When He speaks #2

When He speaks #2

Hi all,
Last week I shared the non-verbal ways Jesus said the Holy Spirit communicates to us. John 16:13: "When he, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak of Himself, but whatever He hears that will He speak; and He will show you things to come."

Today I'll share about when the Holy Spirit DOES speak (He will not speak of himself), but first...

The NT uses words like "reveal(ed)", "perceive", and "witness" to describe the Holy Spirit guiding and showing us things, all in non-verbal ways. I shared how these ways of communication are vague, like how Simeon knew he wouldn't die until he'd seen the Messiah, but didn't know the age of the Messiah.

Other examples
Another example is Luke 8:46 where Jesus was being mobbed by a crowd and perceived power flowing to someone, but he didn't know to whom!

And that's my final point on the non-verbal; when we receive a vague witness, revelation, or 'feeling' in our spirit, we will always need more information. In Luke 2:26 Simeon had it revealed to him that he wouldn't die until he'd seen the Messiah, but verse 27 says he came "by the Spirit into the temple" and saw Jesus.

He needed more revelation before he could act - he had a revelation of knowledge, but needed a revelation of timing. Paul too you remember from last week, had a revelation in Acts 27:10 that their lives were in danger, but needed more revelation. In his case an angel appeared and told him they'd be shipwrecked, but safe.

In Luke 8:46 Jesus needed more revelation to assist him to figure out to whom the power went. These show us that sometimes the Holy Spirit will provide additional revelation Himself (spiritually), as in Simeon's or Paul's case, or in the natural (natural information) as in Jesus' case, when the woman came forward admitting it was she who had touched him in faith.

But what if...
Paul was in Lystra in Acts 14, teaching a group of people, including a man lame from birth: "(Paul) steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, Stand upright on your feet!. And he leaped and walked." (v8-9)

In this case of non-verbal Holy Spirit communication, Paul perceived in his spirit the man had faith to be healed, but he had to "steadfastly" behold him until he was ready to act - Paul stared at him and stared at him and stared at him, locking his attention on him as he perceived the man's faith.

These are the times when it's just you and the Lord - no fresh revelation from heaven is forthcoming nor is there more information in the natural. You have to lock your eyes on that perception in your spirit until you are sure that information is accurate. You ponder it, roll it over in your mind, weigh it out, staying on it until you are sure what you are sensing, then you act in the natural.

Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away, I worked for Domino's Pizza as a manager. One day I felt very strongly the Lord impressing me to start my own pizza delivery company in an area were there would be no competition. I waited and waited, but each day that same level of knowing was there in my spirit, no more no less. I had no money to open a place of my own, had no idea where I'd get the $70,000 it would take, so I 'steadfastly beheld' that sense in my spirit.

I stayed on that for some time, then one day shared with a friend what I was sensing and immediately he said "I'll loan you $15,000!" I was amazed, but 2 days later another man I knew said he was looking to do something with $20,000 he inherited and wanted in. So I walked into the bank with $35,000 in my pocket, borrowed another $35,000, and opened my own place.

The point is that I had no further revelation from heaven or in the natural, so I stayed focused on the revelation I did have until things started happening for me. Like Paul who waited 'steadfastly' until he knew what he knew and then acted, it took a long time before I put the word out because I wanted to be accurate.

Speak to me!
Now I'd like to share characteristics of when the Holy Spirit DOES speak to us - the other 1/3 of John 16:13.

Philip is on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza in Acts 8 and saw an Ethiopian man in a chariot: "Then the Spirit said to Philip, Go near and join yourself to this chariot." (v29)

In Acts 10 Peter was thinking about a vision he'd seen and "the Spirit said to him, Behold, three men are looking for you. Get up and go down(stairs), and go with them, questioning nothing, for I have sent them."
(v19-20)

Notice in these 2 examples how specific and exact the Holy Spirit is when He speaks. This is the great contrast; the means of guiding and showing are vague and need more information, but when the Holy Spirit Himself speaks it is very exact and requires no more information.

Many people, experiencing the voice of the Holy Spirit for the first time, mistakenly think it audible, but in nearly all cases where I've asked for more detail, we were able to conclude He wasn't audible, just very loud and so pronounced in their mind/spirit that it seemed that way.

The first time I heard the Holy Spirit speak to me it was like a loud speaker in my mind. I was a teenager having a retreat with 2 friends to seek the Lord. While I was worshipping on my hands and knees and Nancy Honeytree was singing "I Am Your Servant" on the record player, suddenly the Lord said to me; "John, I love you." I was so startled I responded, "I, I love you too, Lord". Then he said "Turn to John 14:27". I said "Now Lord?" and he said "Yes, now". That was it.

It was loud, clear, and unmistakable. Since then I've heard the Holy Spirit many times, often when the Father tells me something prophetic about a future event, or in ministry situations when I have a word for someone.

We must be accurate when we report to someone what we've received from the Lord. Many people will say "God told me" when in fact all they have is a witness in their spirit, something they've perceived. Relatively rarely will someone hear the Holy Spirit outright as in the examples above with Philip and Peter. When that happens, then by all means report "The Spirit said to me".

But here is something interesting. Oftentimes but not always, I've found the more I dwell on a witness or impression in my spirit, the more clearly I begin to understand what is communicated, and often at some point the Holy Spirit will speak to clarify what had been merely a revelation or witness.

I first noticed this years ago while ministering to people. I'd drive away after a service and think about a word of knowledge I had for someone, and more revelation about them and for them kept coming - but the timing was wrong to deliver it so I just spoke it to the Lord and asked he show them that additional information.

The reason is of course that we have Life inside of us, an incorruptible seed that keeps growing and growing, so the more you dwell on that word or revelation or something you perceive, the more life flows out from it. But like I said above, sometimes there just is no more information from heaven, so you have to get either natural information or 'steadfastly' hover over what revelation you do have until you are sure you can act.

Not of Himself
Remember that the Holy Spirit will not speak of himself, but only repeats what he hears. I've been at this long enough I can tell you the difference between the Father's and Jesus' voice.

The Father's presence is a very dense atmosphere, solemn, and focused on very serious and very private issues because the Father is the Source of all, so He goes right to our "source" down inside. In the Father's presence there are fewer words of knowledge about what someone is feeling or what the Father is saying, because He normally deals privately with people (at least with me) so doesn't share that information.

