I've been getting a flood of comments and e-mails regarding my recent posts about Todd Bentley and the Lakeland meetings--Keep them coming! But one issue has come up that I feel needs to be addressed publically: physical manifestations like shaking, jerking, squalking, and twitching.

I should start by saying that I have experienced a couple genuine instances in which God touched me in a physical way and I could feel His presence. Don't think I'm saying that such a thing is impossible. But in every case that I've experienced a touch from God, I had complete control over my physical body--have we forgotten that the fruit of the Spirit includes self-control? (see Galatians 5:22)

The only times that I could not control what was happening to me was when a demon was involved--either attacking me or coming out of me. Sort of makes you think about all the shaking and jerking we hear about at the Lakeland meetings, doesn't it?

The Holy Spirit produces self control, whereas an evil spirit causes a lack of it. Even where "speaking in tongues" is concerned, one has the freedom to yeild their tongue to the Holy Spirit--Acts 2:4 says that the believers "began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit ENABLED them"--not as He controlled them. Even where spontaneous utterances of prophecy are concerned, Paul said, "The spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet." The Holy Spirit produces self-control; but we see plenty of cases in the Bible where an evil spirit "seized" a person, threw them into convulsions, or caused them to behave like an animal. The only time I see God being the initiator in a physical manifestation that results in a loss of control is where disobedience or unbelief was concerned--like when Zechariah was struck mute in Luke 1 or when King Nebuchadnezzar was sent into the wilderness as a crazy man in Daniel 4. I never hear of Jesus shaking or jerking--He always had complete control.

Several years ago, as a teenager, a friend and I took a road trip to Toronto to check things out. I have to be honest--what I saw there was similar in some ways to the Lakeland stuff, but there were some huge differences. Yes, there was a lot of self-hypnosis and silliness going on. TACF's Senior Pastor, John Arnott, even pointed it out by telling a story about a Sunday School teacher who accidentally spilled some gold glitter in the hall; and by the time she had returned with a vaccuum, there were fifteen people huddled around it, speading it on their faces, rolling on the floor, jerking, and making all sorts of noises. While I was there, people squalked like chickens and roared like lions--things that author and missionary Derek Prince said happened in Africa as evil spirits would take hold of witchdoctors and others involved in the occult. Nevertheless, at Toronto, I also saw a lot of true things being done, and the credit was always emphatically given to Jesus Christ. Very real biblical truths about the love of Father God were highlighted, and many hearts have been healed as a result. My point is that in Lakeland, as with Toronto, we need to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Again, I've followed Bentley's ministry since before anyone knew who he was, and I know from observation and discernment that his gift of healing was bestowed by the Holy Spirit. As I've said before, if someone get's healed in Lakeland or over the Internet through what's happening there, I praise God for it and give Him all the glory. We must give the honor and credit to Christ. But the teachings, ministry methods, and unhealthy focus on spiritual beings at the expense of Jesus Christ should be adamantly opposed as false.

As I've said, the first danger is that Todd's healing gift seems to give credentials to his teachings, and many of these are pretty out-of-whack. But I also believe I need to bring light to some of the physical manifestations that people are exhibiting. To be honest, I don't think these manifestations are originating with Bentley--I think they're risidual from the attacks of the enemy that were wrought on the Toronto and Brownsville "revivals." When I visited Toronto, I fell into the trap of seeking the manifestations until I realized it was a ploy of the enemy to distract people from the truth of what God was wanting to do there.

I could see the plan rather clearly: get the people to focus on fruitless shakes and jerks in their physical body so they won't pay attention to the spiritual application. Not only that, but the enemy knew that if people could be duped into synchretism--in which these manifestations are seen as being synonymous with what God was genuinely doing--then it would turn a lot of "discerning" people off to the movement altogether and the Body of Christ would be divided.

Guess what? This is what happened. The manifestations became so entwined with the actual working of God that people felt they had to either embrace all of it or reject all of it--there was no in-between.

Real discernment from the Holy Spirit is not used to accept or renounce a big-picture; that can be done with our human minds. Black and white bricks can be separated by hand, but black and white paint can only be separated by a miracle. "Brick-style" discernment is based on human logic, whereas "paint-style" discernment is based on the Holy Spirit. Brownsville, Toronto, and Lakeland are a soup of gray paint, and we can't approach them with human logic. That's why the bulk of people's writing about such things seem to be polarized--either for or against the entire thing. They say, "Well, it's not black, so it must be white..." or they say, "It's not white, so it must be black." As a result, Christians are divided by it and the devil has succeeded in bringing confusion to the Body of Christ. You cannot apply "brick-style" discernment in a "paint-style" issue. Instead, we must seek the Holy Spirit for true heavenly discernment about what we can accept and what needs to be renounced. To deal with it like a brick brings division, but to deal with it like paint brings purity.

Approach the Lakeland meetings with prayer and discernment--and remember that we're a Body made up of many parts. If you see something in my posts in which I'm mistaken, please let me know. But if you see something here you hadn't thought of, take it to the Lord in prayer and search the Scriptures to see if what I have to say is true.

Let's keep praying for Todd! God bless!

Why do we call shaking, rocking, jumping, laughing, and shouting "revival"? For that matter, why do we automatically suppose that the evidence of spiritual activity is somehow synonymous with "revival"? I'll admit, many of these things may indeed happen in the midst of a true revival, but they are not necessarily evidence that God is moving. As a matter of fact, they can just as easily be evidence of demons (there are plenty of cases of this in the Bible).

