Rest

With so much burn out in ministry we need to understand that there needs to be seasons of rest. The ideal type of ministry is to listen to God and only say and do what we hear and see Him doing. It becomes an easier and more prosperous ministry. As the grapes lie dormant for a season and then produce the sweetest wine… we can do the same. Our time of rest can be powerful.

Abraham received the greatest covenant of the Old Testament. He was asleep during most of it. He laid out a sacrifice of a heifer, goat, and ram along with a turtledove and a pigeon. He cut the three animals into two pieces and kept the vultures away. When the sun was going down Abram fell into a deep sleep. The Lord showed him how his people would be enslaved for 400 years. A flaming torch and smoke passed down the path of sacrifice and God laid out the promise of the nations borders. None of this happened while he was fighting the buzzards away. It happened while he was resting. (see Genesis 15)

Jacob spent so much time striving. He came out of his mothers womb striving. He strove with his twin brother for birthright and blessing of inheritance. Years later on his way back with his family to the promised land, he arrived at Penuel. He sent his family on ahead and was left alone for a night. An angel (or the pre-incarnate Christ) wrestled with him until day break. (see Genesis 32) After this experience Jacob mellowed. He began to rest in the promises of the Lord. As an old man he entered Egypt years later to live in the land of Goshen. It was a special land set aside in the midst of a great empire just for him and his family. It was a place of rest for him as he watched his children’s children play and live in this special place.

The apostle John was left on the isle of Patmos. Here he received one of the greatest revelations of the New Testament. Just when we think we may have been put on a shelf, God walks through the door with new purpose for our lives. We must learn to celebrate rest. We don’t need to apologize for rest. Faith and trust will help us to celebrate rest.

In the beginning of the book of Genesis, we find God creating days. It tells us that the evening and morning were the first day. The day began with evening. This is the way God created it. Our day begins with rest. This is a new normal for us. To change our mindset to see that God wants us to begin our days with rest, will be a little difficult for most of us. In our culture we celebrate labor and works more than we celebrate the importance of rest. The reason we sometimes fail to have victory in the daytime may be because we haven’t learned the value of rest in the night.
What can we accomplish during the night? Or better still, what can God accomplish in us during the night? Scripture tells us that God opens the ears of man and seals his instruction during the night. (see Job 33:15-17)


Our time of rest is an opportune time for God to speak to us and to give us direction. While we are asleep He can give us dreams and even place understanding into our hearts about things we were confused about when we went to sleep. I have experienced this and have heard testimonies of others who have went to sleep unsure about things. Often to our surprise we have awakened with confidence and new understanding. Our sleep time is an important time of our day. It is vital for the rest of our day as we meet the challenges of the morning. His mercies are new and fresh each morning. In the night season He has prepped us for the coming morning. What a wise and wonderful God we worship.

I have always liked Psalm 127. It begins by telling us that unless the Lord builds the house, and guards the city, all is vain. It goes on to describe painful labors. Painful labors are when we rise early and retire late. This is quite the opposite of how we have been taught. We honor those who work extra hours. We honor those who get up early and go to bed at midnight. God honors those who take time to rest and allow Him to work. An old word used much in the past by the church is, Providence. Providence can be pictured as the big hand of God just stirring itself around in the affairs of man. That’s what we want. We want His input in our daily work.

God often speaks instructions to us during our waking hours. But, we cannot limit God to only speaking to us during the waking hours. Job tells us the reason God instructs us during the night is to keep us from the grips of pride. When we are asleep and God speaks to us we have nothing to do with it. We cannot take any credit for anything other than simply committing our sleep to Him. He also gives us such powerful dreams and visions that it changes our conduct. In Psalm 127:2 it tells us that God gives to His beloved, even in his sleep. This is beautiful. The God of all good and perfect gifts gives to us even in our sleep. We have so underestimated the power of sleep. We have not honored or celebrated rest. Let’s embrace a new normal of rest.

When we retire in the evening it would be good to focus our attention upon the Lord. The Church has pushed Bible reading for early morning and made countless people feel guilty who prefer reading of the evening. Could it be that reading of the evening is more beneficial? We were taught that to wait until evening was like giving God the leftovers. However, if we now understand that evening is the beginning of the day, we are giving God the first fruits. Wow! How powerful truth is in setting us free. For all of you out there who have felt condemnation for not getting up an hour early each morning to read…. be free. There is now no condemnation for those in Christ (see Romans 8:1). Many of our little neat ideas about study and prayer are tools of condemnation. As the Lord has birthed in your heart to commune with Him, follow Him instead of the ways and programs of man. Each of us must receive instruction from the Lord. He has designed the night for you to position yourself with Him to change the nature of your coming day. How beautiful is the Lord and all His ways.

I have a friend who struggled for years with feelings of condemnation when he awakened each morning. When he awakened he felt so void of God and His love. Although he was a part of ongoing cutting edge ministry, he battled with feelings of being out of touch with God each morning. I have felt this way some mornings but not to the degree my friend has experienced this.

A solution for this is to commit our nights to God. As we fall asleep we need to turn our hearts and all its affections upon Him. Fall asleep with pillow talk between you and Jesus. Talk to the Shepherd instead of counting sheep. Adore Him and overwhelm His heart as you fall into the arms of the Lover of your soul. If you awake during the night continue to do the same. A new kind of normal will form into a new habit, as you continually receive from Him even in this precious time of rest.

Responsibility

A new kind of normal will bring more responsibility. It will raise the bar for us in our works and extension of the kingdom of God here on earth. Our works will need to speak louder of how we have been with Jesus. When we are tempted to do wrong, we need to be stronger so we can be people of power. Business as usual will need to change.

The healing of the lame man as Peter and John went to the temple brought amazing publicity. They were questioned by the authorities and eventually spent some nights in jail…. but not before 5,000 more people were saved. The amazing conclusion that the authorities came to was that these men had been with Jesus. Upon returning to their team for a report of what had happened, the disciples were again filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word with even greater boldness and power. The result of persecution was their being of one heart and one soul. With great power they gave testimony of the Resurrection of Christ. After the incident with Ananias and Sapphira the church experienced great fear (see Acts 5:11) However the people held them in high esteem (see Acts 5:13). They were changing their society.

