.

Paul warns us in Ephesians 4:14, “That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.”

I remember a time when I was a little girl and my family was out West for a vacation. One particular memory comes to my mind when my brothers and I thought we found gold. We happily waded out in the flow of the river, laughing, playing and gathering these beautiful stones that were sparkling with glittery gold. Even the river bottom shone in the reflection of the sun. We definitely all had a touch of gold fever, and an inner desire for more of this shiny rock grew from within. Due to our immaturity, we did not understand that we were playing with fool’s gold.

First Timothy 4:1 warns us, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” The supernatural realm shines like gold, but not all that glitters is of God. There are two sides to the supernatural: true gold and fool’s gold. We need to mature in our faith and learn to discern the difference. Many people fall away from the faith when the Body of Christ does not properly judge what is happening within her midst. Second Corinthians 11:14 says, “And no wonder! For satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” Our enemy, satan, is bent on our destruction; he will use anything and anyone to lead us astray from the truth of the gospel.

These are strong words of warning for us from the Holy Spirit. The powers of the supernatural are strikingly impressive and alluring to the flesh. If we do not discern properly, they can deceive us.

TRY THE SPIRITS

John warns and instructs us in 1 John 4:1-6, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

To protect ourselves we are to test the spirits. The enemy’s messengers will come especially to those whom they have witnessed do not judge what appears to them, for these people are easy prey for the enemy to devour.

We are not to be gullible, but responsible and try the spirits. Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” He is warning us that there are false prophets and false teachers and that their numbers are increasing in these last days, but they will appear to us to be of Christ. So just because we see or hear something amazing, does not mean it is of God.

Peter also warns us in 2 Peter 2:1-3, “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.”

As I meditate upon these warnings, I think of a time I was taking a nature walk and just enjoying the beauty of the rainforest. I bent down to pick up an old rusty bucket that was in the weeds. As I reached out to grab the bucket, I realized that I was right on top of a venomous snake in the grass. It held its head and upper body so still that it blended in perfectly with the tall surrounding grass. I didn’t recognize it until I was very close to it and looked it in the eye. But as soon as it knew I had seen it, it dropped and slithered quickly away, deeper into the thicket of the woods.

Right after my encounter with this snake, our son, Joaquin, was down by the pond and he cried out, “Mom, there is a big snake!” The snake he saw was different from the one I just saw. Then later that morning our son, Andres, was walking down the path and he saw a snake, and it was a different species. Then the next day my husband, David, was working outside and he too came across a snake. We all came across snakes within a two-day span of time, each one a different species, but still they were snakes and we did not spot them until we were right on top of them.

Beware, for there are highly venomous spiritual snakes camouflaged within the Body of Christ today. As we draw close to the end of this age, their numbers will increase and their poison will become deadlier than before.

The thought that there is deception in the camp of the Lord is discouraging. The fact that many will be led astray from the faith is even more disheartening. But these warnings are not meant to detour us from walking in the supernatural; they are to help us not be foolhardy. They are to aid us in being wise and able to discern true gold from fool’s gold and walking in the true power of the supernatural.

This is why we need to do as the Lord instructs us: “Try the spirits.” Evaluate or judge them; put them on trial according to the Word of God. We are the judge; the message is the defendant. The Bible is our lawbook that we base our judgment upon, and we are to judge the message. There are only two choices: either the message is true or the message is false. Does the message line up with the lawbook, the Bible? Or do we have to compromise the truth of the Bible in an area to approve the message?

A good judge is not swayed by emotions, but has studied the law-books and with wisdom implements the law. To make good judgments, we need to know what the lawbook says. In order to have a fair trial, the truth needs to be revealed. In order for the truth to be revealed, the message needs to be examined according to the Word of God. We cannot rightly judge unless we have studied God’s law, His Word. We are instructed in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We are the ones who are to study the Word of God for ourselves; we are the ones who need to try the spirits; and we are the ones who are to judge the message according to the Word of God. Is the message true or false?

The evil one, satan, and his demonic force are experts at being wicked. Through trial and error they have found our weakness and will appear as angels of light, false prophets and false teachers to cause us to fall into destruction. If they see we do not read and study the Bible on a consistent basis, they will bring false teachers and false prophets our way. Then before we know it, we could find ourselves in ruins because we believed a false prophet who declared the world was going to end yesterday. We foolishly believed that he could predict the return of the Lord when Jesus Christ clearly states in Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” In our eagerness for the Lord’s return, we willfully believed the charismatic personality and are now broke and bitter because we did not “try the spirits.” We did not take the time to rightly evaluate, judge or put the message on trial to see if this message lined up with the written Word of God.

Paul is again warning us in his letter to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:5-7 to protect us from the deception in these last days: “having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” We are not to be naïve, but wise. No matter how godly, how charismatic, how charming or how appealing the one with a message may seem, we are responsible to try the spirits and judge the message against the Word of God. We endanger ourselves when we run to others for direction and comfort instead of to God. The modern-day prophet is not meant to take the place of God.

True prophets bring clarity to the Word. They help to shed revelation knowledge on God’s people. They do not mince words, but are very direct and to the point. They do not use flattery to gain favor. The prophetic words they deliver are not their own, but God’s. Their message complements the Word of God, but does not substitute the Word. They do not need to be coaxed from the receiver to see if what they are prophesying is the truth. They will bring transparency to the obscure. The message they deliver from God will release freedom. They have a low tolerance level for blatant sin and a rebellious spirit. They are not going to ask you to compromise and do something ungodly. Understanding these characteristics should help to discern a true prophet from a false prophet.

False messages are not only delivered by false prophets and false teachers, but also by other means as well. Other delivery services are lying and deceptive spirits whispering to our minds and emotions. We are to judge these messages passing through our minds and working on our emotions. We must learn to judge our own thoughts against the Word of God and do as Paul instructs us in 2 Corinthians 10:5: “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

Judging the message by the Word of God will protect our hearts from being deceived in these last days. It also will highlight the venomous snakes that are camouflaged in God’s thicket.

SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT

With the increase in the occult around the world, I have had to explain to people the difference between Christian and occult practices. I tell people, “I am a Christian who believes that God is who He says He is and that He will do exactly as His Word says. I do not practice witchcraft. I do put my faith in my Lord Jesus Christ into action. His Word says to lay hands on the sick, so I do. Because He has given me the authority to do so, people are healed by His redeeming Blood.” Why am I sharing this with you? Modern-day witchcraft is very similar to Christian practices. White witches do many of the things that Christians do—they lay hands on the sick for healing, they anoint people with oil, they have counterfeit gifts of the spirit, they prophesy, they predict the future, they use the power of the spoken word to bless and curse people, and they bind and loose supernatural forces. With this explanation, you may understand why I have to explain my beliefs to certain people.