The spiritual atmosphere becomes so heavy and thick people don't want to speak. The inexperienced may not understand and I've been in many meetings where someone starts talking right when they should be silent because they are either uncomfortable in the Father's presence or don't know what is happening.

It is best not to be afraid of the silence, and even when nothing is being done within you, sit still and let the Father through His Spirit minister to those he wants. Soon enough the stillness and weight of the atmosphere will lift and people will start moving about and talking and such.

But Jesus...
The atmosphere the Holy Spirit brings when sharing what he hears from Jesus is usually lighter, and often dealing with emotional and physical needs, rather than the deepest of the deep the Father addresses.

One time I was leading a group of Bible school students in a chapel. During the worship suddenly Jesus was there to my left. He walked up the 5 steps of the platform and stood in front of me, and asked "I'd like to minister to my people". I said "Lord, you're Lord, do whatever you want". He said, "You are the person in authority and I need your permission." Though I was in the Spirit I know that I visibly shrugged my shoulders and opened my hands in a gesture urging him to go about whatever he wanted to do.

I also realized he was teaching me a principle of how meetings must cooperate with heaven (rather than their own agenda), thus the comment about me being the authority in that meeting, but that's another subject.

During that time he walked among the students. The atmosphere was subdued but not silent with the presence of the Lord, but not with the weightiness of the Father. One of the young ladies he walked over to I eavesdropped on, and watched what he said. (I normally don't do this as it's none of my business, but felt he was also continuing to teach me and felt the freedom to observe)

While standing next to this lady the Lord turned back to me and explained that she was going to work in an orphanage in an African nation one day, and that he had told her this while young, but she'd had no further word and was wondering about it (she came to Bible school for that), so he came to reassure her.

When he put his hands on her and spoke to her, tears started pouring down her face. After her Jesus walked around to others but I only listened in on 1 or 2 more. Then he came back, climbed the steps and stood in front of me, said 'Thank you for allowing me to minister to my people', turned away and took 2 1/2 steps, and disappeared in that 1/2 step.

Afterwards I discussed with the students what I had seen, learned several had sensed and 2 others saw the Lord, and the young lady shared the exact thing the Lord had spoken to her and how she was aware he was right next to her, though she didn't see him.

All that to say this, can you understand the differences between the presence and voice of Jesus and the voice and presence of the Father and the way they minister? Jesus often focuses on emotional, physical, and other areas, but the Father's presence and voice stops you in your tracks and makes you want to sit, or lay down, and remain still. So when you do hear the Holy Spirit speak, you will know if he is reporting from the Father or Jesus as the head of the body.

It is the same Holy Spirit repeating exactly what he received from them, and he is the Spirit of Truth.

OK...enough today! Next week I'll share when angels are speaking....stay tuned! Hope it's a benefit to you.

Blessings,
John Fenn
www.iFaithhome.org

You can read of several visitations I've had in my book "Pursuing the Seasons of God" available through the web site above.

Ways He Speaks #1

Ways He Speaks #1

Hi all,
The number 1 desire people ask me about (outside of 'what is the Father telling you of what's going on) is to hear the Lord's voice. So from time to time I like to share what the Lord taught me.

First things first
In John 16:13 Jesus said "However when he, the Spirit of Truth has come, he will guide you into all truth for he will not speak of himself, but whatever he hears, that will he speak, and he will show you things to come."

The Holy Spirit doesn't communicate of his own accord, only what he receives from the Father and Jesus. In I Cor 2:9-16 Paul enlarges upon Jesus' teaching, saying that neither eye, nor ear, nor imagination can know what God has prepared for those who love him, but the Father HAS revealed these things to us by the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit searches the deep things of the Father God to see what he has prepared for us.

He goes on to say we have received the Holy Spirit "so that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God", and that they must be spiritually discerned rather than through the eyes, ears, and mind.

In other words, because we have the Holy Spirit inside us, long gone are the days of casting lots, putting out fleeces, or "if circumstances do this then this is God's will", and other 'external' ways of discerning God's will - we have the Spirit Himself within us!

I distinctly remember the day I made the decision to stop putting external signs out there to the Father to determine his will: "If a skunk crosses in front of me on the way home from prayer meeting I'll know "it" (whatever I was asking him about at the time) is your will. It was the summer I graduated from high school - The decision to look to the Holy Spirit in my spirit rather than through the eye, ear, and mind-gate changed me life and I haven't looked back since.

Non-verbal; a revelation
That's why Jesus emphasized the "Spirit of Truth" in John 16:13 rather than Comforter as he did in John 14; the Holy Spirit accurately and precisely communicates what he hears. You can trust that every inflection, every tone, every bit of information, is the Truth. (There is a difference in the sound of voice between the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit directly, but that will be shared in a week or two.)

Notice in this verse Jesus says the Holy Spirit also "guides" and "shows". These 3 ways; guide, speak, and show, are the main ways the Holy Spirit relays to us what the Father and Jesus are saying. Even the gifts of the Spirit fall under these categories. But notice that only 1 of the 3 is verbal.

In Luke 2:26-27 it says an old man by the name of Simeon was waiting for the Messiah. Verse 26 says: "And it was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Christ."

"Revealed to him", means the Holy Spirit "showed" him a thing to come. Simeon didn't hear a voice, he had a revelation down inside, a knowing that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah.

This is a VERY common way the Father communicates to us. It can be as simple as knowing if you drive around the block one more time a parking space will open just where you need it, to knowing your sister is the one calling before you pick up the phone (or see the caller ID), to knowing you are supposed to stay home and hang around the house because someone's going to call that needs your help, and beyond.

What the world calls premonition or 'hunch' is the Holy Spirit communicating, or trying to communicate to usually rather dull of hearing people, what the Father is trying to do. (Yes, he reveals things to the unsaved because he loves them - he always tries to do the most good- in the hopes they will come to him)

Any non-verbal revelation like that is the Father "talking" to you in non-verbal means. A revelation is something dropped into your spirit outside of any head knowledge. The key then, is for your mind to perceive what is revealed to you, think on it, process on it, and here is the scary part, act on it. Acting on what you have revealed, what you perceive in your spirit, is faith.

