Pastor Ken…
Good morning. Welcome everybody who tuned in online this morning. It’s great to have you with us. Isn’t God good. You’re going to hear me say that often. He is so good, so good. And, we just set our hearts on His agenda this morning, what He wants to say, what He wants to do, how He wants to move here this morning, wherever you’re joining us from. God has an agenda. Amen.
We’ve been talking much about communion with the Father, daily intimate connection with Him. And I just was thinking a little bit about how much the Holy Spirit has to do with that. And so I just want to welcome the Holy Spirit this morning. That may seem silly, but it’s not. The Bible says that He desires to be welcomed. He yearns to be welcomed. He is God’s administrator on the earth. He’s the one who’s here to orchestrate everything, right? He’s the one who gives us power.
In fact, I was thinking about this verse in John where Jesus states these words, this is the amplified. So maybe not quite this language, but you get the point. He says, “However, I’m telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable, good, expedient, advantageous for you that I go away because if I do not go away, the comforter, aka counselor, helper, intercessor, strengthener, standby.” Those are all things that describe who He is. “…will not come to you, into close fellowship with you. But if I go away, I will send Him to you to be in close fellowship with you. And when He comes, He will convict and convince the world and bring demonstrator to it about sin and about righteousness, uprightness of heart, and right standing with God and about judgments.”
I believe it’s in Acts 1:8 where it says, “But you will receive power.” Amen. “From the Holy Ghost as the Holy Ghost comes upon.” Power. And so I just want to cultivate a culture and atmosphere every morning, where we’re just welcoming the Holy Spirits, where we’re aware of Him, where we’re yielded to Him, where we give Him first place in our hearts individually and collectively, as we seek His purpose each and every day.
I was reminded also yesterday that there was perhaps no greater gift that Jesus could give to the Church than the person of the Holy Spirit. Because He knew how significant and important the Spirit of the living God was in His earthly ministry. He was the one that was faithful in helping Him fulfill all that God had called Him to do. And He’s the one who will be faithful to help us as well. This morning and each and every day.
I mean, if you think about it, Jesus stakes everything on the person of the Holy Spirit. When He went away to that desert place, that mountain place, as I mentioned yesterday, He was communing with the Spirit of God. He’s not some crazy uncle of the Trinity. He’s a real person. He’s not some nebulous, far off, out there sort of being. He is a person. He is gentle. He is kind, He is loving. He desires to be welcomed and wooed into our gatherings and hearts and lives because He’s the one that can make it all happen. He’s the one that breathes life and power and inspiration into us and into our prayers and into our lives. He’s the one that Jesus sent as the very gift, the down payment on our salvation. And He’s here this morning. He’s in our hearts. He inhabits us and Jesus Himself staked everything on the person of the Holy Spirit, because He’s the one that orchestrated all of His ministry. He’s the one or the secret behind His miracles behind the signs and the wonders, behind the prophetic words, behind the walking on the water, behind the turning water into wine, it was the Holy Spirit.
And it’s important for us to be conscious and aware day by day, moment by moment that we don’t walk alone. Jesus even said, “I don’t leave you orphans on the earth, but I will send the comforter. I will send the Holy Spirit who will be with you always, even under the end of the age.” So He is with us this morning to prepare us, to change us, to equip us, to make us what we need to be for every situation, for every prayer, for every encounter with God, for every challenge we face in the marketplace, in our homes. The Holy Spirit is the one we as well should stake everything on. Because He is here. He is the very breath of God. In fact, in the Old Testament, I believe the definition of spirit is ruach in Hebrew. It means “blast of breath, breath of God, spirit of God. He breathed into us something of Himself, the creator of the universe… that is the Holy Spirit. And with Him, we receive power. We receive inspiration. We receive all wisdom, all direction. We receive Him.
And with that, I think of this prophecy that brother Kenneth Hagin gave many years ago. And it’s probably been read here, but I may read parts of it here again this morning, because it kind of resonated with me because he says a number of things that we’ve talked about over the last couple of days here. So I think it’s kind of appropriate to share it.
