Don't let your praying go down a sinkhole

This year I have taken a lot of time to pray. I found myself asking the question we all ask, WHY? Why this? Why that? And I was asking, why is it that people pray and don't get an answer? Last year I read an unusual story in the newspaper: A family went to bed in their house at night, with their car outside on the drive. In the night the ground opened up, the car was swallowed, and in the morning they found the car 10 metres down at the bottom of the sinkhole! God used this story and said to me, "I'll tell you what's wrong when you pray. You start praying, and I'm over here waiting to answer. But instead of praying your way through, you stop in the middle, and the ground swallows you up! You stop praying just when I'm about to give you what you ask!!" We pray and we pray, and then we say, "Oh God isn't going to answer!" – And then we give up! And drop down the sinkhole! But God is there, waiting to give the answer and we've given up!

How have I learned how to pray? – Through trial, through tribulation! When I was just a young pastor, a man in my church was dying of terminal cancer. We prayed and God raised him, totally healed him, I saw the cancer coming out of his body! This wasn't healing – they had cut out parts of his body; God remade him! I was just a young man. When the son saw the power of God in his dad, God filled that boy with the Holy Ghost and he went on to preach the Gospel! That's the power of God – He changes men!

But what changed MY life a few years later was when I had throat cancer. I was a pastor and evangelist, but now I couldn't preach! I refused treatment, saying I believe in a God who answers prayer. I prayed three months, believed I was healed, so went back to the doctors. They said, "There is no God, there is no miracle, your cancer has become so big, on Monday we will operate and remove your voice." Did I say to myself, God doesn't answer prayer, God can't remove this, can't work miracles...? What kind of a God do YOU have?! Is He powerless? Or is He the greatest God in the whole world? MY God is the God of the Bible, powerful, glorious and who works miracles! There's no God like Jehovah! But I wasn't healed!! What did I do? I said, "Oh God, teach me how to pray!" I was a preacher, and evangelist, I had seen miracles of healing! Now I was on my face before God, "Oh God, is something wrong with me? – There’s nothing wrong with You Lord, it must be me! – Oh God, heal me!" Still nothing happened. Then I changed my prayer, saying "Oh God, if You want me to remain in my church, live in England – don't heal me! But I believe You are a God of power and authority, who can change the world! If You want me to leave my church, step out in faith, go to Russia, then I need a powerful miracle – HEAL ME!" That night God healed me! Next morning I went to the hospital, the surgeons examined me roughly, three times. And they were angry with me and accused me, "Who did it? What hospital, which doctor? We can see the scar where they cut the cancer out with a knife!" But I said, "His Name is Jesus! He can do what you can’t do!" But now I had made vows to God, so I went to my church and told them, "The good news is that God has healed me. The bad news is, goodbye..." I had made God a promise! How can we expect God to keep His promises, if we can’t keep ours? I stepped out in faith, and with no salary, no money, I bought a piece of land, built myself a new house – with no money – my own staff don't understand how I do this, nothing's changed in all the years – and I bought a brand new tour bus for the Bible smuggling – which cost two times the price of the house! Why? Because if God could work that miracle and heal me – now I had learned something – then nothing is impossible! Absolutely nothing! 

Let My people go!

Speaking to Russian Holocaust Survivors living in Israel David said, 'I have been many times to Carmel where Elijah called down fire from heaven. Scripture is history - here in Haifa we are in the vicinity of the place where it actually happened! We marvel that Elijah could work such a miracle as when he challenged the prophets of Baal, saying that the God who answered prayer, and would send fire on the sacrifice, would be the true God - 1 Kings 18. Today we have the same challenge - Israel is surrounded by followers of 'Baal', but the God of Israel will again prove that He is the true God. Elijah poured twelve barrels of water on the sacrifice so that it would be impossible for it to catch fire, then he called upon the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel - who answered by fire! This fire burned up the sacrifice, the water and even the very stones. What kind of fire was it? 45 years ago I stood on that site with a friend who was an eminent archaeologist. He had picked up a piece of blue stone, which he sent to the Atomic Research Centre in Britain; they found that this stone could only have been formed by an atomic explosion. That is when I realised that the God of Israel is the greatest God in the universe, who has authority and control even over nuclear power! But He loves you and has the ability to defend you and deliver you from your enemies. Even if it needs miracles, if it is impossible, God will always deliver Israel. Don't be afraid of the future.

'I want to show you miracles from your own history, and how important that history is in your life today. Your Scripture records in Deuteronomy 4:32 that when you were afraid and facing danger, the greatest miracle ever seen on the face of the earth was when God took you out of Egypt, and brought you to this promised land of Israel. It was a phenomenal miracle - only your God could do it!

