Jesus is Still Better

Last nights night watch service was pretty awesome. Healing, deliverance, and other cool things were going on, but I just wanted to share what I saw as a major highlight. A young woman who came forward for prayer last night shared that she was receiving spiritual attacks at night. Her mother is a voodoo medicine woman and her father is a voodoo priest. She, being familiar with the light of the gospel while experiencing the darkness of voodoo in her home was a bit more apprehensive. Independent of her parents pressure for her to follow their footsteps, the spirits decided to start their own pressure campaign. They started visiting her at night, telling her that she had reached her time to serve as well. When she refused, they tried to tell her she had no choice (LIES!). When she asked what would happen if she didn’t do what they ask, they said they would kill her. They could have done so too because she had not yet come under the protection of Jesus Christ. But, last night, rather than giving her life over to them or eventually dying suddenly in the night, she decided to lose her life in another manner. Last night she made a decision to give her life to Christ, the only way that she could experience full life. She lost her life to gain another, one more beautiful and promising.

At 16 years old my dad preached his very first sermon (only months into being a Christian). For more than a half hour he opened the door of his home and preached out the door the only part of the Gospel that he knew: “Voodoo is bad, Jesus is better. Turn too Jesus! Come!” At those words alone, they came in droves. Within a period of a few weeks his house was packed with at over a hundred (I’ll double check that fact) new believers, all coming forward with tears in their eyes as the Holy Spirit touched their hearts to come and experience this new life. During those first weeks, the message didn’t change. Nothing was added… the Holy Spirit just continued to breathe on it as they stayed in His presence in worship. 37 years later, it is a joy to see that the original message still has its effect.

Taking Authority, Claiming Ground

Today, we called the church to a fast. Often times, when churches in Haiti call a day of fasting and prayer, the people gather together but pray individually for their needs and desires. Jesus taught us not to worry about our homes, our food, our clothes or even our future (Matt 6:25-34). Our concern should be the Kingdom of God and all of our needs and desires will fall into place by the Grace and Mercy of God (verse 33). Poverty is the devil’s number one tool to distract God’s people from the Kingdom (wealth is the second), but at our church we fight diligently to keep kingdom matters in focus.

Last night’s viewing of the Transformations Documentary greatly aided us in keeping our focus on the battle at hand. In the story of a transformation of a community in Guatemala, the community faced extreme poverty, ramped crime, and bondage through alcoholism that touched nearly every family. When the church gathered to pray, they didn’t pray against these problems, they took authority over the evil spirits that lay at the root of all of these problems.

As the did this over a course of days, weeks, and months, alcoholism declined rapidly. All four of the town’s prison’s were emptied and finally closed because crime came to a halt. As a result of fasting, prayer, and consecration, a town that was once unable to sustain itself with its four truckloads of produce exports per year now exports a miraculous 40+ per week The fruits don’t only come in abundance, but also in miraculous proportions. Imagine a carrot the size of your arm. In this Guatemalan village, they exist.

That is what we are after here. We gather here together asking for God’s kingdom to come to us (Matt 6:10) here, because we know that when it comes, every heavenly blessing is coming with it. That is what we seek daily, but today is a special day. Today is in which voodoo practitioners gather together all over Haiti to ask for the spirit, Harzulie, to descend. It’s a day that former President Aristide tried, through official mandate, to give to Satan forever.

But we, the church, have a greater mandate. We are under a greater authority than any earthly government. For this reason hundreds of us gathered here today in prayer. By the authority given to us by Jesus Christ, the son of God, redeemer of creation, and King of all who call themselves kings, we declare clarity in the skies of Port-au-prince, Petit Place Cazeau, Santo, Tabarre, and every other zone that the Lord has given this church charge over. In the name of Jesus Harzulie will never descend in this place again. Harzulie, go back to where you came from. You are no longer welcome here. This land, and everything & everyone in it, belongs to the Lord.