The End of the Age
Kenneth E. Hagin
1980
The end of the age is coming upon this generation. The powers of darkness, the forces of evil are rampant as never before and they will be increased in intensity and velocity. And even many Christians will see and look upon these things and say, “Oh, there is no use”; throw up their hands in futility and say, “Well, I guess it’s all over. We’ll just have to hold on and keep praying for Jesus to come shortly because the devil is about to take everything over.”
But thus saith the Lord, in this day I am searching the body of Christ to enlist soldiers. I’ll raise up a new band. I’ll raise up a new army who will know how to pray against the powers of darkness.
Pastor Ken continues…
How? By and through and because of the Holy Spirit and His ministry in us and our relationship in relating in acknowledgement of Him. Just acknowledging Him draws Him into your heart. He’s there but I mean, it triggers him, it arouses Him. It activates Him. Otherwise He just kind of waits. He’s the standby, which is another name for the Holy Spirit. He’s just standing by. Doing what? Just standing by, waiting for us to acknowledge Him.
So sometimes we just simply need to do that. Just acknowledge Him, just be aware of Him, just be conversant with Him. Thank Him. Love Him. Let me just read this again.
Prophecy continues…
I’ll raise up a new army who will know how to pray against the powers of darkness. And the light will dispel the darkness and the truth will set men free and prayer will break the bonds that bind men’s minds and spirits and bodies. Halleluiah, glory to God. Yea, there are those who will learn to take their place hurriedly. It must be hurriedly, it must be.
Pastor Ken continues…
There’s not much time left. We’ve got to take our place. There’s much to be done, but it’s time to take our place. It’s time to stand up and be accounted in God’s army. It’s time to stand up and take our place in prayer. Not make it a work, not make it a monotonous drudgery, but just simply say, “Lord, here I am. Use me. What would you have for me today? Holy Spirit, I just yield myself to you. I make myself available to you in whatever way that is.”
Prophecy continues…
It must be hurriedly, it must be. Quickly it must be that they learn.
Pastor Ken…
I remember Mark Hankins used to say his Dad always had a saying. He said, “If you listen to the Holy Spirit, He’ll make you look like a genius.” It’s so true. I have to look back on my life and say that some of the most profound and blessed and successful and abundant things I’ve experienced through the years were not because of my lightning-fast intellect. It wasn’t because I knew someone or was born with a silver spoon because I wasn’t. It was simply because I endeavored to let the Holy Spirit lead. Brother Hagin used to say, “Never get out ahead of the Holy Spirit. Always stay behind Him, following Him. Let Him lead and you’ll be safe.”
But I have to say, when I look back at my life, I have many experiences of being in the right place at the right time, having prayed the right prayer in the right way, having been the recipient of breakthrough, a blessing many times over, restoration, healing even, open doors, opportunities, things I wasn’t even trying to get that other people clamor for just came to me. Why is that? I can’t take any credit for it. I can’t be prideful about it. No, not at all. I just endeavored to constantly say, “Lord, less of me and more of you, more of your Holy Spirit. I need you desperately more than I need my next breath. I can’t do this without you.”
I quoted Madam Goulian, I’m a great writer and pray-er from many, many years ago, who said, “Our greatest need is to press on to total and complete dependence upon God, upon the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is here, even this morning and each and every day in every moment in every situation in your life, masterfully orchestrating our lives. He reads and draws from that book of destiny that is in the library of heaven, written out before you and I were born for each and every one of us specifically. He draws from that, just like the angels, to masterfully orchestrate the plan of God. To get you where you need to be today at the right place at the right time to reroute you if necessary around perhaps an accident on 494. To cause you to be at the right place to meet the right person in the right way.
He is well to make it happen for you. That’s a word for somebody online here. He’s able and willing and wants to make it all happen for you. We don’t have to strive or struggle. Even in prayer. This is meant to be a flowing grace-filled river of life, prayer, our lives, all that we do ministry, family, relationships, work. But we’ve got to utterly depend and commit ourselves to Him, lean into Him, let Him make it all happen. After all, He’s our teacher. He’s our advocate. He’s our intercessor. He’s our comforter, right? He’s our standby. He’s our teacher. The Holy Spirit, the great and mighty one. He is coequal with God the Father and God the Son. The third person of the Trinity. He is here this morning. He’s speaking this morning and every morning and He wants to orchestrate every deal you got going on that is of Him. Every relational challenge, every prayer that He wants to inspire you to pray, He is able to give you the right articulation and the right utterance, whether it be in your language or a foreign language that you don’t know. He’s able to cause you to be right where you need to be at the center of God’s will moment by moment, each passing day, to have that interaction with that person who needs to hear about Jesus. To lay hands on the sick and see them miraculously recover.
