Andrew Wommack's Blog, page 26

God’s Servants to You

Have you ever heard the song “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus”? From the time I was a toddler, my dad would sing this hymn to me any time he needed me to stand up—to help me get dressed, to get off the couch, to do a chore. He would sing, and I would pop up. It worked every time. Years later, those words still resonate in my spirit. That old hymn begins like this:

Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the cross!
Lift high his royal banner,
It must not suffer loss.

We are Christian soldiers for King Jesus to fight against spiritual darkness. Likewise, God has set in place earthly checks and balances, like the police and military, to preserve and protect our communities and nations against wrongdoers. Romans 13:3-4 (Amplified Bible) lays out God’s purpose for law enforcement and what our relationship should be with them:

“For [civil] authorities are not a source of fear for [people of] good behavior, but for [those who do] evil. Do you want to be unafraid of authority? Do what is good and you will receive approval and commendation. [4] For he is God’s servant to you for good. But if you do wrong, [you should] be afraid; for he does not carry the [executioner’s] sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an avenger who brings punishment on the wrongdoer.”

As a way to thank those who protect and serve the Colorado county where Charis Bible College’s main campus resides, Andrew Wommack Ministries and Charis hosted an appreciation banquet and fundraiser for their local first responders this past September. Hundreds from the county participated in honoring their firefighters, law enforcement officers, medical technicians, and paramedics. All first responders and their guests ate for free. Each guest also had the option of paying for an individual ticket, sponsoring a table, or donating funds directly to a first responders’ fund. In total, the event raised $55,712, and the money was split evenly between the Ute Pass Regional Ambulance District and the Northeast Teller County (NETCO) Fire
Protection District.

After the fundraiser, a public response was issued from the NETCO board:

“We would like to say thank you to the citizens of Teller County, the sponsors and donors, along with Mayor Neil Levy and master-of-ceremonies Debbie Miller, but especially Andrew Wommack Ministries/Charis Bible College and staff for hosting the First Responder Banquet and Fundraiser. It was truly a wonderful evening and we are honored to have received such praise
and appreciation.”

Through the nonprofit organization Shield616, AWM also provided upgraded armor to local police departments. Sixteen body armor kits were purchased and donated by AWM, enabling God’s servants to stand strong and
be protected.

As I think about the results of this generous gift to a group so underappreciated, I can hear my dad’s voice:

Put on the Gospel armour,
Each piece put on with prayer;
When duty calls or danger
Be never wanting there.

Remember the first responders in your community this Christmas. If you’re not in a position to give to them financially, at least pray for their safety. John 15:13 (AMP) says, “No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends.” As God’s agents, first responders are demonstrating a great love—Jesus’ love—to the community through their service. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you can be a blessing to them this Christmas season. Serve each other in love as your heavenly Dad sings over you:

To him that overcometh,
A crown of life shall be;
He with the King of glory
Shall reign eternally.

Post a comment below if this has blessed you.

 

Join Andrew Wommack in Phoenix, Arizona! Make plans to come out January 5-7, 2017, for the Phoenix Gospel Truth Seminar. (Special room rate available until December 5.) For more information and to register, visit this page.

Interview with a Nonconformist

Recently Andrew Wommack sat down with Gordon Pettie of Revelation TV for an interview at the 2016 Grace and Faith Conference in the UK. Andrew shared with his host a broad range of things, like what he does to unwind, how he became a worldwide minister of the Gospel, and the testimony of his son coming back from the dead. Here’s an inside look into Andrew’s life—someone who’s allowed the Word to transform him. The following is an excerpt from that interview:

Gordon Pettie: Andrew, it’s a pleasure to have you. Thanks for taking the time to join us on Revelation TV.

Andrew Wommack: Well, thanks for having me, Gordon. It’s a pleasure.

GP: Andrew, when somebody appears on TV screens and on big platforms, people sort of think in some way they’re [a] very special kind of people. Can I just start by asking you a few ordinary questions? Do you ever get time to read ordinary books?

AW: Well, I guess I have the time, but I am so committed to the Word of God and how powerful it is that if I get a few moments, I’ll read the Bible. I only read maybe one or two books a year, and that’s pushing it. I have to force myself to do that. So, I really don’t read much outside the Bible.

GP: Okay, and what about to relax? Do you get time to relax?

