Introductory Remarks – God Is Living in Us

We must worship our God because He is living in His church. Each day before we move, speak, or make a decision we need to remember, the Master is in me – ask Him. He will hear you and speak to you. The Holy Spirit is our Great Mentor. He is living in His church and we are the church. When we come together in the presence of the Lord, we are coming with a heavenly presence. There will be the love of Christ, compassion, kindness, and forgiveness. Heaven is with us in our hearts. So we will act and speak like heavenly children – children of God. Our minds will become like the minds of Jesus. 

Pastor Praveen’s Message – We Must Obey the Truth

Called for God’s Future Purpose

Pastor Praveen shared Romans 10:17 (NKJV) – “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” There is a process to this. First, we need to hear the word of God. Then we need to obey the word of God. We can’t just hear the word or read the bible. We must obey the truth. The word of God is truth.

Remember 1 Peter 1:22* – “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.” This is the process. When we obey the word, it will automatically purify us. It will sanctify our thoughts and remove all the dirty things from our lives. Our minds will become like the mind of God. Then we will have sincere love for each other. We will love one another deeply from the heart. 

Because we listen to the word but do not obey, we still have areas in our lives that are yet to be cleansed. When our forefathers heard the voice of God, they believed and obeyed. Moses had seen fire many times while tending the sheep in the wilderness. Once, however, he saw an extraordinary fire. When God spoke from the fire, Moses believed and obeyed. That is why God took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and gave it to 70 others who would help him. When they received the Spirit, they began to prophesy (Numbers 11:17, 25). 

This account tells us that if you are obeying the word of God, you cannot measure the power and anointing the Spirit of God has given you. There is no favoritism. If God took power from Moses and put it on 70 people, imagine what we, as the inheritance of Jesus, will have if we are obedient. Therefore, we should know how to put this power to work. 

Pastor Praveen said God calls people for His future purpose. God called Gideon “mighty warrior.” (Judges 6:12). However, he was not a mighty warrior at that time. “Mighty Warrior” was Gideon’s future name, characterizing what he would be in the future. This means that our calling is for God’s future plan and purpose. When God called him “mighty warrior,” Gideon was nothing. He was afraid of the enemy. He had heard many things about his ancestors’ God, but he hadn’t experienced any of it. But God saw him and called Him by his future name – what God would make him in the future. Pastor Praveen said that God wants to call somebody’s name tonight for His future plan. 

Gideon listened and believed. Not only that, but God told him, “Without me you can do nothing, Gideon. But I will be with you. You will strike down all the Midianites. That is the way I am going to make you a mighty warrior” (Judges 6:16; paraphrase). Gideon had wondered, “I am going to be a mighty warrior? What are you talking about?” (Judges 6:15; paraphrase). But it was his future name. 

Remember, God also changed Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai became Sarah (Genesis 17:5).  These were their future names. Abraham would be a prince and Sarah a princess. Pastor Praveen asked how many of us want to know our future names for God’s future plan in our lives. 

Place Everything on the Rock

When Gideon heard God’s voice, “I will be with you…” he wanted to submit and accept the calling. He wanted to give an offering. God agreed to wait while Gideon prepared it. Then God told him, “Gideon, you need to place your offering on the rock.” Then the angel of the Lord touched the offering with the tip of His staff. The flame came out of the rock and burned the offering. (Judges 6:20-22; paraphrase). 

In this way we need to give our lives to Jesus. We have to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). When you place your heart and hope, everything you have, on the rock, He will touch your heart and fill it with an extraordinary Spirit of fire. You will receive an extraordinary anointing. God is a blazing fire, a consuming fire. But for His children he will give anointing by fire. God doesn’t want anything from us – only our hearts. If you are clothed with the Spirit of fire, no one can bite you, no one can touch you.

Revelation 4:5 says flashes were coming from the throne in heaven and seven lamps were blazing in front of the throne. These are the seven spirits of God. He is ready to give his fire for His children. When Pastor Praveen was reading this chapter, God told him, “This is the way I will touch them. They must place their hearts in my hand. Then I will touch them and fill them with fire. I need my children’s bodies as a living sacrifice. If they will give it into my hand, I will fill them with power. They will receive the Spirit of fire. They will receive the tongues of fire. I will touch them.”  

When Gideon’s sacrifice was consumed with fire, he said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” But the Lord said to him, “Peace. Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” (Judges 6:22-23). Then the angel of the Lord disappeared. 

Who is the angel of the Lord? Remember that according to Genesis 18:1-33, three men appeared to Abraham. Two of them went to Sodom and Gomorrah to destroy those cities, but Abraham remained standing in the presence of the Jehovah, the Lord. Understand this: the Father is the commanding Chief, the Son is the “do-er,” and the Holy Spirit is the breath of God. 

Therefore, the angel of the Lord is the Son, who was pleased to receive the offering from Gideon. Then He disappeared. Gideon had been in the presence of the Lord, Jehovah. Moses received anointing from the Spirit of fire in the wilderness. In the same way, Gideon received anointing from the fire that came from the rock. He was filled with the Spirit. 

You Need the Blazing Torch in Your Clay Jar

For Gideon’s battle against the Midianites, God chose 300 men. He gave them only trumpets and empty jars. Then he put a blazing torch in each jar. What do the trumpets, the empty jars, and the torches stand for in Judges 7:16?

To answer this, Pastor Praveen highlighted several verses. In Ezekiel, God said, “I will give you a new heart. Then I will put a new spirit in your new heart. I am going to remove your old heart of stone which I cannot use.” (Ezekiel 36:26; paraphrase). Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12). In Matthew 5:14 He said, “You are the light of the world.” When the light of the world comes into our lives, we will shine by the light of God. 

Pastor Praveen also called our attention to Genesis 15. “When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.” (Genesis 15:17). Abraham had been waiting for the presence of the Lord. God had made promises and Abraham had asked, “How can this be?” (Genesis 15:8; paraphrase). That is why God asked him to bring an offering. Abraham had done so and was now waiting for the Lord. But he fell asleep because darkness had fallen (Genesis 15:12; paraphrase). 

Then the smoking pot appeared with a flaming torch. The Lord said that after 400 years, Abraham’s descendants would be delivered by the One coming behind Him. He is a blazing torch and He was coming into the world. When the blazing torch comes into you, you become a blazing torch, the light of the world. You will shine like a blazing torch so the enemy will not be able to see you. The enemy will flee from before you. We need this blazing torch in our jar. We are the clay jars. 

In the New Testament account, John 4:4-26, a Samaritan woman changed in the presence of the Lord. She left her old jar at the well. She didn’t want it anymore. She was feeling polluted and sinful. Evil things were in the old jar. But the presence of God changed her heart. With her new heart, she was the first evangelist. She went into the city and brought the city back with her. 

If the Blazing Torch comes into our clay jars, we will not be able to keep quiet. We will shout to the Lord and praise the Lord like a trumpet. The jar will break and the fire will come out. When you shout to the Lord, the fire will automatically come out of your jar. Then the enemy will not be able to stand before you because of the powerful radiance. He will flee from before your family, children, church, community, and city.

Jesus said, “I am always with you. I am living in your heart.” (Matthew 28:20; paraphrase). The scriptures also say, “The streams of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:38). We are clay, but heaven is inside of us – the consuming fire, the living water – for different purposes and plans. That is how God will make us mighty warriors. 

Many people have told Pastor Praveen that when he preaches, they see the fire – Jesus – in his eyes. Why? Because we are clay jars. We need to give Him a chance to be the captain of our lives. Then the Blazing Torch will come inside. If we open our clay jar to Him, he will come and live in our hearts. When you walk, sick people will be healed by your shadow. Why, because the Blazing Torch is in you.

There is power in the name of Jesus. That is why God said in Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart. Then I will put a new spirit in you” – a spirit of fire. Receive this fire like Peter did at Pentecost. Afterward, he raised his voice – “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Why did the words spoken by Peter cut the people to their hearts? Because he spoke by the power of God and fire. The fire touched their hearts and they automatically surrendered, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37-38). This his how the churches will grow. 

When we reach out to the community, we are not alone. We are not going with an empty jar, but with a blazing torch. When you stand before someone’s house, the power of darkness will flee from the house because you are the light of the world. 

Wherever Pastor Praveen has set his feet, he has seen deliverance by the blood of Jesus. He told of a time when a man in Houston asked him to pray a blessing over a house that he had just purchased. The previous owner had not yet moved out, but she let Pastor Praveen and the buyer to come over to pray. When he prayed, the house buyer saw a tall dark man walk out of the house. But when they asked the seller, she said no one had been in the house but her. It was an evil spirit that they saw leaving the house when Pastor Praveen prayed a blessing on it. Pastor Praveen laughed with holy laughter. He said, “Brother, your house is set free from the evil spirit.” 

With an empty jar this would not have happened, but the blazing torch was in Pastor Praveen. Wherever he sets his feet, even without him knowing it, the radiance of the Lord is there. Remember that people tried to touch Jesus because the power was coming out of Him and healing them all (Luke 6:19). The same power is in us. 

How many of you need a new jar, a new heart, and a new spirit? He will give it to those who thirst and hunger. If the Blazing Torch is in you, nothing is impossible for you. Pray for your children, your husband or wife, or your community and there will be deliverance. But you must pray with fire and authority. How will the Blazing Torch come into your heart? By your obedience to the word. Sanctification and purification will automatically happen in your life, and then the Blazing Torch will come in. You cannot only hear the word or read the bible. You need to obey. 

If anyone wants an extraordinary anointing, remember that God has no favoritism. That is how Gideon became a mighty warrior – with his blazing torch – the Spirit of fire. God changed his life and his name with His anointing. Obey the word and you also will have victory in the name of Jesus. Wherever you go, you will not come back with emptiness, aloneness, or depression. You will come back with a great victory from the victorious God. 

Jesus said, “If you remain in me, my words will remain in you. Ask whatever you wish. It will be done for you.” (John 15:7; paraphrase). The word is God. God is Spirit. He is living water. He is fire. In this way, we will plunder the souls from the enemy. Ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you – without limit.

Concluding Remarks

All Is Well

Can you say, “All is well?” Remember that when the Shunammite woman’s son died, she told those who asked, “All is well.” (2 Kings 4:18-37). She didn’t even share with her husband. She told him, “All is well.” Why? She had already seen miracles in her life. She knew about the miracles of God. The child already died but she said, “All is well.” Elisha’s servant Gehazi also asked her, “Is all well?” She replied, “All is well.” If you have seen any miracles in your life you too can say, “All is well.” If God does one miracle in your life, he will continue to do miracles in your life. But we must remember the first miracle with a grateful heart. Then all will be well. 

God is Molding Us

God is molding us each day in different ways. Some days he will mold us outside of our family and some days he will mold us through our family. This means we should not blame circumstances on God. He will not leave us nor forsake us. He is training us and teaching us. He wants to use us mightily. He wants to sharpen us. So sometimes he crushes us and then molds us like a valuable vessel. This has been Pastor Praveen’s experience. If you are going through difficulties in your family, it is because God wants to use you in your own family. Be strong. Do not be afraid. 

He Will Not Pass By Our Tears

Elijah said to God, “I am alone.” But God told him, “You are not alone. There are 7000 others.” (1 King 19:18; paraphrase). In the same way, we are not worried about this wonderful country. In Australia, Singapore, countries in the Middle East, India, and other countries, Christians are calling Pastor Praveen. Those who call are so worried and sad about what is happening in the United States. They are so concerned about this country. They love this country. Like us, they are crying for this country. God is a gracious and long-suffering God. He will take charge. He may say, “I will remove the walls from around this country,” but when we cry, He will not pass by our tears. That is our God. His name is great and His heart is kind.  

*All scripture references are from the NIV unless otherwise indicated.

Pastor Praveen’s Message – That the Eyes of Your Heart May Be Enlightened

See Everything through Jesus

Pastor Praveen read Ephesians 1:17-19*: “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength…” 

This prayer addresses many requests. Pastor Praveen focused on the prayer “that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.”  We know that we receive visions and dreams by faith. If we are not believing and obeying the word of God, we will not receive any visions or dreams of revelation from the Lord. What we heard from 1 Peter 1:22 is key: “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.” Notice that you are cleansed and sanctified by obeying the truth. 

What is the result of obeying the truth? Dreams, visions, and revelations. Faith is the mother of visions and dreams. Against all hope, Abraham believed what God told him (Romans 4:18). Not only that, but he also began to see it. God told him to look to the north, south, east, and west. God would give him all the land he saw as his inheritance (Genesis 13:14-15). Whatever he saw was for him and his descendants. 

Likewise, whatever you are seeing about your future is yours. If you are seeing the greatest things about your future, family, children, business – you will receive it. You are the inheritance of the lion of Judah. You are of the tribe of Judah. However, if you are praying without faith, you are praying through blindness. Then you will see everything negative – darkness, discouragement, hopelessness. But if you see everything in hope in Jesus, you will see clearly because He is the light of the world. You will see your bright future and your blessings. The New Testament church must see everything through Jesus, the One who died for us, not through Moses or David. 

Consider the Old Testament story in 2 Kings 6. The king of Aram was trying to attack Israel, but he could not succeed. The king of Israel knew in advance everywhere the king of Aram planned to position his army. The king of Aram thought there was a spy in his ranks. But there was no spy. Except for the supernatural spy. One of the Aramean king’s officers told him, “Whatever you speak in your bedroom, the prophet Elisha hears.” (2 Kings 6:12; paraphrase). 

If Elisha could see like that, why can’t we see God’s future plan for our families, generations, blessings, calling? Because we are not seeing through the Light of the World. We are seeing through hopelessness. There is hope in Jesus! God has given you the same grace as Elisha in 2 Kings 6:12. When you kneel down and pray, your spirit will go and see and reveal to you whatever the enemy is planning against you and your family. For example, when Gehazi, Elisha’s servant lied about following Naaman to receive gifts, Elisha was able to say, “Gehazi, my spirit was with you.” (2 Kings 5:25-26; paraphrase). 

Pastor Praveen provided two examples of this grace working in his own life. First, he told of a time when one of his associates in Canada spoke against him behind his back. The associate was a doctor who was arranging for Pastor Praveen to come to a meeting. Someone stood and spoke against Pastor Praveen. The doctor never told Pastor Praveen about it although he prayed with him occasionally over the phone. But once when Pastor Praveen kneeled down to pray in his room, he saw a vision of what had happened. He did not ask the doctor right away because he wanted to check the doctor’s faithfulness with God and with Pastor Praveen. The doctor failed the test – he said nothing about it. After about three months, when he was praying with the doctor, Pastor Praveen said, “What did you discuss? What did you hear? Why do you hide it from me?” The doctor confessed. He surrendered and cried, “Forgive me.”

Another time when Pastor Praveen was kneeling in prayer, he saw his sister-in-law in an accident. He called his brother who said, “Yes, my wife was in an accident.” Pastor Praveen could tell many more testimonies like this. 

This type of occurrence is part of the grace God has given us. The same Spirit Elisha had is upon us. Why don’t you put it to work? Use it. Then you will see fruit. We can have these types of experiences in our prayer. But first we have to obey the truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) and the light of the world (John 8:12). When we obey the light of the world we become the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

Pastor Praveen noted that Elisha was very bold when he confronted Gehazi about taking gifts from Naaman (2 Kings 5:25-27). Some people don’t understand why prophets will be so bold. They may be very nice ordinary people, but the anointing makes them bold. Elisha was a nice guy but when God put the word in his mouth he was required to obey. Even when talking to kings, he had to speak what the Holy Spirit gave him to say. Otherwise, God would choose someone else in his place. The kings at that time called the prophets “troublemakers.” Even Paul was spoken about in this way in the New Testament (Acts 24:5). 

Why Don’t You See It?

Elisha was confident, but his servant, Gehazi, was afraid when he saw the size of the army the king of Aram sent against Elisha. He exclaimed to Elisha, “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:15-17). This is our problem today also. The Blazing Torch is here, but we are not using it. We are blindly saying, “What should I do? Where should I go? What should I speak? How can I overcome this problem?” Elisha’s servant was walking with a man of God yet was totally blind. Similarly, many people are walking with the Light of the World, but they are seeing nothing. They attend church, worship, hear the word of God – and receive nothing. 

Elisha told his servant, “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them. Lord, open his eyes.” The Lord opened his eyes and he saw soldiers, armies, and chariots of fire around Elisha. (v. 16-18). The point is we are not alone. The one who paid for us needs us. We need to open our eyes and remove many things from our hearts and mind. We must give 100 percent of the room in our hearts and minds to the Light of the World who died for us. There are many angels around the children of God and around our church and community.

Why don’t you see God’s mighty protection and presence around you? Why don’t you see what God is preparing for you, your family, and your children? The Spirit is crying out to us, “Why are you crying out to me? If you believe me, if you are obeying my word, if you are obeying my truth, then why don’t you see it?” It is not the right time to cry and be still. Move on. The one who made you is in control. God is saying, “Go forward because I have called you and chosen you for my future plan and purpose. I have called you to come out of your problems with a great possession. I am the Lord who called you. Move on. Why do you doubt if you are walking by faith? If you believe me, move on.” Then you will see the greatest things in your life. 

Pastor Praveen told us that years ago he was standing “below zero.” But the Lord appeared to him and told him that he was going to send him to many nations in His name. God would use him to heal and deliver the people from the darkness to the wonderful light. When Jesus appeared to him, Pastor Praveen was trembling and listening to the word of God. He had nothing then, only two or three sets of clothes. He was alone. He did not know how God could use him. It seemed impossible. 

Like Mary, Pastor Praveen asked God, “How will this be?” God told Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” (Luke 1:35). Mary believed, although it seemed impossible. Never before in her life had she heard this kind of story. Yet, she believed. She tried to make Joseph understand. She knew the Lord – who is mighty to protect her. Sometimes God will send angels to tell someone, “Don’t think negatively about what happened to this person, because it was my plan.” 

Mary accepted Jesus as her personal Savior the same day. She said, “My soul rejoices in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:47). Likewise, Pastor Praveen believed God’s word to him. Before Jesus appeared to him, Pastor Praveen had no hope and no one to help him. He was even considering suicide. But he believed what Jesus told him and he began to see the future God called him to. 

We must obey the truth. He is the way, the truth, and the life. If you obey the truth, He will make a way for you, your family, your generations. He will give you life wherever there is darkness or lifelessness because he is the life-giving Spirit. Remember, 2 Kings 6:17 says armies and chariots of fire were not only in the hills, but also around Elisha. 

When you receive this kind of sight, you will have a testimony to tell. You will say, “I was totally blind with my own wisdom, knowledge, and pride. Then I received sight through the blood of the Lamb, the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus removed my own wisdom, knowledge, and pride.” There is power in the blood of Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul had a testimony: “When God’s servant, my dear brother Ananias laid his hands on me in the name of Jesus, I was filled with the Holy Spirit. Through that process, a kind of scales fell on the ground from my eyes. The scale of my pride, knowledge, wisdom – all flesh, all trash at the same time fell on the ground. At the same moment, I received sight through the Light of the World. Now I can see everything in the truth. Whatever I learned or studied before is all trash. Now God has not only opened my inner eyes and enlightened my heart. Now, by His grace I am giving that sight, that light to many people.” Acts 9:17-19; Philippians 3:8; paraphrase).

The question today is, what do you have in your life to give others? What is it you see in your spiritual life? What is your testimony? What are your visions and dreams about your family, your spiritual life, your children, your community, city, and country? Our calling comes with a great package. You need to open it. The bible is the master key for opening it. Use the word of knowledge. Obey the truth. Then you will be enlightened. You will see everything as Jesus saw it. With love, compassion, mercy, and kindness. With tender love. But first you must change. 

Concluding Remarks

Speaking in Tongues

When the disciples received the tongues of fire, Peter stood with authority and raised his voice to speak to the crowd (Acts 2: 1-41). The other eleven Apostles stood behind him praying. Previously, he could not have raised his voice because he was operating in the flesh, not in the Spirit. Now, he gave only a brief sermon and spoke about the crucifixion of Jesus. Then he gave his testimony, “I have seen it with my own eyes…” (Acts 2:32; paraphrase). It cut the hearts of the listeners because the Spirit had come. Then they asked, “What shall we do, brothers?” Peter said, “Repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:37-38; paraphrase).

Pastor Praveen told us that he believed and repented when he heard from the Lord. When he was baptized, the old man died and Pastor Praveen became a new creation. At the same time, the blood of Jesus came upon him and he received the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues.

When Pastor Praveen was in Saudi Arabia, the church leaders held sessions for people who were not yet able to speak in tongues. They taught them in the Spirit and identified the reasons why they could not speak in tongues. In a group of ten people attending such a session, at least eight would receive the anointing and begin to speak in tongues. 

God likes to hear the heavenly language from our mouths. When Pastor Praveen’s son, Jeff, was a baby, he was always excited to hear him speak a new word. How much more does our heavenly Father like to hear the heavenly language from our mouths.  

Baptism

These days, churches are baptizing people two or three times. This is wrong teaching because Jesus died only once. Pastor Praveen cited Acts 19:2-7. When Paul was in Ephesus, he asked some disciples there “‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ They answered, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’ So Paul asked, ‘Then what baptism did you receive?’ ‘John’s baptism,’ they replied. Paul said, ‘John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all.”

These disciples had to be baptized because they had not yet been baptized in the name of Jesus. When baptized, not only did they receive the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues, but they also began to prophesy. On the other hand, Philip baptized many in the name of Jesus in Samaria. (Acts 8:9-17). But they did not receive the Holy Spirit. So Peter and John went to Samaria and laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 

Pastor Praveen said that at one time, his hands were good for nothing. But now, God pours out His Spirit through his hand so that he has many disciples in the Middle East, India, and Africa. 

*All scripture references are from the NIV unless otherwise indicated.

Introductory Remarks – The Power of Speaking in Tongues

We are not earthly people – we are heavenly people. We are the inheritance of Jesus Christ – a royal priesthood. We are princes and princesses. We need to act like it. We must speak to God in a heavenly language. Speak in tongues. 

Pastor Praveen told of a time when the Lord used him to deliver a young woman possessed by a demon spirit. She was a college student studying biochemistry.  One of her fellow students, an African Muslim man, had made some witchcraft that he put in food that he gave to her to eat. Her parents took her to a convention and asked the minister to pray for her. He did, but she was not delivered. Then they called Pastor Praveen and asked him to come. 

At that time, Pastor Praveen was preparing to go on a mission trip to Singapore. He was on the 18th day of fasting and prayer in preparation for the trip. He asked the Lord what was going on with the possessed woman. The people who had asked him for help had not told him the truth. But God showed him everything that had happened. He saw it like a movie. 

When Pastor Praveen went to meet the woman and those with her, the Spirit spoke through him: “Who is that African Muslim man? She is possessed by a jinn, a Muslim spirit.” Pastor Praveen did not touch the woman but when she saw him, she said, “Fire, fire! You are a prophet! Why did you come?” She was screaming. Pastor Praveen was speaking in tongues and she saw fire coming out of his mouth and fire in his eyes. When he commanded the spirit to come out of her, she said, “You are speaking in an African language.” 