I reminded that Katherine Kuhlman and Smith Wigglesworth years ago when they were still on the earth in their earthly ministry prophesied that there would come a day. And it is today in this hour when the sick would be healed, all the sick would be healed in meetings. That the dead would once again be raised from the dead regularly. That minds would be restored. That God would be seen on the earth, not just in the works of Jesus. But even the greater works. And it has begun and it is happening and it is of God. And it’s being orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. So the sooner we recognize that it’s all about Him, who by the way is the Spirit of Jesus. And I’ll repeat, Jesus staked everything on the person of the Holy Spirit in His life and ministry. And when it came down to giving us a gift, a down payment upon our salvation, once again, He couldn’t think of a better gift to give that the precious, amazing, beautiful, awesome, Holy Spirit.
And on that day in that upper room long ago in a land called Israel, God breathed upon those that were gathered there. And He’s still breathing on us today, here, wherever you’re streaming from, the Spirit of God is breathing on you. He coming your way. It’s not all over. We don’t have to as brother Hagin prophesied back in the 80s, throw up our hands and say, “What use is there? Everything is going the wrong way. I guess the enemy is taking things over.” No, he’s not! It’s already been determined that God will have the final say.
Mark Hankins has a saying: “God always has the final move and it’s His move.” Let’s let Him move us, position us, orchestrate us in prayer. In fact, that’s one of the big things our prayers do. Prayer changes situations. It moves, it orchestrates just like a chess board what God intends.
But I have to say just my own experience. Oh my goodness! The things that have happened, the stories I can tell of what God has done in my short span of life. But it all was because I just endeavor. And oftentimes I didn’t even realize what God was doing because He’s able to even subconsciously, even without you knowing at times, move you, prepare you, speak to you, get you ready. Heal you from your past so that what you went through in the past, the storms, the trials, the betrayal, the disappointment, what didn’t go the way you thought it would go, even that doesn’t affect you going forward. It only prepares you. That’s one of His great ministries. The Holy Spirit is able to take even the tragedies and the difficulties and we’ll respond to Him and yield to Him and give ourselves to Him. He takes those things and cause them to backfire on the enemy. How? By making us stronger. We don’t have to get bitter. We can get better.
I was sharing that with somebody on the phone yesterday who called and through some challenges during COVID lost his job and got behind in some finances. And some other things happened. I just encouraged him. I said, “Hey man, I just encourage you. One thing I’ve learned is when trial comes, when the storms of life rage, when the enemy rears his ugly head, I just lean into God. When the wind blows, lean into it and it actually let it lift you. I lean into Him and I let Him make me stronger.
I say, “Devil, you did that, now look at this. I’m going to pray in the Holy Ghost. I’m going to go way out into the big things of God and it’s going to change me and make me stronger. And I’m going to come out of this trial. I’m going to come out of this difficulty. I’m going to come out of this storm without even the smell of smoke on me like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.” Without even the smell of smoke on us, stronger, more resolute. We’re coming out of COVID. You may be coming out of a trial or a difficult year, or month or maybe life. We’ve all been through things, right? But guess what? You’re right where God wants you. Right where He needs you.
I’m sorry. I’m just kinda going off preaching here this morning. But I’m just telling you what you think is the end of you or where you’re stuck or you think maybe this is as far as you can go. No! You’ve just begun, brother, sister. You’ve just begun. If you’ve been through a really difficult trial, guess what? You’ve got some really amazing breakthroughs coming your way. You’ve got some enormous purpose God has for you that wants to use you because the trial you’ve been through just equals the next step of blessing and purpose and calling that He has for you.