AW: What I do to relax is, I have twenty-six acres, and it always needs work. And so I’m always working on that. And then I’ve got a wood shop that the Lord blessed me with. I’ve got some great equipment, and I make bowls, candleholders, and belt buckles—like this belt buckle. And I build stuff out of wood. That’s what I love to do.

GP: All of us have to keep our Christian life real and fresh. How do you do that?

AW: Personal relationship with the Lord. I got born again when I was eight, but when I was eighteen, I had this encounter with the Lord where, I mean, Jesus became real to me. And He changed my life. And, Gordon, I’ve never gotten over it.

GP: Did the Lord give you a vision that one day you’d become an international speaker?

AW: Did you know that when I first got turned on [to] the Lord, I instantly had the desire to have a worldwide ministry. I saw myself ministering to people all over the world, but it was just a desire. And so everything I did was a step in that direction. I pastored three little churches, and I was willing to stay pastoring these churches if that’s what God wanted me to do. I loved it, and I was seeing people’s lives changed. But when I got an opportunity to go on radio again, I just always had it in my heart that God was going to give me a platform to reach large numbers of people. So, when I started on radio, that was a big thing, and I really focused on that. And then our radio [audience] began to grow, and we had responses from all over the United States. And so I started traveling and following those up. And I knew that someday I was going to go on television, but I didn’t know when.

GP: Tell us one of your favorite verses out of the Scriptures.

AW: Well, I’d probably go to the ones the Lord used to change my life: Romans 12:1-2. Those are the first two verses I ever got: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. [2] And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Watch the full interview here!

Post a comment below if this has blessed you.

 

Join Andrew Wommack in Phoenix, Arizona! Make plans to come out January 5-7, 2017, for the Phoenix Gospel Truth Seminar. (Special room rate available until December 5.) For more information and to register, visit this page.

Who Are You Thanking?

“Mom! Mom! Thanksgiving Day—who are we thanking?” I’ll never forget hearing that question from a young child in the grocery store. Her mother was trying to explain to her why they were buying a turkey. “It’s just a
holiday, honey.”

Welcome to the great divide in America.

A recent trailer of a summer movie captured the same cultural divide expressed in the little girl’s question. At an extended family dinner, a woman referred to a Thanksgiving-like spread that she had prepared and announced that the chickens, as well as everything on the table, were all local and organic. One of her young nieces asked, “How did you kill the chickens, with an axe or a knife?” Stunned, the aunt explained, “No, they’re rotisserie chickens. You buy them on…it’s already dead.”

American notions of Thanksgiving vary as widely as the family backgrounds of the people who celebrate the holiday. The child who asked her mom “Who are we thanking?” understood that someone was supposed to be receiving the thanks that they were giving, just as the young niece at the dinner table understood that for the chickens to end up on the table as food, there had to be a butcher. It seems that the adults are the ones who have forgotten what is obvious even to little children.

When Our Leaders Forget

Discussing President Obama’s 2011 Thanksgiving address to the nation, Todd Starnes pointed out in his article “Obama Leaves God Out of Thanksgiving Address” that the President never mentioned whom we were thanking, only what we were thankful for: the service and perseverance of other Americans. The repurposing of the holiday is clearly seen in the President’s recounting of the history of the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving Day:

“The very first Thanksgiving was a celebration of community during a time of great hardship, and we have followed that example ever since. Even when the fate of our union was far from certain…Americans drew strength from each other. They had faith that tomorrow would be better than today. We’re grateful that they did. As we gather around the table, we pause to remember the pilgrims, pioneers, and patriots who helped make this country what it is. They faced impossible odds, and yet somehow, they persevered. Today, it’s our turn.”1

“Somehow, They Persevered”

When the President described that he and his family—like many American families—would spend the day eating and watching football, he added, “and reflecting on how truly lucky we truly are.”2

Although this pattern repeated in 2012 and 2014, somehow his 2013 address was different. In his article, “Flashback: Obama Leaves God Out of Thanksgiving Day Speech,” Rusty Weiss noted that “In 2013, President Obama acknowledged that on Thanksgiving, we should remember that ‘we rise or fall as one Nation, under God.’”3 There is no clear reason, however, for this shift in tone during this particular year.

