If revival were to break out in another country, would you go?

Many of the people I met at the Florida Outpouring had come from all corners of the world. They paid their way, invested time and money, and made major life changes to see what God was doing.

Would you?
Give us your revival opinion on our Revival Opinion Poll!

Our brains cannot feel pain. They cannot, in fact, feel anything. It is pure objectivity for ourselves.

Though we can feel our body, it is usually in the context of pain only; when some invasion into the system occurs we can feel it. However, a large degree of that same objectivity expands to encompass our bodies. Sometimes, that objectivity can even include our mirror reflections.

However, show us a picture of any particular body part or a video of us moving and we experience extreme disassociation. We have all had the experience of hearing our own recorded voice and not recognizing it.

Sitting here typing, my tapping fingers are a part of me, but I do not experience them in the way I would experience another’s tapping my arm.

This experience causes us to not know ourselves. We all ask “who am I” and “why am I here”. These are questions that result from our inability to experience ourselves.

In searching for God, in searching for relationships, in joining gangs and cults, we are searching to answers these questions. We were created to not experience ourselves, which means we seek to gain context.

The thing about context is that it is about location AND meaning. Whenever we find false identity, we find it in these two things.

Our purpose and our place (in both space AND time) satisfy this.

With community, especially CHRISTIAN community, we gain context by the person sitting across from us. That person is not only an immediate answer to location and purpose (they are looking at us and our service to them gives us great purpose). They represent God in the Body, eternally confirming location and purpose; our divine purpose in the intended location He placed us.

We not only need the Body for ephemeral reasons. We need the community for psychological affirmation. We need the Body to affirm what we suspect God has for us. The community gives us context.

I have just caught wind that a new revival may be igniting the Florida coasts again. The word is that Hank Yonce, an international revivalist and crusade leader, along with his wife, Natasja Yonce are really starting to light things up.

People from coast to coast are now making regular visits to their ministry in Deland, Florida, Releasing Glory Ministries (www.releasingglory.com). If their itinerary is any testimony to their reach, they are already looking forward to a passionate outpouring in Latin America, as well as coast to coast in the U.S.

They are already starting to draw the talent of revival, such as Keli Horn and Andrew Phillip.

Check out their ministry and send us some feedback!

I have wavered between total hopelessness and total hopefulness all month.

On the one hand is the resolve to “do it all”; make my dreams a reality, setting and sticking to my Goals and Plans, writing everything I want to write, traveling to all of the places I want to travel, sticking to one thing and doing it well, creating breakthrough for myself and everyone around me.

On the other hand, I want to escape into my musing with the Lord. I want to let Him tell me my dreams, let him reveal my plans and goals as I go, write only when the inspiration sets into me, travel only when the way is paved for me, sticking to whatever is before me that particular day, living in monotony while everyone around me seems to be experiencing life to the full.

These things split my energy, personality, and vitality in two. Suffice it to say that I am feeling overwhelmed and incapable.

Several nights this month I had consulted a few people in ways that turned their life around. I spoke with Stephanie, Brigitte, and Steven. All three were greatly relieved to hear what I told them. They all commented time and again on how helpful and encouraging the information is.

Then, I look at my life and I get down. I look at my financial situation, and I sigh in my spirit. The moment I realize that I am depressed by looking at my finances, I recognize that I am getting some degree of significance or security, some sort of ego needs met, by my financial position. And quickly I realize it is wrong. I push myself into a state of mind where I get my security from where God has me.

However, I have yet to resolve the fact that lack of finances depresses me because I feel unable to accomplish the things which God has put into my heart to do and create. In that instance, I also realize that one of my beliefs is that wherever you are, God has placed you there for a specific purpose. My mind is thus aswirl at least 16 hrs a day.

“I am where God has me.”
“I am unsure that I will survive where God has me; financially.”
“Why am I holding onto survival? What happened to death to self?”
“I started wanting things and so highly valued my ’survival’ when I started writing down dreams and visions, and trying to create the dream list.”