When the early disciples experienced these things, it changed their lives. As their society held them in higher esteem their responsibility changed. They couldn’t just have a good day and then a bad day. Any normal day they might be called upon to minister to a sick person. Any day they might have to answer the authorities and they needed the Holy Spirit to give them the appropriate answer. Any day they might need the power of God to do the works they knew they couldn’t do themselves. They needed daily manna from the Lord. Yesterdays experience weren’t enough. They needed the mercies of God new and fresh each morning. They had to be more intense in their pursuit of God and stronger in times of temptation. They had to be instant in season and out of season. They had to rise above their feelings and emotions. Each day they needed to be faithful to the anointing upon their lives.

It wasn’t about them being watched by the people but that they were on a momentum with God. When we get on a momentum with God, who wants it to stop? We want to go from glory to glory. Once we have tasted of the heavenly gifts we want to stay at the table eternally. Once we have waded into the Rivers of God we want to swim. Our works aren’t obligation based but hunger based.

When I am tempted to sin or tempted to become lax in my pursuit of God, I think about who may need me to minister to them. If I am walking in error how can I expect the power of God to be upon me in its fullest measure? I know that all believers have been used by God even when in error or after major failures, but we cannot continue to knowingly abuse the grace of God. We must keep a good balance between grace offered and grace abused. We must not allow guilt and condemnation to hinder us (see Romans 8:1). However, we need to lay aside every weight and sin that does so easily beset us so we can run the race and do the works of God (see Hebrews 12:1). By the grace of God given in Christ we need to do the works of God with confidence having a clear conscience before God. With this confidence we can readily meet the responsibilities that come each day.

In times of God’s visitation and times of outpouring more is required. When truth is flowing without measure there is more required. For the believer who sits and hears a nice homily on Sunday morning, there may be no inward urge to go out on the streets and pray for the sick. For multitudes of believers that hear the same sermons over and over as they are lulled asleep week after week, there may be no inward passion awakened to take a lame man by the hand and tell him to walk in Jesus’ name. However, for those who have ears to hear that Jesus has said that we would do “greater works“, something awakens in us and we can’t see things the same anymore (see John 14:12). This causes a new normal of responsibility. It’s dangerous to listen to truth if we aren’t willing to walk in it.

One of the most dangerous heresies (here in the Appalachian mountains) is teachers who teach people to hold on to what they label as the “old time religion”. Their ideas about “old time religion” aren’t really old enough. If they would only go back to the teachings of the early disciples they would not be denying the power of God for our times. The true “old time” way has its foundation and roots in the ways of the early disciples who walked with God and people were laid in the streets to be healed as their shadow passed by. If we are not careful, “old time religion” can become nothing more than a watered down version of powerless teachings passed down by teachers unwilling to pursue God for deeper truths found in the scriptures. These teachings often become flavored with escapism offering little hope for solutions in life now. There is almost no challenge to have faith in God for the greater things He so desperately wants to do among us. Often, escapism makes a mockery of the prayer Jesus taught His disciples to pray (see Matthew 6:12). Our prayer, proclamation, and desire must be for the ways of Heaven to come to earth instead of us only wanting to go to heaven for the better life. A new normal will require us to bring the agenda of Heaven to earth on a daily basis.

Jesus spoke often about responsibility. He said that when we are given much, there is much required. When we are entrusted with much, more will be asked of us (see Luke 12:48). Our generation is responsible for more than the last because of the knowledge and wisdom it has been given. It seems we have advanced in every arena of life and it calls for more responsibility. For example, we see how technology advances with powerful acceleration and we stand in amazement. Likewise, the kingdom of God advances forcefully as a new normal is set. God has never been and never will be outdated. He is the Ancient of Days and He makes all things new. We are not to become a people of compromise, but we are to invade and make a difference in our culture and society. Revelation portrays Babylon as a system that controls the earth in the end times. It is a political, commercial, and religious system. Instead of fearing Babylon, we must invade Babylon. It is our responsibility to make a difference.
　
　

Shoulders of the Saints

One of the main reasons we can go beyond the normal in our spiritual maturity is the shoulders on which we stand. Those that have pioneered the way before us have built highways for us to travel faster and farther. Their shoulders are strong and we must honor these men and women of God. To dishonor them is to slow down our process of maturity and purpose.

I remember a mountain family that I befriended in the mid 70’s. Hanging out with them as they farmed and did their chores was a great opportunity for me to hear of their experiences. They told me about the bumps in the road. I listened carefully and was blessed to miss some of the bumps. They were just simple people living their lives for Jesus. We had debates about my hair being a little too long. They didn’t agree with my belief that I could date more than one girl at a time. I didn’t know any different. They dressed a different way than most believers do today. However, they weren’t unwise, naïve, or out of touch with God anymore than I am today in sandals and jeans. My hair isn’t worth arguing over anymore and dating is a thing of the past. I appreciate the opportunity of standing on their shoulders.

I remember the Taylor brothers and how they pioneered revival of their day. Big tent meetings and crowds of people marked their path. Hard preaching and old time singing was what they called it. I didn’t agree with all their doctrines and I didn’t copy their style of preaching. My songs I sing now are almost 100% worship phrases with some testimony. Upon request I might sing an old escapist song about getting out of here and going to Heaven, but I prefer proclaiming occupancy and extension of the Kingdom of Heaven now. I haven’t backslid and they weren’t ignorant. I just have the privilege of standing on their shoulders. I was born “spiritually short”, and so for them to pick me up on their shoulders and let me see the parade means a lot. The view from here is great. But, without them I would still be very short.

Some of those before us were wrong in their doctrines and some even fell hard in times of temptation. Great Revivalist of the 1900’s often fell because of the money, self-glory, and sexual temptation. I used to think if someone fell that we should forget all they taught us. I am glad the Holy Spirit didn’t forget David and Solomon. My favorite saints of the Bible are probably the ones who failed the most. I still stand on their shoulders.

