Day 38: Acts 26:1-32

This is probably one of my favourite stories in the book of Acts.  Paul is standing before Governor Festus and King Agrippa and Bernice sharing his testimony of what God has done in his life.

He recounts in that instance one of the most powerful moments in his life.  He shares with the King how he was riding down the road to Damascus when a brilliant light surrounded him and from the light came a voice speaking to him, Christ the Lord.

I will tell you something right now.  There is nothing like encountering the brilliance of the character of Christ.  It transforms you in a moment and you cannot help but go back to the experience time and time again.  When people question you as to why you have this hope that is in your heart. you begin to tell them of the time you were going down the road to Damascus and Jesus spoke to you from the light.

There is an old song we sang growing up, “I saw the light, I saw the light, no more darkness, no more night.”

When Christ speaks to you supernaturally, the very essence of His words remain with you the rest of your life.  Years pass by since you first encountered His glory, but you cannot escape the power of that encounter, nor do you wish to try.

When I was hanging myself in the closet and God spoke to me, my life was changed forever.  When I had the vision of my future ministry and saw the glory of God rise upon many towns and people, I was completely transformed.  My desire in that moment became His and His alone.  No longer did I wish to walk my own path, but now my desire was to walk His.  His path was more precious than my path.  His path was eternal and I understood this in that moment.

I was in the darkest dungeon bound by the strongest chains.  I was like a dead man wearing grave clothes when Christ cried out to me.  I came out of that dead man’s tomb into a way of life I never imagined, but oh how rewarding a life He had in store for me!

I know that I shall speak to kings and to rulers in high places.  I know this because God has spoken it to me.  When I am there before them, I will tell them how I met God on the road to Damascus.  How His spirit spoke to me and the life that I live now.

I know that God is going to save nations.  I know that we will see many a multitude come to the Lord…all because He chooses to reveal Himself to each one of us from His cloud of Glory.

Is the message of Christ that firm within your being that you are willing to face even prison in order to preach to kings?  I don’t know if mine is, but my prayer in this moment is: “God, strengthen me to be a strength to many.”

I once read about a man who allowed himself to become a slave to win souls for Christ.  I wonder if we would we be as willing.

Paul the prisoner spoke with power to kings.  He didn’t have to be a prisoner.  He might have chosen a different course, but he was a slave to Christ.  Lord, help me also to become such a slave for your glory.

Day 35: Acts 23:12-35

As I was meditating on this Scripture wondering what my focus should be, I was searching the internet when I came across a very interesting prophetic statement.  It read: “Walk by faith and not by sight.  As you take steps of faith, depending on Me, I will show you how much I can do for you; if you live your life too safely, you will never know the thrill of seeing Me work.”

My previous entry was about Paul pursuing Jerusalem even in the face of prophetic words that he would face persecution and even prison when he arrived there.  This did not stop him, but he was resolute in the face of this news and continued on his journey.  In this passage we see Paul being protected from a mob.  He could have avoided this had he not gone to Jerusalem, but he understood God’s greater purpose in his heart.

I have not faced a great deal of opposition to date in my ministry.  Certainly I have had my detractors and those who would speak against me, but I have not had a mob wait in ambush for my life wanting to kill me because of the words that I was preaching.

I recall the life of John Wesley, who is a great inspiration to me.  He was a man who walked mightily in revival in the earth.  I recall reading stories about how mobs would come to the house in the towns where he was preaching and call him out.  They intended to harm him but when he would present himself it was said that the Spirit of God on the man had a way of calming them down.

Wesley was very familiar with persecution.  People would often throw rocks at him.  One time he realized that he had not been hit with a rock in over a week, so he jumped off his horse, got down to pray and cried out to God to forgive him for anything he might have done to stop the persecution.  In the middle of his prayer someone got upset with his loud prayer and threw a rock at his head.

When God speaks He means what He says and if He says that you are going to preach the gospel and face persecution and overcome, then He means it.  What we need to do is step out into the sound of His voice and do as He says.

One time I was preaching in Kansas.  After I had finished preaching the last evening, we were going to go and eat at a restaurant.  We were rejoicing in the car because God had done great things.  In the middle of the rejoicing, a man came out of a house on the street that we were driving on and started to shoot a gun into the vehicle ahead of us.

My friend who was with me said, “You know we just almost got killed, don’t you?”

I said, “It wasn’t even close.  The guy was a couple of hundred feet away.”  I said this as we were driving by his house.