The things we're seeing in Lakeland, although exciting and emotionally gripping, are not true revival. Real revival takes place when the Spirit of God grips the hearts and souls of both the churched and the unchurched with repentance. It starts in the house of God (meaning "Christians") and spreads to the lost. Real revival takes a fiery boldness on the part of its leaders to preach the unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ--exposing sin for what it is and bringing people to realize their desperation for our Father in heaven.

If that makes you shake, cry, laugh, or shout, then I'm all for it. And if healing, miracles, "words of knowledge," prophecy, and the like are happening in the midst of such a movement, then clearly they are from God.

But what we see happening in Lakeland are all the signs, wonders, and manifestations without much of the repentance. Yes, people are responding to "salvation calls," but the prayers they're led in have a sad lack of a "repentance" theme. So let me ask you: is this "revival?"

Now I have to be careful here, though, because I don't want to fall into the trap that I've seen on so many sites recently. It's very easy to speak out against the meetings and spout opinions of what I think about them, but Proverbs says that "a fool delights in airing his own opinions." The Internet is littered with opinions, and I want to make sure that I'm remaining in the realm of discernment. The popular opinions right now seem to be polarized--either people are head-over-heels for what's happening in Lakeland, or they have condemned the whole thing; but I feel from the Lord that it's more complex than that.

As I shared yesterday, I sense that Todd Bentley's healing gift is from God, but he has unfortunately stepped outside his gifting and been led astray in regards to his ministry methods, teachings, and many of his "revelations." We need to pray for our brother and believe God to bring transformation into his life. Please keep in mind that it would be wrong for us to slander our brother in Christ--these blog posts are meant to bring clarity, maturity, and true revival to the Church--not more divisions.

I honestly believe that out of this movement in Lakeland, Florida, God can raise up a TRUE revival of repentance in America and ultimately the World! But it will require a few things. First, something will need to happen that ensures Jesus Christ gets the glory and not Todd Bentley--either Todd will repent, or his sin will be exposed. Second, we need to make sure the Church is not shooting flaming arrows at each other--I hope everyone can see that my intent in these last three articles has been to promote the truth and encourage prayer for our brother Todd--not to slander him or his ministry. Thirdly, we the church need to start repenting for our own sins and cry out to God in desperation. We need to "hunger and thirst for righteousness." And we need to get out in our own spheres of influence and share the True Gospel with anyone we can.

I say, let Lakeland be what it is; but let the Church be what it is! If the events in Lakeland stir people up and cause the world to hunger for spiritual things, then I praise God for it! But if people get stirred up for spiritual things and the Church is not ready to meet that need with the Truth, then we will be just as guilty for missing the opportunity God has opened up. We must be a people actively pursuing true revival!

So here is my challenge to you: Pray for Todd, pray for America, pray for the whole world, and look actively for the slightest spark of spiritual hunger in every person you meet--then point them to Christ. I've been saying for years that the next "great revival" will be a grassroots movement that can't be pinned on any one person or ministry. Now is the time for the Church to rise up and bring true revival to the world!

I've spent some time praying about what is going on in Lakeland, Florida, with the so-called "Healing Revival" (Also known as the "Lakeland Healing Outpouring"). What I'm about to share will probably burn some bridges that I've been forming recently with various ministers around Michigan; nevertheless, the truth must be shared. I know I have a lot of readers, and that puts me in a place where I am held even more accountable to God than otherwise. Therefore, I must be faithful in my commitment to the truth even if it may result in fewer ministry opportunities in the future.

Enough setup--let's get down to business. Thursday's blog post brought the most significant influx of new visitors this site has ever seen; and in that post I made a solemn promise to you:

If this current movement is truly from God, then no one will be able to stop it. And if Todd Bentley is a false prophet, then I can guarantee that God will expose him for what he is. But unless this happens, I have to say, "Amen! So be it! May this be the beginning of the revival we've been crying out for! May the healing power of God be poured forth from heaven on a global scale!" If God reveals differently to me, then I will certainly speak out against these meetings, but I will not do so apart from genuine revelation.

Well, over the weekend, I believe I may have gotten some of that genuine revelation. Believe it or not, it didn't come while reading articles condemning the meetings in Lakeland--it came while reading things from the people who support it!

Of particular interest to me was an angel Todd Bentley reported to have seen, which another minister, Bob Jones, said was named "Winds of Change." Here's what Charisma Magazine reported about this:

Bentley, who looks more like a gang leader than the founder of a Christian ministry, came to Lakeland on April 2 and has shown no sign of leaving since an angel, he said, visited him the day after he arrived.

Prophetic minister Bob Jones told Bentley he believed the angel’s name was "Winds of Change"--the same angel, Jones said, that visited healing evangelist William Branham in the 1940s. (source: charismamag.com)

I don't know how much you know about William Branham and his healing meetings, but I see some significant correlations between his ministry and Todd Bentley's. So I want to give you a short history lesson about William Branham and the "Voice of Healing" revival of the 1940s and '50s.

This particular movement is rarely talked about today, but it involved a handful of traveling ministers who brought significant demonstrations of God's power to their meetings--and William Branham was a key player. David Harrell, Jr., in his book All Things are Possible (1978) said of the leaders of this movement:

Most were dedicated to back-breaking work and spent long grueling hours in the centers of the platforms of the big tents praying, clapping, shouting, pleading with the crippled to walk, commanding the blind to see....It was an exhausting, grinding, draining way of life. William Branham was a broken man after little more than a year; Jack Coe was physically exhausted at the time of his death; A.A. Allan, an incredibly tough campaigner, tottered constantly on the brink of psychological collapse; the resilience of Oral Roberts became a legend among his peers.

