God Designed You To Make An Impact
I’ve been posting ministry news at this address throughout 2008. I’ve spent December looking to God for fresh direction and fine-tuning. For 2009, here are a few things I plan to keep doing – and a few things I’ll be doing differently:
New for 2009 – I’ll be moving this blog to a new address in February. I have spent hours sorting through spam; by moving to WordPress.com, I’ll eliminate this time-consuming headache. I’ll announce the new address soon.
New for 2009 – JoAnn had a great idea, and as I waited on God I felt to move forward with it: my monthly email article will explore the theme of learning to walk in the prophetic with sanity. (To see the archives or to sign up, visit http://gospelsmith.injesus.com)
The Bible commands us to covet to prophesy – we can’t be lukewarm about it. But let’s face it: a lot of goofiness gets into the prophetic, and sometimes it seems to be more trouble than it’s worth.
That’s why Paul had to write, “Despise not prophesying. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” No matter how weird prophecy and prophetic people may get at times, there’s a real thing and God wants all of us to have it.
So I’m going to explore the real thing in the monthly email, and spin off a few short articles and testimonies about it on this blog.
New for 2009 – I’m not going to force myself to update the blogs every Tuesday. I’ll still aim to post several articles each month.
If you want to be notified when new articles come out, use the RSS feed. New to RSS? It’s a service that sends a brief summary to your email address whenever a new blog gets posted; then you can read it when you have time.
Don’t know how to hook up? The easiest way to learn is to ask a teenager or young adult in your church – or follow the directions at http://reviews.digitaltrends.com/guide/35/how-to-use-rss.
Nervous about RSS? Don’t be. You can unsubscribe at any time. It’s easy.
For this month, I’m moving the best of last year’s articles to new blog addresses. Next month I’ll start writing new articles about a healthy use of the prophetic. Blessings – S.S.
Pray For Us
The news for December — JoAnn and I are taking a sabbatical.
We won’t be entirely idle. I’m moving forward with turning her testimony into a book, going to a conference in Oregon, and even facing jury duty Christmas week. But I’m going to take a break from blogs and as much of my ministry activity as I can.
It’s time to listen for fresh direction re the online school of the Spirit. What is going right? What can be done better? How is God directing us for 2009?
Do you use the school? If so, let me know. If you have any thoughts about the school — suggestions, testimonies, pans — please let me know at stansmith888@sbcglobal.net or by posting your comment here on the blog.
Have a great Christmas season — Stan & JoAnn
Building A Testimony
I woke up the other morning with a fresh dream: that God was eager to give me more testimonies.
Was it just a dream, or was God speaking? It could just be something on my mind, since I’ve been writing about the theme of building a testimony every week for the blogs for the online school of the Spirit. But it could also be God speaking; after all, I’ve had a theme for all the blogs every month this year without dreaming about them. And Romans 8:16-17 gives me a good reason to believe the dream may have come from God:
When I was a pastor, I often noticed that the best testimonies can’t be told. Many were highly personal, and many could embarrass others. So I often knew of wonderful things God was doing among us but most of the church was unaware.
And this week as my wife and I have been involved in a couple of artistic projects, we have testimonies we can’t share because they involve opportunities that may or may not pan out. They aren’t really testimonies yet.
JoAnn has produced a variety of prints over the years. We learned of an art show within walking distance of our home, and at first she was going to participate and then she changed her mind. I felt it was important to encourage her. So I worked on a project of my own to display – it took longer than expected – and she put in the hours to get her materials ready.
The only problem was that God set significantly better opportunities in front of each of us this week, and our participating in the local art show forced us to overwork this week. For JoAnn, it was an opportunity that could lead to a much larger assignment; she had to prepare this presentation in addition to the art show. And for me, I learned that I have a firmer deadline than I realized for turning JoAnn’s testimony into a book – it would be inappropriate to write about it, but God has opened a door and I need to be faithful to walk through it.
Where does suffering come in? Romans 8:16-17 says the Holy Spirit wants to talk to us about our inheritance, but part of our receiving it is suffering.
So far, in the context of the doors God has opened for us, our suffering begins with self-denial. We have to say no to good ideas – things like the art show – and even to things we want to do, so we can focus our strengths on the main challenges God has given us.
Further, spiritual warfare begins when we try to focus on the main thing God is telling us to do. There is no battle over non-strategic ground. Often our computer equipment and email, which work flawlessly most of the time, suddenly develop glitches when we have a deadline as we try to accomplish the main thing God has given us to do.
It takes an effort to receive our inheritance. God gives it freely, but there is always opposition. It won’t just fall in our laps. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
Soaking Meeting
Our life is in God’s promise. Sunday morning, my Bible reading took me to Isaiah 27, and I found this:
I have been in a season of temptation lately that exactly illustrates how we can disconnect with His mercy and favor. For the last two weeks, I have had a battle with hopelessness and discouragement. It’s come and gone, but every few days I have battled the feeling that nothing I do matters.
