Dealing in the Supernatural

By Mitch Huhem

I was a Mormon businessman. I had made my first million by the age of 22 and by the age of 36 my annual income was over 10 million.  By 42 I thought I had lost it all.  My faith story - A Jewish family (that would include me) would convert to Mormonism, later one of the children at the age of 39 would become a Christian (me again).  Today, my wealth is on the rebound and this time it’s not by my hard work but by applying spiritual and Biblical principles to my business life – one of which I want to share with you now.

 

Recently I found myself in a stalemate with a controlling partner who wouldn’t budge.  He was cheating and opposing me, even as I was lining up a huge win-win sale for us both. The time was ripe and the asset we owned together (a large piece of real estate) was at its prime…waiting to sell would mean losing  time and money and I needed both. What should have been a no brainer began feeling like a tug of war. The partner held out, stopped returning my phone calls and began disparaging me in his attempt to cover his wrongdoings. Further pressure from my team simply produced a pathetic buyout offer, where the asset was devalued by 80%. I called on other investors to step in and I contemplated legal action to no avail. I looked boldly at my options- I could pressure, I could justify, I could threaten (none of which felt right), but at the end of the day I could not make this man do anything. As someone who likes to win and make things happen, this was not a pleasant situation to be in.

As I finally sunk down to my knees in prayer I heard the Spirit implore to me, “Are you having fun yet? How’s it going for you?” Not so well, I thought. Sitting there exhausted and defeated, I heard the Lord speaking to me yet again about a familiar pattern I seemed to be in, trying to make it happen on my own once again and the truth was I was making absolutely no progress. In the process of asking for forgiveness the Spirit told me to, “Remove myself.” Meaning, I must first go up, to the Supernatural, to make the natural happen. Resign as general manager of my life and stop attaching myself to the situation as though my emotions and self-will had the authority to unleash God’s plans.

Down on my knees, I allowed the “IM” (which is basically taking the “I am” (ME) out of the Impossible which released God’s “possible” to come into fruition. A huge weight dropped off my shoulders and I was reminded that if I would just cast my cares on the Lord, that He would sustain me and never let the righteous be shaken (Psalm 55:22). The story of Moses’ triumph over Pharaoh, of Queen Esther’s intervention to save the Jewish race, of the Red Sea parting to allow the nation of Israel safe passage - vividly flashed through my mind. The Spirit reminded me again that all things are possible in accomplishing God’s purpose. His plans cannot be stopped. So why did I keep on making Him the last resort instead of the first step?

I had truly believed that selling this piece of real estate at this time was God’s will. I had prayed about it and saw that prayer confirmed in my Spirit and through other believers. To top it all off, I was already planning on putting a large portion of the sale towards a huge tithe and offering. So why wasn’t I succeeding? It was so simple, I was almost embarrassed. Beyond surrendering this situation to God and his Supernatural authority which is always first, I had not fully asked to receive (Matthew 7:7). I had not fully laid claim to what was mine by God’s law, and I had not wholly given this over to the Lord from the beginning. I had traded the supernatural in for the natural. How ridiculous is that?  I knew that God could do anything and He was already willing to grant the blessing, but these blessings he is already willing to grant are made conditional upon us asking for them.  We must ask and let the first step towards physical victory accomplishment be won and fought in the spiritual where God’s supernatural power makes the natural happen.

 Well, enough was enough. I finally asked to receive God’s highest and best from this situation, and I sought the Lord’s guidance to find His perfect will and I knocked at the door of the One who makes all things possible so that the right doors might open. Then I claimed the Abrahamic covenant over this situation, which clearly says that God will bless those who bless me and curse those who curse me and I claimed that which was mine in Jeshua’s name.  How often do we forget, that we, by the power of Jeshua of Nazareth by whose stripes we are healed, have the right to access Divine Power? But this power is conditional. First we must be obedient to the commandments and God’s word, then we must seek and we must ask. Just like the courts here on earth, we as the person asking for help, or the one wronged must be the one to make a request for heavenly intercession. So that’s just what I did- immediately. 

First, I gave thanks and praise, as God has called us to do this in ALL situations. I said,” Thank You God, Hallelujah!”  Second, I declared God’s word, recited His promises to Him (knowing that His word does not return void).  Third, in the spirit of John 15:7-8, I asked to receive in a way that much fruit could be born and that God be glorified. Then I handed it over (meaning stopped worrying about it or having any doubt that God’s supernatural sovereignty would not reign supreme) and watched the miracles begin.