Pastor Praveen had not known he was speaking in an African language. However, this is the sort of thing that happened after the disciples of the early church received the tongues of fire. The foreigners who were listening to them heard their own languages being spoken (Acts 2:5-6). 

The young woman Pastor Praveen prayed for was set free of the devil. She went back to India, attended medical school, and is now a doctor. There is power in the name of Jesus. When you speak in tongues at home or at the workplace no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. When you speak in tongues, thousands and thousands of invisible angels will come and protect you because you are speaking a heavenly language. 

Pastor Praveen’s Message – We Are Called with Promises: Claim Them

God Has an Appointed Time for His Promises

Since January, we have been hearing many reports of bad news all over the world. But tonight we are here safe because He is faithful. How many of you want to claim your promises in Jesus? How many of you are the inheritance of Jesus Christ? God has an appointed time for all His promises. So we need to wait for that time. 

Remember, Abraham was waiting for God. He asked God how His promised miracles would happen (Genesis 15:8-21). God told him that his descendants would be strangers in a land for 400 years and face many problems. But He would punish the nation that did it. Likewise, if you are facing any trouble because you are a child of God, the wrath of God will come upon those doing it. In the eyes of God, we are precious stones. 

God told Abraham that after the 400 years, his ancestors would come out with a great possession. And you, whatever you are facing, will come out with a possession – healing, deliverance, blessing, the Holy Spirit, and spiritual fruit. What you have been suffering – forget about it. He is going to bring you out – you, your family, and your children. It is God’s appointed time. Whatever you may have faced – going through fire or insults – it’s over. He’s going to bring you out for His purpose with a great possession. 

God even fixed a time for His own Son. That is why Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” (John 2:19)*. For three days, His begotten Son had to go through that process. It was not by accident that He was in the grave for three days, but by God’s plan. Nobody could keep Him there. He broke the tomb and came out with glory. 

God is now going to set you free from your sickness, bondage, and depression. If you are a child of God, you have a right to say, “Lord, we are your children. You called me, not with an empty calling, but with promises. You called me not for past or present things. You called me for your future purpose. I am here now, walking with you with all my heart. But Lord, what you promised me – I need that.” In this way, we can be like Caleb. God is going to raise up some Caleb’s in this church and in your family. They will claim their possessions, their promises. 

Caleb spoke about God’s promises to Joshua in the Promised Land (Joshua 14:6-15). The tribe of Judah appeared to Joshua at Gilgal. Then Caleb said to Joshua, “Do you know what the Lord has spoken to Moses about you and me? When the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the Promised Land, I was 40 years old. I brought Him back a report according to my convictions. I gave an amazing report. I didn’t care about those in the land.” (Joshua 14:6-8; paraphrase). What kind of report will we give to others about our God? 

Caleb said, “I didn’t see anything negative. I only saw the positive because I knew who was with me – the One who divided the Red Sea, destroyed Pharaoh, gave us manna, divided the Jordan, and destroyed Jericho. I didn’t care about those who were in the land because I have seen God’s amazing grace.” (Joshua 14:7-8 paraphrase). 

Claim Your Promises

Caleb claimed his promises. Not everyone could claim as he did. What was his qualification? As Caleb told Joshua, “I followed the Lord my God with all my heart.” (Joshua 14:8; paraphrase). The meaning of “Caleb” in Hebrew is “faithful, whole-hearted, brave.” Because Caleb followed God with all his heart, God chose him to explore the land. 

Caleb reminded Joshua that Moses had said to him. “Caleb, wherever you set your feet, that will be yours – for you and your descendants.” Caleb said, “Now I am 85 years old. I am still strong. I have the same power I had then.” (Joshua 14:9-11; paraphrase). Caleb was not speaking of physical power. He was talking about his heart and his relationship with God. He was saying, “I have the same heart as then.”

Like Caleb, you must walk with God with all your mind, all your heart, and all your soul. Then you have a right to claim your healing. “Now,” Caleb said, “Give me the hill country. I need Hebron.” (Joshua 14:12; paraphrase). 

Remember that Caleb was from the tribe of Judah. Many years before, his grandpa, Abraham, heard the voice of God in Mamre, which was in Hebron. God said to him, “Abraham, all of this land belongs to your descendants.” (Genesis 13:14-15; paraphrase). Now his great grandson was saying, “I need Hebron.” This happened because his grandfather walked with God. Caleb said, “Give it to me. There is a bounty there, Joshua.” Joshua said, “You know Caleb, the Anakites are strong and the fortress is a big city.” Caleb responded, “With God helping me, I will drive them out in the name of the Lord.” (Joshua 14:11-12; paraphrase). 

How many of you can say, “I will drive out the enemy from my family, children, life, future, community, and city because these things belong to me?” Who can say that? Those who are walking wholeheartedly with Jesus. God told Abraham that the Israelites would come out with a great possession. Likewise, we are plunderers. We will plunder souls and blessings from the enemy. 

Why was it the tribe of Judah who took Hebron? Remember, Judges 1:1-2 says “After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, ‘Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?’ The Lord answered, ‘Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.’” So you see, Judah must go first. What is our tribe? If Jesus is the Lion of Judah and we are the inheritance of Jesus, then we are the tribe of Judah. We have authority and we will see victory. 

The first judge in Israel was Caleb’s youngest brother, Othniel. How much power is on us? How many promises are there in our lives? If you are the tribe of Judah, remember that God said he would give the land into their hands (Judges 1:2). The healing, deliverance, and whatever else you need is in your hand. So why don’t you cry in the name of Jesus and drive the enemy out from your children, family, and life? You have the authority to do that because you are of the tribe of Judah. Claim your healing, deliverance, and blessings for your thousand descendants. 

Forget about 2020 – whatever you have heard, seen, or the challenges you faced. God is going to bring you out with great possessions. There will be everlasting peace, joy, blessings, love, and kindness. How many of you can claim, “2021 will be a new beginning in my life, for family, children, church, community, city, and nation.” We have the right to claim what God has promised to us – you will possess the land. Judah will go up. 

If the Lion of Judah is in your heart and if you are the temple of the Holy Spirit you will not listen to the enemy. You will not listen to any stupid songs, watch stupid shows, or watch fake news. You will always praise Him. When you praise, you inhale power and strength and exhale your timidity. You inhale healing and exhale sickness. You will taste and experience victory in your life.

*All scripture references are from the NIV unless otherwise indicated.

Introductory Remarks — Heavenly Language

God has given us heavenly languages. Don’t miss out. Praying in a heavenly language is not unproductive. It is productive, so don’t hold it back. Open your mouth and God will give you the words to say. We don’t create the words. But if you open your mouth, He will fill it with heavenly words that will come out like fire. 

Pastor Praveen said the Lord would provide another level of anointing this weekend for whoever was coming with a clean heart and a holy fear. He said that as we were worshiping or hearing the scripture, it would come upon us. God is always stretching out His hand to help His children – to bless, deliver, heal, and anoint them. That is His heart’s desire. He is standing at the right hand of the Lord 24/7 and interceding for us. He is living in us and wants to pray through us. We have to give Him this chance to pray for us, because we in ourselves do not have the ability to love or pray for our enemy. 

Not only can we not love our enemy, we also cannot love our neighbors or forgive without the Holy Spirit. If we do not have the Holy Spirit, we are only flesh. But once we are in Christ, we are a new creation. We do not want to think about the present or turn back to our past, because our calling is for God’s future plan and purpose. God is preparing a bright future for you and your children. 

Pastor Praveen’s Message – Listen to the Word and Obey

Purify Yourselves by Obeying the Truth

John 6:63 says, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are all spirit and [life].” (paraphrase)*. Furthermore, in John 15:3**, Jesus said, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” 

Without cleansing and sanctification, we cannot please our God. Pastor Praveen posed the question, “As children of God, how can we receive cleansing from the Lord?” Not by listening or hearing only – there is a process. If you want to walk with the Lord in Spirit, you need cleansing each day. Then we can speak to God and he will speak back. Our forefathers fasted, wore sackcloth, sat on the ground and cried out. They confessed, repented, and surrendered before the Lord for cleansing and deliverance for their families and their nation. With cleansing and sanctification, God will hear our prayer. He will deliver us and honor us. 

Pastor Praveen described two instances recorded in the bible of the wrong kind of fasting and prayer. In the first, Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, declared a time of fasting and prayer. Her purpose was to bring false testimony against Naboth so that he would be killed. Then Ahab could take possession of Naboth’s vineyard. Therefore, God sent Elijah to tell Ahab about the judgement that would come upon him and his family (1 Kings 21). 

In the second instance, David, a man after God’s own heart, took someone else’s wife in adultery and murdered her husband. When the woman conceived and had a child, the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to say the child would die. David fasted and prayed for the child for seven days. Nevertheless, the child died. For correct fasting and prayer, there are conditions. Jesus said, “The words I have spoken to you are all spirit and [life].” (John 6:63; paraphrase)*. We cannot use fasting and prayer in support of our misdeeds. That would be a very dangerous game. 

We saw from John 15:3 that there is cleansing through the word of God. In addition, 1 Peter 1:22 says, “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.” There is revelation in what Peter said. It is not enough just to hear the word. But if you obey the word, the purification process will automatically start. 

You must obey the Spirit of truth. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6a). He also said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into the truth.” (John 16:13; paraphrase). There are some who are not receiving healing, deliverance, and blessing. They are good listeners and good readers, but they are not obeying the truth. That is the only reason they are not receiving anything from the hands of God. If you believe and obey, the word will cleanse you from head to toe. Then you will automatically produce extraordinary fruit in your life.

Sometimes when Pastor Praveen preaches internationally, even before he prays for healing, the people receive it. God heals and delivers them and fills them with the Spirit because they not only listen to the word, but they believe and obey. They are obeying the truth. Who is the truth? Jesus – the one who is holding the key of David. When you are purified by obeying the truth, your mind becomes the mind of Jesus. Your eyes become the eyes of Jesus. Your voice becomes the voice of Jesus. Your compassion, kindness, everything becomes that of Jesus. Then, we become able to pray for our enemies and forgive one another. 

According to 1 Peter 1:22, when you obey the truth you will have sincere love for one another. This is the next step in the process. What kind of sincere love? The love of Jesus – the one who died for us on the cross. What do we need to do? Love one another deeply from the heart. But the process starts with obeying the truth. Then you will become clothed with His light. The enemy cannot not see you or touch you when you are clothed with His power. You will be walking with the light of the world. In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” But in Matthew 5:14 He said, “You are the light of the world.” This is true because we are His children. 

What happens if you disobey? You know what happened in the Garden. In the first watch of the night, the Lord appeared in the Garden, “Adam, where are you?” Adam answered, “I heard you in the Garden, and I was afraid because I was naked. I lost my light. That is why I am hiding. I’m not worthy to stand before you, Lord. You clothed me with your glory. I lost your glory because I was disobedient.” (Genesis 3:8-10; paraphrase). Because they disobeyed the truth, they lost everything. 

This morning, if God were to call our names like he called Adam’s, what would we do? Many families are losing their spiritual life. If we lose our spiritual life, we will lose our family because our God is a mighty protector. If He will not protect our families, we will lose everything. We don’t have the knowledge and wisdom to protect our families by ourselves. Many families have become naked – they have no peace, joy, or hope. No unity. Why? Because they disobeyed the truth. 

Consider Exodus 34:1: “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.’” Pastor Praveen asked whether anyone had broken God’s word in their lives. Has anyone broken His love? Maybe by disobedience? Although this was not the main point of Pastor Praveen’s message, God told Pastor Praveen to ask. Notice that the Lord chiseled out the first two stone tables and wrote on them. But Moses broke those. Then God told him, “You chisel them out. That’s your responsibility, because you broke them.” (Exodus 34:1; paraphrase). He loved us first. But if you have lost His love in your life, God is asking you to go close to Him this morning and He will inscribe something new in your life. He is a gracious and long-suffering God. 

Come to God as a Living Sacrifice

After God told Moses to chisel out the tablets, He said, “Be ready in the morning, and then come up on the mountain. But I don’t want to see anyone with you. No one should come with you – not even animals.” (Exodus 34:2-3; paraphrase). That is the way the children of God worship Him – early in the morning, as our forefathers did. Don’t bring anything with you while you are in the presence of God. Remove everything, forgive everything. Make your heart and mind clean. Give your heart like an offering, a living sacrifice. Then He will speak to you. 

Moses fasted for 40 days on the mountain. He was speaking to God and God was speaking to him. Each day, Moses was receiving purification for another level of ministry. He needed this because the Israelites were a stiff necked people. It would be very hard to take them to the Promised Land. They wanted to fight against Moses and God. God knew this and so he was helping Moses to prepare. God is a mighty helper. 

Moses went up the mountain by himself, a living sacrifice. He was listening every day. He underwent a transformation. His thoughts, mind, and attitudes were changing daily – a great process. He wasn’t even aware of what was happening to him in the presence of the Lord. He received this transformation because he had obeyed what he heard from the Lord. He went alone, early in the morning up on Mount Sinai with a holy fear. 

This is how we need to come to the Lord – with a holy fear, a holy mind, and a holy heart. Then we will shine. The shine will come upon you and your family. You will be clothed with His light. Even your relatives and friends will not recognize you. Maybe they will not be able to look at your face because of the shining light. 

Remember, Moses chiseled out two tablets. What he broke, he chiseled. Then God began to write – by the finger of God, by the fire of God, by the Spirit of God. God gave Pastor Praveen a revelation about the ten commandments. The first four are about how we relate to God. That is the first tablet. The second tablet is about our relationships with other humans. If the first four commandments are not in our hearts, how can we obey the commandments related to man? When the first four are in our hearts, it will be easy to follow the remaining six related to people. 

And so, a great process unfolded on Mount Sinai during Moses’ time of fasting and prayer. When he descended the mountain, he was not aware that his face was radiant. He was brighter than bright. The radiation was coming from his face and his body because the Light of the World was in him. When he went up the mountain, he was alone. When he came down, he was not alone. He was with God – clothed with the Light. 

The Israelites saw Moses and ran, even his own brother, Aaron. “What happened Moses?” they asked (Exodus 34:29-35; paraphrase). If we obey God’s word, He will transform us also. It will not happen if we only listen or read the word – even 20 chapters a day. One chapter or one scripture would be better – if you also obey. When He transforms you, no one will be able to touch you or your children. Demons will scream because you will not be alone. You will be clothed with His light and power. 

God loves everybody. We are all children of God. Rich or poor, unschooled or educated, whatever nationality – it doesn’t matter. God loves you. He has no favoritism. Pastor Praveen said that during this fasting and prayer weekend, God wants to clothe us with His light. Whoever is standing against us or seeking to distract us will flee from us because of the great transformation that will happen. God will bring us out of the enemy’s plan. Chains will be broken. God will clothe us with His light and power. The enemy will flee from us, and from our church and community. 

Concluding Remarks

Seek God with an Innocent Heart

Nehemiah fasted and prayed to the Lord with an innocent heart. His heart was perfect before the Lord. After praying, he oversaw the building of the wall around Jerusalem. We also can build our family, community, church, and cities if we fast and pray and cry to the Lord with an innocent heart – a sincere perfect heart.

We must read the bible every day. It doesn’t matter how many chapters. What matters is, “What did you learn.” Pastor Praveen has been reading Matthew chapter 2. He has spent three hours on this so far and is not finished.  

Smart People Seek God

What does it mean to be “smart?” People who are smart, or wise, seek the Lord. The word of God is the wisdom of God. If the word of God is in you, you are wise. Remember, the wise men saw an extraordinary star – and followed it (Matthew 2:1-11). The foolish people did not recognize that it was an extraordinary star. But the wise men found baby Jesus. If our Jesus is a superstar, who are we? We are stars in Jesus – the children of the superstar. 

**The text of John 6:63 is “spirit and life,” but Pastor Praveen said “spirit and truth” in his sermon. The concept of life and truth are closely connected and associated with both the Word of God and the Holy Spirit (see John 1:1-14, John 6:63, John 14:6, and John 16:13).

**All scripture references are from the NIV unless otherwise indicated.

Pastor Praveen’s Message – What Do You Have in Your Hand?

God Gave You Something in Your Hand

Pastor Praveen continued the message he began Friday evening. God is asking, “What do you have in your hand?” God did not call us with an empty hand. When He called us, He had already given us something in our hand. We don’t realize it because we focus on what we do not have. This is a big mistake. We think, “If I only had this or that, then I could make it.” This is wrong. Nothing is impossible with God. He is always asking, “What is in your hand? Put it to work. I will do the miracle. I am the miracle working God. You will see my glory.”

When Pastor Praveen was in Saudi Arabia, God spoke to him this word: “Believe me. I am Jesus.” That word is in Pastor Praveen’s hand, in his life. He is always holding that word. It gives him great power and strength wherever he goes. Whatever he may face, or whatever the enemy plans against him, he does not care. The One who called him, the Creator of the world, already crushed the enemy’s head. Pastor Praveen does not focus on the enemy. He holds onto the word he heard from the Lord, “Believe me. I am Jesus.” 

Likewise, God has given us all something in our hands. The people asked Peter, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). He answered, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” This means, the Holy Spirit is in you. Why don’t you work with that? You are born in His Spirit and washed by His blood. The Holy Spirit is a chain breaker, a miracle worker. He is the one who divided the Jordan, who destroyed Jericho. He is in you. His Spirit is in you. 

When you repented and were baptized, God gave you a gift. Hold it. Use it. Yesterday we heard that David took smooth stones from the streams of water (1 Samuel 17:40) – which stands for living water. God’s revelation from this is that He is always using those who are in Spirit and are faithful. Stephen was like this. The bible says he “was full of faith and the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 6:5). Barnabas also was a man “full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11:24). God used them both mightily. What did they have? The fullness of the Holy Spirit and faith. 

What You Have in Your Hand Is Enough

If David could kill the giant and rescue the Israelites with a smooth stone, why don’t we go forward with what we have in our hands? David killed the giant with a first level anointing, such as we have.

Moses had a staff in his hand. When he gave it to God, God used it to do miracles (Exodus 4:2-4). Moses’ staff was a victorious staff. What are you holding in your hand, but not believing? Give it to God. He will pour out His Spirit. 

We are always looking for large-scale provisions, large doors to walk through. “I need this much money to start a business.” “I need a big job.” “I need a mega church.” Maybe you can start with one or two families and God will increase the members to thousands of people. 

Whatever you have in your hand, give it to God. He will increase it and you will be prosperous and successful – like Joshua. God told Joshua to meditate on His word day and night (Joshua 1:8). He also told him “do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7). 

God Uses Ordinary People

During the past few weeks, we heard Pastor Tim preaching on the book of Judges. Pastor Praveen reminded us of Ehud (Judges 3:31). He was not an important man, but he played an important role in Israel. Likewise, Stephen and Philip performed many miracles, signs, and wonders in the time of the early church (Acts 6:8; Acts 8:6, 13), but no one knows what miracles they did. They were not important people, but God worked many miracles through them. God is always choosing lowly people for His purpose. God chooses a zero and makes a hero. He makes ordinary men and women into supermen and superwomen because our God is a super star. 

Ehud, a left-handed man, killed the king of Moab, who had oppressed Israel for 18 years. After that, Israel had peace for 80 years (Judges 3:12-30). In the same way, if people turn to the Lord, God will give to them abundantly regardless of how long they may have suffered until then. He will bless them and use them beyond their imagination. Just forget about your past struggles. 

The next judge after Ehud was Shamgar, an ordinary farmer. Who would care about him? Yet, he used an oxgoad to kill six hundred Philistines (Judges 3:31). He rescued the Israelites from the Philistines with this ordinary oxgoad. Tonight, God is speaking, “What is in your hand? Are you waiting for something valuable?” Go forward with what is in your hand. Wherever the enemy is attacking against you, get your “oxgoad.” God will put special authority and power on the oxgoad. God is always looking for people like Stephen who are full of the Spirit and faith. Are you faithful with what you have in your hand? 

There is victory in your hand. No one starts with a PhD from their mother’s womb. We hear about the success of the great servants of God, like Reinhard Bonnke. They all started from below zero. Yet, they plundered the enemy to save millions of souls. Bonnke told his wife Annie that when he died, she should write on his tomb, “He [preached] Jesus.” We should also speak Jesus. When you face problems and when the enemy tries to attack, do not be afraid. Speak the word! Speak Jesus’ name. You don’t need any weapon if you speak His name. It is alive, active, and sharper than any double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). 

Many families are flailing. Why? God has given them something in their hand, but they don’t know how to use it – for their wife or husband and the children. Even the children don’t know how to use it. They will never be happy with what they have. Some parents also are not satisfied with what they have. They are always thinking, “If I had, if I had…” They will never receive anything from the Lord that way. What you have in your hand – use it. 

Pastor Praveen expressed his pride in some of the young women at our church. They are using what they have to serve the Lord. There is a time for being still and a time to go forward. This is a time for going forward. David killed Goliath with a smooth stone. Wherever there is a smooth stone, the Cornerstone will help. The smooth stone will become greater and greater, brighter and brighter. Why? Because the stone is smooth. It is always in the streams of living water. Always in prayer, walking in Spirit, obeying God. 

Some stones will cut your finger and make you bleed. We don’t want those kinds of stones. We want smooth stones from the streams of living water.  God will use only smooth stones to do miracles and build His church. He will throw off the shapeless stones. 

If Shamgar the farmer can kill 600 Philistines and rescue Israel with an oxgoad, why don’t you rescue your community, your city, or yourself from the enemy’s plan. Many pastors keep waiting for more grace before going forward. God has already given them something when He called them. But they don’t know how to use it.

Put what He has given you to work. But don’t choose the wrong tools. Pastor Praveen recently heard some sad news. The Pastor of the Hillsong megachurch in California was fired. Why? Because he fell. He didn’t know how to use the weapon Jesus had given him. Many churches are dying like that because they are waiting for more grace instead of using what they have in their hand. Start with what is in your hand and God will make you spiritually prosperous and give you success in your family life and ministry. 

Start from Where You Are

Pastor Praveen touched on the story of Samson in Judges 15. Sampson’s own people tied him with two new ropes to turn him over to the Philistines. His people did not recognize him as a deliverer sent by God. That is the way of the world. But remember what you have in your hand and use it. Nobody can bind you or stand against you. God will give you authority to break the enemy’s chains. 

Pastor Praveen said Samson was not a large man. But when the Spirit of the Lord would come upon him, his hand would become stronger than steel. That is why when the lion jumped on him, he caught it and tore it like a young goat (Judges 14:5-6). It was by the power of the Lord, not by the power of Samson. Sampson was an ordinary man, but he didn’t care. He used what he had in his hand to tear the lion. Why don’t you do that when the enemy jumps on you, your family, your ministry. Catch the lion and tear it by the power of God. 

When Samson was tied with two new ropes, the Philistines came shouting, running towards him. Suddenly, the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon Samson. The ropes became like charred flax and dropped from his hands. He didn’t say, “Where is my sword or javelin.” He grabbed the fresh jawbone of a donkey. That was enough for Samson because he was filled with the Spirit and God gave him special power upon the jawbone. He struck the enemy one-by-one by the power of God. 

