Day 19: Acts 13:1-31

Following a Lenten service at a neighbouring church on Thursday, I was enjoying a bowl of hearty salmon chowder and carrying on a conversation with others at the table. Then it was time for dessert. One of the ladies was kind enough to ask if she could bring me a piece of chocolate cake. I politely declined saying that I was abstaining from sweets as part of my Lenten Fast, therefore dessert was out of the question for me.

Much to my surprise, this triggered a response from two ladies who sat across from me. “I stopped giving up something for Lent long time ago,” said one. Her neighbour completed the sentence for her: “Ever since our priest told us that we should really be adding something rather than giving up something.” “That’s why we visit the shut-ins”, piped the other one.

As much as I was tempted to respond, I chose to chow down another bowl of chowder instead.

When I came home and started reading this passage in order to prepare this reflection, I was quite taken by this description of the leadership in the church at Antioch: As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2)

“Ministered to the Lord.” This is the job description of priests in the Old Testament. “Aaron was set apart, he and his descendants forever, to consecrate the most holy things, to offer sacrifices before the LORD, to minister before him and to pronounce blessings in his name forever.” (I Chronicles 23:13)

The priests were entrusted with the responsibility of keeping the fire on the altar burning 24/7, offering sacrifices of praise to the Lord. King David made ministering to the Lord such a great priority, as we see in this passage: All the Levites who were thirty years old or older were counted, and the total came to thirty-eight thousand. Then David said, “Twenty-four thousand of them will supervise the work at the Temple of the LORD. Six thousand are to serve as officials and judges. Four thousand will work as gatekeepers, and another four thousand will praise the LORD with the musical instruments I have made.” (I Chronicles 23:3-5)

David, being a worshiper himself, recognized that everything begins with ministering unto the Lord.

The leadership in Antioch is very aware of this priority. They realize that as a “royal priesthood” all of us who are part of Jesus’ family need to make it our priority as well.

As they minister unto the Lord (with worship and praise), they open themselves up to receive direction from the Holy Spirit. It is worth noting that they fasted as well.

Dear friend, the purpose of every Fast that we ever undertake is to really fix our eyes on the Lord more than we normally do when we are not fasting. This is why in our churches we have been stressing the need to take some quiet time every day and simply sit in silence before the Lord and focus on Him and Him alone.

If we do not make ministering to the Lord our first and foremost priority, we could easily fall into the trap of ministering to others and neglecting our first love. What a shame that would be!

Yes, by all means, go visit the shut-ins, heal the sick and minister to the needs of others. But, make sure that your first priority is to minister unto the Lord.

As the leadership in Antioch discovered, it is in those times of ministering to the Lord that He often ministers to us!

May this be your experience as well. Correction. Make this your experience as well.

Day 16: Acts 10:24-48

In yesterday’s reading from Acts 10:1-23, we saw how God speaks to both Peter and Cornelius about the other. They both act in obedience. Cornelius dispatches a group to go get Peter. Peter goes, taking with him a group of Jewish believers. After exchanging pleasantries, Peter gets right to his mission.

He delivers a very simple message, introducing Jesus to this group of Gentiles. He highlights the healing ministry of Jesus. Then he mentions his death and resurrection and lets them know that “everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Please note that Peter does not issue an altar call. He does not call for them to do anything, not even repent. But, something totally unexpected happens. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

Holy Spirit does not wait for Peter to even call on Him to fall on them. Of course, the Gentiles had no idea of what was happening. But the Jewish believers are totally flabbergasted, because things are not taking place in their proper order.

Let’s flashback to the Day of Pentecost. Interestingly enough, Peter did not issue an altar call then either. They were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37)

Holy Spirit is once again at work, just as Jesus promised in John 16:8: “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” 

Remember Peter’s reply to their question: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

Notice the order. Be baptized first, then you will receive Holy Spirit.

Yet, here at Cornelius’ place, Holy Spirit falls on the Gentiles without giving Peter a heads-up, leading him to say: “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”

Notice the order once again. Receive Holy Spirit first. Then be baptized.

Looks like someone forgot to inform Holy Spirit that it was supposed to be the other way around 🙂

I guess, when you’re God, you can do it in whatever order you choose to and mess up our neatly constructed theology, huh?