A believer that may have challenged me the most didn’t even believe in Trinity. I never brought the subject up but they did fairly often. I wasn’t about to budge from my beliefs in that department. However we have remained close friends and I have really enjoyed the testimonies that have come from this person. I am Wesleyan and yet have worked side by side with Calvinists. Many times I have kept quiet in debates so I could still stand on the shoulders of those different from me. I still do it today. Outside of the basic doctrines of our faith I don’t ague over doctrines. However, I choose to be very radical when I happen upon revelation and truth that the Holy Spirit brings to the light for me. I choose to honor those that have gone before me by standing on their shoulders. I am able to see farther because of them.

To take the Bride of Christ to new levels and defy the norm in our times could never happen without the shoulders of the past to stand upon. Any new truth and revelation follows close behind those who have paid the price to purchase the simple truths we have heard a hundred times. Every level of the mountain must be maintained so there can be those who reach the top to get the new view. Unlike the children of Israel who were busy making a golden calf, we choose to accompany Moses to receive the oracles of God. Some of us may maintain certain levels of the mountain while others of us will continue to the top. We will behold the glory of the Lord and then we will bring the glory back into all the other levels of the mountain. Scripture tells us that Moses shined with the Presence of the Lord upon him. Although the nation wouldn’t go with him upon the mountain, he brought the glory back down to them.

There have been those who have pushed me up the mountain. They may not have been privileged to see what I see today but they longed for it. Scripture speaks of us being able to see times that the prophets longed to see. We stand on their shoulders. How glorious is the view! Never has vision been more clear. Never have dreams been more numerous. It’s the joy of standing on the shoulders of the saints.

Thanksgiving

Thankfulness sanctifies. It sets us apart to receive. In the story of the feeding of the 5,000 Jesus gave thanks while there was only 5 loaves and 2 fish. There followed an abundance of food as 5,000 men, plus women and children were fed. We must learn to give thanks for the small things. This process can work in each area of our lives. Don’t focus on what you don’t have but what you are beginning to receive. Allow yourself to vision the solution and give thanks for what you see the end of the matter to be. In the Kingdom of God thankfulness brings increase.

For example, when we pray for healing, a couple of things can happen. There can be an instant miracle or there can be progressive healing. When a Nobleman came to ask Jesus for healing for his son, Jesus told him, “Go, for your son lives”. When the Nobleman arrived back home, he asked when the son had started to get better. They told him and he knew that was the hour Jesus had spoken life over his son. (see John 4:52) Elisha prayed for a dead boy by lying on top of him. Slowly he became warm. Elisha walked around a little and then laid on him again and he sneezed 7 times and came back to life. (see II Kings 4:35) That is an example of progressive healing. When we are praying for healing we need to give thanks for each little improvement. This opens up the way for progressive healing to continue. When we pray for financial provision we need to give thanks for the dimes we find in the washer. When we pray for healing of strained relationships we need to give thanks for the little acts of favor and kindness we see coming from the one we are seeking restoration with.

Paul told the Thessalonians to give thanks in everything because this is the will of God for us in Christ Jesus. (see I Thessalonians 5:18) The will of God begins to form in us as we begin to see our will becoming much like His. We begin to want the same things He wants. When we give thanks we are agreeing with Heaven. We are saying yes to His yes and Amen to His Amen. (see II Corinthians 1:20) As we agree with God that His works are good, it brings us into alignment to move forward in His good purposes for our lives.

Even if we don’t fully understand our circumstances, we are at peace in the place of our development. We are to give thanks in all things. Even if it looks bad, we must believe that God will cause all things to work together for good. Times of trial and testing are often the hardest times for us to give thanks for all things. If we could only look at the test from God’s perspective we could more easily give thanks. The test has the task of bringing us into greater maturity. The next time you recognize a time of testing is upon you, just think of how you will grow through this process. You might be bold and say, “I’m going to milk this thing for all it’s worth!”. Get all you can get out of your trials.

Don’t fail the test by whining and complaining, which is the opposite of giving thanks. Failing tests are much like it was back in school. You just have to take the test again. Our growth pace is up to us. We can mature fast or slow. We all know believers that have been saved for dozens of years that still suck on their thumbs. We also know those who don’t waste their trials and seek to grow with leaps and bounds with each season of their life. They are instant in season and out of season. They don’t grow bitter and blame God for every misfortune that comes in life. They are thankful in all things. So, go ahead and milk those trials. Get all you can out of them and don’t look for them to reappear.

Some believers give so much recognition to the enemy. They blame the devil for every bad thing in their life. They cry out for deliverance from all that oppresses them even if it’s just a rainy day. Looking from Heaven’s perspective we might focus on how much we are going to steal from the devil instead of complaining how much he has taken from us. Instead of deliverance we might think of conquering, overcoming and occupying.

It’s in us to magnify something. We will either magnify the problem or magnify the solution. We can allow the problem to get bigger and bigger in our minds or we can have a heart of thanksgiving magnifying God because He is the solution. The result of thanksgiving is God being magnified and glorified. He is worthy of it.

Thankfulness releases His affections toward us. I have began the practice in the last years of taking some time and just giving thanks for every little thing I can think of. I will sit down in a room at home or on a rock out in the woods and just give thanks. After doing this for several minutes I can feel the manifest Presence of God move into the place. He becomes tangible. The air becomes electric. He touches my spirit and my emotions.

For example, I can sit in my living room and with open eyes just look at things and give thanks. I have a bookcase that has souvenirs from the countries I have been to. So, I begin…. Looking at the two wooden giraffes I give thanks for the people that came to Christ in Africa… for the man who had his ears opened and the guy that was healed of aids…. Looking at the wooden plate from the Ukraine…. I give thanks for the miracle of not being affected by the poisoned berries I had eaten without knowing (until later) they were poisoned. I look at my skin and give thanks that the water in Kiev that was poisoned by the Chernobyl disaster didn’t affect my skin when I baptized over a hundred people in the lake almost 20 years ago. I give thanks for the fireplace and the warmth it gives. I give thanks for the pictures and the special inspiration each one gives me. It just goes on and on.

