[ The entire G-d Adventure Sabbatical blog post series was live until 12/31/18.  Now most of it has been password protected and available through my new book titled, “Crazy” Might Be A Blessing In Disguise!” . ]

This “crazy” Holy Spirit led Adventure I’ve been on for the last 5 months is the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced, including the Holy Spirit provision I’ve received throughout the 12,000+ miles I’ve traveled so far …and yet it fully aligns with the unorthodox journey the Lord has had me on for much of my life.

Throughout my adult life I began to see significant differences between the lives of Jesus followers in the U.S.A. and the lives of those in other parts of the world. Stories of miracles, signs and wonders occurring in other countries fascinated me, but like most Believers I had no frame of reference for those experiences being available to me as well.

I grew up in a Protestant culture, attending various church denominations until the Lord led me to a Messianic Jewish-Gentile congregation in 2012. Up until 2016 my entire faith background from childhood had produced a distinct presumption that supernatural experiences were a thing of the past. Miraculous healings, divine signs and wonders were to be investigated thoroughly and considered suspect until validated…with a heavy dose of doubt thrown in because things like that just didn’t happen in my world.

It wasn’t until 2010 that the Lord began to speak to my heart prompting me to reconsider that perspective through various blogs and books He led me to. My heart started to soften, replacing immediate suspicion with curiosity at what I was learning. Of course, all of that was happening on a subconscious level because I wasn’t proactively seeking to experience the supernatural power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. I was just very intrigued at the information I was exposed to.

Then in 2016 suddenly everything changed! The Lord began to put people in my circle of friends and professional relationships who told stories of how the Lord gave them Words of Knowledge and Prophetic Prayers for people they didn’t know who crossed their path; how the Lord prompted them to pray for healing for people around them and seeing it occur before their eyes; and others witnessing people tapping into Holy Spirit power with supernatural results on a regular basis. Because I knew these people well, it made it much harder to discount their testimonies. All I could do was marvel at what they experienced and wonder why it didn’t happen around me.

In mid-2016 the Lord led me to a series of Holy Spirit focused documentaries by Darren Wilson that totally rocked my world: Finger of God, Holy Ghost, Holy Ghost Reborn, Father of Lights, and Furious Love (you can rent or purchase a streaming version of those movies at www.wpfilm.com for a very reasonable price).

Slowly but surely, because of my deep desire to understand and experience that level of Holy Spirit anointing the Lord began to open my eyes and lead me to opportunities to witness it personally – until I was able to finally say with certainty, “I was blind, but now I see!” (John 9:25b).

The following year in October 2017 the Lord led me to a Council of Leaders group in Georgia consisting of professional men and women from various faith backgrounds and life experiences who were dedicated to giving everything they had (personally and professionally) to the Lord for Kingdom impact within their sphere of influence. Most of them had learned to hear from the Lord in a prophetic way and prayed prophetically whenever someone requested it. The Lord set up that group and the friendships I’ve made since October 2017 to become the catalyst for the next stage of my spiritual development.

I remember the first time I attended the Council of Leaders meeting. I was not sure what to expect, but fully confident the Lord wanted me attend. The Council leader began the meeting by having everyone introduce themselves followed by a discussion on a Kingdom impact topic. Those conversations were like a breath of fresh air. Everyone was comfortable sharing their life stories and was confidently transparent about their challenges and their struggles within those challenges. Then at the end of the discussion they opened the group to a dedicated time of prophetic prayer for anyone who wanted it.

I was so eager to experience my first prophetic prayer that I immediately said “yes.”  That particular day there were only four people plus myself (afterwards I learned there are typically anywhere from 5 -15 people at any given meeting). One of the four people was my Dad (it was his first time too); I had never met Sherri & Wayne before, and Bill, the leader of the group, I had only met once for coffee a few days earlier which is how I got invited to the Council meeting in the first place.

To honor the Lord, the process they use for prophetic prayer is to have someone start out with a general prayer for the Lord to help the group tune into His Spirit. Then everyone silently listens for the Lord to give them words of knowledge, scripture passages, visions, or any sort of encouragement for the specific person being prayed for. The group often does not know what is going on that person’s life except what that person shared during the discussion.

