My thoughts on the Lakeland Florida Outpouring…

I want everyone to know right off the bat.

I FULLY ENDORSE THIS OUTPOURING/REVIVAL. (or whatever you want to call it)

Now, on with the show.

While I am unashamedly charismatic and I am hungry for a real move of God to sweep our nation. I also am skeptical at the same time. I have seen people who are products of the last move of God whether it be Brownsville, Toronto, or any other move of God, who try to mimic the Holy Spirit’s work in that movement and thereby utterly destroy the effects of the move of God. I wasn’t so sure about the Toronto Blessing with all the holy laughter and the lights and all that, heck I’ve seen the pictures. But, here’s my stance for this revival… Satan doesn’t heal, Satan doesn’t bless, God doesn’t work through false prophets on this scale, and there is absolutely no way Satan could be anywhere in this revival simply because it’s causing people to look at Jesus.

Now say what you want to about Todd Bentley, he’s a brother and I lift him up to God in prayer and blessing. I bless Todd Bentley and most importantly, I thank God for what he is doing through Todd Bentley. There are few people who can deal with the glory of God, man’s criticism, and everything that a revival entails and not go insane. When you really think about it a revival is God’s judgement on his church and his judgement on his prophets. One because God judges his people by his blessing judging for them and voicing his approval. Two, he judges his prophets by blessing them with his glory and he tests them with the pressures of leading moves such as the one that is going on in Florida.

As far as the ones who speak negatively of this move of God. We need to realize two things. One, we don’t know how God moves and we don’t know who God is going to move through. The fact is for many of these cult watcher groups, their prophets are all dead. They can’t trust anybody alive to bear the oracle of God besides themselves. When God chooses people like Todd Bentley to lead a revival, we need to realize one thing. God has no choice to choose weak and broken vessels like Todd… we are all weak and broken. Two, when someone like Todd is raised up to such a platform as he is on now, ALL of his many faults and past (who doesn’t have one) is put on display for the whole world to see. I promise you that if he were to put you or me on that same platform, we would be just as faulty and just as displayed and we would be found just as dirty.

Our responsibility as the body of Christ is to lift Todd in prayer. We do not need to be shooting him for what God is doing. We need to realize that we need to be seekers of truth. not seekers of deception because if all we are looking for is the bad we give place in our lives for the enemy to put in us a critical spirit. When you have a critical spirit your discernment goes to zero. We need to repent for critical spirits and ask the Lord to have his way and trust his Holy Spirit to lead us. We need to look for God in this thing and if we don’t then we keep looking for God we don’t just rant and rail about how God isn’t in it. If people are experiencing God and getting healed then how can it not be of God? If it’s not for you, then go seek for the truth. Because if all you are concerned is with deception then it will become your God.

I bless you all and I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ would give you all wisdom and knowledge and discernment that you may approve the things that are excellent and that you would be filled with all the fruits of righteousness. Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of God in Jesus name, Amen.

~ by timbrownlee on July 5, 2008.