I believe God wants us to move into a lifestyle of blessings and miracles. I think He wants to surprise us more and more. I believe we are moving into times when unexplainable things will begin to happen daily. This can only happen as we position ourselves in the posture of thankfulness. The momentum is picking up. God loves to be involved in the lives of His people.

In the last few weeks there have been some small things that have happened that I can’t explain. I keep waiting for someone to come forward and admit they are responsible for a couple of the things. Otherwise, I plan to just sit back and enjoy a life of miracles. A few weeks ago we had a cookout at my house and the floodlights had burnt out during the summer. We ended up eating in the dark with only the light from the fire pit. The floodlights are up high and I don’t have a ladder that reaches that high. A few days later both lights were burning. I asked everyone that came that night if they might have changed them. Everyone denies any involvement.
　
While working outside today I hurt my back really bad. I felt it pull on the lower right side unlike anything I have ever experienced with my back. I slowly walked towards the house leaving my tools laying on the ground. I planned on getting my son to pick up the tools when he got home. I was able to climb the stairs…. but very slowly. I couldn’t even bend over to get my shoes off without excruciating pain. I began to speak healing into my back…. believing in progressive healing. In my mind I began to prepare for a few days of progressive healing and I would be very thankful for just some relief. I could tell my dog was even feeling sorry for me. I laid on the bed for a little while speaking healing to my back. I fell asleep for a few minutes and got up. My back was feeling a little better. I was thankful. An hour later it was much better and I went walking back through the woods giving thanks and actually amazed it was healing so fast. Another hour went by and I was bending over and everything. I moved a table I had put together earlier today down to the bottom level. By the time my son got home I decided I wouldn’t even mention what had happened.

As I pondered on all of this, I came to the conclusion that I live in the presence of miracles. It has become a lifestyle for me. Paper doesn’t have room for me to write it all down. I can’t explain a lot of things that happen to me. There may be someone who comes forward and tells me they changed the light bulbs. But, that won’t change anything at all. When we give thanks to a Mighty God who loves us so much that He would rather die for us than live without us, why are we surprised? He just shows up. Thanksgiving invites Him to come and be involved. His hand of providence stirs among us. His eyes watch over us. Angels watch…. just in case we dash our foot against a stone. (see Psalms 91:12)

It’s a new kind of normal and it is good.

New Kind of Normal II

Earlier this year I watched the trailer for “An Appalachian Dawning” that was released in late summer. This documentary was about a small town of about 1900 people deep in the mountains of Kentucky. Manchester is in Clay County which is the 6th poorest county in our nation. Drugs and everything that goes with it had heavily infested the county for years. However, in 2004 the town held a march saying they had had enough of corrupt government and drug sales. About 4000 people came out from the surrounding county for this march.

Transformation began. By the time the documentary was made this year, the town had 1400 new jobs. The darkness was exposed as drug dealers were arrested and phenomenal change came to town. In their words, “God came to town”. A revived church began to work together in practical action. Bonds of addiction were broke. There was societal breakthrough. A barren land had come to life… a new dawning.

I went with a couple of people a week after election day to visit Manchester. Upon entering the town I liked their sign at the entrance. It read, “City of Hope”. Upon going to a local restaurant for lunch I realized we had entered a battle zone. Some of the local people were criticizing the mayor. In the documentary the mayor played a big part in the transformation. After asking them a few questions we realized that not all people like transformation. Everyone doesn’t want a new normal.

As we searched for another place to talk to the people about the transformation, we came to a church building in a strip mall. Inside was a TV station that ministered to the southern part of the state. We spent several hours with the president of the TV station. What a blessing as he shared endlessly the things God had done in Manchester in the past few years. In only a few short hours we had already walked into the negative atmosphere of darkness and then the most brilliant atmosphere of light. He asked me who I wanted to meet. Without hesitation I told him I wanted to meet the guy who had won so many to Christ after his conversion from a life of dealing drugs. In a few minutes in walked Steve who had been one of the biggest drug dealers in the county and who is featured in the documentary. He too shared for an hour or more the stories of transformation in their town.

But what about what we had heard in the first restaurant? Why the negative attitude? Shouldn’t everyone be happy with such transformation? Their town had become famous as their story was being aired all around the nation and world. Who would not be proud that God had come to town?

Some people make their living working in the darkness. Money is made from drug sales. Not everyone wants to walk in the light. These people rose up in the past election and elected a new mayor. The mayor that had led the way in transformation lost the election by about 80 votes. How does this happen? When believers become lax and do not maintain, they often loose some of the ground they have taken. Voters that were supportive of transformation just failed to come out and vote. They thought the battle was won and didn’t see a need to sustain the victories.

As I heard these stories, I could see that this is a picture of the cooperate church. As believers we love to win and to be a part of God’s movement amongst us. However, most of us fail to sustain what God has initiated. We enjoy His visits but don’t know how to build Him a habitation. In the OT picture of the tabernacle, God lit the fire and the Priests had to keep it kindled. Under the new covenant each believer is a Priest unto God. (see Revelation 1:6) John Wesley taught the Priesthood of all believers. When God initiates something He wants us to sustain it.

Growing up on a farm I am familiar with fires. When I was only a child I was with my brother out in a field. The field was filled with sage grass. I don’t recall how I got the matches or how the fire started, but I took a torch of sage grass and ran throughout the field lighting fires. It kept my brother busy putting out the fires that I was lighting. Later, my love for camping helped me learn how to keep campfires going. Someone had to be faithful to keep putting wood on the fire. It meant someone had to get up a few times during the night to maintain the fire. It was a simple process but it required faithfulness.