Recently, my spiritual father Steve Long was invited to be the “faith healer” on a show focusing on alternative methods of healing along with other panelists including a chiropractor, acupuncturist, Reiki practitioner and a naturopath.

When it was Steve’s turn, he asked for a volunteer who had pain. The co-host, Denise Donlon admitted she had back pain at that very moment. Steve then asked the other host, Conrad Black, to lay hands on her back while she repeated after him: “This healing belongs to me because of what Jesus has done. I receive my healing now in Jesus’ name.” Much to her surprise, the pain completely left Denise’s body.

You may or may not be aware of this, but Conrad Black is the former CEO of the Hollinger media conglomerate who recently spent three plus years behind bars for defrauding his investors and obstruction of justice.

Holy Spirit conveniently chooses to ignore his shady reputation and uses him to minister healing right in front of a television camera. You can watch the episode here: http://thezoomertv.com/videos/alternative-medicine/ (around the 17 minute mark).

If Pastor Steve Long had laid hands on her, that would be one thing. But using Conman, I mean Conrad Black…ah, Holy Spirit, there you go again, messing with us. I guess we’d better get used to your ways, eh, God?

Day 13: Acts 9:1-22

Put yourself in the moccasins of Ananias. As a follower of Jesus in Damascus, you are fully aware of Saul’s mission to arrest people like you and throw you in jail. Clearly you are not aware of the encounter that Saul had with Jesus on the road to Damascus.

Would you be excited about being in the same room as the premier persecutor of Christians of your time? Would a lamb relish the thought of being left alone with a hungry lion?

That is why Ananias is so startled when the Lord tells him in a vision: “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

 

That Saul? The one whose very name struck terror in the heart of every believer? No way, Jesus!

Once Jesus answers his objections, we are told that “Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

 

As a result, Ananias has the distinction of being the one who baptizes Saul, the terrorist who goes on to become an evangelist, Paul, the greatest apostle of all time.

Ananias was not eager about his assignment, but he was willing to act in obedience.

Not that long ago, our dear friend and contributor to DWOD Ron Mills had a word for my wife, Sulojana. The gist of the prophecy was that God wanted Sulojana to come out from her comfort zone (behind the scenes supporting me) and be out in front of everyone (while I receded into the background).

Those who know Sulojana well are aware that she would rather be be in the shadows than in the limelight. When she received these words from Ron, she was not exactly excited about them. (At least I don’t recall her jumping up and down and doing a Hallelujah breakdance!)

Noticing the expression on her face, Ron said with a smile, but in a firm voice: “You don’t have to be eager, you just have to be willing.”

Ananias was not the first one in the Bible to be recruited for a job that he was not eager to do. To give you just a couple of illustrations…

Consider Jonah. God told him to go to Nineveh. He chose to go in the opposite direction to Tarshish. This decision gets him into more trouble than anticipated. Ultimately, Jonah learns that you don’t need to be eager, just willing.

Or take Esther. She is not exactly excited about going to the King’s court uninvited and risk getting executed. But Mordecai makes it clear that she does not have to be eager, just willing. She calls a fast, goes to the court, finds favour…and the rest is history.

Is it safe to say that many of us who follow Jesus are not particularly eager about evangelism? It pushes us out of our comfort zone. We risk rejection. We could even face persecution. Yet, it is exactly what Jesus commissioned us to do. So, it is not a matter of whether we are eager or not. What really matters is whether we are willing.

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? (Romans 10:14-15)

How about you, dear friend? Are you willing to obey, even when you’re not eager? If the willingness of Ananias and Esther are any indication, it is certainly worth the risk. Amen?

Day 10: Acts 7:17-53

Most of today’s passage reads more like a history lesson taught by Stephen to a group of leaders who would be very familiar with the facts. The bulk of his talk centers around the life of Moses. Stephen begins with Moses’ birth and works his way chronologically through significant episodes in his life, before and after assuming the mantle of leadership. 

However, the purpose behind this rehashing of a familiar story is to point out that Moses was rejected by his own people (vs. 35 & 38). Stephen then goes on to say that this was a familiar pattern in the history of the Jewish nation. The most recent example, of course, was their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. Listen to how he confronts them with this reality:

 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” (vs 51-53).

Stephen lets them know that the consequence of their rejection went beyond simply rejecting the message and/or the messenger. They were actually resisting the Holy Spirit.