Within one week, the whole situation had supernaturally been turned around. The partner “miraculously” had a change of heart. No legal intervention was required. He cooperated, started returning my phone calls and handed the details over to me and the broker I had chosen – no push back, no questions, and no more stalemate. The Spirit had led me to pray over this sale offensively and defensively, that it would move forward at a great price and that the process and people would be protected on all sides. Within one week we had a bidding war going between 5 different companies, all offering top dollar.  As we came down to the final day, I saw God’s favor so clearly that I was once again brought to my knees, but this time in holy gratitude and worship at God’s greatness. In His power, The Lord had brought in a cash offer from our favorite company at double what we thought the property was originally worth, turning this into an 8 figure sale- a record breaker on all levels, meaning there had not been such a high multiple on a sale in this industry in 7 years.  As I signed the acceptance letter all I could say, think and feel was, Thank You God, Hallelujah!

                     

Do you have anything that seems impossible in your life? A business, a relationship, a child gone astray, a marriage, an addiction? You name it. Just know that whatever it is in your life, nothing is impossible for God. But first you must deal with it in the supernatural if you want results in the natural. If you do, He will turn your “test” into a testimony, and your “mess” into a message to encourage and uplift others. Perhaps you are called to be an intercessor for someone you love, or you yourself find that you are being attacked for no reason at all. God wants to Lord in all areas of your life, not just business, but also the personal.

In 2 Chronicles, verse 15 we are told, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but the Lords.” In 2 Kings, we see King Hezekiah call out in faith to the Lord as he also faces annihilation, and that night 185,000 men are struck down by the angel of the Lord, not allowing even one of them to enter into the gates of the city. We serve that same God today, the God of the Possible. He loves us and cares about even the most mundane details of our lives. We can trust him for the small and the big, the parking place and the army of 185,000. I believe so many more miracles are possible for believers if we would only praise him, no matter what. And then ask to receive that He may be glorified through our faith. If we would just let go and give it up to God and deal in the Supernatural before acting in the natural, who knows what extraordinary blessings might come. With just the faith of a mustard seed, and God’s sovereign power, all things are possible.

Thank You God, Hallelujah!

Mitch Huhem is an entrepreneur who lives in Orlando Fl. He has started and led numerous businesses including those focused on professional seminars, financial education, real estate, direct selling, and marketing.  Mitch was voted Entrepreneur of the state of Utah, was the youngest Eagle Scout in America and was a Founder of the Marriott School of Business. Mitch is a former Mormon but now enjoys a rich relationship as a true Christian.

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Giving vs. Kingdom Building

Giving vs. Kingdom Building

But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, so that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto thy fathers, as it is this day. Deuteronomy 8:18

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit the Hobby Lobby office complex in Oklahoma City and meet with its founder David Green. As I drove down the street to the main office building for the meeting I saw building after building encompassed in this 3.4 million square foot corporate complex and I in my awe came to this conclusion: God wants us all to be David Greens!  If we can get the building blocks right, as Mr. Green did, God would Bless us in the same manner. That’s saying a lot as Hobby Lobby has 575 stores and annual sales of 2.8 billion with 21,000 employees.

In this writing I would like to present one of those building blocks: becoming a Kingdom Builder and not just a ‘giver’.

We all know what it is to be a giver. Whether in the church offering plate or through the mail we all have ample chance and opportunity to be faithful in our giving as the saying goes. But what is Kingdom Building? That’s what Mr. Green is – A Kingdom Builder and that is why I think the Lord is Blessing him so much. Giving can be brainless and rote. It can be a responsibility or obligation.  Kingdom Building is intentional and is in partnership with God’s heart.  To be a Kingdom Builder we must hold our resources and give only where God has directed us to. We must show God that He can trust us not to give but to be directed. We must stop funding other men’s ministries and start funding our own ministries and our calling!

Nehemiah instructed the priest to build the portion of the wall directly in front of their homes. Nehemiah 3:28 “Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house”. The ‘Givers’ are so busy helping others build their portion of the wall they do not even see or inquire about their own wall assignment. All of us have our assignment in wall building – Kingdom Building. Few of us know what it is and where we should put our time, energy, talents and money. God cannot give or trust us with great wealth because with the wealth comes a large assignment and a large portion of wall. We have got to be busy with our own assignment and when we are and as we complete it God will give us more wall to build and more resources to do it with. There is a lot of EXRTA wall to build because too many workers are bunched together. So much so, that no one can even see the wall that they are all concentrating themselves around. Because they can’t even see the wall, they can’t tell if any real progress is being made in building. Let me restate it this way: Large ministries are soaking up all the money so gifted masons are unemployed or underemployed. Very little Kingdom Building work is really getting done. Nothing against large ministries provided they are accomplishing Kingdom Building work, but what about your calling and your wall?

So here is my advice to those who want to graduate from being a ‘giver’ into becoming a Kingdom Builder.

