…I believe God that it will be just as it was told me…Acts 27:25 NKJV

Faith works, all the time, under every condition, regardless of any circumstance. It is the perfect variable to every man that allows God to be a just Judge. It is a reason that the Lord said that the first and great commandment was to love ABBA with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, because love energizes faith. We believe God because we love Him.

Recently, I ministered to a couple where the wife had stage four lung cancer and anorexia. I met them last summer and offered to pray with them for her healing. I said, “You call me, and we will pray together every night, six days a week, until you are completely cancer free.” She had had a triple bypass heart procedure and was still addicted to smoking. The smoking addiction left immediately with the first prayer ministry. Our prayers together lasted over six months. At one point she had surgery to remove the tumor in her lung, but they couldn’t remove it. Then Dr. Jesus went in, and the tumor shrank and with our last call, they informed me that the doctor’s report had come back that she was cancer free. They never spoke in tongues, but with a little help, they believed God. Bless God forever!

I believe she got her gift of healing the first time I prayed with her, but it took six months of prayer to walk it out in manifestation. They would call and share what is going on; I would share about something I was excited about, then I would pray. It usually went about 10-12 minutes. Another couple I ministered to, in a more famous incident, it took two years to walk into the gift of healing and miracles with the birth of their twins. Initially I had RHEMA instructions for all three of us to see this miracle. I walked with them and prayed with them weekly. There were times in both healing miracles where we just had to say, “This is what God said!” and stand firm on that RHEMA, regardless of the circumstances or setbacks of which there were some dramatic ones. Just this morning I talked to one of the twins, a bundle of joy, who is now seven years old. The Lord was faithful to His word and brought it to pass!

Then there was Javier! Javier is a foreman for Peter’s company who got very sick with COVID. Peter called me one night and said, “Javier is going to die unless God does a miracle” or words to that effect. This time we got the prayer team involved. If you want to live, get my prayer team involved. Six months of prayer ensued! At one point Sam, one of our chief intercessors, heard from Heaven that on two occasions involving a nurse and a doctor, Javier had been told he would die. Sure enough! That had happened we found out later, but we went to war over the curse of diagnosis. Today, Javier is happy and whole and praising God! I have two pictures – one of Javier on a respirator and one of me standing with Javier, totally whole, a year later at Peter’s company Christmas party! Our God is able!

Do you want life changing faith? Nike released an ad recently that said, “Winning isn’t for everyone.” What they communicated, at least to me, was that one must be willing to pay the price to win, that winning required total commitment, day after day even year after year, and that is something most people weren’t willing to do. Life changing faith is like that. That kind of challenge is the kind that draws real men and women of character; indeed, it is what their souls long for!

My friend Dale pointed out to me years ago that out of the seven categories of faith, there were two that we could call the main categories: (1) what we would call normal, daily or ‘your’ faith, and (2) the supernatural gift of faith. Not understanding them and confusing the two has caused people to doubt the validity of faith. Your faith is the faith you live by daily. It can be high or low, can be different in different categories of your life; it can grow or diminish, and the fruit in your life is indicative of your faith level in that category. You will have great faith for certain things and little faith for others. This is why when you assemble a team you look for people with great faith in the categories needed on the team rather than personalities. This differentiates a ‘team’ from ‘friends.’ Assess yourself. Where you have low or no faith in vital areas, go to work building your faith in those areas. As long as you draw breath there is hope for your faith in that area to grow!

Faith arises through two great avenues: the written LOGOS of God, and the spoken RHEMA of God.

I’ve always counselled people that, in a crisis, take three days and go hear from God. But what I have learned is that if you wait for a crisis to hear from God, it’s too late; the horse has left the unlocked barn! Most people don’t have confidence that they can hear from Him because they haven’t practiced hearing His voice. So, the time to hear Him is before the crisis. If only our churches taught us to hear from God!

I believe the New Testament was written for the Church in light of every born again one being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues; that its great truths would become practical and effective to the greatest degree possible, if everyone was filled and actively praying in the Spirit.

Let me make my case…

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19  NKJV

If that verse is true, why are Christians so needy? We have been taught to PRAY and BELIEVE that verse, which on the surface is true. But what is implied in verse nineteen is that in your prayer you will ask God for revelation about HOW to have your need met – HOW? WHERE? WHEN? WHAT AM I TO DO? Scripture clearly says God already knows our needs and requirements to have a blessed life, but we need revelation to help us align ourselves to receive the blessing. Without that alignment, you miss God and the blessing. Asking for revelation is a function of the gifts of the Spirit, and the gifts are operated effectively when we pray much in tongues, like the Apostle Paul did. Have I made my case yet?

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1-4 NKJV

‘ALL filled…and ALL began to speak.’ Pentecost in Acts Two sets the precedent for all believers for all time. It certainly set the precedent for the early church in the book of Acts. There are three records of believers being filled with HS and speaking in tongues in Acts – the Jewish believers in Yeshua in Acts Two, the Gentile believers in the Christ in Acts Ten under Peter’s ministry, and the young church in Ephesus under Paul’s ministry in Acts Nineteen. Acts Nineteen is most instructive!

The story of these Ephesian believers actually begins in Acts Eighteen…

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. Acts 18:24-27 NKJV

So, the Ephesian believers that Paul would meet had been won to the Lord by Apollos. But Apollos only knew the baptism of John, apparently not having experienced the HS’s baptism. Perhaps this was remedied when Aquila and Priscilla ministered to him, because later on he was working very closely with Paul (1 Cor.16:12, Titus 3:13).

And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”  Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”  When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 

And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Acts 19:1-7 NKJV

“Did you receive (Grk. LAMBANO) the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

LAMBANO means to receive into manifestation the Holy Spirit; in other words, to speak in tongues. Paul’s first question, his main concern was regarding whether they had spoken in tongues or not! This is consistent with how the apostles at Jerusalem treated the new Samarian believers in Acts Eight, having sent Peter and John immediately to minister the HS’s baptism as soon as they discovered they were new believers.

14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive (Grk. LAMBANO) the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received (Grk. LAMBANO) the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:14-17 NKJV

They spoke in tongues! In every record of people getting born again, when it gives enough detail, the record in Acts always said they followed the precedent of Acts Two by getting filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. The Church Epistles, Romans through Thessalonians, were written during the time of the book of Acts. If every believer was expected to be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues in Acts, why wouldn’t that understanding be baked into the Church Epistles which were written during that time? I believe they were, and I preach that wherever I go.

I believe you can’t do all things through Christ who strengthens you without the gifts of the Spirit. I believe you can’t be more than a conqueror effectively without the fullness of the Spirit. I believe you can’t do the works Jesus did, or greater without the Spirit’s gifts. Finally, Jesus Himself said that those who believe on Him were to get filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues like they did on the day of Pentecost. I rest my case!

37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive (Grk. LAMBANO); for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39 NKJV

If you are a minister of God, get everyone under your ministry filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues. Then teach them everything you know about the Holy Spirit and encourage them to walk it out. We can help, if you need help!

Powerful, vibrant life changing faith is available to everyone drawing breath; to everyone humble enough to open their heart to the living God. Salvation faith, faith to believe that someone you never met before did something never done before on YOUR behalf two thousand years ago to enable you to know and walk with Him who is eternal life, is a gift of God. Then faith, built on that foundation just grows and grows as you receive the RHEMA of God and the LOGOS of God through the written Word and the gifts of the Spirit. My prayer is that every born again one worldwide gets filled with the Holy Spirit and grows in life changing faith, which will usher in the harvest of the ages as billions come into the Kingdom of God. Amen? Love you!

Remember dear one, we must be about our Father’s business…