Andrew Wommack's Blog, page 28

The Answer’s Simple—Obedience Is the Question

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Have you ever wondered why people genuinely find the answer to that question puzzling?

“And God created…every living creature that moveth…and every winged fowl after his kind…. [22] And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful,
and multiply.”

Genesis 1:21-22a, emphasis mine

The answer is only puzzling if you don’t know what God’s Word says about it. The chicken came first.

Knowing God’s answer is not the only thing that matters, though. Once you have an answer from Him, your obedience to His Word becomes the question. In Andrew’s Lessons from Elijah teaching, he demonstrates how Elijah’s life teaches that both hearing and continuing to obey God’s voice are important.

Elijah “appears on the scene with no introduction” (p. 1) during a time
of wickedness:

“And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. [31] …he took to wife Jezebel…and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.”

1 Kings 16:30-31

The word of drought that God gave Elijah to declare to Ahab changed everyone’s circumstances—even his own. Today, too, in a climate of confusion and darkness, believers are looking for answers. But as Andrew puts it, that’s not really the problem:

“It’s not a lack of words [or answers] from God that is the problem; it’s the failure of people to realize what they have in God’s Word and [to] act on it that is the problem today” (p. 3, brackets mine).

In other words, the real problem lies in believing an answer God’s provided and taking the next step of obedience to what He has said:

“We want to have the entire picture before we step out on God’s Word. Elijah didn’t have that! He didn’t know that the Lord was going to make supernatural provision for him. He just had one word from God: ‘Tell the king a drought is coming.’ Then after he was faithful to go and speak forth that word, God revealed the next step” (p. 7).

I faced a time like this in my own life. In March 2013, I attended Charis Campus Days in Colorado, thinking I was just there to find out about distance learning. In one of the sessions, Andrew said, “Someone here is thinking— I can’t come to school because I have older parents, my son will have to switch schools, I have a business, I have a dog…” I felt like there was a giant neon arrow pointing down at me. I knew God was speaking. Then Andrew said, “If that’s you, stand up.” I felt as though I had on a 100-pound lead suit. I struggled to stand and was the only one standing. Slowly others stood. He prayed that we would never forget the moment that we got the call to come to school.

When I went home, I found out that there were real obstacles to my obeying God. However, as I faced each situation, it was as if I had been given a machete and was hacking my way through a jungle. For me, it became a question of continual obedience. By August of that same year, my belongings were in a trailer going west, and my son and I were traveling toward Colorado in a car the Lord had provided for me just two weeks earlier.

Andrew teaches through Elijah’s life that God sends provision to the place He intends you to be. He calls this principle “a place called ‘there.’” Because God is good, He may give you supernatural incentives to make your obedience easier, but—

“Your place called ‘there’ isn’t necessarily a specific geographic location. It’s often more an attitude of wholeheartedly moving toward doing what God has said for you to do” (p. 21).

The outcomes of my obedience have been wonderful. My three years at Charis Bible College healed and changed me. The Lord has positioned me in the Andrew Wommack Ministries Publications Department, from where I am blogging today. Lessons from Elijah makes it clear that you will find God’s answers for your life—obedience is the only real question.

Partner with AWM and Charis today! Click here to find out more.

The Warmth of His Love

“God wants me to give you a word—just one word,” a woman told recent Charis graduate Denise Mize. “Maybe you know what it means,” she continued. “The word is Russia.”

“Throughout my first year at Charis Bible College, I had a strong desire to go to Russia on my second-year missions trip,” Denise said. “So, when the time came to submit our choices, I wrote Russia right at the top. [While] waiting to hear, I never really doubted that it would be Russia, and it was! Knowing God gave me a word through a woman I had never met gave me peace and joy. I knew He had a purpose for me in Russia.”

Like a blanket of snow that freezes all living things in its tracks, religion has been covering Russia, crippling God’s children who so desperately desire the love of their Father. This is where Charis sent a team of second-year students, who took with them the light and warmth of their heavenly Father.