1. Set up a tithing account and put all your tithes as you receive them into that account. I tithe on the cash that I take out of my business not on what the business makes nor my net worth gain- one day, when the business or investment is sold, then that also will be tithed by me but until then I feel the Lord has told me to ‘let it well up’.  Make your gifts from this account. IMPORTANT: Once you have placed the money in the separate tithe account, YOU HAVE paid the Tithe. Also, note, It is my experience that the Devil has permission to steal the unpaid tithe (think about that).
2. Make distributions once a month from your tithe account. I send a disbursement summary by the 5th of every month to my account manager which is National Christian Foundation   https://www.nationalchristian.com/ . It was easy to set up and they do all the work. All funds that are turned over to my own account at National Christian are tax deductible on the turnover, even if they are not dispersed right away. By making distributions once a month I have set up a process line so I can spend my time generating money and not the giving of money. I keep a balance in this account so that I can be generous on every occasion with a pledge of a gift (see 2 Corinthians 9:11).
3. Fund around your calling. Ask the Lord to make clear ‘the wall’ he has put before you and give to that. Hold all ministries accountable to results and only give to those who are highly effective.  Partner with other donors with matching grants and pledges so that your money is multiplied and the ministries must expand the donors involved. Finding like- called Christians and partnering is very effective. Kingdom builders do support their local church but thoughtfully - the main focus of a Kingdom Builders giving is calling. Let me give this example: After hearing that the major Seminaries do not have curriculums in evangelistic preaching, I have started to approach the top schools with an offer to chair a professor if he will offer a course that teaches evangelistic preaching as an elective at the seminary. This is a new work and has immense leverage in fulfilling my calling. Here is another example of funding your own calling: My friend Tim Burke graduated from a ‘giver’ to becoming a Kingdom Builder.  After being underutilized by a big ministry, Tim used his money to start The Transfer Foundation and today ministers to over 10 million people a day on Facebook.
4. Look for and support those who have the same calling as you do. If we all give to the same big ministries who will employ and send todays called and gifted? If you are mindful of this, The Lord will bring them to you. My passion and calling is around evangelism to the Nations so I am always looking to launch new ministers and ideas that do that. The impact and multiplication is enormous and having funded the beginning, the launching, I will share in all the rewards of what is later accomplished. Make your support limited in time so you can move on when needed. Think of your tithe money as venture capital. We want our gifts planted into ‘good ground’. Reread the Parable of the Sower, exchanging the word farmer with donor, and seed with money and you will get the point.
5. Set goals. Kingdom Builders know their calling and are focused in their giving towards goals.  I would have a faith goal of three souls per dollar donated. Highly effective miniseries are able to reach one soul per dollar and by faith we trust that one would reach at least two family members in their lifetime; therefore someone who gives $25,000 a year should have a goal of not less than 1,500,000 souls in 20 years! That is Kingdom Building! The goals are around our Calling and we need numbers to manage and guide us. Numbers keep us focused.  The bottom line is that when you have a goal you will not want to give where the money is not needed or give so someone else doesn’t have to do so - this is the kind of ‘giving’ Kingdom Builders avoid.

Finally, 2 Samuel 7 has one of the most touching and warm chapters in the Bible. King David decides to build a house for God - “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” God is moved by David’s concern and willingness to invest himself for God’s Glory.  He gives David incredible promises and commitments. We can see in this chapter why God said in Acts 13:22 ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart” Kingdom Builders work for God out of a heart of gratitude. Their heart says “Lord, extend the kingdom of Thy dear Son Jesus’’ (Spurgeon Morning and Evening Apri2).

It is that gratitude that causes them to cry out, “Is there not a cause?” They are realizing that so much more can and should be done for The Kingdom of Jesus in their generation.  It is that same gratitude that causes us to step out of ranks of the professionals and seek God’s glory with just a sling-shot. Gratitude compels action and action with God’s direction is when we become Kingdom Builders, “wise master builders” according to the grace that God has given (1 Corinthians 3:10).

King David dedicated silver and gold from all he subdued. David was a Kingdom Builder, Nehemiah was a wall builder – which are you?

‘’Get all you can, give all you can” John D. Rockefeller, a Kingdom Builder.

"Lord, Do Something"

Guest Author: Michael Koulianos

A few weeks ago, I was sitting with my family at our dinner table.  We had just finished praying for our food and thanking Jesus for His goodness.  One of the kids asked me a question about non-traditional/non-Biblical marriage.  He had heard a young boy at school ask someone a question about the topic.  I was taken off guard that I would have to discuss something of this nature with such young children.  As a Christian parent, it is our commission from the Holy Spirit to raise our children in God’s Word.  If we do not raise our children in the Scriptures, the world will certainly not.  So, I went through the Old and New Testament with them and proceeded to show them the examples of the Godly marriages of those who love them and are in their lives.

