Called to Weep & Laugh in Intercession

By Hazel Holland

Several years ago as I was praying for people God had placed on my heart, I was suddenly overcome with great joy. The weeping I had experienced as I sought God’s heart on their behalves was replaced by a tidal wave of exuberant laughter that felt strangely warm and wonderful. It was like nothing I had ever known before.

Immediately the Lord directed me to turn to Psalm 126. As I read the following verses I sensed that God was giving me a foretaste of the anointing of joy that will come upon the bride of Christ as the final harvest comes in.

“When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Restore our fortunes, O Lord like streams in the Negev. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:1-6).

Many months later I realized that God had also given me these verses of Scripture as a prophetic word for the book I was writing ("The Naked Truth: Exposing the Deception of Adventism" ). He was giving me a foretaste of His joy in order to encourage me to stand at my post as a “watchman on the walls” of the church, particularly the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church. He had called me to pray and intercede for the “release of the captives” that He had shown me in a vivid prophetic dream in the spring of 1996. Although weeping would last for a night, I knew abundant joy was coming in the morning.

At times over the past twelve years when I was tempted to lose hope of getting the book finished, I would remember this Scripture and I would be driven to spend more time on my face seeking God’s heart. In some of my most difficult moments of discouragement, it seemed like the oil of joy would be poured over me again, and I would be filled with that same exuberant laughter as I remembered that “the joy of the Lord is my strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). The Lord is going to bring back the captives to Zion. Many hurting, broken and discouraged people who have been in bondage to old covenant teachings will be delivered and set free. By the power of His Spirit God will fill their mouths with exuberant laughter, and loose their tongues with songs of great joy.

Although I previously knew nothing about intercession, God began to teach me through His Word how He wants to release the life-birthing energies of the Holy Spirit through our prayers of intercession in order to bring into being the desires of His heart.1 As I daily submitted myself to His love and immersed myself in His Word, God began to give me more of His heart of compassion and love for His children, especially His SDA children.

I was amazed to discover that in the New Testament every believer is called to be a priest. Every believer is called to come before God on behalf of someone else as an intercessor. Intercession is not a special gift that God gives a chosen few. No. It is the privilege of every believer in Jesus Christ to intercede as we experience the heart of God toward those for whom He calls us to pray.

Down through the ages the Scriptures reveal how God has continually sought to find intercessors through whom He could share the secrets of His heart for His often-wayward, yet beloved children. Through many prophetic voices that have spanned centuries of time, God has consistently sought to guide, instruct, encourage, warn and bless His people.

Somehow through our intercession, God’s Spirit continues to be released to shatter the strongholds of the enemy that continue to dull and blind many people’s minds and hearts to the gospel of Jesus Christ. People who formerly walked in “darkness” are now being called to walk as children of light (1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 5:8).

Listen to the words of the prophet Isaiah as he expresses God’s heart for His children to be freed from bondage. “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch… I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give Him no rest till He establishes Jerusalem and makes Her the praise of the earth” (Isaiah 62:1, 6-7).

As intercessors we are being called to grab a hold of God's promises and speak them back to God as we stand in the gap on behalf of others. For those who have no voice, for those who don’t know that God loves them, for those who think they don’t need God, we are being called to lift up our voice like a trumpet and proclaim the truth of God’s love over them. The light of His presence will shatter the dark strongholds of the enemy that blind many minds to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We already know that God is faithful to perform what He has already promised because He already knows those who are truly His.

Over the past twelve years I have continued to experience loud crying or soft weeping as God’s heart of compassion and love is poured out through my prayers of intercession. At times I double over like I am in pain when I experience a yearning in the heart of God calling me to intercede for a particular person or to pray for an entire group of people. Often these physical manifestations of the Spirit are not understood by the people around me. Sometimes people think I am upset about something and cannot control my sadness, but that is not what is happening.

The anointing that comes upon me when God gives me His heart to pray for a particular person or situation is not something I have any control over. It is totally outside of me. Sometimes His presence on me is manifest in weeping travail and at other times in hilarious laughter. Neither of these manifestations of the Spirit are something I have sought after or am particularly comfortable with, especially when God uses them in a public setting.

The weeping (travail) that comes upon me at times is because I am experiencing God’s tears, or God’s heart of compassion, or God’s words for those He wants to touch with His healing presence. As broken as we are, we have been broken for blessing so that He can use our bodies as His living sacrifices through whom He can pour out His heart so that someone else can receive God’s heart of love for themselves personally. If we as intercessors obediently give ourselves to God for His glory, He will be found by those He desires to draw to Himself.

