Lesson 1

Do Not Limit God

Is the Lord preparing us for revival right now?  Can He use mere human beings like you and me to do such an incredible thing?  Is He prepared to teach us how to bring about revival?  The answer is ‘Yes’!  That’s if we will listen to Him, and yield ourselves to obey Him, regardless of what we may think of ourselves.

 It was in Malawi, in November 2004, that the Lord began to challenge me in a new way.  This was my third visit.  The first visit was to Migowi for only one believer, but the Lord always has a plan.  The next morning four ladies, too sick to walk to the market, came and knocked on my door.  Jesus healed all four and they ran to the market and told everybody.  From these four ladies many came to our crusade and many became believers and received healing, but even more than that; the Lord answered the 400 new believers’ prayer to send rain to end their devastating drought and within the hour it rained.  This caused the entire community to become Christians and since then they have built a large church.

This November I was invited to speak in their new church and of all things I got diarrhoea, but I was still determined to preach.  I made it to the lectern and feeling sick, dizzy and weak simply spoke what came out of my mouth.  I then sat down;  “Any one sick come forward now”.  Thirty rushed forward. “Put your own hand on your sickness or your pain and when you are healed put your hand high in the air.”  Within two minutes every hand goes up.  They are all healed and go and sit down.  I am then introduced to twelve pastors behind me.  I had not even noticed them and one had travelled over 60 miles to hear me speak, and I cannot remember one word that I spoke!  I did not feel good about this.  Anyway, knowing that I was sick, they released me and I went back to the room where I was staying.

I played back the tape and was amazed to discover that it was a perfect message for pastors. How could that be?

   Two days later in Blantyre I was better and it suddenly dawned on me that I was the only one who was not healed during that service!  So I decided to ask the Lord about it.  He replied and said, “to cause you to rely totally and completely on Me.” Then I understood.  I had been too sick to give anything of self.  I had to rely on the Lord and the result was a perfect sermon, the best I’ve ever preached and the healings were 100% of the people there, without even the laying on of hands or even standing up from my chair.

Less of me, more of Thee

None of me, all of Thee.

Then the Lord said,  “Do not limit me. Let me be God.” “How am I limiting you?” I asked.  And the Lord led me to 1 Kings 18:30-40 and said, “If Elijah had not soaked the sacrifice three times with water and filled the trench with water too, he would have limited My miracle.” Oohh!!

Yes, a high standard.  I mean, if God had not answered with fire, they would have killed Elijah.  Elijah really must have known God well, so well that he knew God would answer, even if he made it impossible for the sacrifice to burn.  Elijah did not limit God.  He let God be God, and God answered with fire and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench, and when the people saw it they fell on their faces:

‘Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!"’ (1 Kings 18:39)

In one hour Elijah had turned the nation back to God.  This is the faith God is looking for, and He is looking for mere ordinary people, people like you and me.  Was I able to take up this challenge? I was soon to find out.

The next crusade was down on the Mozambique border, for five days. It was very hot and at the first service less than twenty-five people showed up, and they were mainly women and children. Sometimes, I thought, people just don’t take women seriously.

I gave the Gospel and all that was going through my mind was, “Don’t limit God. Don’t limit God.”   “How?” and then I knew.

I announced, “I want you to go out now and look for the sickest person in this community and bring her here tonight. Then I want you to invite the entire village to come and watch Jesus heal this person!”  They all left to do the job.

That night the church was full to capacity, and yes they did bring the sickest person, seriously sick, not out of bed for two years. She could not walk and was too weak to stand.  She was painfully thin, had sores on her body and shivered under a grey blanket.  I commanded the sickness to leave her in Jesus’ name.  I commanded her body be healed in Jesus’ name.  I commanded strength come into her body in Jesus’ name.  I then said, “In the name of Jesus stand up,” and she stood up. “Now, in the name of Jesus walk” and she walked. “And now, in the name of Jesus run down the aisle and back.”  She looked at me in horror. “ In Jesus’ name you can,” I answered and she took off, running down the aisle and back, totally healed.  It’s easy to give the Gospel when the people see a miracle like this and they praised and worshipped God until 3 am.

The next days the church was full and many came between services, group after group of people, to receive their healings and also Jesus into their hearts as Lord and Saviour.  Even two chiefs were healed and became Christians, also two girls, Judith 14 and Maria 11, both born deaf and dumb.  Jesus healed them both and they could now learn how to speak. Judith came back two days later to show me how many words she could already say.  Yes, I was learning not to limit God, to let God be God, but the Lord had much, much more to show me.

Back in England the Lord began to show me how we limit God in so many ways, by our unbelief, lack of prayer, lack of commitment and worst of all by our putting other things before Him.  Then He led me to Judas in Matthew 26:15:‘"What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?"  And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.’

And the Lord said, “In that moment, Judas loved the money more than me.”  Everywhere people are doing the same as Judas, loving their money, or jobs, or holidays, or homes, car, sport, lifestyles, comfort, even TV, more than Jesus. Then we wonder why the Lord is not moving when we have limited Him so much.

From that moment on I began to preach this message wherever I was invited to speak, and, to my amazement, whole churches repented every time, with many of the people in tears.

Then I felt I should go further than repentance.  After all, repentance is the first step into the presence of God.  So I led the people into thanking the Lord for what He had done and then to praise Him for Who He is.  We then came into an active, charged expectant silence.  Suddenly people would sink to their knees, some flat on their faces crying.  Was it us entering the Holy of Holies, the Holy presence of God, or was it the Holy Spirit coming down upon us?  Or both?  For suddenly, something very unexpected happened.  People began to cry with joy and shake, and people were suddenly healed in their seats, set free and touched in a beautiful way.

Even in the larger churches, when we came up into the presence of God, people were suddenly being healed all over, without any laying on of hands, no calling them to the front, nothing. Jesus had simply come down in the power of the Holy Spirit and healed them in their seats. All I did is call them forward to testify and this they willingly did, some with much emotion. Some of these healings were from sicknesses of twenty years, arthritis gone, chests healed, crippled hands loosened and healed, poor eyesight healed and many other ailments.

When we step out in faith, when we are prepared not to limit God, to let God be God, then God moves in power and answers our prayer.

He actually wants to meet with us.  He actively wants to come down in power and heal the sick.  But it’s no use just reading the Bible without action. It’s also no use praying without believing God will answer.  When we read the Bible, believe the plain Word as it says, let it become part of you, then as you walk in it, the power of Heaven becomes activated through your life.

When you pray, pray believing God, pray to the living God, knowing that He is alive and hears you.  Pray with expectancy and He will hear you and He will respond.

Some Questions to Think About

Can the Lord use you to bring revival?
Are you willing to allow the Lord to bring revival through you?
What level of trust and faith should we aim for?
How does reading the Bible and action come together?
How do you know God will answer?