Would someone knowingly resist the Holy Spirit? Not likely, eh? But, Stephen says that in rejecting those whom God sent—be it Moses, a prophet or Jesus—they unwittingly resisted the Holy Spirit.

This is rather subtle, but it is something that should give us pause. Surely, none of us would resist the Holy Spirit, if we were aware that this is what we were doing. However, is it possible that in rejecting those through whom Holy Spirit works, we could be guilty of resisting Him unawares?

Perhaps the word they deliver hits us the wrong way.

Perhaps they interpret a passage of Scripture differently than we do.

Perhaps they do a prophetic act that shakes us up.

Perhaps it is signs and wonders which we have not seen before that startle us.

My friend Henry Nwaneri once made the statement: “It is easy for us to trust Holy Spirit by Himself, but not as easy to trust Holy Spirit in another person.” Isn’t this lack of trust one of the reasons why divisions come about in the Church? We expect Holy Spirit to show up in a particular way to which we are accustomed. When that does not happen, we suspect that it may not be really God or worse that it could be of the devil.

Yet, Jesus makes it very clear that Holy Spirit is like the wind which “blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.” (John 3:8). He can be unpredictable. He is certainly uncontrollable!

This is why in the passage we read two days ago, wise old Gamaliel issues this caution to the members of the Sanhedrin: “Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:38-39)

He did not want them to be guilty of resisting Holy Spirit. Yet, sadly, history proves that this is exactly what they did. As Stephen pointed out, they had quite an unenviable track record of doing this down through the ages.

So, dear friend, as you complete the first quarter of the Fast today, would you ask Holy Spirit to show you if you have in any way ended up resisting Him when you chose to reject one of His anointed ones? Repent. Forgive yourself. Ask their forgiveness, if possible. Receive forgiveness. And keep on advancing into your destiny.

Day 7: Acts 5:1-16

But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them. Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women. (Acts 5:13-14)

Just read these two verses a couple of times. Can you see the paradoxes that characterized the impact of the early church on the society surrounding them?

On the one hand, no one else dared to join them…not after witnessing both Ananias and his wife Sapphira drop dead when they lied to the apostles about how much they had made from the sale of their property. Luke sums up the response to their deaths this way: Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened. (v.11). Can you blame them?

Yet all the people had high regard for them. You see, as scary as it was to see two people pay such a price for lying, the general population did not dismiss the Christians as extremists…instead their esteem for the church actually went up!

Not only that, but more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord. Their fear of what happened to Ananias and Sapphira did not prevent crowds of both men and women from believing in Jesus.

Some in the Church are afraid that what might appear to be “extreme” can potentially turn onlookers away from Jesus. Yes, that potential is always there. However, our experience has been that the exact opposite tends to happen more often than not. Case in point.

One evening, at our Miracles, Signs and Wonders Meeting a newcomer showed up in excruciating pain. He could not sit still in one spot. He had to keep on changing positions frequently. At one point, he even left the meeting for a while (to go stretch out in his car, as we discovered later).

The message that evening was actually based on verses 15-16 of today’s passage, about how Peter’s shadow healed the sick. I preached on the kind of expectancy people had to have to bring in their sick from the countryside on stretchers and line up the streets of Jerusalem…just so Peter’s shadow could fall on them when he walked by.

Then came ministry time. Normally we would ask those who came seeking a miracle or breakthrough to stand up, ask others in the congregation to gather around them and then minister.

Not this meeting, though. We invited those who answered the call to come and sit on the front row. Then we invited everyone else in the congregation to form a line and walk past them, so that our shadow could fall on them. After all, if Peter’s shadow released what overshadowed him, namely the Holy Spirit, so would ours!

I could see the raised eyebrows of one of our members at the back. This member had been quite concerned that extreme manifestations and ministry methods could turn off potential members.

We asked for progress reports after the first pass…there was some improvement in the gentleman with excruciating pain. He felt some warmth in his stomach area. That’s all.

We thanked God for what He was doing and did another walk-past. When we checked again, we discovered that the pain had subsided even more. Now he was sensing the presence of God in his chest. We continued to praise Jesus for the progress and did one more round of casting a Holy Spirit shadow.