After the students arrived, they were divided into teams and sent out for two days to minister to one family, being reminded that deep relationships take time. When Denise and her teammate Shalom entered the home of Masha, a dear Christian woman who lived in a small village outside Izhevsk, Denise instantly felt a special connection to her. “I just couldn’t love on this woman enough,” she recalled. “I soon felt that two days just wasn’t enough. I didn’t want to leave. My love for Masha was greater than any inconvenience.

“When we first arrived and realized the bathroom was a crude, wooden outhouse in the frozen backyard, I quoted Philippians 4:13 and promised the Lord and myself [that] I would not complain. Now I think, Outhouse? No big deal! If given the opportunity to go be with Masha again, I would jump at the chance—and I would bring some of those disposable toilet seat covers!”

Not only did Masha receive the healing she needed, but Denise noticed that Masha was also receiving the Father’s love through them. Denise insisted that their translator, Sergey, read Proverbs 31 to her.

“As he read the verses describing the skills [the virtuous woman had] of preparing food and sewing for her household, he pointed to the food on the table and lifted up her crocheted rugs [that] we had been admiring,” Denise said. “After he finished the reading, he translated my words: ‘Masha, you are a Proverbs 31 woman. You show the love of God to others in so many ways.’ I will never forget her smile. Masha and I both cried when we said goodbye. I think about Masha and pray for her every day.”

As a supporter of Andrew Wommack Ministries and Charis Bible College, you are a part of bringing life and healing not only to the nations, but also to the students who visit them. Recent Charis graduate William Bellamy, injured in a snowboarding accident just before his trip to Russia, asked for prayer for his shoulders while he was there—and something quite unexpected came his way.

“As the people began to pray for me, I received total healing in both shoulders instantly,” recalled William. “While they were praying, one woman put her hand on my lower back directly where I had major pain from an injury I received during the Iraq War. The area began to get warm, and instantly the pain
was gone.”

We may never know the full effects of what happened in the frozen tundra of Russia this side of eternity. However, we do know that this is just the beginning, as more and more students are realizing who they are—and Whose they are—and are going out to proclaim it to the world.

Click here to find out how you can help support missions trips like this through AWM!

What Do You See?

Intimidation is a powerful weapon. Satan wields it through people and circumstances to interrupt, deter, or completely stop the plans of God. Have you ever been afraid to do what you felt God wanted you to do? The prophet Elijah could relate to that feeling. In his Lessons from Elijah teaching, Andrew shares from Scripture a specific incident. Elijah had just finished slaughtering 850 prophets of Baal and of the groves, who had been fed at Queen Jezebel’s table (1 Kin. 18:19). This means Baal worship was the state religion (p. 97).

“Jezebel didn’t like Elijah, because he was a prophet of the Lord. Upon hearing the news of all Elijah had done, she became furious and took an oath saying, ‘May the gods make me like one of these slaughtered prophets if Elijah isn’t dead by this time tomorrow!’ Then she sent a messenger to tell Elijah what she was determined to do. ‘And when he [Elijah] saw that, he arose, and went [fled] for his life’ (1 Kin. 19:3, brackets mine)… So what did Elijah see? He saw himself like one of those dead men he had just slaughtered. Jezebel painted a word picture, ‘So let the gods do to me, and more also, if you aren’t like one of those dead prophets by this time tomorrow!’ Elijah’s mind flashed back to that grisly scene and he saw himself dead. That’s why he
fled” (p. 98).

When you confront Satan’s kingdom, he will work through people and circumstances to try to intimidate you. As Andrew points out in his book, Jezebel was trying to intimidate Elijah. If she had really planned on killing him, she would have sent a soldier, not a messenger.

There is a reason Elijah had the courage to challenge the prophets of Baal:

“The day before, he had seen the word God had put in his heart. He saw himself challenging the prophets of Baal to a duel, calling down fire, and slaughtering them. He told the Lord, ‘Let the people know that I have done these things at Your word.’ He had seen these things already in his
heart” (p. 99).

What do you see in your heart? How do you see yourself, and how do you
see God?