The next day on the plane I realized we had indeed come close to being shot in a random shooting.  But the peace of God was with me through it all.  I have been back to that city twice since and we have seen greater outpourings with many people touched by the power of God.

The Lord also said to me in that moment, “You will come closer to trouble than this.”  A part of me got excited.  I don’t say this recklessly.  I realized through that crisis that I couldn’t experience parts of God’s protection unless such things happen and I wanted to experience it.

I pray today that you will have the strength to face what comes in your path. May you step out in new ways and glory in the protection that God provides for your life.

Acts 21:1-26

There are three verses in this passage of Scripture that I wish to focus upon.

“They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.” (v. 4)

“And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” (vs. 10-11)

I find these two passages interesting, not so much for their content, but rather for the way Paul processes them in his heart.  These are obvious warnings to Paul of coming imprisonment and danger, and yet, Paul does not change his course, but continues on toward Jerusalem.

And then my thoughts wander to Christ who understood that he was going to be hung upon the cross until he died and chose that course anyway.

Just because we have warnings does not mean that we should flee the course that God has designed for our lives.  This is a rather interesting thought for me because frankly I don’t like the thought of being persecuted.  In the natural when someone warns me of impending danger, I generally use that information to change course.

However, here is the Apostle Paul receiving very difficult information and determining in his heart, even with his friends telling him not to proceed, that his course is for Jerusalem because from there he will go to Rome.

In Acts 20:21-22 Paul says that he had received warnings in every town along his journey that he was about to experience trouble when he went to Jerusalem.

And then the Lord stands near Paul in the middle of the night in Acts 23:11 and says: “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

There is something unshakable about the word of the Lord in our hearts.  When you have heard His voice speak, you cannot be deterred from the course.  You continue despite all opposition that comes your way.  The truth of the word of God lies in your heart.  When God speaks He speaks with absolute power and authority.  Your very being understands that He cannot lie and that He has the power to perform the word that He has spoken.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be like Paul.  I want this unshakable confidence to be in my heart.  I want to walk and not grow weary, run and not faint.  I want to be able to walk through the flames of opposition and the high tides of persecution and still deliver the word of the Lord as it is presented to my heart.

In order to walk in authority we cannot shrink back.  We must continue the course.

I pray today that you will have the heart of Christ.  I pray that you will be like Paul, that you will see the opposition and even the cross coming your way and that you will be resolute in your journey and confidence.  May God fill you with power from on high so that you to will accomplish His will for your life.

Day 29: Acts 19:1-22

In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. (v. 20)

I love this one line.  It says so much.  If you read the preceding passages of Scripture you will read how handkerchiefs that touched Paul were sent to the sick and the demon-possessed and they were healed and set free.

And then there is the story of the seven sons of Sceva the high priest that were casting out demons in the name of Jesus invoking Paul as his servant.  They get beaten up and storm out of the place where they were doing this naked.  This invoked such fear of God over the people that they started to come to Christ casting their demonic sorcery scrolls into the fires.

It was a supernatural church, the early church, and it grew because it was a church that had power.  When people begin to hear such stories of power being released they are drawn.  People don’t want some watered down religion.  They want to know that the God that they serve is more powerful than any other God.

Just last night I had a vision.  In it I am sitting on a city bus listening to this son of the devil proselytizing some sitting near him.  I strolled up beside him and said to those he was speaking to, “Does anyone need healing in their bodies here?”  One of them said, “Yes.”  I said to the false priest, “Pray for him in the name of your God for healing.”  This guy began to conjure up and put himself into a trance, but nothing happened.  The man did not get healed.

I then said, “Can I pray for you?”

He said, “Yes.”

I prayed a simple prayer and the man got healed.  His face said it all.  You could see the joy in his face to be relieved of a pain that had been there so long.

The false preacher lost his authority to speak in that moment because of the demonstration of the Spirit.  He got off the bus at the next stop and was seen no more.  I then noticed a new ministry beginning in the spot where that healing took place.  People started to come to me to receive prayer and prophetic words.

The Kingdom will advance when we believe in the power of the word of God.  When there is a demonstration of the Spirit and when people are touched by that power, then ministry will become more effective.  Ministries will be born in the place where God’s power is demonstrated.