'But your prophet Jeremiah refers back to this miracle, saying there will come a day when you will forget this great miracle of deliverance, because God says, "I will do a greater miracle when I bring the Jewish people from the land of the north - from all the lands where I have driven you!" God said, "I will do a greater miracle, when I deliver you from Russia, than when I delivered you out of Egypt!" For over 50 years I have been visiting Russia. Why? Because if I wanted to see the greatest miracles on the face of the earth, I had to go to Russia. And it was there that I actually saw God work miracle after miracle. He's your God, He's brought you out of Russia, into this land - He's a God of power, of love, of deliverance. This greater deliverance is happening now - here in Israel!'

'When Solomon prayed, God answered him and said, "If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray, I will forgive their sin, I will heal their land, I will deliver them. I will be their Father, I will deliver them forever and ever, for eternity." Israel is the land of God, you are the children of God - and He calls you to come Home! Not just to Israel, but to come to Him as Father.'

Blessed and Broken

Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear! (Mathew 10:27)

There are times when God puts us through an experience of darkness to teach us to hear and obey His voice. When we are in the dark our senses are heightened, we hear sounds and detect movements that otherwise would be non-existent in the light. In the dark our deepest fears prey on our minds, we become vulnerable to the slightest movement, our imaginations run wild. Yet the darkness is a deliberate act of God, it is His divine will, for it is only in the dark that He teaches us the greatest lessons. Contained within darkness are treasures and secret riches (Is 45:3), but they can only be learnt in silence and stillness. There is hope in realising that before Jesus broke the bread He blessed it, for it is only in the breaking that multiplication took place. The bread was not blessed after it was broken and torn, but the blessing was in the tearing (Matthew 14:19).

When you are in darkness wait until God brings the light; never try and help Him bring better times, for they will surely come at the appointed time. Even in Genesis 1:1 after God had created the heavens and the earth, darkness covered the deep; but yet in this void and desolation the Spirit was hovering, waiting for the next instruction.

Oswald Chambers said of dark times: 'Pay attention when God puts you into darkness, and keep your mouth closed while you are there. Are you in the dark right now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? If so, then remain quiet. If you open your mouth in the dark, you will speak while in the wrong mood - darkness is the time to listen. Don't talk to other people about it; don't read books to find out the reason for the darkness; just listen and obey. If you talk to other people, you cannot hear what God is saying. This is a time of discipline and instruction not displeasure.'

A glorious future

Call upon Jesus! When you are in distress, when you are in trouble, when all the problems of life have come upon you, you will find God if you search for Him from just where you are. Today, God has given you a solemn promise of a glorious future. I want you to let these words sink into your spirit this year: God has a bright future for you, He is bringing you out into abundance. An abundance of health, joy, peace: He will give you an abundance of every good thing. You've been through the fire now it's time to enjoy the blessing (Ps 66:12).

I know many reading this have secret problems you cannot share. They are too deep, too hurtful, you cannot open up. Just tell everything to Jesus. It's the only way to be healed, delivered, set free. Talk to Him. He's listening. He loves you – He'll answer. You are not forgotten or insignificant, to Him you are precious and valuable. Reach out to Him right now, just call His Name, 'Jesus'.

Will you come home to your Father's love? If you want this new life, if you will receive Him, I want to pray with you: 'Oh God, become a Father to those reading this, comfort and deliver them. Give them a new hope and a bright future in Jesus' Name.'

Does God care?

We all at times ask: 'Does God care? Does God understand?' I want in some way to encourage you. God sent His Son to live as we do, to experience what we experience. He doesn't sit in heaven aloof to our concerns and fears; He experienced them Himself, that is why Jesus had to come. It was the only way He could identify with our humanity.

Jesus is Son of God yet Son of Man. God allowed Him to suffer. He was rejected and despised. Isaiah said of Jesus that He would be a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Jesus was not born in a palace with all the advantages of wealth and privilege, He was born in a filthy animal stable. He never owned a house. He wore borrowed clothes. When He was killed, He was buried in a borrowed tomb. He had no salary, no pension, no state support.

Jesus needed to suffer so that God could identify with us, so that He could understand and feel our pain. Hebrews 4:15 teaches that Jesus is able to sympathise with our weaknesses because He Himself was tempted and tried as we are, yet He was without sin. That is why we can boldly come before God to find mercy and help in our times of need.

The cross enabled Jesus to identify with us, and for us to identify with Him. Through Jesus we can understand that sometimes suffering leads us to God. The Apostle Paul encourages in 2 Corinthians 7:10, 'For God sometimes uses sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek eternal life' (LB).

Do you know this Jesus?