During the discussion I had only shared a snippet of the long-term challenge that had caused so much brokenness in my life over the past few years. As I listened to the general prayer Sherri gave on my behalf, I began to hear glimpses of prophetic information and was curious as to what the Lord would say to them about my circumstances and my future. After a few moments of silence, one by one, Bill, Sherri and Wayne began sharing what the Lord told them. Everything they said was from a place of love, edification, grace and encouragement.

Tears began flowing from my eyes as I recognized the Lord demonstrating His Holy Spirit anointing through each member of the group because, other than my Dad, no one else could have known the information they shared or the context in which they shared it. Their prayers rang clear as a bell to me because I had the context required to interpret what the Lord told them more accurately.

After everyone was done praying for me, I took a few minutes to share a bit more of what was going on in my life to confirm the information the Lord gave them. The entire experience of receiving accurate prophetic prayer was amazing. By the end of that meeting I knew the Lord had led me to this group as the next step in my Holy Spirit anointing training process.

For the first time in my life I finally understood why Paul encouraged the gift of prophesy in his letter to the Corinthians: “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy” (1 Corinthians 14:1 / ESV); and to the Romans:: “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:6-8 / ESV).

Over the next year I attended almost every Council meeting and saw my prophetic gifts develop and become more accurate over time as someone would say to me something like, “Kris when you said X, you were dead on and here’s what that meant….or when you saw X, you absolutely confirmed what the Lord told me previously.”

I also learned that when a bunch of people are prophetically praying with pure intentions to hear from the Lord, that the skill level of everyone in the room rises to the level of the person most gifted in the room. It’s like being in a car behind a fast-moving tracker trailer. The closer you get, the more draft you pick up from the truck which in turn makes your car go faster without having to step on the gas. My prophetic accuracy and clarity was generally much stronger when I was at the Council meeting than when I was by myself prophetically praying for someone.

Of course, like any new training ground, sometimes what I said or saw had a flat landing. And that’s okay too because the Lord tells us, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 / ESV) and also “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1, ESV).”

We all have filters through which we process information. In a prophetic environment, each member of the group has the desire to hear from the Lord, but sometimes we may speak things from our heart rather than actually from our Spirit. It’s not that we are being a false prophet, but rather sometimes our heart gets ahead of the Lord. I learned the rollercoaster of hit and miss is absolutely normal when developing the gift of prophesy. Like any skill, we must be willing to practice continuously until consistent (not perfect) accuracy becomes the norm.

One of the things I love about the Council group is their maturity in the prophetic process and their commitment to create an environment of safety to ensure prophetic words and visions are delivered in a loving, edifying and encouraging way, along with giving everyone permission to discard anything spoken that they didn’t connect to. We always record the prayers on our phone so we have an accurate copy of what was said to take with us. I generally listen to the recording a few times, transcribe it, and then pray over the information before discarding any part of it in case the prayer is a glimpse of what’s coming rather than what I know today.

If your interest is peaked and you want to learn more about how to develop your skill in prophetic prayer, there are great resources from well-known prophetic trainers such as Graham Cooke, Shawn Boltz, James W. Goll, and Kris Vallotton. If you go to their websites, they have online stores to purchase materials to begin that journey.

After undergoing my Holy Spirit training ground for more than a year and coming into personal contact with various aspects of the supernatural experiences promised to us through the Holy Spirit, the Lord became to show me that Acts was not just a book in the Bible, but rather a lifestyle and mindset every Believer should aspire towards.

Those supernatural experiences mentioned all over the Old and New Testament resulted from a person having a deeply intimate relationship with the Lord which allowed the Holy Spirit to flow through them in a powerful way. That same anointing power is available to us through the Holy Spirit today. Doubting or discounting that is one of the Devil’s greatest weapons to slow people down or keep them permanently stuck from accessing the gifts and the purpose the Lord truly desires for their lives.

I love how Crystal Wade, founder of Hope Streams, explains the accessibility of the power of the Holy Spirit in her blog post titled “How to Open Your Door Between Heaven and Earth” (on Elijiah List 11/27/18).  She says, “Jesus revealed that the Kingdom of God is inside us (Luke 17:21). When He walked the earth He stayed open as a door—a passageway between Heaven and Earth. He released the Kingdom of God from His Spirit, His inner man, to the outer world. Jesus, as a door, was fully open to our Father in Heaven and fully open to us on Earth. Through Him, Father worked freely. We too are doors. For most of us, our doors are not as open as Jesus’ were. The good news is, that ball is in our court.”