This time the change in his body was nothing short of miraculous. He was smiling. He was walking without pain. Although his physical healing has not yet manifested completely, the healing he received in his spirit continues to impact his family and friends nearly a year later.

Dear friend, may you also be blessed to witness extreme acts of the Holy Spirit and experience the extraordinary results that follow.

Day 4: Acts 3:1-26

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” (Acts 3:6)

Remember when God called Moses to lead the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt? Moses was not at all convinced that his own people would see him as their leader. He protests: “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?” (Exodus 4:1)

What does God do? No motivational speech here. He simply asks Moses to throw his staff on the ground. It becomes a snake. When he takes it by the tail, it turns back into a staff. Now God says: “Perform this sign…then they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—really has appeared to you.” (v. 5)

Then God teaches Moses yet another sign, in case the first one does not do the trick, you know, the one where he puts his hand inside his cloak once and it turns leprous. Repeat procedure. The hand’s back to normal.

Did God’s approach work? Moses performed the miraculous signs as they watched. Then the people of Israel were convinced that the Lord had sent Moses and Aaron (vs. 30-31).

Moses now knew what he had—it was more than a staff or merely a hand. It was the power of God Almighty Himself!

Contrast this with the scene at the Temple Gate called Beautiful where Peter and John meet a man who was born lame. It seems that this man was a familiar sight for worshippers who were used to seeing him day after day, begging for money. He looks at Peter and John as no more than two new prospective donors who could be persuaded to throw some coins his way as they walked into the Temple.

Watch the absolute ease and total confidence with which Peter tells him: “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

Having spent enough time with Jesus during His earthly tenure, having received His impartation of power and authority to heal the sick, cast out demons, cleanse the lepers and raise the dead…and having already exercised it on more than one mission trip, this was really no big deal for Peter and John.

They knew what they had. They did not need to be convinced as Moses needed to be.

Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. (vs. 7-8)

This one sign gets the attention of the crowd and gives Peter and John the opportunity to testify: “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.” (v. 16)

Dear friend, do you realize that you also have exactly what they had? You too have been baptized and anointed by the same Holy Spirit who rested on Jesus. As such, you too, like Jesus and the apostles, should “go about doing good and healing all who are oppressed of the devil, for God is with you.” (Acts 10:38). In Jesus’ name you “will cast out demons…you will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17-18)

When you step out knowing what you have, He will step in and let others know who He is.

C’mon now, what are you waiting for?

Day 1—Acts 1:1-26

“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-5)

Today we begin a series of 40 reflections based on passages from the Book of Acts. Holy Spirit highlighted the verses listed above as I read and reflected on this passage.

According to Acts 1:3: “He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” On the very last day of His physical stay on earth, Jesus tells them “to wait for the gift my Father promised.”

He is reminding them of what He had told them earlier: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever–the Spirit of truth… But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:16-17, 26)

There is only one thing He asks them to do, that is, to WAIT. So “they all joined together constantly in prayer.” (v. 14)

Jesus does not specify how long they would have to wait before they receive the Holy Spirit. He leaves it at a cryptic “in a few days.”

It would appear from the biblical record that the only other thing they did besides waiting in prayer was to choose a replacement for Judas. Otherwise they simply waited.

Imagine that, eh? Waiting day after day, not knowing which day He would show up. How long would you be able to sustain such waiting?

Let’s calculate how long the disciples had to wait. Since Pentecost is the 50^th day, that would be 10 days.

10 full days of simply waiting…just because Jesus said they should…and if they did, they would receive the Holy Spirit. Aren’t you glad they did?

It would also appear that not all who started out the waiting period lasted all 10 days. In I Corinthians 15:6 Paul says that Jesus “appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time” during those 40 days. Yet, the head count that day identified only 120 “wait-ers.” (v.15)

Gary Oates, author of “Open my eyes, Lord” was ministering in Toronto a few years back. Most of us at his meetings were struck by how clearly he could see in the spirit realm as he described angels and other realities in great detail.

When pressed to reveal his “secret”, Gary shared about the time he spent soaking in God’s presence on a regular basis. He shares it in an article on The Elijah List: “I cannot overemphasize the importance of waiting on the Lord until I experience His manifest Presence daily. I don’t come out of that private room until I have experienced His Presence.”