When we press in for such a demonstration, the effect of it can last for generations.  My own family became what we are today because in the 1960’s my grandmother was healed of cancer.  The sound of that healing touched many people in her region and certainly touched her entire family.  When a demonstration of the power takes place, it is hard to deny the power of God.

I pray that you too will encounter the power of God and that you will walk in that power to see many lives touched in your life and communities.

Day 26: Acts 17:1-15

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. (Acts 17:11)

This is a beautiful passage of Scripture.  I love the thought that there is a congregation out there that receives the message being preached and then spends the next days and hours searching Scripture to determine the orthodoxy of what has been said.

This sure beats preaching to the people who don’t receive the word, who do not test it and who tell you that you are from the devil.  This happens just as often in ministry.  We must forgive them, of course, and move on.

This passage of scripture highlights the two kinds of people you will preach to: the ones that will accept the word you have from the Lord and the ones that will not.

You will often encounter these two sorts in the same room.  Recently I have had a lot of detractors: people who are not impressed with my message at all.  Many of them get up and walk out of meetings.  In fact, I sort of count this as a sign that my meeting is progressing according to the spirit.

I was in a meeting filled with demonic activity recently.  There was a great darkness over many of the lives of the people in the room.  I could sense this but could also see it in the blank and angry stares on many of the faces.

When time came for ministry only a few people responded and most of them were my friends who felt that they needed to help me out.  The rest of the room was not budging.  God began to move a little and some people were healed, but not a lot.  And then this one woman from among their own congregation came forward and got healed and then others started to come.  About 6 or 7 people in this congregation got healed.  It was indeed a breakthrough.  I could see the light of God’s countenance on the faces of these precious ones.

And yet, as I was leaving this meeting there were those who were completely opposed to me.  You could feel it like a dark cloud above them as I walked by.  They would not speak to me or say goodbye.

We will experience those that want to hang us and those who think we are God’s angels.  The line dividing these two camps is drawn through the preaching of the word and the sharing of our testimony.  Those that are of the Spirit will be drawn to us and those that are of another spirit, or in the flesh, will want nothing to do with us.  The more we preach Jesus and the good news and tell people what He is doing, the more we will see the dividing of the camp.

We preach to bring liberty to these dear ones.  Our message is vindicated by their lives being healed and by them being set free.  When I see peace enter their hearts, when I see them cry tears of deliverance, when I see their families getting touched by the power of God and when I see joy in their expressions, it is all worth the battle fought.

I pray that you too will see clearly and preach.  May God help you as you move out in the work of ministry.  May God open your eyes to discern what is going on in the Spirit and may you win a harvest of souls into the kingdom.

Day 23: Acts 15:22-40

“Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers.” (v. 32)

This to me is a very interesting passage of scripture.  The leaders of the early church had formed a council to deal with some issues that had arisen among the believers regarding following the law and liberty.   In order for them to walk in unity they came together to discuss this issue and together they formed an answer to the theological debate.

But what I was drawn to more than this was the way the council sent the prophets with the apostles to represent their voice to those whom Paul and Barnabas were to encounter.  On their own Paul and Barnabas had only so much authority, but with these two brothers from the council in Jerusalem their authority was increased.

To me this is a great example of how Apostolic ministry works within the church.  The Apostles and Prophets walk together.  There is no hierarchy in their midst.  They are walking together in order to increase the effectiveness of the message that they carry together.

When I work with other Apostles and Prophets together we carry greater authority.  Our message becomes stronger because we walk together.  When I take the hand of a prophet or apostle and bring them into my circle of influence, their message becomes stronger in our midst because I am putting my seal upon their message.  In this way their message is linked with my authority in that setting and they can release what God has given them with greater authority as a result.

The same is true when I walk into another region and am released by a prophet/apostle to speak in their region.  Their seal upon me becomes my foundation for being able to minister in that place or region.  My authority is linked to their authority and as a result the impact on the region is much greater.

It is not that one is stronger than the other, although there is no question that some prophets and apostles are more mature than others.  We must understand that we are walking in concentric circles with our friends in ministry for a divine impartation of glory in those regions.  Their circles are my circles and my circles are their circles.  Where their work begins and mine ends should be blurry at best.  We are inviting them to walk among us in order for the church to be equipped and strengthened in that region.

One ministry is not more important than the other, but both together are stronger because they are together.  Judas and Silas in this passage walk into Antioch where they are only known by reputation, but because they are with Paul and Barnabas, their ability to strengthen the believers is greater because now they are walking in relationship with each other.   It is not hierarchy because Paul and Barnabas needed Judas and Silas in another region to open the way for them.