Friday night I led a soaking meeting, which I host each month at my home church as long as travel doesn’t make it impossible. As I stood at the keyboard, I played and sang, trusting God for a tune and for words. Like a drowning man who seizes a bit of flotsam, I grasped an odd little melody that came to mind and built a song around it. And then there was another key and a new melody, and then another, and then back to the first as if the whole were a single well-ordered composition.
As I played, I felt I owed everyone an apology. It all seemed trite to me, and I wondered if the people were sitting before me, feeling trapped by an etiquette that would not allow them to leave. So I stopped the music and reached into a ministry time. “Who would like prayer?”
The ministry time seemed blessed, and I invited people to help minister to one another with me. They did well.
The meeting ended and Mike Burns, who had run sound, presented me with a recording of the first 80 minutes. A couple of days later, I played the music to see if it was as dreadful as it had felt when I played. By the time I had listened for a few minutes, I realized I didn’t need to apologize for it. The thoughts of my heart had all been a lie.
I’m sharing this because, sooner or later, we all face this temptation. And Isaiah 27:11 points out the key issue we must settle in our hearts: do we understand that God is pouring His mercy and favor into us and through us as we do our best to serve and love His people?
If we don’t discern or understand, we will judge ourselves by the wrong standard and be tempted to give up.
If we don’t discern or understand that God is using us, we will believe a lie about ourselves and it will enslave us. And then, by forfeiting our freedom, we will no longer be able to follow Jesus in the daily assignments He gives us.
We can allow many things to put us off. Over the years, here are a few things that have tempted me to misjudge the mercy and favor of God: the crowds were too small or unresponsive; someone else’s gifts outshone mine and I wasn’t needed; I was too young for God to use me; I was too old, and my day had passed. At least I’m old enough now that I never feel too young for God to use me.
But the antidote is what Jesus used: “It is written.” Isaiah 27:11 made it clear to me that I have to be faithful not to despise what God is doing through me. And I encourage you to take the verse to heart as well. It will revive our will and give us the strength to keep moving forward, using our gifts to give a drink of water to a disciple, and washing the feet of the saints.
Worship Conference
For the past few weeks, a theme has recurred in my prayer life: that there is rejoicing in heaven when people repent on the earth.
The elections were taking place when I posted last week’s blog; votes were counted by Wednesday. I can report that I was gratified at some things that happened in the election and troubled by a few others. But scripture doesn’t say God rejoices when a Democrat or a Republican wins the election; He rejoices when a sinner repents.
I didn’t see anyone repenting as the campaigning was going on – I saw a lot of debating and arguing – and I’m afraid there were many who supported the candidates and measures I voted for, but they did so with such a mean spirit that it made me cringe.
Jesus said they will know we are His disciples not by our voting record, but by our love. Some of us have impeccable voting records, but little love. Whose disciples are we? What have we learned from Jesus?
I will be praying for three things in the next few years: (1) that God will raise up men and women of godly character to serve in both political parties in our country; (2) that God will move more of His people into the media and that He will give them a voice; and (3) that there will be revival on a grass-roots level.
Unless hearts turn, there will be nothing for heaven to rejoice about.
I believe there was rejoicing in heaven as we met at the worship conference in Santa Maria, CA. My friends Betty Machado and Joseph Councilman put it on; Pastor Roger Wheeler opened his church to host the gathering.
Worship was good and the manifest presence of God was strong in meeting after meeting. But in one of the meetings, Kathleen Carnali was leading us in a spontaneous song in which we began putting off the works of the flesh – putting them on the altar and calling for God’s fire to consume them – and asking God for the grace of new and godly character. The altar was lined with people, breaking before God.
A cynic might look on and wonder: how long-lasting will this repentance be? Did lives really change?
Nobody can answer this question; only time will tell. But the scripture doesn’t say that when sinners repent, angels put them on probation for forty days to see if their repentance will stand the test of time. There is rejoicing in heaven whenever we repent – sinners turning to Jesus for the first time, or Christians turning to Him for fresh cleansing later.
At the pastors’ gathering, we picked up the theme. It is possible to allow God to circumcise our hearts and, by grace, to make a commitment to God and not waver. It is possible to trust Christ and become a new creation, with old things passed away and all things made new.
We can pray for revival, but do we believe the gospel? Do we believe that if Jesus comes in, life will be different? Do we believe He frees us from sin, or do we expect to wallow in it as long as we live?
Jesus said, “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.”
I rejoice that I saw repentance in an atmosphere of the Holy Spirit at the worship conference. I’m sure there was rejoicing in heaven. And I’m sure that in at least some of us, change will prove to be lasting.
I hope we will all pray for revival as we prayed for the election that just took place. No candidate, Republican or Democrat, has the power to transform our nation as deeply and as permanently as the Holy Spirit can if He brings repentance and revival.