When I was younger in the things of the Lord, a man walked up to me in a church. He said, “I perceive that you are not well.” While he was speaking over me, his hands were moving around trying to connect with my “aura.” There was no doubt he was tuning in to the occult realm. Honestly, what he perceived was correct, but I knew in my spirit that what I had just witnessed was not of God. I discerned a spirit of witchcraft and felt a spirit of fear. I then renounced the power of satan and the transference of any wicked thing.

Are you trained in the Spirit to be able to discern the difference between Christian and occult practices?

DESTRUCTIVE AND ADDICTIVE

The power behind the satanic side of the supernatural is destructive and addictive to the unregenerated mind. Many Christians, instead of reading and studying the Word of God, spend wasted hours reading and watching popular occult books and movies. Satanic seducing spirits are working overtime behind the scenes in these areas, binding the Body of Christ with strong chains of oppression, link by link.

The occult world is veiled in secrecy. The dark truths behind the occult are concealed from its participants. It promises power, fame and gain, but it does not allow one to read the fine print at the bottom of the contract: bondage, shame and eternal damnation. Its participants become enslaved to hideous, vile acts against God’s greatest creation: human beings, including themselves. Their true identity is buried under satan’s resentment and hatred against the human race.

There are many reasons that people turn to the occult, but the main reason is that they are searching for something beyond religion. For people who do not know Christ, attending church is just a religious act. For weak Christians who lack an intimate relationship with Jesus, the occult brings them into the supernatural realm and they experience something beyond the physical realm that they know.

Occult books and movies, psychic readers, palm readers, crystal balls, crystals, horoscopes, tarot cards, Ouija boards and séances are all tools of the lesser force, satan, and they all weaken our spiritual strength, the power of our faith in Christ.

They bring confusion by diluting the truth of who we are in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit who lives and resides within the spirit of every believer in Jesus Christ. They magnify the occult and the one behind the occult world, satan. They deceive one into thinking that the fallen angel, lucifer or satan, is equal in power to if not greater than our Lord Jesus Christ. They portray Christians as spineless bores and pastors as bumbling fools; they mock the true power source, Jesus Christ and His redeeming blood. They lead Christians and non-Christians into thinking the occult is fun and harmless, while the truth of the matter is that these things are stealing the true power of our faith in Jesus Christ to walk in the greater supernatural manifestation of the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit.

Christians should not be involved with witchcraft in any way. The Bible is very clear about what God has to say regarding witchcraft. Witchcraft is equated with rebellion against God. (See 1 Samuel 15:23.) In Deuteronomy 18:9-12, the Bible says, “When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.”

This chapter is not meant to frighten us away from the supernatural realm, but to warn us of the deceptive side of the supernatural and to bring correction in the areas that we have erred. God Himself has warned us in His Word to be careful in these last days not to be deceived and has given us instruction on how to protect ourselves by testing the spirits.

In the next chapter, we are going to read about the activities of ministering angels.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. We are not to serve signs and wonders; on the contrary, they are to serve us. How do they serve us?

2. When the supernatural is manifesting around us, what should we ask ourselves?

3. What happens when people run from one meeting to the next to receive a “fix” of the manifestation of the supernatural?

4. The Lord instructs us to try the spirits. How do we do this?

5. By what other means can a false message be delivered to us than by false prophets and false teachers? And how can we overcome these false messages?

6. What does the occult steal from the Christian?

7. What sin is equated as rebellion against God in 1 Samuel 15:23 and a detestable practice in Deuteronomy 18:9-12?

REFLECTION

It is time to reevaluate my spiritual conduct and activities. Am I involved with supernatural power that is leading me closer to Jesus? Or are these supernatural behaviors and activities distracting and diverting me from direct contact with Him? If they are truly leading the way to Jesus Christ without compromising the Word, then I can move forward. If they are not, then I need to stop the activity, repent and find my way back to Christ, Himself.

CHAPTER 12

MINISTERING ANGELS

What about angels? In our day and age angels appear to people more frequently than in times past. They are sent by God to minister to a physical need, to give direction or a message of hope from the Father, to reveal a hidden truth that will accelerate our faith to believe for something greater. They translate us to places like heaven, the throne room or even to other places on this earth. They will escort us into different realms of time—past, present or future. These acts of supernatural service are rendered to us by angels. Hebrews 1:14 in the Amplified Version of the Bible tells us of these ministering spirits, “Are not the angels all ministering spirits (servants) sent out in the service [of God for the assistance] of those who are to inherit salvation?”

To better understand ministering angels, allow me share a few testimonies of how angels have appeared and what their ministry activity was.

ANGEL IN A DUMP TRUCK

I have had ministering angels escort me to the throne room where I literally climbed up on God’s lap and wrapped my arms around His neck and cried out to Him. They translated me back into time to the whipping post where our precious Lord Jesus was whipped for all sickness and disease. (You can read these testimonies in my first book, DARE to Believe.)

David and I and our three biological children were driving through Mexico on our way to the mission field in Guatemala. We had driven all through the night, it was early morning and we were entering into a small populous area. The roads were unmarked and so were the speed bumps. We drove over an unexpected speed bump that bent the tongue of the small trailer filled with our things that we were pulling. It was not a good situation and it only got worse from that point on. We pulled over to the side of the road, but didn’t realize that the side of the road was mud. To our dismay, our van sunk down into it and we could not get it out. We were worn out, crabby and now full of mud.

We did not speak the language, and the people were not willing to stop and help us out. We did not know what we were going to do. Then, all of a sudden, a Mexican man in a white shiny dump truck stopped to give us a hand and pull us out of the mud. We were so grateful for his willingness to help.

After he pulled us out, he handed David a rope. At first, David motioned to him that he could not accept the rope, but the man insisted that he take it. Finally, David accepted the rope and we were on our way to get the trailer fixed at a local mechanic shop. After the repairs, we were on the road again.

Late in the afternoon we came to an unmarked crossroad. We did not know which direction we were to go in, so we pulled over to the side of the road to try figure out where we were on the map. All of a sudden, there was a tapping on the window. It was the same man in the shiny white dump truck. He didn’t say anything, just pointed toward the road on the left, and he was gone.

Now, in the natural there was no way that his large dump truck that was filled with rock could keep up to our van. And it was the second time in the same day that the same man came to our aid. He disappeared just as quickly as he appeared. We were puzzled but continued on our way.

Later on, we had to stop to fill up at the gas station. As David was filling up, something inside of him was telling him to check out the trailer. He was tired and ignored the leading, but something kept telling him to stop and check it out. He pulled over to the side of the road to go and check it out. Thankfully, he listened to the leading of the Holy Spirit because all the screws that were holding the trailer shook loose from the terrible road conditions. We were about to lose all of our belongings.