If God is with us, who can stand against us? Samson killed a thousand Philistines. He didn’t say, “If I had some strong people with me, I could fight them.” Or “If I had a sword, I could kill them.” He grabbed the fresh jawbone of a donkey. If Samson can do that with a jawbone, then what is in your hand? How much more can God use you and me?

God is speaking, “What is in your hand?” Are you waiting for confirmation or a big door to walk through? Or another level of anointing? Start from where you are now. Pastor Praveen started from below zero. God did not call you with an empty hand. Stop thinking about your problems. The miracle is in you. It is in your hand. Use it! This is not time to be still. God will divide the Red Sea from before your family, your children, our church. 

Stephen and Barnabas were faithful and God used them to bring many people to Jesus. The bible says that Barnabas was a “good man.” (Acts 11:24). It doesn’t say this about any of the Apostles. Barnabas was not famous, but he was a good man. You don’t need to be an Apostle or prophet. Just use what is in your hand. Get your stone and sling. Get your oxgoad. Get your staff. And move on. 

Pastor Praveen said he could see Moses at the Red Sea. Moses was saying, “What are you talking about? They are trying to kill me. You want me to tell Israel to move on toward the Red Sea?” Pastor Praveen said that God replied, “Oh my boy, you are making a mistake. Go forward! You are talking too much. Move on!” Don’t talk to God unnecessarily. If God tells you to move toward the Red Sea, then go. The one who created the Red Sea knows how to divide it. He created the heavens, earth, and sea. Whatever God asks you to do, do it. Don’t make any compromise. 

Pastor Praveen always puts God first, even before his family. If God is not in him, who will protect his family? Pastor Praveen will not make any compromise with his calling. He wants to go forward. Nothing can put him down or discourage him, because he knows that the One who called him is still speaking to him: “Believe me. I am Jesus.”

People may think you are good for nothing. They will say, “What are you doing? You are lower than grass.” Just agree with them. Still, as long as you are in the hands of God with an obedient heart, He can make you like a mountain. Say, “Yes, I am lower than grass. But God is going to make me and my children usable.” In this way, speak to the enemy in the name of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is saying, “Why don’t you speak to the enemy?” Say, “My family, my children, my financial blessings belong to God. You cannot touch my life.” 

Concluding Remarks

We Need Discernment

We need the spirit of discernment. Sometimes the enemy may speak through our family, friends, or coworkers to discourage us. Don’t listen to them. Listen to the word of God. 

We also need the spirit of discernment to understand who we should associate with. Joshua had this discernment. When Moses met God on the mountain, Joshua never went back inside the camp. He sat at the bottom of the mountain waiting for Moses. He associated himself with Moses. That is why God told Moses that He would commission Joshua – because he had the spirit of leadership (Numbers 27:18-21). 

We cannot associate with just anybody. We need discernment to choose. Be careful. There are some people we should not associate with – people who look like they are believers but are not. They have their feet in two boats.

The Younger Generation

The Spirit of God will attract the next generation. They will see the miracles, signs, and wonders – the power of God. We do not need mega churches with flashing lights. Such things will only temporarily attract the youth. If they are attracted to the supernatural power of God, it will be permanent. We need this type of powerful manifestation to reach the next generation.

Use the Oil God Has Given You

Pastor Praveen shared a revelation from the Holy Spirit. He spoke about the widow who told Elisha that the creditors were going to take her two sons as slaves (2 Kings 4:1-7). She didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t pay them. She asked Elisha for help. He asked her, “What do you have in your house?” She said, “Just a small jar of oil.” Elisha told her that was more than enough to protect her children. Are you afraid of the enemy? You are scared? You are holding a small jar of oil in your house. It is enough. He told her to collect empty vessels from the neighbors and pour out the oil. Likewise, use your small jar of oil for your neighbors. That will protect your children. 

The widow had troubles, but many neighbors had emptiness. She needed to pour out the oil. Many of you, like the widow, are crying. You don’t know how to save your family. God is asking the same question, “What is in your house?” When God called you, he gave you oil in your life – an anointing. Use it for your children, your generations, your neighbors. Pray for them. Pour out the Spirit upon them. Collect the empty vessels from your community, your city. And that which you have, pour out. A small quantity of anointing is enough to do tremendous miracles in the name of Jesus if you believe and trust in God. You can become successful and prosperous. 

The oil is in your house – in you. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Why is it a small quantity of oil? Because you are not using it. Use it! Pour into the empty vessels and the blessing will come back to your generations and save your children. 

God did tremendous things in Old Testament times. But now, in New Testament times, He is in us. We do not want to cry in front of the Red Sea, the Jordan, or Jericho. Just walk toward the Red Sea. The One who created us is in us. You don’t want to stretch yourself out on dead bodies like Elijah did (1 King 17:21). Just kneel down, like Peter did. The power of resurrection was in him. He used it. “Tabitha, get up!” – and she got up (Acts 9:40). People were healed by Peter’s shadow (Acts 5:15). Why? It was God’s power. The great healer was in him. 

It is such a privilege to be children of God, because the One who gave us the oil is in us. He is watching over us to see how we are using the quantity of oil he gave us. If you are using it, He will increase the oil. Pastor Praveen said that God was encouraging us. He loves everybody and wants to use everyone. Nobody is special. All are equal in the eyes of God. But if you are faithful with what He has given you, He will use you more. 

Pastor Praveen’s Message – The Word is Spirit and Life

Jesus is the Word – the Life Giving Spirit 

Jesus said to His disciples, “The Spirit gives life. The flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are full of Spirit and life.” (John 6:63). So, whatever we are hearing from the Lord is Spirit and life. What is Spirit? What is life? 1 Corinthians 15:45 says, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.” His name is Jesus. He is the Word. The Word was speaking directly to His disciples. 

John 1:1-5 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it.” 

Jesus is the Word, the life-giving Spirit. Now, the Word that came from heaven is speaking, “The word I have spoken to you is full of Spirit and life.” This means that whenever we read the bible or hear the word of God, we are receiving the Holy Spirit and the renewal of our spiritual life. No one can stop it because the word is the life-giving Spirit. 

Maybe you are seeing lifelessness in some part of your life. God is saying, “I am going to speak to you the word which is Spirit and life.” Then you will experience My glory in your life. If you listen to His word this morning, you will go from hopelessness to hope. The word will help you and strengthen you. You will have great victory in your life. 

At the Pool Called Bethesda

Pastor Praveen spoke on John 5:1-14 – Jesus’ healing of an invalid at the pool called Bethesda in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit revealed to Pastor Praveen many insights about the story.

The bible tells us that the healing took place on a Jewish festival day. Pastor Praveen noted that many pastors will not make themselves available on holidays. But Jesus was spending His time in Bethesda healing an invalid. Pastor Praveen said that in his own life, God has called him to be available for His purpose. For example, God has called him to get up and pray every night. God has given Pastor Praveen to understand, “The festival is not important for you. The important thing is to do my ministry. Whatever I tell you to do, you need to do it.” He is often out of town during major holidays, away from his family. Yet, God, in his grace, comforts Pastor Praveen and his family. Now, when he cannot travel because of COVID, he has even less time to spend with his family, since God is calling him to spend extra time in fasting and prayer. 

At the pool called Bethesda, many people were in distress. There were many who were lame and crippled. Jesus spoke to one man. All were watching to see what would happen. Pastor Praveen said the area was a kind of a cursed place. Only invalids were there. No one came to visit them, not even their relatives. This was the first time they had a visitor.

There was an invalid there who had been suffering for 38 years. He would try to get into the pool when the water was stirred, but someone always went before him. No one helped him. He kept waiting for his chance. Pastor Praveen emphasized that he was not waiting for “chances” in the plural – just for a chance. This is our mistake these days. We wait for “chances.” If you get a chance, you need to go. Don’t wait. If you go with a “chance,” God will give you more “chances.” 

No one cared about the man at the pool, not even his relatives, because he was an invalid man. If you are an invalid person, who will care about you? No one. That is the way of this world. People don’t come see you in the nursing home. They are too busy. But Jesus, He is not a busy man. He is always available for His children. He is at the right hand of the Lord 24/7 interceding for us, our children, community, and church. If you use the internet for your purposes, you may get a poor connection. But if you kneel down before the Lord, the heavens will open over you. 

The man at the pool had no hope. After 38 years of suffering, how could he think positively? His thoughts were always negative, hopeless. Maybe you have been praying for many years without seeing any progress. Remember, God is on time. He will come and touch you and change your life. Or he will speak a word to heal you. Don’t count the months or years you have been praying. It takes time. It is not a simple thing. Remember when Elijah was praying for rain. Seven times his servant went to look toward the sea and come back to tell Elijah what he saw. This took a long time, yet Elijah remained bowed down to the ground with his head between his knees, praying. 

But God is a God of compassion and mercy. So Jesus asked the invalid, “Do you want to get well?” You cannot measure Jesus’ compassion. We need to learn from God, “What is the meaning of compassion?” God has told Pastor Praveen that when he prays for someone, he needs to see their problem as if it is his own problem. Then it will burn in his heart. It was for this God anointed him. That is the reason so many are healed through Pastor Praveen’s prayer. Because he sees their sickness as his sickness and cries for their healing. 

When Jesus asked, “Do you want to get well?” the invalid started explaining. “I tried to get into the pool. But no one helped me, Jesus. I have no one to help me.” Pastor Praveen reminded us that when Jesus first appeared to him, he was like the invalid man. He was 24 or 25 years old. He was below zero. He had nothing and no one cared about him. His brothers were businessmen – too busy for him. His parents had passed away. He was in great distress. He was even thinking about suicide. He didn’t know what to do. No one would help him. But the same One who went to the invalid man in Bethesda appeared to Pastor Praveen in his room and said, “Believe me. I am Jesus.” 

Pastor Praveen’s whole life changed with this one word. With one word, he can change you. He can change the world. He created everything by his word and he made us by His hand. His word to Pastor Praveen that day was Spirit and life. If you believe His word spoken to you, everything in your life will come alive. You will experience special fruit in your life – spiritually, physically, mentally, and financially. All kinds of crises and distress will flee from you if you listen to the word of God. Read the bible always. It is the wisdom of God. If you read the bible faithfully every day, no one will be able to stand before you. Whatever you do, you will have victory.

When Pastor Praveen’s daughter was younger, he was worried about her. She was not making good progress academically. One day she came to Pastor Praveen in his prayer room. In the Spirit, he took hold of her and screamed and cried out to the Lord. After that she always got straight “A’s.” Then he strictly commanded her to read several chapters of the bible every day and report to him about what she read. 

God’s word is full of Spirit and life. When the world was empty and formless and there was darkness on the face of the earth, the Spirit of the Lord was hovering over the water. He spoke, “Let there be light.” (Genesis 1:1-3). Remember this whenever you are going through a discouraging or hopeless situation. The Spirit of the Lord is hovering over you ready to work for you, for your family. We have the authority to speak the word. 

Prophecy to the emptiness. “My God is King of kings, Lord of lords. He is going to open the heavens over me and my family.” God wants to hear that from us. He doesn’t want to hear our story about how many years you are suffering or going through a hopeless situation. He came to restore our lives. Whatever He speaks, we need to receive it. When the servant of God speaks the word, listen. Don’t focus on the pastor, focus on the word he speaks. The word is full of Spirit and life. 

If you believe this word you will see a new beginning in which people will honor you. Many of you have prayed for something for months. But this morning, God is speaking to you, “Do you want to get well?” Do you want to see a miracle in your life? Victory in your life? Great things in your life? I am ready to work for you. I don’t want to hear your past stories. I came to heal you and deliver you. Get up and walk. Take up your mat and walk. Do you think your mat will help you? No. Take up your mat, which is your heritage, and walk.” 

We are the Inheritance of Jesus Christ

Remember what the blind beggar, Bartimaeus, did when Jesus called him. He threw off his cloak. He was in Jericho, which had been cursed by Joshua. Only the lame and crippled stayed there. But Jesus came to save the sinners, so he went through Jericho. When Bartimaeus threw off his cloak, he was throwing off the cloak of his heritage, the cloak of the curse, of his sadness and hopelessness. He threw it off and then he received a new cloak from the Lord. He began to see everything. This morning, God is asking you to throw off your cloak of hopelessness and sadness. Throw it and then receive a new cloak from the Lord. That cloak will give you more peace, joy, and victory. 

We need to copy from Jesus – the original. Pastor Praveen said that when Peter and John were watching Jesus perform signs and wonders, they stood there. “What is he doing?” “How is it happening?” “No idea.” That is because the Holy Spirit had not yet come. Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you in all truth.” (John 16:13). The people did not ask, “What shall we do?” or “How can we be saved?” They didn’t ask anything like that because the Holy Spirit had not come. 

Later, when the disciples received the Holy Spirit, they understood everything. Before the Holy Spirit came, Peter and John had no unity. Afterwards, they were walking hand-in-hand. They told the crippled beggar, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus, get up and walk.” (Acts 3:6). They spoke the word. 

This morning, God is speaking. “If you are experiencing a hopeless situation, speak the word. There is victory, hope, peace, and joy in my name. Why don’t you ask my Father in my name? Whatever you ask of Him in my name, He will do for you. Whenever you have a problem in your life, why don’t you speak my word? Don’t you remember the mighty words I have spoken to you? They are full of Spirit and life.” God is speaking, “Do you believe my word? I have given you authority.”

We are the inheritance of Jesus Christ. Act like a prince or princess, not like worldly children. Hold on to what Jesus has given you. It will lift you up. If you ask for healing, Jesus will heal you first spiritually. Then he will heal you mentally, physically, and financially. 

Remember, when Jesus told the crippled man at the pool at Bethesda to get up and walk, there were many other sick people there. Did they call to Jesus to heal them too? No, they were only watching. Likewise, if you are coming to church to worship God, don’t sit passively. Many people worship and receive blessing, healing, and deliverance from God. If you are passive, you will not receive anything. Worship and listen to the word of God in Spirit, not in the flesh. If you worship God in Spirit and truth, you will rise up. The Spirit will heal you. No one will need to lay hands on you and pray. Because the word is Spirit and life. 

Concluding Remarks

Power Was Coming Out and Healing Them All

Luke 6:18 talks about those “who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.” Pastor Praveen told us, “You can touch Jesus. He is in the midst of us.” Remember, when you come into God’s presence, His Spirit will come upon you. “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15). In His presence, the Spirit comes out to heal the people. That is why Pastor Praveen comes back from his ministry trips with so many miraculous reports. 

Not only that. John 15:3 says, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” This means that His word will cleanse us. When we read the bible, listen to the word of God, it will cleanse us and fix many things in our lives. 

God Will Fulfill His Word

Pastor Praveen spoke about a unique experience that happened when he was ministering in Seattle Washington in February 2020. Many children, some of whom were less than 10 years old, were filled with the Spirit. For example, Pastor Praveen prayed for the pastor’s son who was in fifth grade. When he touched the boy, Pastor Praveen and the boy together were hit by the wind of the Spirit. Even Pastor Praveen was surprised. In the past, he has seen older children and teens anointed by the Spirit. But this was the first time he had seen it in children younger than 10 years old.

God appeared to Pastor Praveen in his room twice during that trip. He flew to Seattle on a Thursday, and Jesus appeared to him on Monday and again on Wednesday. On the second occasion, Pastor Praveen was sitting and praying when he went into a trance. He could see Jesus in a white robe. The Lord asked, “What you are seeing, son of man?” The Spirit helped Pastor Praveen to answer, “I am seeing an almond tree.” Then he said, “You are right. I will fulfill my word.” 

Introductory Remarks

Repent before the Lord and the heavenly mercy gates will automatically open for you. If something is broken in your life, there is time. God is asking His church to repent. He will cleanse us, purify us, and sanctify us. Without holiness we cannot please our God. 

Jesus said true worshipers will worship in Spirit and truth – it is a sign of the children of God. Those who are worshipping in the flesh are not the children of God. When we repented before God, He washed away our sin with His precious blood and gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Not only that, He sealed us with the Holy Spirit. God’s seal means, “He is mine.” When God sees someone worshiping in Spirit, he will say, “He is my son” or “She is my daughter.” However, we need cleansing from God before we can worship in Spirit and truth. Only though the blood of Jesus can we reach the most holy place. 

Pastor Praveen’s Message –What Do You Have in Your Hand?

Stones and a Staff

Jesus said that if you have faith you can move a mountain (Matthew 17:20). It doesn’t matter what kind of mountain. God has given you authority to drive out demons, speak in new tongues, pick up snakes and drink poison without harm, and to heal the sick (Mark 16:17-18). 

Don’t think, “I don’t have this or that, so I cannot do anything.” God is asking, “What is in your hand?” Don’t focus on what you don’t have. Don’t wait for a big door. If you have faith, you can go through the narrow door. God can then open it wider for you. Don’t say, “It’s a small door. I don’t want this job. It’s too small.” God is saying, “I can bless you more. I can open the door beyond your imagination.” 

Don’t say, “I don’t have enough, how can I start a new business.” What do you have in your hand? God has given us authority in our lives. When he called you, chose you, and brought you from the darkness to the wonderful light, he gave you something in your hand. You need to use it. 

Consider David when he confronted the Philistine, Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Israel did not know what to do in the face of Goliath’s challenge. Like Israel, we are facing many challenges in this country. People may not know what to do. But, as children of God, we should know what to do because he has given us something in our hand. 

On the battlefield, David and Saul were talking (vs. 32-39). Saul tried to discourage David. “He has been a warrior from his youth. You are just a boy.” But David shared his testimony with Saul, how he had defeated the lion and bear. Then Saul looked at him and realized David was not an ordinary boy. “Go, and the Lord be with you,” he said. 

Then Saul dressed David in his armor, tunic and all, because David was going into battle. But once he was dressed, David could not move. He said, “King, I am not used to all this.” God revealed to Pastor Praveen that David was thinking, “He doesn’t know my anointing. I don’t want to wear this nasty tunic. This nasty tunic will not help me. I have something else.” He took off the tunic and took up his staff. 

We know that David was not acting as a shepherd, but as a warrior. In the spiritual context, the staff stands for authority in prayer. There are other examples of staffs in the bible. Pastor Praveen reminded us of Jacob’s confession to God in Genesis 32:10, “I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan.” Also remember that Aaron’s staff budded and bore fruit within one night (Numbers 17:8), but the 11 staffs of his opposers dried up. Furthermore, remember that Gideon placed an offering upon the rock for the angel of the Lord. When the angel of the Lord touched the offering with his staff, fire came out (Judges 6:20-21). This shows authority. 

After David took up his staff, he chose five smooth stones from the streams. David was filled with the Spirit. With prayer and authority, he left behind worldly things and chose the five smooth stones. The Holy Spirit told Pastor Praveen that David thought, “With this kind of stone I can go against the enemy.” The streams stand for streams of living water. 

Pastor Praveen emphasized the smoothness of the five stones. The stones stand for the children of God. We cannot defeat the enemy or build the church with shapeless stones. The stones must be smooth, cleansed, purified, sanctified, molded, and shaped in streams of living water. They are thus prepared for God’s purpose. The one who sanctifies the stones, His name is Cornerstone – Jesus. We must build with stones from the living water – stones that are in the hands of God. Otherwise, we cannot build anything. 

David had five smooth stones. Pastor Praveen said that we can shape this world with five smooth stones. We can shake the foundation of the enemy through our prayer in the Spirit and truth and with only five smooth stones. Smooth stones are always filled with the Spirit and always in the living water.    

David knew what kind of stones to choose. This is always our failure. We just grab some stones. You know that some stones will cut your finger. Why? Because you are just grabbing stones. If you need victory and want to overcome the enemy’s power, destroy the enemy, and build your life, your family, your city, you cannot grab all kinds of stones. You must get the stones from the streams. 

David went toward Goliath with the stones, his sling, and his staff. Goliath said to him, “Why are you coming at me with sticks.” (1 Samuel 17:43; paraphrase). He said “sticks,” meaning more than one. Yet David only had one staff. This is because Goliath saw more than one, more than two, more than three staffs. That is the way it is if you are an anointed one. The enemy will see more grace and power in your life. The enemy will say, “Oh, I cannot touch him because he’s holding more than one, two, or three staffs. He’s covered with the power of God. He has all kinds of authority in his life.”

Goliath said, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” (1 Samuel 17:43). Without prayer, we cannot choose the right stones or face the enemy. David said to him, “You come against me with sword, spear, and javelin. But I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel. The Lord will deliver you in my hand. I will strike you down and cut off your head.” (1 Samuel 17:45-46). Likewise, if you are a warrior, you can have authority in your life in prayer. When the enemy sees the staff – authority – in your hand, he will see you are a great warrior. 

David took the sling and stone and struck Goliath, who fell face down. David stood over him, took Goliath’s sword, and cut off his head. God is speaking to us, “Why don’t you get your sling and stones and strike the enemy wherever he is attacking you, your family, children, health, finances.” God is speaking, “What is in your hand? Only a sling and stones? Use it! I will give you the power from my hand.”

What is in your hand? Don’t think “I have only a sling. I don’t know what to do.” God is asking you to get your sling and stones. Choose the smooth stones that the Great Potter can build with because they are already shaped. Each day they are cleansed in the streams of living water. These are the children of God – whoever is receiving cleansing each day and is walking, praying, and reading the bible in the Spirit. We must only choose these kinds of stones for God’s building. The Cornerstone is looking for smooth stones. 

So get your sling and stone and take aim at Goliath. A first level of anointing is enough. David had three kinds of anointing. If he could kill the bear and lion with his first anointing, why don’t you do the same? What you have already received and have in your life, this is enough anointing to kill Goliath – whatever power is attacking against you, your family, your city. But you don’t know what is in your hand. You need to use it. 

Take your stone and sling and rise up. The enemy is attacking our church. Get up and pray for this church in unity and strike down the enemy. Don’t talk and discuss too much – just do it. Are you ready for this church? Then get up and cry in one accord. Those who are smooth stones, hold hands together and cry to the Lord. Then God will build our church, our family, our children. We are the stones of the church.  

Moses’ Staff

Pastor Praveen discussed how God dealt with Moses’ uncertainties when He called him for His purpose. God clearly spoke to Moses about deliverance and Moses listened. God said, “You guys are going to plunder from the enemy when I deliver you from that country.” (Exodus 3:21-22; paraphrase). But Moses had some doubt. 

Pastor Praveen said, “Tonight, don’t doubt God’s prophecies or promises. Because He is the promise keeper and great giver.” Pastor Praveen explained that he once was a good-for-nothing, shapeless, dirty, useless stone. But when Jesus took him from the darkness, from the dirty place, He cleansed him and poured out His Spirit in him. Now, for hours each day Pastor Praveen is singing, praying, and worshiping. This is because Jesus has given him something in his hand – prayer. 

Don’t think about what you don’t have in your hand. Think about what is in your hand. Moses said to God, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” He said, “Moses, what is that in your hand? I am going to send you for a great deliverance ministry. For signs and wonders. You are talking to me too much. What is in your hand?” Moses answered, “A staff.” God said, “That is the problem. You are always holding it. Give it to me. Throw it and I will show you the supernatural power of the staff.” (Exodus 4:1-3; paraphrase). 