Wade then goes on to suggest four ways we can open those doors, and declares “Each time we move through this process, our doors open wider!”

1. Keep bringing wounds to Him to heal instead of burying or carrying them, so that our door between Heaven and Earth, inside us, opens wider.
2.  Look honestly within and confess the judgments, unforgiveness, and bitterness we’ve held against Him for the troubles we and our families have been through.
3. Comply with conditions for the heavenly Kingdom’s palace doors to open by separating ourselves from what our Father calls unclean, so that we can have the deep fellowship with Him that Jesus paid for.
4. Allow Him to build compassion and love that does the best for others. Most of the wounds we’ve received came from His process through our trials and sufferings, intended to yield compassion and love in us.

I’ve read the Bible several times throughout my lifetime. At different points in my spiritual growth I glean more truth as new revelations leap off the page. In my recent season of spiritual awakening, so many verses I merely glossed over in my younger years have suddenly become alive live as I walk in new awareness of the Holy Spirit filled life the Lord wants me to live.

For instance, Matthew 10:5-13 (ESV) says, “These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.”

The original 12 disciples were just as human as we were. The Lord sent them out with a command to have faith enough to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons…and they had not even received the Holy Spirit yet!  Today we have access to the same Holy Spirit anointing and power they did. So don’t ever doubt your ability to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons – – that is, if you are committed to deepening your relationship with the Lord to receive His anointing power in proportion to your intimacy with him.

You may be wondering if I have healed the sick, raised the dead, cleansed lepers, or cast out demons?  Through inner healing and deliverance prayers I’ve been using over the two years, I believe I am having an impact on casting out demons in my personal life and my family line (if you are unaware, everyone has had demonic activity attached to them at some point in their life through generational sins or open doors of sin you’ve allowed in through choices you may have made, but not repented of yet from your past).

I recently had an opportunity to heal the sick – my first time ever!  The Lord graciously set up a situation for me in response to a prayer to connect more to my Holy Spirit anointing described in Matthew 10.  It wasn’t a dramatic healing experience, but because she was instantly healed it helped my faith rise to the next level in that area of my spiritual development.  Here’s that story:

A friend was having neck pain and unable to turn her neck at a normal radius both sides. It had been that way for a few days and nothing she had tried worked. She was resigned to just deal with it until it got better and put on a sticky heating pad on her neck to relieve some of the pain.  As she was sharing that with me, I felt the Lord prompt me to pray for her.  I honestly didn’t have enough faith at that moment, so I tucked that thought into the back of my head and decided to wait until later that day to see how she was doing.  Of course the Lord would not let me get away with that, so her neck remained the same all day.  Later that day she and I were talking about my Adventure when realized I was dishonoring my friend and the Lord by NOT offering to pray for her healing. 

I walked over and asked her a few clarification questions to get a gauge for her pain level and the location of the pain, placed my hand on the area and prayed something like the following prayer:  “Lord, I come before you with a mustard seed of faith – which is all I need to gain access to your healing power. I command all pain to leave her neck. I call forth a healthier version of her neck to replace the out of alignment version she is experiencing currently.  I command the muscles and bones in her neck to adjust back to full health right now.  In Jesus’ name and by His blood. Amen.”

I didn’t feel anything while I was praying which is why I was surprised to see my friend looking at me with astonishment.  She moved her neck from side to side, up and down, and said the moment I said the word “neck” she felt a cooling sensation filter throughout her neck area, despite the heating pad still on her neck. She and I were amazed, and I was actually in shock that the prayer worked.  Oh, ME, of little faith!!! (a personal twist on Matthew 8:26).  The  rest of the day she kept checking her neck and it was indeed healed.  We praised the Lord many times for His willingness to honor my mustard seed faith prayer.

With regards to the other two commands from Jesus in Matthew 10, I have not yet had an opportunity to raise the dead or cleanse a leper.  Faith in any proportion is a starting point for the Lord to begin to do that type of work. Therefore I know there’s a greater likelihood I will experience both of those things at some point in my life as long as I keep developing my faith in those areas and surrender to the opportunity if the Lord presents it to me. Though to be completely transparent, I’m guessing I’ll fumble around and possibly even freeze the first time it happens.