If you read Elijah’s whole story in the Bible, you learn that God took care of him, even though he didn’t always handle every intimidating circumstance well. If God did that for Elijah, He will do it for you. Let that be an encouragement as you remain steadfast in the midst of your circumstances! Andrew continues:

“Due to his boldness to proclaim the word of God, the king had sought him in every nation on the face of the earth (1 Kin. 18:10). If you stick around long enough, you’ll see the word of God put you in a position of authority every single time. However, you must be truly speaking God’s Word, not just your own doctrines and opinions. Sooner or later, the word of God will always exalt you” (p. 72).

[image error]Are you facing an intimidating situation or person? Learn from Elijah’s mistakes and successes through Andrew’s Lessons from Elijah teaching. It’s available in CD, DVD, book, and study guide formats. You can get the book in Spanish as well. You can also watch Andrew teach Lessons from Elijah on the Gospel Truth broadcast.

If this has blessed you, post a comment below.

I Am Willing

[image error]“When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. [2] And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.’ [3] Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

Matthew 8:1-3, New American Standard Bible

What was the number one force behind Jesus’ ability to heal the sick or work miracles? This one factor—in a single moment—determined the future quality of life for some of those alive during His life and ministry. Let’s look at some of those people whom He healed. The centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant (Matt. 8:5-13), the two blind men who received their sight (Matt. 9:27-30), and the leper mentioned above are just a few. All of these people used their faith to draw on the compassion of Jesus—His willingness to heal!

To know what God is willing to do is to know His character. At last year’s Healing Is Here Conference, many people discovered an aspect of God’s character regarding healing. Through biblical teaching from Charis Bible College instructors, they were able to operate in the power of believing in God’s willingness to heal them.

Many Christians are taught in church that “if it is God’s will” to heal, then they will be healed. Assuming what God does or does not want to do can radically affect a person’s core beliefs about God’s nature, steering them toward something that may or may not be true. So, it’s important that what we as Christians believe is rooted in Scripture.

It could be a temptation to base what you think about healing on past experiences. The man at the pool of Bethesda waited thirty-eight years to get healed (John 5:2-15). He was focused only on trying to get into those waters for his healing—until Jesus came along and showed him another way.

While you don’t need to go to a conference to get healed, sometimes being in a different environment—one filled with faith—alongside other, supportive Christians can encourage you to receive from God like never before. Many have received the manifestation of their healing at Healing Is Here.

Are you desiring for God to “make you clean” like the leper but you think God can heal only if He wills it? Well, thank God, He has already made up His mind about that at the cross! First Peter 2:24 says,“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (English Standard Version,
emphasis added).

Jesus already displayed His willingness to heal—to the point of being humiliated, beaten, and eventually giving up His life. He did His part. Now it’s up to you. Are you willing to receive?

Make plans to attend the 2016 Healing Is Here Conference. You will receive healing ministry, learn how to minister that healing to others, and experience the love of God. Some who have come in the past were healed just by sitting under the Word! For more information and to register, click here. Please share a comment below if this has blessed you.

When Your Dream Seems Forgotten

My lazy eyes roamed over the view I had from the top of the bluff I hiked that evening. While taking in the grand splendor that is Colorado Springs, I let my thoughts wander to the central issue of my life at the time: What exactly am I doing here?

As someone who has loved media her entire life, making the decision to go to Charis Bible College to pursue God and leave behind all dreams of a future in media was no small feat. My dream was to attend the University of Georgia and study broadcast journalism. My plan was to become a sport’s broadcaster. But as my high school graduation day drew closer, it became obvious to me that God had other plans. I shared a little more about this in my previous blog post Dreaming Big with God.

Moving to Colorado seemed like the death of every dream I ever had for myself. And yet, because I had been pursuing God so strongly, I knew in my heart that this was the right thing to do. So, sitting on the bluff that day, even though I felt like the setting sun was taking all of my dreams along with it as it disappeared behind Pikes Peak, I knew I was where God wanted me.

In Andrew’s teaching Lessons from Elijah, he explains,

“I really believe that God doesn’t show you His perfect, total will for you all at one time. He does it in steps and in stages…. So, God is going to show you things one step at a time, and if you want step number two or step number ten, you’ve got to start doing step number one.”