This divide in history has very little to do with President Obama personally. Instead, it has to do with the general state of our Union. It’s a barometer of what our leadership remembers and promotes about the history of our nation. When those in power chalk up our nation’s formation and early survival to “somehow, they persevered,” we know that the youngest of us sitting around the Thanksgiving Day table this year may never hear from our leaders about the God whom the Pilgrims found to be faithful and deserving of their thanks.

How Did the Pilgrims Persevere?

The surviving Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. They were celebrating their first harvest by giving thanks to the God of the Bible for allowing them to survive both the journey and the American winter. Much of what we know about this feast comes from the journals of two Pilgrims on display in a seventeenth-century living museum called Plimoth Plantation:

“In September/October 1621, the Pilgrims had just harvested their first crops, and they had a good yield. They ‘sent four men on fowling,’ which comes from the one paragraph account by Pilgrim Edward Winslow, one of only two historical sources of this famous harvest feast.”4

From these sources, we learn that the Pilgrims were enjoying a time of great cooperation and knowledge exchange with the indigenous people in their area. However, it was due to the kindness of the Wampanoag, one of the local tribes, that the first Thanksgiving feast had its main entrée: the Wampanoag’s gift of five deer. This is what fueled the three-day feast, not the Pilgrims’ “fowling” abilities. The Wampanoag were farmers and had taught the Pilgrims how and what to farm in their new territory, a land that had experienced disaster only a few years earlier:

“The Pilgrims settled in an area that was once Patuxet, a Wampanoag village abandoned four years prior after a deadly outbreak of a plague, brought by European traders who first appeared in the area in 1616.”5

It was an act of God that the Pilgrims found favor in the sight of the Wampanoag after such an event. They even went on to enjoy a signed peace treaty with them for a period of time.

No Confusion About Whom to Thank

The first Pilgrims settled land that had been the site of a great tragedy, one that had struck both Europeans and the Pilgrims’ Native American neighbors. One would think that this should have been a warning to the Native Americans of their future relations with the settlers, but by a miracle, it wasn’t. On their first Thanksgiving feast, the Pilgrims celebrated the faithfulness of God, because neither the climate nor the social conditions were in favor of their survival.

In light of this, let’s lay to rest any confusion about why Americans celebrate Thanksgiving and about the One we are thanking. There would have been no first Thanksgiving—or any subsequent ones—without the intervention of the God of the Bible, the one the Pilgrims thanked publicly for their harvest and for their very lives.

If this has blessed you, or you would like to share some of your Thanksgiving memories, please comment below.

1 https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/11/24/weekly-address-thanksgiving-grateful-men-and-women-who-defend-our-countr

2 https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/11/24/weekly-address-thanksgiving-grateful-men-and-women-who-defend-our-countr

3 http://www.headlinepolitics.com/flashback-obama-leaves-god-out-of-thanksgiving-day-speech/

4 http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/11/22/wampanoag-side-first-thanksgiving-story-64076

5 http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/11/22/wampanoag-side-first-thanksgiving-story-64076

 

Join Andrew Wommack in Phoenix, Arizona! Make plans to come out January 5-7, 2017, for the Phoenix Gospel Truth Seminar. (Special room rate available until December 5.) For more information and to register, visit this page.

From Beggars to Believers

Many of us are anxious about the future. Instability, uncertainty, lawlessness, and the love of many growing cold is enough to make any of us despair. Some of us feel that God has left us powerless to deal with these things alone. But is it really just fate for this world to beat us up until we can all make it to heaven? Andrew Wommack recently visited Pastor Mac Hammond’s church in Minnesota and explained what Christians already have in their born-again spirits. He helped those attending shift the focus from being beggars to
being believers.

Andrew explained the difference between the two: “God anticipated every problem that we’ll ever have, and He created the supply before we ever had the need. Therefore, this changes our whole relationship to God. Instead of being beggars who are coming to God, asking God to do something, we should be people coming to God, believing the record that God has given us of what He’s already done—how He’s already made the supply. And instead of being beggars, we need to be enforcers that take it and believe and speak and release the power of God.”

Andrew invested his time in Minnesota by reminding Christians of what the Lord has already done and given. God has not left you comfortless (John 14:16-18). Whenever you, a son or daughter of God, feel overwhelmed or ill-equipped to handle something, turn your attention to what Jesus has already given you. It’s empowering to realize that the only Person you have to lean on is Him.