Pray For Us
In October, I’ve listed what happened as I’ve done the assignments week by week. I’m sure you’ve noticed that some experiences were more profound than others.
That’s the whole point of developing a lifestyle of spending time with God and ministering to people: if we aren’t faithful to keep reaching for more of Him even when it doesn’t seem to amount to much, we’ll miss many of the unusual experiences God has planned for us.
I won’t list the few remaining things that happened in October, except for one. As I was soaking, the idea came to me that I should use a steno pad and devote a page to each project ‘m praying about. Then when I soak, I can work through the pages and review what God has already shown me, and jot down anything else He reveals.
I’ve begun, and found myself in tears as He began to speak to me about my various projects. I sensed His compassion towards His people.
I like to devote the first blog every month to prayer requests, so here’s how you can pray for us, as God leads.
Meetings. I don’t have many meetings planned for this month because of a writing project I want to make time for – more about that in a moment – but will be involved at a Worship Encounter in Santa Maria this weekend. My role will usually be in the background, though I have been asked to lead worship at the pastors’ meeting and then to do a workshop on Saturday afternoon.
I’m excited about the workshop. The idea first came to me a few months ago; I plan to do a bit of teaching about hearing God’s voice, and then in our soaking time reach for an impartation of prophetic creativity.
God is the God who does a new thing. He doesn’t lock Himself into old patterns. It will take prophetic inspiration for us to break out of our ruts and move with God in the new things He wants to do.
Then on November 14, I’m having another soaking meeting at my home church. I’m always surprised and delighted at the unexpected things God will do as we draw near to Him and let Him have His way. I’m sure there will be testimonies and personal ministry when we meet – the rest will come into view when the time comes.
Please pray for us, that God will anoint and bless the meetings, that He’ll open the doors that need to open, and that we won’t go through doors that don’t need to open.
The Online School. I’ve gotten a few new ideas for the online school. The first is the Scavenger Hunt, a way to make the monthly assignment more specific and challenging. Meanwhile, I’ll be revamping the web pages to make the materials easier to use.
This month’s CD, available to all who send a donation of any amount, is “Building A Testimony.” It doesn’t take long to become someone who has fresh stories to tell of what God is doing in our lives.
I believe the school will be more useful if I let the materials focus on something specific each month, with a definite beginning and end. If you haven’t seen it yet, visit the Assignment page and look at the scavenger hunt.
Writing JoAnn’s Story. My biggest project in the next few months will be to write JoAnn’s testimony. I already have a rambling book-length manuscript that she compiled before we met, but my job is to tighten it and make it into a book. You can read the short version at http://diaryofanexorcism.com.
It’s a challenge because it demands a writing style I’ve never used before. I’ve already begun, and am enjoying the process. Maybe I’ll turn into a real writer by the time the book is done. Please pray for us, that we can stay focused, and that the Holy Spirit will anoint me to tell her story with clarity and grace.
Doing The Assignment
Over the years as I’ve sought wisdom about moving in the gifts of the Spirit, I’ve learned to look for what I call the “peg” – a simple word of knowledge that can trigger a spontaneous flow of the Holy Spirit.
There is a delicate balance between hearing from God in advance and being led spontaneously. If I try to know everything God wants to do in a meeting before it happens, I have often struggled because I sensed something spontaneous but didn’t have time to do both. If I try to do everything spontaneously, I may get to the meeting and find it hard to get started. I’ve learned to look for one phrase or one small mental picture and not much more.
I found a prophecy in Isaiah 22:23-24 that gives a word-picture of this principle:
In prophetic song, my peg may be a key I’m supposed to use, a line of lyrics to sing, a melody, or a sound in my keyboard. When I write an article, my peg will often turn out to be a metaphor or story that will make the material come alive. Last week I mentioned that I had soaked, looking to God for inspiration for the week’s blogs. One by one, He gave me the images I could build each blog on.
I mention this principle now because of ministry to the man with the yellow shirt.
10. Soaking, Oct 22. Soaked while walking around the lake. Was struck with the joy in heaven when a sinner repents, and challenged to make repentance more a part of my ministry.
11. Soaking, Oct 26. Listened as I plan three upcoming projects. Was led to postpone one for a couple of months to avoid stress. As I looked forward to the morning meeting, sensed that I would prophesy in church. Peg: ministry to a man with a yellow shirt.
18. Ministry, Oct 26. Man in the yellow shirt turned out to be Joseph. Prayed for peace as he works to put on the BTV conference next week, and grace to be a step ahead of all needs and attacks.
19. Ministry, Oct 26. A woman came to me, requesting input re dream interpretation. She shared one; I took a shot at interpreting it; she wept as I did. I encouraged her to jot them down and to look to God for interpretation.
20. Ministry, Oct 26. Unplanned phone visit with Betty re the BTV conference. Felt to pray for her as I had prayed for Joseph; the prayer took a couple of unexpected turns.