God is calling us to a new normal in faithfulness. Beginning with ourselves we need to maintain those things God has initiated in our personal lives. For example, our encounters with His Presence change us. The experience is overwhelming at times. We need to pay the price to keep the fire going. It may require us getting up when we don’t feel like getting up to put wood on the fire. He will give us wisdom to sustain those things He initiates. Paul told the Philippians that he was confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in them would perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (see Philippians 1:6) Our fires should never burn out.

One of the biggest fires the Lord ever lit in my life was when I gave Him my life at the age of 12. However, I struggled to maintain my fervor back in those days. I didn’t have a lot of help from other believers. Wood burns better when there is a pile burning together. A lone ember will soon burn out. At 18 I rededicated my life to God and began to hang around other believers on a regular basis. When my friends didn’t want to embrace my new fervor, I began to hang out with older believers. “Generation gap” was a phrase coined in those days but I didn’t join the movement. I found great strength hanging out with people twice my age or older. It gave me strength to maintain.

An unforgettable experience for me was in 1998 in Dallas, Texas. I went there to a meeting called, “Light the Nations”. Several of the Argentine leaders were there telling about the years of revival their nation had experienced and maintained. I remember Sergio Scataglini telling us in order to keep the fire going we had to give it away. He had sold his car and would ride taxi so he could bless the drivers. On one of the days while I was there in Dallas I went forward for a prayer of impartation from the Argentine ministers. After the prayer I felt very drunk and couldn’t feel my upper lip. I was stuttering so bad I asked another minister what he thought had happened to me. His response was simply that Holy Spirit had touched me. The next morning around 3:00 am I awoke in a fetal position in my motel bed. I was crying but in a good way. I felt something electrical in my stomach. It seemed God was giving me belly punches, but in a good way. I laid there for hours just feeling God touch me over and over… unending….

Around 8:00 I tried to get to the bathroom to get ready for the conference. I basically crawled and let myself fall into the tub without even turning the lights on. God was overwhelming my physical body unlike anything I had ever felt before. I just lay there in the water… then I heard the most dreadful sound. It was the maid coming down the hall with her vacuum cleaner. I could only imagine her opening the door and finding me there in the dark in such a position. It just happened the dead bolt had been fastened. I eventually dressed amid times of just falling on my face on my prayer mat and just intensely worshiping Jesus. I began to walk the several blocks to the conference. On my way I saw this guy coming towards me who looked like a maniac with wild eyes. Upon seeing me and coming very close, he suddenly turned and ran away. Something was upon me… in me… around me… God had come to His temple. The train of His robe was filling His temple and it was bigger than me. Almost more than I could handle.

Arriving back home for the weekend services in the church where I was pastor, I knew I had some problems. It was Mother’s Day. I also had to do the dedication service of a little baby girl. I was still really messed up. I still felt the power in my stomach. My upper lip still had no feeling. I was laughing at everything. I was so goofy. I held onto the pulpit and tried my best. Everyone was looking at me and they knew something was up. I started prophesying over the little baby girl. I lost my train of thought and would just begin to laugh. I didn’t attempt to make it to the back door to shake hands but just sat down on the altar. One little elderly lady asked me if I had had a stroke. My family was called and they came to my home during the afternoon to check on me. By Sunday evening service the crowd was growing. I felt like John Wesley who said, he just caught himself on fire and people came to watch him burn. By the end of the service that night my youth leaders had said they weren’t coming back. They cried as they expressed their confusion and my response was joyful laughter. I had been touched. They didn’t quit and they still come to the city where I am now, to visit us in services. However, I did loose a lot of people over the experience. The drunken feeling lasted about a week and then I faced the choice to go back to normal or have a new normal. I chose the later.

Since Dallas, I have maintained what God did in me. I have chased after Him in all the ways I have known to do so. I have read books, went to conferences, and sought God on a personal level unlike any other season of my life. It has been over 12 years and it is only getting better. I keep adding wood to the fire and thereby the fire is sustained. I don’t want to let up. Many believers, especially in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles like to boast of what God did for them years ago. They once were filled but have not realized how empty they are now. They think their only choice is to boast about the past. God is alive and well today. The cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night are on the move. Many have been left behind building statues to past experiences. The fire must be maintained. Jesus wouldn’t let Peter build tabernacles on the Mount of Transfiguration after their Supernatural experience there. (see Luke 9:33) We must add wood to the fire continually.

A new level of faithfulness is coming to the Body of Christ. Because of hunger many are seeking the Lord no matter what it takes. They are willing to leave homes and friends to go wherever they need to go, for a season to greater experience and maintain the passion He has birthed in them. Faithfulness on a personal level is rising. There is a new normal coming. Can God count on you to be faithful to what He has birthed/initiated in you? Will you allow Him to complete the good works He has begun in you? Will you choose a new level of faithfulness?

Faithfulness is also important in our communities and cities. As we see in the story of Manchester, we need to be faithful to the call God has given to cooperate groups. We need to help maintain the ground we have already taken. As I talked with the people in Manchester I cannot forget their statement of how they still had new direction even though they had lost some ground. God is giving them wisdom, plans, and direction to go farther. The election was only a wake-up call. The normal has been raised and they cannot even think of lowering it.

In the battle of the bulge during World War II, the Allies struggled to keep ground they had already taken. Hitler’s men began to make surprise attacks on camps that were living in ease thinking they were far enough back from the battle. Many lives were lost as Hitler’s men began to make the occupied line bulge back towards western Europe. However as the generals began to come to attention, the territory was taken back and Hitler was defeated.

It is a good example for the church to always make sure we are faithful to maintain/sustain all that God has blessed us with. We need to be faithful to the vision of others. Work behind the scenes without any recognition. Show up for meetings or let someone know where you are at. Let the leaders know you are still in the picture. Don’t let anyone consider you to be fickle. Be faithful to the cause. March.

One of the most amazing stories I heard from the Manchester trip was about the filming of the march. In the documentary that has gone around the world, there is footage of the march in 2004. 4,000 people showed up and only one guy filmed the march. He was in a wheelchair. He came to the march without his camera but kept hearing the Lord tell him to go back and get it. Reluctantly he obeyed. Much of the footage is taken with him rolling backwards to get it. He had to mobilize himself through the crowds to accurately get the footage. He did it. As we sat with him and heard his story we felt his pride. Not a vain pride but a pride in obeying what seems to be the little nudges God gives us from time to time. That is faithfulness.