What you have in your hand – give it to Jesus. Why are you holding yourself, your knowledge and wisdom? Why are you saying, “I am a superwoman” or “I am a superman” and acting like a good-for-nothing. Don’t act too much. Give it to God. He is watching our fake actions. He will pour His supernatural power upon you, your family, your children. Give your family and your life into the hands of God. Throw it to the Lord like Moses threw the staff! Fall down before the Lord.  

When God delivered Israel from Egypt, he sent ten plagues through Moses’ staff. These days we are experiencing lockdowns. But remember, in Egypt there was a power cut – three days of darkness – a lockdown. Even Pharaoh and his wife could not see one another. At the same time, the Israelites were dancing in Goshen, in the presence of God under the pillar of fire. Why? Because somebody was holding the staff. Because Moses surrendered before the Lord with his staff. What you have in your hand – surrender before the Lord with it. 

Move on – Go Forward

Consider this. When the Israelites complained before the Red Sea, Moses comforted them. He told them, “Stand firm. The Egyptians you see today you will not see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:13-14). God was listening. Then Moses turned to the Red Sea and began to cry. Suddenly, God said, “No, no Moses. It is not the right time to be still. Tell Israel to move!” (Exodus 14:15; paraphrase).

For us also, this is not the right time to be still. Move on, church! For this country, it is not the right time to be still! We need to move in the power of the Lord. There is time to be still and time to move on – go forward. 

Whatever is happening in your personal life, our church, or our country, don’t say to anyone, “Be still.” We are going through very dangerous situations. We need to move on – go forward. Why did Moses tell the Israelites to be still? Because he had never seen a miracle like the parting of the Red Sea, nor had he ever heard of such a miracle. So he didn’t know what to do. But when we move toward our problem, toward the enemy, the Spirit will move. A mighty wind will come and destroy our enemy and protect us. His name is Jesus.

So take up your staff. Stretch out your hand over the sea to divert the water. Stretch out your staff over your family, your children, your problem or crisis, your fear, your sickness. What is in your hand? Use it. Get the sling and stones. Then you can destroy the spirit of Goliath from your city and community. 

Pastor Praveen is receiving updates from many countries, such as Africa and Australia, where he ministers. God is using them mightily. Why? Because they are receiving the power of God and they know how to use it. They depend always on what they receive from the Lord and on nothing else. We don’t want any “valuable” things, like a tunic or helmet. Take the stone and sling and strike the enemy. 

God wants to see us apply the word He is speaking to us. God loves everyone. He wants to use everybody. But the laborers are few. This is harvest time. It is time to reach out, whether in person or through online platforms. If you sow the seed now, it will go, because people don’t know what to do. 

People are panicked about the coronavirus. The poor and rich, the unschooled and educated. God is dealing with everyone equally. Everyone is facing the same problem, and no one is finding any solution. Yet, the hands of God uphold this world. The virus was made by man, but God let them do it. What shall we do? We need to repent and become smooth stones in the hands of God. Then He will mold us and build with us. 

Move on for Our Country

Get your sling and stones and move against Goliath – the one who is trying to destroy this country. This is not the time to be still. We need to move on as Christians because this country is facing the spirit of Goliath. Are you ready to get your sling and stone and move against this destroying spirit of Goliath? We will not let Goliath succeed because our God is the victorious God and He is on the throne right now. 

Remember that Jacob said to God, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (Genesis 32:26b). In the same way, pray for this country. You can pray, “Lord, we will not let you go unless we see the victory in this country. We want to see victory and we want to see this country as a Christian nation.” 

This is a powerful country. That is the only reason, by the grace of God, that we can return safely when travelling abroad. Because they know we are from America. We have God’s mighty protection. 

This is not the time to watch what will happen through some TV channel. Please, close the fake TV channel. Connect your spirit with heaven. Kneel down. The supernatural heaven is open 24/7. Jesus is standing at the right hand of the Lord. Cry to God, “Lord Jesus. We want to see your glory in this country. We want to glorify your name in this country. We will not let you go, Lord Jesus, until you bless us to deliver this country.” And ask for forgiveness. 

Remember, Mary came out in the darkness to go to the tomb to see Jesus (John 20:1). She didn’t care about the darkness or circumstances. So she found Jesus. Don’t think that you will have favorable circumstances in this world. The world is against the children of God. You must go through the darkness. Then at the end of the tunnel, you will see the light. You need to stand up for this nation. We need to get up and pray and cry to the Lord for this nation. We will see the light at the end of the tunnel, because He is the light of the world. He knows what is happening in the darkness. He will reveal it to the world. 

Pray for Revival

Many people are burning their hearts in prayer, asking God for revival. We know that God will keep all His promises. But before he does something, He will sanctify us. Pastor Praveen said that whenever God wants to raise him to a new level, He speaks to him. He tells Pastor Praveen what he needs to do to fulfill God’s plan. If Pastor Praveen listens, obeys, and surrenders before the voice of God, he will begin to go with God’s plan, idea, and schedule. Pastor Praveen has seen God’s glory many times after such submission, even seeing Him face-to-face. 

Pastor Praveen explained that we fast because we need cleansing. Remember Esther prayed to God during a time of fasting. Then the king stretched out his scepter toward her. In the same way, God is cleansing all over the world. Pastor Praveen has no doubt – a great river is coming back. We will hear about revival in Maryland, California, Texas, etc. Even in China, India, Africa. But now, the cleansing process is going on. If God has promised you something, and there is no doubt He will do it. But each day, we can ask God to cleanse our thoughts, ideas, and plans. Then we will become smooth stones in the hands of the Cornerstone. With these, He will begin to build. 

We can submit 100 percent before the Lord and pray for other people and nations. The wind of God is coming all over the world. Not only in America. We are going to hear many praise reports from different countries. We can pray, “Lord, I want to be a small part of that revival.”  

Pastor Praveen’s Message – Mary Went Out While It Was Still Dark

Mary Didn’t Care about the Darkness

Pastor Praveen spoke on John 20:1-18 with emphasis on Mary Magdalene’s great yearning to be with Jesus. God revealed insights to Pastor Praveen about the motives, feelings, and thoughts of Mary, Peter, and John. 

The account starts the day after Jesus was crucified and laid in the tomb. The disciples had been with Jesus for three and a half years and seen many signs and wonders. But now He was in a tomb. It was human nature for the disciples to be fearful and hide from the authorities. But Mary was different. She knew Jesus very well. He had delivered her from seven evil spirits. Nobody had to tell her about Jesus. She had experienced His love and compassion. 

Mary couldn’t sleep. She got up when it was still dark to go to the tomb. She wanted to see her Rabbi, her Master, her Jesus. She didn’t care about the darkness. We can learn from Mary. As children of God, we will have times of spiritual brightness, like the noonday sun. But we will also have times of darkness in our lives. We face problems and hopeless situations. We become distressed and fearful. We don’t know how to go forward, what to do, what to say. We all go through this. Pastor Praveen himself has had such experiences. The enemy brings this darkness. Indeed, he is the darkness – the oppressor, the accuser, the liar. But our God is the Light of the World. He is the Way and Truth and Life. We can seek Him out.

Mary and the other disciples were going through this type of fearful darkness. It was not safe to come out of hiding. But Mary didn’t care. She was even ready to die. The One who gave her life, protected her from the evil, and rescued her from the enemy’s plan – she wanted to see Him. She didn’t care about the darkness. She trusted her God, the Light of the World. He was able to protect her from the enemy, the darkness. 

How many of you have this kind of belief? Maybe you are facing some spiritually dark situation in your own family, among friends, or at the workplace. Can you say, “The One who took me from the darkness to the wonderful light, who died for me on the cross – He is mighty to protect me, rescue me, and deliver me?” It doesn’t matter what you are going through. The One who called us is able to protect you. He will lift up your head and the heads of your children before the enemy. He is the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. He is the Father for the fatherless. 

Are you in a fearful situation? God is speaking to you. Are you ready to come out of your fearfulness and seek the Lord like Mary? The word of God says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13). When we seek Him with all our heart, mind, and strength, we will see our God. We will experience victory, hope, and joy in God.

Mary came looking for her Lord with a grateful heart. She had a great testimony in Christ. She had been possessed by demons. No one had respected or cared for her and the evil one was ruling in her life. Then Jesus set her free from the darkness. Now she wanted to see her God, Jesus. She came with her faith. 

The Stone Was Rolled Away

When she arrived, Mary saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance to the tomb. Pastor Praveen said that there are many kinds of “stones” in our lives. Some stones the enemy will fix against us but some stones we fix against ourselves. The stone in front of the tomb had been fixed by the enemy. So God took away the stone. 

The situation was different when Jesus raised Lazarus (John 11:17-44). In that case, the people had to remove the stone from the tomb. “‘Take away the stone,’ he said.” (v. 39.) Yet, the people hesitated. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:39-40). In other words, “You want to see a miracle? You want to see God’s glory? You want to see your brother come out of the tomb? Take away the stone and I will show you God’s power.” (John 11:40; paraphrase). 

God is speaking to you. You fixed a stone against yourself because of your little faith. You say, “I can’t do it. I cannot go forward. No one is with me. I am alone. I am failing.” No! Take away the stone. God will take you out of your situation, heal you, and use you. Maybe your own family or friends will say, “Oh, there is a bad odor, Jesus. It’s been four days.” They may say, “You cannot make it.” They may name all the problems and obstacles before you. If you listen, you will be more fearful and discouraged. Don’t look at them. Look at the One who can fix it. God is speaking, “Take away the stone that you have fixed against your blessing, healing, happiness, and joy. Then I will show you my power. But first, you must take away the stone. I will bring you out of your situation and make you usable for my plan.”

Remember, Mary was seeking her Lord, even in the dark. She was a hero in the faith. When she found the stone rolled away, she ran to tell Peter and John. Then they ran to the tomb. John was the younger man, and he outran Peter. At the tomb, he found nothing. He just bent over and looked into the tomb. He only saw strips of linen. When Peter arrived, he ran straight into the tomb. He also saw strips of linen. Finally, the younger man, John, went in. He saw and believed (John 20:2-8).

What is your calling? God has called us to seek, not emptiness, but Jesus. If you seek him with all your heart, you will see Him. At this time, Peter and John did not find him. So they left. But Mary Magdalene stayed. The one who had a grateful heart and great testimony in Christ, she bent to look into the tomb. She was crying. She could not carry her burden, distress, and heaviness. She remembered how Jesus saved her out of her hopeless situation. God revealed her mindset to Pastor Praveen. She cried and thought, “I will not move from here. I will not go from here.” Whenever she felt a wave of heaviness, she would bend and look into the tomb and cry.

Why Are You Crying?

Many people leave Jesus. Even when He healed ten lepers, nine left. Only one came back (Luke 17:11-19). Mary could not leave.

Then she saw something else – not only strips of linen. She saw two angels in white where they had laid Jesus’ body – one at the head and one at the foot. Maybe you have many problems and dark situations. Like our country’s present situation. What do you believe in Christ? Do you believe the country will be in darkness more and more? God told Pastor Praveen before the election that if the people do not listen, He will remove the wall of protection from around our country. What do you see this morning? Many stones are fixed against this country’s blessing. Is there any hope? After the election, God spoke to Pastor Praveen. He said, “I know what is happening in the darkness, but I will reveal it to all nations because I am the light of the world.” Only God knows what it means. 

At the tomb, the angels asked Mary, “Why are you crying?” She said, “They have taken my Lord away and I don’t know where they have put him.” She was distressed – she did not know what was happening. But the Lord had seen her heart – her grateful heart. Before the angels could answer, Jesus spoke to her, “Woman, why are you crying.” She didn’t know it was Him. She thought it was the gardener. She told Him, “If you have taken away my Lord, tell me. I will go and get Him.” (John 20:13-15).

Then Jesus called her, “Mary.” She cried out, “Rabboni!” (v. 16). Maybe you came this morning with a sad, hopeless situation. When friends and relatives see you drowning in your situation, they will teach you how to swim. You are dying in the water, but they don’t want to jump in to pull you out. They will say things like, “Because of you, you are in this situation. Because you spoke like that. Because you did that. You didn’t listen to us. Now you have this problem.” That is the world’s way. But God is not like that. He did not come to judge us, but to save us. He will come and grab you out of your problem and set you free from your distress. He will restore your life, family, children, ministry, etc. 

Pastor Praveen said, “God is asking, how many of you came like Mary, with a grateful heart? How many of you remember what God has done in your life? How many times has the enemy claimed something against you or even tried to put you in the grave, and God delivered you? Then, whatever you are facing, God is going to honor you.”

Pastor Praveen said he had no qualification for coming to this country. He faced many discouragements and accusations in his life. But God gave him something in his hand when he called him – a special grace to continually seek His face. Since Pastor Praveen and his family came to this country, God has been blessing them. Now he has U.S. citizenship, which is an honor in this world. Still, Pastor Praveen is human and goes through many difficult situations. 

In this world, we will face many difficulties each day. We are all on the battlefield. We cannot escape the battlefield of Jesus until we reach the heavenly land. But if you have a grateful heart to earnestly seek the Lord, then you will make it – even when you think, “I cannot make it.” He will do miracles in your life, in your family, and children’s lives. He knows we are weak. Before He called us, our names were in His book. He knows our capacity and limitations. Don’t say, “I can’t make it.” You can make it.

Concluding Remarks

God has spoken to Pastor Praveen about things to come. And those things are happening. In 2017, God gave Pastor Praveen a prophecy about various trials coming upon the world after 2019. In 2020, the coronavirus came. Now Christians all over the world are praying Psalm 91 – because they are afraid. God also told him that a wind of revival is coming, but it will come first to Africa. After God told him this, a member of our congregation from Ghana told him about a dream he had that provided confirmation of this word. 

Things are beginning to happen. Pastor Praveen is receiving reports that many people in many nations are converting to Christianity. He also saw a video clip of Prime Minister Modi of India washing the feet of poor people and quoting the gospel of Mark. Pastor Praveen was amazed but does not know what it means. 

God is saying that the fire of revival is coming. But first, the spiritual leaders all over the world must repent. They must remove their agenda and come to church with God’s agenda. Then God will pour out His Spirit all over the church. Pray for the spiritual leaders of all denominations.  

Introductory Remarks

Spend Time with God

We need to understand who our God is – His power, faithfulness, grace and mercy. Once you understand, you cannot keep quiet. You will praise Him always. Everlasting love, kindness, mercy, and compassion. What else do we need? If we know Him, we will praise Him. Each day, we need to spend time with our God. That is our calling. Many of us have busy lives. But if we move to spend time with God, He will help us and make time for us to be with Him. If we say, “I am busy, busy,” we will not have time to spend with Him. We must say, “Lord, I am busy, but you can make the way.” He will give us time. 

We Are Almost There

Again tonight, Pastor Praveen encouraged us, “We are almost there.” God is saying, “Get ready. Prepare for the harvest.” Don’t look at the problems around us. Look at Jesus. “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” (Psalm 34:5). “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” (Psalm 34:10). God spoke this last verse to Pastor Praveen 2009 in his hotel room in Saudi Arabia where God sent him on a mission trip. In early hours of the morning, Jesus appeared to him. His voice was like many waters, like thunder and lightning. The same God is with us now. We are never going to lack good things. 

Pastor Praveen’s Message – Power Was Coming out of Him and Healing Them All

The Spirit of the Lord

Luke 5:17 says, “The power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.” Also, Luke 6:18-19 says, “…who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.” 

Tonight, God told Pastor Praveen that He is going to heal the people. John 3:35 says, “The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.” He has all authority and power without limit. This is the One who is in us. We should understand this. It is cause for great rejoicing.

Why was the power of the Lord with Jesus to heal the people? Luke 4:18 gives the answer – Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” This is our calling. The Spirit of Jesus is in us to do all these things. 

These are New Testament times. Our father Abraham waited 25 years for the prophecy about Isaac to be fulfilled. His descendants waited for deliverance from Egypt for 400 years. In New Testament times, deliverance is immediate because we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Whatever we are thinking or speaking, He is hearing. Whenever we feel pain, at the same time, He is healing us. When we feel a burden or heaviness, at the same time He will roll away the burden from our hearts, set us free, and fill us with joy.

That is why when someone is preaching in the Spirit, people are healed. Because the Spirit touches them. That is why all the people were trying to touch Jesus (Luke 6:18-19), because the Spirit was coming out of Him and healing them all. Whenever we are hearing the word of God, the Spirit is moving for healing and deliverance. The word of God is alive and active and sharper than any double edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). He is always looking for needy people. 

If you are hearing about healing, you will receive it. When Pastor Praveen preached recently in Seattle Washington, he did not even pray for healing. He said in the Spirit, “There is power in the blood of Jesus,” and the people started falling, receiving healing. 

Testimony – The Spirit Works through Prophecy

God works through the Spirit for healing, deliverance, and also prophecy. Pastor Praveen told of a time during his early ministry when a family received salvation and were baptized. The husband was sick and God healed him. However, things took a sadder turn. After a few months, the wife was attending a prayer gathering. God gave Pastor Praveen a prophecy to speak to her. His heart was burning because he did not want to speak it. But God told him, “You’re my prophet. Speak to her.” So Pastor Praveen approached the woman and told her, “Sister, don’t pray any more for your husband. He is going to die.” The woman turned her face to the wall and cried. Several days later Pastor Praveen received a call at 5 in the morning. Her husband had died. The word of God is sharper than any double edged sword. Pastor Praveen does not know why God did what He did, and he does not ask. He is the Creator.  

The Word is power. Don’t listen to the word of God with disrespect. If you respect and fear God, you will keep what you hear in your heart and put it to work against the enemy. When the enemy attacks you with sickness or something else, you will choose which weapon to use from the scripture. There are all kinds of weapons available. But don’t use the wrong tools or you will have trouble. 

Testimony – Deliverance and Transformation of a Young Girl

From Luke 6:18-19 we see that those troubled by impure spirits were cured by the power of God. The people all tried to touch Jesus. They were not trying to touch a “sub-station.” The main power station from heaven was in on the earth. In India, people avoid walking near electrical transformers in the rainy season because they might experience an electric shock if they get to close. God’s power is always radiating out in this way. His power is hovering over you, over your family, children, problems, sickness. Whenever you use the right tools, “I rebuke the sickness in the name of Jesus,” at the same time the Spirit will come and touch you and heal you.

Pastor Praveen gave a testimony about how God once used him in Houston Texas. He will never forget this testimony. At the church, many women were filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. Children were sitting on the floor. He was praying for anointing for many people. He touched a 12 or 13-year-old girl as he walked by. She began to sway back and forth. People misunderstood. They thought she had received the Holy Spirit. This is a problem in many churches – there is a lack of discernment. When people are moving and speaking in tongues, it may be the Holy Spirit or an evil spirit. If you have the Holy Spirit you will know. If you have fire, you will see the fire in others. Otherwise, you will misunderstand. 

God sent Pastor Praveen back to touch the girl again. He knelt down before her, placed his hand on her and said, “I rebuke you right now. Get out of this girl now, in the name of Jesus.” She fell on the ground. At the same time, a 5-year-old girl sitting in the back with an older woman started to cry. The woman asked her, “Why are you crying.” She said, “When the pastor placed his hand on her and she fell on the ground, I saw a big serpent jump from her and flee from here.” The family of the delivered girl later flew to Maryland and Pastor Praveen baptized them. Now the whole extended family has been baptized and are worshiping in Spirit and Truth. 

The girl who was delivered had been partially autistic and enrolled in a special school. Before her deliverance, she always received “zeros” for her grades. After her deliverance, she was a straight “A” student. Since then, she has grown up and married a pastor. 

The enemy will flee from the presence of God. If your house is a house of prayer, “… no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.” (Psalm 91:10). Our house must be a house of prayer. First, we need to worship in our own home, then come to church. This is what our forefathers taught. 

Pray with Humility and Compassion

Mark 9:14-29 tells about what happened right after the transfiguration of Jesus when He, Peter, James, and John came down the mountain. Jesus found the crowd arguing with His other disciples. He took up His responsibility and concern for His disciples. “’What are you arguing with them about?’ He asked. A man in the crowd answered, ‘Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.’” (v. 16-18). 

The boy’s father came to Jesus with a heavy heart. Pastor Praveen believes he was crying before Jesus and Jesus’ heart went out to him. Jesus rebuked the Spirit: “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” (v. 25).

Likewise, when we pray for people, we need to view their problem as our problem, with humility, as if we were experiencing it. This attitude will produce compassion. You will experience the Living Water, the Spirit of God, when you place your hand on the person. 

Concluding Remarks

We are experiencing a new beginning. God is going to send people to our church like he sent quail on the wind to the Israelites (Numbers 11:31). We will see God’s glory. God worked powerfully during this fasting and prayer weekend and people experienced healing and deliverance.

Pastor Praveen’s Message – The Disciples Were Straining at the Oars

The Holy Spirit asked Pastor Praveen to speak from Mark 6:45-51. The word says, after ministering to a crowd, Jesus sent His disciples ahead of him in a boat to Bethsaida. Remember that Bethsaida is the place where Jesus prayed twice to heal a blind man (Mark 8:22-25). Nowhere else did Jesus need to pray a second time. Bethsaida was a difficult place. Jesus sent His disciples there for His purpose, although we do not know what it was. After they set off, Jesus went up on a mountain to pray for them. 

For us also, wherever we go in our going out and coming in, we should not think we are following our own plan, using our own knowledge and wisdom. The one who called you is in you. He is protecting and guiding you and bringing you back home safely. Otherwise you would never make it home. He is mighty to protect and is always keeping us under His wings. 

So, Jesus sent his disciples and then went up on a mountain and prayed for them. Jesus is still praying for us. He is standing at the right hand of the Lord and is interceding for us. He is always concerned about His children and His power is always hovering over us – His invisible Spirit. In Old Testament times, Moses heard an audible voice from God and the people saw a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night (Exodus 13:21). Now, the pillar of cloud and fire is inside us because we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we need the pillar of cloud, He provides for us. If we are going through a time of darkness, we need the pillar of fire and He provides that. 

Pastor Praveen said maybe when sending the disciples, Jesus blessed them and gave them some bread and fish to eat, as much as they wanted. Maybe they got in the boat, “OK, Jesus. See you.” Who was in the front of the boat? Maybe Peter – always in the front seat. Then maybe John. Jesus was looking at them. In the middle of the night He saw them straining at the oars because the wind was against them. They started off very well, but when they reached the middle of the lake, they could not go forward. Why not? They knew they needed to go to Bethsaida. But they could not agree in which direction was Bethsaida. They each wanted to go a different way. They had lost all unity. 

They had set out with a clean conscious mind and faith. But they started having different thoughts and opinions. The enemy was able to manipulate them because of their lack of unity.  Many families start their married life with good unity. They have many dreams about their bright future, about their children, their family life, their job. They have a plan. But after a few years, their opinions begin to differ. Then they cannot go forward. When we forget about God’s plan and go with our own ideas, the wind will come against us. The enemy is always looking for room in our hearts because he knows God’s promises in our lives. If you have promises from God, the enemy will always stand behind you. 