Deer me!
I was leading a group of 11 to Mexico from our church in southern Colorado in 2 vans driving south through Texas. Before the trip I spread out a map and prayed as I traced the route in my mind, and when I got to the hill country of west Texas I felt a heaviness in my spirit (a revelation), so I lingered over that part of the map.

Suddenly I saw what I call a "mini-vision" in my spirit of us driving in the dark, coming around a sharp right turn to find a herd of deer in the middle of the road. Jesus had a mini-vision in John 1:47-48 where he saw Nathanael sitting under a fig tree before Philip had invited him. In that revelation he not only saw him under the tree, but his basic character was revealed to him; "Behold and Israelite in whom there is no deceit!"

A 'mini-vision' is a non-verbal revelation, a guide/show, not the Father talking - but that's what the Spirit saw in the Father so that's what and how he communicates it to us, in picture form. In Acts 1: 30-31 Peter said King David (1000 BC) saw the resurrection of Christ, meaning the Father showed him the resurrection through the Holy Spirit in a vision.

Back to the trip: So I asked the Father that no harm would come to us or the deer, angels to be sent, and told the devil he was not allowed in this situation, and that was that. Around midnight it was Jenny's turn to drive, and I told her and everyone what the Father had showed me, pinpointed the area within a 20 mile stretch of road, and warned them about coming around a sharp right turn to find a herd of deer.

With that I crawled in the very back of the mini-van, where there was enough space behind the last seat to curl up, and went to sleep. Sometime later I was jolted awake at the sound of screeching tires and a sideways skid of the van. Sure enough, it played out just as the Holy Spirit had revealed to me. Jenny had let her speed get up and had not been as alert, but the Father spared both us and several deer from harm.

In Mark 2:1-12 Jesus is sitting in a house (hey, house church) when the roof opens up and a crippled man is lowered before him. He tells the man his sins are forgiven, which sets off the religious leaders who are thinking that no one can forgive sins but God.

Verse 8 says "And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves..."

Notice the Father didn't talk to him - he received a revelation that he perceived in his spirit. He didn't read their minds, the Holy Spirit from the Father's unlimited knowledge, revealed to Jesus what the men were thinking. His job was to perceive the revelation the Father gave.

God didn't tell you, don't add to it
Jesus didn't say "The Father told me", because he didn't. He perceived in his spirit what they were thinking.

The trouble with revelation in our spirits is that our minds grab hold of it and we often do 2 things: The first is we think in our minds how God will make it come to pass, then pin our hopes on this "word" from God that has become a mix of 1 part True revelation and 9 parts how we think it will happen, then when it doesn't happen we are mad at God or think we are the worst person in the world and wonder how we missed it.

What if old man Simeon, upon receiving the revelation that he was going to see the Messiah before he died, had added his ideas and started telling everyone he was going to see the Messiah kick the Romans out of Jerusalem because "God told me I'd see the Messiah before I die!"

Good that he didn't add to it, because what he saw was 6 week old baby Jesus. When you receive a revelation, restrain your imagination from thinking how it will happen. Just stick to the word and let it come to pass, don't try to help the Father along.

The reason we find ourselves adding our ideas to revelations from the Father is that they are so vague. The Father didn't tell Simeon what age the Messiah would be, Jesus perceived the basic thoughts of the men but didn't read their minds, and I had an idea of the area we would be in and how we'd come upon the deer, but the exact turn was not revealed.

I rebuke you....who?
The 2nd thing is we think because it is a 'bad' thing being shown to us it is the devil and we rebuke what we think is the devil but it's actually the Holy Spirit. Then after it happens it dawns on us that was God trying to warn us. Can I have a show of hands of those who have rebuked the Holy Spirit because what was being shown was a 'negative'? OK, we've all done that.

Paul however, did not. Paul was a prisoner of Rome about to be sent there by ship, but in Acts 27:10 he says "Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with much hurt and damage, not only to the ship and cargo, but also to our lives!" He didn't rebuke the Holy Spirit because it was a negative.

What we find in cases like this is that the Father gives us a revelation of what the devil's plan is and what will happen if nothing changes - it's an opportunity for us to intercede and ask the Father to change things!

My brother is a logger in Washington State. One day I saw a mini-vision of him in a large machine and a bunch of logs from above come rolling down the hill, crushing him in the machine. I thanked the Father for showing me that, rebuked the devil, asked the Father to spare my brother, send angels, do whatever he had to do. About a week later my brother and I were talking and I asked him about the situation, describing it as I had seen it, and he replied that it happened exactly like that, only he saw it out of the corner of his eye at the last second and jumped out of his cab before the logs crushed the machine.

Here is a key: When the Father reveals a negative by the Spirit, peace will accompany it. When it's the devil showing you an imagination of evil, fear accompanies it.

Paul had the revelation from the Father their lives were in danger, but being a prisoner, no one paid attention to him. It wasn't until verse 21, after many days of being tossed about in a storm, Paul gets in his "I told you so". Verses 22-26, 31 relate that an angel appeared to Paul and told him the Father had spared their lives, but they would lose the ship and cargo, that they would be shipwrecked on an island, and when the ship started breaking up all were to stay on board until the last minute.

How wonderful the Holy Spirit is searching the deep things of the Father to see what he has prepared for us!
Stop looking for the verbal, and instead listen for a 'witness', 'revelation', or lightness or heaviness in your spirit - look for peace in your spirit too, for that is the Father's "all clear" for us.

Next week I'll share when the Holy Spirit does speak.

Some thoughts today,
Blessings,
John Fenn
www.iFaithhome.org

"CHRISTIAN PIMPS" - a HARD WORD

"CHRISTIAN PIMPS" - a HARD WORD
-by Coach Dave Daubenmire.

QUOTE- “Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved
to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became
an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came
to America and became an enterprise.” -Sam Pascoe.

“An enterprise. That’s a business.” .... “A business? But isn’t it
supposed to be a body?” I could not envision where this line of
questioning was going, and the only response I could think of was,
“Yes.” She continued, “But when a body becomes a business, isn’t
that a prostitute?” - As told by David Ryser.

I’ve been fighting for a long time the prompting of my inner man to
take on this subject. Although I have chewed around the edges like
I used to do as a child when I would break off the crust from a hot,
home-made apple pie in attempt to appease my hunger without my
mother finding out, I never really stuck my thumb into the middle of
the pie.