David looked at the situation and wondered what he was going to do now. Then he remembered the rope that he had been gifted early that morning. Interestingly enough, it was just the right size to wrap around the entire trailer to hold the sides of it together.

We started to size up the events of the day and came to the realization that this was no ordinary man who came to our assistance. Indeed, he was a ministering angel clothed in human flesh to help, guide and protect us on our journey to a new land that the Lord had called us to.

ANGELS SEEN

One of our assignments in Guatemala from the Lord was to raise 14 little ones for Him. It was a tough assignment, as most came to us as very sick infants. We stood in the gap and believed for their very lives. Much time was spent in the Word of God and in times of intercession for these children. One night I was particularly tired, but instead of listening to my flesh, I opened up the Word of God and began to feed my spirit. As I was deep into the Word, a ministering angel came up from behind me and actually started to massage my neck and my shoulders. This ministering angel was sent to administer strength to my physical body as the Word ministered to my spirit.

As I was interceding for a ministry trip, I was taken inside of a mine that was full of diamonds and other precious stones. These stones were the saints of God, the believers in Jesus. As I was being taken through the mine, I saw walls of the most gorgeous diamonds anyone could ever imagine. I then looked over in the dark part of the mine and there were ministering angels. They had ornate daggers in their hands and they were digging out the precious stones that were hidden under the rock. This happened during a time of deep intercession for the lost people who would be at the meetings. These ministering angels were going before and freeing those who were in bondage.

While I was teaching at a church in Jocotenango, Guatemala, I saw two angels above the people with large fans fanning the people as the Word was going forth. These ministering angels were sent to come to my assistance to reveal the truth in God’s Word to His people.

My spirit was grieved with the news of the loss of a young boy who had lived with us who had been murdered. He was young in the Lord and struggled with a lifelong addiction to drugs. As the tears ran down my face, I asked the Lord where he was. As soon as I asked the Lord this question, He sent His ministering angels to give me the answer. I saw the angels coming down a staircase from heaven and one escorted me to the scene of the murder. I saw this young boy dead on the ground and the angel reached down beside him and picked up a beautiful white flower. He showed it to me; on the inside of the flower was a beautiful shining light. The angel then lifted it up toward heaven and carried the flower back up the stairs with him. This ministering angel brought me the assurance I needed that this boy was in heaven with the Lord.

We can see clearly from these testimonies how the ministering angels come to us and actually minister to our physical needs, to give us guidance, comfort and strength. These are just some of the ways that they assist us.

It is time to take the limits off of God and allow Him to minister to us as He wills. Many believers are receiving angelic visitations from the Lord. I know I have had angelic activity in my life, and I expect even more ministry in this way. How about you? Allow me to pray for you for the supernatural assistance of ministering angels in your lives.

Dear heavenly Father,

I ask You to send forth Your angels to minister to the needs of my dear friends this day. I pray that many will see, hear and receive a special angelic touch from You that will heal them in spirit, soul and body.

For those who are fighting against a spirit of death, that they receive a divine healing touch and will arise from their deathbeds completely healed.

For all who are suffering from physical pain, sickness and disease, I ask that Your ministering angels will encompass them and release their physical healing this very moment.

I pray for others who are fighting against a spirit of deception that they will receive a message of truth that will set them free, lead them down the path of repentance and back into the arms of the heavenly Father.

Holy Spirit, send forth Your angels that will minister love and acceptance to those who are contemplating suicide today. Give them the message of hope that is needed to choose life and to carry on to the victory that comes only from the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

For those who are in the place of major decisions today—decisions that will affect the lives of them and their families—release Your ministering angels and strengthen them to do what is right according to Your Word.

Whatever the need may be, I ask that You will release Your angels to minister to the people by the power of Your grace.

In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Who does God send out His ministering angels to?

REFLECTION

Have I knowingly experienced the assistance of ministering angels in my life? If not, am I willing to take the limits off of God and allow Him to send His ministering angels to minister to me?

CHAPTER 13

SUPERNATURAL

COLLISIONS

In the natural realm light exposes; it expels and overtakes the darkness. Darkness cannot withstand the power of light. It works the same in the spirit realm, too. We are supernatural light-bearers. We carry the light of life within us. It says in John 8:12, “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world, He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” This light within us exposes the darkness of our enemy, satan, and his demonic force. The evil force of satan is afraid of the light of Jesus Christ. They try to cast a shadow over this light. They know that once we understand that we bear the light of Christ within us, we will shine and they will be exposed and forced to leave.

My husband woke up the other morning with the children’s chorus going through his mind, “This Little Light of Mine, I’m Going to Let it Shine.” The Spirit of the Lord corrected him and said, “You do not have a little light, but an atomic bomb!”

This is a super analogy from the Lord about the power of the light that we possess. When the power of the Holy Spirit within us is released, it reacts like an atomic bomb that explodes and forever alters the natural course of events around us.

It is time for us to shine His brightness into the darkest corners of this earth. Force the satanic shadows to bow to the glory of Christ that resonates from deep within us.

Colossians 1:13 says, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (NASB).

Don’t be afraid of the dark. Join God’s rescue team and allow His Spirit to shine through you to release those who are in bondage to satanic darkness.

I encounter people who are slaves to the occult world, who are bound by a spirit of fear. The spirit of fear is a hard taskmaster to serve. It robs its victims of the security of God’s unconditional love, controls their mind and emotions and renders them powerless to its unrelenting grip. These spiritually impoverished, possessed individuals suffer torment day and night. I see these imprisoned individuals either dropping to their knees or thrashing on the ground pleading for help. Then there are others who appear to be spiritually and emotionally sound but who secretly are living a life of torment. Their souls are in utter darkness; they are riddled with guilt and shame of past or present sins that either they committed or others committed against them.

Even though it may appear that satan has the upper edge in these situations, he does not. He only has what we give him. So, don’t hand him what belongs to us! The true power of the supernatural was given to us to dominate spiritual darkness. Some people cringe with fear at the thought of this, but we need to remember that he is nothing more than a fallen creature. He lost his light, so he now is a shadow. But we, the true believers in Jesus, just need to shine the light on his wickedness and he will be gone.

EXERCISING AUTHORITY

During an outdoor campaign one evening in Malawi, I was ministering to the sick and a demon-possessed woman came to me on bended knee. I reached out to touch her when all of a sudden the demonic spirits started to scream obscenities at me.

I quickly exercised my authority over the situation and silenced them. I quoted from the Bible the destination of satan and his demonic spirits. (See Matthew 25:41; Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4.) The demonic spirits pleaded with me to allow them to stay. I said, “No!” Within minutes she was set free.