But your family life is connected to God. If you are following God, He will choose everything for you. Whatever He chooses for us, His mighty presence will protect. The enemy cannot touch your family’s financial, physical, or mental blessing. The one who connected you as husband and wife – He is mighty to protect your relationship. That is God’s faithfulness. We must have unity in our family life and our church life. 

The disciples had forgotten about their mission. But if we give Jesus a chance to be the captain of our boat, our life, our family, our job, the mighty Captain will know how to take us to the right place. Otherwise the wind will come against us and we will miss our destiny.

Jesus was faithful with His disciples. He is likewise faithful with us. Therefore, we can see happiness, success, and victory in our family life. We are the children of the victorious God. We need to keep and obey His Word. Then beyond our imagination, God will bless us. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Our calling is a great package. “Whoever loves me and keeps my commands, I will bless them to a thousand generations.” (Deuteronomy 7:9). No one will be able to stop you. 

God is faithful. Whenever we run away from Him, again He will come and bring us back. “Who can separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35). Whenever we turn back or move away from God, He will come and say, “My son, my daughter, you are mine because I paid for you. I died for you.”

When Jesus saw the disciples straining at the oars, He went out to them. By this time, the wind was controlling them. They could not overcome it. When we forget about our mission, our family, or other blessings God has given us, the wind will come against us. We cannot overcome the wind until we repent and surrender before the Lord. Jesus wants to rescue and protect His children. 

When the disciples lost their vision, Jesus went out to them walking on the lake because he wanted to rescue them from the wind and the waves. So why did he almost pass them by? Because He did not see unity among them. Many families are going through difficult situations. God wants to protect them and bless them. But the families are not giving Him the chance to do that – because they have no unity between the husband and wife and between the parents and the children. God cannot work in our families, in our lives, if we have no unity. He is always with us. That is a promise – His name is Emmanuel. He wants to lift you up. But if you will not give Him a chance to do that, how can God help you? 

Many families are praying and asking, “How many years have we been praying? Why do we not have an answer from God?” You cannot blame it on God. No one can measure the tender love and compassion of Jesus. He likes to help. But many families and many churches don’t give Him a chance. They go with their own ideas, wisdom, and knowledge. You will never be successful this way. You must use His victorious knowledge and wisdom. Then you will have victory. 

He almost passed the disciples who were arguing among themselves. But then, they cried out in fear. They thought they saw a ghost. Now there was unity in their cry – one sound, one voice – because they were afraid. Right away, Jesus said, “Take courage. It is I.” (Matthew 14:27). Likewise, when we pray to God, He listens to our sound, our voice. If He hears humility, at once He will open the doors for us. He is always looking at our hearts. If he sees pride or some other distraction in your life, He cannot work. 

When Jesus climbed into the boat with His disciples, the waves and wind died down. Why? Because of the presence of God. Our captain, Jesus, is faithful. Give Him a chance to be captain of your boat in all areas of your life. The one who created the world by His word knows your destiny. Before you were born, He had already made a blueprint of your life. Why are you worried about your future? He is holding your blueprint in His hands. The only thing is, we must obey God with unity. Then God will do miracles beyond our imagination. 

Before Jesus entered the boat, He gave Peter authority to walk on the water. Likewise, God will give us authority over our problems. If the Word is in your heart, put the authority He has granted to you to work. Speak to the enemy. “Enemy, I have authority over you. My Jesus paid for me on the cross. You cannot do anything against me physically, mentally, financially, spiritually. I’m covered by His glory, by His Spirit of fire. You cannot touch me because there is power in the name of Jesus.” Remember, “The Son is the image of the invisible God. The firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15). Everything is possible for God. Trust and obey Him and give Him a chance to be the captain of your life. 

“You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. ‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him…’” (Psalm 91:13-16). This is the authority of God. We need to use it. 

Concluding Remarks

Almost There 

We are almost there. God is preparing the greatest things for our church. Pastor Praveen has been experiencing this message in the Spirit for the last five days. God is speaking to him that He is going to place stones together. Remember, before Elijah prayed for fire from heaven, he placed 12 stones together to form an altar. The 12 stones symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel. Then he prayed and the heavens sent fire and by fire the offering burned (1 Kings 18:31-38). In the same way, prepare your heart with unity. Prepare your mind with unity. If we are ready to fix the 12 stones together, He will send the Spirit of fire – revival – upon us.

Wherever you have brokenness, give it to God. He will fix it. God cannot build with a defective stone because He is the heavenly perfect Lamb. If you build with a damaged, defective stone, the fire will not fall. If you want to see the Spirit of fire in your life – tongues of fire, give it to God. This means surrender before the Lord. He will fix it. He will repair it. He is the great potter. He made us by His hand in His own image and likeness. He knows which areas in our lives are defective, which areas to fix. His eyes are blazing fire, consuming fire.

The Greatest Wind is Coming 

If God is the Captain of your boat, who can stand against you in your family, your workplace, your church? Who can destroy us? Pastor Praveen is seeing a wind coming from God. We have been hearing about one kind of wind – a challenging wind. But now the greatest wind is coming for us and for this nation. What is the wind that comes out of God? The Holy Spirit. The wind will turn to spiritual fire. Pastor Praveen has no doubt – whoever has been waiting for this mighty wind will experience the Spirit of fire in your life. 

Whatever trials we see happening in this world – the hands of God are working on that. We need to pray for those who are suffering with the sickness. But remember, He is protecting you because His blood is upon you. No one can touch you physically or mentally because there is power in the blood of Jesus.

Introductory Remarks

Enter through the Gate

Jesus said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” (John 10:9). Only by passing through that gate can we reach the Most Holy Place to worship in Spirit and truth. In 2009, Pastor Praveen had a vision of Jesus as the gate. Jesus told him, “You asked to see a part of heaven, but now you are seeing me. I am the gate.”

Dreams of Deliverance

Pastor Praveen said this fasting and prayer weekend will be special. He fasted extra days this month because God asked him to prepare – to get ready. God will use him as a blazing torch to deliver, heal, and save many people. Pastor Praveen experienced many distractions to his fasting and prayer this past month. This was an attack of the enemy who always tries to disturb Pastor Praveen’s time of fasting. He told us that once during a time of fasting, God told Pastor Praveen that the enemy was going to break his sump pump. But he didn’t pray about it and sure enough, three days later the sump pump broke. This past month the enemy was attacking because he knew what God would do this weekend. Pastor Praveen is seeing great deliverance. 

On this past Tuesday, God gave Pastor Praveen a dream to encourage him. In the dream he saw a big iron crate. Inside the crate was a serpent. God said, “I put him inside. Whoever you are praying for in your prayer list, I am going to deliver them.” God tells us that if he has a prophet, He will tell him everything through visions and dreams (Numbers 12:6). 

If we stand together with unity and love one another as Jesus loved us, we will see great victory in the name of Jesus in our church, our lives, wherever we go. The deliverance is starting. The one who has been attacking against our church family and our community – he is inside the crate now. 

Pastor Praveen encouraged us that what God shows him in a dream – happens. He shared a testimony about a dream he had before he went on a mission trip to India with Pastor Tim Baldwin in January 2017. In that dream, God showed him a young woman possessed by a demon. She was tearing her clothes and rolling on the ground like a serpent. He knew that he would recognize her if he saw her again. God told him that He would bring the woman to him for deliverance. But the trip agenda included meetings in two or three different locations. Pastor Praveen did not know to which place the woman would come.

During the night before the first meeting, Pastor Tim became sick. When Pastor Praveen got up to pray as usual at 1:55 AM he saw Pastor Tim’s distress. He knew they had to leave the hotel by 4:30 AM to make it to the meeting on time. By God’s grace, they prayed for Pastor Tim and he received instant healing. Then, Pastor Praveen told Pastor Tim the dream about the demon possessed woman. Pastor Tim prayed about it and God revealed that the woman would come to their current location where they had meetings scheduled for two days in a row.

The first day, the woman did not show up. The second day Pastor Praveen kept looking for her in the crowd. He asked God, “Where is that young woman?” At last, he saw her. Her mother was bringing her up the aisle for prayer. When her mother opened her mouth to explain the problem, Pastor Praveen said, “No, don’t say anything, I know the story.” Right away, he rebuked the devil in the name of Jesus. The young woman fell on the ground and was set free by God. 

Tonight, said Pastor Praveen, God is going to speak the word for us and set us free from the enemy’s plan. 

Pastor Praveen’s Message – There is Prophecy over Us

Use Prophecy as a Weapon

During last month’s fasting and prayer sessions, Pastor Praveen spoke briefly on the subject of God’s prophecy over us. God asked him to share more on this topic this month because there is prophecy over His children. Our names were written in His book before the foundation of the earth. God told Pastor Praveen, “I did not call my children with an empty hand. I called them with prophecy. With promises for their thousand generations. That is my children’s calling.” We need to understand there is prophecy over our lives – over our families, children, workplaces, businesses, even over our sicknesses. God has said he is the healer. By His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). That is prophecy. 

Our God is the chain breaker and promise keeper. When the enemy attacks your family, you need to rebuke him and speak to him. “Devil, we have prophecy from God over our marriage, over our children’s lives, over our health and our financial blessing. If God is with me how can you stand against me?” Whenever we will face challenges, we need to use our prophecy – which God has given us as a weapon against the enemy. But you must attack the enemy with a clean conscious mind and with faith. 

The enemy is very stupid. He has no power because our God already crushed his head two thousand years ago. Now he is playing with his tail. So do not be frightened by the enemies plan. You must make the enemy frightened by the power of God. It doesn’t matter what situation you are going through or what the medical report says. Use the prophecy against the sickness. 

Years ago, God prophesied to Pastor Praveen in a dream. He showed him many moons stretching across the sky to the horizon. God told him that the moons stood for the countries he will visit in his ministry. Pastor Praveen received it by faith. Whenever the enemy attacks him, he uses his prophecy against the enemy. “Enemy, look at the many moons. I am going there – to many countries to preach.” He speaks to the enemy every day to rebuke him with prophecy and tell him, “This is God’s plan in my life.” He says, “There is prophecy over my wife and my children. What can you do against God’s prophecy? You can do nothing, devil.”

Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath

Pastor Praveen spoke on 1 Kings 17:7-24, the account of Elijah’s stay with a widow and her son, and he shared revelation God had given him on this subject. God sent Elijah to the widow’s home during a three-and-a-half-year drought in Israel so that she could supply him with food. The widow had only a little flour and oil left, enough for one last meal for her and her son. But Elijah told her not to worry – to first make a small loaf of bread for him. He prophesied to the widow, “For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’” (v. 14). God put this word in his mouth to prophesy over the widow. She believed the prophecy, so she went and tried it. She soon saw that each day, she and her son could eat as much as they wanted. 

Everything was going very smoothly for her, even though in Israel many people were without food or water. Her situation had changed because of the presence of the man of God and God’s provision through him. As time went on, her mind changed. She forgot about her past situation, about her former emptiness and nearness to death. But suddenly, her boy became ill. He became worse and worse until at last he died. 

So, the widow said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?” (v. 18). Did she speak to him with respect? Did she believe he was a man of God? She spoke boldly, without crying even, with a stubborn mind. She had gotten used to her new life that she enjoyed because of God’s prophecy over her and her son. Then, her sin nature came out of her heart. She began to think with the flesh. Her attitude changed. 

Why did her son die? Because of her sin. The wages of sin is death. She knew that she had been and still was a sinner. That is why she asked the man of God, “Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?” If there were no sin, there would be nothing to remind her of. 

The widow spoke with accusation against the man of God. But did Elijah respond? He was a man of God. There was nothing for him to say. The one who sent him there was in charge. He only said, “Give me your son.” (v. 19). The word of God says he took the boy from her arms, which means he was a small child. So, we know the widow was still a young woman. Elijah was living in the house of a young widow. 

Elijah took the boy and began to cry. He had compassion on the boy and the widow, even though she was a sinner. “Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, ‘Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!’” (v. 21). The Lord heard the cry of Elijah, the prophet, the man of God. Why? Because he had kept his holiness even though he was staying with a young widow. He knew why God had sent him and God’s purpose in his life. He knew his calling. He knew his responsibility. Except by his word, the rain was never going to fall. Pastor Praveen said whether your calling is for your city, your community, or even just a few houses – if you lose your holiness you will lose your calling and will destroy your community. 

When the widow received back her son, she who had spoken with stubbornness and disrespect was transformed. She said, “‘Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.’” (v. 24).

What does this account tell us? Jesus came to save sinners, not to condemn them. He had compassion on sinners. He had compassion on everybody. The widow in this account was a sinner. She accepted that. But then she experienced transformation in her life through Elijah. That is our anointing – to transform other people, not to condemn them. God came to save the souls – the sinners. We cannot judge anyone. Only the creator can judge the creation. 

Elijah proved to the widow that he was a man of God and his God is the living God. Pastor Praveen asked, “What is your calling? What is your commitment, your dedication in God? What is your spiritual destiny?” You need to prove, even in your family life, that you are a child of God. You need to prove before your husband or wife, and in your communities that you are an anointed one. That will transform people’s lives. 

Remember when Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman (John 4:1-26), first she called him “you Jew” and asked, “How can I give you water.” When she experienced more of His presence, her “accent” changed. She called him “Sir.” She said, “You are a prophet.” This was transformation. We see that before Jesus was even crucified, He went to the Samaritan city and brought the whole city to Christ. This is our calling – to transform lives.

As long as we are in the world, in the flesh, there will be many tests and temptations coming upon us. Jesus in the wilderness overcame all of the temptations of the devil through the word of God and power (Matthew 4:1-11). Then He was filled with the Spirit. He went to Galilee and began to perform signs and wonders by the power of God. We also, like Jesus, need to overcome temptations. 

Pastor Praveen reminded us of the verse he preached on Friday morning – “For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.” (John 3:34-35). Jesus is unlimited. He is in us. We need His character. The way he loved us and transformed our lives is the way we need to reach others. 

Whatever your situation is, you need to keep your calling, keep your holiness in all areas of your life. Don’t make any compromise, however small. If you compromise the smallest thing, you will lose the greatest things in your life. So fear the Lord. Keep your anointing. Put to work the gifts God has given you. Use it for your family, your community, city. That is God’s plan. We need to stand together in Christ with perfect love. 

Elijah was a righteous man. He kept his holiness. He knew his calling. It would not rain without his word. Before Elijah kneeled down, he heard the sound of rain. Before he climbed the mountain, he said, “I am hearing the sound of rain.” (1 Kings 18:41). Before you pray for your healing, you will experience your healing. Before you pray for deliverance, you will experience your deliverance. Before you pray for any financial blessing, you will receive it. – Because a righteous man’s prayer is powerful and effective (James 5:16b). 

Two Testimonies of Transformed Lives

Pastor Praveen told us of a time when he was on a flight from Singapore to New York and God used him to convict a young woman of her sin and call her to repentance. Normally when flying, Pastor Praveen does not talk to the other passengers. He knows the purpose of his trip and who is with him, and so he is very careful. But this time, after taking off, the Spirit came upon him. He turned to a young woman next to him and asked with authority, “Where are you running from the presence of God? Do you want to destroy your life? What is your problem? How can you run away from God? Do you want to destroy your father’s ministry? Where are you running?” Pastor Praveen did not know who the woman was or anything about her. The Spirit revealed it to him.

The woman began to cry. She said, “Are you a prophet?” Pastor Praveen responded, “Yes, my God is a great prophet. He is in me.” She said, “You are right. I am running.” She told her story. She was a Christian woman and her father was a pastor. He broke off her relationship with her boyfriend. Now she was going to New York for dirty business. Pastor Praveen rebuked and warned her in the Spirit. She confessed and repented. She wanted to go back home, but she was stuck on the flight. She was waiting to land so she could go back. She recognized that Pastor Praveen was a prophet in the same way that the widow recognized Elijah. Her life was transformed in the presence of God.

Pastor Praveen also told about a doctor who was a Sikh. He was healed of deafness in his right ear during a prayer meeting and that night he surrendered his life to God. He gathered all his religious books and gave them back to the Sikh temple. The next week he was baptized in the name of Jesus. His life was transformed.

The Prayer of a Righteous Man is Powerful and Effective 

The scripture clearly says that God heard the cry of Elijah, not the widow’s heart or mind (1 King 17:22). Why? Because of Elijah’s humility and compassion. Jesus always had compassion. He wept with humility and compassion. This is the way God told Pastor Praveen to pray for the sick. Humility always produces great fruit – which is compassion. Without these traits, our prayer will not be effective. With a deep sigh and compassion, Jesus prayed and looked to heaven (Mark 7:34). We need to learn this. If we pray in this way, it will work. You have authority over sickness and over the enemy. You are a child of God. You can break the chains.  

Concluding Remarks – Repent

Pastor Praveen talked about his experience listening to Jonathan Cahn on September 26 at the Return National and Global Day of Prayer and Repentance at the Mall in Washington DC. He was struck that God was speaking the same message though Rabbi Cahn, even using the same scripture, as He has been speaking though Pastor Praveen since January 2020. Repent – all churches, all denominations, all spiritual leaders. God is clearly speaking this message through His prophets and we need to honor and receive this word from God. Many pastors are having difficulty digesting this word. But God is still speaking the message to all nations. Repent.

Pastor Praveen noted that the New Testament begins with repentance. John the Baptist came crying, “Repent!” (Matthew 3:1-2). Then Jesus took up the charge, saying, “Repent!” (Mark 1:14-15). Then Peter said, “Repent!” and three thousand people were saved by God in one day (Acts 2:38-41).

Friday AM

Pastor Praveen’s Message – Do Not Be Afraid or Discouraged

Spirit and Power without Limit

Ever since this Monday, Pastor Praveen has been experiencing in the Spirit that we are “almost there.“ Whatever we have been asking of God all these years – believe it. Yet, this means we will face a greater battle than before. So get ready – prepare. Remember, the one who anointed us is with us in the battlefield. “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (2 Chronicles 20:15b). 

The bible tells us, “For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.” (John 3:34-35). Notice – everything in His hands. Everything. Whatever you need, ask Him. He has said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7). 

You should know who is in your heart and understand His authority. Remember, Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free…” (Luke 4:18). It is important to grasp that Jesus has the Spirit without limit. That is why He said, “I and the Father are One” (John 10:30) and “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18-20). So why worry about tomorrow?

Look at John 3:34 again. Why did the Father send the Son? To speak the word of God. And the Son is the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” (John 1:1-4). We need to understand that He is the light of all mankind. He told His disciples, “You are the light of the world,” (Matthew 5:14) because they were His children. 

Whenever Jesus reaches out His hand and touches someone, His touch has the Spirit without limit and power without limit. If He touches you, you cannot stand because His power is greater than electricity. That is why the soldiers who came to arrest Jesus fell on the ground when He spoke, “I am He.” (John 18:3-6). There was power in His words. It was also this great power that drew people to kneel before Him and say, “Have mercy on me.” “If you are willing, cleanse me,” the leper said. Jesus said, “I am willing. Be healed.” (Matthew 8:2-4). And the power went out from Him to heal. Since He is in us, how much spiritual voltage is passing through our bodies? 

We need to pray for the power of the hands of God in our life – for His touch on our families and our children and any areas of weakness. Then He will touch us with unlimited power, unlimited Spirit – His victorious Spirit. There will be spiritual, financial, mental, and physical healing – an unlimited package that will transform us. 

Crippled by a Spirit? – There is Hope

Pastor Praveen spoke from Luke 13:11-13 about a woman who had been crippled for 18 years by a spirit. Pastor Praveen shared revelation that God had imparted to him about this account. 

Notice that the woman was not suffering because of a sickness. It was a spirit that made her bent. She could not straighten up at all. The enemy put her in that situation. The enemy still attacks in this way. Consider that many families have everything – financial blessings, nice wife, nice husband, nice children. But they have no peace or joy – they cannot “straighten up” because of their problems. They are thinking, “Why is there always a polluted atmosphere in our house? Why can we not be happy for more than half an hour? Why can our family not talk together without discouraging one another?” It is a binding spirit.

Similarly, many wonderful churches cannot straighten up. Maybe they have good unity and are generous, but they face many challenges and problems. That is because a spirit of evil is attacking them. At our church we fast and pray for our communities and cities. Because we pray against the powers of darkness they come and challenge us and create a polluted atmosphere. We must understand this situation and remember that Jesus has given us all authority (Matthew 28:18-20). He said we will trample on the snake and scorpion and overcome all the power of the enemy. That is the key to kick the enemy out from your house, city, workplace – wherever the enemy is attacking and “making you bent.” 

Maybe we cannot even pray or read the bible. We have the will to move forward and do everything good in Christ but something holds us back. It is a spirit. But don’t leave room for the enemy. Rebuke that spirit right away because God has given you the authority in your life. The one who is in you has power without limit. His name is Jesus. He said, “Whoever believes in me will drive out demons, they will speak in tongues, they will pick up snakes with their hands, if they take deadly poison, they will not die, if they lay their hands on the sick, they will be healed.” (Mark 16:17-18). Believe it. Remember – what we read in scripture is not “just a story.” It is revelation. The bible is a prophetic book. 

Maybe you cannot go forward, cannot straighten up because of your problems. If the enemy is making you bent, putting everything on your shoulders – there is hope. Cast it on God. “Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7). God is not giving us these problems. He is always loving, protecting, and blessing us. But when you face problems, call to Him. 

When Jesus saw the crippled woman, He called her forward, which means she was standing behind the crowd. No one cared about her problem. They didn’t see her. They didn’t want to speak to her. Everyone was thinking about themselves. Those who could walk were coming forward. The crippled woman was standing behind. Maybe in your life, even your family and friends don’t want to hear you. But the one who called you is watching over you. If anyone comes to Jesus, He never lets them go with an empty hand. 

Pastor Praveen said maybe someone thinks they are far behind some other person, spiritually, financially, mentally, whatever. You think, “I am not qualified, not deserving.” You made a mistake. God is watching over you. He sees your situation and your broken heart because He is living in your heart. How can you say, “Nobody is with me?” Pastor Praveen said this morning, God is calling you to come forward to Jesus. Remove your thoughts, plans, ideas from your heart and come forward. God knows the situation you are going through. 

Similarly, the woman crippled by a spirit came forward through the crowd. Jesus’ heart went out to her. Before she even reached Jesus, He said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” (Luke 13:12). He is the Prince of Peace. He doesn’t want to wait. Before you even think of your need, He has already prepared His blessing for you, your family, your church. 

After Jesus had healed the woman by His word, He put His hands on her. This is His compassion. Maybe He wanted to embrace her. Jesus loves everyone, but He wants to embrace those, like her, who are going through heavy brokenness. Pastor Praveen said that, in the Spirit, he was thinking that Jesus put His hands on her with love and compassion without saying anything. He had already spoken the word of her healing. Immediately she straightened up and praised God (Luke 13:13). She had nothing else to say. Only praise for God.