I have been a sellout. A pimp, if you will. Not on purpose. It is easy
to justify our lack of courage when confronted with difficult issues. I
try to faithfully deliver the mail as the Lord hands it to me, but I have
been negligent by eating the crust out of fear of spoiling the pie.

You see, I have pulled my punches. I have softened the blow. I have
spanked with a newspaper when they deserved a belt. I have sold out
on the Truth. I have not called a spade a spade. I have nibbled at the
crust when I should have been hammering the pie. I have taken the
be-nice approach and have listened to the “touch not God’s anointed”
mentality. I have prostituted the Truth. For that I am sorry.

Oh, my intentions were good. I had hoped that as I exposed the
“unfruitful works of darkness” that the churches would eventually
awaken and begin to push back against the enemy. After ten years
of trying to awaken “The Church” to the problem I have finally
mustered the courage to say what I have known all along. “The
Church” IS the problem. It has become a pimp, selling the works
of “the body” for personal satisfaction. Most of the pulpits are filled
by “hirelings” (more on that in a future commentary), men and women
who stand in the pulpit without a calling, without an anointing, and
without courage. They are man pleasers, living off of “the Body” as
they sell it out for their own whims and pleasures. Greedy Dogs,
Isaiah called them. Blind watchmen…loving to sleep…leading the
flock astray.

Not all of the churches. If you are a pastor and have read this far then
I am probably not talking about you. I have met many courageous
men who boldly live out the command to “lead them out.” You know
who you are. You are the ones who have been criticized, belittled,
and called names by the “pimp in the pulpit” at the big church
downtown.

You see, to him, the church is a business…an enterprise…a social
club totally dependant on butts and bucks. It is a place to make
business contacts, network with others in the community, and
soothe one’s conscience through weekly attendance and philanthropy.
It is no different from a whore house where a woman’s body is sold
for the pleasure of another. Love-less intercourse is prostitution.
Most church goers love the service that Jesus provides (membership
has its privileges) but don’t really know the Jesus who provides it.

I’ll be honest. I’ve been afraid to say some of these things for fear of
alienating even more pastors. I was afraid that my harshness might
alienate those “frozen chosen” pastors and eliminate opportunities
to “minister” to their congregations. That’s where I have pimped-out
my call. The pastors are not the answer, they are the problem.

Instead of cleaning out Congress perhaps we should start by
cleaning out the pulpit. Judgment begins first in the house of God.
America is a reflection of the churches and the churches are a
reflection of the pulpits. It is time to “throw the bums out”…even if
they do hide behind the “touch not my anointed.” When a football
team is under-performing who gets the boot? Yep, the coach.

Allow me to be frank as I cut to the chase. Pick up your family
and get out of the mausoleum you are attending and find a place
that serves the Lord. I couldn’t care less how many generations
your family has been a member, how many pews your family has
donated, and how many of your friends attend. Sitting on your
butt every Sunday is not serving the Lord, it is the Lord serving
you. The feel-good Gospel is a fraud. Jesus taught self-sacrifice
not self-fulfillment. “Greater love has no man than thisthan he
would lay down his life for his friends….” Love demands sacrifice.
What have you sacrificed for your faith? You are engaging in
Spiritual welfare…living off of the efforts of others.

Start fighting back by no longer giving them your money. Don’t
allow them to hit you over the head with the “bring all of the tithes
into the storehouse” hammer without asking yourself some very
important questions. What is a storehouse and what is its purpose?
What does the Scripture mean by “meat in my house” and who is
the meat for? Are there families in your “church” who are losing
their homes? Is that not who the “meat in the house” was stored
up for or were the storehouse funds used for a new parking lot?

Is the purpose of the tithe (by the way, my wife and I believe in
tithing) to pay senior pastors, associate pastors, youth ministers,
worship leaders, and secretaries to do “ministry?” Can’t you “tithe”
different places? Did the New Testament church teach the concept
of “professional” Christians or were the elders of the church also
tent-makers? Does “meat in my house” mean bigger buildings,
paved parking lots, and padded pews? Is your “church” experiencing
a budget crunch right now because they have eaten the meat that
should have been placed in the storehouse? I know, “let them eat
blacktop.”

Is storehouse money supposed to be spent on the already converted
or on seeking and saving that which is lost? What percent of your
church’s budget go to “missions”…as if that is a separate job…in
comparison to utilities, paper, salaries, and operating expenses?

Don’t stop giving, just change where you give. Find a ministry that
is using the money to reach out to the community and send your
tithe there. Remember, it is the “Lord’s house” into which your
finances are to be offered….not some social club to which your
tithe is nothing more than monthly dues. It is time you asked
yourself if the Spirit still dwells in your church.

My wife and I have spent the last few weeks reading the book of
Acts in our morning devotionals. You should do the same. They
spread the Gospel around the world at great personal peril and
sacrifice. The self-serving American-Church is a pathetic step-child
to Christianity’s founding fathers.

Most churches love money, chase money, compromise over money.
A pastor in New York was just fired from his $600,000 salary! The
national average for pastors is $84,426! No wonder they won’t
speak against sin! Why not include those wealthy homosexuals
in the congregation!

People have asked me to start a church. I tell them that they are
nuts. Truth empties churches, it doesn’t fill them. My friend Flip
Benham says guys like me would be the Dr. Kervorkian of church
growth. What man of God would want to wipe noses when he could
fight evil? No thanks. At least on the streets I can recognize the
enemy.

“And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes
concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A
reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man
clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft clothing are in
kings' houses.” Yep, the pimps are the ones wearing the nice
clothes. Funny isn’t it? The pimps in the pulpits accuse street
preachers of being undignified.

What did Jesus say about the ultimate street preacher John the
Baptist? “Verily I say unto you, among them that are born of
women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.”

Take the time to read what Jesus had to say to the religious pimps
of His day!

We’re heading next week to do ministry work on the streets of Las
Vegas...That’s right, we are Christian street-walkers...

You probably won’t find me speaking in any churches anytime
soon….

© 2009 Dave Daubenmire - All Rights Reserved.

Coach Dave Daubenmire is host of the high octane Pass The Salt
radio show heard in Columbus, Ohio. In 1999 Coach Daubenmire
was sued by the ACLU for praying with his teams while coaching
high school in Ohio. He now spends his energy fighting for Christian
principles in the public domain.

