LIVING WATERS from Lightbearers

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ… Eph 1:3 NKJV

You have to love Ephesians! Here, the Holy Spirit as the Author of the Word is introducing the subject of ‘every spiritual blessing’ and He’s going to take three chapters at least to describe those blessings, climaxing with the great truth of you and I being filled with all the fullness of God. These spiritual blessings have practical outworkings enabling you and I to live a truly abundant life.

Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. Gen 24:1 NKJV

But God has always wanted to bless His people. In studying the words ‘bless, blessed, blessing, blessings’ starting in Genesis I made a very incomplete but amazing list of the practical blessings of God: deliver from enemies; a great reputation; children, multiply descendants; inherit land; prosperity and success; God’s help; blessings of heaven and the deep; blessings of the breast and womb; of your fathers; taking sickness away, bless bread and water, no miscarriage; My fear going before you (making your enemies afraid of you instead of you of them); huge agricultural yields or business success; shalom – meaning wholeness, soundness, completeness, peace; blessed in all things; blessed greatly.* Extraordinary!

What positions us to receive such blessings? By the way, the guy associated with many of these references, Abraham, is also called the father of faith. Increasing faith is the critical factor. What helps you increase your faith? Praying for hours in the Spirit. I recently told a group of ministers that the Lord will tell them how much time they need to spend in prayer daily, six days a week, in the Spirit for the success of their ministry, and if they maintain that one factor alone, just be faithful (if you miss a day, two days…just come back tomorrow!), they will see success. If you can’t get a hold of me, most likely I’m out on the deck praying…

CATE’S PRAYER STRATEGY

Years ago my dear friend Cate wrote to me about how she was led to pray in tongues for God’s enemies, and how the Lord would deal with those enemies. Let me show you exactly what she wrote.

  I must add that another way to do the will of God by prayer TOWARD OUR ENEMY is to not ask anything of God as we know not what to ask for as we ought, but instead, just speak in tongues for those enemies and God will do his part….The Lord ask me to speak in tongues for Prime Minister Olmert and his wife (in Israel).  I said, But Lord, I hate him for what he is doing to Israel…The Lord said to me…You just speak in tongues for them….I’ll take care of Olmert. Well, he has been exposed for many scandles and is now leaving office soon…God put him through the ringer and all I had to do is obey  SIT…he sure knows how to expose those evil men…..I LOVE SPEAKING IN TONGUES FOR OUR ENEMIES…IT CRACKS ME UP WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE EVIL ONES…GOD KNOWS WHO WILL OR WILL NOT REPENT…  He is an enemy of God and all good things work together for good for those who love God….LOVE YOU.  CATE

Thanks Cate!

THE CASE FOR PRAYING MUCH IN TONGUES

…I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; 1 Cor 14:18 NKJV

One of my favorite healing stories is of the boy with polio that we sent running home to his mother. What I usually fail to mention in that story is the correlation between praying much in tongues and the release of divine healing power. The day before that incident, I had spent almost eight hours praying in tongues. I was preparing for an upcoming Holy Spirit Seminar, and had prayed all day in tongues, while reading the Word of God, until about three thirty in the afternoon, when the Lord said, “You are ready…” When He said that, I quit praying because I knew I was ready.

The one Christian in all of Scripture that we are told to imitate is the Apostle Paul. Paul spoke in tongues more than that whole community of saints in Corinth. Do we imitate Paul in his prayer life in tongues? If we have any sense, we do.

What did Jesus say about praying much in tongues?

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:38‑39 NKJV

Notice that the word ‘rivers’ is in plural. He wasn’t speaking of a trickle of water that runs off of a roof in a storm. He wasn’t speaking of a spring or a fountain, bubbling up with a little bit of water. He was not even speaking of a stream or a river. He said, “Rivers!” When I think of ‘rivers,’ I think of being in Khartoum, Sudan where the White Nile River flowing out of Lake Victoria meets the Blue Nile River coming out of the mountains in Ethiopia, both massive rivers in their own right, forming the great Nile River. THAT is the picture He was communicating, one of such abundance that it brings life to nations.

YET-TO-BE ANSWERED PRAYERS

The river of God is full of water…Ps 65:9 NKJV

About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” 4 And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God…”Acts 10:3‑4 NKJV

Richard Gazowsky, pastor of the Voice of Pentecost church in San Francisco, in his great teaching on the subject of speaking much in tongues, entitled SECRETS OF THE SNOW, talked about how snowflakes on a mountainside form a crystalline structure that literally becomes a reservoir of frozen water. When the heat of the summer comes, the frozen snowflakes melt, bringing life giving waters to the dry valleys below. Our prayers in tongues get stacked up before God like snowy reservoirs so that when the ‘heat’ of life comes down, the river of God flows to us abundantly. Every time you pray in tongues you are building a memorial before God, adding snow pack to your reservoir in the mountain of God, that He will release to you, in the time of need, when ‘the heat is on…’

In light of the current crisis that the USA and the world faces, the Lord told me He would carry me through it ( I think of a raft in a river ) if I was faithful in my prayer life. The river of God is full of water…

ANOINTED FOR POWER

…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man…Eph 3:16‑17 NKJV

One of the great misconceptions about the anointing of God is that you and I have nothing to do with it. People seem to think that only certain ‘especially favored ones’ have an anointing of power that they some how have miraculously received. This is not true! Any one of God’s people can be anointed with power if they will pray in tongues much. Jesus said that those who believe in Him (implying – ALL those who…) shall do the works that He did. The Spirit of God, through praying in tongues, strengthens the inner man, the spirit of man in the believer, so that he can carry the weight of the glory of God. The stronger a saint is in their spirit, the more of the glory can be put upon them. More glory equals more anointing, more power, more blessing. Do you see it?