I need to walk with my Paul’s and Barnabas’ and with my Judas’ and Silas’ because as we do so we see more authority and lasting fruit for the Kingdom.

I pray that all competition between you and your colleagues in ministry will cease and a true revelation of apostolic ministry will take its place.  I pray that you will be released in greater measure to do the work of ministry as you come into agreement with God’s will for your life.

Day 20: Acts 13:32-52

But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 13:50-52)

We cannot let the confrontation that comes from scoffers and mockers stop us from preaching the word of God.  I have noticed that as signs and wonders have increased in my ministry so have the scoffers and the mockers.  In fact I have had them show up in my meetings and try to interrupt me as I minister.

We have to be comfortable with confrontation and we have to become combative in the midst of it–not with a spirit of fear and intimidation, but with a heart to see the scoffers and mockers to come to Christ.  In the midst of the scoffing we have to pray for signs and wonders to increase, so that what this spirit is trying to stop will not be stopped but a great outpouring will occur in the mist of it.

I am not certain that I am there yet.  I am still trying to process in my heart the messages that these people deliver.  It seems strange to me that in the midst of the mighty anointing that comes for signs and wonders that people scoff and mock, and yet they do all of the time.

Even when I preach and share what God is doing in our midst on Facebook, and particularly on Facebook, the scoffers are there to try to tear down what God is doing.  They actually do not even know that they are coming against a work of Christ.  We must bless them and not curse them.  We must allow Christ to shine through us even when we are being persecuted for the gospel’s sake.   None of us does this perfectly, but when we are not perfect, God is still perfect and His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

We must take beatings for the gospel’s sake with peace in our hearts.  If there is no peace, ask God to heal your heart so that you can walk more fully in His love.

Recently I reacted negatively to a scoffing.  I had a man removed from a meeting because he spoke against me mockingly.  Only one or two people were aware of what was occurring and so the church reacted negatively toward what I did.  They did not want me to return.

In that moment I asked God to help me to become more like Him.  He took me back to when I was young and showed me why I feared this man and the scoffing and the mocking.  He healed my brokenness from that moment and it was like a fire entered my heart.  Immediately afterward I noticed a difference and when I was scoffed and mocked by the next person, I didn’t react but was able to get through it and built a deeper relationship with the scoffer as a result.

You also have to get to the place where you shake the dust off your feet and continue on your way anyway.  The reason the enemy scoffs is to try to destroy the work that God is doing in your life.  You must release these scoffers to the Lord and continue on with the work of preaching the gospel.

You must pick yourself up and continue on.  When this occurs you will know that Christ is in you.  You will sense His presence in a new way and your preaching will become more powerful and effective for the Lord

Acts 11:1-30

The supernatural elements of this chapter in the books of Acts astound me.  Just think about the interaction between man and God and how God through the use of angels caused revival to break out in a place least expected in Peter’s mind.

God confronts Peter’s mindsets regarding what is clean and unclean in a vision and as soon as he offends his mind to bring about a greater good, men come to the house where is staying to bring him among the Gentiles to preach salvation.

Moreover, these men who came to get him were led there because of another dream that took place in Cornelius’ house in which he was told by an angel to send for Peter for salvation.

And then Peter enters that region and the Holy Spirit is poured out over the Gentiles.  It is now understood that they too were born for salvation in Christ.  The only way this could have happened was through a supernatural outpouring.  The Jews were programmed to not speak to those outside their culture.  They were heathens and unclean.

There are regions where I have ministered and people I have ministered with that came about completely by supernatural occurrences.  In fact, the reason that my friend Jeeva Sam and I are friends and minister together is because of a very accurate prophetic word that the Lord gave to me for him.

In fact many of the places that I now minister in came about by a supernatural means.  Prophetic words or healings that took place that open up a greater frontier for us to minister within is the nature of the Christian life.

People will ask me how I met Jeeva and when I tell them the story you can tell that they are amazed, but it is the truth.  In those moments you are aware of a divine plan and when you come into agreement with it, then there is great fruitfulness in store for your lives.  Jeeva and I have literally ministered to hundreds of people together and seen lives touched deeply by the power of God.  For this I am truly thankful.