Why did these men suffer so much for the sake of ministry? People were genuinely being healed--there were even cases of the dead being raised to life. If this "Healing Revival" was from God, why did these men end up so mentally, emotionally, and physically wrecked?

Many Christian historians seem to offer the same answer: things often went downhill when these men tried to operate outside their specific giftings.

Where Branham was concerned, people were known to fall asleep while he preached--he was that boring! So Branham had his associate, Baxter, do all the talking. Baxter would preach the gospel, and then Branham would come to the microphone and start pointing at people, calling them by name, identifying their ailment, and declaring them healed in Jesus' name (there were no "information cards" handed in beforehand or anything else that could explain this--it was genuine revelation). Many documented cases of healing came forth with medical records to prove their reality. God was certainly moving!

Unfortunately, a series of events that started in 1955 led Branham down a dark road. His ministry faced deficits, and in 1956, the IRS was taking action against him for tax evasion (which he was actually not guilty of--as it turned out, some ministry associates were taking advantage of him. Branham was living on $7,000 a year even though $80,000 was funneling through his ministry.). As William Branham struggled with the emotional impact of these financial issues and the betrayal of his collegues, and as opportunities for ministry became increasingly competitive with the onset of new "healing ministers" toward the end of his ministry, Branham started to drift off the deep end.

Before long, Branham's personal doctrine was skewed severely, and he began to teach some heretical things. He denied the existance of the Trinity, he taught that hell wasn't eternal, and that Eve had engaged Satan sexually while in the garden of Eden. The false teachings didn't stop there, but it goes without saying that Branham's ministry went steeply downhill.

Back when Branham stayed within his gift and only focused on healing, God used him mightily in ways that we haven't seen since. But as soon as he stepped outside his gift and started preaching and teaching, Branham actually developed a cult following who worshipped him as Jesus Christ and baptized people "in the name of William Branham!"

So as I was praying about the current "Lakeland Healing Revival" and Todd Bentley's role, I asked the Lord what to think of it all. Please weigh this for yourself and feel free to confront me publically if you believe I was deceived, but I felt the Lord say to me, "Todd Bentley's gift of healing is true; but his method of ministry is unnecessarily theatrical and many of his teachings are littered with falsehoods."

After sensing this from the Lord, I started digging through Internet articles written by Todd Bentley, and what I found disturbed me. He shared more about visions he had experienced than he did about the actual Word of God. And never once did I find a place where he added a disclaimer like I did in the previous paragraph, offering his "revelations" up for scrutiny by the Body of Christ. Instead, he just spouted strange teachings--like when he said that he met with the Apostle Paul at his little wooden shack in heaven, and Paul told him that the Book of Hebrews was written by him and Abraham together as he had supernatural heavenly visits with this patriarch of the faith. (see the original article here.)

What?

Now, I have to be honest with you, I have had heavenly encounters myself, but I only ever saw Jesus during those visits. For that matter, the experiences I had always led to action--souls were saved, people repented, and even animals were raised from the dead--but never once did I come out of those encounters with a new teaching or some erroneous claim about something no one else knows. Not to mention that each of those encounters was somehow confirmed to be true (by an outside source) within minutes of having the experience. Heavenly encounters, visions, trances, and the like are real, biblically-supported occurrances that can take place in the life of a believer; but they can also be counterfeited by demons, and I'm afraid Todd Bentley has fallen victim to some of these spiritual illusions.

If you or someone you know has been healed as a result of the Lakeland meetings, praise God! You have not been healed by evil spirits--I believe this was definitely of God. However, be very careful about how closely you follow the words and actions of Todd Bentley. He is a Christian who has been largely deceived by powers and principalities in the spiritual realm, which has caused him to step outside his gifting. We need to pray for Todd Bentley that God would rescue him from the same trap as William Branham.

In closing, I want to make a few contrasts between William Branham (while he was still ministering within his gifting and God was moving powerfully) and what we see happening right now with Todd Bentley.

According to John Crowder (who I'm afraid is falling into the same trap as Bentley) in his book The New Mystics, "Branham never raised his voice when he was speaking, nor did he use any showy tactics." Todd Bentley, on the other hand, parades about the stage slapping people in the forehead and yelling "BAM!" I watched some of it on GodTV and was actually a little repulsed by his showmanship. One elderly woman fell over, and Todd said, "She doesn't know why she fell over!" The ushers helped the old woman up, and she said, "Yes I do know why I fell over: you pushed me!"

Also from Crowder's book: "Often, if the anointing was not present, Branham would simply cut his meetings short and walk out, leaving thousands frustrated. Branham sometimes did this if he felt the congregation was looking too exclusively at him to effect the healings." Todd Bently, however, seems to overlook the absence of the Holy Spirit. One person who I found in an online forum observed, "...when a severely inflicted person comes up on the stage for healing and doesn't 'fall over' when he screams BAM in their face, [Todd] immediately changes the subject, either by calling out another 'word of knowledge', or telling everyone that the atmosphere is changing, either an angel has shown up or a new glory is filling the place."

Likewise, Branham was not a self-promoter during the healthy days of his ministry. But with Bentley, I see that he is strongy promoting his meetings and telling the young people to get the message out through their MySpace and FaceBook accounts. He said, "Young people, announce it to the world!"

