Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire: What Happens When God's Spirit Invades the Hearts of His People

by Jim Cymbala

God is attracted to weakness. He can’t resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need him. Our weakness, in fact, makes room for his power.

The Bible speaks more about resisting the devil than it does about binding him.

Clearly, we were not battling some imaginary “spirit of anger” or whatever. This was a classic case of demon possession.

(vv. 20–21). This turned out to be the first truly multicultural church, with multicultural leaders, according to Acts 13:1—Simon the Black, some Jewish leaders, some Greeks, Manaen the boyhood friend of Herod (which would have made him suspect to everyone!), and others. Yet they worked together in a powerful model of cross-cultural unity.

No novel teaching is going to turn the trick. There are no trendy shortcuts, no hocus-pocus mantras that can defeat Satan.

Let’s forget the novelties. If we prevail in prayer, God will do what only he can do.

DEEPER, NOT WIDER The things of God have a circumference.

“to forget.” He said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household” (Gen. 41:51).

“Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness” (v. 29). What the disciples wanted was not numbers but an essential quality that would keep them being the church God intended.

when I preach to press Christ upon the people then and there, I try to bring them to a decision on the spot.

Shouldn’t we? God will manifest himself in direct proportion to our passion for him.

Remember who has done all this. Your need for me hasn’t lessened at all.

The first step in any spiritual awakening is demolition. We cannot make headway in seeking God without first tearing down the accumulated junk in our souls.

Twenty-five years went by. Somewhere along the way—as has happened to many churches, pastors, choir directors, and whole denominations—Asa stopped feeling his need to seek the Lord. We don’t know why.

The less we look for God, the more he has to go looking for us.

“Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians. Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died” (2 Chron. 16:12–13).

“He rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6).