A new kind of normal is to dare to obey in the little things, although it seems foolish or unimportant. Like throwing wood on a campfire, it’s simple. We just need people to do it. God is counting on you. Will you walk in faithfulness? Can God use you as an example of a new kind of normal in faithfulness?

A New Kind of Normal

When I watch documentaries of what God is doing in other places I understand more that we need a higher normal in our culture. We need to raise the bar of our expectancy and what we consider to be normal Christianity. In China there is such desperation to worship and hear the word they will stand for 12 hours to worship and listen. In Mozambique nearly all the deaf that are prayed for (in the ministry documented) are able to hear and about a hundred people have been raised from the dead. Miracles are happening amongst the gypsies in Europe. They are the most hated people group in the world. In some places of the world, people are forgiving their enemies in ways that should make us feel ashamed at how easily we are offended here in American life. The norm needs to be raised in our love level and our faith level.

Most of us are satisfied and even excited to experience or hear about a miracle ever now and then. We think that “some miracles” is enough. Nazareth had a “some miracles” in Jesus’ time but was still recorded as a town of unbelief. Is our normal any different than that of Nazareth? At first, the people of Nazareth were impressed with Jesus’ words. (see Luke 4:22) We might say they were even inspired. His words were coming alive in them. Then, quickly they began to question His words of declaration. They were familiar with Him. He had grown up in their town. In a moments time they moved from a place of inspiration, grace, and empowerment to a place of tragic unbelief. People often shut down the Holy Spirit’s life giving breath upon them by allowing questions of unbelief to form in their hearts.

Jesus expected us to raise the bar of normalcy when He told us that we would do greater works than He Himself did during His physical ministry here. (see John 14:12) We can twist that promise several ways. Someone might say that we are doing social works throughout the world in greater measure than Jesus did. The “Greater Works” He was talking about was miracles, healing and deliverance. Study it closely and you will see that these are the works He was talking about. Social works (feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the poor, etc.) are of the greatest importance and Jesus continuously encouraged them. Then there are some who would argue that miracles were only for Bible days. This is the saddest excuse of them all. This only helps faithless people to develop a seared conscience. (see I Timothy 4:2) Teachings that hint such doctrine should be trashed.

We need to reverence the Words of Christ to the degree that we refuse to even set the level at our own personal experience. I have had ministers tell me that they do not believe in certain things because they have never experienced these things. The level of faith and expectancy must be greater than anything that we have seen or experienced. Having made our foundation upon the Word and promises of God we need to reach for the unseen. We must not even allow history to control our vision or dictate our accomplishments for the future. Just because we haven’t seen something happen yet doesn’t hinder God. With God all things are possible.

One of my favorite stories in Scripture is how David took the stronghold of the city that we now know as Jerusalem. David was born in a time when unconquered enemies still controlled parts of the promised land. David knew God had promised more to His people than they presently possessed. When David became King and surveyed the land, he knew God wanted him to take all of the land. The stronghold of Jerusalem was under the control of the Jebusites. They were a violent mountain people. They had never been conquered. The people during Joshua’s day had not conquered them. During the days of the Judges they still remained in their strongholds. Some of Israel’s greatest heroes had failed to conquer them. All of this was enough to persuade normal people to leave them alone. But David was not normal. He was above normal and his idea of normal was to take the strongest down first.

When the Jebusites heard of David’s plan to take their city, they mocked him. (see II Samuel 5:6-8) Their proverb was that the blind and lame could hold the city and turn David away. Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion and took the city. It was named, “The City of David” and later named Jerusalem. It became the capital of David’s empire and remains the capital today. David did not allow the past to hold him back. History may have had only records of defeat but David raised the normal and did a new thing. He conquered something not yet conquered by his people. God is calling us to do the same. Just because we haven’t seen it yet is no reason to not go forward and make new history. God can change everything overnight.

The mockery of the Jebusites holds some truth. It is often the blind and the lame that keep us from taking the promises God has placed before us. Our biggest enemy can be unbelieving professed Christians sitting beside us in church each week. Sitting in spiritual blindness they don’t see the promises or the vision God has given to His people. The lame are those who once walked with Christ and knew His power but have allowed false teachers to teach them that the power of God is not for us. Miracles and experiences of the past are explained away for a comfortable life of unbelief without any challenges of their faith. Now they are lame. These people can discourage us if we allow them to.

I remember sitting under professors in seminary who denied the existence of angels and even questioned a physical Heaven. Others glorified the professors of the 70’s who had pronounced that God was dead. I attended the seminary for 3 summers that made this announcement and they had proceeded to have a mock funeral for God. Either these professors never met the Lord or they had been blinded by too much rational knowledge. They had become both blind and lame. Did they hinder me? It didn’t do that at all…. it only made me stronger. There rose up in me a greater resolve to proclaim truth…. Radical truth that would set people free and reform society. The proverbs of the enemy should only lure us into the fight to take the strongholds and extend the kingdom of God. We are a violent people and we take the kingdom by force. (see Matthew 11:12) Moving by faith we believe that through Christ we overcome the greatest obstacles that stand in our way. Our battle is not against man but against powers of evil often resident in high places. Places that seem impossible to take.

It is true that our fathers have failed to bring down some strongholds in our cities and regions. Also, our generation has built its own strongholds against the kingdom of God. This is no problem for God. He has a greater vision. Although the vision tarries, it has been set for an appointed time. It will certainly come and that without delay. (see Hab. 2:34) It is our time to take the strongholds and bring the dreams of God into their proper manifestation. Don’t hold back. Set a new kind of normal in your life. Anything God gives you a thumbs up to do… go for it. Jesus did what He saw His Father doing. A thumbs up from the Father is backed by Heaven itself.