In Tanzania a group of pastors tried to minister deliverance over a woman. They shouted, but nothing happened. They mistakenly thought that volume equaled authority. The demonic spirits knew that these pastors did not understand their authority in Christ. My husband walked over and commanded the demonic spirits to leave and they left at once.

Demonic activity is even running rampant in Christian homes and churches and it needs to be addressed openly so that people can be delivered and set free. Wrong doctrine has taught us that this is not possible, but I come in contact with demon-oppressed and demon-possessed Christians time and time again. This may not be a popular topic—it’s like hanging our dirty laundry out for everyone to see. But it is time to expose darkness so that we can be set free and healed in spirit, soul and body. I believe this is a major key to why Christians are struggling needlessly.

As a Christian, I was under great physical attack. I struggled to be free from sickness. Then one night during prayer, I felt led to lay my hand on my body and I renounced a spirit of death that was over my body. As I spoke out these words, I almost vomited as I felt something literally come out of me. As a result, I was set free from the attacks of the enemy in this area.

When I minister healing over people, including Christians, I always renounce a spirit of death that is attacking their bodies. Then I release a spirit of life to flow into their physical bodies.

I was ministering at a DARE to Believe Healing Service in Florida. The Holy Spirit quickened to me that there was a spirit of suicide that was afflicting certain individuals. As I shared this with the people, three Christian women came forward for deliverance. One woman was horribly abused as a child and no longer desired to live, the second woman confessed that she no longer wanted to live because of her struggle with addictions, and the third woman was in so much physical pain she could not bear it any longer. All three of these Christian women were set free from a spirit of suicide, pain and suffering.

At another healing service, I again ministered deliverance from a spirit of suicide; this time it was a pastor’s wife who was bound. As I went to lay hands on her, the demonic spirit started to growl at me and speak out lies and curses against this precious woman of God. I gathered the other Christians in the meeting and asked them to pray in the Spirit. Those ministering in music followed suit and ministered a song of deliverance. I exercised my authority over the wicked spirit and the woman was set free from this evil attack.

As I ministered deliverance to a young Guatemalan boy in a Christian home, I quietly sang the song, “Jesus Loves Me,” but I changed the words to fit the boy’s situation and sang about how Jesus shed His blood for his deliverance because He loved him unconditionally. It was a quiet and peace-filled deliverance. When I finished singing, the little boy rolled over and the demonic spirits foamed right out of his mouth and he was set free.

Several years ago, after I taught the Word in a Maasai church, a newly saved witch doctor came to me with his wife and family and asked for prayer for deliverance from fear. He had been bound by the ancient chain of witchcraft, but when he heard the gospel he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. But he was still tormented by a spirit of fear. Then he heard the truth of the authority that we have been given in Jesus and allowed the supernatural power of faith to dispel the shadow of fear that was upon him.

In Minnesota, a young Christian woman came forward and said she wanted prayer, but didn’t want to say why. As I placed my hand upon her head, the demonic spirits within her started to scream, and I started to see images of her past. She was a victim of satanic ritual abuse. The lie that she had been hiding behind had been exposed and the road to her deliverance had opened up.

EXPELLING DARKNESS

Some dear Christian friends of mine, I will call them Lauren and Calvin, shared with me in detail how he suffered from an addiction to pornography. Once as Lauren pulled out of the driveway, Calvin saw two pornographic magazines supernaturally appear on the front lawn. Guilt and shame ate away at this Christian man’s conscience. He truly struggled against satanic spirits of addiction and pornography.

This was a Christian man who loved the Lord and his wife. He was even part of the praise and worship team at his church.

One day this couple had a supernatural confrontation between the forces of light and darkness. Lauren said during the battle that her husband was curled up into a fetal position and deep, low, demonic voices manifested through him. She didn’t know what to do, so she started to pray in tongues. The situation was intense, but she interceded for her husband in the Spirit and fought against these demons that had control over him. The supernatural power of her faith won against these demons and they left him. Calvin’s willingness to be free has kept him clean.

We bear the light of life within us, and the power of the Holy Spirit is waiting to shine through us to set these individuals free from spiritual darkness.

These collisions between spiritual light and darkness can manifest at any time and any place.

A few years ago in Minnesota, I was seated in the midst of a group of people that had gathered for a special occasion. As we chatted about life with one another, a demonic spirit manifested through one of the women. The demon challenged me and shouted curses of disease upon me. I calmly held my ground and renounced it and commanded it to be silent, and it obeyed. No one in this group was aware of the battle that had just taken place. It was as if time had stopped and they were totally oblivious to the scene.

While I sat on a subway train in Washington, D.C., with my daughter-in-law, Rebecca, a demon-possessed individual with a racist spirit boarded the train. From the moment he stepped onto the subway he shouted obscenities and tried to start a fight with others who were of a different race then he was. The first man held his ground and totally ignored him. The demon-possessed man had his back toward us and spouted evil toward this man. I looked at Rebecca and whispered to her, “Pray in tongues.” We both prayed under our breath.

We were underground with a violent, demon-possessed man who wanted to rumble. I was not about to sit there passively and allow this demonic spirit to have its way. I would not allow it.

We were seated in the middle of the train. To the right of us the demoniac foully taunted the one individual about his race, but to the left of us sat a group of young men of another ethnic group. I knew they were not the type to put up with this sick soul. The atmosphere was explosive with hate and we were trapped in the middle of it.

As we quietly prayed in tongues, the demon-possessed man walked up the aisle with his back toward us. Unaware of our presence, he spewed out hate toward this one man. But as soon as he stepped in front of us, he jumped in the air with fear, turned around, looked at us and started to back away from us. I said to him calmly, but firmly, “In Jesus’ name, you sit down and be quiet. You do not cause any more trouble on this train, and at the next stop you get up and get off.” He immediately went to take a seat, but as he passed this group of young men to our left, he tried to pick a fight with them. I said again, “In Jesus’ name, you sit down. You shut your mouth. You may not get up and cause any more trouble. And at the next stop you get up and exit off of this train.”

The man sat down in a vacant seat in front of this group of young men. He struggled and tried to get out of his seat, but he could not. Something unseen held him down. He was angry and highly agitated and tried to speak out, but again something unseen intervened and he did exactly as he was told to do. At the next stop he stood up and exited off the train.

We have authority over demons and their rude, disruptive and dangerous behavior, and they will submit if we understand and exercise that authority.

This light within us not only exposes and expels the darkness around us, but it also draws people to Christ, as we will read together in the next chapter.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. According to John 8:12, what is Jesus? Where will those who follow Him not walk? What will they have?

2. What does the light within us expose?

REFLECTION

Is there any hidden darkness within me that I need to be set free from? Do I allow the light of Jesus Christ to shine through me so that others can be set free?