One more thought about the peg. In context, it follows a verse about the key of David. This belongs to Jesus; this is how we know the lines about the peg apply to Him as well. But the last verse of Isaiah’s prophecy shows how He paid for it: by being cut off at the cross. It’s a reminder that our reaching for spiritual gifts must always center on Christ crucified and risen.
JoAnn and I have had to change plans for the worship cruise in 2009 because the port at Galveston has been devastated in the hurricane. Main changes: lower prices, new dates, new ship, and departure from Los Angeles CA instead of Galveston TX. See the changes below:
Combine your vacation with an opportunity to linger in God’s presence,
with prophetic worship led by
Julie Meyer, JoAnn McFatter, Steve Swanson, and Stan Smith.
Royal Caribbean
Mariner Of The Seas
April 19 - April 26, 2009
Departs Los Angeles, California
Hosts — Stan & JoAnn Smith — www.gospelsmith.com
Undecided? Book now to lock in the price.
$861 Inside Cabin
Promenade Cabin — Prevailing Rate
Ocean View — Prevailing Rate
$1221 Balcony
Price includes 7-Day Mexican Riviera Cruise,
Government Taxes,
Port Taxes, Fuel Charges,
and Conference Fees
Cruise deposit is $250 per person or $500 per couple, fully refundable until February 11, 2009.
Monthly payment plan available. All prices based on double-occupancy and subject to change.
To be part of the “Glory Is Here” cruise,
you must book through Pastor Sharon Heuton
at 209-588-9565 or egpministry@gmail.com.
We were hoping our new friends, Walt and Julie Meyer, could be there to lead worship. But they had a prior commitment. “What if we planned another cruise and centered it on worship?” JoAnn suggested. It was just a playful idea, but Julie contacted some of her friends who are involved in prophetic worship and said, “Would you want to be involved in a soaking cruise?”
One thing led to another, and JoAnn McFatter and Steve Swanson agreed to serve as worship leaders with Walt, Julie, and me.
Pastor Sharon Heuton is doing the hard part – she’s doing the bookings and similar details. JoAnn and I have become the hosts, which means it’ll be up to us to arrange the meetings and workshops. What began as a whimsical “what if…?” is turning into reality.
We’ve been surprised at how enthusiastic people are. Many of us are becoming weary of conferences; we are hearing a lot of good teachings but can’t find time to implement them.
We have no idea where God will take us in prophetic worship, but we want to do all we can to make the Holy Spirit the main speaker.
If you are interested in the cruise, contact Pastor Sharon. For more about the ship, click here.
Doing The Assignment
I enjoy doing the month’s assignment because God is creative. Opportunities arise at unexpected times; God works in diverse ways. This keeps things from becoming boring.
This week I attended the Movie Guide Fundraiser in Atlanta, GA. I was the guest of my mother, who knows many of the people who work so tirelessly to bring a godly influence to Hollywood.
I was very impressed with their strategy, which includes an annual awards dinner at which they honor secular moviemakers who have had a positive influence on society. Perhaps it’s my upbringing – I often heard that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar – but I can’t help feeling that a loving and affirming tone will be more likely to touch hearts in Hollywood than the mean-spirited boycotts I am often asked to join.
Though many of the people they honor are not Christians, the award winners often are very touched; one asked for extra programs so he could send them to his family. I plan to visit the awards event in Los Angeles in February.
Here is my report on the assignment for this week. As a few of the ministry times were very personal, I’m being careful not to be quite as specific in public as I would be in the privacy of my own journal.
8. Soaking, Oct 14. Soaked to prepare for an out-of-town trip to visit friends. Basically asked God, “Is there anything You want to tell me?” Sensed a word for one of the men.
9. Soaking, Oct 19. Looked for blog inspiration. KEY: I’m reminded to look for a metaphor for each article. I received one for the music blog as I soaked; sense that others will come spontaneously.
14. Ministry, Oct 15. Most of this report is too personal to tell. JoAnn and I met a friend for lunch. I felt to share something about the calling I sense in His life. The Holy Spirit bore witness in an unusual way; he had an open heaven experience in the restaurant, fulfilling the words of Hebrews 12:22-24.
15. Ministry, Oct 15. Visited a family whom I very much look up to. They showed us a house they are ready to move into and asked me to bless it. I sensed a prophetic flow as I spoke to their home.
16. Ministry, Oct 17. I had a prophetic word for an internationally-known singer. In spite of a chaotic environment, I was able to share the word with her in a conversational way that did not attract undue attention.
17. Ministry, Oct 17. I met a woman whose father had just taken his own life and shared a simple thought with her from Romans 8; she said it was wonderfully comforting and thanked me profusely.
As far as ministry is concerned, my personal philosophy is much like what I saw at the Movie Guide Fundraiser. I know there is much that needs to be corrected in the lives of people around me, but feel that most of it will happen if people simply begin to follow Jesus. I don’t try to correct everything that’s wrong; instead, I look for what people are doing right and look for ways to affirm it.
