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he Holy Spirit is telling me that you must start a church Jl in Orlando, and that if you don’t, someone else will. God has a plan for your life.” I couldn’t have been more shocked when my good friend, Kenny Foreman, said this to me quite out of the blue in 1982 at lunch after I had preached that morning at his church in San Jose, California.
Really, I was both shocked and skeptical. You see, although I already knew that God wanted me to start a church, I also felt I knew exactly where it was supposed to be: Phoenix, Arizona. I was an evangelist in those days, and my home base was Orlando. In fact we rented office space at the large church in Orlando that my father-in-law pastored.
I knew that the Lord was calling me to start a church, and I knew the one place it wasn’t to be: Orlando, Florida. It’s true that I loved the people in Orlando, but not much else. I didn’t like the climate (and I still don’t most of the year). I hated the humidity, the rain, and the bugs, and the bugs, and the bugs. . . . But Phoenix on the other hand—wonderful Phoenix—was
warm, sunny, dry, and (by comparison) bug-free. The climate reminded me so much of my beloved hometown of Jaffa.
Also, and more painfully, it had become difficult for my wife and me to remain in Orlando. My father-in-law had to resign his church, and we were soon told that we would have to find another place to rent office space. The emotions associated with my father-in-law’s resignation were extremely painful for my wife. Every time we drove by the church she would start to cry. Suzanne had absolutely no interest in staying in Orlando, and that confirmed it for me. I began taking more frequent trips to Phoenix, gaining a feel for the city and scouting out possible locations.
Then came the fateful trip to San Jose and the faithful words of my friend, Kenny Foreman. Actually, the whole trip was very unusual. The first leg of the trip routed me through Dallas, and the Holy Spirit arranged for me to sit by an Episcopal layman who was an executive with the Orlando airport authority. I have long since forgotten his name, but I’ll never forget his demeanor or his words. He was brilliant, eloquent, and dignified. The kind of man who leaves a lasting impression everywhere he goes.
We struck up a conversation on the plane, and it wasn’t long before he asked me what I did. I told him about the ministry and showed him a copy of our newsletter, which in those days was called, “Day Spring.”
He immediately noticed my travel schedule, which was listed on the back of the newsletter. He looked at the schedule and at me with a knowing look, the kind of look one veteran traveler gives to another, the look of someone who knows from personal experience how gru-
eling a travel schedule like the one listed on the newsletter can be. His look was really more of a question, “Are you really traveling this often?”
Although by nature I’m a very private person, and sharing with a stranger on a plane is about the last thing I want to do, somehow the Holy Spirit led me to open up my heart to this man. “Yes, I do travel quite a lot, and recently I’ve been giving a lot of thought to moving out of Orlando.”
You’d have thought I just told this man that the left engine was on fire! All of the sudden he came absolutely alive. He leaned into me like a sailor would lean into a fierce north wind, and with great interest he asked me, “Why in the world would you want to leave Orlando?” I told him a few things about my father-in-law’s resignation, and I was surprised to learn that this Episcopal layman knew all about it.
Looking me square in the eye, and with a tone of absolute and unshakable confidence, he said, “If I were you I wouldn’t move. The day is coming when Orlando will be like Atlanta or Dallas—the entire world will be coming to Orlando.” Then he got quiet and even more serious, “You travel around the world, but if you wait long enough, the world will come to you!'
I was impressed by his words, but more impressed by the weather in Phoenix. So in spite of this gentleman and the word of knowledge of Kenny Foreman, I was an arrow pointed straight for Phoenix.
Two months later, I was preaching in Tampa for a man I didn’t know particularly well, and what do you think happened? The service was winding down, and all of the sudden this man began to prophesy over me. Can you guess the words? “The Holy Spirit is telling
me that you must start a church in Orlando, and that if you don’t, someone else will. God has a plan for your life.” Well, by now the Holy Spirit definitely had my attention! I was still an arrow pointed toward Phoenix, but I was slowing down rapidly
Shortly thereafter I preached for Tommy Reid, who pastors a large church in Buffalo, New York. Now Tommy is one of my dearest friends in the world—the man I regard as my pastor.