The Todd Bentley that I'm seeing today looks more to me like the latter William Branham than the former. There is nothing--other than the healing miracles themselves--that I can compare to William Branham when his ministry was healthy; but there are plenty of correlations with the post-1956 Branham, who taught extra-biblical falsehoods, was a self-promoter, and operated outside his gifting (leading thousands astray).

I love Todd Bentley, and I am not here to slander his name. I believe that he could repent very quickly and be used mightily for the Kingdom of God. However, if he continues on this path, I fear what the result may be. Please, brothers and sisters, be careful with Todd's teachings and so-called "revelations." I believe Todd has a healing gift from God, but that does not automatically validate his teachings. Unfortunately, his healing gift seems to add weight to what he has to say, and people believe him all too quickly. The only reason Todd can heal people in the name of Jesus while simultaneously teaching such odd things is that "God's gifts and His call are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29).

Please be discerning, friends. Chew the meat and spit out the bones. If you want to attend the meetings in Lakeland to receive a healing touch from God, then I will certainly not stop you; but PLEASE be careful to test the spirits and weigh every word out of Todd's mouth.

As much as my life has been impacted in the past through Todd Bentley's ministry, I, for one, can no longer defend it.

A notable event has stirred up in the little town of Lakeland, Florida. On April 2, Todd Bentley began a series of meetings that have now lasted nearly a month due to the intense spiritual activity taking place. I usually prefer not to write lengthy blog posts, but I believe this is a topic that warrants it.

I have scoured the Internet for credible information on these events, and I find that people seem to be either gung-ho for it or dead-set against it. As you are all aware, I believe very much in the supernatural, but I am also a strong proponent of what is actually true rather than what is counterfeit. Therefore, I want to present both sides of the coin, and then offer what I believe the Word of God has to say about such debatable matters.

So far, the most objective information I've found (although largely supportive of the event) came from Charisma Magazine, which presented this report:

Thousands of people longing for a physical or spiritual touch from God are flocking to central Florida for ongoing revival meetings that some have dubbed the "Lakeland Healing Outpouring."

The services, which are being broadcast live daily on GOD TV to millions of potential viewers, reveal the excitement radiating from this area of the Sunshine State, prompting some people to jump on planes and fly in from across the country and even from abroad.

Todd Bentley, the 32-year-old Canadian healing evangelist with a boyish grin responsible for the meetings, reported on Friday that people’s faith alone has healed them even while they were booking their flights online or boarding planes bound for Lakeland, a city of about 90,000 between Orlando and Tampa along Interstate 4.

The 700-seat sanctuary of host pastor Stephen Strader’s Ignited Church can no longer contain the crowds. More than 1,000 worshipers stood inches apart at Friday night’s service, jamming every aisle and altar area. Their bodies rocked back and forth, and their faces wore peace-filled, lovesick and euphoric expressions.

The cars parked outside were also inches apart, with every grassy parcel of land on bordering properties used for overflow. During worship, song lyrics on PowerPoint were replaced with a warning to drivers parked at a nearby store that their cars would be "towed immediately."

"We are all shocked that each night a minimum of 60 percent [are] first time [visitors]," Strader said yesterday.

Fire marshals locked the church doors at last night’s meeting, forcing 400 people to remain in front of the church. The crowd watched the service on a large TV, and more than 200 waited until midnight for Bentley to come out and pray for them, Strader said....

At Friday night’s meeting, the mother of a 6-year-old girl said her daughter broke her elbow about two weeks ago and was healed after a word of knowledge from Bentley. The little girl told the crowd: “Jesus came out of heaven and touched my elbow.” The girl’s before-and-after X-rays are posted on YouTube [Art: I should interject here that I've seen this video, and there is nothing visible to the poor quality camera--all you can see is a lot of excitement among the people viewing the X-rays. That doesn't mean they're not real; it just means it's not worth looking up].

Amber, a thin 15-year-old girl born with scoliosis, said she was healed and could now carry her schoolbooks as well as bend over and touch the floor, which she did publicly during the meeting. One man said he was healed of Hepatitis C. An elderly woman said she went to the doctor for confirmation first before telling the crowd she was healed of glaucoma.

Others on Friday night said they were healed of rheumatoid arthritis, panic attacks, ruptured discs, deafness, post traumatic stress disorder, cancer, leukemia and emphysema.

After a half hour of testimonials Bentley asked the crowd “to give the Lord the glory.” For at least 40 minutes people continually cried the words “holy” and “glory” in a chorus.

Some worshipers fell to the floor weeping. From behind his keyboard, a blonde-locked worship leader named Roy Fields led the procession, his face beaming heavenward.

“What is happening is so much bigger than anyone in this building,” Bentley said from the stage where he was kneeling. “I hear the angels joining in. … The Holy Spirit is taking over.”....

The meetings have been extended due to swelling crowds. Bentley announced Friday the revival would continue daily through at least May 4. He also said he believes the same revival will hit Kansas City, Mo., next.

—Paul Steven Ghiringhelli in Lakeland, Fla.

Charisma Magazine's perspective on the revival appears to be rather positive. It even had quotes from John Arnott and John Kilpatrick from Toronto, Canada, and Pensecola, Florida respectively. These men were instrumental in big "outpouring" events of their own--and they too were highly criticized and scrutinized for their meetings and the strange things taking place.

As it turns out, there was a well-documented prophecy given to Todd Bentley before the Lakeland events at a meeting in Australia. A pastor from New Zealand, Rob DeLuca, foretold the "healing revival" that would break out in Florida and spread around the globe (the picture to the right was taken while this prophecy was being given). Whether or not this prophecy was actually from God has yet to be seen; but as you'll see in a moment, there is a healthy way we should respond until it is either fulfilled or proven false.