Initially, the manifestation of laughter that would come upon me at times when I was called to intercede for a given situation would totally catch me off guard. I would be embarrassed to death by my hilarious uncontrollable laughter. To the casual observer it sometimes appeared that I was trying to get attention. Sometimes it appeared to others that I was being irreverent and disrespectful to God, as well as to the people around me who were all so seriously engaged in quiet prayer.

But all I could do was break out in absolute side-splitting laughter. I couldn’t utter a word of explanation as to what was going on in my spirit. But I knew that while I was laughing, God was proclaiming that He had already won the victory. I was joining Him in His celebration of deliverance even before I saw it manifest in the lives of the people I had been called to pray for.

Then God began to reveal to me through the Scriptures what this manifestation of laughter was all about… What a relief! Because so many of God's beloved children continue to trust in the bondage of their “good” works that are motivated by old covenant teachings, God is actively seeking to draw our attention away from the old order of things to the new order of things—the victory of Jesus Christ on our behalf.

“Show and Tell”

In order to get our attention and help us understand the difference between these two covenants that are spoken about in Galatians, God, is using a very familiar teaching technique. I used to use it frequently with my learning handicapped students when I was a special education teacher. If they could “see” it as well as hear me “tell” about it they had a better chance of learning what I was trying to teach them, especially because of the element of surprise that always accompanied my lessons. I’m talking about “show and tell.”

God is doing a similar thing here with these covenants. He’s contrasting Ishmael (representing the old covenant) with Isaac (representing the new covenant). He’s pitting children who are born of the flesh and destined to be slaves (Ishmael), against children who are born of the Spirit and destined to be free (Isaac). In essence Paul is saying, “Which covenant would you rather be under”? Do you want to be a slave or do you want to be free?

To bring the message home even further I learned that Isaac means, “laughter.” So the laughter that God is bringing upon His children is the laughter of His promised blessing in the new covenant! It’s the laughter that comes from the throne of the Son of God who has conquered the enemy and won the victory for all of us! It is the hilarity of the new covenant gospel that tells how His victory has become ours!

Have you been unknowingly living under the Ishmael blessing for most of your life like so many of us have? Would you like to experience the freedom that comes from entering into the Promise of the new covenant gospel…the hilarious laughter of Isaac?

You cannot manufacture the laughter that is born of the Spirit. You can only receive it as you choose to receive Him and enter into His new covenant promise of rest. Then He will fill your mouth with laughter, and your tongue with songs of great joy as you shout about the great things that God has done for you. His laughter will be good. His laughter will be like good medicine to your weary soul!

1 Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer: The Lightning of God, p. 33.

Sound the Trumpet!

By Hazel Holland

This is a word I originally received on April 4, 1996. I just found it stashed away on my computer... The Lord told me to post it today so that you would be encouraged and blessed by His faithfulness to you... It has not gone through the final phase of editing that I like to do with writing because I was having a hard time with all the quotation marks... whether to include or not include and so forth. So here it is...

Almost a hundred years after the return of the first exiles to Jerusalem, God called Nehemiah to lead the people in the difficult task of rebuilding the city walls. Those Jews who had survived the exile had returned home to Jerusalem, only to find its walls had been broken down, and its gates destroyed by fire. Jerusalem lay in ruins, vulnerable and exposed to the nations around her. But in the midst of her trouble and disgrace, God had a plan to restore the ancient ruins!

Just as Nehemiah led a Jewish remnant in repairing and rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, so today, the Holy Spirit is leading a remnant body of believers to become one in the Spirit and allow God to restore the image of His Son in their lives. Today, in the mist of her trouble and disgrace, God has a plan to restore His beloved church!The Lord says, "The work of rebuilding what has been torn down by your forefathers is extensive. It is spread out over the land. Although you are widely separated from each other along the wall, you are not separated from Me. Stay in Me, and I will remain in you. For I am the Vine, and you are the branches" (Neh.4:13-22; Jn.15:4, 5).

The Lord says, “The task of rebuilding will not be easy, because your enemies will be greater from within your walls than from without. Your enemies will be from your own household of faith. Fear not, for the One that is within you is greater than the one that is in the world. And I have overcome the world. Any weapon formed against you will not prosper. For My faithfulness will be your shield. I Am your Cover from the Tempest, and your Refuge from the Storm." (Neh.5:1-13; Matt.10:36; 1 Jn.4:4; Jn.16:33; Ps.91:4; Ps.115:11; Is.54:17; Is.25:4).

“As you repair and restore the ancient ruins, by lifting up the ‘Stone that the builders rejected,’ remember that I Am the ‘Repairer of Broken Walls;’ I Am the ‘Restorer of Streets with Dwellings!’ I am the ‘Chief Corner Stone’ that has now become the ‘Head of the corner!’ Because ‘I have engraven you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.’” (Is.58:12; 1 Pet.2:6; Is.49:16).