I hadn’t shared a word with Tommy about the prophetic words uttered over me, but sure enough after the service Tommy sat me down and said, “The Holy Spirit is telling me that you must start a church in Orlando, and that if you don’t, someone else will. God has a plan for your life.” Tommy went on to say, “The Holy Spirit wants you to start a church because there are people drowning and if you start a church it will be a lifeboat that God will anoint to rescue people.”
By now I knew the Holy Spirit was moving, and I was truly open to follow His leading, even if it meant staying in Orlando. I began visiting San Jose once a month. On one of the return trips from San Jose, the Holy Spirit spoke the same words to my heart that He had first spoken months earlier through the others, “Benny, you must start a church in Orlando, and if you don’t, someone else will. I have a plan for your life.”
I was ready to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance, but there was anguish in my soul over the words. My wife had sacrificed so much for the sake of my ministry, and she was so unhappy in Orlando. How could I ask her to stay? So I told the Holy Spirit as I was agonizing over the direction He was leading me, “Lord, if it’s you, you’ll have to tell my wife because she wants to leave Orlando.”
When I arrived back in Orlando, the car ride from the airport to my house seemed like the longest one I had ever taken. Imaginary conversations between Suzanne and me swirled through my mind, and questions seized my heart, one after the other: What if she's not willing to stay in Orlando? How will she respond when I tell her what the Lord has said to me? Oh, how I prayed on the way home that God would speak to her, for I knew Suzanne would hear His voice.
Suzanne met me at the door. She was absolutely radiant. “Honey, there’s something that I must tell you!”
“Great, Suzanne, but first I’ve got something to tell you.”
“No, what I’ve got is so great yours will have to wait.”
“Well, Suzanne, mine’s great too, but go ahead.”
“Benny, the Holy Spirit told me that you are supposed to start a church here in Orlando, and I believe you should too ”
I wanted to fall to my knees right there in thankfulness to the Lord. It is no cliche to say that “Where God guides, He provides!”
What a glorious experience I had that day as I entered the Lord’s presence and began to thank Him for the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. As I continued to commune with Him in prayer, the reality of what might be ahead for Suzanne and me became more apparent. “Orlando? Lord, are You sure? We’ve never had very large crowds when we’ve ministered in Orlando.” I was confident that I had heard from the Lord and that the Holy Spirit was leading me. However, as I continued in prayer I said, “Lord Jesus, if you really want me to start a church in Orlando, confirm it to me once again. Let me rent the Tupperware auditorium (one
of the largest in Orlando at the time) and let it be fall!' I wanted to be certain and I knew that my answer could only come by supernatural means.
The Lord was so gracious and understanding, so quick to respond, so wise to build my faith. We reserved the auditorium, and waited for the day. Word began to spread about the meeting. I was confident, and excited at the same time to see how the Holy Spirit was going to glorify the Lord Jesus in this meeting.
Finally, the day arrived, the day the Holy Spirit had been leading up to through all of these confirming words and signs. As I walked out onto the platform, my heart swelled with praise to God as every seat in that 2,200 seat auditorium was full. The Holy Spirit did not disappoint me, He did “ exceedingly abundantly beyond all I could ask or think!" (Eph. 3:20, emphasis added) And so, in March of 1983 we began Orlando Christian Center, a church that over 7,000 people call home. To God be the glory!
I’m so grateful that the wonderful Spirit of the Lord, “the breath of God” guides us today. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit I’d be writing this to you from Phoenix, and I’d have missed the joy of pastoring the great congregation of Orlando Christian Center, and the thrill of seeing the Holy Spirit raise up a “lifeboat” that has rescued and redeemed so many precious people.
Yes, the blessed Holy Spirit plays a vital, indispensable role, not only in guiding us, but in so many other areas as well, and from the very beginning of all things. In this chapter we’ll begin to explore the incomparable work of the Holy Spirit, both in history and today. But prepare yourself, for once you begin to appreciate and appropriate the work of the Holy Spirit, you will never be the same!