I have another friend that I minister with by the name of Luke Holter.  An angel kept saying his name to me one night.  That same night Luke had a dream of me and that he was speaking in my church.  We understood that God had a plan.  Luke and I have now ministered to hundreds of people together, all because God showed up in dreams and visions.

I pray that God will begin to move in your life in this exciting way.  I ask that you would have revelation of the steps that have been ordained for you and the people that you are to minister with.  May God open your eyes to see and your ears to hear in very supernatural ways.  This is not something that was just for the early church but for the church today.

And I pray that as we walk in the place that God has for our lives that this will become common for all believers.

Day 14—Acts 9:23-43

As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. (Acts 9:32-35)

I have seen God move in power in my life.  I have seen Him touch hearts so deeply and bring healing to bodies that hundreds of people have been touched by what occurred.

I have told this story many times, but back in 2008 a man named Jimmy Fraser came into the church I was a part of in Kinburn, Ontario.  He had cancer and had been suffering with it for some time.  The cancer was in his mouth and he was about to go into surgery to try to have it removed.

There was a guy in our church that invited him to come to a Friday night healing service.  Seven times he was asked and would not come.  On the seventh time Jimmy’s wife, Linda said, “Jimmy what do you have to lose? You have tried everything else.”

Well, Jimmy came to the church that Friday evening and we prayed for him.  He went down in the Spirit and we were told later he had an encounter with the white light of God’s glory.  He went home that night completely confused about the encounter that he had had.  He tried to duplicate the white light with a bright floor lamp in his garage, but he soon realized the light he had seen was brighter than any earthly light.

Well, he was touched so powerfully by God that within the next few years his testimony was heard by thousands of people.  He led about 130 people to the Lord the last time I asked him.

And even though I saw this occur and can tell the story, I am always praying that God will lead me to the Jimmy’s in every town that I encounter because I know that if they get touched by the power of God and the sound of it goes out into their communities, then entire regions will be saved for the Lord.

Let’s pray together today and ask God to reach those who need healing and those who need deliverance.  Let’s pray that God touches them so radically that they are forever changed.

Day 11: Acts 7:54-8:25

Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” (Acts 8:20-23)

Can you hear the people around Peter saying, “Dude, settle down! The pour guy didn’t know what he was saying.”

Peter was very bold in this situation and those who don’t understand the things of the Spirit would listen to his words and judge what he says harshly.  You see most people do not discern the deeper matters of the Spirit.  They could not perceive that some of the things that were being said in that moment were not from the hearts of men, but from the heart of the devil.

Peter was sensing something deeper in this moment.  This man was a sorcerer of a greater power that had a hold of that region.  When Philip came in preaching the name of Jesus, he was confronting a power in that moment that did not like being displaced.  Simon the sorcerer was still in agreement with this power when he spoke to Peter about buying the Holy Spirit.

It is very normal in witchcraft circles to pay for potions and spells that will give control over people.  Witches are constantly buying and selling their magic.  In Simon’s mind he was bartering for a greater power.  The spirit within him understood this power and coveted it.

There are times when you walk in the Spirit that God will have you make declarations that seem strange to the minds of those who are hearing it.  Recently I was in a small town when the glory began to break out in our midst.  A glory dust was visible upon the hands of the people in that room.

Suddenly I heard an angel speak to me saying, “Someone is saying that you made that dust appear.”  I began to move toward the person who said it saying, “Who just said that I made that happen?”  The young man raised his hand.  I said “Put out your hands.  He dutifully put them out and there was glory dust on them.  I said, “Did I touch you or do anything for that to appear?”  He had to agree “no.”

But then his girlfriend began to come into agreement with the power of unbelief in that region and she began to say this wasn’t real.  She said, “This isn’t gold dust.  If it was, then why are you shining the light on it to make it appear?”

I understood in my heart that this was not a human voice speaking.  I rebuked it in front of the room and told it to be quiet.  I think many were stunned, but I knew if this spirit was allowed to speak, then the Holy Spirit would not be able to move in the lives of those in front of me.

This spirit operating in these young people was so strong I had to have them removed from the front of the church because healings could not take place in their presence.  It was mocking the work of God.  As soon as they were gone, three people got healed and a wave of peace washed over the front of the church.  One woman who had migraines for three weeks was instantly healed.

I believe Peter understood what was going on at a deeper level.  Fortunately Simon confessed his sin and repented.  That spirit was hopefully removed from his life.

We must do the same in our time or many lives will be in jeopardy simply because we fear rebuking the dark powers.