Another passages of scripture that popped for me over the last year is Acts 2:17 (ESV): “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.”

And finally, Acts 2:42 -47 (ESV) which says, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Now that is a community of people I would love to know! Their lives were so transformed by the Gospel message, they willingly surrendered everything they had in a communal atmosphere for everyone’s benefit. Gladness, generosity, and favor became the cultural atmosphere with every new group of Believers, and signs and wonders became a “normal” part of the disciples’ ministry to everyone around them.

We may never have that exact type of experience today, but I would bet my life we could come close if we were all willing to commit to developing the intimacy required to access the gifts and power the Lord gave us through the Holy Spirit within us.

Are you brave enough to make take that leap of faith? If so, would you stop a minute, close your eyes and pray this prayer?

Lord Jesus you are King of Kings, Great High Priest, Prince of Peace, and my Redeemer. Your word says that when the disciples asked for an increase in their faith in Luke 17, you said that even the smallest dose of faith as small as a grain of mustard seed would result in their ability to access the power to uproot a mulberry tree and plant it in the sea. I believe that promise is still valid today and humbly ask you to increase my faith. I want to deepen my intimacy with you to gain access to all the Holy Spirit gifts you promised to those who accept you as Messiah.

I want Acts to become more than just a book in the Bible in my world. I desire Acts to become a lifestyle and mindset within me. Lord Jesus, bring the right people into my life to mentor me into a deeply intimate relationship with you, and lead me to the best resources to develop all the spiritual gifts the early church experienced as a normal part of their life.

I recognize praying this prayer will most likely prompt the Enemy to attack me in ways I can’t even imagine because He knows my growing intimacy with you will cause him to lose ground in multiple places within my sphere of influence. I am prepared to trust you to provide whatever I need to overcome those attacks, and am fully willing to undergo the pruning process required to develop my character into who I need to become to receive the gifts I desire and will use them wisely for Kingdom Impact.

Lord, as it says in 2 Corinthians 7:1 (CJB), “….let us purify ourselves from everything that can defile either body or spirit, and strive to be completely holy, out of reverence for God.” I willingly undergo purification out of reverence for the purpose you have for my life. Thank you in advance, Lord, for giving me access to everything I need to grow into the [man / woman] you desire me to become.

I love you, Lord, and look forward to experiencing an Acts Lifestyle and Mindset as you transform me from the inside out into your likeness throughout my lifetime. Amen!

Fantastic! Now I want you to solidify this prayer by listening to the live version of the song, “Miracles” by Jesus Culture. Take time today to sit in the Lord’s presence and sing this song to Him in full declaration of your belief…then keep your eyes out over the next few months as He presents opportunities for you to take a step of faith to witness the Holy Spirit in action and be part of the miracles He wants to do all around you.

When something does happen – even if it’s a small step in some way – share your story so I can rejoice with you! I can’t wait to see how the Lord shows up and shows off in your life!!

One other suggestion I’d like to make is to subscribe to the “Exploring the Prophetic” podcast with Shawn Boltz on ITunes. You’ll hear story after story from people of all walks of life who felt the Holy Spirit prompt them in some way, and the remarkable things that happened as they followed the Lord’s leading through those journeys.

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to read this very long, but exciting blog post.  If you have other people you know who could benefit from this message, feel free to use the share links at the bottom of this webpage. 

Blessings and favor to you in your Spiritual Growth Adventure with the Lord!

~K

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Previous Posts In This Series:

#1: Preparing to Leave
#2: Jehovah Jireh Reigns
#3: Couch Surfing Plans
#4: 1st Day on the Road
#5: Video – I Love NY!
#6: Joy
#7: Memory Lane
#8: Divine Connections
#9 Your Story Can Save A Life
#10 Look At Her Necklace
#11: Walk By Faith, Not By Sight
#12 Don’t Judge a Book By It’s Cover
#13 Divine Layover
#14 Video Hello and Update
#15 Video: Car Update and Gift
#16 Tethered to Jesus and Journey Images
#17 Video – Look In Another Direction
#18 One HOUR at a Time!
#19 DRIVE By Faith, Not By Sight!
#20 11,000 Miles In 3 Months!
#21 The Adventure Continues!
#22 Manna from Heaven
#23 Family and Friends
#24 The End Of Me!

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