I know this may come as a shock for those out there seeking “double portion annointings” like Reinhard Bonnke talks about in the video below. I know some people spend hours a day in prayer in order to get somewhere in God before they’re ready to minister but…
…you don’t need to.
I’m not advocating laziness, because after all, prayer, fasting, and tongues speaking are all good. It’s just a matter of focus and perspective and why you do those things and what you hope to accomplish.
I remember once being with a minister of the Gospel whom I respected deeply, and together encountering a demon-possessed woman in one of his meetings. This was not a frequent occurrence during that season of my life I’m referring to, but this man of God seemed to encounter it a lot. This was my fourth or fifth time praying and ministering with him in such a capacity. On each of these occasions, we prayed with individuals or commanded demons to come out of them for a period of hours.
I always wondered if it was really this hard for Jesus or any of his disciples when He performed miracles or cast demons out of people, since it says things like “then the spirit left the person immediately“, or depending on the translation, “left him that very hour“.
I’ve never forgotten something that man said to me after the end of another prayer marathon before finally seeing a woman calm down and act her normal self.
“Steve, I need more of the anointing or more of the Holy Spirit or… something.”
I remember understanding the feeling, and thinking it’d be great if it didn’t take us like 5 hours to get the person completely healed and well.
But, I remember thinking “there isn’t more to be had.”
The problem is not a lack from God to us.
Back then I wasn’t as smart as I am now. And I respected this man and trembled a little bit whenever I felt the need to contradict him. Especially since this man once bragged to me about one time he blasted a female worship leader for “not taking us into the presence of God” enough and was proud of himself that he had made her cry when he treated her so.
I know plenty of Christians who think there’s something to “press into” in God, as if when Christ purchased us at the cross with His blood, the didn’t complete the transaction. That God is holding out something on us and we need to beg Him into giving us everything He was supposed to. That we need to remind him of what He said in the Scriptures because He has forgotten. To help Him remember, we think we need to fast more, shout some more shabbas (tongues) into the air. Or filling up stadiums with the right amount of prayer warriors or God will or won’t do the thing we’re all fasting for.
I’m sure the people who do this would categorically deny with it when phrased it that way, but functionally speaking, that’s what we do with a lot of our so-called intercession meetings. Our so-called revival and prayer meetings. I know because I’ve spent countless accumulated hours “crying out” myself while either pacing the floor beating the air with my fists or laying on my face and wiping puddles of tears from my eyes off the floor.
To seemingly no avail. I guess I didn’t wail enough. I guess fasting 5 days was not enough. I should go to 7 instead. Oh, person of God X did this, so it will work the same for me if I do the same pattern.
I noticed something peculiar a few years ago. Some people in my life I look up to and respect immensely who don’t do those things, and God still uses them mightily in healing and miracles. In fact, on the same level as those who do all the extra peripheral stuff.
So if those who aren’t doing all the ‘works’ are accomplishing the same amount with the work, then guess which way my lazy self will drift towards? Not doing any more stuff than I need to.
Good thing Christ accomplished it all, and we’re in Him who is seated in heavenly places above every principality and ruler of this age.
That’s it. Now, abide in Him and the fruit will manifest accordingly.
As I mentioned in another blog post of mine
I’ve been thinking; if what we’ve been doing with all our methods and activities all these years to see a revival happen would actually work, then we’d see revival already. I know people who’ve been ‘contending’ (in prayer) for revival for years and years, but in my personal estimation are little different from other Pentecostals and Charismatics who aren’t “contending”. If what we did worked, we’d see results by now, I’m sure. Wouldn’t we?
But instead our prayer meetings more or less resemble the Baal worshippers on Mount Carmel cutting themselves and striving all day long to get their god to show up, but seeing no evidence of anything different.
What we really need are Elijahs who can step up, and call down the fire of God that burns up our silly little man-made efforts, and makes an eternal impact in the land. Much of what I’ve seen instead resembles hype. ((Revive What? https://stevebremner.com/2012/04/revive-what ))
In closing check out this video that loosely relates, only in that it was what sparked me to get going in this direction for today’s coffee thoughts.