SOURCE:
http://www.newswithviews.com/Daubenmire/dave160.htm

THE BATTLE is GETTING HOT

THE BATTLE is GETTING HOT
-Darren Smith. (5 Jul 09).

[Author of the "FALL OF BABYLON" word - reprinted below at the end]

Many people have labeled me as a doomsday prophet over the
last few weeks as God has sent the Words He gave me all over
the world. The overwhelming response has stretched us to the
breaking point....

I would like to share a couple of things with you guys about the
whole doomsday thing. I believe that Gods Kingdom will crush
all the kingdoms of the world. I also believe that we bring forth His
Kingdom when we live the Gospel and not just talk about it.

Just yesterday in the street in Galveston we saw 4 people
receive healing and all 4 where born again on the spot. We also
had testimony of several that received healing the week before as
well. 3 different people received the miracle of getting a house and
off the street after we prayed with them last week. As we minister
to these people, we share with them the power of God over every
aspect of their life and the fact that if they die to this life they are
raised with Christ and it is Christ in them, the hope of glory that
rules their life.

It's amazing that people who are in such bondage to sin and
so broken by this life can receive and step right into the Kingdom
so quickly when many who have been religious all their life still do
not live in the power of God. These miracles are available to all who
believe and enter into Christ but few ever enter in. We see so many
miracles because we are trying to expand the Kingdom of God and
not trying to build our own kingdom. Everyday we live a faith walk
trusting God for our daily bread and to use us in His Kingdom with
no care for what this world has to offer.

The freedom is understanding that if you are in Christ you are
dead to this world. Dead men have no rights but you do have an
inheritance that is secure in Christ.

With this said I will be faithful to speak what the Lord has me speak.
I believe words such as the Fall of Babylon are warnings to come
out of her and live for Christ. As far as the timing I believe that these
shaking's are already in motion, but I do realize that God may have
mercy and hold back giving more time to repent. Either way I stand
ready to advance His Kingdom in times of wrath or in times of peace.

Last, I would ask you to pray for us as we have come under attack
for the very words the Lord gave me to send out. Many have taken
these words as an attack on the USA, but they are not an attack,
they are indeed an indictment on the hedonistic culture that we
have created and the god of self that rules this land. This government
is so corrupt and is a tool in Satan's hand to hinder the Kingdom of
God, but many still hold to the thought that it is a God fearing
government to the point that they have sent the message of Fall of
Babylon to the authorities. I have been called a terrorist,
anti-American, anti-government, as well as a false prophet just for
simply sending out the word that God gave me. Even though this
troubles me, I will stand on the Word of God and continue to shout
from the mountains this message, as well as spreading the word of
the Gospel with signs and wonders without fear of man.

The time may come that the true church has to go underground, if
so we are ready for what ever comes. With this said, we will increase
the call to repent to this nation and its leaders who are spinning out
of control. May God give us time to bring in the harvest. If you are
dead to this world step into faith and live the Gospel.

"FALL of BABYLON" - REPRINTED from 4 WEEKS AGO
-by Darren Smith. (1 Jun 09).

The Lord kept me up most of the night bringing a word for me to
share and to share now. Many times I wait until I have prayed over
what I hear in my spirit, but I can't wait to send this word out.

Last night while praying before I went to bed, The Lord gave me a
vision that really rattled me. In the vision I saw this land split into
four parts with each one under its own flag. Each region had terrible
destruction and many people were dead. As I looked over the
destruction I was crying and the Lord asked me, "Why are you
crying over the fall of Babylon? As a matter of fact, why have you
been praying for the healing of Babylon?"

In this vision I didn't have an answer and the Lord opened a scroll
and started reading off the indictments against our country, but
before each one he clearly called the USA Babylon.

The list was long and to the point, with such points as the killing
of several generations of unborn children. Beside this charge He
added that these babies had been sacrificed to the god of self. The
list also included greed, idolatry, pride, fornication, and many others,
so many I could not even read them all.

As I looked at the list of charges I was overwhelmed and broken
by the fact that we live every day in a nation that is so far removed
from God and in total opposition to the Kingdom of God, yet we are
comfortable here. We have become just like Lot living in Sodom,
the prosperity that the nation offers us has blinded us from the evil
that rules this land. We complain about how bad it is but still stay
attached to it with every ounce of strength we have.

The Lord told me to look at the nation as He sees it, not through
my eyes but through His. I could not look too long before I had to
agree and repent of loving Babylon. Once I repented the Lord told
me to prepare for the fall as time is running out. I must preach the
Gospel of The Kingdom not the Gospel of America. America is
already judged, the time of shaking is now and will increase rapidly
this summer. Water shortages and food shortages will become
common this summer, as well as fuel shortages. Civil unrest will
become common place in large cities first but will spill over into
the rural areas as well.

Natural disasters will stretch the resources of the nation to the
breaking point and the government will use this to take freedom
away. Brothers up north take note, you will see this start to happen
quickly. Please seek the Lord for direction as you are out of time.
The west coast will see this soon as well, please prepare.

In this vision there was a great wasteland that appeared to be in
the center of the nation where everything was wiped out and I saw
masses of people wandering without direction. They were dirty and
ragged, almost dead and there was no relief in sight. Most of you
reading this think I'm crazy I'm sure, but I must be faithful to share
what I'm given to share.

The Lord told me to cry from the mountain tops to repent and seek
the Lord now!! We don't have any more time to seek after the things
of this world. He has also given me teaching to prepare people to
pass through this time of shaking into the Kingdom and I must be
faithful to preach this word anywhere I have an open door.

If you want to hear this word please contact me to set up times
and places, but again I must warn you, we are running out of time.
We must stop living like we have all the time in the world. We
must stop crying over the fall of Babylon and press into the Kingdom.