God is telling us, don’t be afraid or discouraged. If you think you are far behind others, don’t worry. You are in the front line. You have problems, so many things you are going through, which means you are not behind people. You are always in front of our God, Jesus. God loves you. It doesn’t matter whether others see you or pay attention to you. The one who lives in us has all authority. God has placed everything in the hands of His Son.

Concluding Remarks

See the Greatest Things

Of all of the Israelites who were delivered from Egypt, only two made it to the Promised Land – Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14:30). Why only these two? Most of the Israelites were still thinking like people in slavery. That colored the way they responded to the miracles of God and how they looked at the future. Pastor Praveen said Joshua and Caleb on the other hand, celebrated God’s miracles by clapping and praising God. They only saw the miracles and ignored the difficulties. 

The same thing is true in our family life and our children’s lives. Don’t imagine or focus on emptiness or you will only have emptiness. Always envision the greatest things about your children’s future, even if they won’t obey you. See the blessed life in your family, for your husband or wife. Always see your good health, even if you get a bad result from the doctor. See people filled with the Spirit. Pastor Praveen told of a pastor who preached only to trees when he first started his ministry, because no people showed up. He preached to trees, but he “saw” the people who would be there in the future. After that, the church grew and overflowed. He had a vision.

Always see the vision – see the harvest. We will always have problems until we go to heaven. But we must see the greatest things.

Unity in the Spirit

Before they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter and John ran separately. This is the way they ran to the empty tomb after Jesus was resurrected. When they ran alone, they found nothing – just an empty tomb. Only the women found Jesus (John 20:1-18). Pastor Praveen told us that after they received the tongues of fire at Pentecost, John and Peter held hands and went together with unity.

The Harvest is Coming Soon

Pastor Praveen recently asked God why our church is not having more growth and seeing the harvest we are praying for. God told him that our church is under heavy attack because the enemy knows God is going to use us. Pastor Praveen also asked why more people are not coming to fasting and prayer sessions. God answered that we have been fasting and praying and that is why he has been holding even this many people together in the face of enemy attack. Still, the harvest and the outpouring of the Spirit is coming soon. There will be miracles, signs, and wonders. 

Pastor Praveen’s Message – The Bible is Prophecy

Pastor Praveen acknowledged that we all believe prophecy. He then pointed out that the bible is a prophetic book. It is prophesy – revelation – nothing else. From Genesis to Revelation it is about only one man – Jesus. Each word has revelation – deep meaning. Whatever God has spoken in this book has been happening and is still happening all over the world and in our personal lives. We are the children of God, the inheritance of Jesus Christ. When He called us and saved us out of the darkness into the wonderful light. He prophesied to us about our blessings, healing, eternal life, and many things. He prophesied – promised – these things to us. When He said that He would bless to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments (Deuteronomy 7:9), that was a prophecy. 

We are the children of God. There is prophecy over us, or families, our children, our marriages, our businesses, over the nation, our community, and cities. If you are believing with a clean conscious mind, then you will receive the things prophesied over you. Whatever our God promised – or prophesied – to our forefathers, He accomplished. He will yet fulfill the prophecies of Revelation. 

One of the main prophecies in Genesis is found in what God spoke to the serpent: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15). God will not change His prophecy, so in Luke 1 we see God fulfilling this prophecy with the birth of Jesus. Similarly, God will not change His prophecy over us or over our church. 

What God prophesied in Genesis 3:15, God fulfilled through Mary (Luke 1:26-56). Notice that when the angel of the Lord spoke to Mary, she was humble. She asked, “How will this be since I am a virgin?”(v. 34). The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (v. 35). Note that the angel said, “The Holy Spirit will come …” One hundred percent certainty that it would happen. 

Similarly, before Jesus ascended to heaven, He told the disciples, “… you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” It is a different process, for a different purpose, but the same Spirit that came to Mary and to the disciples. Again, “you will receive power …” means it was 100 percent certain to happen. And when the Holy Spirit came, they would be Jesus witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Similarly, if the Holy Spirit comes on us, we definitely will receive power. 

In the case of Mary, not only did the Holy Spirit come on her, but the power of the Most High overshadowed her. This is an amazing thing. God told Pastor Praveen that heaven came down on Mary. She was covered with power. 

The process started with her humility. She submitted herself before the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High. She didn’t say, “Oh, I am going to be the mother of the Son of God!” She said, “I am servant of my Lord.” This is humility. God’s presence brought about this humility – she became clothed with humility. Then she began to sing in the Spirit – “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” She called Him “my Savior.” This is a personal connection. Likewise, we should remember that Jesus saves each of us personally when He takes us from the darkness to the wonderful light. He is our personal Savior. 

Mary was filled with the Spirit – heaven was in her. That is why Elizabeth also became filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied when Mary stood before her (Luke 1:41-45). Elizabeth said that she was not deserving that the mother of her Lord should come to her. Even the baby in her womb leapt with joy.

Likewise, when we are humble before the Lord and filled with His Spirit, He will honor us before others. People should say of us, “I can see Jesus in you.” This is our calling. If Jesus is in us, wherever we go, people must experience the presence of God. 

When the angel of the Lord spoke to Mary, she believed, even though what she heard sounded impossible. In the same way, there is prophecy over you. Believe what God has spoken. Pastor Praveen reminded us about the widow’s son that Jesus raised from the dead (Luke 7:11-17). He had compassion and touched the coffin and the boy sat up. There is power in the name of Jesus. Nothing is impossible with God. You need to believe prophecy. Then you will see miracles in your life. Why don’t you believe? Mary believed and began to sing and praise God. So she received the promised fruit in her life. 

The point is that our clean, conscious mind and our faith need to connect. If you have faith, but no confidence in your conscious mind, you will not receive anything from the Lord. 

There are still many active prophecies about the Lord healing, deliverance, and prophetic ministries. Are you ready to submit before Him? You might think, “How will this be?” Don’t think about your age, education, how well you can speak. Don’t think. God’s blessing and calling comes with a great package. 

Before Jesus saved Pastor Praveen, he was very shy. He wouldn’t sit with or speak with people except for just a few friends. When he did speak, he would not make eye contact. When the Spirit came upon him, he changed because he received a great package. 

Jesus crushed the head of the serpent. Then He took the key back from Satan and gave it to us. Use it! What key do you need to use? The key of the Love of Christ? Of Forgiveness? Of Salvation? Of healing? Of deliverance? Use it! Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20). That is His promise. Do you believe God is in you? God is with you? Did he change His promise? He said, “I will be with you always. Even to the end of the age.” “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5). He is keeping His promises because He is the promise keeper. 

There is prophecy over you, your family, and this church, because we are all children of God. He called us with a great blessing, great promises, a great package. Jesus gave us the authority to go and make disciples. God is telling us, “Go! Why don’t you go?” If you believe, you will drive out demons, speak in new tongues, pick up snakes in your hand, drink deadly poison and not die, lay your hands on the sick and they will get well (Mark 16:17-18). Also, you will trample on snakes and scorpions and overcome all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). What else do we need?

Pastor Praveen made several points from Acts 1 and 2. He said the one who was conceived by the Holy Spirit also gave instructions to his disciples by the Holy Spirit. He said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” The 120 who were praying together on the day of Pentecost had clothed themselves with humility toward one another. All were equal. None were trying to be better than the others. The women and the men were there together. They were praying constantly in one accord because they believed this prophecy. 

A sound like a violent wind came and filled the whole house. Why? Because they believed the prophecy. They knew how to receive the tongues of fire – with unity in one accord and clothed with humility toward one another. What God prophesied to them before ascending to heaven, he fulfilled with the tongues of fire. 

Concluding Remarks

Pastor Praveen has received two visions of heaven from the Lord. Today, he spoke about the second one in which God took him to the throne room where he joined in worship with the 24 elders. The King of kings was sitting on the throne, watching them. Pastor Praveen saw the glory of the Lord – it looked something like smoke – coming from the throne. It came towards Pastor Praveen and touched his heart. Then the Lord took him on a tour around heaven. After this experience, Pastor Praveen’s level of ministry changed. Soon after the vision, he prayed for a woman who was nearly dead and she immediately recovered by the power of God. 

We must keep His commands always in our lives. There are permanent homes for us in heaven, not made by human hands.

Introductory Comments

When by God’s grace you humble ourselves before Him as much as you can, He will reveal to you His love, preservation, and mighty protection. He will reveal many things about Himself. 

As human beings we have challenges and trials in our lives. But if we open our hearts to God, He will fill us with peace in our lives. Others will also experience peace through us because the Peacemaker is in us. Our hearts and our homes must be houses of prayer. Nothing and no one except the Lord can give us peace in this life because everyone else is limited. 

The gospel is pure love with power. Therefore, we must love as Jesus loved us – with power. In Jesus’ ministry, that power reflected healing and deliverance. Pastor Praveen has noticed that Christians often love people, but the love is not working – people are not saved. That is because it is not enough simply to love – we must love with power. Jesus spoke to His disciples, “… As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:24). 

If you are loving your family or others with the love of Christ, no one can break that weapon. There is power in the love of Christ. Pastor Praveen has seen many people saved through his ministry over the years – because he and his associates are sharing the love of Christ. We can change people through the love of Christ – but we must pay the price. God will give us the grace to pay the price. 

Pastor Praveen’s Message – The Hands of God

The hands of God can change everything in our lives. If God can change this world by His Spirit, who are we that He cannot change us? His Spirit is hovering all over the world. Heaven is His throne and the earth is His footstool, so the earth is filled with His glory. He is watching us every moment, even our every expression, thoughts, and deeds. We are moving by His power and His Spirit because He is in us. When we meet Him face-to-face, we cannot argue or lie about what we have done. He will just smile and play the video. 

In earlier sessions, Pastor Praveen spoke about Jesus stretching out His hand to heal a leprous man (Matthew 8:2-3). The man’s heart was humble and clean – only his skin was leprous. He knelt down before God, “Lord if you are willing, please clean me.” Bring your requests before the Lord with humility. He proved His love on the cross. He is always working among the dry bones, among needy people. 

Manna as a Shadow of Christ

Pastor Praveen shared a revelation he received from the Lord: manna is a shadow of Christ. The Old Testament (Exodus 16:13-15) says that manna came down with the morning dew. The morning dew came from heaven and represents the Holy Spirit. The morning dew covered the manna – the bread. In the same way, Jesus came with the Holy Spirit. He did nothing without the Holy Spirit. Just as the manna was covered with the morning dew, Jesus’ love is always covered with power. 

Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.” (John 6:51). That is the reason he told the Syrophoenician woman, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs” when she asked for his help. (Mark 7:27). But when she replied with humility, he had compassion on her. (v. 29).

Scripture says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7). Why are you worried? Just be humble before Him. Wherever Jesus saw humility, he had compassion. 

But remember, only God can know the heart of the people. Pastor Praveen told a story from his own life to make this point. Around 1989, while Pastor Praveen was living in India, he applied for a loan from the bank. It happened that one of the board members was his uncle. The others at the bank thought Pastor Praveen was prideful because his uncle was on the board. They assumed Pastor Praveen thought he would automatically receive the loan because of his uncle. So the other board members caused the loan to be delayed. However, Pastor Praveen responded with humility. After Pastor Praveen received the loan, the bank supervisor apologized to him, saying, “I never realized you were this humble.” The point is that only God knows the depth of our love or humility, because He is the one living in our hearts. However, we only need a “certificate” from Jesus. Not from this world.

Jesus’ Compassion in the Widow’s Life and in Ours

Pastor Praveen spoke from the account of Jesus raising a widow’s son from the dead (Luke 7:11-17). Luke 7:12 says, “As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out.” The widow was walking there. She had only one son and now he was dead. She had lost everything in that city – her husband had already passed away. Yet, she had her son as a remembrance of her husband’s love. Now the son was gone too.  

As Jesus approached, He saw the widow. She had no hope. Her husband and the son would not come back. What was her life now? After burying her son, she would come back with a broken heart. Maybe she would not even want to return to the city where her life was destroyed. But when Jesus saw her, His heart went out to her. This is the compassion of God. 

Pastor Praveen related this account to his own experience. There was a time when he had come to hate the city where he was born and raised. He had faced many hardships there including opposition from his own family. He doesn’t remember any good days from his youth in his city. He wanted to leave his city because he had no peace with his own family. He was absolutely empty. But Jesus came into his heart and into his life. Jesus’ Spirit and his tender love came upon Pastor Praveen. As a result, his thoughts totally changed. God brought him back to his city and began to use him there. God began to do miracles through him. God had compassion on Pastor Praveen in the same way that his heart went out to the widow of Luke 7. 

Jesus said to the widow, “Don’t cry.” Pastor Praveen said that God had this message for us this morning. If someone is coming with discouragement and with a heart crying out to God, He is saying, “Don’t cry.” The hands of God are upon you. We cannot measure His grace, mercy, compassion, and love. When he stood before the tomb of Lazarus, he was deeply moved in Spirit and troubled. Then, Jesus wept. (John 11:33-35). 

“Don’t cry,” He told the widow. Then he stretched out His hand and touched the coffin. Pastor Praveen said that the dead body was securely locked inside the coffin. But when Jesus touched the coffin, the hands of the Father who anointed Him touched it at the same time. Luke 4:18 tell us that the Spirit of the Lord was on Jesus “Because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” That is why the Father’s hands and Jesus’ hands both touched the coffin – because the Spirit of the Lord was on Jesus. 

In the same way, when we touch people for healing, the hands of God come and touch them at the same time. His power is greater than electricity. That is why you sometimes see people fall down when the Spirit touches them. God uses His great power to rescue and protect His children but to destroy His enemy. 

When Jesus touched the coffin, He said, “Young man. I say to you, get up.” The man sat up and began to speak. The lock of the coffin opened at the touch of the hand of God. God holds the master key to destroy the worldly locks. He can open anything the enemy has locked up in the lives of His children. 

Concluding Remarks

During a time of praise, worship, and prayer, Pastor Praveen shared the following insights. 

• God has given us the keys of the kingdom of heaven. The key of the love of Christ and the key of forgiveness are two master keys that together will produce the key of salvation. Don’t listen to the world – listen to God. He will help you to love and forgive one another and to clothe yourselves with humility towards one another. We need God’s touch in our lives each day. 

• Pastor Praveen said that there are many people dying of Covid-19 all over the world, but it does not appear that people are repenting. If the people don’t repent, we can’t expect God to bring this time of trial to an end. Things could become very difficult. But those living in “Goshen,” in the hand of God, will be well protected by the blood of Jesus. Similarly, the Israelites in Goshen were kept safe from plagues sent on Egypt in the time of the Exodus. (Exodus 7-13). 

• Pastor Praveen had a dream a few years ago in which he saw a shuttle, like a space shuttle, coming from space. It was headed straight toward the White House. It was coming to destroy America and Israel. In the dream, Pastor Praveen cried out to God and the shuttle was diverted and landed harmlessly far away from the White House. Then Pastor Praveen asked God, “Lord, who are they?” God answered clearly that China and Russia were supporting Iran, who sent the shuttle. We must pray for our nation and cry to God, and He will destroy the shuttle in the sky. God will bless the nations that bless Israel and curse those who curse them (Genesis 12:3).

• God has told Pastor Praveen that it is very important that the current government should remain in power after the election. If not, God will remove the wall of protection around America. Things will become bad. But those in “Goshen” will be protected. 

• We need to be clothed by God’s power and to have His protection around us because the enemy is trying to destroy families – particularly children. Even parents don’t know what the children are facing in this generation. We are like Sampson’s parents. They were walking with Sampson when he was attacked by a lion, but they didn’t even know about it (Judges 14:5-6). He was attacked because God had a plan for his life. That is also why suddenly the Spirit of the Lord came upon Sampson and he tore the lion as if it were a young goat. 

Why is the enemy attacking this generation? Because God is going to raise them up. He has great purpose and plans for our children’s lives. When the enemy roars to destroy the children, we need to roar back, because our God is the Lion of Judah. His Spirit is in us. We should not be frightened by the enemy’s plan. We need to make the enemy frightened by the power of God. Don’t think, “Why are my children like this?” God has great purpose in their lives and that is why the enemy is misguiding them. We can’t be like Sampson’s parents. We need to know what is happening in our children’s lives.

Introductory Comments

God needs humble people, ordinary people, because He is humble. He left all His glory and came to earth as a man – an ordinary man like us. Whoever humbles themselves before God, he will lift up beyond imagination. But if we think we are already knowledgeable and can figure out for ourselves what to do, we will fail. If you are humble and listen to the word of God, you will see His glory and have victory wherever you go. 

Give Him room to live in your heart. Don’t leave room for anything else. Remember, Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” This means we must honor and love God first, before anyone else. Then whatever He has given us – like our family – He is able to protect. Our God is a jealous God. 

Pastor Praveen’s Message – Are you Ready to Go among the Dry Bones?

Pastor Praveen spoke from Ezekiel 37:1-11. The prophet began, “The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.” This means we are the vehicle of the Holy Spirit. We must not say, “I cannot turn left, I cannot turn right.” Wherever He says to go, we need to go. We need to keep quiet. “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10). 

God’s Spirit led Ezekiel back and forth among the dry bones. Then the Lord asked him, “Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel didn’t know. He answered, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” God told him to speak to the dry bones. He was to tell the bones to listen to the word of God. Then God would make breath enter them so they would come to life. What is the breath of God? It is the Holy Spirit. 

The bones were dry because they were disobedient. They had not listened to the word of God. If you obey God and listen to His word, you will have life because He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Listen to the word of God and it will lift you up. It will change your dryness into life.

In obedience, Ezekiel spoke the word: “So I prophesied as I was commanded.” Then breath entered the dry bones and they came to life and stood up – a vast army. This is the key. When we listen to the word of God, it will change our lives. Only the Holy Spirit can change our lives and change this world. God is Spirit, the victorious God. He created everything by speaking the word. And by His hand, He made us. He took us from the dust. We cannot tell the potter how to mold us. Jesus is our leader. Listen to His word. Don’t give any preference to any human leaders.  He will lift you up, and your family, your generations. He will guide, protect, and rescue you. He will give you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and overcome all the power of the enemy. 

Notice that God took Ezekiel to the middle of the valley among the dry bones to speak the word. No one should think that they should preach only on a big convention stage or auditorium with lights and music. We are the vehicles of God. Wherever God tells us to go, we must follow the Spirit. Ezekiel did not say, “I cannot go to the valley. There are many people here. I can preach here. I don’t want to go among the wicked, disobedient people. They won’t listen to me.” He didn’t say anything because he knew he was a vehicle of God. 

Likewise, when the Spirit comes upon you, you need to follow the Spirit. If you will go, God can lift you up from the valley. Through you, he can lift up many dry bones in your city, community, family. That is our calling. Don’t limit your calling. Your calling is unlimited because Jesus, Lord of lords, is unlimited. You can’t ask Him to move or to go. You need to go at His command. Do it.

Like Jonah, you might not go (Jonah 1). You might think, “I can sleep. I can stay here.” Then He will throw you out, like Jonah. You must go with God’s plan and idea. Otherwise, everywhere you go, God will shake that place because of your disobedience.

Ezekiel did not refuse to go to the middle of the valley among the dry bones. He was ready to go and speak the word. It is our duty to obey God, to be with Him and walk with Him. Listen to the word of God – and do it. Then you will see great victory. 

Pastor Praveen said that he was once one of the dry bones in his family. He had no hope, joy, peace. He was absolutely empty and good for nothing. But the Word came upon him at 3 in the afternoon on a Friday. He said, “Believe me, I am Jesus.” Pastor Praveen listened to the Word of God. Then Jesus prophesied to Pastor Praveen, telling him the things He would do in his life. Pastor Praveen believed and followed Him. He is still following Him. If Jesus asks him to stay, he will stay. If he says to move, he will move. He cannot do anything without His help. 

At that time, Pastor Praveen did not even have a bible. He only knew what the Lord had prophesied to him. Yet, he said, “Lord, send me among the poor people. Among those who cannot even give me a single cup of water.” Because Jesus ministered among the poor, Pastor Praveen wanted the same type of ministry. Because Pastor Praveen was a dry bone who was changed by the Lord, he wanted to go and change people with God’s help. He wished to go among the poor, the wicked, the disobedient. This is exactly the ministry that the Lord gave him.

Because God is their source, Pastor Praveen and his ministry partners have seen many people saved by God in India and Africa. Even in 2019, they started new churches in Telangana and Chennai in India, Monrovia in Liberia, and in Ethiopia. And now they are also working in Bombay and another location in North India. God used Pastor Praveen in this way because he asked the Lord to send him among dry bones. If you have the heart to go, God will open the doors for you. He will open his heavenly treasury.

It was Ezekiel’s job to speak as commanded wherever he was told to go. We must do the same. Go and speak the word. Then God will breath on the dry bones and raise them up for his purpose and plan. Pastor Praveen asked, “How many of you want to go among the dry bones? In the middle of the valley?” You have a long journey ahead. The bus is ready. Get on the bus. Go! God will drive you. Give him the drivers seat. Give him a chance to be the captain of your bus, of your life, your family. He is a great captain because He is a great winner. If you make him the captain of your life, you will have joy. He will make you dance, always.  Give your life to God, completely. Listen to Him.

God can change dry bones into a vast army. We are the army of Christ. God is asking us, “Can our community live?” We cannot answer like Ezekiel, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” We know that God can change the community. We must go stand among the dry bones and speak the word.

Introductory Remarks 

Pastor Praveen said we cannot please God without cleansing and purification by the blood of Jesus. Jesus shed His last drop of blood for us on the cross. Then He said, “It is finished.” What is blood? Blood is life. He gave us new life through cleansing and purification. We need to be cleansed by God every day. There is power in His blood to protect us from all evil. 

As a Christian you will go through the fire, but you will see new fruit in your life at the end. We cannot grow without going through the fire. Many times Pastor Praveen has asked, “How can I go on?” But at the end of the fire, he saw new fruit. Then he realized he had not been alone in the fire, but God was with him. We are children of God. We must believe whatever promises He has prophesied to us. God promised to us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5). This is a prophecy from God to us. 

As long as we are in the battlefield, we will have a battle. But the one who called you is a mighty warrior. “Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6). Always remember, through the fire you are growing. At the end of the fire, you will see the fruit.

Pastor Praveen’s Message – The Hands of God

What does it mean, “The hands of God came upon me?” There are many meanings to this phrase. Today, Pastor Praveen addressed one of the meanings – the Spirit of God, His power upon us.

We are in the hands of God. His hands are always on us. This means we are clothed with His power. His Spirit is upon us, in us, with us. He is holding us with His righteous right hand. His Spirit is always protecting, guiding, and leading us. Some days, you will be under a pillar of fire and other days under a pillar of cloud. Everywhere Pastor Praveen travels, the hands of God are with him – he is covered by His Spirit. Pastor Praveen said that today, the hands of God are going to come upon our personal life, family life, children’s lives. When we surrender before the Lord, His hands – His Spirit – will come upon us and we will receive something new from Him.  