I've also found people, like Andrew Strom, who are sharply against what is happening--although this does not surprise me because Andrew Strom has been pointing out fallacies and heresies in the prophetic movement for some time (many of them valid, admittedly, but some of them overblown). Strom asked in a recent e-mail regarding this movement in Florida, "Have we completely forgotten the warnings of 'Lying signs and wonders' in the Last Days?" I believe this is a fair warning, and we would be wise to stay on our guard about such matters, but we have yet to see if this is actually the case in Lakeland.

Strom has a lot of criticisms about Todd Bentley's ministry, but I do not believe this necesarily means God has not been using Todd to perform genuine miracles (see my article titled Spiritual Power and the Nature of Christ). As much as Andrew Strom is doing well to keep our eyes focused on Christ and free from false teachings, he also has issues in his life that could be criticized (though I do not believe it is my place to share these things in a public forum like this without addressing him personally first). The point I'm making is that no one is perfect, and we need to be discerning of what God may or may not be doing rather than judgmental of the individual(s) He might be using to carry out the work.

Finally, as promised, I want to present how I believe we should resond to this activity in Florida.

In Jeremiah 28, we learn about a false prophet named Hananiah who proclaimed, "This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles of the LORD's house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,' declares the LORD, 'for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.'" (Jer. 28:2-4).

So the false prophet Hananiah prophesied peace in a time when the true prophet Jeremiah knew better. But what was Jeremiah's response? Did he condemn Hananiah? Did he rebuke the false prophet's words? Nope.

Jeremiah 28:5-17--Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the LORD. He said, "Amen! May the LORD do so! May the LORD fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the LORD's house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon. Nevertheless, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague against many countries and great kingdoms. But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the LORD only if his prediction comes true."

Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it, and he said before all the people, "This is what the LORD says: 'In the same way will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.'" At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.

Shortly after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: "Go and tell Hananiah, 'This is what the LORD says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of iron. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations to make them serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals.' "

Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, "Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore, this is what the LORD says: 'I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.' "

In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died. (NIV)

Three things stand out to me in this passage. First, Jeremiah shouted, "Amen!" to the prophecy of peace and affirmed that he too wanted the word to come to pass. Second of all, Jeremiah makes the point that if a person prophesies war and disaster, that's nothing special; but if they prophesy peace, then they are only recognized as true if their prediction comes to pass. And thirdly, God brought judgment on the false prophet as foretold through the true prophet.

Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 13:6,7 tells us, "Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" (NIV). If we are truly a people of love, then we should rejoice with the truth...but we should also always trust and hope. In love, I believe we should trust Todd Bentley and hope that this truly is a move of God.

If this current movement is truly from God, then no one will be able to stop it. And if Todd Bentley is a false prophet, then I can guarantee that God will expose him for what he is. But unless this happens, I have to say, "Amen! So be it! May this be the beginning of the revival we've been crying out for! May the healing power of God be poured forth from heaven on a global scale!" If God reveals differently to me, then I will certainly speak out against these meetings, but I will not do so apart from genuine revelation. For now, let's pray that God would reveal the truth of Jesus Christ and save thousands of souls in the midst of what is happening with Todd Bentley in Lakeland.

Have you ever heard someone explain a commonly misunderstood concept, and then your new understanding seems to haunt you? Such is the case for me when it comes to "Binding and Loosing," which many Christians talk about but few understand. When I was around 11 years old, we had a minister visit our church from Texas, and he spoke about these two words. Like a good little Christian, I went home and researched the message for myself, and it checked out. Believe it or not, most of us have a completely backwards understanding of these terms.

Here's the origin:

Matthew 18:18,19 - "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." (NIV)

We very often use this verse to justify phrases like this:

• "I bind you, Satan."
• "I loose the Holy Spirit"
• "Father, bind the enemy"
• "Lord, loose peace"

The list could go on, but you get the idea. The problem is that we've been basing our understanding of these words on the English definition rather than the original Greek.

In the Greek, the word "bind" is "deo," which means to knit, tie, and wind--like "binding" a Christmas tree to the roof of your car or "binding" together the pages of a book. It is a matter of tight connection. This verse isn't instructing us to "bind" the devil. But Acts 20:22 uses the word "deo" correctly when Paul says, "And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there" (NKJV). Jesus' original instruction was saying to knit ourselves with, tie ourselves to, and wind ourselves around His Holy Spirit.

As for the word "loose," the Greek word is "luo." We seem to use this instruction from Jesus to "loose the Holy Spirit" before a meeting, etc. I don't know who decided this is what it meant, but I didn't know the Holy Spirit was stuck! In reality, the Greek word "luo" means to break up--to destroy, dissolve, loose, and melt.

We now see that Christ is giving us the power to destroy the forces of darkness--not just tie them up! Whatever we destroy, dissolve, and melt on earth will be destroyed in heaven! When we cast out an evil spirit on earth, that spirit has also lost any audience it might have in heaven! If we "luo" that spirit here, we "lou" it there! That spirit cannot approach God (like Satan did in the book of Job) and barter for the right to attack a person spiritually. To "luo" is to destroy!

To see this word used in a different context, pay attention to the words “destroy” and “destruction” in 2 Peter 3:11,12: “Since everything will be destroyed [luo] in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction [luo] of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.” Now that's luo!

