It's interesting how a kind of secular song and a secular TV personality have both been used by God to speak to me in the last couple of days! I've been taking the concept of God speaking through dreams a lot more seriously since I listened to Kylie and Ryan Rufus's excellent sermon; "Unlocking Your Ability To Hear God Through Dreams". So the night before last I had quite an odd dream but I have been thinking about it and feel God was trying to say something through it. Here's what I saw;"I was standing in the background to basically what was the talent show; "Britain's Got Talent" and Simon Cowell was of course on the judging panel. Only I could only see Simon there. Suddenly a little baby appeared that I knew without a doubt was his son! Simon Cowell seemed as amazed as everyone else in the room and it seemed that it was some sort of miracle. So everyone was scrambling for their phones to try and video whatever this baby was going to do but I suddenly had my phone out and was recording".
So a couple of things came to my mind and I read Jim Goll's book which had some useful insights. I think I saw Simon Cowell as representative of God. This isn't particularly a good thing because it suggests that despite months of listening to Rob's teaching on grace I still see God as a kind of "judge" who needs to be impressed with me! But the baby seems to represent the new move of God - the new atmosphere that God is bringing into the earth at this hour. Lakeland in Florida and the Glory Encounters Conference are just two examples of this. I am seeing miracles and signs and wonders that I NEVER thought I would before!
And what I felt God say was that the calling He has on me at the moment is to record what I see. As C H Spurgeon put it; "Write down what you see". I don't know why. I would much prefer to be moving in signs and wonders and miracles but as Kaye Beyer said - be faithful in what you are doing and God will provide a ministry for you. So to the best of my ability I will go on watching eagerly what happens in Hong Kong and in Florida and in Canada and in London and in Brighton and I will write down what I see.
The second thing that happened was that I was debating with myself how best to transcribe Rob's sermon from last Sunday; "Invading the Impossible - Part 14 - Condemning Condemnation". The first 40 minutes virtually of the sermon are him reading out testimonies from people over the world and I didn't intend to bother transcribing it. I was just going to type out the last ten minutes or so of Rob teaching on "Condemnation" - because it truly was masterful. However I was driving to work last night and this song came on my IPOD quite randomly;
And all the hurt and disappointment began to flow through me as I drove that I have yet to see miracles and signs and wonders and the heavy manifest Presence of God break out here in Birmingham where I live. Do I have to spend my life travelling to places like Hong Kong or Florida? Why can't there be a portal of glory HERE?! I felt God apply this song so gently and fatherly and tenderly to my spirit. KEEP believing! KEEP looking! KEEP hungry! KEEP trusting! KEEP longing! It's coming!
So I guess I dedicate this song to those of you who are like me. You're not seeing the full blast of glory yet! The gold dust and the angel feathers and the gems and all the sorts of wonderful things that I am hearing about in these testimonies that Rob was reading. And I knew without a shadow of doubt that I should type the whole sermon out in it's entirety. Yes it's not Rob preaching - but these testimonies are faith-building and they are reminding us of what can be! And what will be! I dread - I utterly dread - coming to a point where I adapt my theology to cessationism simply because "I'm not seeing it". So it will be coming soon .... here!
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"Though hope is rare, it's hard to kill."
-That's YOU!!!!
(it's amazing how much more meaningful the words of this song are than the last time when you posted Whitney and Mariah singing it on "Spirit of God" at Christmas time. I do believe the words are awesomely inspiring to believe for "more" in the Lord...He does have so much more in store....)
Hey Lydia, I know that's what occured to me!! My first thought was oh I can't post this because it came to me at Christmas but I felt the definite persistance of the Spirit that it was right. At Christmas the encouragement of the Spirit was about not giving in just generally.
But now I have seen the amazing truth of the miracles and signs and wonders in that song. They are not going to just "drop into our laps". Although of course they may - men such as William Branham never hunted them and hungered after them.
But hope is hard to kill. There have been times especially this week when I have just felt so drained and exhausted and tired of "hope" I guess! But although it may smoulder it just never seems to go out. I sometimes wish I could sacrifice it all and just have a nice "normal" life - marriage, 3 kids etc etc and just go to church once on a Sunday and no more.
But when you have tasted the glory cloud - the glory realm - you are indeed RUINED for life arent u!?
Amen, Dan. There are people who pray for decades, before they see what they've prayed for.
I think what makes it so hard to pray and hope for what you're describing it kind of paradoxical. I mean, praying/believing for something to occur widely, that you've already experienced personally, should be easy, right? But the paradox is: if I've experienced it, and it was so easy to sense the heavenly glory, why should it be so difficult for that glorious presence to come in power? What is holding God back -- why just touch me and a few others, and not everyone?
The same glory-experience that actually builds our faith for what's possible in God, is subject to the temptation to despair, when we don't see that glory-experience being multiplied rapidly.
Here's what I've come to believe. Everything God does through the Spirit on earth, he starts in "seed" form. If you look at his choice of one couple to represent himself on earth, that was just the beginning of God's taking one or just a few people to work through, in each part of the Bible in which he did something new in his redemptive plan.