How can we receive this help, this power, from God? Whenever our hearts are humble, we will experience the presence of God. Sometimes His Spirit comes upon us and we cry while worshiping or listening to the word of God. Unless the Spirit touches our hearts, we cannot cry in this way. Great sinners will cry when the servant of God speaks the word because the word is God and God is Spirit. The Spirit always reveals and reminds us of our sin. The Spirit will enter your heart and mind – you will hear from God and then you will cry in the Spirit. 

1 Peter 5:5-7 says, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” This means that before God can lift us up with His hands – with His Spirit – we must first clothe ourselves with humility toward one another in our family life, our church, wherever we go. We must humble ourselves before the Lord. This humility is the testimony of Christ in our lives. 

Also, we must understand that we cannot solve our problems. Don’t try. We would fail every time because we are only dust. Instead, cast all your anxiety on Him who cares for you. You can do nothing without his permission, His help, His Spirit, His presence. You need the One who took you from the dust. His name is Jesus – the Great Potter. He knows what we need and how to solve our problems. He is our great provider and our source. He knows everything. We often act like we know something, but this is foolishness. We need to surrender before Him – “I am empty. I don’t know anything. Fill me.”

We need to pray, “Melt me, mold me, fill me, and then use me.” Every day, Pastor Praveen prays, “Lord, melt me.” God knows how to melt us – which areas to melt. But melting is a very hard process. Before you ask him to melt you, you need to decide – are you ready to go through that? Not only tears, but fire will come from your eyes. Before asking to be melted, you need to ask Him to help you go through that process. You need His tender mercy. Without His help, you cannot handle it. After submitting to the melting, you can pray, “Mold me, fill me, and then use me.” We need to understand what it means to be a child of God and to show this meaning to others. 

Yet, our humility must be genuine. Isaiah 29:13 says, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Can we hide anything from God? Although we may act in a way to make people believe we are very humble, God knows the depths of our humility. He opposes pride. That is why many families cannot grow spiritually, financially, and otherwise. There are so many hindrances arising from their pride. The family members may be competitive towards one another. Maybe they don’t want to submit, agree, or surrender. The same is true of many churches. 

What do we need to do? Cast all our anxiety on Him. Humble ourselves. God called us with a great package that holds everything for our thousand generations. But we are ignoring that package and focusing on our problems – on many unnecessary things. The enemy is injecting poison into our minds to set us against one another. We cannot allow this. We must understand that we are children of God – we are well protected by the hands of God. 

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8). Unless our hearts are pure, we cannot see God, experience the hands of God, have dreams and visions, or receive power, the Spirit of fire. If we are not experiencing the presence of God in our prayer, we need to say, “Where am I? Where am I wrong? In which areas do I need to surrender, confess, and repent.” This is what we need to do if we are not experiencing His presence or we cannot concentrate on prayer or reading the bible.  Then He will show His great compassion and reveal which areas are causing our trouble and hindering against our blessing. We must humble ourselves under His mighty hand. 

Matthew 8:2-3 tells of a man Jesus healed of leprosy. Lepers were not allowed in the cities, but Jesus went to the areas where they were living. This leper knew he needed healing – cleansing. So he ran to the Lord. He knelt before Him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, cleanse me.” Jesus came to this world with humility, for sinners not for the righteous. Right away, He reached out His hand and touched him– the hands of God came upon the leper. Jesus said, “I am willing. Be clean.” This leper showed humility before the Lord, so Jesus had compassion on him. 

Jesus touched the leper and spoke the word for his healing. Likewise, God can heal us by touching or by the word. When Naaman came to Elisha’s house, he stopped his chariot before his door. (2 Kings 5:1-19). The bible says Naaman was a great man. Because of his pride in his great status, Naaman thought Elisha would come out and lay his hands on him. Instead, Elisha said, “Go!” It was not the voice of Elisha, it was the voice of God – the word of God. The voice of Elisha cannot heal anyone. He told him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

In this Old Testament account, God spoke a word through Elisha. When Jesus was ministering in New Testament times, he reached out His hand and cleansed the leper. We are even more fortunate in these times. Jesus in us. From time to time he is healing, delivering, and blessing us. Sometimes He will heal us even when we don’t ask or don’t know what kind of sickness is in our body. 

What do we need to do to receive this? Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. Only then will God lift you up. Otherwise He will never do anything in our lives. Surrender under His mighty hand with humility. We need cleansing in our personal life, spiritual life, family life, and our church. Then the Spirit will come and work. When Our hearts become pure in the eyes of God, then we will see the fire in our lives.

Pastor Praveen’s Message – God Will Fulfill His Prophecy in Your Life

Pastor Praveen spoke on Genesis 37 about Joseph and his dreams and visions. He asked how many of us want to have dreams and visions. He said that it is good to want to receive visions and dreams from God. But how much do you believe your visions and dreams? If God is showing you any visions and dreams, they will be fulfilled in your life. That is Pastor Praveen’s experience these last 28 years. God is faithful.

Genesis 37:3-4 says that Joseph’s father loved him more than any of his other brothers. So, his brothers were jealous. When Joseph shared his dreams and visions with them, it led to great disaster in his life. He shared his first dream and right away his brothers said, ““Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” They rejected him because they themselves had not had a dream or vision. This is because Joseph was special. He was chosen by God. Joseph kept quiet – he didn’t argue with them. 

If you are chosen by God in your family, you will have dreams and visions. Opposition will arise against you – because God is with you. Even some of those who are worshiping next to you may reject you. 

Joseph also told his brothers and his father, Jacob, about his second dream. Right away, Jacob rebuked him, “Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” Even his father didn’t want to hear about his dreams and visions. This was selfishness. Jacob had experienced his own dream when he saw heaven open over him when he was at Luz (Genesis 28:10-22). He thought he was the one to have dreams, not Joseph. But God loves everybody. He will give dreams and visions to his children without favoritism. 

Joseph was rejected by his own brothers and his lovely father. But he kept quiet and trusted in God. He didn’t say anything against them. He knew what he had seen and waited for the time to come. God gave him the power and strength to face rejection. Joseph also faced false testimony later in his life from Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39). Again, Joseph did not say anything, but kept quiet. In the end, Pharaoh said of Joseph, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?” (Genesis 41:38). 

If God has promised you anything about your bright future, your family life, or spiritual life but things are difficult now, just keep quiet. Forget about the rejection and opposition. Trust in God. He is able to fulfill your dream and visions, and your promises in all areas of your life. “Those who look to him are radiant. Their faces are never covered with shame.” (Psalm 34:5).

Many people also gave false testimony in the lives Stephen and John, whom Pastor Praveen spoke about in earlier sessions. The Roman Empire exiled John to Patmos because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 1:9). But God, who is faithful, opened the heavens for him, so we received a great revelation. If you are facing a kind of “Patmos” – you feel rejected and alone – God will give you something new in your life. He will bless many people through you. 

Our forefathers faced false testimony because they were God’s chosen instrument. If you are God’s chosen instrument, someday you will face false testimony. Your heart is innocent, but people will make stories against you, even your friends and relatives. But keep quiet. Our own family and friends may reject us, but if you have a dream or promise from God, He will fulfill it before your family, relatives, friends, and community. He will honor you. By their own mouth they will speak about you, “She is a Godly woman.” “He is a man of God.” The rejection is only temporary. If you trust in God, the visions and dreams will come true. 

If we depend on God, he will give us the power and strength to face everything that is happening in our lives. The difficulties will turn to great blessing. We will have a great testimony. All disaster will flee from our lives. God will repay everything with interest. 

Personal Testimony from Pastor Praveen

Pastor Praveen shared a personal testimony about the rejection he experienced from his family after he received salvation in Jesus Christ. 

There are 9 siblings in Pastor Praveen’s family – 3 brothers, 5 sisters, and himself. Pastor Praveen was the 8th to be born. He has one younger sister. In Pastor Praveen’s youth, his 3 brothers were very close to one another, but they did not care much for him. They were jealous because his mother loved him so much and treated him with special favor. They would complain, “Why does she love him so much?”

Pastor Praveen’s mother passed away when he was working in Saudi Arabia as a young man. It was during that time frame that he received salvation from the Lord. Pastor Praveen’s father had died earlier in his childhood. His brothers were left rich and proud. When Pastor Praveen and his wife, Sridevi, returned to India as Christians, his Hindu brothers rejected him. They told him, “Don’t enter our gate. You have no address. Get out!” In India, this is the way people speak to street dogs, “Get out!” They would speak about him, “Always fasting and praying. What is going on? He is crazy!” They invented many false testimonies about him and caused much trouble. They tried to kill him with shame. His third-born brother in particular would have been very happy if he died. But Pastor Praveen loved them.

Pastor Praveen’s brothers tried to cover him and his wife with shame. They did not include them in any family gatherings. When the second-born brother’s daughter married, he did not invite Pastor Praveen and Sridevi to the wedding. This was a shaming treatment in their culture. However, even before the day of the wedding God told Pastor Praveen during a time of fasting and prayer that the marriage would be broken before nine months. 

The wedding was held outdoors in a fenced in area that Pastor Praveen and Sridevi routinely had to walk past. As they went by that day, his family laughed and jeered at them. God told Pastor Praveen, “Love him. That is your ministry.” 

It was not long until Pastor Praveen’s estranged brothers began to have trouble. The youngest of the three brothers had diabetes and the doctors wanted to amputate his leg. He was a young man. Even though this brother hated him, Pastor Praveen prayed for him. He went to see him in the hospital. His brother’s situation had worsened. The director of the ICU, who was a friend of Pastor Praveen, told him that the medicine was not working and that his brother would die. His kidney was not functioning. 

When Pastor Praveen went to the hospital room, his brother and sister-in-law would not speak to him. The brother was very ill. His stomach was greatly distended from accumulated fluid and he was having trouble breathing. Pastor Praveen laid his hand on his brother’s stomach and told his sister-in-law to give him a half cup of water, which she did. His brother was crying now because he could see how much Pastor Praveen loved him. Pastor Praveen prayed and gave the brother the water. After that, the doctor who had said the brother would die saw a change. He said, “There is hope. He will not die.”

While the brother was recovering, Sridevi went every day to clean, treat, and rebandage his wounds. Because Pastor Praveen knows who his God is and understands the power of God, he kept quiet in the face of rejection, and loved his brother. After this experience, the brother was saved by God.

Soon after that, the same brother was again in the hospital and needed blood. At that time, Pastor Praveen was on the 18th day of a 21 day fast. Nevertheless, he said, “I am ready to give blood to my brother.” His brother saw the love of Christ in Pastor Praveen’s life. 

After that, Pastor Praveen and Sridevi moved to the United States. He called his oldest brother on the phone. In their culture, when the parents are passed, the oldest brother becomes like the father to the family. It was very painful when his brother told him, “I have no brother like this. He already died. Don’t call anymore.” Pastor Praveen laughed in the Spirit. 

Still, God continued to bring the brothers to salvation one-by-one through Pastor Praveen, even as He brought Joseph’s brothers to him. God brought each one into difficulty with their health or their finances. Each time God used Pastor Praveen to minister to them, praying for their healing and restoration as well as helping them financially.

Next, the second-born brother experienced a financial downturn. Exactly as God had said,his daughter’s marriage ended in divorce within 9 months of the wedding. Furthermore, her father had paid a very large dowry to the groom and his family. Even though the groom, who was quite rich, did not even value the dowry, it was a big factor in Pastor Praveen’s brother’s financial predicament.  

Pastor Praveen had a dream that his brother would come to him in tears asking for help. This dream came true and God gave Pastor Praveen the ability to help his brother through his many friends and connections within the police department and the courts. Pastor Praveen and Sridevi also regularly sent money to his brother and his wife to help them out. Sridevi even worked overtime to earn extra money to send. Through this experience, his brother and his wife were saved by God and were baptized. They recovered financially and the daughter is happily remarried.

In time, the oldest brother also began to have financial difficulties and lost everything. So great was his distress, he was almost suicidal.  In 2014, when Pastor Praveen went on a ministry trip to India with Pastor Tim Baldwin, the oldest brother took his whole family to the service where Pastor Praveen was preaching. That same day, he was saved by God. He has since recovered financially.  

So, God brought all three brothers to Pastor Praveen. The Lord brought difficulties into their lives and then gave Pastor Praveen a way to help them. God honored Pastor Praveen before them because he didn’t open his mouth, but loved them. Years before Pastor Praveen had received a dream from the Lord that He would bring his brothers to him like Joseph. He believed God and believed the dream. 

There is a sadder note to this testimony. When Pastor Praveen was living in the United States, the younger two of Pastor Praveen’s brothers passed away. God has not told him why and he has not asked. The brothers were saved by God and were baptized. Yet, God says, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and compassion on whom I have compassion.” (Exodus 33:19). They were both between 50 and 55 years old. Pastor Praveen did not get to see his brothers before they died because God would not let Pastor Praveen visit India for the first 9 years after he moved to the United States. In 2014, after they died, he went to India on a ministry trip with Pastor Tim Baldwin. God told him, “Whoever wanted to see your death – they are gone. Now you can go to your place. Go.” This is the same word God spoke to Moses when He told him to return to Egypt (Exodus 4:19). 

The rejection Pastor Praveen endured as a Christian is similar to the rejection Jesus faced. You can see in Mark 3:20-22 that Jesus’ family rejected him. According to Mark 3:20, Jesus was so busy with His ministry that he did not even have time to eat. “When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” In this way, His own family rejected Him before the people. This is the natural way with human beings. After His family rejected him, others said that He was possessed by demons – driving out demons by the power of demons.

When Jesus was crucified, He cried with a loud voice and gave up His Spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from the top to bottom. The earth shook by the power of God, the rocks split, the tombs broke open, and many holy people were raised to life. The people who had accused Jesus were terrified and exclaimed, “Surely He was the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:51-54). The point is, Jesus never opened His mouth against His accusers, even His own family. He kept quiet even on the cross. He showed them love. He prayed for them in His pain. But He cried on the cross for our salvation, healing, deliverance, eternal life. He proved His love on the cross. 

We need to do the same thing. We need that kind of testimony, that kind of character. If we will forgive one another and are ready to face any kind of rejection in the name of Jesus, God will honor us. We must communicate our love not just with words but with deeds. Without deeds, our words are useless. Our families and friends must know from experience that we are loving them. With a hard heart we cannot reach anybody. We must remember, our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, and the power of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). 

During those years that God would not let Pastor Praveen go to India, his brothers kept asking him to come. “Will you not come? We want to see you. Will you wait until we die to come?” Pastor Praveen told them, “It is not my time to come.” Lately, his oldest brother started asking, “Will you not come? I want to see you.” In 2018 Pastor Praveen travelled to India for a crusade and he visited his oldest brother while he was there. One day, his oldest brother told him that he was sorry for the way he had treated Pastor Praveen in the past. He said that he was now experiencing love, joy, and peace. He told Pastor Praveen, “I can see God in you.” That evening, Pastor Praveen was crying and preaching at the same time.

Love in word and deed is the key. Then we can plunder the enemy. Love is the greatest weapon. We need to love and trust one another. We also must believe one another because the same blood is in us.

Introductory Comments

All glory belongs to God – we must praise Him always. Only by His grace can we do anything. Without health, we cannot work. Without knowledge and wisdom, we cannot study. We are nothing and without God we can do nothing. Only He can lift you up, bless you, deliver you, heal you, and make a way for you and your children. The newer generations think they know everything, but they know nothing, or only foolish things. We need to teach them, “’Not by might nor power, but by my Spirit’ says the Lord.” (Zechariah 4:6). Only God can lift you up, bless you, deliver you, heal you, and make a way for you and your children. He is the way maker, the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6). We can teach our children but we cannot follow them, always walking behind them. They need to fear the Lord and obey.

We also must repent and bow before our Savior, Jesus, who died for us because of our great sin. Love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and worship Him in spirit and truth. We must ask God for cleansing each day. Otherwise we can do nothing. Today’s power, knowledge, and wisdom is not enough for tomorrow. Each day, by His grace, He will renew the strength of those who are depending on Him and open new doors for them. Each day, you must experience the presence of God. It doesn’t matter how many days you have been worshiping Him. What is your life like today?

Similarly, God helped Jacob when he was running from his brother Esau (Genesis 28). He was afraid his brother would kill him. Although Jacob knew that he had blessings from God, he felt like he could not go forward. He was in the wilderness – but the one who blessed him was faithful. God opened the heaven over Jacob. The One who opened the heaven for Jacob will open the heaven for you, your children, your church, this community. Jacob said, “This place is not Luz, it is Bethel.” He changed the name to Bethel, meaning “the gates of God.” God can change Luz to Bethel in our lives. 

Remember, if you are a child of God, you need persecution in your life. The Christian life is not easy, because the darkness always fights against the light. The darkness will never prevail because Jesus, the light of the world is in you. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. His light is in us – we are covered by this light. John 1 says, “In Him was life and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not understood it.” (John 1:4-5). We are filled with and covered by His light and clothed with His power. Wherever you go, you will shine in that area. But you have a battle. The darkness does not want to see light. 

The apostles were always rejected by people because they were performing signs and wonders by the Spirit of God. But remember, the battle is not yours, but God’s. He will fight for you, your family, children, community, country. He is a great fighter. We must be quiet and give him a chance. Believe and trust in Him – let Him be the captain of your boat. The captain knows how to rebuke the winds and waves. If He is in our boat, everything is under control. We will reach the right place.

Pastor Praveen’s Message – Paul and Barnabas

Pastor Praveen spoke about challenges faced by Paul and Barnabas in their ministry. Acts 14:1 says that at Iconium Paul and Barnabas “spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.” The people listened to them and followed them. But the Jews who refused to listen made trouble and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles who had not believed the message. We will face this kind of situation in our Christian walk. Sometimes, people will poison the minds of others against us. But we need to understand that God’s power is above everything. His name is above all names. We have authority over the enemy – over the poison. 

God spoke through Mark 16:15-18 saying that those who believe will drive out demons, speak in tongues, pick up snakes in their hands, and when they drink deadly poison they will not die. When they lay their hands on the sick, they will be healed. This is the authority God has given His children – the authority to trample snakes and scorpions and overcome all the power of the enemy. If the enemy poisons anyone’s mind against you, your family, or your boss, it will be temporary. But the one who has called you and is in you will rebuke that kind of poison because He loves you. 

By the power of God, Paul and Barnabas continued to perform signs and wonders among the Iconium people. This was a sign and a testimony – proof that they were children of the living God. We should not be frightened by the enemy’s plan. We need to make the enemy frightened by the power of God. That is our calling. We, as Christians, have thorns and stones in our walk. However, a living crown is waiting for us. We must go through this process. The type of crown you receive depends on the type of persecution you endure. Pastor Praveen says he does not worry about the persecution he may face because heaven is God’s throne and the earth is His footstool, so he is always at God’s feet. Why should he worry?

We need to understand who we are and what our calling is. According to Acts 13:1-3, it was not the disciples who decided to set apart Paul and Barnabas for ministry. It was the Holy Spirit who called them to serve. We also are called by God. Those who try to poison minds against us are never going to prevail. We will win because God is a victorious God. 

Because many Jews and Gentiles at Iconium planned to stone them, Paul and Barnabas moved on to another city (Acts 14:5-6). There, they encountered a bed-ridden man who had never walked. While Paul was speaking the word of God, the man was listening earnestly. Paul looked at him and understood by God’s Spirit that he had faith to be healed. He did not even pray for the man, but filled with the Holy Spirit, Paul said, “Stand up on your feet.” The man jumped up and began to walk. (Acts 14:8-10)

This means that when you are listening to the word of God earnestly with your faithful heart and you need healing, deliverance, blessing, or breakthrough, that word will touch you in your heart. It will heal you, deliver you, or bless you because the word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. 

Pastor Praveen said that if someone was going through a difficult situation, maybe facing rejection in their family, workplace, or community, God was speaking to them. “Stand on your feet and walk! I will uphold, help, strengthen, and honor you!”

After this great miracle, people again rejected Paul. They stoned him and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead (Acts 14:19-20). Did Paul say, “They stoned me! Always persecution. I don’t want this ministry anymore!” No. Because it is a great privilege to serve our God. He will take care of your thousand generations. 

Remember, when Jesus was carrying the cross, he turned and saw the women crying. He said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not cry for me; cry for yourselves and for your children… For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (Luke 23:28, 31). If the word is in you, you will have persecution, but more so you will have great blessing and a special house and a special crown in heaven. 

Personal Testimony

On Friday evening, Pastor Praveen shared a personal testimony about how rejection turned to blessing in his life when he was ministering to a small church in India. This morning, Pastor Praveen shared a testimony about rejection after preaching at another church in the same area. He told us that while he was in bible college he was invited to preach as a guest speaker at a local Apostolic church. A fellow student had arranged for the invitation. He agreed to preach, but he prayed to God that before he even began to preach, He would pour out His Holy Spirit on the people. He wanted to see this kind of powerful act by God as a confirmation of his calling. When he stood up in the pulpit, he held up his hand and said, “Receive power in the name of Jesus!” All the people were filled with the Holy Spirit and started to speak in tongues. People who had never engaged actively in worship were filled with the Spirit and glorifying the Lord. Pastor Praveen wanted to preach at least a short message, but the Holy Spirit said no, He was doing His work.

Pastor Praveen observed that the wife of the church pastor was speaking in tongues too rapidly. We need discernment to know what we are hearing. By grace, God told Pastor Praveen that what she was doing was from the devil. She was not speaking in tongues – she was copying. Pastor Praveen wanted to rebuke her. But the Holy Spirit told him not to. It was not the time.

After two months, the same pastor called Pastor Praveen to preach again at the request of the people in his congregation. The same thing happened this time – the power of the Holy Spirit fell on the people. God released His anointing because the people had asked for Pastor Praveen to return. Again, the wife of the pastor was speaking too rapidly in tongues and screaming. She wanted to show the church that she was better than others in worship. This time, God told Pastor Praveen not to rebuke her, but to convey a message to the pastor to take care of his wife. Otherwise he would be in trouble. In obedience to God’s direction, Pastor Praveen asked his fellow student who had arranged for him to preach to pass this message to the pastor. Before this incident, the pastor always had high praise for Pastor Praveen. But when he heard Pastor Praveen’s  prophecy about his wife, he said, “He’s not a good man.” He rejected Pastor Praveen and poisoned the minds of others against him. When Pastor Praveen heard about his change he felt badly, but he laughed in the Spirit – because he knows his God. 

After one year, a woman who was in bible college with Pastor Praveen and who attended the Apostolic church asked him for help. She wanted to bring someone to him who hoped to hear a prophecy. Pastor Praveen explained that he can’t just prophecy whenever he chooses, but that if they would come  to church on Sunday, the Lord would speak to them through the word of God. However, the woman pleaded and begged Pastor Praveen to meet with the man. 

Finally, Pastor Praveen agreed and arranged a time that they could come to his sister’s house, where Pastor Praveen was living. However, Pastor Praveen fell at the feet of Christ and asked Him to please not let the people show up. He felt uncomfortable because he did not know who the woman was bringing and because the Lord had given him a fearful word to prophecy to deliver. But the Lord firmly told him that he must obey and speak the word given to him. Pastor Praveen was obedient, but still afraid. 