As a sign that the Kingdom of God is at work in our midst, the Lord sent in a woman (who doesn’t frequent our church) to testify of God’s power. This morning she left her house unable to stand or walk without help. She stood in front of the church as she waited to get on a taptap (taxi) to make her way to the doctor’s office to get medicine for the pain in her knees. Due to a series of complications she was unable to get the medicine. As she was returning home, she wondered how she would get through another day of the pain. That’s when the taptap showed up in front of our church to drop her off. Standing near the church, she turned to the person who was helping her that day and said “You can go on home without me. I’m going to get some medicine.” With that, she walked into the church. Only a short time later she was completely healed. When the call for testimonies was made, she was one of the first to jump to her feet to share her exciting news. She danced as she testified of God’s healing power. It was quite a sight to see. This was one of several reported healings that occurred today and this evening.

Not-So-Blind Man Walking…

Just a short conclusion to yesterday’s post…

This morning I saw the young man that WAS blind. I saw him walking… without holding on to anyone. Yesterday, when they guided him to the front, he put his back to the crowd because he didn’t know where they were. Today he was walking without help. Praise Jesus!

Well, apparently when the wild “Sel Jezi Ka Fe Sa” chant rose up, we got so excited and happy that we forgot to take care of another important item of business (oops!). God took care of it though. This evening, eyes wide and clear, the young man came forward (yes, walking alone again!) to make his peace with Jesus Christ, Lord of Heaven and Earth, Redeemer of all creation. Jesus opened his physical eyes… so he went searching on his own to let Jesus open his spiritual eyes.

You who are reading this and don’t have Jesus in your life… God is real, and Jesus, his son did everything the Bible said he did. As you see here, He still does it today. He lived, he died, he rose, and now he has an amazing offer for you. Don’t go another day without Him. Only Jesus can connect you to God and give you true purpose and true life. Sel Jezi ka fe sa. Message me or find your nearest Christian friend.

Just an Average Day of Healings and Stuff

I spent the last 20+ hours in what turned into one continuous service. On the schedule was Revival 4pm, Night Watch till 5am, then continued fasting and prayer till noon. Practically everyone was there at every event… one after the other. The day was full of miracles and deliverance.

I ended up preaching last night instead. What God did in me while I spoke is another story that maybe one day I’ll be able to explain but for now I don’t really have words. Before I preached, we were worried about Dad’s voice. He hadn’t been able to talk without straining for more than a day. Those of you who have heard him, knows that he REALLY uses that voice. No amp necessary. Minutes before stepping up to preach I prayed for him and laid it in God’s hands. I told God that I would accept one of 2 miracles: either my dad get’s healed or God makes me fluent in creole really fast. Frere Chacha also prayed for him. When we stepped up to the microphone, sure enough his voice was the same. We contined by faith. Less than a minute later, only after a few phrases his intense, megaphone, lumberjack voice was back and God’s beautiful message was preached. It was definitely a message of God, as it continued to be preached until we let go at noon today, both directly and indirectly. I have a feeling it will be coming back too… especially after the last miracle at noon (keep reading).

After the service the whole army marched down the street to the school for a night of fasting and prayer. The school courtyard was packed, the rooms were packed, the second floor balcony was packed, and we even had people dancing on the roof (unfinished 3rd floor). There was not much else to say about this event except that God was definitely there with us. There was a lot of singing, laughing, crying, weeping, shaking, and delivering. AMAZING! At exactly midnight something came over the whole crowd all at once and we broke out into a chorus of:

“Sel Jezi ka fe sa! Sel Jezi ka fe sa!
Sel Jezi ka fe sa! Sel Jezi ka fe sa!
Woy, Woy, Woy, Woy!
Woy, Woy, Woy, Woy!”

Translated, that means “Only Jesus can do this! Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah!” It was one of the most intense worship experiences of my life. The whole school was jumping, every bit of concrete was shaking. I have video, but it was dark… it couldn’t possibly capture the experience anyway.

Around 1:30 we broke off to seek God silently on our own (awake or in a dream, haha!) and at 4:30 we were all up again. Eyes wide, voices clear, praising God again as we marched to the next destination (the church at the corner). Once again, it was packed (though not as packed). That is where we stayed until noon. Praying, worshipping, hearing the word and testifying. There were many, many testimonies. Many. God worked hard last night.