You see, the breath of the Almighty, the Holy Spirit, is:
• the “wind” of creation, fashioning the universe from chaos
• the “wind” of animation, giving Adam his physical and spiritual life.
• the “wind” of perception, allowing us to hear the gentle breezes of God’s voice.
• the “wind” of direction, gently guiding in the paths we should go.
• the “wind” of revitalization, quickening and renewing us every day, giving us strength for the journey.
Millions of people can quote the first verse of the Bible from memory: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). The very next verse introduces us to the power behind creation—God’s Holy Spirit. We are told that the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep, “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (v. 2).
Into a universe of absolute formlessness something began to move. Suddenly there was a spark of life. Just above a void, barren planet, something was “hovering” over the surface of the earth.
Do you recall what happened on the first day of creation? God spoke. Scripture tells us, “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light” (v. 3).
It is thrilling to know that God spoke the world into existence. By His Word He brought light and order in the very midst of darkness and chaos. But many fail to realize that before God spoke (v. 2) the Holy Spirit moved (v. 2). That’s the way it was at creation and it’s
still that way today: Before God speaks, the Spirit always moves. The pattern has never changed.
When people ask, “Benny, how can I hear God’s voice?” (by the way, that’s a great question to ask), I always tell them, “Let the Spirit of the Lord move first.”
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were all present at creation. They are equal—Three in One. The Father is the Source (John 5:26), the Son is the Channel of that Source (Acts 2:22) and the Holy Spirit is the Power that flows through that Channel (Acts 1:8; 2:33). He releases the Source and touches our life.
From day one the Spirit of the Lord was at work. He ignited God’s spoken word to produce light in the midst of darkness.
When Isaiah thought about the marvels of creation, he asked, “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has taught Him? With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of justice?” (Isa. 40:13, 14).
Our God is one God. The Holy Spirit is one of the three Persons of the Godhead, fully sharing all the attributes of Deity.
I often find myself singing the words of a song I have known for years: “It took a miracle to put the stars in place. It took a miracle to hang the world in space.”
The source of that miracle is the Holy Spirit. Job wrote, “By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26:13-14).
Igniting the Word
The strong, yet quiet Spirit of God was totally involved in everything the Father designed—from a twinkling star to a thundering storm. What we know, however, is only a fraction of His creative work.
Just a word from the Creator and mighty things began to happen.
• He spoke and dry ground was separated from the waters (Gen. 1:9).
• He spoke and grass began to grow (v. 11).
• He spoke and there was daylight and darkness (v. 14).
• He spoke and fish began to swim and birds began to fly (v. 20).
• He spoke and animals appeared (v. 24).
Oh, the power of His voice. The psalmist declared:
“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” (Ps. 33:6).
“For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded,
and it stood fast” (v. 9).
That word contained the authority of the entire Godhead.
Was the Father there? Yes. Was the Holy Spirit there? Absolutely. And the Son of God was there too, for John said, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:1-3).
The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that God spoke to the world “by His Son, whom He has appointed heir
of all things, through whom also He made the worlds (Heb. 1:2).
of Life
The Breath The fact that the Father spoke reveals an
important truth. Just as your breath carries your voice, so the Holy Spirit carries the voice of the Father. You might even say that the Holy Spirit is the “outbreathing ” of the Father. That is why I am so dependent on the Holy Spirit. Without Him I would never be able to hear the voice of God (1 Cor. 2:6-16).
The “inbreathing ” of the Holy Spirit became the focal point for what happened on the sixth day. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the Fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth’” (Gen. 1:26).
Observe closely how it happened. The Lord formed man from the dust of the ground “and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7).
Noted Bible scholar J. Rodman Williams says, “The Breath that God breathes into man’s nostrils is more than physical breath (though it is that, too). It is also spiritual breath because God is spirit.” 1 Note also the association between the Spirit of God and the breath of God in Job 33:4: “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life”; and again in John 20:22: “And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ ” Can you imagine what took place when Adam was created? When he opened his eyes, the first thing he
became aware of was the breath of God, the Holy Spirit still moving through him, in him, and around him.