Overall, Christ is really talking about the spiritual pacts we make; are we knitting ourselves with God and destroying the demons in our lives, or are we tying ourselves to evil spirits and dissolving our connections with God? Christ gave us the power to bind and to loose spiritual things. This is the power to attach and destroy. It is the prerogative of the Holy Spirit to become intimately enmeshed into our lives. On the same token, though, it is the objective of Satan to attain that same goal.

Who are we binding ourselves to?
Who are we destroying?

Galatians 5:24,25—Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (NIV)

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to alert you to a brand new e-store I've started putting together. This will probably be the only time I ever announce it, so don't think my web site is going all "commercial" on you.

I've always been a huge fan of T-shirts with clever graphics and sayings--especially ones that start conversations about God. And then I found a nifty little company called CafePress.com that would allow me to make custom designs for apparel and products for online sale.

I've got a ton of ideas already, but I threw this one together just to get started. Most of my time is spent in ministry, so I don't know how often I'll be able to add new designs. Nevertheless, check back often and see if there's anything new!

100% of the profit from these sales goes directly toward the costs of running this web site. Simple little items like these are only meant to keep the ministry running--not to distract from it in any way.

Take a look at the new e-store, and see if any of the products would appeal to you as gifts or as personal items.

I especially want to point out the Prayer Journal, which is always a great idea to have around. It's just a blank notebook, but sometimes having a fancy cover helps us remember that it's not just any ordinary notebook! I have three prayer journals: one for writing down focused prayers; one for journaling visions, dreams, and insights from Scripture; and a third for chronicling all the miracles and answered prayers I've experienced from God. These are great things to look back on--especially when you're discouraged or going through a dry spot spiritually.

By the way, I'll definitely continue adding free content to the site, but just so you know, there will be some very special teaching CDs coming out in the near future, which I will announce along with a targeted mini-teaching (for free). The first one, which should be available within the next month, is titled, "Giving Freely: The Truth about Tithing and the Supernatural Power in Spirit-Led Giving." It's an eye-opening teaching that comes straight from Scripture and shatters some of the false teachings we've all unwittingly believed. Enough about that for now, though...just giving you a heads-up about what's coming soon!

Well, thanks for taking time to read my little commercial! Again, I'll try not to do that too much :-) The URL for the new e-store is:

http://www.cafepress.com/artthomas

Thanks!
--Art--

Tonight my girlfriend Robin and I went to see Expelled, the new documentary by Ben Stein. In it, Stein points out the unfairness among academia as anyone even hinting at "Intelligent Design" is laughed out of even the most prestigious positions. Ben went to great lengths interviewing some of the top minds on either side of the debate, and it clearly revealed the bias against the possibility of Intelligent Design (ID). In American academia particularly, Darwinian Evolution reigns supreme.

I would have to say that it was thoroughly enjoyable--even though there was a dry spell in the middle (about an hour into it). Having just taken a class at the University of Phoenix called "Critical Thinking," I also thought the movie made a few small mistakes in making a case for open dialogue about ID. For one thing, much of the movie was an appeal to emotion as Ben visited some Holocaust sites and based much of his movie on an analogy with the Berlin Wall. Nevertheless, this movie has the potential of opening up some great dialogue among the scientific community if people will look past the emotionalism and accept the facts that are clearly laid out.

Three particular things really struck me. First, Stein asked one professor, "If Darwin's understanding of a human cell could be likened to a Buick, what would you compare today's understanding of the cell to?" The scientist's answer: "A galaxy!" What followed was a lengthy, computer animated flight through the inner workings of a cell. Echos of my college biology class rang through my head as I got to watch a simulation of the thousands of processes that happen at once in every cell of your body--it was mind blowing! I would recommend seeing this movie for this little animation alone!

The second thing that struck me was what great lengths the supporters of evolution will go to in order to steer clear of even the possibility of an intelligent Creator--aliens, crystals...it was weird to say the least! They treated the notion of Intelligent Design like a plague that needs to be extinguished, and their greatest attacks against the ID supporters were nothing more than name-calling and put-downs.

And the third thing that struck me was the obvious link between Darwinian, atheistic thinking and such atrocities as the Holocaust, the sterilization of thousands of "defected" people (even in America!), and Planned Parenthood. If life is nothing more than goop, and if there is no afterlife, then people should feel free to irradicate any life that is at all flawed, thus helping along the evolution of mankind. Yikes! But if there is a God, and life is more than what we see tangibly, then great lengths must be taken to preserve life at any cost!

Do you see why this debate matters? Do you see why Ben Stein was willing to put his name and possibly even his career on the line to point out something so needlessly controversial?

Even though Expelled was by no means a Christian movie (Ben Stein is Jewish), I felt it helped solidify my faith. And even though every ID supporter was careful to distinguish between "Intelligent Design" and "Creationism," I felt it restored credence to the reality of our Creator. This was not a movie of apologetics and proofs for ID, but it certainly made a clear case for allowing open discussion among the scientific community in America.

If you can get out to see this movie, I highly recommend it!
--Art--

Have you ever been hurt by a friend? A stranger? An authority figure? A church? Discover the life transformational power of real forgiveness that will set you free from your past!

If you go to the Podcasts page of SupernaturalTruth.com, you'll find a new section titled "Sermons and Teachings." I've added a lesson I taught at the recent Encounter Retreat titled "Forgiveness." Simply right-click on the link there and select "Save Target As" to download it to your computer. Then listen at your leisure!

This message is packed with testimonies and personal examples that bring it to life and make practical applications. Expect the Holy Spirit to minister to your heart as you listen!

Blessings!
--Art--

P.S.--As always, the message is not copywritten, so you are free to copy and distribute it as you see fit. I only ask that appropriate credit is given and that you do not sell the teaching for financial gain. Thanks!

