I preached at a conference in California in 2013. During one of the meetings the Lord showed me that a woman there was struggling with infertility. I didn't know who she was—all I knew was she was in the auditorium. When I shared this word of knowledge with the audience, a young woman in the back of the room burst into tears. She had recently endured three miscarriages and was depressed because she feared she would never have a baby. After this woman reluctantly came to the front of the auditorium, I prayed for her and asked the Lord to break the spirit of barrenness. Nothing dramatic happened in that moment. But I found out a year later that she became pregnant a month after the conference.
Last week was tough. One of my best friends, Doug, died unexpectedly, and the tragedy shook me to the core. Doug's death also shook my friend Jeff, a pastor who looked up to Doug as a mentor. Before and after the funeral, Jeff and I cried together. We shared our memories of Doug and processed our feelings as honestly as possible. At one point Jeff admitted that the loss made him want to run away and hide. He was halfway joking when he said: "I'd like to just move to the beach and forget everything." I knew he wasn't serious.
I was filled with the Holy Spirit three weeks before I went to college, and I immediately became a serious student of the Bible. I remember waking up early and reading Scripture at my tiny desk in my dorm before my roommate woke up. My hunger for God's Word became insatiable, and my studies laid a strong spiritual foundation that I've built on ever since. One thing I discovered in those early days is that the Bible is all about Jesus. It is never boring when you realize this! It becomes like a puzzle to solve.
The Bible is full of stories of men and women who waited and waited for God's promises to be fulfilled. Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years for Isaac's birth. Hannah endured years of barrenness waiting for her baby. David spent years in the wilderness before he became king. God calls each of us to join Him in His work but accomplishing anything spiritual, such as building a church, engaging in missions work or influencing secular culture for Christ, is impossible in human terms. We can't accomplish anything for God without faith.
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His disciples He would send the power of the Holy Spirit upon them. But they had no idea what that would look like. Jesus didn't give them a script to prepare them for Pentecost. There was no church bulletin to explain that a rushing wind would blow at 9 a.m., or that flames would rest on their heads at 9:05 a.m., or that they would speak in strange languages at 9:10 a.m.
Have you ever wanted to go to a secluded place and scream at the top of your lungs, "God, why are you taking so long?" I have. Everything about my life has seemed too slow. My last name even means "gradual." Some people might look at my life and say, "Lee has had a fruitful and successful life." But you should know that I waited a long time to see that fruit. Nothing came quickly. My first job lasted eight difficult years, and the pay wasn't adequate. Then, at age 31, I watched a ministry implode.
When I was filled with the Holy Spirit many years ago, I knew my Southern Baptist mother probably wouldn't be happy about my Pentecostal experience. She and I shared the same core beliefs in Jesus and salvation, of course. But I knew that some Christian denominations don't encourage believers to be baptized in the Holy Spirit or to practice the spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament. So, I didn't share my testimony with her for a few years. I'll never forget the day my mother learned of my experience. After she told me a story from her childhood, in which she witnessed some Christians "rolling in the sawdust" at a backwoods Pentecostal meeting, she widened her eyes and asked: "You don't speak in tongues, do you, Lee?"
At the beginning of every year, I always spend time in fasting and prayer to seek God for direction. In most cases, He gives me a word that helps me navigate the coming season. Sometimes the word has been as simple as, "Keep running your race," a reference to Hebrews 12:1. In other years the Lord has given me detailed instructions. I believe He wants to give you a word of direction for 2023. But many Christians struggle when it comes to guidance. When they pray, they strain to hear anything. They know God speaks, but either they don't believe He wants to talk to them, or they don't want to obey what He says. Many believers have never known the thrill of hearing God's gentle voice.
When I was seven years old, my father took me to a Billy Graham crusade held in Montgomery, Alabama, at the Cramton Bowl, the site of the prestigious Blue-Gray football classic. It was 1965. I don't remember much of what Billy Graham said. What I remember vividly is that my grandfather, who was visiting us at the time, got up and went to the stage when Graham invited people to make a decision to follow Jesus. My grandfather died two years later.
A friend of mine recently told me that a good friend of hers started withdrawing from her, even though they were close and had done ministry together. When she finally asked this friend why she had pulled away, the woman admitted that a "prophet" in her church had given her a dire warning that was supposedly from God. The prophet advised the woman to stay away from her friend because "she is trying to steal your spiritual mantle."
Follow Up
