A Miracle Story – Signs and Wonders

   I was still quite young in the Lord, less than three years, I am sure. I was being mentored by a woman in my new church who took me to an event where some people known as the Happy Hunters were ministering. I had never heard of them but after when I mentioned their names people knew who they were. They carried a ministry of signs and wonders and their last name was Hunter, hence Happy Hunters.

   I shared in my last post how I received Holy Spirit baptism and I was using my prayer language in private at this time. I had never seen it used corporately until this night. During worship service, the leader directed the congregation to sing in their prayer language. I was terrified. I was still not versed in what the Bible had to say about this corporate use of prayer language. It seems strange and I was in fear of being fooled by the enemy. I thought if I opened myself up to a spirit-realm how could I know if I was connecting to the right spirit since Satan comes as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). I did not know if I could discern the difference or trust my discernment if I thought I had.

   While I was wrestling in my mind with fear, I realized the entire congregation was singing the same song – IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE! This caught my attention. They were also singing at an octave of heavenly proportion. It was beautiful. There is no way they could have faked it.

I remembered the same verse that gave me comfort in receiving Holy Spirit baptism, “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:11-13)?  I realized Jesus would protect me from receiving a snake when I was asking for fish. I realized He was not fickle and would not allow me, pursuing Him with a pure heart, to be deceived in such a horrendous way. Why? Because He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14).

   I relaxed and began to enjoy the sound I did not understand with my mind, but my spirit burned within as I listened. I wasn’t yet ready to join in the singing out loud in tongues mostly because I had no confidence in my singing/worshiping voice. Something God would work on later. (I had so many growth opportunities then and I still do today!)

   The Happy Hunters took the stage and began to share scripture and testimony of signs and wonders which had followed their ministry. They talked about being slain in the spirit, something I’d never heard of before. They showed it in scripture and then she said she was coming out into the crowd and this was going to happen for us. I can’t remember how she versed it. I was too busy talking to Jesus about it.

   I prayed at the level of my faith. Isn’t Jesus so good to meet us where we are (John 4:4-30 example)? I said, Lord if this is not of you protect me from it, but if it is from You, I want all of it and more.” It was my surrender. I was choosing to trust Him who is able, who sits at the right hand of power, who sits high above all principalities and powers. I was trusting fully in His ability to protect me.

   Mrs. Happy came off of the stage. We were all standing and the chairs had been cleared out of the way, at least I remember there were no chairs nearby. She came down the steps with her arm bent at the elbow and hand like a sword pointing straight out from her abdomen. She was fierce and had a determined look on her face. I did not move. I was fully trusting Jesus to bring her to me or let her avoid me.

   Strange enough, as her feet hit the main floor, hand forward as if to stab someone with it, the sea of people parted from in front of her. She was walking directly at me and the people were parting like the Red Sea. She was soon face-to-face with me coming at me with the same intensity and pace she left the stage with, then her hand-sword stabbed my abdomen – gently – and I fell backward to the floor.

   This was one of those experiences you can’t explain or theologize at the moment. It was a glorious moment of trusting Jesus which led to an experience beyond words or measure. I have heard it said it is an experience when the glory of God comes on you so strongly your body can not stand up under it. Mine surely did not. I don’t even think anyone caught me on the way down. I think I just fell backward onto the floor with no ill effects on my body.

I was enveloped by love and glory and all I knew was Jesus was doing a deep work in me I could not articulate or completely understand. I just knew I had experienced an overwhelming saturation of love and I wanted to remain there forever. That is until someone started tapping my head with the toe of their shoe to see if it was real. The pain in my head pulled me out of my glorious state and I was disappointed. I also had a lot of questions, but one question I did not have was whether or not Jesus was in it.

   I wonder. Do you have enough faith in Him as the Good Shepherd to fully surrender to Him even when you do not understand or you can not fully theologize the experience at the moment? Can you trust Him beyond your finite depths, trusting Him to give you good gifts because He is a good Father? He will not give you a snake when you are seeking Him with a pure heart. I should highlight seeking HIM not seeking gifts/experiences. This is where people make mistakes. When the gifts and experiences become more important than seeking Him, then we are not seeking Him with a pure heart or with surrender. We need to discern the difference.

   There was a season in my last church while I was on the prayer team I could physically feel when the Lord wanted to touch someone in this way. It was a teaching church, so I would ask people if they had ever been slain in the Spirit. I am not sure any of them had been. I asked if they had questions and if they did, I gave a simple explanation. The Lord wants to touch you deeply and this is how He is choosing to do it. It is up to you. If you are not comfortable that is okay.

   It was never more important to me to release the gift than it was to be sure they were on board with what He was doing. This was a moment between them and God and I never lost sight of the fact I was just a conduit. Even to the point when some people would walk directly to me for prayer I would step to the side and let another prayer team member pray for them. They needed to see I was not in possession or control of the gift. It all belongs to God and the Spirit gives gifts as He sees fit (1 Corinthians 12:11).

   When the person said they were comfortable I would have them place their hands on top of mine so they would know I did not push them over or manipulate them in any way. I could feel the power bursts come through my body, down my arms, and from my hands to theirs. I would tell them when it happened so they would know it was a confirmation of what they were feeling. Then, oftentimes, I would say when I felt the big one flow through, there it is, let Him have you and they would fall back (with a catcher) by their surrender. I got to take zero credit and zero glory. It all belongs to Him.

   Signs and wonders are a part of the Church Age. It has never passed away. There has always been a charismatic element in the Church since the Apostles. We are stepping into the fullest dispensation of the Spirit we have ever seen on the earth and we need to be ready to ride the wave that is coming. The only way to do this is to agree with it, trust Jesus the Good Shepherd, and surrender to His will and timing, to walk by faith and not by sight. Seek Him with all that is in you and with full surrender in your heart and invite Holy Spirit to reveal more of Himself to you. Tell Jesus, if this is not of You protect me from it, but if this is You I want all and more. Permit Him to be fully present and fully in charge of your life then buckle up for the great adventure that awaits you.