The are two great lessons to be learned from David’s story. David didn’t hold back because of the taunts of the enemy and he didn’t hold back because of the failures of those before him. He set a new kind of norm.
I love the early years of David’s life. You know what I’m talking about…. Killing a bear and a lion while watching his father’s sheep… writing psalms in the hills while watching the moon rise over the mountains… visiting the war camps where his brothers were fighting… killing Goliath, the strongest giant of the day…. Singing for the king… But, did you ever catch the note in I Samuel 17:54? David took the head of Goliath to Jerusalem. Remember it was still occupied by the Jebusites. I think David was making a deposit. In less than 20 years he would return as King of the Promised Land and take the city. That day when he delivered the head of the giant, he may have been thinking, “You may say I’m young and my own king now calls me a stripling, but I serve a mighty big God and I will be back!”. Wow, what a young man!

Youth and children are able to believe so easily. Children believe in the miracles of God until an adult tells them differently. Jesus said that to enter the kingdom we must become as children. (see Matthew 10:15) They have a different norm. In their eyes magic still happens. It hasn’t been explained away. In the documentary on Mozambique, children were doing most of the praying for the sick. It would be wise for leaders today to call children forth to pray over the sick. It would be somewhat humbling for those who love control, but why not let the magic begin?
As David took the biggest giant when he was a young man, he took the biggest stronghold as the nation’s young king. David had something inside of him from his youth that urged him on until the day he died. Even his own failures did not succeed in holding him back from accomplishing all the wills of his God. (See Acts 13:22 and 13:36)

As I hear these stories and I feel these truths rising in me….. my spiritual temperature is rising…. My passion is rising….. my normal is rising… We are walking in Ezekiel’s River of God and the water is rising. A trickle has become a river. It’s went from ankle deep to knee deep. Then it’s went from knee deep to waist deep. Hold on…. We now have waters to swim in… The farther the River went from the temple (where the blind and lame sit each Sunday) the deeper it became and the more miracles happened. The conclusion of the vision of the River was that everything the River touched was healed. (see Ezekiel 47:9) Everything lived. Can this be the new kind of norm? Can you and I believe such a thing?

As kids say…. I double dare you to believe such a thing!

Ministry In The Mountains

Around the age of fourteen I began to lead youth meetings. I would later understand it was almost the same as pastoral ministry. I had about 20 youth that I spoke to each week. I prepared some scripture but mostly shared my heart with them. I remember that the light bulb burned out in the room we used and instead of replacing the bulb I used lamp light. This made it more intimate as we experienced a mellow atmosphere that Jesus definitely entered and we were blessed. In those days we knew so little about Holy Spirit and The Presence. All I knew how to do was to bring the same things I experienced privately into a cooperate setting. It worked. Without me fully understanding what was happening I now understand that it was an overflow. I was working from an overflow of my relationship with Christ instead of trying to impress with my knowledge. My knowledge was very limited so I really had no other choice. This was all about to change.

The autumn after I turned 18, I began preaching in revival meetings. Again, I relied heavily upon the anointing to give me the words to say since my knowledge was still very limited. There has to be a balance between anointing and knowledge. I had minister friends that totally depended upon the anointing and never studied the word except an hour or so to find a text to preach from. I also listened to other speakers who had a knowledge of the word but it was dry and boring. When knowledge alone was their means of ministry there seemed to be a lack of the breath of God upon their speaking. I would have to find a balance.

For my study I used several study bibles and a Matthew Henry Commentary. I went beyond the KJV version when the Lord told me that He was holding me responsible if I closed my mind to only the KJV. I didn’t want to be held responsible in the things of God. Later I attended seminary in Atlanta at Emory University followed by several summers at Duke University. Some of my old-time mountain preacher friends thought this was a big mistake. They often preached against seminary and even advised me that community college was useless for me. I was divided about it. However, the Methodist Church required that I attend seminary so I felt I had no choice. I would do whatever was required of me because I knew God had placed me in the church they had given me to pastor.

Moving into Pastoral ministry at 19 (although I had said I would never do it) instead of Evangelistic ministry required different skills. It also moved me into a new mind-set of responsibility like I had never known. I felt I was responsible for everything. Like a shepherd of a flock of sheep…. it seemed I was concerned about every hair that fell from their head. Every loss was painful to me. Every misunderstanding was painful to me. When news of controversy came I would feel myself almost freeze in fear. I was responsible for them and their circumstances…. so I thought.

In pastoral ministry we can become so pressured by people and their needs that our focus is no longer on the will of God. Our joy leaves us because ministry has become a burden. This is false responsibility. It is one of the biggest and heaviest religious spirits. Most pastors are under the weight of these spirits. This is especially true here in the mountains where tradition has taught the people that this is status quo. A pastor is expected to visit the sick person even though no one has let him know their loved one is sick. I know of a couple of examples when Holy Spirit would place someone upon my heart and I would visit them to find them extremely sick. Holy Spirit saved the day. Although no one had called me, they were expecting me.

Funerals are unique here in the mountains. After moving on to other pastorates, I have often been called back to a former pastorate to do a funeral. Once I was called to do the funeral of a family member I had never met. They were upset at their present pastor and wanted me to come back and do the funeral. I loved this family very much. I had baptized their children and ate at their table. I had a major problem though. I had already scheduled a trip to a conference that I had felt would greatly benefit me. It was a conference on Intercession and it was my strongest passion to learn all I could about intercession in that season of my life. I canceled the trip and did the funeral. I have always regretted it and cringe inside as I write about it. I ministered to needs instead of being led by Holy Spirit.

When Jesus heard that Lazarus was dying He had a choice. Lazarus was a good friend and his family was like family to Jesus. He had dined at their home and enjoyed their friendship unlike any other. However, Jesus didn’t respond to Lazarus’ need but He responded to the voice of His Father. He remained where He was for a while. When Jesus saw Father giving Him the thumbs up to go to Bethany where Lazarus was, He went, but not before and not after. God knows what He's doing! Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. I have always joked that Jesus could not have made it as a Pastor here in the mountains. He was late visiting the sick and late for funerals. He would have been fired by the deacon board.