“As you sound the trumpet, I will fight for you. As you work, keep your armor on at all times. Keep your sword drawn and ready. Oil your shield. Raise the Banner of Jehovah-Nissi. Raise it high for the nations will come to Me. By faith, take the bow in your hand and shoot! Shout, ‘This is the Lord's arrow of Victory!’ (Neh. 4:18-22; 2 Ki.13:17).

Individually and corporately, the Lord is saying to His remnant body of believers, "I will build you up again, and you will be rebuilt, O virgin bride" (Jer.31:3). "I will restore you to health and heal your wounds ... you will be rebuilt on your ruins" (Jer.30:7, 18). "I will raise up the former devastation’s, and I will repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.” Is. 6:14)

Yes, in the midst of our devastation God brings restoration! If you are going through a desert right now and you are experiencing the bleakness of depression, or are unable to see any fruitfulness in your life, remember God has not forsaken you. Because of His love and compassion for you, His beloved bride, He has led you into the desert to teach you many things. While you are in the desert He will be there in the desert of your life. God promises to give you back your vineyards (Hos.2:14-15). He promises to make you fruitful in the land of your suffering (Gen. 41:52). Remember… He led you into the desert. If you are walking through the Valley of Achor (trouble), the place of your deepest wounding, God has provided for you a "door of hope." Because of your restoration... you will sing as in the days if your youth” (Hos. 2”15).

Many of us today are "former devastations" that the Lord has freed from the yoke of bondage and oppression. He has raised us up to be His joyful servant warriors for the final Harvest!

By laying the axe to the hidden roots of our individual and generational curses and sins, God is taking care of our structural foundations. He knows that any cracks in our foundations will inevitably weaken and endanger the stability of the walls upon which they rest. By pulling out the roots and sealing up the cracks with His divine corking, He is ensuring that our walls will stand firm in Him. Any weapon formed against us by the enemy will not prosper. Since the enemy goes for our vulnerable places, all fractures and cracks must be sealed by the blood of the Lamb, so that we will stand firm on the Rock, and refuse to collapse under the enemy's attacks. For there is no other foundation on which to build!

Because the Lord is building the house, because the Lord is building His temple in us, He is a thorough and detailed Workman. He begins at the very foundation of our lives, checking for cracks that could mar His temple; that could prevent His glory from being revealed in us! For He has promised that "the glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house" (Hag.2:9). The righteous will "shine forth as the sun" (Matt.13:43)!

Today, the Holy Spirit is calling His remnant body of believers, to repair the broken down walls of the church. We are His church! Although true believers are scattered throughout the nations, the Holy Spirit will bring them together as one body connected under Jesus Christ who is their Head. They will be joined together; unified in mind and purpose to finish the work God has called them to do.

The Lord is saying, "Sound the trumpet in Zion, and I will fight for you! Give me an undivided heart so that you will walk in My Truth, and glorify My name." (Neh.4:20; Ps. 86:11) I have called you to prepare the way for My Coming. I have chosen you to make My paths straight. I have anointed your eyes to see so that you can remove the stones from the highway. I have healed you so that you can "produce fruit in keeping with repentance." (Matt.3:3; Is.62:10; Matt.3:8)

I will be the Flame that burns within you, and the Wall of Fire that surrounds you. "I will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire," as you lift up My Righteousness, higher than its ever been lifted before. I will strengthen your hands, so that they will not get weak from the work. I will strengthen your heart against your surrounding enemies. "I will enlarge the place beneath your feet."

Eventually, your enemies will lose confidence when they see that the work you are doing is My work. "For I will clear My threshing floor. I will gather My wheat into My barns. I will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Neh.6:9,15-16; Ps.18:36; Matt.3:11,12)

"But for you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat and leap like calves released from the stall. Your sorrow will be turned into joy and your mourning into a day of celebration. For the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Mal.4:2; Est.9:22; Neh.8:10).

My bride, My beloved one—keep your eyes on Me and "I will not let your enemies triumph over you. No one whose hope is in Me will ever be put to shame." For I am the "Stronghold of your life," therefore you have nothing to fear.

I will give you a "sign of My goodness so that your enemies may see it and be put to shame." (Ps.27:1; 86:17) "I will create Jerusalem (the church) to be a delight, and its people a joy. I will set you as a seal upon My heart. For My love for you is stronger than death. I am enthralled by your beauty. Honor Me for I am Your Lord!" (Is. 65:18; SS.8:6-7; Ps. 45:11). "I rejoice over you, My bride, for I will make you the praise of the earth. You are awesome as an army with banners, fair as the moon, clear as the sun. You will shine like the brightness of the sun; like the stars forever. You will sparkle like jewels in My hand, for I will be your glory!" (Is.62:7; S.S.6:4,10; Matt.13:43; Zech.2:5; 9:16,17).

