Month: June 2020

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The Supernatural – Dreams & Visions

It is likely that God has been speaking to you in dreams.  In the days to come, God will increasingly unveil His secrets through dreams and visions.

I figured these kinds of experiences happened to other people but not to me.  I didn’t receive any warning that I would have this encounter, it just happened.

It was Wednesday, 26 March 1996, in the wee hours of the morning. It all started when I woke up with this excruciating back pain. I crawled to the bathroom and back.

I managed to get in bed afterward, but the pain lingered.  It was awhile before I got some relief and then it happened.

As I lay there, I found myself rising out of my body towards the ceiling.  I then had the sensation of traveling at an incredibly high rate of speed then I came back down. I rose out of my body a second time and had the same experience.

When my professor saw it as a hospital room, it clicked and all made sense.

I went traveling a third time, but this time I arrived at a destination. I found myself in what appeared to be a hotel room or something similar.  I was in bed and there was a television in the corner of the room displaying nothing but static.

As I sat in bed, all of a sudden, this four-legged creature approached the foot of the bed.  This creature was not very tall and looked part rat and part dinosaur. 

I had my full senses. This was not a dream.  I was having what the Bible refers to as a night vision.

This creature -which I believe was a demonic spirit- and I maintained eye-to-eye contact.  I saw everything, the details in his face, etc., in high definition. 

Instinctively, I jumped into a karate stance right there in the bed.  Then I began rebuking this creature in Jesus name, and…the vision ended.  (Luke 4:41; 9:42) Needless to say, I was in shock and awe.

Did you know you have angels guarding you? Psalm 91:11

Something very interesting happened after that vision. I got out of bed, put my clothes on, went for a walk, and all my back pain went away.

Now I know all this sounds strange so let’s pause here for a moment. The Bible is full of accounts of God speaking to people through dreams and visions.  

God spoke to Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph through dreams and visions.  (Gen 15:1, 12-16; 41:1-7; 46:2-4).  Joseph the earthly father of Jesus had four dreams related to the birth and protection of the Savior. (Matthew 1:20; 2:13; 2:19; 2:22)

Daniel is famous for his dreams, interpretations, and night visions. (Daniel 2:28; 4:5; 2:19)

It is likely that God has been speaking to you in dreams.  In the days to come, God will increasingly unveil His secrets through dreams and visions.

Be open. God wants to use you in this dimension.

And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18)

Why does God speak to His people through dreams and visions?  God’s kingdom is not of this world.  The mysteries of God’s kingdom are for those who know Him and serve Him.

Conversely, the knowledge of God is foolishness to philosophers, scholars, and brilliant debaters who reject Him. (1 Corinthians 1:20)

Interestingly, God takes delight in concealing His secrets even from those who love and serve Him.  Why?

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” (Proverbs 25:2)

Allow me to cut to the chase:  God wants you and me to seek Him! 

God is always extending to His people the invitation to go deeper.  Too many Christians are content to live on the surface, bypassing God’s invitation to explore the depths of His wisdom and knowledge. (Isaiah 45:3; Col 2:3)  

I began earnestly praying to God for an understanding of my night vision.

In the process of doing so, I sent an email summary of my experience to one of my divinity professors at Regent University.  Let me provide a little context before I tell you how he responded. 

In early to mid-March, my wife, Vanessa and I discovered that she was pregnant.  On 21 March, -five days before my vision- she began having complications with the pregnancy. I immediately notified my professor of the complications and he began to pray for us. 

I will provide excerpts from his email response: “In this demonic vision, the Lord was letting you know the place the enemy wants to take you. As I prayed it looked like a hospital room, possibly signifying the loss of a baby.”

“If you rebuke the enemy -the thought that you are going to lose the baby- the attack against Vanessa and the baby will go away much the same as your back pain went away.”

Praise the Lord!  Vanessa and I stood in faith, but our faith came under fire a few days later after a visit to Dr. T. for an ultrasound.

Dr. T could not find a heartbeat during the ultrasound.  She scheduled us for a follow-on visit about a week later but she was not very hopeful.

I relayed this disheartening news to my professor. He said, “Kevin hold out in faith until there is an absolute confirmation of the results.”  Vanessa and I kept believing.

I drove to the hospital for that second ultrasound appointment on the morning of Tuesday, 9 April.

As I drove into the parking a song came on the radio, “Show Up,” by John P Kee.  To say that the lyrics spoke to our situation would be an understatement.

When I heard this song…it was a done deal!