Young Christians are facing situations that we never faced at such an early age.  Instantly, a deep concern for the youth of America was burning in my heart.  I went to bed and woke up the next morning around 4 a.m. with the burden only intensifying.  The burden was not over one specific sin, but for the love and pain that Jesus has for this generation.  It is a  desire to see our youth living in His Presence.  After all, the issue is not the “sins” of people alone.  Rather, it is in “sin” itself, which is a life that lives without the loving rule of Jesus.

After spending time with Jesus, I drove to a Catholic retreat center which we were using to invest large amounts of quality time and spiritual depth into a group of Christ for All Nations apprentices.  I have had the absolute pleasure and honor of working with these young men as a guest instructor, under the leadership of Reinhard Bonnke and Daniel Kolenda.  We believe that these young men will be used by God to flood the nations with the love of Jesus.

I arrived to the retreat center before the sun was up and about an hour before I was scheduled to teach.  I love prayer gardens and Christian art, so I made my way to the portion of the garden where there stood a twelve foot Crucifix with a beautiful bronze sculpture of the Crucified Christ transfixed with nails.  Still, grieving in my heart for the state of America and for the Church, I began to pray in this beautiful and serene setting.  There was absolute silence except for the peaceful breeze and the sound of the surrounding wildlife.

I began to cry out to the Lord, “Jesus, move in America.  Please Lord.  Move again here.       LORD, DO SOMETHING.  YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.  LORD, PLEASE DO SOMETHING.”   Instantly, as I was staring at a sculpture of the Lamb of God who was crucified for all, I heard the Holy Spirit.   He gently yet firmly said, “DO SOMETHING?  YOU ARE ASKING ME TO DO SOMETHING?  YOU ARE LOOKING AT A PIECE OF ART THAT IS BEAUTIFULLY DEPICTING THE REDEMPTION OF THE WORLD AND YOU ARE ASKING ME TO DO SOMETHING?  YOU ARE LOOKING AT A CROSS WHICH REMINDS YOU OF THE FACT THAT I, THE ETERNAL WORD, BECAME A MAN AND DIED FOR ALL………..AND YOU ARE ASKING ME TO DO SOMETHING!!!!?

The Holy Spirit then said, “I’ve done all I need to do.  You do something, MICHAEL!  It’s your turn to carry a cross and climb the mountain of shameful suffering as you hold true to my heart and Word.”   Needless to say, I was shot through.  How funny I must have looked as I stood before a massive Crucifix asking God to do something.  Has God ever done anything greater?  Has the Universe ever seen something so majestic?  The creator dying for creation……..

I say all of this to challenge you my friend.  Accept the cross that Jesus places in your hand, with full assurance that the work has been done and that Jesus has secured the victory.  Side with and fully affiliate with all Jesus is and all He has said.  Choose the path of the cross as a thank you to the Master.   Jeanne Guyon said, “God gives us the cross and the cross gives us God.”    Say yes to Jesus today.  Go after Him with a reckless pursuit.    DO SOMETHING…….

In Jesus,

Michael Koulianos

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Shaving Time

Shaving Time - Strategies

“What is the grand secret of Christian success for living a holy life and the fullness of joy as God intended? It is to obtain and retain the perpetual presence and fullness of illumination of the Holy Ghost.” (Keswick Convention 1885).

Let’s face it and deal with it head on. It takes an enormous amount of time each day to walk in the Spirit and the spirit filled life must be maintained with diligence, sincere prayer and obedience.  We must give God time daily to refresh and revive the flow of the Holy Spirit.

To be constantly dependent on God and to continually grant unhindered control to the Holy Spirit takes focus, routine and time - daily. Why? Because we need to be renewed by Jesus in His presence and that without continued newness our Christian walk will become old again!

“Neglecting time with God is the most dangerous thing a Christian can do”. (Benny Hinn)

Recently, a friend of mine called me to give a remarkable update on his career and fruitfulness in Kingdom work. He was just given the drive-time two hour slot on Moody Radio, reaching millions per week. On the call he mentioned the enormous amount of daily time he was spending in the Word, prayer and personal devotion. He said he knew his successful radio broadcast was a direct result of the enormous time he was spending with the Lord. Most self-help books say results are generated by the time invested. We need to sow time with God to reach our highest potential.

So how much time do we need each day to achieve this ‘perpetual presence’, to remain Abiding in the vine in undisturbed union so as to shake the world? If we truly knew the answer to this question, would we respond to meet the requirement or continue to seek the minimum? Jesus said without Him we can accomplish nothing; He said “nothing”. So how much is THE RIGHT AMOUNT of time daily to sow with The Lord?