I like to think of Adam as the first person to ever be introduced to the Holy Spirit. Adam was created as the result of a “word” spoken by God. But that word was animated by the Spirit. As a result, you might even say that Adam experienced the Holy Spirit before he met the Father—he could still feel the Holy Spirit on him.
That’s what also happens to you at salvation. The first person you become aware of is the Holy Spirit. He is the one convicting and drawing you to a place of surrender. You may not know His name or who He is, but you are keenly aware of a presence drawing you toward the Savior. You feel it. You sense it.
As a teenager in Toronto, it was the Holy Spirit who introduced me to the Lord Jesus, and I began to become acquainted with Him. Then I got to know the Father. But my first contact was with the Holy Spirit.
The Lord gives us both our breath (life) and our spirit. It was the Almighty, “Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it” (Isa. 42:5). He is also the one who “forms the spirit of man within him” (Zech. 12:1).
Not only was the Spirit of the Lord present and vitally involved with the creation of life, He also has two other important functions.
The Spirit of God is the planet’s lifeline for survival. Here is how the psalmist describes the dependency of all life on the Holy Spirit: “You hide Your face, they are
troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth” (Ps. 104:29-30). Without Him we’d be like a deep-sea diver whose oxygen was suddenly cut off. The Holy Spirit has been given an awesome task: to create, maintain, and renew —in both our physical body and the material world.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that the Son’s task also includes “upholding all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3).
When the Holy Spirit arrives, things are restored and refreshed. The Psalmist says, “You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth (Ps. 104:30).
Because of God’s mighty sustaining power, fear and dismay can be vanquished, replaced by refreshing and strengthening, as the Lord says in Isaiah: “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10).
Why am I breathing? Why am I alive? The Scripture declares that it is because the Spirit of God has placed breath in my nostrils (Job 27:3). He’s enabling me to live. Not only spiritually, but He is the source of my physical being. God’s Word declares that the same Spirit that raised the Lord Jesus from the dead dwells in you as a believer and He will quicken your mortal body.
Life without the Holy Spirit is really no life at all. Romans chapter 8 is the great triumphal testimony of this. I could quote the whole chapter, but look at these precious jewels: “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. For if you
live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:6, 13, 14).
I thank God every day for sending the Holy Spirit to feed, nourish, and preserve my life. Like Job, I know that “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4). Notice the tense here: “gives me life”—that is, moment-bymoment, day-by-day He sustains and gives life. That’s one of the reasons it’s so important to have a vital relationship with the Holy Spirit.
A friend who is an architect once told me, “My greatest thrill is to design a spectacular building and watch every step of the construction process.”
That’s how God must have felt from the moment His power began to move upon the waters. Every day there was a new act of creation and the Spirit of God was more fully revealed.
Remember this: Sin had not entered the world during God’s six day construction project. And because of this it was not a time of conflict or turmoil. After each phase of creation He paused to say, “It was good.” (Gen. 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25). Then after the Holy Spirit breathed life into Adam and Eve, He looked at everything He had made and “indeed it was very good.” (v. 31). What started as good, continued to become better.
Perhaps I am a product of my childhood because I am a perfectionist. From my clothes to my office, I want everything neat and tidy. There’s a picture at my house
of me as a little boy. It’s obvious from the picture that even then, everything had to be just right—from my hair to my clothes to my shoes—everything had to be just right.
Often when I see that picture, I reflect on memories of that time in my life. I remember so vividly the school I attended in Jaffa. It was operated by Catholic nuns, and they were very exacting and strict. Every morning we started the day with a rigorous inspection. Our clothes, our nails, our hair, and even our ears were checked.
A nun came by with a stick in her hand. If my nails were dirty or anything was out of place—Wham! I would receive a slap from her stick.
I did not leave my perfectionism in Israel. After we moved from Jaffa to Toronto my father told the older children that we had to work after school. This was totally foreign to me. I got a job at a gas station, but, unfortunately, it didn’t last long. You see, every time I finished pumping gasoline into a car, I headed for the rest room to wash my hands. (Force of habit from my childhood.) It was a busy station and the cars just kept lining up waiting for me to return.
I was fired the same day.