I’m speaking from experience this morning, not having heard somewhere in the distant past. In fact, even right now, you’re probably doing way better than you realize. Especially if you’re going through a trial or a difficult place, because you just can’t always tell when you’re going through a messy situation. But let me just tell you, you’re doing way better than you realize. Because you’ve done everything perfect? No. Because you got everything going on? No. Because you don’t and neither do I. But because of who you are and what you possess in Him and who lives and indwells you, that being the person of the Holy Spirit who imparts to you the righteousness and the status of Jesus. Amen! Hallelujah. Glory to God!
You reflect the glory of God. You reflect the rightness of God. You reflect the purity of God. You personally, me, all of us as the Church reflects Jesus. We are living in a day and an hour, Church. When people from the world off the street, whether you’re going to the grocery store or you’re witnessing it downtown Minneapolis who will come up and say, “You look like Jesus, you look something divine.” It’s not because of you, in and of yourself. It’s because we are cloaked in the glory of God and live in an hour where God is glorifying His church. And bringing forth the sons and the daughters of God. Even the earth is groaning now for the true sons and the true daughters to stand up and be accounted for.
I go back to an old tape series I used to listen to years ago when I was in college and Gloria Copeland would just say, “You are somebody.” We don’t realize truly what’s been invested in us, who we really are. In fact, I’m convicted that’s the first step of each our days is to remind ourselves of our new selves, of who we are in Him and who He is in us. That we are one with Him. Amen. Sent on mission to bring heaven to earth, to go into the environments and marketplace and places that we go each and every day and bring a new atmosphere, and a new aura, and a new presence because we bring God with us.
Brother Hagin goes on in this prophetic word to say…
Prophesy…
Yea, there are those who will learn to take their place hurriedly. It must be hurriedly, it must be. Quickly it must be that they learn. That they enter in quickly to stand against the forces of darkness and evil that will try and come against the land, against the church, against the home, that would try and disrupt and destroy all that is good and all that God has endorsed.
Yea, there are those who will learn to take their place hurriedly. It must be hurriedly, it must be. Quickly it must be that they learn. That they enter in quickly to stand against the forces of darkness and evil that will try and come against the land, against the church, against the home, that would try and disrupt and destroy all that is good and all that God has endorsed. But the hand of the Lord is upon those who will listen and at the urge of God in the spirit to those who are attentive, they will pray.
Pastor Ken…
They will pray. Remember that. It might be this weekend. It might be on the 4th of July. It might be a month from now. I don’t know… a year from now. But the Spirit of God is coming to you. Yes, He’s in you, but He’s going to come to you specifically and you’re going to sense that urge to pray. You’re going to sense something on the inside. Just remember, respond. Respond to Him and pray. You’re on assignment 24/7, 365. You’re on assignment. I know that’s really simple, but I’m just reminding you as the army of God, as pray-ers, right? He’s coming to you. He’s going to use you. He’s going to speak to you. There are assignments being doled out now, by the angels. Even right now, more and more and more. There’s more to do under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Prophecy…
But the hand of the Lord is upon those who will listen and at the urge of God in the spirit to those who are attentive, they will pray.
Pastor Ken…
Even underthe Old Covenant, by the way, when it was prophesied of the Holy Spirit coming to the earth to be in people, it says in Ezekiel that He’s would take out a heart of stone, unresponsive to the Spirit of God and put in a heart of flesh. And in Ezekiel, it says tender and responsive to even the slightest touch of their God.
Prophecy…
But the hand of the Lord is upon those who will listen and at the urge of God in the spirit to those who are attentive, they will pray. The Spirit of God will help you to pray. Do not try to do it yourself. Though there must be labor on your part yet at the same time rest in Him. Let the Spirit flow through you like a river. Like a mighty wave, let it flow through you. Give vent to those inner most groanings. Let them escape your lips. Take the time to get alone and wait. Sometimes not even saying anything but on the inside of you there is an agonizing. There is a flowing out of your spirit by the Holy Spirit to the Great Spirit, the Father of spirits. And thou shalt be sustained. Thou shalt be kept and thy family and thy home will be sure and stand fast and thy children shall grow up strong and stalwart in the Lord and they shall have no fear.
Prayed…
Thank you, Lord Jesus. Glory to God. We just honor you today. Lord, we just lift you up today. Lord, we thank you for the Holy Spirit whom you have sent to us. We thank you we’re not alone. We don’t walk and do and function in life by ourselves with our own limited understanding. But today, Father, we just recognize that the very heavens are opened up to us, that the very store houses and annals of wisdom of God are available to us today.