John G. Lake said that tongues made his ministry. Smith Wigglesworth’s life and ministry was transformed after he began to pray much in tongues. Story after story confirms this reality – when you pray much in tongues, you begin to walk in power. Why is that true? It is true because tongues edifies your inner man, and builds your faith. Faith is quantifiable, mathematical. When Jesus said, “Be it unto you according to your faith,” He was making a mathematical statement. Speaking in tongues builds up your faith. When your faith is built up big enough, it can overcome any obstacle to reach the promise of God.

TONGUES IN PRAISE AND WORSHIP

Let my mouth be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day. Ps 71:8 NKJV

On the day of Pentecost, when the apostles spoke in tongues, the people said they were declaring the wonderful works of God. When Cornelius’ household got filled in Acts chapter ten, it says they spoke in tongues and magnified God. Jesus said that the Spirit would glorify Him. Paul wrote that we give thanks well and praise God when we pray in the Spirit. All of this happens, at the Spirit’s discretion, when we open our mouths and speak in tongues. Psalms says we should be doing this ALL THE DAY!

TONGUES IN PRAYER

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Rom 8:26‑28 NKJV

I love to teach these verses because it bothers me every time I hear verse twenty eight quoted out of context like as if every awful thing that happens to a believer is in the will of God and will work out well. That is not true! First of all, verse twenty eight begins with the word ‘and,’ a connective that ties it to the context.

The context is that the Spirit is helping our infirmity by interceding for us according to the perfect will of God. This is done as the Spirit enables us to pray in tongues ( groaning is an aspect of praying in the Spirit that time does not allow us to develop here ). In short, what it says here is that if I love God and pray much in tongues, making intercession for the saints according to the will of God, then all things will work together for the best possible result, and God’s purposes will be carried out. You and I will walk from victory to victory if we will actively, passionately love God and pray in tongues much!

TONGUES AND THE INDIVIDUAL

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you… If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:9,13 NKJV

Any born again one can receive the gift of tongues if they want to. All they have to do is ask, and then receive as they walk out on their faith. I have helped thousands of people to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and it is simply that simple.

TONGUES AND THE CHURCH

The Church today desperately needs an honest discussion within its ranks regarding the primary necessity of every believer praying much in tongues. We need to awaken out of our slumber, throw off our religious traditions and unbelief, embrace that great gift of His Spirit, and demonstrate to the world the power of the living Christ!

I’m excited! Do you know why? I know that some will read this article, say ‘yeah, yeah’ and go right back to sleep spiritually. But, I am excited because some are going to ‘get it’…some are going to grasp what the Spirit is saying here, and they are going to run with it. The Spirit will light their fire, and they will run with it, igniting everything that they touch…

Just begin to pray in tongues out loud right now…

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

*Genesis 14:20, 17:16, 22:17, 24:1, 35, 28:4, 39:1-6, 49:25. Exodus 23:25. Leviticus 25:21. Numbers 6:26.

AND FOR YOU WHO NEED TO RECEIVE

Thank you, dear one, for the privilege of ministering to you the Baptism of the Holy Spirit!

Speaking in tongues is your divinely given prayer language, which you have not been taught. A language is simply sounds or syllables where two people agree on the meaning of the sounds or syllables. When you speak in tongues, your spirit is enabled by the Holy Spirit to speak to God the Father. Your mind will not understand what you are saying. Don’t worry about what you are saying. I can say, on the authority of God’s Word that you cannot speak something evil when you seek to pray in tongues. Luke eleven gives us wonderful instruction…please read it out loud.

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:9-13 NKJV

When you speak, you must move your lips, throat and tongue. You must breath. Say, “I love the Lord Jesus Christ!” What did you do when you said those words? You had to breathe, and move your lips, throat and tongue. This is exactly what you must do when you speak in tongues. The Holy Spirit will NOT make you speak. You must do the speaking. Do you understand?

If you will do as I instruct and ask you to do, in the next few moments you will be filled with the fullness of God in overflowing abundance.

Right now, I want you to be alone, just you, me, and Jesus. There should be no children, spouses, friends, pets or other distractions around you. Turn off your cell phone. Do it now.

There are two requirements to receive the Holy Spirit: you must be a believer in Jesus, and you must want to receive. These are the only two! Our works will never get us ‘good enough’ to receive the Holy Spirit. He comes by grace alone, and all you have to do is receive, and act on your faith.

First of all, are you a believer in Jesus? Let’s confess Romans 10:9 right now from our hearts and make sure that requirement is taken care of…

…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 NKJV

Have you confessed and believed? Then, bless God forever, you are saved, born again of His spirit, with eternal life in you! Hallelujah!

Now, surely you want to receive, so I can help you. But let me tell you this truth. I cannot baptize you in the Holy Spirit. But Jesus can, and He will, as you come to Him. Look at what He said…please read it out loud.

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. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39 NKJV

You must come to Him to receive, and then drink in the Spirit.

Are you ready to come to Him? He is ready for you!

Say this prayer: Lord Jesus, I come to You. I drink in the Spirit of God from You. Father, I ask and I receive from You the Holy Spirit right now!

Now, act on your faith, begin to speak new syllables, new sounds, new words! That’s the Holy Spirit you are feeling! Release those words right now…

TAKE ALL THE TIME YOU NEED!

Yes. Isn’t God good? You are praising Him in your new prayer language. This will be one of the great days of your life. Use this gift for His glory!

Thank you for the privilege of helping you receive…love you!