When I speak, I always begin with the Bible, the Word of God. It is the most up-to-date 'smartphone', because it is the only one where you can actually hear God speaking to you. Sometimes I speak from Matthew 8:23 where Jesus entered into a ship and His disciples followed Him. There was such a great storm that the ship was covered with the waves, but Jesus was asleep. The disciples woke Him saying, 'Save us, we're dying!' Jesus responded, 'Why are you so afraid, O you of little faith?!' Then He rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled saying, 'What kind of man is this that the winds and the waves obey Him?!' - Isn't it interesting that even after seeing all the miracles that Jesus performed, they still didn't recognise who He was.

I want to introduce people to the real Jesus. In this Bible story the disciples were with Jesus in the boat. A storm came. I know Galilee and how violent these can be. Even these strong fishermen were afraid! There comes a time when there are storms in all our lives and we are afraid, life is not easy. Now they were sinking and Jesus was fast asleep, in the boat! They called out, 'Don't You care?! Help us! Save us!' - How often do we feel the same way? We are screaming, 'Aren't You interested? How can You love me when You allow all these problems?!' With authority, Jesus spoke to the wind, and the sea became calm! Jesus reveals Himself through the miracles when He is in the boat with us.

Jesus changes lives. Every one of us has to go through storms. I've had cancer twice, but both times I've been healed by a miracle. We all need Jesus in the boat with us when we go through these storms, or else we drown under the crashing waves. But when He is by our side we can walk on stormy seas. The great hymn writer put it so profoundly: 'I've had many tears and sorrows, I've had questions for tomorrow, there's been times I didn't know right from wrong. But in every situation, God gave me blessed consolation that my trials only come to make me strong. Through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to trust in God. Through it all, I've learned to depend upon His Word… I thank God for the mountains, and I thank Him for the valleys, I thank Him for the storms He brought me through. For if I'd never had a problem, I wouldn't know God could solve them, I'd never know what faith in God could do' (Andrae Crouch, Through it All).

Fight for your healing!

If you are sick, I want to help you pray. But first let me just say, I believe that with God prevention is better than cure, and we should not abuse our bodies, which can cause sickness. Often when people ask for prayer I can recognise, without being a doctor, that their problem is due in part to a wrong lifestyle. If you smoke, you are likely to get lung cancer; if you put on excessive weight, you increase the risk of diabetes and heart problems; these are medical facts. We have a responsibility to take proper care of ourselves. Yes, God can heal you, but I recommend that a healthy diet can often mean prevention, and can promote health and healing.

I want to say clearly: sickness is not part of the cross we must carry. Healing is part of our redemption: 'He was wounded for our transgressions… And with His stripes we are healed.' And nor is sickness God's punishment for our sin or the sins of our ancestors: just as God forgives sin, He wants to heal you. When Jesus healed the blind man the religious leaders asked, "Who sinned, this man or his parents?" Jesus said neither! Healing is for God's glory!

Jesus wants you to live in health. In Luke 5:12-13 a man with an advanced case of leprosy came to Him, fell to the ground and said, "Lord, if You want to, You can make me well again." Jesus reached out and touched the man, saying "I want to. Be healed!"

If you want God to touch you, fight for your healing. Stand up and fight! Fight the old devil! Where does sickness come from? If there were no devil, there would be no sickness! The Bible is very clear, 'resist the devil and he must flee!'

If you want healing, put your hand where the sickness is and say this prayer with me:

I know Jesus is alive, I believe the Bible, God cannot lie! Your Word says Jesus took my sickness and healed me - and I take my healing by faith. In Jesus' Name I will fight in prayer and in the Word of God until I am healed! I command you devil, get out of my body! My body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit. Devil, get out of my life, my home, my family! In Jesus' Name I defeat you devil! I will live in victory until Jesus comes! Amen!

The Bible says in Revelation 12:1 'And they overcame the enemy by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.' Confess healing Scriptures every day; they will bring you health and healing!

Exodus 15:26 He is the Lord my God who heals me.
Psalm 118:17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.
Isaiah 53:5 He was wounded for my transgressions, He was bruised for my iniquities: the chastisement of my peace was upon Him; and by His stripes I am healed.
Matthew 21:22 Whatsoever I ask in prayer, believing, I shall receive.
Luke 17:19 I will arise and go my way, my faith has made me whole.

Podcast: There is power in the Gospel

Current Podcast: Sunday 1 February 2015 (13 minute audio)

There is power in the Gospel

My father was born in Morriston, South Wales, in 1892 and was there in the great Welsh Revival. When the power of God fell, the churches were filled, there was not enough room for the people. The power of God was so strong that ungodly coal miners would go down in the lift and fall on their faces under powerful Holy Ghost conviction. We are seeing the same today across the former Soviet countries. 

Click here to listen (to download right click on the player and select 'save as')