And today we just yield ourselves to you. We yield our hearts to you. We throw up our hands, we open our hearts, and we say, “yes, Lord, send me, send us, fill us, Lord, that there might be an outflow of God from us today going into this weekend in the weeks and months ahead. Lord, fill us, fill this church, fill the church that we’re a part of today. Fill our hearts. Drench us, baptize us afresh. Change us, prepare us, do your work in us that only you can do. That we would not stay. Nor stay the same. But continue to move forward in cadence and rhythm and in sequence with the hand and plan of God, recognizing the hour and the time and visitation has come. Glory to God.
…I’m being reminded of the Holy Spirit of the news last night. There was just a deluge of rain and even more rain coming to the Southwest. And they showed images of a park and there was rivers roaring. And so let’s just call for rivers.
Father, we call for rivers, not destructive rivers, but rivers of life rivers. Coming together, rivers in our communities, Lord, rivers issuing forth from our heart. We just pray that there would just be a clearing out of the clutter, a clearing out of blockages and stoppages, and every and anything that would keep the flow of God from coming. Condemnation. Lethargy. Indifference. We pray for a clearing out of the clutter and the obstacles and the hindrances in the Church and in America.
That there might come a river, a fresh and a new river direct from the throne of God, direct from heaven… rivers, rivers, rivers, rivers of life, rivers of salvation, sweeping rivers of healing and restoration… even restitution where the enemy has stolen. Your Word says that if a thief be caught, he can be required to pay back seven fold. Restitution today in people’s lives, restitution in the church where the enemy has stolen. Not only restoration, but restitution… rivers river sweep… a new flow, a new flow … Just see that in your heart, a new river, fresh life-giving healing, answering power-filled river, flowing through your home, flowing through your relationships, flowing to and through your family, flowing to and through your church, your city, your community, your suburb, your nation… we call for that today, Lord, even as it was prophesied, even as it was seen in the spirit long ago by many men and women, what would come in this hour? We lift that up to you… that revival, that awakening, that flood of God, the Word and the Spirit coming together… it’s going to happen. Yes it is. It will happen. It will come. We call for it today. We require it today. We can’t go another day on our own. We can’t go another day in religion or in the works of the flesh. No, no, no. It must be of and by and because of the great and powerful and mighty Holy Spirit, because of your hand and your move and your inspiration in Jesus’ name. … open up today. Open up today… we pray for hearts, hearts across the church. Oh, broken hearts, cluttered hearts, distracted hearts, blocked up hearts… sorry for the phrase, constipated hearts… hearts that are hurting… hearts that have experienced disappointment and discouragement and devastation… We pray for a breaking up of fallow ground in the hearts of your people, Lord, those who have given up, those who have waved the white flag, those who have thrown in the towel, those who have left the church, those who only give mental assent to you now, Lord.
We pray for a plowing straight-through by the hand of God, by the spirit of God, to till the soil of men and women’s hearts, and children’s hearts. In this time, in this hour, that they would be a preparation … a shaking loose. I hear that …a shaking loose of those things that have so cleverly of the enemy cling to us. We shake them loose today. Sin, we shake it loose… weights, the past regrets condemnation, we command you to be shaken loose and to fall down, to be kicked to the curb… to be moved out like a great spiritual bulldozer, moving out, moving out, moving out of the way. All of the debris, all of the past, all of that which COVID has destructively done. And we prepare a way this morning… for this church at Living Word and your church wherever you attend… we prepare the way… And we say, it’s coming, it’s coming. We hear it. We hear it just like in the desert when there’s a flood, when there’s a deluge, when there’s a river, you can hear the roaring before you see it. You can hear the sound of it, moving boulders and moving debris out of the way and bulldozing straight through.