From my personal experience and polling of others it is 3- 3.5 hours a day.

What does our flesh say to that? Maybe that it is simply impossible and spending that much time per day would require pushing out and shutting out much of what is in the world. In doing so, I would have limited activity beyond my time with God. THAT IS THE POINT!

As God held back the water when He parted the Red Sea, we also need walls to hold the world back from drowning us so we can walk forward in progress and peace. The early church writer Fenclan wrote, “Give every spare second to Jesus.” God so wants us to crowd out and empty the world from our routine and lives making room for Him so he can transform us and fill us.

Let’s admit it, we know we would be much happier, successful and dynamic if we gave the Lord 3.5 hours a day. In fact, the supernatural would kick in!  Now if we choose to do less than 3.5 hours per day that’s our choice but we must recognize that we will be operating in less effectiveness. One hour a day with the Lord instead of 3.5 equals only 28.5% of our potential effectiveness. If we go two days at one hour we will be spiritual out of gas after three days and operating in our own strength and effort.

Some thoughts & strategies on shaving time to get 3.5 hours a day.

I would suggest splitting our days into manageable time blocks - blocking out hours where we can and then redeeming precious minutes throughout the day. Below are some suggestions but we must be careful not to become legalistic in the execution of them. Any block of time below can be replaced with whatever shuts the world out and results in our being alone with God. Change it out and around; go for a walk in the woods, sit on a park bench smelling the grass and looking at clouds or watch a sunset with God. Whatever gives life qualifies for that day’s total.

My Suggestions:

 Devotion time, first hour of the day:

·         Give God the first hour of your day for devotions. If you have an alarm clock you can do this! This is my advice to anyone whose life is a mess and comes to me for council: “Give God your first hour.” If they are unwilling to this this then I do not waste my time on them.

·         Read your Bible via an organized reading plan for 35 minutes. My favorite is The Four Streams. It can be found on the You Version Bible App.

·         Make sure you are in the Epistles (Romans- Jude) each day or you will feel malnourished very soon as they were written for us, the Church.

·         If you use an electronic device for your Bible reading like a smart phone or iPad, use the device for the reading assignment only; you must read out of your printed Bible or else you will never learn where to find verses. This is important.

·         Have a system of marking and underlining as you read. God says, ‘Mark my Word”.

·         Get a small 5x3 travel Bible so you can have it with you all the time. Keep it with you all the time.

·         When you get to work, take that Bible out and lay it open so you can move your eyes over it taking in a verse throughout your day.

·         Find a good devotional.  Read it for 10 minutes after your Bible reading. I like the classic My Upmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers or my favorite, Morning & Evening by Charles Spurgen.

·         End your devotions time in personal prayer. 15 minutes. Pray for yourself and your day.

One Hour completed

Second, hearing the Word hour:

·         Find a time each day when you can listen to challenging Bible teaching that is not from your church. Times like your morning commute in your car (turn off that radio!) or my favorite time is what I call shaving time (The Title of this Message) –use the time it takes to get ready each morning. Commuting or other significant time in your car is the easiest way to shave time for the Lord.

Some suggestions for other Bible teaching:

o   Times Square Church Sunday Service recording - this may be the most important prophetic church for America.

o   Believers Voice of Victory, Kenneth Copeland - daily broadcast online that challenges me.

o   Tim Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church NYC - maybe the best Bible teacher in the world today. His 10 sermon teaching on the Book of Mark called Kings Cross will rock you.

o   Sermon Classics found on YouTube.  I have a separate list of sermons that will be sent out next week that have changed the lives of our readers (please post your suggestions to below).

Two Hours Completed

Third, organize your day’s prayer time.
        I have mine organized like this:

1.    15 Minutes, Early Morning - I pray for myself and my day. I am not at my best in the a.m. so I have a written prayer I pray through that covers everything that I should be praying (my prayer available on request). I pray this inside my FIRST HOUR OF DEVOTION TIME.

2.    60 minutes, late afternoon - I pray intersession prayers for friends, family, ministries and Nations in a roll-call format.  I also have a prayer request journal I use. I often fall asleep for a few minutes during this time of prayer. I think the Lord wants me to rest. This prayer time is where I meet the Lord and is by far the most important hour in my day. It is also the most difficult hour to set aside.

3.    Before bedtime - I talk through the day with God and ask him about tomorrow. There is no time expectation here, sometimes just a few minutes and at other times it is a catch-up from missing late afternoon prayer time.