He continued this in Jesus' ministry, and at Pentecost there were just 120 gathered together, waiting.
Jesus himself talked about the mustard-seed of faith, which grows from pinhead size to a massive bush that birds can land in. The way that God has been redeeming Mankind is the same way he works in each redeemed person: through a "guerrilla" or "commando" action of establishing a foothold or beachhead, and moving out from there. He really will work no other way, and the only time I can see when he did change that pattern was in Isaiah 59:16, when God despaired of finding a man who would partner with him: "And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him...."
I believe God has been "seeding" the earth with people filled with his holy fire and growing revelation of his lovely and holy character. Each person he's seeding in his own way and according to his own plan. Each person waits, with God's Spirit maturing him/her, while he protects and nurtures the flame and purifies the vessel. Then, at the right times and places, he activates each person like "sleeper agents," to carry out his "Impossible Missions" across the earth. Perhaps, as you say, Dan, your mission now is to watch and record. You're also to represent Christ to the children and parents you encounter in your job. You can also be a powerful witness and help to other people who are struggling with the same afflictions God has saved you from. Finally, your intercession and worship in the secret place are part of the bowls of incense (Rev 8:3-5) which, I believe, are quickly being filled in heaven and hurled back to the earth for God's power to be shown and his will to be done.
All that to say this: I don't think you're going to have to wait and pray for decades, for revival to come to B'ham. God has so accelerated things, that you may even be coming in "late" to the intercession that has been lifted up for years. You may be surprised to find how quickly God makes things happen. Perhaps one of the B'ham "firestarters" is in Lakeland right now, receiving an impartation to bring back you your city! You never know....
This is a wonderful post and responses as well. I'm reminded of Rom 15v13: "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Here, in the midst of seeking God and longing for glory to be outpoured, our responsibility is to believe. Not only to believe for miracles, but to believe totally in God's lavish grace, to stand firm in it and have no legalists or disappointment rob us of enjoying His grace.
The fruit of that is that we will experience joy and peace. Heaven's attitudes and presence. But the promise then goes further - that joy and peace will in turn cause our lives to be literally flooded with Holy Spirit hope! That hope will keep us seeking with ever increasing confidence, with that continual cry of "More Lord."
Secondly, I was really struck by what Don said above. And I was reminded of that TV series "Heroes" which has been quite popular over here in the UK and also in the US. I didn't watch all of the first series because I missed too many, but I do remember all these different people with "supernatural" gifts all over the world, all functioning unknown to each other, and gradually their paths began to cross.
I just have a sense that this is happening today. God is stirring something new in the hearts of His people all over the world. Some are sitting thinking "is this just me, have I gone mad, am I becoming too extreme?" And yet God is stirring faith and vision, joy peace and abounding hope in many, many people all over the world. And in the days that lie ahead, these people will start coming together, meeting each other, and there will be greater and greater breakthroughs of glory!!
In fact I believe it is starting - we are beginning to connect across the globe. The increasing manifestation of God's glory is coming!!
Indeed....I can relate to your week, I felt such an awareness of God this past week, everytime I went to watch or read what was going on in Lakeland, I had so much adrenaline running through me, like I was high or something, I was so ready to go that I packed stuff for the whole family to go to Florida...only to realise my husband didn't have the same zeal...I was a bit discouraged, I really wanted to see with my eyes, live and in person, what God is doing.....so far it has'nt worked out for us to go, due to finances, I know it is still possible...I wanted so much to be a part of this awesome move of God.....I was tempted to become passive and just live without any eagerness to get out of the boat and try and walk on the water......anyway.....I was a bit weepy listening to that song because, I do believe in miracles, or should I say a miracle God and I just know He has more for us!!!!
I must have been typing when Don and Pete replied!
I love these posts. I love what Don said.
Someone went to a leader's event last week in Shaftsbury and reported back to our church yesterday....Again and again Todd Bentley is prophesying regarding other countries including UK..what was shared by a prophet over in Shaftsbury was stronger still...that the current outbreak is not primarily for America, but indeed more for the UK and other nations.It is THE time for the UK, as it has been the time for other nations in previous decades. So, Dan , it seems you will not have the wait that you expected!!!
Incidentally...yesterday was a bit of a breakthrough in our local Havant Church....we had an "uncontrolled" meeting...the worship was good and input flowed beautifully, including one preach with 3 preachers. It reminded me of the 70s London meetings, when several would share in a seemless flow..be it Gerald Coates or Maurice Smith or David Mansell or George Tarleton. The thing about how things have moved on is, these were homegrown preachers all from the local congregation.
"So, Dan , it seems you will not have the wait that you expected!!!"
Oh I pray not!! I so so so pray not!! I feel like we are in a state of spiritual earthquakes at present. That we keep hearing distant rumbles .... but the full-blown has yet to manifest. I know it's coming because the rumbles continue but I am so afraid that it will die away!
I know earthquakes are usually bad but there is nothing bad about these spiritual earthquakes - they are only bad for the kingdoms of darkness and the demonic strongholds which will get devastated!
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