"Respect, honor and give glory to Me alone. For the hour of My judgment is come. Worship Me, for I made the heavens and the earth. I am the Alpha and Omega. I am He who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. Do not fear, for I have taken away your filthy garments. My glory shines within you, because you are clothed with My rich, white robe." (Rev.14:7; Rev.1:8; Zech.2:4).

"Behold, I am your Bridegroom. I am ready to receive you. Trim your lamps and come out to meet Me! I can hardly wait to embrace you, My Bride, My darling. The wedding banquet is prepared for you. Come, My beloved sons and daughters! I am the Lord, Your Righteousness! My Victory is yours!" (Matt. 25:6-10; Rev. 19:7-9; Jer. 33:16)

Word from I AM

By Hazel Holland

Here's a word I received from the Lord on April 24, 1998. It has been hidden away in my computer files for ten years. Since God's words are timeless, it's time to publish it so that you can be blessed as you hear the Spirit speaking to your heart today...

"So do not fear," says the Lord, "For I AM with you. Be not dismayed for I AM your God. I AM will strengthen you and help you; I AM will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10). Don't put your trust in what you feel and see. Place your faith and trust in Me alone. "For I AM the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, "Do not fear; I AM will help you. I AM your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah 41:13-14).

"I AM has summoned you by name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I AM will be with you... When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned..." (Isaiah 43:1-2).

"This is what the Lord says, who made a way through the sea... Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I AM doing a new thing... I AM making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland...to give drink to My people...that they may proclaim My praise" (Isaiah 43:16-21).

"I AM has made you and I AM will carry you. I AM will sustain you and I AM will rescue you... I AM has made known the end from the beginning, from ancient times what is to come. I AM says: My purpose will stand and I AM will do all that I please... What I AM has said, that will I AM bring about; what I AM has planned, that will I AM do... I AM is bringing My righteousness near...and my salvation will not be delayed" (Isaiah 46:4,10,11,13).

"My righteousness draws near speedily... My salvation will last forever, My righteousness will never fail... Awake, awake! Clothe yourself with strength... I AM has put My words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of My hand" (Isaiah 51:5,6,9,16). "I AM will go before you and I AM will be your rearguard" (Isaiah 52:12). "No weapon formed against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from Me," declares the Lord (Isaiah 54:17).

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts...so is My word that goes out from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace" (Isaiah 55:8-12). "I AM will guide you and restore comfort to you, creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel" (Isaiah 57:18-19).

"Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet...to loose the chains of injustice and untie the chords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke... If you do away...with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always... You will be like a well-watered garden, a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings" (Isaiah 58:1,6,9,11-12).

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you" (Isaiah 60:1). "You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God... As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you" (Isaiah 62:3,5).

"Covering"--A Most Sacred Cow

By Hazel Holland

The teaching in the church at large today that every believer and every local church needs a “covering” continues to be raised. The notion that we must come under so and so's “covering” alarms me greatly for several reasons.

The obvious reason is that the leadership in a particular church is not the “church.” The whole body of believers in a given fellowship or congregation, including leadership make up the local church. Furthermore, if a particular church's beliefs have not been clearly defined from God’s Word, how can that body of believers come into agreement with it unless leadership first ‘proves their point’ from the Scriptures. We must know for ourselves what God's heart is on this matter and it must be clearly taught from the Bible.

The second reason this alarms me is that over the past five years I have searched the Scriptures and can find absolutely no biblical support for this notion that every believer and every local church needs a “covering.” I believe the current usage of the church phrase “covering” is a misnomer. It is one of the church’s most “sacred cows.”

The whole idea in the new covenant gospel is for people to become uncovered—unveiled! Listen to these words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:15-18. “Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers (kaluma) their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil (kaluma, covering) is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (legitimate liberty, no longer a slave. Hence no need for a covering). And we, who with unveiled (anaklupto, uncovered) faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Yes, there is governmental authority in the church. But accurate governmental authority doesn’t mean to “cover.” It is not a “covering” from the top. It is an upholding—an under-girding of support from beneath. It is our safety net built on the foundation of the apostles…and particularly the chief Cornerstone, Jesus Christ (See 2 Timothy 2:9; 1 Corinthians 3:10).