A lot of people thought I was crazy for moving to Colorado without a solid plan. I thought I was crazy. But it wasn’t until I made the decision and took the first step that I began to see God’s plan unfold in my life.

Andrew continues,

“[Elijah] didn’t get the second word from God about how God would protect him and sustain him through the drought. He didn’t get that until he had delivered the first word. Step out in the direction that God is calling you to go, and then God can direct you and confirm. But you have to take the word that God has given you and act on it.”

Taking my seat in the first-year classroom the next day, a special announcement was made. Charis would be starting a Third-Year program featuring several different schools, including a Media School! I don’t think I heard anything else after that.

It wasn’t even the school that impacted me the most; it was the fact that God was speaking directly to me. In that moment, He showed me how all of the dreams that had been in my heart since I was a little girl were in fact from Him and that they mattered. I didn’t have to give them up to serve God. Rather, in using them, I would bring glory to Him in a way that only I was created to do.

Andrew concludes,

“Are you doing what God called you to do? Are you obeying everything? Is there any leading that God has put into your heart that you haven’t yet stepped out on? If that’s true of you, well then you know what, God’s provision is going to where He told you to go. There is supernatural anointing, peace, rest, finances, and people that are going to help you. Everything that you need is there. Are you there?”

Nothing in my original plan could have brought me to where I am today. God knew what He was doing all along. I just needed to trust Him and take my first step.

If this has inspired you, post a comment below.

A Time to Give

As I was taking an empty jar out to the garbage, a neighbor stopped me and gave me several reasons I should keep the jar: “You can use it to store your facial cotton in there. At Christmas time, you can use it to give away cookies.” At her insistence, I decided to keep the jar. It sat on my kitchen counter for months. One day while I was emptying the dishwasher, I noticed the jar, and the Holy Spirit said to me, “I let go of things; I don’t cling to them.”

Suddenly, I remembered my neighbor. It was as if she had felt compelled to intervene on the jar’s behalf. Later, I found out that the advice she passed on to me has caused problems in her own life. She’s a hoarder. Hoarders take extreme measures to keep their belongings. It doesn’t matter if the belonging is an old brochure or $100 bill—the goal is to keep it.

The reasons she gave me that day for keeping the jar were all good. But the Lord was showing me that keeping something or tossing it isn’t the problem—the real problem is an issue of the heart. Am I keeping the jar or the $100 bill because I’m afraid that I won’t have it later? If so, that’s not faith.

I believe that God is resourceful. When Jesus fed the multitudes, the disciples took up twelve baskets full of leftovers (Matt. 14:20). So, where’s the balance between keeping something and giving something?

In The Power of Partnership, Andrew really goes to the heart of this matter:

“You need to live to give. Your real treasure ought to be in heaven. Anything in this natural realm is subject to problems. But when you lay up treasures in heaven, nothing can affect that.”

Everything we have comes from God. We are stewards of His blessings. But we need to seek first the kingdom of God with our giving (Matt. 6:33). After we give to God, we should ask the Holy Spirit to help us manage the rest. Then we will know when to give or when to keep it. When we put Him first, He will supernaturally take care of our needs. It’s the perfect partnership!

Giving is a grace that Christians must learn by God’s Spirit (Deut. 8:18). However, most of us have been taught wrong ideas. In some cases, we’ve learned unhealthy behaviors about how and why to give. Jeremiah 16:19 says, “Our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable things” (New King James Version). The things that we learned and saw growing up—selfishness, covetousness, fear of lack, greed, hoarding, self-reliance, etc.—became a part of us, but God wants us to renew our minds with His Word.

God doesn’t want you to give what you don’t have. He wants you to
prosper first:

“Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come
to you.”

Job 22:21, New International Version

True prosperity comes from peace in our relationship with God. That’s our real treasure. When our real treasure is the Lord, we are free to give. And when we are free to give, we are free from fear. We have a partnership with heaven.