CHAPTER 14

LEAD US TO JESUS

Despite the rebellion on this earth, there is an underlying cry from its inhabitants, “Lead us to Jesus.” The true purpose of the miraculous realm of signs and wonders is to lead people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, not religion, but to a relationship with the one true God.

John 6:2 confirms that signs and wonders lead people to Jesus: “Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.” As Jesus exercised the power of the supernatural to draw people to Himself, we can do the same. By signs and wonders we will lead people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

During our earlier years in Guatemala, David and I had a daytime center for street children in the main bus terminal of Guatemala City. We would feed them and tend to their needs, but more importantly, we would give them hope and a vision for the future by teaching them the Word of God.

This was a very difficult assignment from the Lord. These children and youth were very needy people. They were abused and rejected by most everyone. Their spirits were closed and their hearts were hardened by the cruelty of others. They were society’s throwaway children and they knew it. The people would call them “garbage” to their faces. It was such a hate-filled and violent environment. But as difficult as it was, we had no doubt that God had called us to this very specific group of street children.

We knew that it was going to take a special move of God to soften their stony hearts. We started by praying and fasting for His plan of action. Once we heard His plan, we moved forward with the Spirit of the Living Word.

Before we had an actual center, we would meet these children and youth in a back alley that was surrounded by prostitution bars, witchcraft and filth of all kinds. We would have at least 40 drug-addicted street kids sitting on the curbs. I would lead them in a time of worship, my husband would teach a simple gospel message, we would pray for their needs and then we would buy them all a hot meal at a local food stand. Sounds simple, but it was not.

It was evident from the very beginning that the Spirit of God was with us; healings and miracles were manifesting within our midst. Even though they were not saved yet, God’s mercy was manifesting in wonderful and unexplainable ways. These miraculous signs and wonders were leading these young people to Jesus.

My first encounter with a young teenage street boy was interesting. He was being obscene, but instead of rebuking him, God highlighted his infected finger. I prayed for it and it was instantly healed. This young boy was very high on paint thinner at the time, but he stopped and held his hand up to his face in amazement. We later found out that he had been abandoned on the streets when he was a baby and no one taught him right from wrong. This young boy Luis eventually lived with our family.

I recall one very angry teenage boy from the streets who hated anyone in authority, including us. One day he had been in a fight and his opponent broke his arm. He came to us, but spewed out hateful words. We saw that his arm was badly broken and that he was in tremendous pain. We prayed for him and his arm was instantly healed. This miracle silenced his foul tongue toward us, and it validated what we had shared with him about Jesus.

The girls would come to us with many sexual diseases and problems. We would pray and God would heal them every time.

Children of all ages came and we would pray over infected stab wounds, fevers, rashes, and communicable diseases and God would just love on them and heal them.

IT’S GRACE

We witnessed the mercy of God transform into miracles while we ministered to this group of street kids. The supernatural manifestation of healings had nothing to do with their behavior, but everything to do with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. These signs and wonders led many of them to Jesus.

Several years had passed and the move of the Holy Spirit increased with signs and wonders. The lives of these lost people were in a process of change as their hearts were softened toward God. One afternoon, while we were setting up, the street kids came to the center early. We all started to pray and these kids fell to their knees before the Lord and cried out to Him. We ministered to each one. The Spirit was very sweet and tangible in that place.

Then one of the meanest young men in the group walked in, Joel. He was a very violent young man and his presence usually caused the others to rebel. We looked at each other and said, “Oh no, not Joel.” But God said, “Yes, Joel.” We both noticed that Joel was not his usual self. In fact, he was very quiet and came in and sat down. With watchful eyes on Joel, we continued to minister to the others. Then Joel broke down and cried. We went to him and asked him what was wrong. As the tears streamed down his face, he told us that the day before as he walked down the street something suddenly came upon him and he kneeled down in the middle of the street and asked God to forgive him for every wicked sin he had ever committed. He said that he came because he needed to talk to us because he didn’t know what to do. We prayed with him, he received Jesus as his Savior and we brought him to a rehabilitation center.

Before this divine encounter that Joel had experienced, we had prayed that God would release His ministering angels to minister to these kids.

The true power of the supernatural is to equip us to go out into the world amongst the lost to release the power of the Holy Spirit into the lives of the people who are bound to satan and his wicked ways. The power of the Spirit within us destroys the works of satan, creates divine healings and miracles, sets the captives free, wins the lost and brings eternal increase to the kingdom of God.

The world is crying out to us to lead them to Jesus; the supernatural power of faith with signs and wonders effectively lead the way.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What are the five things listed that the power of the Spirit within does?

REFLECTION

Have I positioned myself to minister to the lost with the supernatural power of faith with signs and wonders following? If not, where can I begin?

CHAPTER 15

GET READY!

The voice of the Spirit of the Lord is resonating with an urgency throughout the whole earth to get ready. The biggest display of the supernatural that we will ever witness is about to take place—and we need to prepare. This final chapter of Greater Than Magic is a compilation of prophetic revelation that will reveal what has happened in the past, give us direction for the present and encourage us of what will take place in the future.

THE PROPHETIC STORM

The deep reddish-orange scorching flames of the sun were bearing down hard upon the tropics of Guatemala. Day after day the heat and humidity continued to increase; their intensity was unrelenting and wearing to the flesh. It was at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade. The air was steaming with oppression; it was a windless situation. Daily activities slowed down to only that which was necessary and the flesh’s desire for comfort consumed one’s being.

But then one evening the wind started to blow and the atmosphere was set for change. As the rain clouds filled the sky, you could hear the thunder and see the lightning off in the distance. The winds increased, the church bells started to clamor in an unrehearsed rhythm, dead leaves and branches fell from the trees; it was time to batten down the hatches as a storm was blowing in the wind.

The wind carried the much-needed rain to quench the earth’s thirst. At first strong and gusting winds carried the rain in hard sheets that would shift direction instantly in harmony with the wind, then the windows of heaven opened up and it poured down rain in abundance. By morning the force of the wind and the rain had eased up and the rains were falling ever so gently until only a mist could be seen rising up to the heavens and a soothing breeze filled the air. The storm had passed and the earth was refreshed.

It was a bright and beautiful morning, the sun was rising, the air smelled clean and fresh. The birds were chirping a new song, feasting on the earth’s good bounty; several species were happily sharing the same trees and numerous were in the family way, gathering together as if preparing for the new flocks.

The wind had accomplished its purpose: it delivered the cleansing rain, which produced a refreshing, caused a rich harvest and filled the air with hope, unity and praise as the glory of a new day began to shine.

Even though we can’t see the wind, we can see the results of the invisible supremacy behind it and physically feel the variation and the transformation it brings.

There is a wind in the spirit realm. Just as nature willingly flows upon the power of the wind, we as believers in Jesus Christ need to catch hold of the Holy Spirit and ride on the power of His wind.