And, round and round the cognitive dissonance wheel goes.

However, I should take the advice I have given both Brigitte and Steve. Goal lists and plans should never be attached to a sense of identity; it should never be attached to our sense of security and significance. (This is far easier said than done.)

One can do this by choosing to see themselves as God sees them. They can get security and significance knowing the truth about themselves which God has placed in them. This, too, is far easier said than done.

My own human experiment testifies to this intense struggle for those who wish for nothing but unadulterated truth, as seen in the dilemma that opened this entry.

The real world around us begs us to gauge our self-worth and value by our accomplishments, our level of success. This tangibility is hard to contend with.

I DO believe it is possible to get total security and significance from God. I have seen it only rarely, but I have met and seen individuals who have been able to, more often than not, obtain total significance and security (which I also refer to as ego needs) from God. Namely Terry and Donna Kruse, as long as I have known them, have, for the most part, lived a life that was disconnected from the world’s standards.

This I have, however rarely, brushed up against. First my trip to Spain, then the subsequent educational trip around the world, Semester-at-Sea, as well as my having moved to Lakeland, all stemmed from intense times of being totally submitted to internally collapsing all infrastructures of ego needs being met by anything other than fellowship with God. This process I have known as death to self or death to flesh.

This has been the result of a prayer I prayed long ago, which has led to my many seasons of lows (resulting from my cognitive dissonance between what my ego wanted and what God wanted in those seasons.) Almost 7 years ago I sought that God would show me how to die to my flesh and run into the deeper things of God.

Over the years since, like the trials of Hercules, I have faced the different mechanisms of man to feel a sense of control over one’s life. From accomplishments such as traveling the world to being the only person in the room who insisted on self-education to being the unique fellow who could trounce people theologically, or to be the Christian who swore because of his sense of grace, or poverty, or prosperity, or an impressive resume; the places where we can shop for feeding our ego monster are infinite.

As an example, I am currently jousting with Goals and the Envisioning/Planning Process. We now know that doing dream boards, writing goals and plans, speaking of visions and even implementing them can cause us to be in very positive “states”. These “states” are merely moments where we have programmed ourselves, like Pavlov’s dog, to have endorphins release into our brain and make us feel good.

I do not mean to sound negative on this point. Quite the opposite. It is for this very reason that I still hold strongly to doing the activities listed above and recommend them to clients and friends as I do them myself. These activities have brought me out of doldrums quite often enough to say that they are priceless and, barring someone walking in the truly deeper things of God and the miraculous, should not be quickly done away with.

However, how easy it is to fall into using Goal Setting as a means of obtaining ego and reviving the flesh!

Do you realize how few people write out a Top 100 list? I would be shocked to find if it was more than 1 in a thousand!

Do you realize how few people, of those 1 in 1000, categorize that Top 100 list, put it into a 5 year goal list, and narrow it down to a 1 year goal list, and even begin any of the goals?? 1 in 100 of those at best!

And, can you fathom how many of either groups wind up obtaining some level of significance or security from them? Nearly all, I would venture.

Now, perhaps this is only my struggle. I would not be completely surprised to find that I simply have the weakest will in the bunch. Of this I have very little doubt. Goal setting is valuable; but it need be only a tool, not a source of life.

Should you be one who ventures to read this and have a resolution on walking out a life of total submission to God and still be able to not only write out but implement Goal setting and plans and vision, I would beg that you do share your secret with me. I do not want secrets you read in a book, but that which you have gained by experience.

Yes, we are fully aware of the fall of the Lakeland Revival.

But REVIVAL, true revival, prevades throughout the earth! We want you to know that we are dedicated to continuing to searching out where God is moving, how and when.

We know that man is faulty, and things will be up and down. But we will not let that stop us from desperately pursuing God’s move here on the earth.

Continue to report on revivals in your area, of what you are hearing about! Also, we will be making some significant changes soon so that you can better interact on the things of God and His moves around the Globe.