The Holy Spirit does such a good job of convicting people of sin that I want to be careful to leave room for Him to do it. My role? To pave the way for Him, by giving people a loving touch from Jesus.
Doing The Assignment
A key principle of the online school is that it’s important to look for ministry times that weave in with daily life.
With that in mind, I’ve had two ministry opportunities this week, with several opportunities for personal ministry.
The first sprang up because someone in the Charlotte area had found the prophetic song blog and was excited about the online school of the Spirit - “It’s where our worship team is right now; God is leading us into it.” Then when she found out I would be in the Charlotte area for a month, she called to see if we could meet for coffee.
I suggested meeting at the church so we could use the keyboard as we talked about prophetic song. She called the pastor, and soon we had plans for an informal worship gathering with a few members of the worship team.
I wish I had more time to reach out to strangers, but I do a lot of writing for the online school and I’m working on a book. Both projects demand that I spend time shutting out distractions. So my testimonies this week will be a sample of the principle of looking for personal ministry opportunities that happen as I fulfill my ordinary responsibilities.
4. Soaking, Oct 8. Soaked by taking a walk, then soaked my way to sleep at night. God dropped specific inspiration into my heart re writing JoAnn’s book.
5. October 9. Looked for ministry promptings. Got a few ideas for the website and tightening the school. Sensed a woman named Meg. (As of posting this blog, I haven’t seen her. Did I make a mistake, or will I meet her later?)
6. October 10. Looked for inspiration re meeting with worship leaders in Concorn NC. Sensed I should focus on the two voices of Jesus.
7. October 11. Soaked as I drove to Candor NC. Got a few ideas for reformatting the online school, but nothing for the Sunday service.
5. Ministry, Oct 8. Shopping for clothes. Affirmed two salesmen, Roy & John. Did not sense an open door to go deeper with either.
6. Ministry, Oct 9. Phone visit with an older prophet. Talked about revelatory things; sensed it was an encouragement to him that I called.
7-9. Ministry, Oct 10. The sharing with the worship leaders in teaching and song seems to have hit its mark; it confirmed what the keyboard player had been learning from God. The drummer had a vision and received an impartation of peace that seems to have brought him a measure of deliverance. Prophetic prayer for the pastor seems to have struck its mark.
8-13. Ministry, Oct 12. People came forward for prayer after the meeting dismissed; most wept as I prayed with them. I won’t give names here, but prayed separately for the pastor and his wife, for an Anglican minister who is presently in a holding pattern, for a young couple who lead worship, for a man whom I sensed God was nudging to step into a larger role of ministry, and to a woman whom I sensed God was releasing from issues of condemnation. This is as much as I remember at this point. I felt the anointing was given for impartation; I don’t know how much word of knowledge was in the prayers.
I wasn’t sure if my preaching really connected on Sunday morning. It was helpful to know I would be posting this report; it stirred me to make myself available for personal ministry. Judging from the many tears that were shed, it may have been the most important thing I did.
Doing The Assignment
Praise Report. There are gas shortages in North Carolina, but God enabled us to get to our meetings in Goldsboro this weekend. We’ve managed to find gas whenever our gauge showed that we were down about a quarter of a tank, so we haven’t had to miss anything we had planned. We got back to Charlotte late Sunday night and all the stations at our exit were dry. It won’t matter to us; we don’t have to drive far for the next few days…
Good things happened in Goldsboro. The preaching seems to have been well-received. God gave a tangible sense of His peace to many of us. One woman testified her ankle was healed and now pain-free for the first time after surgery a few months ago.
Pray for us. I am working on JoAnn’s book – you may have seen the short version of her testimony at http:/diaryofanexorcism.com. The version on the web gives the narrative, but the book will tell more of the inner story. JoAnn’s experience has been that whenever she tries to move forward with the book, it stirs up a lot of warfare. If you are moved to pray for us, we’d be grateful if you would help cover us in this area.
I’m also starting to sense that I need to change the format of the online school of the Spirit to make it more user-friendly. The diversity of materials make it hard to present simply. As I’m soaking, God is starting to give a few ideas but I need more. Please pray for me, that I’ll receive wisdom from the Holy Spirit so I can better serve the body of Christ.
Doing the assignment. For this month, I felt I should post the written part of the monthly assignment on my blog. Here it is:
1. Soaking, Oct 1. Soaked briefly in the afternoon; felt out of it. But in the evening service had a throne room encounter, watching Jesus clothe and equip people for ministry in the Philippines, India, and Africa.
2. Soaking, Oct 4. Woke up at 5. Soaked to prepare for men’s breakfast. Saw a vision of a man with a blue shirt and a goatee. Also sensed God wanted to impart peace.
3. Soaking, Oct 5. Prepared for Sunday service. Sensed nothing new; only to continue theme of ministry at mens’ breakfast.