At 11:55, right before we had our closing prayer, a young teen was led to the front. He was blind. (the word “was” is very important here). At first I didn’t hear why they brought him forward, but when I heard my dad praying for him to see I had to get in on the action. After we prayed we began to show him objects. He had been blind for a few years, but for the first time in years he was able to make out objects, shapes and colors. He also saw his big sister’s face for the first time in years. Praise God! Soon after he said his sister’s name the crowd broke out again: “Sel Jezi ka fe sa! Woy, Woy, Woy, Woy!” It was truly a sight to see. (I’ll be uploading that video on youtube soon under “sel jezi ka fe sa”)

The boy was not completely healed on the spot. I saw that his pupils were quite large. But we are pressing in to see his complete healing, believing that the next time we see him he will register our faces clearly. That last miracle also preached the message that God gave me all over again. God wants us to continue to believe for more… for bigger things. This was one way of him saying “stay hungry.” Imediately after that miracle, a man came and prophesied the very thing that God was saying to us: “we’re about to experience things that no one has ever seen.” He came that do to deliver that message, even before the healing took place. Once again the message was preached… stay hungry.

When dad spoke this morning, he gave us signs that the “true” revival that we have been looking for for years has officially started. The first sign was extreme signs of repentence. After the week of preaching about repentance people began to decide that they couldn’t come back without being reconciled to people they needed to forgive or ask forgiveness from. People started reaching way back (years) to fix these problems. There were stories of people being reconciled after many, many years even when the person who was offended had forgotten. Many tears have been shed in the process, and many sins have also been forgiven and forgotten.

On top of that, people from everywhere are already calling to get a touch of the fire we have found. The day before yesterday, we were on at least 5 radio stations in the U.S. and we continue to get tons of calls with testimonies of deliverence and healing (from NY, Boston, Miami, Canada, Pennsylvania, etc.), and more prayer requests for the church to cover. Some of the testimonies match specific prayer requests that we had received and prayed for. Praise God!

How did I find myself in the middle of this? I can’t think of a thing that I did to get to experience let alone participate. It’s amazing. All I did was simply follow my Leader. Sel Jezi ka fe sa. Sel Jezi ka fe sa!

I Just Wanna Love Him…

This morning, I was praying to God about the many points of weakness I find in myself as I go about my day. Not simply weakness in temptation, but weakness in going all out for Him.

I want to do his perfect will and reach the world with the message of Christ, but the truth is, I AM often ashamed of the Gospel that I preach. If I weren’t, I wouldn’t question God when I am told to preach it. I wouldn’t let divine moments pass me by daily when souls are in the balance.

I want to live my life before Him, and Him alone, but the truth is, I DO look over my shoulder to see who is watching me. I think too often about and place too high of a premium on the opinions of those who may find me strange AND those who would praise me for my devotion. Sometimes, I even wonder WHY I don’t get that human praise that I think I deserve.

I want to make the most of ALL that He has given me, but the truth is, I am wasteful. I have HOURS of idle time EVERY DAY. I spend hours doing things that I know I shouldn’t do to avoid the things that I should. Not simply academic procrastination, but a semi-subconscious measure I take while questioning what I should be spending my life on at the moment.

I want to make progress, but the truth is, I DON’T do the things that I KNOW will take me to the next level. I don’t do the things that are PROVEN to take me deeper in God. These things that worked before and have worked for all time have not changed, but I’m lazy. I want God to take me there, but I am not always wanting to pay the price.

There is much more, but what I realize is that it all comes down to this: I want to lay down my life for him… but the truth is, I don’t love him enough. “Greater love has no man than this…” I don’t have that kind of love for him. “He who has been forgiven much, loves much.” If you only knew what Christ had brought me from… I’ve been forgiven of more than enough to have enough love to lay my life down for Jesus, my best friend. I was headed toward death and He took it for me and GAVE me life instead. FOR FREE! But the full reality of what God has brought me out of and brought me into has not fully hit my heart. If I just loved Him more, I’d be able to stand stronger for Him.

I just want to love Him more. I know in my heart that everything that I desire in my relationship with Him boils down to this one thing: how will I respond to HIS love for me? I also realize that I cannot simply “manufacture” this love toward Him. It can’t even be “imparted” through prayer. It takes revelation of the love of God in order to love God. That’s what I need. There is nothing in this world that I desire more, because I know that it’s the only thing that can transform my life. I just want to love him more. He’s truly all I have and all I want to have. I want to appreciate Him.