-Darren Smith - EMAIL -
streetscapeministries@yahoo.com

The Gift of Holy Hatred

The Gift of Holy Hatred
by Chip Brogden
“I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:104b).
From our earliest days as young Christians our special emphasis is on love. We are taught to love God with all our heart, love our neighbor, and love our enemy. We feel convicted if we do not love someone the way we think we should, and we ask God to give us a love for that brother or sister. How wonderful when the Lord responds to our prayer and we are able to love one another with a holy love.
Yet there is another aspect of love that is often overlooked, and that is hatred. This is a holy hatred. It goes right along with holy love. Yet we do not hear a lot about this holy hatred. We are not talking about the kind of hate that causes people to fight and kill one another. We hear the word “hate” and we think of gossip, slander, strife, murder, war, “hate crimes” against individuals and groups, jihads and crusades. There is nothing holy about that, that is sin. But what we have in mind here is a holy hatred that is the result of a holy love.
I would like to suggest that the reason we are not familiar with holy hatred, the good hatred, is because our love is not strong enough. A strong love produces a strong hatred; a holy love produces a holy hatred. For example, in Psalm 119, David rejoices in the truth of the Law of the Lord. Because he has learned to love the truth, he has also learned to hate every false way. You cannot love the truth and love error at the same time. But the more you love the truth, the more you will hate the false. Do you see this? That is one example of holy hatred.
LOVING WHAT GOD LOVES, HATING WHAT GOD HATES
Do you know that the Lord hates things? As we proceed with our study we will see that God says He hates certain things. Yet God is love. So love and hate are not mutually exclusive, but they are complementary. Why do people hate other people? Because they love themselves. Self-Love is extremely destructive. So love is powerful, and so is hate, even if we are loving and hating the wrong things. Both can be misused, we know that. But holy hatred is as much of a gift as holy love. Until and unless we have a holy hatred of ignorance then we will always be deceived. Until and unless we have a holy hatred of sin then we will always be in bondage to it. Until and unless we have a holy hatred of hypocrisy then we will never be genuine. Until and unless we have a holy hatred of our own way then we will never surrender our way over to God. Until and unless we have a holy hatred for evil then we will never overcome it with good. In your life you will always love something and hate something else. The question is whether or not you will love what God loves and hate what God hates, or whether you will love what God hates and hate what God loves.
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other…” (Matthew 6:24a).
The context of this passage is talking about mammon (the love of, and the endless pursuit of, wealth). But the principle applies to everything else. There can only be one master in your life. You can only serve one thing at a time. You are not free to do as you please. Even if you say you serve no one, you are still serving Self. So which will it be? Jesus says if you love Him then you will hate everything else. What does that mean? It means that you will allow nothing and no one to take the place of the One you love - not for a day, not for an hour, not for a minute. If our love for the Lord is strong then we will learn to hate everything which competes against Him. We will despise anything that seeks to hinder our relationship with Christ.
When I married my wife we had already established the fact that we loved one another. We loved one another BEFORE we got married. Was that not enough? What was the point of marriage? Our marriage confirmed the love that already existed, but it also established our rejection of every other potential lover in the world - past, present, and future. By choosing each other we were, in essence and in fact, rejecting everyone else. It would not be enough for us to simply say we loved one another. We made a commitment, and when we did, all my “girlfriends” and all her “boyfriends” had to be forsaken. Otherwise our marriage would have been doomed to failure.
Now, we say we love the Lord. We sing songs that say, “You’re all I want; You’re all I’ve ever needed.” How is it, then, that we can come to the Lord, give Him our life, give Him our heart, declare our love for Him, and still hang on to all our “boyfriends” and “girlfriends?” You cannot serve two masters. You cannot give yourself completely to more than one person. You cannot hold on to one thing and have the other thing too. You can do whatever you want, but you cannot do everything you want. At some point you have to make a choice. If you choose the Lord then you must reject everything that is not of the Lord. If you serve Him then you cannot serve anything else. If you hold on to anything else then He says you are hating and despising Him.
I did a study of the original Hebrew and Greek words for “hate.” I made an amazing discovery. I found that the word “hate” means exactly what it says. “Hate” means hate in Hebrew, Greek and English. I was looking for some secret truth, but there is no hidden meaning at all. Love is a strong word. Hate is a strong word. To hate means to despise, to reject, to be disgusted by. There is no middle ground. Friend, I would never question your love for the Lord. But I would question your hatred of everything else. What you love is a clue to what you hate, and what you hate is a clue to what you love. Do you hate sin? Do you hate evil? Do you hate every false way? Someone who hates sin long enough will eventually cry out to God for deliverance. Someone who hates evil long enough will eventually learn how to overcome it. Someone who hates every false way will eventually find the right way.
DISCIPLESHIP: A LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP
“If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26).
I came to the Lord at the age of eight years old. I have attended church since I was a child. I have been involved in some form of ministry since I was thirteen years old. I have heard thousands of messages and attended hundreds of services. In all that time I do not remember hearing a single message on Luke 14:26. In fact, I do not recall ever hearing Luke 14:26 quoted within the walls of a church building.
Today my heart is grieving over the lack of disciples. Jesus said to go into all the world and make disciples. But that is too difficult. So now we settle for something less. We just go into all the world and get “decisions for Christ.” It is too much work to make a disciple. I just talked to a pastor friend of mine who started leadership training with a small group in his church. As he laid out the program someone complained, “But this is going to take a lot of discipline.” Now, this is one of the people supposed to be a leader, complaining about having to become disciplined. Their idea of discipleship is sitting in church on Sunday morning listening to the pastor preach.
On the one hand, I believe religion makes Jesus too complicated. On the other hand, I believe religion makes discipleship too easy. Imagine Jesus standing at the altar of a church on Sunday morning as people come forward to “make a decision” for Christ. Jesus looks at them and says, “I’m sorry, you cannot be my disciple.” They would be shocked. The church staff would be horrified. The congregation would be aghast. But that is exactly what Luke 14:26 describes. Someone comes to Jesus. Hallelujah! Do we have a disciple? Maybe we do, or maybe we do not. Because in addition to coming to Jesus, that person must hate their parents, spouse, brothers and sisters. They must hate their own life, and they must take up their Cross and die so they can live. Do you want to know the real problem? We do not want to be disciples at all, we just want to be saved. We just want to get to Heaven with as little discomfort as possible. That is why we call it “getting saved” instead of “getting discipled.” We have made an artificial distinction between the two, as if the first is mandatory and the second is only optional. Can you really be saved and go to heaven and not actually be a disciple? Millions of people are betting that they can.
I have seen a lot of altar calls, but never in my life have I ever seen an altar call based on Luke 14:26. Why not? Because no one would respond! What is Jesus talking about? He is talking about a holy hatred. Becoming a disciple means Jesus will have the preeminence in my life from this moment forward. “Preeminence” means the first, the highest, the best, the supreme, the most favored place. It means putting Him before everyone and everything else, even those most dearest to me. It means giving up all my rights and demands, hating my own life and giving it over to Him. It is the death of Self. Jesus will not be thrust in a corner, or relegated to a couple of hours on Sunday morning, while we live any way we please under the delusion that we are “saved.” Either He is Lord OF all, or He is not Lord AT all.
HATE SELF AND LIVE FOREVER
“He that loves his life will lose it; and he that hates his life in this world will keep it unto life eternal” (John 12:25).
One important characteristic of the “last days” is that “men will be lovers of their own selves” (II Timothy 3:2a). This seems to be the thing that lies at the root of every problem. Indeed, it is the explanation for why evil exists in the world. Evil exists because people who are blinded by love for Self want to control and manipulate everything for their own selfish purposes; and if they cannot control it, they seek to destroy it. The cure for Evil is a holy hatred of Self, and that is precisely what the Cross, practically applied, produces in a disciple of Jesus.
The problem is getting people to embrace the Cross. Even in his happiest letter, a frustrated Paul laments that “all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s” (Philippians 2:21). In the same letter, a weeping Paul cries that “many walk” as “the enemies of the Cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their stomach, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things” (Philippians 3:18,19). We do not have to curse Christ to be an enemy of His Cross: all we have to do is love ourselves and care more about earthly things than heavenly things. Ultimately, self-preservation, self-love, self-will, and self-righteousness at the expense of everything else becomes self-destruction. You get the opposite of what you hoped to receive. That is what Jesus is telling us. If you love your life you will lose it altogether.
