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The following excerpt is taken from Revolutionary Revelation by Mark Hankins:
Worn-Out “Rededicator”
One Sunday morning as I sat on the back row not paying attention to the service, this big preacher walked in the church doors. F. E. Ward was another prophet-a big heavyset man who loved God, prayed a lot, and usually showed up at our church with no warning. My dad saw him and said, “Brother Ward, why don’t you come on up here and say whatever you feel like the Lord wants you to say to our congregation.”
Brother Ward walked up on the platform and made a few comments. Then he pointed all the way to the back of the church and said, “I want the pastor’s son to come up here to the front because I have a word from God for him.”
I was just a teenager sitting on the back row with a worn-out dedicator. I had just been sinning on Saturday night, and I forgot to repent in the foyer! I didn’t know F. E. Ward was coming. I just about passed out when my friend poked me in the side and laughed as he whispered, “You’re a dead duck now!”
I got up and started walking to the front of the church. All the way down the aisle, I prayed fervently trying not to move my lips: “Lord, I’m asking You right now to please forgive me of my sins. You said You would forgive me and You said You would forget my sins. If You forget my sins, then You can’t tell Brother Ward. So, if You haven’t already told him, Lord, please don’t tell him right now!”
By the time I reached the front of the church, I fully expected a giant flyswatter to come out of Heaven and squash me on the carpet. Then God would speak, “Let this be an example to the rest of you who choose to live this way! Put twelve stones on that spot, and tell your kids about it!”
I was expecting bad news, but when this prophet of God began to prophecy over me, he spoke to me about the goodness of God and the plan of God for my life. The love of God hit me and just melted me down right there. I began to cry like a baby right there in front of everyone. All I could think was, “God is so good! He’s so good!”
I received a revelation of the love of God. The Bible says the goodness of God leads men to repentance (Romans 2:4). My dedicator started working better after I got a revelation of God’s love and goodness toward me and a glimpse of His plan and purpose for my life.
Now I like to say this humorously because they say if you play country music backward, then you get your house back, your wife back, your dog back, and your job back! After the revelation of the love of God hit me, I thought I should write a country western song called, “Jesus Loved the Hell Out of Me.”
I don’t mean to be crude or irreverent. Let me explain. I went to school, and the teachers tried to educate the “hell” out of me. At seventeen I was put in jail, and they tried to rehabilitate the “hell” out of me. I went to church, and preachers tried to preach the “hell” out of me. I went home and my daddy tried to “beat” the “hell” out of me. I went to Jesus and He just loved the “hell” right out of me.
In other words, a revelation of the love of God took all that rebellion out of me. Instead of just struggling for more and more dedication, I had a breakthrough in my understanding, and a breakthrough in revelation!
Revelation Fuels Dedication
After the revelation of God’s love hit me like a lightning bolt, I was determined to receive more revelation knowledge and spiritual understanding of God and His amazing love. I began to pray the Ephesians 1 prayer as Brother Hagin had instructed us to do so many times.
This prayer is not for more dedication, but for more revelation. Dedication is essential and important in our walk with God, but a greater measure of our dedication and consecration to God flows out of greater revelation. The more revelation we receive of God’s goodness toward us, the deeper our level of consecration or dedication will be.
As important as dedication is, dedication is actually fueled by revelation. That was certainly new to me when I was seventeen years old. I had been raised in church all my life, but I thought my problem was my worn out dedicator. Really, all I needed the entire time was more revelation of who I am and what I have in Christ.
Now, I am not making light of dedication to the Lord. Paul, however, did not say that we need more dedication in the Ephesians 1 prayer; he said that we need more revelation. When you receive revelation from God, your dedicator will inevitably crank up a notch. You will say, ‘I have to follow the plan of God-I have been given revelation!'”
I still wore platform shoes and bell-bottom blue jeans. I still had a big afro hairdo, but I prayed the Ephesians 1 prayer over and over again, never losing sight of Brother Hagin’s instructions: “Pray it until something happens.” I knew I had to stick with it. If I prayed the prayer one week and then skipped three weeks, it wasn’t going to work. So, I prayer it without fail, morning, noon, and night, day after day, week after week.
Father God, here’s what I want from You. I want You to give unto me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God so that the eyes of my understanding would be enlightened. I want to know the call of God on my life, the inheritance that belongs to me, and the authority I have as a believer. I thank You, Father, for helping me to see more clearly. My greatest need is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. I thank you for opening me eyes.
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Prayed…
Father, as we come into the place of Your presence, we want to know You more
As the Church, we are incomplete without every man, woman, and child knowing You
We pray for a greater revelation to flow upon them
Lord, we are looking for a delight in seeking and knowing You
Let everyone taste and see Your mercy and loving kindness
For the Church to no longer look to the world for satisfaction, but to be separated unto You
Shining brighter and brighter, as the afternoon sun
Everyone rooted, and grounded, immovable and unshakable
Father, You so loved that You gave!
It is all about LOVE!
Our hearts are aching and yearning for those who have been trapped in the lies of the Devil
Father, we need an outpouring and a manifestation of You to come down into every dark place
Visit those who have made gods of the dark place, gods of education
Go into universities and visit the hospitals
Let those who are breathing their last breaths be surrounded with You
We lift up the children who are in a tug-of-war situation-let them experience Your love!
As the days grow darker, cause us-the Church-to go from one degree of glory to another
Hold, touch, and lift every young boy and girl
Give them a revelation of who You are and the inheritance they have in Christ
It is all about the harvest now!
Help us to respond to the slightest inclinations of Your Spirit in reaching the people with Your good news
Father, we are looking for You to get glory now-that they would know You!
We are looking for a divine invasion of Your very self in our public and Christian schools
Lord, we ask that there would be such a tangible and thick atmosphere of Your love in the Church that men would be apprehended by You!