1. Ministry, Oct 1. Was at the Laundromat, and called a pastor who had hosted me a few months ago. Talked about what God was doing in each of our ministries.
2. Ministry, Oct 2. Met a man at Morningstar who was in my classes when I taught for a term at Pinecrest. Began talking about word of knowledge – how it works – suddenly asked, “Why am I talking about all this?” He replied that he has been doing a lot of prophetic ministry. We swapped stories and prayed for each other when we were done.
3. Ministry, Oct 3 and 5. Friends took us to a buffet. Talked about weight-loss with our waitress; she has lost weight because of health problems. Promised to pray for her at church when I preach Sunday. Followed through, praying for congregation as well.
4. Ministry, Oct 4. Spoke at men’s breakfast and prayed for the man with the blue shirt. Encouraged his ministry of encouragement and lifting up hands that hang down. He thanked me with tears. Later learned that he leads the benevolence ministry at the church.
I could write more on each of these, fleshing out the ins and outs of why I did things the way I did and what resulted. But I’m keeping it short, like the entries I keep month by month, to give an example of how to do the assignment…
On The Road
We went through a few surreal days in Charlotte, NC, in the middle of a gas shortage. The few gas stations that had gas also had long lines. It could take hours to fill up; a clerk in the grocery store said a man pointed a gun at him and demanded that he let him get in front of him in the gas line. A waitress in the Cracker Barrel said she wondered how she could to continue to get to work if the crisis continued.
The shortage spread further and further into the state, and the news reports said it would take weeks to get back to normal. County offices elsewhere in NC were closed because people couldn’t get to and from work. For a few days, we wondered if we would be able to get to our scheduled meetings.
Pressures have eased, but we hear that gas supplies are still erratic.
Is this fuel shortage a hiccup in America’s history, or is it the shape of things to come? I just heard of a man in Galveston who has now been without power for two weeks. He’s decided to move.
The issue here isn’t survival or even safety; it’s business as usual. If the infrastructure around us is collapsing, we can’t get our work done. With no power, the computer won’t work and there is no way to recharge a cell phone. How could most of us do business without electricity?
Many of the people who lived through Katrina still haven’t gotten back to normal. Elsewhere it’s floods or droughts, ice or heat, a fallen bridge or a failed power grid.
What about faith? Many of us will find that as we listen to God’s voice, He will show us how to thread our way through the impossibilities around us and fulfill what He has given us to do. We will be the person whose flight is on time when others are stranded in the airport for days, or will find the one gas station that is open when all the others are closed. These graces will be part of our testimony.
Some of us will stumble into a prayer life that will bring reversals to the crises. The storm is coming, we speak the word, and the storm subsides. Or we will pray, and the power grid will suddenly be restored.
Psalm 91 says that if we are in the secret place, a thousand fall at our right hand and ten thousand at our left, but the plague will not touch us. Some of us will learn to stay in the secret place and will be the one person in 11,000 who can get through the storm, the shortage, or the power outage.
How do we contend for the kingdom? No matter how much upheaval we face, the promises of God will not collapse. We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
The faith route will take us to a place of God’s intervention. It glorifies Him when His people look to Him and find His provision and faithfulness amidst impossibilities.
But sometimes, in spite of our prayers, we still can’t get to the meeting on time…we still don’t have electricity to keep the computer charged…we can’t go on with business as usual.
The parable of the sheep and the goats gives us a pattern we can follow even when we can’t get to the meeting. Wherever we see one of God’s people hungry, thirsty, unclothed, imprisoned, or sick, we have a ministry opportunity to them and to the Lord Himself. If upheaval keeps us from getting to the meeting, it may be because God is teaching us to see the ministry opportunities all around us in everyday life.
So contend for faith – this will be the theme of the online school this month – and always look for opportunities to minister the love of God. If you can’t make it to the meeting, be a good Samaritan and look for someone who is bleeding and dying on the Jericho Road. This may be more important than business as usual anyway.
Recent Meetings
I’m going to tell the highlights of two recent meetings I have ministered in – a soaking meeting where I played and sang prophetically about a week and a half ago, and a FGBMFI meeting in Tulare CA where I spoke this weekend. But I’m also going to share about what goes on between meetings – for this is as much a part of ministry as anything else.
The soaking meeting seemed a bit subdued. It may have been because we had a few new people who didn’t know what soaking is, and I had to pause at times to explain what was going on at various points as I sang prophetically. This will probably be a feature of the monthly soaking meetings from now on.
The music flowed as it did the month before: several times I found myself exploring a lyrical theme I would not have anticipated. At the end, people began coming forward for prayer. One by one as they made their requests known, I realized I had already sung into their needs. The prayers often echoed a theme I had sung a few moments before.
I see it as a fulfillment of Zephaniah 3:17:
Then this weekend I made the three hour drive to speak at the FGBMFI dinner at Tulare CA. I shared about the online school and passed the assignment on to them. We were on a tight schedule, so there was no time for personal ministry.