The Lord actually brought me through the physical realm of the above account in March 2011 to release within me this word of the Lord for the Church today.

The circumstances in your life appear to be a windless situation. You’ve lost hope that things could ever change for the better. The intensity of the difficulty is unrelenting and wearing to your flesh. But it has been the ungodly desires of the flesh that has brought this hopeless, windless situation upon you. You’ve lost your power and a spirit of complacency has taken its place.

But the Spirit of the Lord says to you, “You’ve heard My thunder and you have seen My lightning, but from a distance. Now, you will feel the increase in the power of My Wind. The sound of the Church bells will change. The true Church will learn to flow with the power of My Spirit in an unrehearsed rhythm.

“It is time for you to batten down the hatches, for a storm is blowing in the Wind. Strong and gusting winds will carry a cleansing rain; the windows of heaven will open and will pour down rain in abundance like you have never witnessed before. This cleansing rain will fall down in hard sheets that will shift direction instantly and in harmony with the Wind. The power of My Wind will cause the dead leaves and the branches to fall from the Tree.

“But then comes the morning and the light will shine forth again. A mist will rise to the heavens, a soothing breeze will fill the earth, for the storm has passed and the earth will be refreshed. There will be a new song as they feast on the earth’s good bounty.”

THE ARENA OF THE ASTOUNDING

The Lord began to speak to me one night in October of 2012. He said, “You have been walking in the arena of the amazing; now it is time to step into the next arena, the astounding.” The next morning I was flying from Guatemala to Florida. As I was contemplating on what the Lord spoke to me the night before, I happened to look out the window of the airplane and I saw not 1, but 14 rainbows. I knew that the Lord was confirming His word to me.

My thoughts immediately went to John 14:12, where Jesus says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, 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.”

And the Lord says to us now, “The hour of the astounding is upon you. Open up to My Spirit, press in, move forward and do not hold back. The astounding things that you will walk in will be greater than anything you have ever imagined.”

A TSUNAMI WAVE OF HEALING

In a vision the Lord showed me on January 7, 2012, I saw a tsunami wave of supernatural healing hitting the Western world. He said, “No longer will people say, ‘Why doesn’t divine healing manifest here?’”

A wave of divine healing is overtaking the West. Expect to get wet!

But along with this wave will be a strong undertow of unbelief that will try to pull you away. Don’t allow satan the liberty to pull you under. Rise to the top and believe.

This wave is different than before. It won’t be in isolated locations with pockets of people receiving. This wave will manifest in all places and to all people.

Ministers of healing are rising to the top of this wave. Not only will we minister healing, but we also will equip others to ride the wave.

The blind see, the deaf hear, the mute speak, the paralytics walk, incurable diseases are healed and the dead rise. Unusual types of miracles are also in this wave—and it has arrived to the Western shores.

Don’t be afraid of this Living Water. It’s what you have been waiting for. This powerful tsunami wave overtakes and heals all who are willing to step in and get wet.

GO GLOBAL

The Spirit of the Lord is calling His people to resend the truth of the Living Word, Jesus Christ, around the circumference of this earth once again, being fully equipped with signs and wonders following to bring in the end-time harvest.

The following poem was given to me by the Lord in prayer one night. It concerns the end-times in 2012.

Stroll a supernatural stride

With the Holy Spirit as your guide

On His wings you will ride

Throughout the earth you will glide

If in His presence you will abide

He will forever be at your side

Because you are fixed on heaven’s eyes

To Him your Savior you will arise

Now a warning to those as the end draws nigh

As light and darkness begin to collide

Evil spirits will run and hide

The gates of hell will open wide

And swallow those caught in its wicked lies

I pray you heed the voice of the One on high

Because the clock is ticking by

A way of escape Christ now provides

But only for those who will turn from

their self-righteous pride

A TIME OF GRACE

This Word from the Lord was given to me on October 5, 2010.

“You are entering into a time of grace that you have not known before. My grace will be very strong upon you.

“The earth is shaking, it is quaking, it has been deeply moaning the evil that fills this place, but My children will increase in the power of My grace. My grace is all-sufficient for the challenges My children face. The end is near. It is nearer than you realize. Embrace the strength of My grace.

“Things will not be like before; they will be different in every form. But My victories will be greater than you’ve experienced before.

“The political arena is very unstable and soon to collapse. Many will fear, but know that I am drawing near.

“The economy as the world knows is crumbling from beneath them. Many will take their lives for fear of failure. That is a life controlled by the spirit of mammon.

“Wickedness is becoming wickeder than you have seen before. Right will become wrong and wrong will become right in the eyes of the unregenerated soul. It will be worse than in the days of Noah. Perversion will be worse than it has ever been. What was once inconceivable to the average person will become acceptable and normal. My Word prophesies these things; they cannot be stopped.

“But in the midst of great filth is a safe haven for My beloved Bride. In My presence she will find refreshing for her weary soul. Deep in My presence she will hide and ride in safety in the midst of a terrible and frightful storm. Even though the waves of this storm will crush and destroy, My Bride will outride the storm.

“Understanding of My Word will continue to increase; things will become clearer and clearer as the time draws nearer.

“My Bride needs to press into My Holy presence. She needs to be cloaked in My grace. She will need to pick up her pace in order to complete her race as she will soon look upon My face and she will be dressed in a bride’s fine, white lace.

“The tables are set. Everything is in its place. The white linens are laid and the banquet feast has been prepared. Invite everyone who will come to join us for the finest banquet that has ever been served. The bread and the wine have already been given. There are still yet invitations that have no reply; many have not been sent yet. Invite the people to come and feast with Me.

“Time as you know it will change. The clock is winding down on this phase of time. And the new millennium is being ushered in. Eternity as you speak of is at hand.

“Grace is the word for this hour, and its power you will receive as you gaze upon My face. An occasional glance will not receive; it’s the fixed position that sets its release.

“Bitter is the wine of religion, but sweet to the taste is the wine of My fellowship. I came to restore the sweet flavor of My wine. Now it’s time to take and taste My wine and dine with Me and My Father. My Spirit is calling; the invitation is in the wind. And this wind is blowing to all corners of the earth, refreshing those who will take My cup and sip of the eternal sweetness of My wine.”

THE PUZZLE COMES TOGETHER

This is a prophetic dream that I had back in the month of June, in the year 1969.

When I was nine years old I read a book about the end-times. I did not understand what I read and even struggled to pronounce the words, but God honored my childlike faith. I had a prophetic dream after I read this book.

In this dream, I was looking down at the earth from up above, and as I was looking at the earth I saw the continents. The continents were made up of little diamond shapes; it was as if I was looking at a large jigsaw puzzle. The continents started to move and change shape until they formed a cross, and then I looked up and saw Jesus in the clouds.