Andrew continued, “And sad to say, too many ministers are making people dependent upon them. I [haven’t] got an ax to grind with anybody. I’m just making an observation that I think this is one of the weaknesses in the body of Christ. The average person sitting in the pew can’t lead a person to the Lord, can’t get healed on their own, doesn’t operate in the prosperity that they should, and they’re dependent. And they’re always coming and asking us to do the praying. I don’t mind praying for people. I enjoy praying for people. But you know what? It is super ineffective to have you depend on me. It’s just not the way that God intended it to be.”

Are you looking for someone to rise up and save the day? If you haven’t found that person yet, maybe it’s because God is waiting on you to rise up.

“Most people do not take responsibility for trusting and believing God [for] themselves, but they run to others and, in a sense, put the responsibility for their miracle upon others…. You need to lift up your head and see past the physical things and see into the spiritual realm and recognize that this is a great time to be alive. Man, when it’s dark out there, your little light shines like a floodlight. Amen. The darker it gets, the more your light can shine. We need to look at things differently. You need to stir yourself up and say that this is a great day to be alive.”

All in all, Andrew stirred the people to remember who they are in Christ and to walk dependent only on God. It is time to realize what you have as a son or daughter of God! Stand up and respond to what the Holy Spirit is leading you to do. God has empowered you to walk in victory, no matter the circumstances. Choose today to be someone who “laughs without fear of the future” (Prov. 31:25, New Living Translation).

If this has encouraged you, share a comment below.

 

Join Andrew Wommack in Phoenix, Arizona! Make plans to come out January 5-7, 2017, for the Phoenix Gospel Truth Seminar. (Special room rate available until December 5.) For more information and to register, visit this page.

Money Finder

“A quarter!” My five-year-old daughter picked up the shiny coin from the grocery store floor. My husband and I smiled, while her older siblings looked disappointed. I knew exactly what they were thinking: Why is she the one who always finds money?

It was true. Our youngest child seemed to find a coin or bill every time we went out. She also had a stash of money in her bedroom, while the other two usually did not. What made this little girl so special (aside from the fact that she’s my daughter!)? I saw it early on, and I’ve watched the pattern develop throughout her life and now into adulthood: She has always been a giver. Her experience has been the very picture of Proverbs 11:24: “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want” (English Standard Version).

We taught our children to give to the Lord, encouraging them to give a portion of their increase, from allowances to earned money to birthday money. Yet my youngest tended to go above and beyond, willingly giving more than her small percentage. She sometimes emptied all her spending money into the children’s church bucket.

At times, when we hear about giving, we think of big checks or wallet-emptying offerings. However, this kind of thinking doesn’t account for all that I’ve seen in my daughter’s life. When she was in first grade, she had learned enough math to become a “huge blessing” to her brother. For months she did her brother’s fourth-grade math assignments. Every day! She took “helping a brother in need” literally! Although I did explain to her that this kind of “giving” was actually cheating (and I reassigned weeks’ worth of math to my son), I knew she saw it as just giving of her resources.

Over the years we have seen her grow in faith for God’s provision. As a teenager and young adult, she has gone on several missions trips, each one costing progressively more money. We love watching what God does to provide for these trips. From bonuses and increased commissions to profitable group fundraisers and unexpected checks, money just keeps coming her way.

It reminds me of what Andrew has been preaching from 2 Kings 4, where a widow woman with two sons pleaded with Elisha for help. The woman was broke and in debt, and the only thing she had of value was her sons—who were about to be taken as slaves by the debt collector. As the prophet of God, Elisha heard the clear directive from the Lord to teach this family how to depend on Him as their Source.

In 2 Kings 4:2, Elisha asked a simple question: “Tell me, what hast thou in the house?” Well, maybe in the King James Version it’s not so simple. However, Andrew has come up with an easy paraphrase of this: “What’s in your hand?” The woman had a little bit of oil, and she poured that oil out into borrowed jars and sold it for enough money to pay her debts and then live off the rest. She gave what she had in her hand and watched God miraculously multiply it.

Over the years, my daughter has had some money issues. When she feels stressed or even angry about her problems, she always looks back to her lifelong experience of letting go and allowing God to bless her. When we let go and give freely, God’s Word says we grow “all the richer” (Prov. 11:24, ESV).