Three Hours Completed

o   Reading. I keep a book (Kindle) on my night stand and read for 15-30 minutes each night on a Christian subject. If I could only recommend one it would be They Found the Secret by V. Raymond Edman.

o   By reading something about God at the end of the day we prepare our hearts to rest during the night in Jesus and to invite God to give us peaceful dreams and revelation.

Thirty Minutes completed

Total: 3.5 Hours Completed

We need to put in the effort to become a giant for God. Paul used the example of a soldier that is not involved in civilian affairs, a serious athlete and a hard working famer to describe the effort needed to be successful in his advice to Timothy.

Remember, God does not give us a stored-up reserve of power so we will need to restart this routine NEW every day. I pray we would never get so complacent or satisfied with God as to think we have enough of Him. I think if the devil can’t get us to give up on God, he will be just as happy if we become satisfied where we are. Paul said it this way, “not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus”.

Choose to give the Lord 3.5 hours a day and you WILL WALK IN SUPERNATUAL AND EXTERORDINARY VICTORY. You will be a world shaker and a giant for God.
“Progress in sanctification will be intermitted and halting unless such a decision is made and maintained”. (Keswick Convention 1885).

Scripture is clear, when a man chooses to live his own life, the consequences are ruinous not only to himself but to others. God is challenging us to decide.

The Stairway to Heaven

Friends, I have a special quest writer today on our Blog-I think you will be greatly blessed by the Scripture Revelation. Dan

The Stairway to Heaven

By Daniel Kolenda

The Gospel of John is distinctly and wonderfully different from its three synoptic counterparts.  Some have speculated that John wrote his Gospel long after Mathew, Mark, and Luke and as such, John was not only able to read what the others had written, but he also had many years to reflect on his own experiences in light of what had been recorded.  As an old man, under the divine unction of the Holy Spirit, John was convinced that there were still some essential things that needed to be said. So he set out to tell the rest of the story in his own words.

John is an unashamedly biased reporter who writes with irresistible persuasion. He openly states his objective in chapter 20, verse 31, when he says, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”  Everything in John’s Gospel is strategically incorporated to convince the reader that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, because John knew that through this knowledge we could receive eternal life.

It is incredible that while John omits the story of Jesus’ nativity, baptism, temptation, and transfiguration, he uses nine verses in the opening chapter to tell us a seemingly insignificant story about a young man named Nathanael.  But a closer look will reveal that this otherwise untold account is a profound and luminous thesis from which John’s exceptionally convincing argument will springboard in the following chapters of his Gospel.

The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” 

Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. 

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” 

Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”  

Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 

And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

John 1:43-51 nasb

In order to understand what is happening here, I am going to ask a series of key questions about the text, and from it a wonderful revelation will emerge.

What’s going on with the fig tree?

The fig tree may seem like an oddly reoccurring theme here, but the cultural context reveals that there is more than meets the eye. In the rabbinic tradition, a fig tree is often used as a metaphor of the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament).  Nathanael may have been sitting under it literally or figuratively, but either way it seems clear that he was studying the Scriptures.  When Jesus said that he saw Nathanael under the “fig tree,” He was indicating that He saw Nathanael reading the Torah, which leads us to the second question.

What is it that Nathanael was studying in the Torah?

Of course, in Nathanael’s day, there were no chapter and verse distinctions that we have in our modern Bibles, but I believe it would have been somewhere around chapter 28 of Genesis.  He would have been reading about his ancient ancestor, Jacob (whose name means deceiver) who stole his brother’s birthright, defrauded his elderly father, and escaped with his life.  He would have read how Jacob reached Bethel where he rested for the night.  There Jacob laid his head upon a pillow of stone and had a dream.  “And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!” (Genesis 28:12 amp).

You will notice that before Nathanael met Jesus, he was a hardened skeptic who asked in reference to Jesus, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  But somewhere between verses 46 and 49, he dramatically converted to a convinced believer who declared to Jesus, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel” (John 1:49 nasb). And this incredible transformation seems to have happened almost instantly, which leads us to ask a third question.

Why the sudden change of heart?

Nathanael was clearly dumbfounded by Jesus’ astonishing depth of prophetic insight. 

First, Jesus had demonstrated that He knew that Nathanael had been studying the scriptures before Philip called him, which it seems was hidden knowledge. 

Second, Jesus knew exactly what Nathanael had been studying and alluded to it when He called Nathanael “…an Israelite indeed” (a descendant of Jacob, the “deceiver,” whom Nathanael had just been reading about) “in whom is no guile [or deceit].” 

And third, by this same statement, Jesus proved that He knew not only THAT Nathanael had been studying the Torah AND exactly WHAT he had been studying in the Torah, but the clincher was when Nathanael realized that Jesus saw something no one could possibly see…the very heart itself.