There comes a day when we are so sick of our own way that we beg God to show us another way. Paul says the thing he wants to do he does not do, and the thing he hates is what he finds himself doing (cf. Romans 7:15). We may think the solution is to focus on the problem, to stop doing the thing we hate, to clean up our act. But we eventually discover, like Paul, that the real problem is not what we DO, but what we ARE. We can confess the same sins over and over again, or we can take up the Cross and die to them all. The first approach deals with sins committed, while the second approach deals with the sinner. Which do you think is more effective? Well, if the one who sins is dead then the issue of continued sinning becomes irrelevant. Hating sin is good; hating Self is better, and far more effective. For the strength of Sin is Self. If you take the ax to the root of a bad tree, then it will stop producing bad fruit, and the issue is settled once and for all. If Self is denied then Sin becomes superfluous, and the problem of Evil is solved.
THE GOD OF HOLY LOVE AND HOLY HATRED
But holy hatred is not just for disciples. The Lord is quite capable of holy hatred, too. For so long people have assumed that since God loves you no matter what you do, then God also loves everything you do. That is simply untrue. God is love, and as we have already pointed out, holy love produces holy hatred. The Lord loves us. And because He loves us so passionately, His holy hatred can be quite searing:
“I am sick of your sacrifices. Don’t bring Me any more of them. I don’t want your fat rams; I don’t want to see the blood from your offerings. Who wants your sacrifices when you have no sorrow for your sins? The incense you bring Me is a stench in My nostrils. Your holy celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath, and your special days of fasting - even your most pious meetings - are all frauds! I want nothing more to do with them. I hate them all; I can’t stand the sight of them. From now on, when you pray with your hands stretched out to heaven, I won’t look or listen. Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear…” (Isaiah 1:11-15a, Living Bible).
And…
“I hate your show and pretense - your hypocrisy of ‘honoring’ Me with your religious feasts and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and thank offerings. I will not look at your offerings of peace. Away with your hymns of praise - they are mere noise to My ears. I will not listen to Your music, no matter how lovely it is” (Amos 5:21-23, Ibid).
I want to be a blessing and a delight to the Lord. I do not want to grieve Him. What about you? Friends, we need to find out what the Lord loves and what the Lord hates. It would be better for us to cancel everything and just lay face-down in the dirt than to shuffle through yet another church “service” and run the risk of grieving God yet again. We have a responsibility to find out what the Lord loves and what the Lord hates; what is acceptable to Him, and what is unacceptable. It is vain to continually ask Him to bless the thing He is disgusted by. It is a waste of time. Are we offering acceptable sacrifices to the Lord? Sacrifices of humility? Brokenness? Spirit and truth worship? Or are we just going through the motions of Churchianity every week? We know how to put together a music program (three praise songs, three worship songs). We know how to take up offerings. We know how to preach and give an altar call. We know how to do all these things: but are we giving God what He wants? It is a sad, but real fact: if God removed His presence from our church services, 99% of the activity would continue on as before, without interruption. We do not need God’s Spirit to worship in the flesh: we can do that all by ourselves. But God will not accept this “worship.” He looks the other way. For…
“…There are six things the Lord hates - no, seven: Haughtiness, lying, murdering, plotting evil, eagerness to do wrong, a false witness, sowing discord among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16-19, Ibid.).
It is a difficult thing for us to grasp, but the Scriptures make it clear. The Lord puts pride, lying, and gossiping in the same class as murdering and plotting evil. If we want to be a blessing to the Lord then we have to hate the things that He hates. We cannot afford to gloss over these things. The Lord does not change. If He hated something 4,000 years ago then He hates it every bit as much today. We cannot afford to become careless. Daily we grieve the Lord and we grieve one another with thoughtless words and actions.
All of us hate murder - but do we hate pretense and hypocrisy with the same passion? Do we hate gossip and lying? We are quick to condemn others for their acts of terrorism and violence, because it is an obvious sin. But are we so quick to judge ourselves when we are guilty of stirring up strife and sowing discord among brothers? “Lord, allow me to hate the things that you hate.” This should be our prayer, and the Lord will answer it by revealing Himself to us in a powerful way. We will learn to stay away from the things that grieve and offend the Lord. We will be attracted to the things that please Him. This is holiness.
Some brothers and sisters have no fear at all of sowing discord. In the name of “sharing” we so often bite and devour one another. Of course, gossip is usually packaged with spiritual phraseology. I read something online once that said, “Pray for Chip Brogden, because he…” and it went on to list specific ways in which I had failed to live up to this person’s expectations. “Pray for sister so-and-so, you know I saw her down at the liquor store the other day and…” With prayer partners like that, who needs prayer? This is just one example of how we fail to hate what the Lord hates. In all my years of being around church people I have seen so much strife and discord that I have learned to hate gossip with a holy hatred. I beg God to help me keep my mouth shut and my ears closed in this area. Gossip is so detestable to me that I cannot stand to be around people who are intent on sowing discord. It makes my skin crawl! It makes my blood boil! This is a gift from God. The Lord has broken me in this area. What about you?
HATING FOR JESUS
Do you love what the Lord loves? Then you must hate what the Lord hates. Jesus hated what had happened to His Father’s house, and He formed a whip to drive the merchants out of the Temple (cf. John 2:13-17). Pay attention to the things that make you angry, the things that grieve you, the things that make you passionate and zealous - they are clues to something you may be called to confront and change: first in yourself and then in others.
“[To Pergamos:] You have among you those who hold to the teachings of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate” (Revelation 2:15).
“[To Ephesus:] In your favor, you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate” (Revelation 2:6).
In the book of Revelation we find seven letters to seven churches. We also find the importance of hating what the Lord hates. Two churches are singled out with reference to the Nicolaitans. We have no intention of debating what the Nicolaitans represent: that would be the subject of another article. Right now, we are merely addressing the issue of holy hatred.
Pergamos was faithful to the Lord’s Testimony. Jesus says they held fast to His Name and had not denied the faith even when threatened with martyrdom. But they had allowed false doctrine to creep into their assembly. Their faithfulness to everything else notwithstanding, the Lord had an issue with them because they permitted something that the Lord hated. Now, I know of many Pergamum assemblies. Many of them are denominational churches, many of them are house churches. They hear me talk about the preeminence of Christ but they go along just as before. They permit things that are detestable to the Lord. They say they love the Lord, but they do not hate what He hates. They hold to the doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans. What is going to happen? “Repent; or else I will come to you suddenly, and will fight against you with the sword of My Mouth” (Revelation 2:16).
On the other hand, look at Ephesus. They labored patiently, were intolerant of evil, and exercised remarkable discernment against false apostles. Unfortunately the work of the Lord became more important than the Lord of the work, and they lost their first love. They are commanded to repent and do the first works over again. Yet in an interesting postscript, the Lord adds, “But in your favor, you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” Zeal does count for something. Holy hatred is important. The Ephesian church hated what the Lord hated. All they had to do now was to make Jesus the first priority and they would be a powerful testimony for the Lord.
The Bible says that Jesus “loved righteousness, and hated iniquity” (Hebrews 1:9a). Jesus has not changed. He passionately loves what His Father loves, and He passionately hates what His Father hates. And this is the One Who lives in us, the One Who is making us in His image. To touch the Lord Jesus is to touch what He loves and what He hates. It is to have compassion on the multitudes and be angry at their oppressors. We cannot know the Lord to any depth and remain passionless. The measure of our love for righteousness is determined by our hatred for iniquity, and the measure of our hatred for iniquity is determined by our love for righteousness. Holy love and holy hatred go hand-in-hand. Both are gifts from God. Both are powerful motivators, each one being fueled by the other.
“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and perverse speech, do I hate” (Proverbs 8:13).
It is universally accepted that the one called “Wisdom” in Proverbs 8 is the preexistent Christ. We would all like a revelation of Christ that tells us something of His love, or power, or healing, or grace. Certainly that is all included in Christ. Yet this revelation of Christ - as the One Who hates evil, pride, and arrogance - is just as valid. Of course, such a disclosure may not be congruent with our idea of Jesus as meek, mild, and passive. But the purpose of revelation is not to substantiate our illusions, but to eliminate them; to show us the truth, and then to conform us to the truth we have been shown.
To repeat: in your life you will always love something and hate something else. No one can serve two masters. The question is whether or not you will love what God loves and hate what God hates, or whether you will love what God hates and hate what God loves.
Father, conform us to the image of Jesus Christ - and destroy all our illusions about what that means. He must increase, but we must decrease. Show us the things that please you; show us the things that grieve you. Give us wisdom and discernment to know the difference. Give us a holy hatred of anything and everything that fails to give Christ the preeminence. We ask it for Your Will and Your Kingdom. Amen.