Check back soon!

After day 100, the ministry team with Fresh Fire definitely needed some R & R. As the Florida Revival in Lakeland continues, Todd Bentley has taken some time off. Roy Fields has also had powerful stand-ins.

Andrew Phillips and Jillian Roberts led worship Thursday at the morning service at Ignited Church. Then, they both assisted during the evening service. From there, worship leader Jillian Roberts went on to lead worship at the morning service.

You can check out some of the worship here. (Go to this link. Then select July 10th.) Please be praying for the ministry team at Fresh Fire to be renewed in Christ, as well as for direction that the revival should take.

ALSO, as a note, revival has begun in the local area as well. At City Church of Tampa in Brandon, Florida, just a half-hour drive from Lakeland, revival has begun. Pastor Kent Davis brought in Terry Kruse and there has been powerful visitation from God. A totally different flavor of revival from that in Lakeland, FL, the revival at City Church of Tampa has been profound with Financial Breakthroughs, Spiritualy Breakthroughs and so much more.

The services are just Thursdays and Sundays for now, but plan to extend. Check back for more!

Todd Bentley was recently interviewed by Geraldo Rivera on Fox News about the Florida Revival in Lakeland, Florida.

I was very impressed at the way Todd replied to the questions put to him about offering doctor-verified evidence of healings, accountability for his finances and such.

Geraldo offered that if Todd were to produce evidence of healings and integrity on the finances that he would get behind Todd Bentley, Fresh Fire ministries, and the Florida Outpouring.

Here is the video:

It was a powerful interview.

Also, last night Todd mentioned that he saw the glory, liquid, honey cloud of God’s presence. I love this description of what God is doing.

Finally, here is a letter Todd Bentley wrote the critics of the revival. The tone is positive and the theology is fairly strong.

Many people in the Body have raised many questions about the validity of the revival going on in Lakeland, Florida. Many opinions are flying, yet few people are openly interacting about the topics in question. Perhaps it is time to handle some of these questions directly.

The following is a letter from Todd Bentley and the Fresh Fire team, “Bringing Biblical Light to Your Questions about the Lakeland Outpouring & Todd Bentley”

It answers many of the critiques of the revival.

***********************
June 8, 2008

Dear Friends,

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for hearing my heart on some of the issues that seems to be causing division and some confusion in the Body of Christ. Throughout the Old and New Testaments and in every age following, as far as I can determine, the Lord has given His people dreams and visions, signs and wonders, heavenly encounters and divine supernatural experiences that, for the most part, we cannot understand with our intellect. In the spiritual realm, God isn’t limited by our thinking!…

READ MORE

Thank you to our faithful readers who have been patient with our team while we had our team in Haiti. (See more on that here: www.cimhaiti.org.)

It has been almost 2 whole weeks since we have updated you on the powerful move of God STILL GOING ON HERE IN LAKELAND, FLORIDA!

Last night we visited and found another 3,000 – 4,000 people passionately pursuing God.

Todd Bentley and the Fresh Fire team from Vancouver, British Columbia has set up a semi-permanent tent to house over 10,000 people. Roy Fields continues to lead the masses into heart-felt worship, touching the hem of the Holiest of Holies.

Todd was not there last night, but will be back on today.

Check out the new photos from last night at this link.

Last night was powerful!

We could hardly leave off of worship. There was a spirit of holiness and worship that the crowd led. David Thomberlin kept trying to move the service forward, but the presence was too much.

Also, there was a surprise visit by John Arnott and his wife, Carol Arnott. John and Carol Arnott of the Toronto Blessing in Canada came to soak in the anointing and bless the revival. Todd Bentley was highly encouraged by them coming as generals of God from previous outpourings.

Along with that, there were powerful photos of the people from all walks of life coming to worship Jesus and get a touch from God. Check the latest florida revival photos out here.

You can view ALL OF THE FLORIDA REVIVAL AND HEALING OUTPOURING PHOTOS AND PICTURES here.