I recently read a short article that impressed me on one point (even though the rest of it was a little weird). The person said that angels and demons are not supernatural. The word "supernatural" implies something that is "above and beyond" creation, but angels and demons are created beings. In other words, the only being who is truly "supernatural" is God Himself!

Angels and demons are natural, created beings, completely spiritual in nature (with no physical bodies, although they can sometimes appear physically). Humans are created both physical and spiritual in nature; but just because we have a spirit doesn't make us supernatural either. We were created, and so were the angels and demons that war for our souls. Only God is truly supernatural.

Why is this important? Because it puts things into right perspective! To quote the words of one of my favorite songs, "In Christ Alone," "No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand!" HE IS SUPER-NATURAL! My God is ABOVE nature! He is ABOVE all created things!

As children of a supernatural God, we need not fear ANYTHING natural--He created it all and can intervene at any moment! His power and love are above and beyond EVERYTHING that has been made!

Romans 8:38-39--For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (NIV).

---

ABOVE ALL

Above all powers, above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms, above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what you're worth

Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

© 1999 Integrity's Hosanna! Music/LenSongs Publishing

One of the sweetest things about having a blog is that it's a great outlet for rants about your pet peeves; so I'm going to take advantage of that. This does actually have some value, though, so don't think I'm going to point out something trivial like burnt edges on a grilled cheese sandwich. Enough rambling.

Tonight I was listening to the radio on my drive home from a restaurant, and there was some preacher talking very excitedly about a series of meetings he was going to be leading this week. The part that bugged me, though, is that even though he was really passionate about his invitation, he used the word "Amen" incorrectly about fifteen times. It's not that it almost seemed like he had Turrets Syndrome as he haphazardly threw the word around at random points in his sentence; it was more about the complete loss of meaning.

What does the word "amen" mean?

"Amen" is a Hebrew word that basically means "So be it!" It comes from the root word for "rock," so it gives an impression of "It is firm--like a rock." The word is used to solidify a statement and declare that it is "set in stone" or "certain."

But this preacher was saying things like, "The city of Detroit is falling apart--Amen!"

NOOOOO!!!! Use the word correctly! Don't set something like that in stone! Try this: God has plans for our city that wll glorify Him and snatch people from the fires of hell--Amen! So be it! It is firm! It is certain! It is set in stone!

AMEN!!!

Do we Christians realize the power of this simple little word? I don't think so--if we did, then we wouldn't use it like a question from our pulpits. Amen? Have you ever heard a pastor say that? They ask the congregation, "Amen?" as though it's a question! What are they looking for? Approval? Are they giving people the opportunity to disagree? If you are preaching the Gospel and it is the sure Word of God, then proclaim it: Amen!

The word "amen" is one of power and proclamation. It's not an alternative to the word "goodbye" when we hang up our phone call with God. It's not a word that offers things up for question. It doesn't mean "do you agree?" And it doesn't mean "I think you're right" or "that resonates with me emotionally." It is a word of certainty and authority.

So in the coming weeks, think very carefully about the way you use this word--you may even start to notice the misuses of it (sorry if my pet peeve is contageous). It is about time that we Christians realized the authority we have in Jesus Christ! AMEN!

There's a new video online now! Last weekend we held an Encounter Weekend retreat where I was blessed to be invited to lead worship and teach three of the lessons. One of them was called "Knowing your New Best Friend: the Holy Spirit."

If you want to have a deeper relationship with the Spirit of God, then I highly recommend you take some time to watch this video. With the ministry time included, it's 45-minutes long, so make sure you've got some time to watch.

You can access this teaching through the video page at http://www.supernaturaltruth.com/video.htm. It's the second video from the top of the page.

Be blessed!
--Art--

Hi everyone,

I've posted a new song on the music page called "Three Nails."
You can read the lyrics and download the mp3 for free at:

http://www.supernaturaltruth.com/music.htm

God bless!
--Art--

One of the couples from my small group who attended the Encounter Retreat this weekend got to experience the delivering power of God. They're completely free from a long-time addiction to smoking!

The wife stopped smoking on Friday--as I understand it, this was mostly due to some chest and throat pain she was experiencing. That evening they went outside to smoke, but she found it hurt too much. All day Saturday, she stayed away from cigarettes because of the pain, but she was grateful for her condition and felt it was God's way of making her not even like smoking. That night, she got her cigarettes from her car and threw them in the bon fire...but her husband refused.

He had tried quitting many times before and thought he knew what a waste it would be to get rid of his current pack of cigarettes...that's a lot of money to waste if you're not really quitting! But as he laid in bed that night, he prayed, "God, if you really want me to quit, then I don't want any symptoms whatsoever--no headaches, nervousness, or even oral fixations like gum chewing or pen biting. Nothing!"

Guess who took him up on his bargain? You guessed it! The next day brought no withdrawal symptoms at all. Neither did Monday. Or Tuesday! He said this is the first time he's ever been able to quit without horrible side effects.

Part of the solution was the supernatural power of God that appears to have brought healing to his lungs and nervous system; another aspect is that at the Encounter Retreat we deal with matters of the heart and healing inner wounds from past experiences.

Addictions like smoking tend to stem from inner voids that need to be filled. Often they are a way of simulating peace and giving temporary relief from anxieties or stress. But such methods are entirely artificial. When the inner void is filled with the Spirit of God, however, and we actively choose to rely on Him for peace, we begin to find complete freedom!