I also recall him saying that, at times, this could mean waiting for a few hours. Frankly, I was not excited to hear that! I would’ve much preferred a defined time period, say 33 minutes and 27 seconds…lol!

Those gathered in the Upper Room were prepared to wait regardless of how long it took for the Father to deliver the gift He had promised. Ditto for Gary Oates and countless others. Father always keeps His word.

How about you, dear friend? Would you make waiting on the Lord a regular part of this 40 Day Fast? You will be glad you did!

(Pastor Jeeva Sam serves Morgan’s Point and Forks Road East United Churches in Wainfleet Township in the Niagara Region. He and Sulojana, his partner in life and ministry, love to co-labour with Holy Spirit, particularly in prophetic and healing that produces breakthroughs. The Sams are passionate about activating, equipping, releasing and mentoring others into their destiny)

 

Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it…Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? (Luke 15:4, 8)

I woke up this morning to a horrible feeling. Where there should’ve been a ring on the fourth finger of the right hand, there was none.

Of course, this immediately brought back memories of the last time said ring went missing was late in the Fall one year. My sons and I had raked what seemed like literally millions of maple leaves off our front lawn and the ditch. They filled up quite a few bags, perhaps 10 or so before nightfall.

Now it was my turn to put the rest of them away and have them at the curb for pick-up the following morning. Off I went to work, rake in hand, sporting garden gloves to soften the impact on these anointed hands 🙂 Every once in a while though, I would take the gloves off, and just enjoy the feel of the dried leaves as I placed them in the lawn bag a few hundred at a time.

It was only when I was cleaning up and reaching for the body wash that I noticed that the ring was missing. Fourth finger. Right hand.

What is so significant about this ring? It had been passed down the generational line on my pastor father’s side from his father who was also a pastor. Dad gave it to me at my ordination and let me know that it was my responsibility to pass it on to the fourth generation pastor in the family.

I am not sure of its monetary value, but its spiritual and personal value was simply inestimable, as it was irreplaceable.

What do I do now? Having used two different brands of bags, I could narrow it down to the 13 that had been filled to the brim by yours truly. One of them surely would contain the missing ring. But which one?

We had no metal detector. I did not want to attract attention. I chose to bring the bags one at a time to a slightly secluded spot in the backyard and dump them on to the cement patio. I couldn’t wait for that “clink” to signal the discovery of the ring.

First bag. No ring. Second bag. No ring….and so on. Disappointment upon disappointment. More back-stretching labour as the leaves went back in. Finally, as Bag #8 was emptied, I saw the shiny object and heard the noise. It us unmistakeably the same ring that I had lost. Hallelujah!

All those memories came flooding back as I wondered what I would have to do to retrieve it this time. Being winter in Ontario, the possibility of the ring slipping off my finger when I removed the gloves somewhere was very real. But where? Did they fall off while I washed my hands with soap at one of two different coffee shops?

I started praying that perhaps the ring had landed on our driveway, or better still, inside the car or best case scenario…inside the house!

As I started to get changed, I heard a small ‘thud” on the carpet in the closet. Voila! There it was. Staring me in the face. My precious ring. Thank you, Lord! Don’t ask me where it fell from or how it got there…but it did!

I don’t want to go into a deep exegesis of the first two parables in Luke 15…but the focus for me was on the fact that neither the shepherd nor the woman would rest until they found the missing sheep and coin respectively.

The Lord caused me to pray right away. ”Lord, make me like the shepherd and the woman and even me. Let me search relentlessly and not rest until I’ve found that which is of immeasurable value…a precious soul. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Would you make this prayer yours as well?

This past weekend Sulojana and I were blessed with the awesome privilege of ministering with anointed friends, Ron & Nancy Mills and Darren Canning at a Prophetic Conference in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

As anticipated, the Conference began to crescendo with every session. By the time Saturday evening came, we just had a sense that God was about to do something incredible.

It was quite evident that apostolic leaders Joe & Bella Garcia and their teams had ploughed the ground with intercession and watered it with the Word. Intimate worship turned into spiritual warfare that foiled every attempt of the enemy to run interference.

The atmosphere was pregnant with anticipation for something new to be birthed. Ron Mills decided to postpone the offering time and brought Darren Canning on to the platform right away.