“If there be anyone who’s going through. We have the answer to the problem for you. Trust and obey, and never give in. Only the strong shall survive and win. Just ask the question and the answer shall come. Just exercise your faith and know He’s the One. If there is no sign, keep this in mind. He’ll show up on time.”

I turned up the volume and was shouting the victory in the car before we received any results!

Dr. T conducted the examination.  Dr. T located the fetus.  Dr. T heard a heartbeat.  God…showed up on time!!

Vanessa and I had three lovely daughters at the time. On 24 November 1996, Kevin D Willis II was born.  I wanted so badly to have a son, and one of the main reasons was for my wife.

There is something special about mothers and sons, and any mother who has a son needs no explanation.

Our son just graduated from Liberty University with a degree in graphic design and is serving the Lord with his talents. 

God used a night vision to engineer a sequence of events that enabled Vanessa and I to hope against hope and receive God’s miracle answer! 

This is the beginning of a series on Dreams, and Visions.  I am asking the Lord to help me make you more sensitive to this NORMAL and very Biblical form of Holy Spirit revelation.

It is likely that God has already been speaking to you in dreams.  In the days to come, God will increasingly unveil His secrets through dreams and visions.

Stay tuned and I pray that the Lord will give you greater revelation on mysteries of the Kingdom of God concerning you. God Bless! Press On!!  Kevin

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How to End Racial Division in the Church

During the period of the most intense racial tension in 20th Century America, God sent an earth-shaking revival marked by interracial worship and led by Bill-an unlikely catalyst.

Bill sat weakened in a chair dictating a letter after suffering a heart attack, Thursday, 28 September 1922.  Hours later, a second heart attack ended his life. 

I wonder what Bill was thinking in the hours before he went to be with Jesus?

Many looked at him as a failure. The Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) that he pastored now ran less than 30 in attendance, and he was struggling financially.    

Bill started holding services at AFM on 14 April, 1906, at an old dilapidated, two-story frame building after a house church gathering grew too large and too loud.  The neighbors complained to the police so something had to be done.

Unlikely location for a revival that would impact over 50 nations within 2 years

At first Bill pastored a small black congregation, but God showed up so powerfully that white Christians began crossing the color line seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:4)

AFM became the epicenter of Pentecostalism. From this humble location, the movement spread to the entire world. 

I imagine Bill marveled at how he, the son of former slaves, pastored an interracial congregation at the height of the Jim Crow era.

After all, the revival took place only seven years after Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court decision that legalized segregated facilities across America.

The basis of the decision was that separate facilities were not unconstitutional as long as they were equal, but in practice, the facilities were rarely equal. 

Ida B Wells is famous for her anti-lynching campaign.

White supremacist terror groups like the Ku Klux Klan thrived during this era.  Between 1889-1922, 3,456 blacks were documented as being lynched to include 83 women in 44 of 48 states.  Many lynchings went unreported. 

This was a time when theories like Social Darwinism were used to argue that certain groups achieved dominance in society because of their innate superiority. 

Closely associated to this “doctrine of devils” was a new “science” called eugenics which aimed at improving the human race by removing “undesirables.”  Adolph Hitler embraced both theories but he was not alone.  

 Against this backdrop, AFM held services three-times-a-day, seven days a week for 3 1/2 years! You may want to read that again. 

Interracial worship under the leadership of a black man in 1906? Absolutely unheard of.

All nations, all races, and all social classes worshipped at AFM.  Within two years over 50 nations had been impacted. 

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” (Acts 2:1).

Bill believed that Pentecost marked the beginning of a new order where all people were accepted, and where God’s love prevailed.  

AFM’s newspaper, The Apostolic Faith, had a mailing list that grew in circulation to 50,000 worldwide.  Bill himself wrote and taught a global audience about the baptism of the Holy Spirit through this periodical. 

AFM church’s building at 312 Azusa Street was located in downtown Los Angeles and is regarded as the most famous address in Pentecostal-Charismatic history.  Why? 

Today there are 600 million Pentecostal-Charismatics in the world.  Nearly all of the church organizations that serve these individuals can trace their roots directly or indirectly to Azusa Street.

The LA Times and others newspapers wrote scathing, racially-stereotyped accounts of the events that took place at Azusa Street. Many theologians denounced the movement.

A favorable view of Pentecostals regarded them as Christians who spoke in tongues, believed in divine healing, and the soon return of the Lord Jesus. 

Bill spoke in tongues.  Bill prayed for the sick.  Bill believed Jesus was coming soon.  But the defining characteristic of AFM was social and ethnic diversity in worship.    