So, whether it’s a nickel, a hundred dollars, or help with homework, look at what’s in your hand. Can you give that? It is only when you give something that God can multiply it. And multiply it He will.

Post a comment below if you’d like to share your experience of seeing God’s provision in your life!

A Sneak Peek at Christmas

One Christmas Eve, my dad agreed to let my sisters and me sleep in the downstairs family room on our grandparents’ sleigh bed, the bed he put together each time my grandparents visited. They hadn’t arrived yet, so it was all ours. Once we were bathed and in our pajamas, we crawled into that magical bed. Full of giggles, we told stories until we fell asleep with the joyful anticipation that the next day was Christmas.

In the middle of the night, my younger sister woke us up. “Let’s go peek for presents,” she whispered.

As our bare feet hit the cold, unfinished floor, the fear of being caught gripped me. Huddled together we pushed forward, opening the door to the game room. The Christmas tree was still lit, its reflection twinkling on the floor. Soon, we were on our tummies, trying to get close to the festively wrapped presents under the tree, and looking for the tags with our names on them.

Suddenly, a bedroom door opened upstairs. We knew the heavy tread of our father’s footsteps as he came down the hall and neared the top of the steps. In a flash, we were on our feet, sliding back through the door, and jumping into bed as Dad came down the stairs. Our hearts were racing as we lay perfectly still, pretending to be asleep. I sneaked a peek at my dad. In his white robe, he practically glowed in the dark.

“There wouldn’t be anyone awake now and out of bed?” he asked. “I better not hear another sound.” And then he disappeared.

Christmas morning came as usual. After church and breakfast, it was finally time to gather together and unwrap the presents.

The anticipation while trying to fall asleep and then excitement over discovering what our parents had prepared for us were always part of the Christmas experience. In the same way, as you sit in the audience and the lights fall at the start of The Heart of Christmas program, a shared holiday excitement enters the room. The set is like a great expanse filled with presents as you sit in the darkened theater. Only once the music begins and the set lights up do you get to feast your senses on the holiday wonder that the cast, director, and crew of Charis Bible College have prepared for you.

Christmas music—both the familiar and the new—fills you with nostalgia as you enjoy a feeling of family within your own community. To experience this for yourself, go to www.HeartOfChristmas.org to order your tickets. Adult admission is $25, admission for children ages 5 to 11 is $15, and children under 5 (on an adult’s lap) are admitted for free.

Arrive a little early and enjoy Christmas festivities, photo opportunities with a professional photographer, and the beautiful property of The Sanctuary. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover what’s wrapped up in The Heart of Christmas for you!

Freedom in the Dominican Republic

Charis Bible College prepares second-year students to go and declare the glory of God to other nations by sharing His wonders among all peoples (Ps. 96:3). These mission trips are not just prayer walks. Those who go—students whose lives have been transformed by the Holy Spirit—carry the “Charis experience” with them, taking the love and power of God and sowing it among the people they come in contact with. On one particular trip, the destination was the Dominican Republic—one of two nations located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago, nestled in the turquoise waters of the Caribbean.

With the help of their hosts, Tim and Trena Johnson, the students visited many different places, and their testimonies awakened the reality of the Gospel for the listeners. Students truly had the opportunity to learn the meaning of Christian outreach. They were not sharing just stories from a book; they were sharing the true love of God flowing from their own lives. They visited a prison in Santo Domingo, and Charis student Sylvia Wells opened her heart and shared her testimony with the inmates:

“A few years before I came to Charis, my twenty-three-year-old son, Kyle, was involved in a hit-and-run accident and was left to die on the side of the road. Being found by a policeman, he was then rushed to the hospital, where he died several hours later. The man who hit Kyle was drunk at the time of the accident. He was arrested just days later and received a light sentence for what he had done. My son was born again, and in spite of the circumstances, I knew that God’s Word promises that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). Because of this truth, how could I be sad, knowing that my son was now in the presence of the God I love?”

She continued, “I forgave the man and chose not to harbor bitterness toward him. I was free to celebrate the life of my son without focusing on the loss. Later, I found out that the man was struggling with guilt and depression because of what had happened to my son and our family. I wrote him a letter and extended forgiveness to him. I told him that Jesus died for him so that he could be forgiven and free. The man was very grateful for my letter. I’m sharing with you today how God helped me to forgive the man responsible for my son’s death—because you need to know that God’s forgiveness is available for you too. My son’s race is over, but yours isn’t. God still has a plan for your life. Don’t give up!” With those words, seeds of forgiveness, redemption, and hope were planted in the lives of those inmates.