I was not well versed in world geography at the time, but the cross formed over the Nation of Israel.

As I am closing this book, the Lord brings to my remembrance this dream that He gave to me as a small child. He is giving to me the interpretation of it at this time as well. We, the believers in Jesus, are the diamonds. We need to come together and bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Nation of Israel with signs and wonders, so that they may come to know Him as their Messiah—and then we will see Him.

Esther 4:14 says, “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

This is what the Scriptures say concerning the end-times in Luke 21:7-22:

So they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?” And He said: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them. But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.” Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls. But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.”

AN OPEN DOOR

Our soon and coming King admonishes His faithful Church in Revelation 3:8 with the promise of an open door. He so lovingly says to us, “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”

Faithfulness is the key that opens the door of promise for us. Church, remain faithful. If you have lost your way, turn from your wicked ways and repent. Now is not the time to grow weary in doing what’s right. We need to stand up and fight the good fight of faith. We need to strengthen our forces, stop fighting amongst ourselves and instead support one another in these last days.

He has spiritually equipped us to win every battle. Learn how to use the supernatural power of faith, and fight to win.

The supernatural power of faith, founded in Jesus Christ, is greater than magic. Magic is limited and temporal because satan, the governor of the occult, is a fallen, defeated foe and his time on this earth is limited. The time of his free reign is coming to an end soon.

The blood of Jesus was shed to redeem us from the powers of satan’s darkness for eternity. God is the creator of all that is good. He is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. He bows to no one, whereas satan bows to Him.

We are of the royal priesthood, spiritually equipped with everlasting weapons that are more powerful than any counterfeit weapons that may come against us. The true power of the supernatural power of a Christian’s faith is indeed “greater than magic.”

REFLECTION

Am I ready?

ANSWERS FOR REVIEW

QUESTIONS

CHAPTER 1: SUPERNATURAL ILLUMINATION

1. To win the lost to Jesus before His glorious return.

2. The supernatural is an unseen spiritual force that operates like the wind in our natural world. And like the wind, it transforms the atmosphere and causes change. These changes can be creative or destructive in nature, depending upon the circumstance and the governing force behind the situation.

3. So that we can advance His kingdom being fully equipped with all He has endowed us with to use in this glorious hour.

CHAPTER 2: OUR IDENTITY

1. A ploy of the enemy is to project an inferior image of Christians to the world.

2. The enlightenment of God as Elokim, a “Master of Forces,” and the fact that we have been created in His image is the foundational truth for us to be able to walk confidently in the realm of the supernatural.

3. The image of the heavenly Man.

4. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

CHAPTER 3: WALK IN THE SPIRIT

1. God intends for His impressive power to work through us on a daily basis.

2. By the power of His supernatural greatness, we have the supernatural ability to create a good that is so great that it glorifies God.

CHAPTER 4: SPIRIT LED

1. As believers in Christ Jesus, we have been gifted with supernatural power and can learn to flow gracefully with the leading of the Holy Spirit.

2. The four important lessons the Spirit taught me with the incident of the screech owl were:

- It is important to be quick to hear and obey the voice of the Lord.

- The Spirit equips us using the little things in life for bigger and more important matters that we will encounter later on.

- We can learn to follow His lead with precision.

- The Spirit desires to reveal to us what is spiritually happening around us.

3. We can learn some important things about demonic spirits from this lesson:

- Demonic spirits are spiritually nocturnal and hunt the unsuspecting prey in the dark, when and where they least expect it.

- Physical attacks are mere manifestations of spiritual attacks.

- The demon was sent to start trouble while people were sleeping and unaware of its presence.

- It only takes a whisper of authority and they will flee.

4. The importance of His timing of the immediate response.

CHAPTER 5: WATER AND WINE

1. We must first pass through the purification process of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ that the work of Calvary offers us.

2. They had good reputations and were full of the Spirit and full of wisdom.

3. He was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.

4. They were just two ordinary men who were transformed into the realm of the extraordinary.

5. Word of wisdom, word of knowledge and discerning of spirits. They reveal the secret things that we cannot know otherwise.

6. Faith, workings of miracles and gifts of healings.

7. Prophecy, tongues and the interpretation of tongues.

8. The supernatural invades the natural realm and the miraculous manifests.

CHAPTER 6: THE SUPERNATURAL POWER OF FAITH

1. By the release of the supernatural power of faith-filled words and then by lining up our actions to these spoken words.

2. That we will receive what we ask from God.

3. By the supernatural power of our faith.

4. Faith first believes and then receives.

5. Faith requires action.

6. To quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

7. Fight the good fight of faith.

8. We wrestle against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

CHAPTER 7: THE SENSES OF FAITH

1. It has spiritual ears that can hear the voice of God, a spiritual voice and speaks things into existence by declaring God’s Word. It has spiritual eyes and envisions God’s promises already fulfilled. Faith has spiritual hands and is a doer of the Word. It has spiritual feet to walk in the direction of God’s leading. It also has a heart that loves Him.

2. Through His Word, the inner voice and an audible voice.

3. The voice of God, the voice of satan and the voice of human reasoning.

4. It speaks God’s language of creation by speaking provision for the spirit, soul and body into existence.

5. Faith is visionary; it sees into the future with hope and can envision the promises of God already fulfilled via dreams and visions.

6. Plead the power in the blood of Jesus over your mind, thoughts, dreams and visions. Take the time to judge what you see according to the Word of God.

7. Hear God speak His plan. 2. Receive the vision from God. 3. Speak the vision out with faith-filled words. 4. Work the vision out with your hands.

8. The leading of the Holy Spirit.

CHAPTER 8: SUPERNATURAL PROVISION

1. He cursed the lack of provision from the fig tree.

2. A season of lack.

3. “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

4. By becoming the curse.

5. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

6. “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed….’”

7. Release the Spirit from our limitations and allow Him to make a way where there seems to be no way.

CHAPTER 9: A REPAIRER OF THE BREACH

1. Compromise and corruption.

2. A foundation of faith.

3. Mend the violation of mistrust.

4. We are to reestablish the pathway so that our future generations will know to inhabit the realm of faith.

CHAPTER 10: OUR TITLE DEED

1. Gives us the legal right to possess our hopes and trust in God’s goodness and grace to honor His Word.

CHAPTER 11: PROTECTION FROM DECEPTION

1. Signs and wonders serve us by being a witness, a testimony of the Living Word, Jesus Christ, activated in our lives.

2. The question we should ask ourselves is, “Who is being glorified?”

3. They inoculate their spirit from the true power source of the supernatural, the Holy Spirit Himself.

4. We are to evaluate or judge them and their message according to the Word of God. We are to ask ourselves if the message lines up with the Bible. If we have to compromise the truth of the Bible in an area to approve the message, then the message is false.