Deacon boards, Elder boards, and church committees have been a vehicle for the spirit of false responsibility to ride upon. Much like the Sanhedrin (of the Old Testament) that Moses set in order to help him with the daily responsibilities, the early church chose deacons to help with the food for widows. That is what deacons should be doing. But, things have changed and deacons often destroy pastors and local congregations with their hunger for power. They often vote and make the decisions that control the ministry of the local congregation. When will we understand that a majority vote is not always right? This often results in the Holy Spirit being pushed out the door and the ways of man are honored and God is hindered. I personally feel that most of these governing groups are as outdated as the Sanhedrin. There are many things that start out right and end up wrong because of the ways of man. When something good becomes infiltrated with religious spirits it is perverted and becomes a tool in the hand of the enemy.

I know the former paragraph may touch a nerve with some who read this but touching nerves is often a good way to flush out religious spirits. If it irritates you…. then let it surface and rid yourself of it. It’s hard to kill a bird in the bush but if you flush it out you can have it for supper. Time and paper would not allow me to write of all the bad experiences I have had with boards and committees. Our local laws require congregations to have Trustee boards. These boards care for the legal matters of the congregation. Non-profit organizations and Para church organizations require a board of directors. Again, as long as they stay in the bounds of their duty all is well. I am not promoting lack of leadership and structure. We just need to guard against the control of man replacing the leadership of the Holy Spirit. It is really good when boards have people on them like Stephen who are full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit. But, these people are sometimes stoned.

Under the new covenant it is a heart thing instead of a law thing. God promises to put a new heart and a new spirit in His people. False responsibility will cause us to toil to become Holy Spirit for the people. As leaders we need to teach the people how to hear God for themselves. This brings maturity of intimacy and relationship. This is a part of their process to know God better. Jesus told how some people would hear Him say in the end that He never knew them. What a sad conclusion. Are we hindering people from knowing God intimately because we allow them to use us to be their hearing devise? That is scary. Affirmations and confirmations are good. When someone gives us a prophesy or encouragement that lines up with what God has already shown us, it is like wind for our sails. Leaders and other believers can provide wonderful encouragement and nutrition for us but there is more. We need to gather manna for ourselves and enjoy it in fellowship with each other. We all bring different things to the table. As a body we compliment each other with testimony of our experience in cooperate gatherings. We also bring uniqueness of gifts and purpose to the table.
　
False responsibility keeps people from what God has called them to do. They find themselves trying to please the congregation or persons elected to be on governing boards. Can we not see that this aborts the will of God in our lives? So much repentance needs to be done in this area of ministry. This causes many pastors and ministers to work under a yoke that Jesus never put on them. Heavy burn-out is a result. Let me repeat… false responsibility is a heavy religious spirit. Our calling is to obey the Lord and to be Spirit-led. Jesus is the Great Shepherd and the people are His responsibility. Jesus said He would build the Church. We are to expand the Kingdom. We are to be light and salt in the world. Jesus will take care of church problems one way or the other. In my mind I think I heard someone say Hallelujah. Maybe it was the old mountain preachers who are wrinkled and worn by their years of ministry under heavy loads of needless responsibilities.

After more than 30 years of pastoral ministry things are different now. I have chosen to not become old and worn by the years of ministry. Little by little I am laying down false responsibility. My biggest awakening came a couple of years ago. I had planned my first real vacation in 10 years for Makinaw Island in Michigan. A few weeks before the vacation time a member of my congregation asked me to do a wedding during the planned time of my vacation. I canceled the vacation and did the wedding. My reasoning was that this person was someone I needed to work along beside me in ministry and I didn‘t want to let him down. It’s been a couple of years and he is inactive. I knew I had made a bad choice when I made it two years ago. Succeeding to false responsibility is useless. Instead of stressing out over the needs I encounter, I now look for the thumbs up of my Heavenly Father.

We will see an acceleration of people with needs in our society in the coming days. Dark is becoming great darkness (see Isaiah 60:2) But light is increasing in the great darkness. God is arising and His glory is appearing all over the earth. Light is often in the form of revelation and present truth. Nuggets of simple truth that release us from yokes of useless burdens will be appreciated. God is calling us to a life of responsibility and stewardship. Actually it can be easy as we learn to just simply look for a thumbs up from the Father. Jesus said He only did what He saw the Father doing and only said what He heard the Father saying. (see John 5:19 and 8:28) Why should we do any differently?
　
Now for the icing on the cake. I love to minister from the overflow. My private time is spent in simple relationship with my Lord. We read, talk, sing, dream, discuss, ask questions, get answers, enjoy the mysteries, eat, sleep and enjoy life. Sermons and ministry are just an overflow of my personal life with Christ. It’s such a joy to do what I see the Father doing and say what I hear Him saying. I know that He loves me and His love never fails. I cannot forget what I heard Him speak to my heart when I was 18 after speaking in that first revival meeting. I heard the words that the Father spoke at Jesus’ baptism, “This is My Beloved Son and I am well pleased.” I knew even back then that God loved me before I ever became pastor of the five churches I have enjoyed working with or traveled the mission fields to ten nations. I don’t have to impress Him. My responsibility is to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and He will take care of the rest. Today, well prepared sermons have given way to just speaking from the overflow of a life of intimacy. Ministry to the people is much more simple as I just handle them like I see Jesus handling them. He prayed for them, healed them, delivered them, and taught them.

Now don’t misunderstand me. I am not out there in the “wild, wild west” of ministry. I meet with others (a group made up of others in ministry) for accountability. I keep in touch with what God is doing in ministry in our nation and other parts of the world. I listen weekly to sermons by other ministers that I have recorded. I am always in the process of reading a book. The word of God always is alive and fresh to me as I read it. I love my life. I am not becoming an old and wrinkled (at least not spiritually wrinkled) mountain preacher with a cane and a scowl. I am hiking the trails and climbing my mountains. Life is good.