And so, Lord, today we hear it. We hear the sound of God. We hear the sound of revival. We hear the sound of signs and wonders and miracles. We hear the sound of breakthrough and abundance, and we hear the sound of God rushing, rushing toward earth, rushing in now to men’s hearts, to women’s hearts, rushing into churches … rushing into situations, bringing healing, bringing hope, bringing help in the way that it’s needed at the right moment at the right time, in the right way today… even when we go out of here, even when you go into the day into the marketplace, into your job, into the store, wherever you go today, God is rushing in with you. He’s right there with you. He’s rushing in. He’s on you. He’s in you, and He’s flowing through you in Jesus’ name… for I’ll say it again, God will have His way. He will have the last and final move and He’s moving now. So get ready, get ready, get ready and flow with Him. Move with Him. Speak with Him. Do with Him, pray with Him. He is. He is. He is. He is. Yes, He is. That’s His name? He is … we get some things in motion today… that which is stagnant in the plan of God, we get it in motion today… what looks latent and dormant, we get it in motion today. We speak life to it today. We speak life to the dead bones… in your life, in the church’s life… in America … we won’t go another day, Lord, without what you intend, without what you have planned and ordained. And so we speak life over lives, churches, over our nation, over our government, over … unleash the clouds, Lord, unleash the clouds… Let it rain, Lord. Let it saturate. Let it come now, Lord… an abundance of rain, Lord, an abundance of preparation, Lord… an abundance of life… Coming to life. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Even things we thought we’d never see again, suddenly they stand up, they wake up, they rise up. They come to life… situations… In the middle of situations, things coming to life… people you never thought you would see darken the door of the church, suddenly they show up and there they are, in the middle of the move of God… even nations you thought were going down the road of being a goat nation. Suddenly there they are. You’re hearing it on the news… revival, an awakening, a river of God going right down the center of a nation, right down the center of a city, right down the center of a community… overturning all the works of darkness, overturning witchcraft, overturning the enemy’s ploys and tactics and weights and anchors and things that he’s held a community an area captive. Even in this nation, Lord, we say in the name of Jesus, get out of the way … we break that down. We break down every force of darkness hovering … over Minneapolis today… Ha ha ha ha ha on the devil…. No you don’t. No, you don’t. No, you won’t … and we pray for a breaking down of the enemy’s plans and works and we pray for a release, a flow of God in a new way for a new time and generation in this city, in this nation…
Peg led group in worship…
Pastor Ken…
I just want to read something again from this prophecy, just an excerpt from it. I just feel impressed to highlight it one more time and then we’re going to pray regarding it. It says, “But the hand of the Lord is upon those once again who will listen at the urge of God in the spirit to those who are attentive, they will pray. The Spirit of God will help you to pray. Do not try to do it yourself. Though there must be a labor on your part yet at the same time rest in Him and let the Spirit flow through you like a river, like a mighty wave. Let it flow through you. Give vent to those inner most groanings and let them escape your lips. Take the time to get alone and wait. Sometimes not even saying anything, but on the inside of you, there is an agonizing, there is a flowing out of your spirit by the Holy Spirit to the great spirit, the Father of spirits.
So, Lord, we just come to you today, once again, and we just commit ourselves to you afresh to be both conscious and aware of the Holy Spirit in us, through us, and available to respond to His even slightest touch. We just commit ourselves and yield our hearts and our vocal cords and our voice and all that we are to you. We thank you that you will sustain us and propel us and the Church in this hour forward, onward, upward and into all that you’ve destined for us. Thank you, Father.
We can rest in the knowledge not only of your goodness but in the fact that you have a plan and had that plan long ago to bring about the fulfillment of the age, the fulfillment of your purpose in and through the Church and in and through each of us individually. So we just exhale and we draw fresh breath of and by your Spirit today.
Thank you, Lord. We worship you. We thank you for you for what you’ve done here today. We thank you that we leave changed. We thank you that we leave full, that we leave with the Holy Spirit. We love you. We worship and honor you. We give you all the acclaim in Jesus’ name.
Let me just mention to everyone here and online. That as I mentioned yesterday, we will not have prayer because of the holiday weekend tomorrow, or on Monday. However, we are going to stream a past prayer morning on our online church platform at lwcc.org/watch. So if you’re home or on the road, wherever you’re at, tune in and stream that on Friday and Monday. But we will not be here having live prayer both Friday and Monday. We’ll resume again next Tuesday, the 6th of July. Amen. Love you guys so much. Look forward to seeing you next week. God bless. Have a great 4th of July weekend. We’ll see you soon. Thank you. And thank you for tuning in everybody online.