5. Another delivery service is via a lying and deceptive spirit whispering to our mind and emotions. We can overcome these false messages by doing what Paul instructs us to do in 2 Corinthians 10:5: “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

6. The occult steals the true power of our faith in Jesus Christ to walk in the true supernatural manifestation of the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit.

7. The sin of witchcraft is equated as rebellion against God in 1 Samuel 15:23 and described as a detestable practice in Deuteronomy 18:9-12.

CHAPTER 12: MINISTERING ANGELS

1. To those who inherit salvation.

CHAPTER 13: SUPERNATURAL COLLISIONS

1. Jesus is the Light of the World. They will not walk in darkness. They will have the light of life.

2. The darkness of the enemy.

CHAPTER 14: LEAD US TO JESUS

1. To destroy the works of satan, to create divine healings and miracles, to set the captives free, to win the lost and to bring eternal increase to the kingdom of God.

ADDITIONAL FAITH

ASSIGNMENTS

These faith assignments are designed to help you to develop relationship with the Holy Spirit and to learn how to follow His leading for your life.

1. After reading this book, ponder upon the message and then write a letter to the Holy Spirit. Tell Him the areas you desire to develop in the supernatural power of your faith. Date and sign the letter and place it in a sealed envelope. One month later, open the letter and read it. Have you made the positive changes necessary to mature in your faith? I recommend you repeat this process every month for the next year. You will be amazed at how your faith can progress.

2. Develop your spiritual ear and start a faith journal. While spending quiet time in the Word with the Lord, write down what you hear the Holy Spirit speak to you. Write down the date and the time, and with a marker highlight important words so that you can quickly review your faith journal daily to check for accuracy. Remember, He will not speak something that is contrary to the Word.

ABOUT THE DVORAKS

Back in 1991, we went on our first short-term mission trip to Guatemala, Central America. While we were there, the Lord moved upon our hearts about full-time mission work. After we returned to our home, we sought the Lord for clear confirmation. We prayed and fasted and the Lord was faithful and made His will known to us.

He said to us, “You ask Me where to go. I already told you where to go. Go to Guatemala, but do not be closed to other countries.” Then He proceeded to give us direction and it happened just as He spoke to us.

On August 11, 1994, we and our biological children, Annie, Micah and Aaron, arrived from Minnesota to Guatemala as full-time missionaries under Mutual Faith Ministries, Int’l. We hooked up with an existing team and were asked to run a mission house, have short-term mission groups, hold evangelistic outreaches and teach the local Church how to evangelize their own nation.

After one-and-a-half years, the team dispersed and went their separate ways. We, however, knew we were called by God to be in Guatemala. We prayed and fasted again and received the next step of His plan.

He led us to the streets of Guatemala to minister to a specific group of drug-addicted, abused and orphaned street children and then into the youth jails. From there, by the direction of the Lord, we started a Guatemalan foundation, Fundaccion Vida Ilimitada (Fundavida). We founded, constructed and directed LIFE Homes–Guatemala. These homes were built especially for the orphaned and abandoned children of Guatemala.

We personally fostered many children and witnessed the amazing power of God’s grace transform their lives spiritually and heal them physically. As the ministry grew, we hired Guatemalan Christians to help us care for these children. A few years later, the Holy Spirit gave us a vision for a special home called, “Life Tender Mercy Home.” This home was for children who were born infected with HIV. He specifically told us during this vision, “You build the home. I will bring the children and I will heal every one of them.” And to the glory of our Lord, He has.

We hosted many wonderful teams from around the world that came to help build the Life Homes for the children God would send to us. With the completion of each home, the children came.

Our first foster family that we personally raised at the Life Homes consisted of 5 babies and 12 older boys who came directly from the streets of Guatemala. Many of these young ones are now grown and married with children of their own. We have the joy to be in contact with many of them to this day.

Our second foster family at the Life Homes consisted of 14 little children who came to us very sick and most in the final stage of HIV/AIDS. We stood in the gap and fought the enemy for their very lives. Children who were sent to us to die are alive and well today by the true power of faith. During this time in the ministry, we hired Christian workers to oversee the home for adolescent boys. Then we opened up two more homes, one for little boys and the other was the Life Tender Mercy Home.

In the midst of life at the Life Homes, the Holy Spirit trained us how to walk in His supernatural ways. He taught us our identity in Christ, our authority over satan and all of his wicked works, the power of the spoken word and how to put our faith into action. He not only taught us these lessons from His Word, but also, everywhere we went, He showed us opportunities to put into practice these revelations.

In the year 2000, the Holy Spirit led us to broaden the ministry that He gave to us to Africa and other parts of the world. He has had us target another people group that has been bound to witchcraft: the Maasai in Northern Tanzania. There we are raising up a DARE to Believe Training Center to equip these people in the ways of the Holy Spirit, so that they can be free from bondage and made whole in spirit, soul and body.

In 2010, the Lord led us to turn the Life Homes over to Guatemalan management, so that we could dedicate our full attention to equip the Body of Christ in Guatemala and worldwide.

Along with ministry to the children in the Life Homes, we ministered in churches, in hospitals, on the streets, in the jails and around the world and signs and wonders followed. As ministers of divine healing and miracles, we witnessed the dead come back to life, blind eyes and deaf ears opened, the mute speak, paralytics walk and HIV and many other types of sickness and disease all healed in the name of Jesus Christ.

In 2012, Becky’s first book, DARE to Believe, was published with Destiny Image Publishers. In 2013 she wrote her second work, Greater Than Magic.

We also have adopted five boys whom the Lord brought to us to raise for His glory. Ricardo was the first boy we rescued off the streets; he is now grown and called of the Lord to help administrate in the Life Homes. Jorge, Joaquin, Andres and Marcos were the first baby boys the Lord gave to us. You can read several of their amazing testimonies in DARE to Believe.

We served faithfully in partnership with MFMI for 19 years, from 1994–2013.

By the direction of the Holy Spirit, we have embarked on yet another adventure with the Lord. Healing and Miracles International is the new name of our ministry. Along with the ongoing ministry to the children at the Life Homes (which is under Guatemalan management), we are dedicated to equip the Body of Christ to activate the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit with signs and wonders following, just as the Lord has taught us over the past 19 years.

We write and share these things with you to preserve the true testimony of what the Lord has done in our lives, to encourage others that He wants to use them as well, to share our faith with the younger generation that all things are possible in Christ Jesus, to give glory to our Lord Jesus Christ and to stir your faith to always “dare to believe.”

CONTACT US

For information about hosting a healing service, conference or seminar, or to set up a media interview, please go to

http://healingandmiraclesintl.org/contact-us/.