one year ago- ATMOSPHERE CHANGE

I wrote this email almost ONE year ago today to certain people at the church of which I am no longer apart of. It's awesome how God is beginning to shift the atmosphere over Long Beach right now. Read on:

Hello people,

If you're getting this e-mail, the reason I'm sending this to you is because I believe that you are pretty much open to what I'm about to share in this e-mail and not think I'm delusional, a nutcase, or both (some people already think we're crazy for believing in the power of the Spirit). I write this e-mail because I believe there will be a shift or change in the spiritual atmosphere in our church and churches all around. While I was praying last Saturday, I saw in my mind's eye smoke and waves of "liquid fire" filling our church sanctuary and everyone getting touched by it. I saw people's faces in deep worship to God. That was pretty much the extent of the little "vision" I had. So I prayed and literally cried out to God. I felt such deep sorrow over the condition of our people. I could not stop weeping before the Lord and asking for His mercy on us. It's like He gave me a heart transplant that night.

The very next day, on Sunday, I felt led to go into the kitchen hall to intercede for Anthony as he was preaching, and by God's sovereign will, three other people joined in while other people who walked in and out of the sanctuary joined us on and off. I felt there was spiritual warfare going on at the moment but I told the group that what we're going to see is the first fires of an awakening in our church (Faith Baptist Fellowship). Others in the group felt the same way too. So we interceded and prayed as Anthony was speaking. What's funny was that Anthony's opening line was about spiritual warfare. I knew God was stirring his heart already. So we prayed for the congregation and annointing on Anthony.

What happened next was something I've never seen for myself in our church- my brother getting healed, people being delivered from bondages of sin, people bring prophesied over, and some receiving the gift of a heavenly prayer language. And Jayda, who made a decision for Christ publicly, actually made her decision in the kitchen hall when Cherise informed me Jayda wanted to get saved. I was in awe and I knew that the Lord's presence was there already. Only the Spirit of God can bring such a conviction like that even before an invitation was given. After service, a few of us prayed over someone in the children's room in the back, whom the Lord told me the night before to talk to and share a prophetic word to her. We prayed over her, prophesied over her, and asked for the baptism of the Spirit. She got rocked by the Spirit big time.

Why am I writing about Sunday's experience? This is not to show how much more "special" I am nor how much I am loved by God. In fact, I fall and stumble every single day. I am in no way worthy to experience the blessings, experiences, and revelations from Him. I share this because the same Spirit that resides in us all, is a Spirit of grace and power. God's grace is about to fall upon us like never before. Here's why:

Last Decemeber, I went to a conference and someone gave me a world of knowledge that I will be used by God to be an "atmosphere changer". At that time I didn't know what it meant and I kept praying to the Lord for the meaning of this. About three weeks ago, I received a dream that I knew it was from God. In my dream, I saw myself praying over someone with a heart with a pacemaker device. I laid my hands on his chest and I said, "In Jesus Name, be healed". Then suddenly a cold rush of wind blew at my chest. I woke up, and I still felt that cold rush of wind on my chest. I felt cold, tingly sensations as well. I thought to myself that this was getting too weird so I tried to go back to sleep. Next, I remembered dreaming again. This time I was praying over someone who had a diseased and failing heart. I laid my hands on that person and I said "In Jesus Name, be healed!". In that dream, I felt a surge of heat rushing through my right arm and hand. I woke up immediately and guess what? I still felt that sensation on my arm. So now I was feeling a cold wind and a hot power on me. I was like "WHOA!" and then went back to sleep again. Next dream, all I saw was the words "Isaiah 60". So when I got up I read the passage and the first few passages rocked me. It read:

1 Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
2For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you.
3 And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.

I was confused still. How does this passage relate to my two healing dreams, if at all? So I prayed for the meaning behind it. Last week I was talking to a friend and asked if she knew how to interpret dreams. So she did. She said my two healing dreams represented me creating and pumping life into the hearts of people. The cold rush of wind and heat represents ATMOSPHERE CHANGE. She said a great spiritual shaking will come. This reminds me of another instance of wind and fire together in the Bible. Acts 2 states:

1When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

When she said that, I immediately thought of what was said to me in December, that I would be an atmosphere changer. So my prayer was answered and the word given to me was confirmed! I don't want to get into great detail of the second part of the interpretation of my dream because I'm still awaiting more confirmation from the Lord on it. But it has to do with an increase of a certain spiritual gift that the Lord has been accelerating in my life.