Breaking with many Pentecostals of the era, Bill viewed tongues as a sign of the Holy Spirit baptism and not the sign.  Bill taught that love was the real evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit:

“If you get angry, speak evil or backbite. I don’t care how many tongues you may have.  You have not the Holy Spirit.” 

Bill believed that walking in the fruit of the Spirit -love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control -was the evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  (Galatians 5:22-23)

Incredibly, God empowered Bill to put his beliefs into practice before a worldwide audience, 50 years before Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement.

God’s presence overcame Jim Crow and racism.  Pentecostal historian Frank Bartleman put it this way, “the color line was washed away in the blood.”

Cashman got “woke” at Azusa Street.

Gaston Barnibus Cashwell, a white man born in Sampson County, NC visited Azusa Street.  He reacted with alarm and discomfort when black people laid hands on him for prayer in a service led by a white woman.

Cashwell later reported that God “crucified” his racial prejudice.  Cashwell returned to the East Coast and began conducting interracial meetings of his own that drew thousands in Dunn, NC. 

All moves of God have a shelf life and Azusa Street was no different. Internal strife and division led to the demise of the revival.  Loss of the mailing list was a critical factor.

AFM secretary, Florence Crawford became upset when Bill got married to Jennie Evans Moore, 13 May 1908.  Florence believed that the imminent return of Jesus made marriage a distraction.

Crawford stole the mailing list and joined another Pentecostal fellowship in Portland, Oregon that survives to this day.  The loss of the list was devastating in terms of promoting the revival.

In my opinion, analyzing the decline of the revival is of less importance than understanding why God visited AFM, and why God chose to use Bill.

I believe God poured out His Spirit on AFM to declare to a global audience that there is a solution to racism, tribalism, and biases based on class distinctions and gender inequities.

I believe God chose Bill to show the world that He is no respecter of persons. I believe he chose Bill because of his humility and his willingness to yield to the Spirit of God.

Seymour lost his left eye and nearly died from small pox. His healing inspired him to preach the gospel.

Bill is Reverend William Seymour, the catalyst of the Azusa Street Revival.

I believe you can capture the essence of Reverend Seymour’s message in this way. 

The purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is to empower believers with the love of God to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth.  (Acts 1:8)

Reverend Seymour was a strong advocate for spiritual gifts, but as the Apostle Paul stated:

“Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.” (1 Cor 13:8)

Fast forward to today.  Azusa street offers a practical expression of the Biblical solution to racial division in the church in America:

In Christ, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) 

Revisiting the life and ministry of William Seymour gives new meaning to these familiar words:

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

I don’t know what Reverend Seymour was thinking in the waning moments of his life.  He was isolated, alone, and marginalized by men, but he was no failure.

“If you were to ask who is the Luther, Calvin or Wesley of the Pentecostal Movement, it would have to be William Seymour” -Dr. Vinson Synan

Reverend William Seymour was one of the greatest and most impactful Christian leaders of the 20th Century. 

His enduring legacy is that Pentecost is not about tongues.  Pentecost is about heavenly empowerment to walk in love and bring men and women into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. https://dreamprayernetwork.com/gods-plan-of-salvation/

“You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”  (John 8:32) God Bless! Press On!! Kevin

Video References on William Seymour, AFM & Azusa Street:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRjYbSNIQ28&t=2372s; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn2CScpoHyo&t=21s; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPtGJ35jIwA; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXti6tqkX9E

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How to Hear from God Part 5-Minneapolis

God is not whispering. He is screaming at the church to take action to prevent the reoccurrence of episodes like Minneapolis.  

We hinder our ability to hear from God if other agendas take precedence over our allegiance to God and His purposes.

The rival kings had taken counsel together to go to battle against a common enemy. They worked out their differences, established an alliance, and drew up plans for battle. 

King Ahab asked 400 of his spiritual advisors if he should go to battle. These so-called “prophets” assured Ahab of battlefield success. (1 Kings 22)

King Jehoshaphat then asked a critical question, “Is there a prophet of the Lord that we can ask?” Hold that thought.

The world is watching the United States deal with the aftermath of the tragic death of George Floyd from a sustained knee to the neck. Racism -that great stain against the American ideal -is again at the center of national debate. 

The Old Testament (OT) account of the two kings speaks to our present circumstances. As always, the OT is real, raw, relevant, and pregnant with meaning.

Since the death of Mr. Floyd, Democratic and Republican officials have worked tirelessly to develop news headlines and storylines consistent with party platforms. This is, of course, an election year and both parties are aggressively seeking to control the narrative.

Any news stories or perspectives that differ from the established party storylines are quickly labeled as a “spin” or “fake news.” Cable and network news outlets from MSNBC (liberal) to Fox News (conservative) also broadcast calculated storylines, 24/7. 