But I shared with them about hearing God’s voice: quiet your heart, focus on Jesus, and look for a spontaneous flow of words. A man named Edward was sitting in the front; I walked through the steps as I prayed over him. I pointed out that what I had prayed had been generalities, something I could have spoken over everybody in the room.
Then I took a risk: I asked if the word had meant anything to him beyond generalities. He nodded and said it had been very specific; he said it was all he could to to keep from breaking down and sobbing.
It was a risk because I never know how personal and specific a word will prove to be. If I minister to ten people, it will always be more profound for some than for others.
But this is where the online school helps me. I find it easy to minister in meetings. I’ve been doing it for decades. But I also find it a little too easy to get caught up in the bustle of ministerial activities and to miss the divine appointments that happen between meetings.
The parable of the good Samaritan addresses this. The priest and the Levite each passed the battered man and left him alone. No doubt they were running late for an appointment; they were too busy with their ministries to find time for the man.
I haven’t found or made many ministry opportunities between meetings this month.
I want to be like Jesus, not like the priest and the Levite. And how did Jesus live? He was interruptible. He took time to cross town to minister to Jairus’s daughter – He allowed Himself to be interrupted by the woman with the issue of blood. In or out of a meeting, He was ready to serve and bless.
On The Road
Sometimes when God wants to press a word on us, He speaks it several times and finds ways to call attention to it.
It began when I was in the Seattle area at a men’s retreat, and God dropped a conviction in my heart: He wants to promote people to another plateau in their destinies, but they must clear out the clutter in their present level so they’ll be ready to move higher in God’s time. Then He put it to me in an unusual way: “Picture the last 25 living rooms you’ve seen. If the lieutenant governor were going to visit in half an hour, how many could be ready to receive him?”
I shared the challenge at the retreat and thought that would be the end of it. But within a week, I dreamed that I was a soldier on leave, waiting for the train that would take me back to the base. I had a sweater and a jacket and a bag for each hand, and had slung them carelessly over a bench where I sat, talking to a friend while I waited for the train.
But the train never stopped. It slowed down, then it moved on. By the time I realized it had come, it had gone. I ran after it bout could not catch it. I could not have caught it with something in each hand and sweaters and jackets over my arms; I would have had to run along and jump on, catching a handhold.
The dream startled me and woke me up at 4:44. I could not get back to sleep.
A few nights later I dreamed again. This time it was a simple dream; I was waiting to catch a plane but missed it because I was so engrossed in a conversation in the board-ing area that I never managed to board.
I’ve been pondering the theme of these three messages ever since, looking for ways to get rid of clutter and to be more ordered and focused.
Then a few days ago when I was in Las Vegas, I glanced at my cell phone and noticed that it was 4:44 in the afternoon. Of all the prophetic people I know, there isn’t one who pays less attention to numbers than I do. But it was 4:44, the hour when I had awakened from the dream about the train, and I thought of Pat Sparrow, a prophet in my region. I know the number 444 means a lot to him. So I called and asked, “What does 444 mean to you?”
His answer went on for ten minutes, but the key thought for me was the promise in Ezekiel 44:4 that the glory of God would come to God’s house. I sense an appointment with God’s glory is ahead, He is graciously warning me not to miss it.
I shared my three-step revelation with Pat, and he asked me to visit his church office and share it, so he could record it on video and share it with the church on Sunday. We met, made the recording, and then went out for coffee.
Driving home, I tried to enter our gated community but was delayed because a confused driver was blocking the lane and cars had lined up behind her. It seemed quickest to go around the traffic circle and use the other entrance on Sparrow Street. I looked down as the gate opened and noticed the time on my cell phone: 4:44.
I know there are a lot of significant details in the dreams, but I’m content to focus on one main conviction: clutter, lack of focus, and distraction are trying to work together to keep me out of God’s highest purposes. I’m working hard to tighten up in all these areas.
But here’s the next question. Is this word for me only, or is it also for you?
If the shoe fits, wear it.
On The Road
I am in Las Vegas, near the end of a week with Dennis and Lynnie Walker. They run a school of the Spirit here called Dunamis ARC (Apostolic Research Center) and have put a lot of good resources online. Many are free.
I have had ministry times in the meetings – I preached on Sunday – and have had a lot of good conversation with Dennis and Lynnie in an “iron sharpens iron” sort of way. They have given me several good suggestions about my own school of the Spirit, confirming what my wife has felt, and they have helped me with the nuts and bolts of putting it together.
As always, a learning curve goes with it: I need to start producing DVDs that will be usable for individual study, for groups, or for churches.
I’m going to stick with the format I use on my teaching CDs: to break the material into four or five short segments so people have the option of listening to all at once or to take it one section at a time.