During the same trip, Dominican children also received ministry. The visit from the Charis team to a mission where children gather for a meal and Bible study was the highlight of the day for many involved. The children were able to see that God loves them through these students taking the time to show that they cared. Ed and Michele Liquete, the team leaders, had the opportunity to minister to a Canadian girl who was struggling with drugs. They also helped others rededicate their lives to the Lord. Like Jesus, the Charis team went about doing good and destroying the works of the devil (Acts 10:38).

If you would like to help take the Gospel of Christ to the nations through the missions trips taken by Charis students, go to our
website: iamworldoutreach.com.

If Sylvia’s testimony or the work done in the Dominican Republic ministered to you, please comment below.

Shared Experience—It’s the Heart of Christmas

I was six years old the year I found a long, rectangular package with my name on it under the Christmas tree. The box was wrapped in candy cane-stamped, pine-green paper, and inside was a doll. She had caramel-colored hair, a white blouse, and a red, Scottish-plaid beanie and skirt. I named her Tammy.

After dinner and baths, I sat on the floor in pajamas with my little sister. My parents and older siblings were there too. The darkened room created a theater effect. The television played a movie about Heidi, her grandfather, and an ornery goat. Christmas lights twinkled off the surface of our shiny floor like stars reflecting on a lake. We passed around bowls of popcorn, and Tammy sat on my lap. Nothing can ever take away the sense of belonging I had in that moment. For me, family identity was formed on holidays, during our shared meals, or on game nights. Those shared experiences were embedded in me as a child, creating points of connection.

Last year I attended Charis Bible College’s original production The Heart of Christmas. My son and I went with several families from his school. Sitting shoulder to shoulder with my son, a familiar warmth rushed through my senses as soon as the lights fell.

The Heart of Christmas, an original play written by Adam Stone and Elizabeth and Robert Muren, focuses on a family who passes their Christmas traditions down through a book, as the world changes rapidly around each generation. The book is the story of a “fourth” wise man who becomes separated from the other three wise men. He spends his life looking for the Messiah, whom he missed the opportunity to honor as a babe in Bethlehem.

The stage of this multimedia play is divided into one set featuring a two-story house and one set that displays all the action that occurs outside of the home. The family’s living room takes on scenes from the past up to the present, while the main stage portrays scenes from the book. With stage changes, the main stage also becomes the historical site of world events. Background action and crowd scenes are projected onto large screens behind the set, giving the production a larger-than-life feel.

If you’re looking for a shared family experience, The Heart of Christmas will transport you and your loved ones to a magical moment where cherished memories are formed and holiday traditions are made. The early-bird price is $21 for adults, but be sure to order by November 9. After November 9, regular adult admission will be $25. Children from 5 to 11 years old are $15, and children under 5 (on an adult’s lap) are free.

Plan to come to Charis a little early that day to enjoy Christmas festivities, photo opportunities with a professional photographer, and Charis’s scenic mountain property, The Sanctuary. It’s a holiday experience you won’t want to miss.

Don’t forget: Early-bird prices will only last through November 9. Go to www.HeartOfChristmas.org and order your tickets today!

How’s Your Spiritual Radar?

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”

Proverbs 25:2 (Amplified Bible)

When I was in college, I took a social science course for one of my required electives. As my professor began to introduce certain theories, I felt my spirit push back against those concepts. I immediately sensed that what I was hearing was slanted. Praying in the Spirit had become a normal part of my life at that point, and I had been learning how to tune in to my spiritual senses. So, I knew something was up.

In Andrew’s book The New You & The Holy Spirit, he says,

“I pray in tongues often without receiving anything from the Lord at that moment. However, when I need it a week or a month later, I’ll ask God for the interpretation of what I’ve been praying in tongues. At that point, I receive exactly what I need from the Holy Spirit” (p. 109).