GREAT QUOTES

More GREAT QUOTES
-Sermonindex.net

"The attitude of the average Christian today is relax and be raptured.
But He is coming... and when God gets angry you’ve no idea what
it is. Like a thousand volcanoes exploding. He has appointed a day in which He is going to judge the world and the poor blind world
doesn’t know much about it and the poor blind church doesn’t think
much about it now."
-Leonard Ravenhill

"Lastly--are not the Church in their present state, a standing,
public, perpetual denial of the gospel? Do they not stand out before
the world, as a living, unanswerable contradiction of the gospel;
and do more to harden sinners and lead them into a spirit of caviling and infidelity, than all the efforts of professed infidels from the beginning of the world to the present day?" - Charles Finney

"The church’s concern for and identification with the poor are sure
signs of its faithfulness to the Kingdom and are often signs of
fundamental renewal."
-Howard A. Synder

"The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to
make them little Christ’s. If they are not doing that, all the
cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are
simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose."
-C.S. Lewis

"I owe everything to the gift of Pentecost. For fifty days the facts
of the Gospel were complete, but no conversions were recorded.
Pentecost registered three thousand souls. It is by fire that a holy
passion is kindled in the soul whereby we live the life of God. The
soul's safety is in its heat. Truth without enthusiasm, morality
without emotion, ritual without soul, make for a Church without
power…Destitute of the Fire of God, nothing else counts; possessing Fire, nothing else matters."
-Samuel Chadwick

"God uses people. God uses people to perform His work. He does
not send angels. Angels weep over it, but God does not use angels
to accomplish His purposes. He uses burdened broken-hearted weeping men and women."
-David Wilkerson

"Prayer is the power of the Church; and could I speak as loud as
the trumpet which is to wake the dead, I would thus call upon the
Church, in all branches and in all lands: 'Awake! awake! put on thy
strength, O Zion! put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem! Arise,
shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.'Patriarchs, prophets, apostles. martyrs, reformers, were
mighty in prayer. '" - Dr. N. Murray

"Keep me. Lord, from fainting
In this fierce fight,
When the foe is rising,
Clothe me with Thy might."
-Evan Roberts.