This demonstration so moved Nathanael that he declared his faith in Jesus, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.”  And that is when Jesus made the most incredible statement of all – it was the punch line of John’s story. “Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these” (v. 50). 

And then Jesus alluded back to the scripture that Nathanael had been reading about Jacob and made a clear reference to the story of Jacob’s ladder: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you shall see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man”  (John 1:51 nasb).

In essence, Jesus said, “Nathanael, are you impressed that I read your mail?  Are you impressed that I knew you were reading about Jacob’s ladder?  Oh, Nathanael, I’ve got something better for you. Wait until you see that I AM Jacob’s ladder!”

Jesus declared Himself to be more than a prophet, more than a Rabbi, more than a political deliverer, and more than a King.  He declared Himself to be the bridge between Heaven and earth, the link between God and man, the portal that God has opened on earth, giving us direct access to heavenly realms.

This is only the first of many such revelations about the identity of Jesus that John includes in this book.  For instance, Jesus says:

• I am the living bread that came down out of heaven  (John 6:51).
• I am the light of the world (John 8:12).
• I am the door (John 10:7).
• I am the good shepherd (John 10:11).
• I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).
• I am the way, and the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
• I am the true vine (John 15:1).
• He even said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58 nasb).

John seems to be shouting to us what Philip shouted to Nathanael: “We’ve found Him…the One Moses and the prophets wrote about…the One who solves all the riddles, the One who answers all the questions!”

We’ve found Him:

The Way, the Truth, the Life,

The Bread of Life,

The Light of the World,

The Door,

The Good Shepherd,

The Resurrection,

The Vine,

The Great I AM! 

He is the Passover Lamb.

He is the Ark of Noah’s salvation. 

He is the brass serpent lifted up in the wilderness.

He is the rock of Horeb. 

He is the city of refuge. 

He is the veil in the tabernacle and the tabernacle itself. 

He is the unleavened bread and the manna from Heaven.

He is our Melchezideck. 

He is our kinsman-redeemer.

He is our High Priest.

He is the tree of life. 

He is the stairway to Heaven.

He is the second Adam. 

He is Isaac going to get a bride. 

He is the warrior standing before Joshua with a drawn sword.

He is Jonah three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 

 He is in every way the fullest and most complete fulfillment and source of

every promise,

every type,

every shadow,

every epiphany,

and every theophony.

He’s the end of all theology.

He’s the reason for every genealogy. 

He’s at the heart of every prophecy. 

His coming has split history in two and has changed absolutely everything!

  

Daniel Kolenda is a missionary evangelist who has led more than 14 million people to Christ.  As the successor to evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, Kolenda is the President and CEO of Christ for all Nations (CFAN), a ministry that has conducted some of the largest evangelistic events in history.  He also hosts a syndicated television program that airs in 118 countries.

Join Kolenda on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/EvangelistKolenda and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DanielKolenda.

Covet to prophecy

Do you have the gift of the Holy Spirit called prophecy?

The Bible says: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophecy”. (Joel 2 and Acts 2)

Sometimes we can confuse the station of a prophet, the spiritual gift of prophecy and the unction of the Holy Spirit in a believer to prophesy. According to this verse quoted in the book of Acts from Joel, through the giving of The Holy Spirit, all believers have access to the prophetic.

Like a remaining unopened present under the Christmas tree, many of Gods children are not aware that the gift of prophecy is one of the gifts of the spirit God has given to them. ‘So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up”.

The gift of prophecy is given to the church body “for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort”.  According to the Apostle Paul, the gift of prophecy is one of God’s best gifts: “Eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy” (1 Corinthians 14:1).

The calling out of Holy Spirit gifts, like prophecy, can happen in many ways but the way I know from my own experience is by the laying on of hands by someone with the gift.  Apparently from Paul’s writing, the first century church also prayed for awaking of spiritual gifts with the laying on of hands. In fact, the Bible says, "In the presence of prophets, prophets’ prophecy".

King Saul discovered his gifting of prophecy when “a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying.  When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1 Samuel 10)
So how does one discover today if they have this wonderful gift that is to be used to strengthen, encourage and comfort?

I will try to answer that by recounting a recent experience where during an airplane flight I was speaking to the wife of my friend about things of God. As the discussion moved on it stirred my spirit and I sensed The Holy Spirit hint to me that she had something inside that was not ON her. At the same time I sensed the Holy Spirit say "'ask her if she knows she has the gift of prophecy'.