Test me on this, but I believe the Spirit of God is about to be poured out on each of us individually, as a church, in our churches, and in our city. Yes as the song "Hosanna" states, "I see a near revival, stirring as we pray and seek." God released a spirit of prayer and fasting as evidenced by Lou Engle's "The Call" prayer assemblies. As a result of people's cries, the bowls of intercession are being filled up in heaven, and God is ready to pour it back to us. Revival will be released, resulting in great multitudes being swept into the Kingdom of God, lukewarm Christians repenting, the Church moving in the power of the Spirit and boldly proclaiming Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and new songs of worship will be released. A new student missionary movement will arise and dead churches will experience times of refreshing. THIS IS THE ATMOSPHERE CHANGE!!!

We must first recognize why we need a shifting in the spiritual atmosphere today. Let's be honest, our churches are stagnant. Three prevailing conditions I'm sensing:

The spirit of religion (clocking in and out of church without experiencing God in a real way and being content with that) is choking us. There's so many people coming to our fellowships hungry for God but after they leave they're left wondering "Is this all there is to Christianity? What about the stuff I read in the Bible? Why don't I see this happening?" The Christian life is so much more than just going to church Sundays. It's a daily encounter with the real and living God. It's so much more than following a nice and neat church program. It's more than ice skating parties and potlucks. Remember, we worship and are led by the Holy Spirit- not the "holy program" or our "holy agendas". Those things are good- but there must more than this as the song "Consuming Fire" states.

Also, the spirit of distraction on the cares of this world is prevalent. While we were interceding on Sunday, I felt in my spirit that many in our congregation are in bondage to the circumstances around them. The spirit of worldly distraction and worry is prevailing. The pastoral prayers that are being lifted up, if you notice, are always about people's financial situations, sicknesses, diseases, etc. Why not pray for God to release victory over these? Why not claim and take hold of every spiritual blessing and victory we have in Christ? This stuff is not God's will. If it is God's will as some say, then stop taking medicine, going to the doctor, and stop looking for jobs. I'm not a "name it, claim it" person but I truly believe "we have not because we ask not." We're caught up in trying to fix things ourselves that we forget to pray. And many people come into our fellowship not focused on God but on what tomorrow will bring. Our hearts are on worry, not on worship. And when worship does not happen in our hearts, since God is enthroned on the worship and praises of His people, how can God move in our services? We must seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness AND THEN all our needs will be met. If God guides, He will provide right?

Thirdly, the spirit of worldliness which leads to apathy. Many of us are just caught up in attaining and attaining things. Many of us love to talk about our celebrities, sports teams, the latest movie we watched, or the newest car or shoes we bought. Not that there's no room for casual conversation, but when it dominates our speech, we have to see where our hearts are at. Out of the abundance of the heart, speech comes. A lot of people claim and profess Jesus, but the way they live drags Jesus' Name in the mud. They come to church "holy" on Sunday but act like the world Monday- Saturday. When we care so much about the world, it leads us to being apathetic, even blind to the spiritual matters and the warfare around us.

We must move from the "same old, same old" brand of Christianity. I refuse to walk around in the desert for 40 years, walking around but getting nowhere. I thank God for you guys, whom I'm sending this e-mail out to. I know you guys are open to the move of the Spirit and have a desire for your respective fellowships to be rocked by Him.

The solution? 2 Chronicles 7:14:

"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

Simple concept, but how desperate are we?

To members of my own fellowship receiving this: 1) Pray for our pastors and leaders that they may open up themselves to the power of the Spirit. We talk about it, but somehow we're frightened to let the Spirit loose. We need to move in power. 2) Pray against the three conditions: religion, distraction, and apathy. 3)Pray that we love God and love one another- we need to do this because we may possess all the gifts but without love it's nothing.

The atmosphere is about to change guys! But this comes only through much, much prayer.

Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you? -Psalm 85:6

God bless and keep seeking His heart!!!!