In the Old Testament we find that Moses led the Children of Israel by an orderly plan. The manner in which Israel placed their tents around the tabernacle was organized. Their journey toward the Promised Land was precise and specific.
In our crusades I operate with that same sense of order. I insist that the sound, the lights, the platform arrangements, and even the air temperature are perfect. And I am troubled when things do not go smoothly and when things do not operate according to plan.
I just believe God honors people when they are organized. Even in my personal devotions and Bible reading I use seven different colored pencils to highlight scriptures in specific categories.
In our ministry, organization has enabled us to reach vast numbers of people for the Lord Jesus. And good financial planning is one of the reasons our ministry is fiscally sound. The Holy Spirit has honored that.
But let me add this word of caution. Even though we make our plans, we must never attempt to organize the Holy Spirit. He cannot be put in a box, and He will not. He must be allowed to do His perfect will. Always flow with His plans and never expect Him to flow with yours.
Years ago God told me, “If you organize a service I will honor it. But never allow your organization to become bondage.” I never step onto a platform unprepared, but I do not allow my preparation to come before His plans.
In 1 Corinthians 12 He is the Spirit of power. In chapter 13 He is the Spirit of love. In chapter 14 He is the Spirit of order. These three always work together. You will never find order without love and power. Nor will you find love without power and order.
Some ask if you can actually physically feel the wind of the Spirit, or His movement today. If you’re looking for a negative answer, I am the wrong person to ask. I have shared the story of my first encounter with the Holy Spirit so many times. As you may recall, it was at a meeting conducted by Kathryn Kuhlman in Pittsburgh. For several minutes, an unusual breeze—more like a wave—was moving over me.
Here Comes the Wind
Experiencing a tangible Spirit-produced wind has not been an ordinary occurrence in my life, but in several crusade services, I, along with hundreds of people, have experienced the manifestation of the breath of the Holy Spirit. It came in the form of an unexplained wind sweeping over us. Specifically, it has happened in Atlanta, Georgia; Pretoria, South Africa; Baltimore, Maryland; and Worcester, Massachusetts.
Throughout the Bible, the wind has been a spiritual symbol. What did the Lord Jesus tell Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council, when he asked about being born again? The Lord said, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).
Those who receive salvation are vessels in the hands of God, bringing His life-giving Holy Spirit to others. Like the wind, you begin to be moved by the Spirit of the Lord.
After Christ ascended to heaven, the promised Holy Spirit descended in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost. This time it was more than the sound of a breeze. “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:2). They heard the noise of a mighty torrent of wind, violently rushing by.
I was recently asked by a sincere Bible school student, “Benny, what is it like to understand the Holy Spirit so well that you know what He is going to do next in a service?”
What’s the Forecast?
“Young man,” I responded, “where did you ever get such an idea. I never know what the Holy Spirit will do next in a service.”
Scripture informs us: “As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes all things” (Eccl. 11:5).
Have you ever watched a weather forecaster on television, surrounded by his charts and high-tech computers, predict rain, and yet, the next day not a cloud can be seen in the sky? I have. The weatherman prepares as thoroughly as he can and uses every resource at his disposal, but in the back of his mind (and ours) he knows that the weather could change on him in a minute. And that’s what I’ve learned about the Holy Spirit. Try as we might, we can’t always (or even often) predict what He’s going to do.
How does this affect me? Let me explain it this way. I’ve already stated that the Holy Spirit is unpredictable. Consequently, when you follow the Holy Spirit, as I strive to do as best I can, at times you can also appear unpredictable. Now balance this with what I’ve said about order: there is a difference between order and predictability—always orderly, not always predictable.
There is a great difference between being led by the Holy Spirit and being guided by a printed “Order of Service” or a prayer book. When a servant of the Lord begins to flow in the power of the Holy Spirit the entire church feels the “wind” of change. There is an obvious difference in a service when the Holy Spirit is present and in control.
When I stand before thousands of people in a miracle crusade, I never know what is going to happen.
You ask, “Benny, are you telling me you don’t plan everything about the service?”