My example here is right to the point mentioned -that is: prophets’ call out prophets.
To my question, she was very surprised and humbly replied "No, at least I don't think so".
So I said, "I sense you may, so would you like to find out yourself right now?"  With unsure excitement she said 'yes' and with that I explained that I would lay my hand on her shoulders and pray for The Lord to show her if she had the gift of prophecy and that she should look forward in her mind and tell me what she saw. She was open to this and I told her to set aside her unbelief and instruct her mind to believe that God would and does give this gift.

So I put my hands on her and prayed "Lord, I thank you by the Holy Spirit you gave us gifts, I now call out the gift of prophecy." Then, after just seconds on prayer for her she exclaimed 'O my God!' "What are you seeing" I asked? She said 'I see a door opened in front of me inviting me to enter into it'. “Wow, that's exciting” I said, “Now ask the Holy Spirit if there is more he wants to show you and what does this vision mean”.

To this she went back into the spirit of prayer and came out after about 40 seconds with a big smile from ear to ear. Glowingly, she answered "He says he has opened the door for me into this new realm so that I can minister and pray more effectually for others".  She had the gift and hadn't realized it.

Now here is the fun part of the conversation - I asked her if there was something she was praying about and really wanted revelation from God about and she responded "Yes, I want to understand what is going on with my son".  Her son is in his early 20's and has been a huge concern to her and her husband as he has been living openly as a homosexual.

I said “ok, let's go back into the spirit of prayer and ask The Lord to show you what He wants you to know about your son.  Here is what you are looking for - as you see a glimpse or a flash in your mind’s eye focus your attention on it, asking The Lord to show you more of what you are seeing.  A glimpse becomes a thing, a thing becomes a picture, a picture becomes a movie frame and more is added until you are ready for the interpretation.  Honor the gift of prophecy with belief, asking for God to make it clear to you and for the right interpretation and The Holy Spirit will impart His message. Ask for Interpretation by saying, “This is what I see Holy Spirit, what is the Word you want me to comprehend from it”. (Read Jeremiah 1:11-15 “what do you see Jeremiah?”).  As she did so she began to weep as she saw the bondage her son was held by but also that the binds we coming looser. What she saw she could only explain to me as that she was much encouraged as she felt God was confirming that the prayers for her son were being heard and effectual.

This example, I believe, is what can happen to you also, as God says in His Word that He is not a respecter of persons and gives his gifts freely without measure and without repentance.
Only believe to receive!

Ask Him for the gift of prophecy - even become desperate for it. I have prayed many times something like this: "Lord, I know you have given the gift of prophecy and healing to many people who do not believe you for them and will not receive them, let me borrow the unused. I will give them back when you want them."

Some further advice on Prophecy: Ask The Lord who the Word is for and if you should share it with them.  Sometimes the answer is yes, other times it is no.  Just ask and do as The Lord directs.  If The Lord tells you who it's for and to share it simply say to the person "I believe I may have a Word for you.  May I share it with you?"

Prophecies should not be thought of, nor sought after as future predictions, like a fortune teller would offer for a sum of money, but rather revelation and knowledge of God's heart towards the matter. Through prophecy, God wants the person to know 'He will do it' but it's very important to remember God's timeline is very different from ours and very often a prophecy is given to encourage a larger vision towards future which may take decades, not days for fulfillment.

This goes without saying but must be said: Never make stuff up or use fillers. Faithfulness and honesty is all-important. You don't want to get stoned as one who speaks falsely of God. After giving a Word to someone further interpretation often comes out and I find myself able to explain what the Word means. You can expect that to happen to you as well.

Prophecies are subject to the control of prophets. A prophecy remains in your mind for quite some time. Paul says it this way in 1 14:32, “The spirits of prophecy under the control of the prophet”. I can still recall most prophecies that I have given even years later. They are God given burned into prophet’s mind by the Holy Spirit. You should write out prophecy when you can and if you feel it should be written.

Many years ago I received a word of prophecy in a church in NYC. The Word came to me during a baby dedication and it was for the two parents. After I gave them the Word I asked if they would like me to write out the prophecy and email it to them. They were very eager that I do so. It was an extraordinary honor and delight to give this Word.  I know it was from God. (This written out word is available on request)

Another way to be effective in prophecy is in prayer. I will often ask the Holy Spirit to show me through this prophetic gift what He would have me to pray.  I do this now daily when I pray for the Church in the world’s two largest populated countries, India and China. I am always amazed at what the Holy Spirit gives me.

Many of us have been turned off by those who have claimed to be someone pretending to prophesize in silly babbling words. Ok, that may be true sometimes, but who would want to scare us away from using the gift of prophecy, especially when the Bible says this gift is powerful to convert unbelievers? (1 Cor 14:24).  I think these false prophets talk because the real prophets are silent. “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy” (but everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way).