Ask. Just ask God.
At the beginning of the World Race, I asked my squad leader, Jacob, about the Holy Spirit’s power. I had definitely experienced the Holy Spirit’s peace, comfort and counsel before, but never definitively His power. I was always taught that the Holy Spirit doesn’t work in the same way that He did in the days of pentecost (when Jesus first sent the Spirit after he ascended into heaven.) Personally, I have never found overwhelming evidence that the Holy Spirit stopped working in such power, gifts and the giving of “spiritual office” like in Acts, Corinthians, Ephesians, et cetera. I’ve actually found otherwise. (My goal is not to split hairs over theological arguments concerning the Holy Spirit, rather it is to simply give an account of my experiences in light of my theological background.) So, I simply asked God. I told Him I don’t know if He works in such powerful ways anymore, but in my heart I believed He still can. I asked Him to show me His power, and if it brought Him glory, that he could use me as a vessel of his power like He did of the Apostles and saints of the early church. A month later, I believe I received my first, hard-evidence answer to that prayer.
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I had one of the most powerful experiences with the Holy Spirit to date while I was in Romania, though I believe there are many more to come. We were putting on a conference with Pastor “Z” in a small town in the Transylvania region of the country. We participated in praise and worship and the telling of the good news of Jesus Christ. Towards the end of the evening, Pastor “Z” gave an invitation for prayer. Handfuls of people came for prayer, but I remember a couple of people in particular.
The first was a young girl with her mother. She was about 3 years old. She had brain cancer. I was praying alongside Courtney Hess, Jenny Brown and a couple others. Courtney began to pray in power against the infirmities in the little girl’s body. As she prayed, the Spirit began to stir with passion within me for healing over the little girl. As I prayed, I extended a hand toward the young girl, and my hand began to slowly shake. I didn’t think much of it, because it was a cold night. We prayed in fervent faith over the little girl, and I believe God completed a great work in her that night. After praying, Jenny said she saw my hand shaking, and she told me I should have touched the young girl. At this point, I didn’t understand the elementary teaching of the laying on of hands (Hebrews 6:2) and how the Holy Spirit chooses many times to work His power this way.
After a few minutes, a downcast, middle-aged woman walked up asking for prayer. I learned that her son had died about six months prior. Jenny said, “this one is yours,” meaning I should pray for her. I was reluctant, so I asked Courtney to initiate prayer over the woman. Those that were praying started stirring up in the Spirit. As I lay my hand on the woman’s back the same shaking started happening, but all the more intensely. My heart was moved in deep compassion over the woman and as I felt her pain, I began to cry. Courtney is gifted in words of knowledge and prophecy, so she began calling out specific things the enemy had brought against this woman. In short, he had used many schemes to perpetuate fear and sorrow in her life. Courtney spoke powerfully and light was shed on the dark situation. As Courtney was boldly declaring life over the woman, I had a vision:
I saw an explosion of light come from heaven and it entered through the roof of the lady’s house. The light erupted violently through her house and burst out of the doors and windows. I saw the same light explode onto her and out of her chest and limbs.
“In him (Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness had not overcome it.” John 1:4-5
After that, I saw living water gushing out of heaven into the lady’s house and erupting with ferocity out of the doors and windows. Again, I saw living water flowing into her body and pouring out of her heart and limbs.
“…but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14
The Holy Spirit’s presence was thick over the situation and healing started taking place in the woman. The woman was crying and moaning as the translator was speaking into her ear.
I looked up to heavens and whispered to the Holy Spirit, “Do what you will.” As I began to pray, I could barely speak because the Holy One’s presence was so heavy. All I could think to say was, “Shalom peace” to the woman’s soul. In the moment His power poured through and touched the the woman. The woman shouted and fell forward, though Courtney and others were there to hold her up. The translator moved away. I began to rage over the woman and proclaim the vision I had seen just moments before. As I spoke, the Holy Spirit crashed over us in waves. The once downcast woman was now joyfully shouting, marching in place and swaying back and forth because of the power of the Spirit. It was like we were under the weight of all the oceans as the Holy Spirit stirred upon and within us. The prayers culminated in uncontrollable laughter, joy and explosions of praise to God for His good work.
The woman walked away in a completely different spirit than she first approached us in. We’re confident we experienced the Holy Spirit’s work. Courtney saw the same woman later in the evening and she was still buzzing with joy. She had no logical reason to be so jubilant, because two minutes earlier she was cowering and paralyzed with sorrow. Quite simply, the God of the Universe reached in and touched her. That’s all there is to it.
Also, those of us who were involved in the Spirit’s work hummed with joy and peace for what He had done. If He sends joy and peace through you to another person, that means you too get touched by the same work of the Spirit.
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As I lay in my tent weeks later in Ireland, I had this vision:
I saw a man standing on a beautiful beach by himself. The beach was like one in Ireland with clean sand and gray skies. The wind began to gently blow, wrap around and caress the man. I simply understood the wind to be the Holy Spirit’s comfort and peace. The man very much enjoyed and embraced this work of the Holy Spirit, as most people do. As the man stood there the wind began to pick up, as did the ocean waves. The waves first came up around his ankles, then his waist and then they started crashing over his head. I thought it peculiar that the man was able to stand under the power of the water, yet he was obviously swayed and shaken by the waves. The waves kept coming, growing larger and larger. Toward the end of the vision there were epic waves as large as skyscrapers ripping over the man. His body undulated under the catastrophic impact, but he was still unmoved from his standing position. I finally understood the waves of water to be the Holy Spirit’s power crashing over the man. The reason the man did not die was because he was in spirit and not in flesh. Obviously, such power would annihilate the flesh. I understood that when we invite the Holy Spirit’s power to come upon us and work through us, He can show up like waves as large as skyscrapers impacting the spiritual atmosphere within and around us. I believe this is similar to what happened that night in Romania.
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This testimony may sound way too ethereal for some to accept. I get that. And, I wouldn’t ask you to accept my word without confirmation from Christ Himself. Then it would no longer be my word, but His Word within me. That’s exciting.
This testimony may sound normal to some. Great. Neither you or I should let pride rise up in our hearts as if we did something great or profound for the Kingdom. That’s foolish. God is the exemplifier of all good works. We do nothing on our own accord.
I also get that one should never “set up camp” on one of God’s good works. It’s then that we place a nice, tidy box around God which we now get to call our comfortable religion. This is idolatry at its most dangerous, placing a good work of God as more ultimate than God Himself.
So I leave you with this. If your desire is for the common good of the body of Christ and there is a hint of faith in your heart, ask God to show you his power and to use you as vessel of the Holy Spirit’s power. Ask Him to blow your mind with His goodness. Ask Him to rip apart your theology and religion so you can see Him for who He truly is: A loving, powerful Father who sent His son, Jesus, to die and rise again so that we might live abundantly. And Jesus, his loving powerful son, who for the time being ascended into heaven so that the Father could send His Holy Spirit to consummate His good work here on Earth. Then, until the King-Son comes back to Earth, we align ourselves with the work of the Father through the Holy Spirit in order to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven, on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Just ask God.