Now, here's how to stay free: Temptation to return to an addiction will inevitably arise when we find ourselves facing the same stress or anxiety that we used to manage with our addiction. We then have a choice: either we can suppress our desires or confess them to the Lord. Suppression only serves to pressurize these desires so that they erupt later on in a flurry of anger or an addictive binge. Confession, however, allows the desire to be released in a healthy way. We can then confess our anxiety and stress to Christ, ask Him to handle all our concerns, and choose to trust Him.

Addictions are not solved "cold-turkey." They are solved by the love of Father God, trust in Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Allow God to heal your heart and teach you to trust Him. Ask Him to heal you. And rely on Him to keep you free! He will do it!

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24--May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it (NIV).

What can I say? Our Encounter Retreat was awesome! God showed up in powerful ways and ministered His love and power to everyone present in one form or another. Some had a deep inner revelation of our heavenly Father and experienced His love in a whole new way. Some had a God-given realization of their guilt and came to encounter the work of Jesus Christ deeper than ever before. Many of us had dreams, visions, and supernatural experiences. Many people were released from long-time bitterness that they didn't even know they had. Strongholds were demolished. Chains were broken. The all-consuming Fire of God set people dramatically free this weekend!

On top of all this, on our drive home, we called one of the ladies from our small group and found out she had been horribly sick all weekend. We invited ourselves over to pray for her (which she welcomed). Before we had even arrived at her house, her fever lifted for the first time in days!

From there we went to the little city park in downtown Plymouth to have our Wildfire School of Supernatural Ministry and play worship music by the big fountain in the middle. We had fifteen people from our group show up, and we worshipped God for about an hour together in the park.

Before long, it started getting too cold to stay out there, so we went to a local coffee shop called "The Bean" to continue. Within a matter of minutes after we started playing music, a man walked in and looked at us. My girlfriend Robin flagged him over, and he listened as my friends Sara and Katie sang a song they wrote that said, "I want to wake up and find that I've already died and it's not I but Christ who lives in me."

"Hi, how are you?" I asked.

"Have you got a half-hour?" he asked.

"Absolutely!" came the collective reply of all the people in our group.

Long story short, we spent the next several hours listening to him pour out all his struggles and life experiences. During the first hour, our statements were careful to gently point him toward Christ and set the stage for a presentation of the Gospel. During our second hour, though, we spoke of Jesus Christ and His power to save and set us free from guilt and shame. Everyone listened couteously to his stories, and those who spoke always seemed to say just the right thing as the Holy Spirit led us. People shared prophetic words and supernatural "words of knowledge" in practical, loving ways and pointed this man to a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Eventually it was closing time and we had to return home. We invited him to our Monday night group, so hopefully he'll be there tonight as the seven of us who attended the Encounter Retreat share testimonies about our experiences!

God is so awesome! If you are willing to welcome His presence in the streets, I can guarantee that He'll show up with power!

Why do you suppose we complicate God so much? We think that hearing His voice is somehow something strange and mystical that rarely happens. We don't realize that we were created for relationship with God! Why would He make that a difficult thing?

I'm asking these questions because the Lord just put me in my place a couple hours ago. I develop web sites for a living (Michigan Network Solutions, LLC.), and today I came accross a severely frustrating problem. My client wanted a change made to one little thing, and I spent three fruitless hours trying to fix it with every trick I knew. My girlfriend, Robin, who is a computer programming major and will be graduating in December also couldn't figure out what was going on. It was a mess.

Then I had a novel idea: Why don't I ask God what to do?

I dove off my swivel chair and fell down on the floor in desperation. "God!" I cried out, "You've got to help me here!"

Instantly--and I mean instantly--a simple, three-word sentence popped into my mind. Funny, I didn't want to accept it because it seemed too simple! But then the Holy Spirit said, "What kind of friend do you think I am? Why should I make you beg? Now go do what I showed you!"

I made the change--it was something I had never done before, but it worked!

God wants to be your friend, and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ made that possible. To think we have to beg, plead, and somehow work for an answer is to imply that Christ's sacrifice wasn't enough!

Listen for the voice of God even when it doesn't seem like you're doing something for the Kingdom. He will direct your path even as it relates to your career. The next time you run into a problem at work or a question about what turn to make, cry out to God, and He will answer!

Evangelism in Action

I just have to share a story from a good friend of mine--we'll call him Paul--who recently spent some time with some long-time friends of his and shared the Gospel. In his friends' living room, Paul kicked back and talked about the love of God and the Good News of Jesus Christ. This couple hung on every word, captivated with the message he shared.

The next day Paul received a phone call from his friend who said, "I've been thinking a lot about all the things you said yesterday and all the wisdom I heard in what you said. Was there some person whose beliefs have really influenced you and made an impact on the way you believe?"

"Absolutely," replied Paul, "There was actually one guy in particular that has had a profound influence on my beliefs."

"Well, who is it?" pressed the friend.

"Jesus."

I thought this was an awesome example of relational evangelism. I've never really been a fan of preaching in the streets, going door-to-door, or handing out literature (even though God does sometimes use these methods). Rather, my preferred method of evangelism is through personal relationship. Try asking around--see how many Christians you know who received Christ because of a street preacher or a pamphlet and then see how many came to Christ through a personal relationship with another believer. The latter are far more common!

Start with the people you know--your friends, family, co-workers, or classmates. Pray for the Holy Spirit to begin softening their hearts and then act on any opportunity you can find to share the love of Christ! Speak the Truth, seasoned with love. You might be surprised at how effective you become at planting spiritual seeds for God's Kingdom!