Yes, that’s correct, for when you are led by the Holy Spirit, only His plans matter. Now don’t misunderstand; I never go into a service unprepared. I pay close attention to every detail: the temperature of the auditorium, the sound and lighting, even the seating on the platform. I know who is going to lead the choir and even what they are going to sing. I know who is going to play the piano and the organ and what the musicians will be singing in the service. I carefully review a list of song titles and point out the ones I consider to be the most appropriate. Basically, I know every detail about what is going to happen before I walk out on the platform. But from the moment I take that first step onto the platform, I never know what will take place because at that point my plans yield to His purposes.
In some cases I don’t even know the next word I will speak. But when the Holy Spirit is in charge, everything flows together in perfect harmony and with great ease. Nothing distracts or takes attention away from worshipping the Lord, for the Holy Spirit always points to the Lord Jesus.
I am not opposed to agendas, plans, and preparation, for I believe that the Lord deserves our best. Proper planning is good stewardship of time and talent. But when the Holy Spirit is orchestrating the service, your preparation becomes a point of departure rather than a destination.
Countless times musicians have not sung the songs which they have rehearsed. Many times I have not preached the message for which I have spent days in preparation. Why? Because the Holy Spirit leads with
perfection, and when His presence graces a service, agendas fall away in the light of His glorious presence. The thirsty drink from a well that never runs dry and the hungry are fed. Suddenly, nothing matters. You just want to glory in His marvelous presence.
Have you ever watched as a glider caught a warm breeze and lazily drifted higher and higher? You know—a lightweight plane that has no engine and sails effortlessly on an ocean of air. It’s fascinating to watch the peaceful flight, willingly captured by a draft of air.
Although I have never flown a glider, I think I understand what it must be like. For in a spiritual sense I think I have had similar experiences. I can recall many times that I have stood on a platform worshiping the Lord with thousands, singing songs of praise and worship to Him during a service. We may begin by singing a simple chorus or familiar song. If the Spirit of God is on the song, I can sense it, and we’ll sing it again. As we repeat it a second time, I can feel that we are climbing. We’ll sing it again and soar higher still. The breath of the Spirit begins to lift our hearts and voices higher and higher, just like the wind carries a glider, until we are transported into the very presence of the Lord.
What happens if a song does not carry that anointing? I change the song immediately. If a chorus does not continue to lift us into His presence, I won’t sing it more than once. If the next song leads into worship and carries the anointing, I will sing it until God has touched every heart in the building. I put no boundaries on the way the Spirit moves. Experiencing that precious touch of His presence is the goal, and I will change the song
Let the Wind Take You
as many times as necessary until we are lifted into the heave nlies.
You may ask, “Benny, what do you do if the Holy Spirit does not anoint the music or worship?”
I begin to preach.
And as I preach I use the same principles. Remember this, if you ever stand before an audience to proclaim God’s Word, do not simply memorize your message and absolutely do not prep are. Study to the best of your ability and organize your thoughts, but be totally aware of the Holy Spirit at work.
If the Lord touches a statement you make—make it again. It will lift the service higher. At some point in the message you may feel led to stop preaching and begin to minister just as I often do. I’m sure you know the difference. Preaching proclaims the Gospel. Ministering is meeting the spiritual needs of the listeners as you flow in God’s Spirit.
The musicians who are part of our team are so sensitive to the anointing that all I have to do is make the slightest motion of my finger and they know I have “tasted” the anointing of the Lord. Immediately they begin to softly play worship music as the wind of the Spirit begins to carry us higher.
What happens next? I allow the Holy Spirit to carry the service and I follow wherever He leads.
If there is one thing I have learned in more than two decades of ministry, it is this: the Holy Spirit responds to hunger. The longing and desire of His people for Him draws Him closer.
When I was a boy we used to have fun taking a can of gasoline or oil and transferring the liquid to another can with just a little rubber hose. It was called a siphon.
Sometimes we would need to suck on the hose to get the liquid flowing, but once it began, the flow of that fuel wouldn’t stop until it reached the other container.
That is how it is with the Holy Spirit. In a service, I am like a hose (and nothing more!) that the Holy Spirit uses to flow through and fill someone who is empty.