On the morning of the appointment, Pastor Praveen opened the door and saw that the woman was bringing the pastor from the Apostolic church. He was crying and screaming and asked Pastor Praveen’s forgiveness. He told him that his wife had left him. She had misused God’s name and the church had fallen apart. His ministry was gone. All that God had prophesied through Pastor Praveen had happened. 

If the pastor had listened to the prophecy and controlled his wife, it never would have happened. Now, he wanted a word of prophecy to know whether he would have a future ministry. Pastor Praveen told him he could not prophecy what he wanted to hear. He told him that his ministry was broken because of his and his wife’s actions. If he wanted a ministry, he could go to North India somewhere to hide and speak the gospel. He would never again have a ministry in his own city because he had lost his testimony. A few years later, Pastor Praveen received word that the pastor’s wife died. The pastor himself later died in an accident.

Pastor Praveen has had many such experiences of rejection in his life. Many people will not accept him because the cornerstone is in him. He is obedient to the Lord. He prophesies what the Lord gives him and nothing else. Likewise, if you are a child of God, you will have persecution because the light is in you. The great blessing and calling is upon you. The one who called you will not leave you nor forsake you. He will lift up your head before your enemy and honor you. 

When people lift you up, they will put you down again. But when God lifts you up He will never put you down, because we are His children. When God is with you, no one can stand against you. Think about your bright future and  do not be distressed when people oppose you. Continue to love your enemies and God will work for you. 

Concluding Remarks – Depend on God like Daniel

Pastor Praveen told us that God blotted out everything the enemy had written about his life. A Hindu priest had written that Pastor Praveen’s life would end in 1995. But his Father in heaven, Jesus who died for him, told him that He would blot out whatever the enemy has written against him and would inscribe something new for him beyond his imagination. Similarly, God will blot out the enemy’s plan for your life and write something new for you, your family, your children. Believe it – God has no favoritism. 

What do we need to do? We need to depend on God like Daniel (Daniel 6). Daniel had a good connection with the king, but he did not depend on the king. Daniel was the king’s good friend, but some of the king’s officials poisoned his heart. They forced him to write a decree against Daniel, his close friend. We must remember, when people try to force us to do something – don’t listen. 

What did Daniel do? He just went home and prayed like he always did with the window open toward Jerusalem. He knew that he rose to his position in the palace not through his own knowledge and wisdom. The one who brought him inside the palace was able to protect him. He did not ask the king for help, but knelt down before His God, the King of kings. Then God sent his angels to shut the mouths of the lions. We must understand, our God is the Lion of Judah. He will shut the mouth of your enemy. The worldly lion cannot touch you or your family. The Lion of Judah is in us. His name is Jesus. 

Let God protect what He has given you. He will put a wall of fire around your blessings. If you try to protect your blessing, you will lose it. Daniel proved to the king who his God, the Lord of lords. After that, the king decreed that no one was to speak against or harm Daniel at the risk of death. We must understand, we have persecution and trouble, but should not be discouraged or nervous. Stand firm. Then God will give you the opportunity to prove Himself to those opposing you. Then they will speak, “He is really a child of God.” 

Introductory Remarks – God’s Faithfulness to His Children

Pastor Praveen told about a recent disaster that helps to remind us of God’s protection over His children. He told of a flight that landed in Kerala, India carrying Indian people back from the Gulf. Their relatives were excitedly awaiting them at the airport. However, the landing was tragic. The runway was slick from a recent rain and the plane skidded 30 feet and slammed into a wall at the end of the runway.  The pilots and everyone in first class and business class were killed and the plane broke into two pieces. In light of this disaster, Pastor Praveen was reminded about God’s faithfulness in keeping him safe through so many take offs and landings over the many years he has been travelling.

Praise and Worship

Following a time of worship, Pastor Praveen said that we have a heavenly citizenship, but we must ask God to cleanse us each day. We have a heavenly passport, but we must pass through “TSA.” Our heart must be right before God. We cannot keep anything in our hearts that does not belong there.

Pastor Praveen’s Message – Rejection in the Christian Life

Stephen – Full of Faith and the Holy Spirit

Pastor Praveen spoke from Acts 6 about Stephen. The bible says of Stephen, “They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 6:5). The bible mentions only two men as full of faith and the Holy Spirit. One is Stephen and the other is Barnabas. About Stephen it also says, “Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.” (Acts 6:8). This is the key – to have God’s grace in our lives. Otherwise we cannot do anything.

Opposition arose against Stephen among the people. Why? Because they did not want to see or hear about Jesus Christ. They didn’t want to see signs and wonders in His name. They rejected Stephen because the living Cornerstone was in him. The people also brought false testimony against him, saying that he spoke against God and Moses. This was more than enough to kill him.

They had done the same to Jesus, the Cornerstone. They said, “Who is He? He is the son of a carpenter.” (Matthew 13:55). They did not want to hear anything from Him. But He was the Great Carpenter who created the world by His word. When Jesus stood before the people of Nazareth, He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” (Luke 4:18). The people of Nazareth understood Him to mean that the scriptures were about Him. So they rejected Jesus and they tried to throw Him off the edge of a cliff to kill Him.

This same thing is still happening all over the world. Even in the spiritual world, Christians are bringing false testimony against one another. God uses people in different ways, and this creates jealousy in the church, even among the teachers. 

When Stephen’s accusers looked at him, they saw that his face was like the face of an angel (Acts 6:15). If your heart is innocent, this world will accuse you, put you down, and bring false testimony against you – because the living stone is in you. People can see how God is in you, blessing you, and using you, and they cannot tolerate it. 

Pastor Praveen asked, “How many of you have that spirit of rejection in your life?” Rejection is very hard, especially when your own family and close friends reject you. Pastor Praveen went through this depth of pain and is still going through it. Why? Because the Cornerstone is in him. People don’t want to see the miracles God does through Pastor Praveen, so they reject him. It is easy to understand why the world rejects God’s children, but when the spiritual world also rejects, it is more difficult.

Personal Testimony from Pastor Praveen

Pastor Praveen shared about his early ministry, right after returning to India from Saudi Arabia. As a young man living in the Gulf states, Pastor Praveen received a job with a company where he became a manager with 1,400 people under him. Yet, when he was preparing to return to India, he asked his sister to find a low caste, financially poor pastor in his hometown whom he could work with. She arranged for him to meet such a pastor. He was a bus driver who had been a pastoring a church for the past 15 or 16 years. He had a small, unfinished church building and only 9 people in his congregation, including his wife and himself. 

In faith, Pastor Praveen began working with the pastor and also spent his own money in support of the ministry. One Sunday, he told the congregation that he would fast and pray for one week for the church and then bring food to share the following Sunday. He asked if anyone would like to join him in the fast, even for one day. However, no one wanted to participate, so he fasted alone. 

One the first day of the fast, the devil came to Pastor Praveen in a vision and tried to talk him out of fasting. Because of the power of Pastor Praveen’s anointing, the devil tried to act friendly and compromise with him. The devil asked Pastor Praveen, “Why are you fasting and praying for them? They belong to me. I am not doing anything against you.” Pastor Praveen rebuked the devil and watched as it disintegrated into hundreds of bird-like spirits that flew away together.

Pastor Praveen knew that only 9 people attended the church. But by faith, the next Sunday he showed up with 40 plates and enough food for 40 people. Pastor Praveen still doesn’t know where all the people came from. Instead of the usual 9 people in attendance, there were 44. He remembers the number, because they used his 40 plates and had to bring 4 more from the pastor’s house. After that, the church began to grow. Every week, there were healings, deliverance, and prophecies. For example, the Holy Spirit once warned of a tsunami that hit the coast one week later. 

By the power of God, fear filled the area and the Hindus were afraid to interfere. There were Hindu youth in the area who routinely harassed Christian churches. But their parents were now attending the church and were receiving salvation and healing. They were fearful for their children and warned them, “Don’t do anything against him.” The Hindu people in the area began to honor Pastor Praveen.

Each Sunday, the church pastor and Pastor Praveen would each preach for half an hour. God uses everybody. We need to respect, encourage, and love one another. No one is higher or lower in importance. But there are different levels of anointing. When Pastor Praveen would preach, whoever was sitting in the front rows, would experience something like an electric shock and they were filled with the Spirit and started speaking in tongues. The pastor’s wife, seeing all this, made up a story. She said she had a dream that her husband would lose his ministry because of Pastor Praveen. After that, the pastor began to speak against Pastor Praveen, even making indirect innuendos against him from the pulpit. 

Pastor Praveen asked God what he should do. God opened another door – Pastor Praveen left that church and started a successful church planting ministry. God turned the situation for good – to great blessing for Pastor Praveen’s ministry. If he hadn’t been rejected, he would not have left to start the new ministry. Now that church is back to having 9 people. They lost all of the new members.

When you experience rejection in your spiritual life, among your family and friends, don’t harbor hard feelings against those who reject you. Love them and pray for them. Praise God. He has purpose in your life and wants to use you mightily. Remember, when God took John to Patmos, it was because He wanted to give him the book of Revelation for this world. 

Stephen – Full of Faith and the Holy Spirit – Continued

Pastor Praveen continued his message about Stephen. He reminded us that the people rose against Stephen because he performed great signs and wonders. When God blesses you and honors you in your life, don’t expect everyone to respect you. There will be someone to reject you. But the one who called you, anointed you, and gave you the opportunity is mighty to protect everything. He will honor you among them and lift up your head because He is a faithful God. 

When they stoned Stephen, he said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:59-60). We need that kind of character. This world will not honor but will hate you because the Lord, the Savior, is in you. But when you kneel down and pray to God, He will open the heavens for you, your family, community, city, and church. The one who called you is faithful. Wherever you are facing rejection – Praise God. Without rejection, you cannot grow spiritually. You are not alone in the fire. God is helping you to grow. Forget the rejection and go forward. 

If you are facing rejection, God is going to promote you – spiritually, physically, mentally, financially – because the Cornerstone is in you. The wind and the waves will never hit you. The wind will say to the wave, “Go, hit him, I will push you.” The foolish wave will say, “OK, I will go.” The wave will try to cover the stone, but will see that no matter what, the stone is still there. Then the wave will say to the wind, “Don’t try to ask me to go again. I will not touch him because he is on the rock.” God is our rock, refuge, and fortress. He is our Good Shepherd.

This past year has held a lot of suffering for Pastor Praveen – beyond imagining. Only by God’s grace did he get through it. His heart was broken. But each day he was rejoicing in the presence of God. 

Stephen was full of faith and the Holy Spirit. He was an innocent man – but they stoned him. The heavens opened over His cry. We need to cry out to the Lord. He will open the heavens for us. He has no favoritism. He loves everybody. The heavens are ready to open to us all the time.

Crying to the Lord

Pastor Praveen explained about the importance of crying to the Lord. He told us that four years ago, a woman he knew in Virginia asked him, “How can we cry to the Lord? You are always crying to God.” This woman was a professor from Bombay who was now living with her family in Virginia. Pastor Praveen had baptized her and her husband. Pastor Praveen told her just to remember whatever God has done in her life and cry to God with a grateful heart. She told him she had thought of these things but didn’t remember anything to make her cry. This is because she had come from a background of luxury. 

After this, she developed a serious condition. Both of her kidneys stopped working and she needed a transplant. She was only 53 years old. Her husband decided to donate one of his kidneys to her. This couple was very dear to Pastor Praveen in Christ, but when the time came for the surgery, God told Pastor Praveen not to go to the hospital. The couple asked him to come and expected that he would, but in obedience to God he stayed home with his wife. 

On the fourth day after the surgery, the woman’s husband called Pastor Praveen. The transplanted kidney was not functioning. Pastor Praveen’s heart was broken and he did not understand why God told him still to stay at home. However, he prayed for her over the phone and the Holy Spirit clearly spoke that the kidney would start working on the seventh day after the surgery. On the morning of the seventh day, Pastor Praveen went with his wife to the hospital. Now the woman and her husband were crying. They tearfully told Pastor Praveen that just as he had prophesied, the kidney had begun to work that morning. 

The doctor who performed the transplant also came to her room that day for the first time. Earlier, only his assistants had come. Now, he showed up in person because he heard the kidney had begun working and he was amazed. The woman introduced Pastor Praveen to the doctor – and cried again. The point is, we must cry to the Lord. We must understand the way God is leading us, keeping us under His wings, defending us. Many people have no food, shelter, or clothes. Because of His grace He is providing us with everything. Remember these things, praise Him, and cry to the Lord.

Introductory Remarks – God’s Faithfulness to His Children

Pastor Praveen told about two incidences of the Lord’s faithfulness in defending His children. The first instance involved a disagreement between Pastor Praveen and a neighbor. The second was about a recent flash flood in the mountains of India. 

A Parking Dispute

Pastor Praveen’s neighbor was in the habit of parking in front of Pastor Praveen’s house, even though there was ample parking in front of his own house. Frequently, Pastor Praveen would come home and have no place to park. Pastor Praveen eventually approached the neighbor and asked him nicely not to park in front of his house so that his own family could part there. But the neighbor would not listen. Pastor Praveen had often been kind to this neighbor and had even driven him to the hospital and sat there with him when a family member was ill.

Things came to an impasse when Pastor Praveen arrived home after a morning fasting and prayer session in June. He was on the 39th day of a 40 day fast and was quite tired. Again, his neighbor had parked in front of his house and he had no place to park. The neighbor was standing outside talking with his son and a second neighbor with whom Pastor Praveen was not acquainted. With a painful heart, Pastor Praveen asked the neighbor, “What is this?” He reminded him that as neighbors they should respect one another. The neighbor did not respond, so Pastor Praveen found somewhere else to park, and went in his own house and to his prayer room.

Then, the second neighbor, the one the first neighbor had been talking to, come over and knocked on the Praveen family’s door. Pastor Praveen’s daughter saw him knocking but didn’t answer. She didn’t want to interrupt her father’s prayer time. The man knocked several times before going away. The entire situation left Pastor Praveen feeling quite distressed.

However, the difficulty soon resolved without any more action by Pastor Praveen. The man who had knocked at Pastor Praveen’s door suddenly moved from the neighborhood. Pastor Praveen saw him moving his things from his house and was surprised that the man looked at him with fear. Also, the neighbor who had been parking in front of Pastor Praveen’s house, has never parked there again. In fact, whenever that neighbor sees Pastor Praveen, he looks afraid and hurries away. Pastor Praveen does not know why.

Pastor Praveen wondered about all this and asked God why the second neighbor had moved. God answered him, “He knocked on the wrong door. That is the reason I removed him from this community.” The man was causing trouble for Pastor Praveen and God did not want him to have trouble. God also told Pastor Praveen that the man’s house would not sell anytime soon. It would sit there for a couple more months. There is still a “for sale” sign in front of the man’s house.

The point of this story is that people don’t understand about God’s children. We look like ordinary people, but God is in us. If anyone comes and “knocks on your door” unnecessarily, they will be in trouble. We can come before the Lord with a fearful heart. He paid for us and nothing is impossible with Him. We are the clay and the potter is always holding the clay. We cannot imagine how much He is loving His children. Don’t think that you have no one. The one who created the world is with you and will honor you among your city, family, and friends. He is the lifter of our head.

God is always speaking to His children, “Be still and know that I am the Lord.” Moses spoke to Israel when they were crying – the Red Sea in front of them and Pharaoh’s army behind.  “The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still.” Although Pastor Praveen was distressed by his neighbor, he remained kind to him and asked the Lord to bless him. If Pastor Praveen had not remained still before the Lord in this way, God would not have fought for him. 

If you have an innocent heart – innocent in deeds and thoughts – The Lord will fight for you. No one can stand before you. You need only to be still. Keep quiet. The problem is we do not give Him time to work in our lives. We are always complaining and disturbed in heart. That is the reason for delays. 

A Flash Flood

The faithfulness of God in defending His children can also be seen in a recent disaster in the mountains of India. A flash flood came and swept away several Hindu families, houses and all, as they slept. However, several Christian families living in the same area were miraculously spared. 

The Christian families were living apart in three rows of houses. They were very poor, low caste people who were working as laborers on a tea plantation. The Hindu people, also low caste, were living nearby in another 5 or 6 rows of houses. A pastor went once a week to preach to the Christian families.  Always, the Hindu people would attack them. 

One night there was a great rainstorm on the mountain that caused torrential flood waters to run down the mountain. However, before the flood came, a huge tree fell and landed right behind the homes of the Christians. When the flood waters ran down the mountain, they headed straight toward the believers’ houses. But the tree acted like a wall. It protected their houses and diverted the water towards the Hindu homes that were suddenly swept away in the middle of the night. The searchers could not even find the bodies. God protected His children by a tree while he removed their attackers by a flood – this is the faithfulness of God.  

If there is a situation in your life, some trouble analogous to a great tree falling behind your house, don’t ask, “Why did the tree fall.” It is for your protection – God is doing something in your life. Surrender before His tender love, grace, and mercy.

Praise and Worship

During our time of praise and worship, Pastor Praveen spoke on the love and faithfulness of God. He said we can give our life into the hands of God and ask Him to fill us with His love and power. Without a sincere, innocent love – the way God loved us – there is no power. God is not expecting anything from us – only a pure heart. He wants to fill our lives with His love and power. That is why He is always asking us to be holy. Then, through us, He can transform many people’s lives. We must open our hearts like Jesus. When He fills our lives with His love and power, our character will become like Jesus. 

When you love someone with power, it will touch their heart and change their mind and attitude. God is love – His name is love – and we are His children. People want to see the love of Christ in our lives. It is a sign to them. They will recognize you as a child of God by your “accent” – the way you talk, your expression, and such. Strangers often ask Pastor Praveen, “Are you a Pastor?” Because they see the love of God in Him. Remember, Peter denied Jesus three times. Still, people knew he was with Jesus because of his accent. 

Pastor Praveen also reminded us that we are the church. The church is not a building, it is the people. The mighty Savior is in you – the mighty healer, deliverer, protector, and defender, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the lifter of our heads. He is living in us, His church – the temple of the Holy Spirit. Why should we worry about tomorrow? And He is coming back for His own. If Jesus is living in our hearts, we will go with Him. 

We must give Him a chance to live in our hearts and be the captain of our lives. Give Him more room in your heart. If He is living in your heart, you do not have to study how to go to heaven. He will never leave us nor forsake us. When we see Him face-to-face, we will worship Him. This hope is the only thing giving us peace in our lives. This world is temporary. We came with an empty hand and will go back with an empty hand. Nothing belongs to us. Everything belongs to God – family, children, everything. 

Pastor Praveen’s Message – The Stone the Builders Rejected Has Become the Cornerstone (Psalm 118:22)

Pastor Praveen spoke on Psalm 118:22. When Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4), Peter said, “Jesus is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.” (Acts 4:11). Jesus is the cornerstone. Without Jesus, we cannot build anything in our lives. If we build with our own knowledge and wisdom our family life will fall apart. Without unity, love, and power, the wind will come and everything will collapse – everyone will go their own way. But if Jesus is in the life of the family, nothing can touch it. God’s mighty hand will be upon every blessing He has given and He will be a wall of fire around the family. Zechariah 2:4b-5 talks about God as a wall of fire: “’Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within.’”

Pastor Praveen posed the question, “Why did they put Peter and John in prison?” Because the religious leaders did not want the Cornerstone, the Word of God, and the testimony of Jesus. If you have the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus in your life you will face trouble because the world will not accept or respect you. The Sanhedrin asked Peter and John, “By what power or what name did you do this?” (Acts 4:7b). Peter replied, “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.” (Acts 4:10a). 

Similarly, why did the Roman Empire exile John to the island of Patmos? Because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:2, 9).

Why did the Angel of the Lord ask Joseph, the husband of Mary, to escape to Egypt with the boy Jesus? (Matthew 2:13). Because the power of God was with the baby Jesus. Herod knew who had been born and he wanted to kill Him. He knew the baby was the one who was to rule the nation. So he rejected Him.

This means that if you are really a child of God, you have a battle before you because the Cornerstone is in you. The world is never going to agree with you or respect you. People will dishonor, insult, mock, and criticize you and give false testimony against you. Why? Because the Living Stone, the power of God, is in you. But understand this – there is great reward. 

You may go through a type of Patmos situation because you are worshiping the true God. You will become a living testimony. However, people are often unwilling to accept a testimony that differs from their own experience. For example, Pastor Praveen said that people sometimes object when he tells them he has heard the voice of God, because they have never heard the voice of God for themselves.  

Remember, if you are going through a Patmos situation, you are not alone. The one who anointed you, who is living in your heart, and who opened the heavens for John is with you. On Patmos, John could look around and see many dry bones. Maybe he thought this was the end – some animal would be eating him. After everything he had done to glorify Jesus’ name, maybe he was thinking “Why did I come here?” But if he had not gone to Patmos, we would not have gotten the book of Revelation. Revelation 4:1 says God opened the heavens over the dry bones and John heard God’s voice, “John, come up!” Pastor Praveen said maybe God told John, “You are my faithful servant. I love you so much. I want to give the world something new through you. That is the only reason I brought you to Patmos.” Jesus told John, “I will show you what must happen after this.” He told him about the future of this world.

If you are facing a Patmos situation, God will not leave you or forsake you. He wants to give the world something new through you. Do not look at the dry bones around you. They are none of your business. God loves you more than anything. If you are going through some great distress, God is speaking to you. He is going to open the heavens for you, your family, and your children beyond what you have expected or asked. In that way He will bless you and honor you before your family, relatives, community, and city. You can tell God, “thanks for this great distress in my life.”

Sometimes there is a delay, but God will fulfill His plan through His Son. Matthew 2:15 says, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” This event was in fulfilment of a prophecy given to Hosea many years before (Hosea 11:1). Likewise, the blueprint of your entire life was written in heaven before you were born. Before the foundation of the world, our names were written in the book of life. The enemy can only temporarily threaten against you – your health, blessing, job, family, children, or whatever. The one who brought you out of the darkness into the wonderful light will bring you out of the enemy’s plan. Then He will open the heavens for you and your children.  The darkness will always fight against light, but the darkness is never going to prevail. 

Personal Testimony

Pastor Praveen shared a portion of his personal testimony of salvation and service to the Lord. He told us that he was born and raised in a wealthy Hindu family. They even had their own family temple. However, Pastor Praveen set out on his own as a young man, moving to Saudi Arabia. It was there that Jesus appeared to him in his room and saved him out of the darkness into the wonderful light. When he returned to India, he was exiled by his own family. They told him, “Get out. Don’t enter in our house. You are spoiling our family name.” Why did this happen? Because the Word of God, the Cornerstone, was in Pastor Praveen and he had the testimony of Jesus, the living God. 

If God is with you, who can stand against you? When you go through distress in Jesus’ name, you will not be alone. He will be with you – the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Your relatives will not be able to understand, but when they see the power of God in your life, then they will realize. Those who rejected Pastor Praveen when he became a Christian were the first to repent and receive salvation through his ministry. They were baptized into the name of Jesus by his hand. At first, they rejected him, but then they saw the living stone in his life. As long as the living stone is in you, nobody can stand against you, because you are standing on the rock – His name is Jesus.