Because of what I believed the Holy Spirit was showing me, I decided to take my professor’s theories and “search out the matter” (Prov. 25:2). What I found out was quite interesting. When I researched the founders of these “accepted” theories, I discovered that some of them had been either involved in or influenced by the occult. I know now why it did not sit right with me—the new spirit in me (John 16:13). As I continued with my classes that semester, I did my homework and studied for tests, but remembered what the Holy Spirit had shown me. Because all studying is a form of renewing the mind (Rom. 12:2), I felt like He was guarding my heart against internalizing a distortion of the truth.

This is not to say that I dismiss research from people just because they’re not Christians. The hard facts they present may not be wrong, but I do pause when a researcher or scientist takes on a fallen worldview (Eph. 4:17-19). Eve originally learned the facts from Adam, but her perception of them was eventually skewed because of a deception she embraced (Gen. 3:1-7). Even with good facts, anyone can be deceived without the Holy Spirit, whether they work in medicine, academia, politics, or some other field.

Besides the help of the Holy Spirit to discern spirits, Andrew mentions other benefits to praying in tongues:

“Whenever you pray in tongues, you cause yourself to rest, you build yourself up on your most holy faith, and you keep the love of God active and alive in your heart. As you speak forth hidden wisdom and believe for interpretation, revelation knowledge will open up and supply answers you couldn’t get any other way” (p. 111).

Although some Christians dismiss or downplay it, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is vital to your relationship with God. He wants to make Himself known to you in your everyday life. In my case, He wanted to protect me from what I normally wouldn’t think I needed protection from.

Dig deeper with Andrew’s The New You & The Holy Spirit teaching. You will learn how salvation through Jesus changes you and how the baptism in the Holy Spirit takes you to the next level in your Christian walk. It’s available in CD, DVD, book, and study guide formats. You can also watch Andrew teach it on the Gospel Truth broadcast.

Share a comment below if you’ve had a similar experience.

Costa Rica: A Mission of Love

“People kept commenting on my eyes,” recalled second-year Charis Bible College Colorado student Laurie Wegner. “At first, I thought it was just because I was pasty white with green eyes. But then a man told me that he could see God in my eyes and that it was beautiful.”

Every year, hundreds of second-year students from Charis Colorado are sent out to over a dozen different countries, putting their curriculum into practice. The very same message of God’s love and grace that has been transforming their lives for two years pours out of them in ways that they never thought possible. Such was the case with the 2016 missions trip to Costa Rica, where students saw firsthand the power of God’s love for His children.

“One afternoon, we went door-to-door praying for people and inviting them to a church service in the community later that evening,” Laurie continued. “At one of the homes, we began talking with a young woman when an older man came out. He seemed a bit apprehensive and not sure that he wanted us there. We asked if we could pray for him, but he wouldn’t let us.

[image error]“As we talked, I noticed that he would glance at me and quickly look away. At one point, he even interrupted the interpreter and asked where I was from. After that, he wouldn’t look at me at all. He mentioned that he had been separated from his wife for twenty-three years. He always thought that he would grow up to be a pastor, but he assumed it was too late now.”

After they had talked a little while longer, Laurie said they invited him to the service that night; however, they weren’t sure if he would actually come. But to Laurie and the team’s surprise, he showed up. He looked uncomfortable and ready to bolt at any moment, until one of the team members began to preach words right into this man’s heart.

“After church, a couple of us went to go pray with him,” Laurie said. “He confessed that he had been having thoughts of killing his girlfriend, and he didn’t want to think that way anymore. After we prayed, the man looked directly into my eyes and said, ‘Your eyes, whoa!’ He kissed me on the cheek and left.”

The fruit of this trip continues to manifest as students recall the moments God used them to spread His love in Costa Rica. “When they told us we were going to stand on the street corners with signs that say Free Hugs, my flesh wanted to start arguing,” admitted student Robert Paige. “But as people were hurrying past us, they would look down at the sign and slow down. They would stop, turn around, and stand in front of the sign, crying. Finally, they would lay their heads on our shoulders and weep. After several people did this, you couldn’t get that sign away from me!

“It doesn’t matter what country you go to or what language barrier there is,” continued Robert. “People are hurting. We all have a story to tell. Everyone wants to be loved.”

As a partner with Andrew Wommack Ministries, you are enabling Robert, Laurie, and hundreds of other students to be sent out to minister this love to lost and hurting people. Not only are the students impacted forever, but countless others around the world are also experiencing the love of the
Father—some for the very first time.

Find out how you can partner with Charis and AWM today!