Isaiah 61:1

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;”
DAILY READING Mark 8:1-21; 2 Samuel 19; Daniel 12

The fire of The Holy Ghost that fell at Azuza in 1906, marked the beginning of a global spiritual revival. This fire gradually spread all over the world. As far away as England, it ignited fresh fire in the lives of many people. One of them was Smith Wigglesworth, who became greatly used of God. .

In 1907, a year after the revival began, Smith heard of this great move of God in America. Though, he had been preaching the Gospel, he was not yet baptized in The Holy Spirit. Hearing of a group of people in Sunderland, who had experienced this Holy Ghost baptism, he travelled down to Sunderland, and tarried with them until he also received the baptism, and began speaking in tongues.

This experience totally revolutionized his life. When he came back, to his hometown in Bradford, he mounted the pulpit and preached from Isaiah 61:1 which says “The Spirit of  The Lord is upon me.”.

As he was still preaching, people began to fall under the power. From then on, a great outpouring began, as hundreds received the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

His healing ministry also exploded. Everywhere he preached miracles took place; cancerous growths disappeared, blind eyes received sight, the deaf regained their hearing, new limbs were created, and many dead were raised.

One day, he heard a friend of his was dying, and hurried to the man’s home. But he arrived too late, he met the doctor already pronouncing the man dead. Despite how hopeless things looked, Smith began to pray. Suddenly the power of God came down,  and the man was raised from the dead.

Many such dramatic healings took place in his ministry. In another remarkable case, a boy’s body was so mangled, that he was encased in iron. His father brought him to Smith. As Smith anointed him and laid hands on him, The Holy Ghost began to move upon the little boy, who started shouting, “Papa, Papa. It’s going all over me! It’s going all over me!” And he was miraculously healed and made totally whole.

All these amazing miracles took place in the life of Smith Wigglesworth, through his encounter with the Holy Ghost baptism.

In the same way, our lives can also be revolutionized, when we genuinely encounter The Holy Ghost.

Baptism of the Holy Ghost is more than merely speaking in tongues. It is encounter with the raw power of God.

It is what will position us to be part of the end-time revival.

William Seymour, leader of the Azuza street revival, before his death, prophesied of a coming move of God that would hit the earth in another hundred years.

And we are now at that time. Again, the fire of God has begun to sweep through the earth. Revival is here again. God is doing a new thing and releasing a new sound. And you can’t afford to be left behind.

It is therefore time to repair every broken altar, and present our bodies as a living sacrifice.  It is time to lay between the porch and the altar and cry unto God, until the fire falls.

No matter how normal things may appear outwardly, there is a serious ongoing spiritual battle. The enemy is going about looking for whom to devour. You therefore cannot afford to be powerless, lest you become a victim. You must be prepared and ready to do battle. And the decisive weapon in this battle is the firepower of The Spirit. Hebrews 12 says that our God is a consuming fire. And Isaiah 4, refers to the Holy Ghost “as a spirit of burning’. He is the light that shines in darkness and darkness does not comprehend it.

Isaiah 60 said gross darkness shall cover the earth and its people. This gross darkness is manifesting now in the kinds of perversions that are taking over the world. But though the darkness covers the earth, Isaiah 60:2 says ‘The LORD shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you.’

So the time of the greatest darkness for the world is also the time of the greatest glory for the church. We shall be ruling in the midst of our enemies, they shall be made our footstools.

But it is through the greatness of God’s power that they shall submit unto us. Power therefore is no longer an option. It is a necessity.

Most importantly, we must carry the fire of The Spirit, so as to lead people out of darkness. Our lives must continually be aflame, drawing men to Jesus. Psalm 104:4 says God makes His ministers a flaming fire. We are to be the light to our world, a city set on a hill that cannot be hid.

Let us therefore keep our lives aflame, through a lifestyle of fasting,  praying and diligent study of The Word. By so doing, our lights will keep burning brighter and brighter until the perfect day.
PRAYER: Lord, please set my heart ablaze with the fire of revival.  Cause a revolution in my life through a fresh encounter with Your Spirit. Set me apart in this generation, to be a shining light, to my world.  May many souls be brought into Your kingdom through Your light that is shining through me in Jesus Name.

QUOTE

The study of The Word will keep  shame and disgrace far from you.

WORDBITE 222.

[ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK FAITH CLASSICS]