Both cable networks have an agenda.

Then, of course, social media is awash with raw and unfiltered opinions. I doubt that ranking Republicans, Democrats, cable news network executives, or social media influencers are particularly interested in hearing from the Lord.  

Sadly, I believe they have more in common with Ahab than Jehoshaphat.

American politics is fickle. The landscape is always changing. 

You may be unaware that in its inception, the Republican party drove the political debate that led to the end of slavery, and supported Reconstruction after the Civil War. Yes…the Republican Party.

Terrorist Groups like the Ku Klux Klan defeated efforts to extend citizenship to former slaves during the Reconstruction era.

Conversely, after the Civil War, southern Democrats -yes, the Democrats- resisted Reconstruction and denied civil rights to blacks for 100 years.  

Now…why wouldn’t both parties want to hear from the Lord? Let’s go deeper.

It turns out that there was a positive response to Jehoshaphat’s query about the availability of a prophet of the Lord. His name was Micaiah but Ahab hated him. 

Why? Because Micaiah only said what God wanted him to say.    

Ahab’s advisor’s pleaded with Micaiah to maintain the party line. Micaiah refused. He told Ahab that disaster awaited if he went into battle. One man stood alone against the collective opinion of 400 Democrats and Republicans -I mean- “prophets.”

Ahab flew into a rage when Micaiah did not adopt the party line. Micaiah was ridiculed and slapped in the face by one of Ahab’s advisors for his audacity.  

Ahab blurted out, “Didn’t I tell you?” He never prophesies anything but trouble for me.” “Arrest him,” said Ahab, “feed him nothing but bread and water until I return safely from battle.” (1 Kings 22:27-28)

Ahab went into the battle on the advice of the “immoral majority” and was killed. The Bible records that the dogs licked up his blood at the place where the prostitutes bathed. (vv.37-38)

I believe God is looking for Micaiah’s today to speak His truth to power at all levels, and in arenas beyond politics.  You are reading this. Are you one of those individuals God is looking for?  

“I should have steered clear of politics”

In 2011, at the age of 92, Reverend Billy Graham gave an interview to Christianity Today Magazine.  He was asked if he had any regrets over his lifetime and ministry.  He said, “I would have steered clear of politics…looking back I know I sometimes crossed the line.” https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/januaryweb-only/qabillygraham.html

The First Century in which Jesus walked was full of political sophistication.  Rome was dominant and Greek culture was embraced by the elites. 

Palestine was considered a backwater in the Roman Empire but it was not in terms of religion and politics.

Groups like the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Zealots aggressively sought the allegiance of the Jewish people in Palestine.  They sought to get Jesus to align with their political and religious views.

Jesus wasn’t having any of it.  Like Micaiah, Jesus stood apart from partisan politics. He came to do the Father’s will. 

Micaiah was placed in prison. Jesus was crucified.  Can I still interest you in being a spokesperson for God in the 21st Century? 

Aligning with Biblical principles will eventually bring you into conflict with the platforms of your preferred political party.  Aligning with God will eventually bring you into conflict with the story lines of your favorite news sources.

Efforts to redefine marriage during the Obama administration should have been fiercely resisted by all Christians regardless of party affiliation. 

Likewise, some of the abrasive rhetoric of the Trump Administration only further divides our nation and should not be tolerated or excused by Christians regardless of party affiliation.

To whom do you owe allegiance?

God is not whispering.  He is screaming at the church to take action.  It is time to break affiliations if necessary and prevent the reoccurrence of knee-to-the-neck episodes like what took place in Minneapolis. 

The two men who shot Arbery were never charged until leaked video footage caused outrage.

It is time to unite and put and end to conditions that allow travesties of justice. Ahmaud Arbery was jogging in a local neighborhood when confronted and gunned down. The perpetrators were allowed to go uncharged for over two months until a leaked video exposed their heinous crime.

We can no longer view these incidents as black issues or problems. These are American atrocities. Rioting, burning and looting are not the answer, but ignoring the root causes of the unrest in our cities is likewise not the answer.

God is looking for people who will hear His words and act courageously.  

God is looking for Micaiah’s who will break ranks if necessary to speak the truth.  Can God count on you?

Those who will hear God most clearly in the days to come will be those He can count on to speak His truth and take action no matter the consequences.

I want to be counted among those who take a stand in my generation.  How about you? God Bless! Press On!! Kevin

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32

“For evil to succeed, all it needs is for good men to do nothing.” -Martin Luther King Jr.

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