During a service I constantly search for those whose faces are aglow with God’s anointing. It could be a minister seated behind me, a teenager in the front row, or a grandfather half-way across the auditorium. When the Spirit of the Lord directs me to begin to minister, I may walk over to that person and lay hands on him. It’s like inserting a power cord into a “live” outlet instead of a dead one.
When just one person receives an anointing it produces an electricity that spreads quickly to others. It continues to multiply until people across the auditorium are touched by the Holy Spirit.
What happens to Benny Hinn in such a situation? The anointing on me intensifies; it doubles and triples.
Why do I pray with people who are ready to receive something from God? It builds the atmosphere of the anointing to the place that even those who were not hungry develop a sense of expectancy and are suddenly drawn to the Lord.
Please allow me to share something with you about the Holy Spirit from my own experience. As He is using you, a mighty “knowing” sweeps over your being. He tells you what to do—even though you don’t know why.
• Moses did not know exactly what was going to happen when he started for the Promised Land.
• The river didn’t separate for the Children of Israel until the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant put their feet in the water (Josh. 3:13-17).
• The missionary journeys of the apostle Paul were constantly redirected by the Holy Spirit’s plans.
Any sea captain will tell you that it is impossible to maneuver a giant ship until it is in motion. The Great Commission doesn’t say, “When your plans are complete, you may begin.” It says “Go.”
You may wonder, “What if I don’t know what to say when I witness?” Don’t worry about it! Get moving. Share the Gospel and depend on the Holy Spirit, for God declares in the Psalms, “Open your mouth . . . and I will fill it” (Ps. 81:10).
Make no mistake: the Holy Spirit is already moving—and you had better get in motion too. You are no longer in a classroom waiting for the buzzer or bell to signal your next move of the day. This is real life and the Spirit of the Lord wants to do a great work through you. Start moving.
I have always said, “If the Holy Spirit can turn mud into a man, what will happen when ‘the breath of the Almighty’ touches you again?”
The Lord Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).
Who is the One who quickens you? It is the Holy Spirit. “But if the Spirit of Him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Rom. 8:11 Kjv).
Such a task is impossible for the flesh. When men allow the anointing of the Holy Spirit to touch and transform them, His word will impart life, not death. The apostle Paul tells us that we are “ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6).
The Holy Spirit has the power to transform death into life. God told Ezekiel to “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live” ’ ” (Ezek. 37:9). The Hebrew word for “breath” here, “ruach” is translated as “Spirit” in verse 14, and may very well be the best translation for the word. 2
The prophet Isaiah heard a voice that said, “Cry out!” and he said, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isa. 40:6-8).
Here is the prophet’s warning. All men are like grass and their glory is like a flower. And the same Holy Spirit that imparts life can bring judgment and even death (Acts 5:1-11). Never forget that if the Spirit is sinned against, the person who sins against Him is in danger of losing Him forever. The wicked do not know His awesome power to bring judgment and even remove life.
The breath of the Almighty on a believer will quicken. But when He blows on a sinner, it can bring death. That’s why He must be feared.
The Lord wants us to be
Like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away (Ps. 1:3,4).
The wind of God’s Spirit removes chaff—symbolic of wickedness. Those who resist the Holy Spirit are driven away, but those who yield to Him are brought into His presence.
Those who think they can hide from the “Wind” need to re-read the headlines of Hurricane Andrew or Hurricane Hugo. If natural wind can lift buildings from their foundations, imagine what the Breath (or Wind) of the Almighty can do in the life of the child of God.
You see, with the wind of the Holy Spirit under your wings, you will be able to soar to heights in your Christian life that you never thought possible. As Dwight L. Moody said, “If you have been born of the Holy Spirit, you will not have to serve God—it will be the natural thing to do.” 3 Get the picture: the supernatural makes the impossible seem natural!
How could something “without form and void” become a world of beauty? How could God even think about entrusting His message of healing and deliverance to a self-conscious, stuttering child like myself? It is only because of the power of the Breath of God.
Are you ready for the “wind of the Spirit” to blow upon you?