Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:9-11
There is power in the name of Jesus, and I utter these words with insight, experience, conviction and faith. These words truly highlight what God taught me about who He is, and who I am in Him. This summer we went to the island of Nias and Tello to minister at two Revival Crusades that a committee of local pastors had planned and prayed for. Our testimonies can only show you a glimpse of how powerful and loving our Father in Heaven is, and our testimonies are both powerful and life changing.
All the days leading up to the Crusades, we would promote and witness to the people in Teluk Dalam through worship, word, and prayer. Though we went with hearts a flamed and ready to experience our God of wonders, we felt and saw so much resistance without much breakthrough in the beginning. We didn’t see power encounters, much healing or even deliverance. Our ministry efforts almost felt stale and unmoving. We knew we needed to pray and intercede for what God was doing. Everyday we spent two hours in intercession, asking God what He was doing and what He wanted us to see and pray through. He began to speak life and hope into our hearts, assuring us that what we see with our natural eyes was far different from what we would see through our spiritual (His) eyes.
At the first night of the Crusade in Teluk Dalam we saw salvations and miraculous healing where both men and women were healed of blindness, deafness, paralysis, and body pain. Though some of my team members were witnessing quick healings as they prayed, I felt resistance when I prayed for people. By the time I had prayed for three people who didn’t experience complete healing, it dawned on me that there was a dark resistance. I was praying in faith but I wasn’t seeing healing for the people, so I began to renounce and pray against any resistance. I declared that God’s will was for his people to be healed. I prayed again with authority and declared healing in the name of Jesus, and surely I began to see men and women experience healing, and there was even transformation in their countenance.
When we arrived to Tello Island, we sensed a spiritual shift since the last time we visited a year ago. We felt that God has been moving mightily with His people, and He was about to take this island to another level, into complete freedom. We witnessed that where God shines His light, there was still darkness looming over the minds and hearts of His people. On the first night of the Tello Crusade, we saw over 10 people manifest demons during worship before Pastor Benjamin even began his sermon. The enemy was hard at work in attempt to distract us, to steal our gaze for his work, but God had already revealed to us that our eyes are meant for Him and His work alone. During the alter call hundreds of people came forward for salvation and healing. I had the privilege of having one of our translators from last year partner with me in praying for people’s healing. Again I felt the same resistance, except this time, much more powerfully. I knew it was the power of witchcraft over the people of Tello. I asked my translator to help me lead each person through a prayer of renouncing any darkness, lies, and witchcraft, and to declare Jesus as their Savior and King. After they repeated the prayer, I prayed over them once more for healing in the name of Jesus. Immediately almost every person I prayed for was healed. I began to declare over each person and even over myself that there is Power in the Name of Jesus.
God showed us signs and wonders through healing, power encounters, and deliverance. He also began to fill our minds with wonder of who He is, and what He’s like. I was filled with the wonder of who our God is, and what other treasures He has stored up for us. I will always search out the truth of the salvation given to me through Jesus Christ, and I long for the day when every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.