If you want to activate your faith in the area of giving, a great way to do so is by becoming a Grace Partner. Let God know that He’s your real treasure! For more information, go to www.awmi.net/give. Andrew’s The Power of Partnership teaching will help renew your mind. You can get this teaching as a CD or DVD series. Go to our online store to order.

Share below if this has blessed you.

Can a Vacation Save Your Family’s Lives?

Recently Eileen Quinn, a writer for Andrew Wommack Ministries, sat down with Carlie Terradez, the AWM conference manager, to talk about the upcoming Summer Family Bible Conference, July 4-8, in Woodland
Park, Colorado.

Eileen Quinn: Themes always say a lot about the conference. What’s the theme for this year’s Summer Family Bible Conference?

Carlie Terradez: Well, the theme is “Celebrating Our Faith, Freedom, and Dependence on God.” It starts this year on the Fourth of July, so the Declaration of Dependence was on our minds.

EQ: How many years have they been doing this event?

CT: Forever? [laughs] Probably over a decade. They’ve been doing it since we [she and her husband, Ashley] came eight years ago, and it wasn’t new when we came. I don’t know…. But it’s one of Andrew’s original ones. And the thing that makes this conference unique is that it’s the only one that has children’s ministry. So, I don’t know if this is relevant, but when we were in England and we went to the conference—

EQ: Is that the Grace and Faith Conference that is held in England
[in] May?

CT: Well, it is now. It wasn’t even called that then. It was significant to us. It was the first conference we ever attended, and it was the conference that Hannah [Carlie and Ashley’s daughter] was healed at.

EQ: May I ask what year that was in?

CT: That was in 2006. But we never would have made that move if children’s ministry hadn’t been a big part of that.

We had toddlers—a three-, four-, and five-year-old—and we were traveling by ourselves. When we phoned up the Helpline over there, we asked, “What kind of provision do you have for children?” We were just desperate and hurting to get some help. They said, “Oh, we have childcare. We’ll take good care of
your boys.”

Just the fact that there was provision for childcare made us feel like we could make the journey. We felt like, This is possible. It was the start of something that we were going to be supported in. It was going to be a safe place to come, and we were going to be refreshed. We were going to be built up. It made us feel like we could do it. That’s why I’m a big believer in
children’s ministry.

People come globally for this event [in England]. It’s the only [event] that ministers to the whole family. They minister to our kids as much as to us. And in the end, because we felt like we could make the move, Hannah was healed. It was life-changing for us. If it wasn’t for the fact that children’s ministry was offered to us, we probably wouldn’t have felt like we [could] ever do it.

[Hannah] wouldn’t be here today. It was life and death for us.

When I read this title—“[Celebrating Our] Faith, Freedom, and Dependence on God”—it brings back all those memories. It was the start of something new for us as a family. It was a memorable vacation in that sense, but we didn’t know then just how life-changing it would be.

EQ: Wow, I can tell that this kind of conference is close to your heart. Thank you, Carlie. I think that your testimony sort of says it all.

 

It was back in 2006 that the Terradez family vacation resulted in the amazing healing testimony of their then three-year-old daughter, Hannah. Hannah received healing from a rare autoimmune disease called eosinophilic enteropathy. This disorder caused her body to reject every type of food. A miracle for one member of a family changed every generation of their family, as well as the community where they lived.

But Hannah’s healing had even further impact on the Terradez family. As they partnered with Andrew Wommack Ministries, they heard the call to come to Charis Bible College in Colorado. Carlie and Ashley both now work at the ministry and also serve as adjunct instructors at the college. Their lives were truly changed during the vacation that saved their daughter’s life and then sent them across an ocean to be taught about how much God loved them and wanted them well.

Consider joining us at the Summer Family Bible Conference here in Colorado. For five days, you will be surrounded by more than a thousand like-minded believers. The worship will cause your hope to rise, and the teaching will strengthen you. And if you have children, they will receive the same grace-filled ministry that you do—but geared to their hearts and minds. It may just save your
family’s lives!

If you would like to have a vacation that will impact your family while you celebrate your faith and dependence on God, go here to register for this year’s Summer Family Bible Conference!