I was soaking when this idea came to me; I pictured people in a home meeting, playing one track in each meeting for several weeks in a row. Because each track ran for 12-14 minutes, they could listen for a few minutes and then have time for discussion, testimonies, and prayer for one another.
Incidentally, Dennis has several worship leaders in his group, but he doesn’t always use live music. Often they begin their workshops with soaking music on CD and many of the people lie on the floor for this part of the meeting. Others stay in their seats.
Dennis has written a downloadable flyer about soaking. Not too long ago, I wrote on the theme of having a soaking party in each of my blogs: The Miracle Lifestyle, Prophetic Song, and Culture Shapers. If you have never done any-thing like this before, download Dennis’s flyer. It’s nicely laid out, it’s in PDF format, and it’s simple and clear. Visit http://www.dunamisarc.org/images/stories/public/Soaking-Flyer.pdf.
While I’m on the subject, another free download you don’t want to miss is Mark Virkler’s flyer about the four keys to hearing God’s voice. This too is in PDF format, and it’s a classic. Click http://www.cluonline.com/4Keys.pdf.
I have received a lot by visiting Dennis and Lynnie’s school and brainstorming throughout the week. But there was also a moment when God dumped a new idea into Dennis while we were out doing errands. I won’t share it here because it is still in the formative stages, but I was impressed with how Dennis handled it.
He had the idea at lunchtime Saturday. He blurted it out, then we stopped in a restaurant to eat and excitedly started exploring what the idea would mean and what opportunities it would open. By the time we got home, he was on the phone, inviting a few core people to his home so he could present the idea to them.
Then we went to Office Max to buy a whiteboard so he could put the facts and figures before them. That night, about ten people showed up. Dennis shared what God had given him; they seemed enthusiastic about the idea; they agreed to process it and get more info about the nuts and bolts for a week and then to meet again next Saturday.
Dennis had the idea at noon. By the time he went to bed that night, he had set the idea in motion.
How long would it have taken you or me to take the first step?
Romans 1:11-12 talks about this: “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established – that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.” This is what ministry is all about. God uses us, but He also pours something into us through those He sends us to.
Pray For Us
As a child, I would sometimes see a river of ants moving across a sidewalk. I would step on a few. Then I would notice that the ants fell into two categories: those who would stop what they were doing to look at the carnage and, apparently, to discuss it among themselves; and those who would go on with whatever they had been doing before.
Now that the Spirit-filled churches are reeling from Todd Bentley’s disclosures and all the questions that go with his controversial ministry, we are acting like ants. Some of us seem to have no purpose but to dissect what went right and what went wrong. Others have a mission, and are going on with it.
For me, it’s time to get on with the mission God has given me. And I’m encouraging others to do the same. You had a mission before you ever heard of Lakeland. You may have received fresh grace from the outpouring there – JoAnn and I did – and this will help you with your mission. But it’s time to get on with whatever God has assigned us all to do.
Ministry trips. First I‘ll be in Las Vegas, September 3-10, to connect with Dennis Walker’s school of the Spirit. When I get home, I’m leading a soaking meeting at my home church, Agape, Sept. 12, 7:00 pm. A week later, I speak at the Tulare CA FGBMFI, Saturday Sept. 20.
Then JoAnn and I leave for a month in NC, from September 23 to October 23. We’ll stay in Charlotte, within walking distance of Morningstar, where we look forward to seeing how the Lakeland Outpouring has played out. We’re also connecting with Walt and Julie Meyer, worship leaders in Kansas City.
I’m still arranging the meetings that will happen when we’re in NC, and will post them on my itinerary as soon as details become clear.
Writing. I’ve begun writing JoAnn’s book – the short version of her testimony is at http://diaryofanexorcism.com – but the long version is a diary of about 100,000 words. I’ll be shortening and rewriting it to make it tell not only what she went through, but also what was going on in her heart as God drew her to Himself.
I’m excited about the project. I’ve been writing for months about “Culture Shapers” and the need for Christian artists to think in terms of letting God show them how to use their talents to make an impact on people. This book is an opportunity to write something for a secular market.
At the same time, I’m excited about the challenge. I’ll have to use writing skills I’ve never needed before. Pray for me, that I’ll be able to write a crossover book that will speak to the unsaved and will strengthen young converts.
School of the Spirit. Last month, I revamped the “Prophetic Song” blog to reflect a new style I plan to use on all my blogs. Its search feature makes it possible for a reader to pick a topic and search for other articles that mention it. And the articles listed across the top of the page tell how to use the online school.
I need to recreate my other blogs in this same format. It will take time to write all the necessary articles, and I have to research how to put all the blogs on gospelsmith.com. It will make the presentation look cleaner, and will be easier to use.
I fell behind on the “Miracle Lifestyle” recordings, but am catching up today and will have them posted at the beginning of this week. When I have had time to record, something has always made it impossible – construction work outdoors, server problems, and so on.
Pray for us. We appreciate all of you who pray for us. Thank you so much.