Darren shared some wild stories in his inimitable “in-your-face” style of delivery. There was laughter, there were tears, there was the inevitable punch to the Body designed to evict every religious spirit that had taken up residence.

Now it was time to transition to Holy Spirit-driven ministry. Darren called up the anointed Worship Team to lead in singing: Break every chain. As we kept repeating the powerful lyrics, we were also waiting for Darren to give directions on what to do next.

Well, it did not happen right away. Holy Spirit totally took over the meeting and started to move with power. Some fell to their knees, some lay on the floor, some started to weep and even cry out aloud. Clearly we were all being touched in varying degrees.

To his credit, Darren simply let it all happen without any attempt to help Holy Spirit make further progress 🙂 After a prolonged break from speaking, he handed the microphone to Ron and then to me and asked us to pray as we were led. This resulted in a powerful time of repentance and cleansing as Holy Spirit released a baptism of fire.

And then the prophetic flow began. All three of us released words from the heart of the Father over Pastors Joe & Bella. Then the glory of God started to manifest in gold and oil on people’s hands. Virtually everyone received a tangible measure of the glory.

We then moved into a time of healing, followed by more prophetic ministry. It was an amazing time in the Presence of the Lord. Pastor Joe remarked that he had not been touched so deeply since an encounter at the Brownsville Revival nearly 20 years ago. Wow!

Clearly, there was breakthrough happening at the individual level. We also prophesied breakthrough for Woodvale and released it over the Region.

Holy Spirit pointed out to me that all of that happened because Darren obeyed His prompting to simply take a break and let Him move as He pleased.

Dear DWOD friend, as you race toward your destiny, don’t be surprised if Holy Spirit prompts you to take your foot off the gas pedal and step on the brake instead. It may seem awkward, it may be totally out of character for you to come to a standstill.

But you will be amazed at what He can do when you take a break at His bidding. You will soon realize, as we all did Saturday evening, it was simply the break before the breakthrough. Praise God!

“They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake.  But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.”(Luke 21: 12-13)

It is one of those good news/bad news scenarios. Jesus is talking about how difficult it will be for those who follow him in the end times.

The bad news? They would not escape persecution.

The good news? It would turn out to be an occasion for testimony.

Many of our subscribers are familiar with what happened to me in 2010. A giant polyp in my colon was threatening bowel obstruction. The only medical option was surgery to remove part of the colon and do a “re-section” with the small intestine.

I was losing weight at an alarming rate—nearly 30 pounds over a two-month period. Needless to say I was weak and spent a lot of time simply lying down, coping with the intense pain of the periodic violent spasm that would come and go with a vengeance.

Sulojana recalls how she couldn’t even get herself to pray at times. She would simply trace the sign of the cross on my stomach while I was sleeping. On those occasions that she did pray (I was awake through some of them), she would end her prayer with these words that the Holy Spirit gave her:

“There is a testimony coming from this.”

Neither of us could really fathom what that testimony would be. Would it be a speedy recovery from surgery? Would it be a miracle that would result in the polyp being removed without the need for surgery?

We could not really tell in advance. Obviously, we wanted the latter option to be the focal point of the testimony.

Holy Spirit reminded me of this incident as I read these words of Jesus in Luke 21 recently.

Persecution is not something a follower of Jesus looks forward to with great anticipation. A polyp that threatens bowel obstruction is not exactly cause for celebration.

But there is a promise Jesus makes: It has the potential to produce a great and powerful testimony.

In the scenario from Luke 21, the persecuted can exploit their time in court by sharing who Jesus is, what He did for them and even include an invitation to the listeners to discover Jesus for themselves.

In the case of the polyp, God could use this occasion to work a miracle and cause a testimony to arise that would give glory to Jesus.

To find out what happened in our case, you may wish to watch this brief video clip: Pastor Jeeva’s Healing Testimony at CTF.  Let’s just say that it turned out to be an occasion for testimony.

Dear DWOD friend, are you going through something that is as unpleasant as persecution? Are you enduring a time of testing that is exasperating?

Jesus wants to assure you today that as undesirable as your situation may be, He can cause a testimony to come out of it. You will experience a breakthrough, as I did. Or you will be used by God to testify the truth about Jesus to an unbeliever.

Either way, Jesus wins! Keep on declaring that your present adversity is an occasion for testimony…and watch as it comes to pass!