The governmental authority structure in the New Testament church should not represent another hierarchical “covering.” It should not be another multi-level marketing plan where “I’m under your covering and “I’m the covering for these people over there...”

In the church we have the freedom to yield by preference to those who are veterans in the truth. We see this demonstrated in the New Testament by the apostles who didn’t isolate themselves or consider themselves as spiritual coverings “over” the churches. They had no secret need to control or dominate the churches they supported. Instead they passionately cared for their disciples and considered them as their sons. They served, they helped and they lifted them up. Among many other things, the apostles rightfully set things in order, corrected doctrine, recognized incorrect behavior and called for accountability in the body they served.

From this example in Scripture we have a clear picture of the leadership of the early church being the “support”—not the “covering.” That is righteous governing—not exploitation. Just as Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve, so the Apostles who were part of the five-fold ministry of the early church were not chosen to lord it over fellow believers, but to nurture them and lend assistance to them in order to help them mature in their Christian walk.

Unfortunately, over the years we have seen excessive abuse in the misunderstanding of the position of leadership in the church. Instead of trying to control, dominate, and intimidate the body into submission, true five-fold ministry today should be the battle-axe that exposes the traditions of men, and frees people’s minds that have been held captive by unscriptural teachings.

The third reason the practice of “covering” is promoted in many churches stems from the belief that women need a male covering. However, Paul quickly clarifies the whole veil/covering debate concerning women when he tells the Corinthian church not to be contentious about this matter (1 Corinthians 11:6). In essence, 1 Corinthians 11 concerns cultural issues. Jewish women had no such practice as covering veils, but veiling was a significant ethnic social problem to the Greeks in Corinth to whom this Scripture is addressed.

In summary, the cultural practice of Greek women covering their faces with veils was not a universal edict about women needing to be covered by men! Paul’s concern was that everything in the church be done decently and in order. In fact Paul recognized that in the Lord woman is not independent of man, neither is man independent of woman (see 1 Corinthians 11:11-12). He recognized the equality of believers (male and female) as part of the body that comprises the whole (1 Corinthians 12:26).

Essentially, Paul envisioned the personhood and interdependence of men and women existing together in Christ when he said, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). The church is being called into the emancipation of God’s liberty as we humble ourselves before one another and consider the interests of others before ourselves.

God's Failsafe System!

by Hazel Holland

Do you remember the power crisis in California that hit twelve years ago? The power failure affected nine western states, including parts of Canada and Mexico. Some of you who were affected by the high temperatures may remember that hot Saturday afternoon, August 10, 1996, when thousands of people lost power for many hours.

Two days after that power crisis the newspapers reported that power system managers had been called to an emergency meeting to determine what changes needed to be made in the present power system in order to make it more reliable. Next time there was a power shortage they assured us that they would determine who should receive power and who should be cut off so that another complete blackout could be avoided in the Western power grid.

We were informed by the Deputy Energy Secretary that “it is impossible to build an entirely failsafe system.” Unfortunately power outages will become more common in the future as deregulation and increased competition change the power industry.

As is so often the case, what happens in the physical realm often parallels what God is doing or about to do in the spiritual realm. Is there a better way to get our attention than to have our source of power cut off? Electricity is something we are all very dependent upon. But are we just as dependent upon God who is our source of spiritual power?

Listen to how one newspaper article described the power failure back in 1996. “There are islands of power within the darkness.” Hasn't God promised His children that as thick spiritual darkness covers the earth, our light will shine? Nations will be drawn to His light—the light and glory of His Presence. For the Lord's power rises upon His people, and His glory appears over them. (Isaiah 60:1-3). Aren’t we Christians called to be "islands of power,” fingers of light in a dark world, pointing the way to the Father?

In recent years when parts of Northern California were “cut off” with rolling blackouts and power failure was barely averted in other places, I heard the Lord speak a word into my spirit. While power administrators are trying to determine who "should receive power" and whose power should be "cut off," what is God saying to His children through His Spirit in regard to His Power System?

Hasn’t God designed that each believer will become a conduit of Holy Spirit power? Hasn’t God assured us that we will have no shortage of Holy Spirit power if we remain in His presence and stay connected to Him (John 15:4)? Only through the power of the Spirit can we carry the light of the gospel to every corner of this dark world.

Just as the newspapers warned us that outages will become more common in the future as increased competition changes the face of the power industry, so God’s Word also warns us that He has plans to determine who should receive power. God is on the verge of making a dramatic breakthrough in His power industry—changes that the world has never witnessed before.

Listen again to what God promises. "In the last days I will pour out My Spirit on ALL people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men dream dreams. Even on My servants both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below . . . And every one who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Acts 2:17-18).

What a demonstration of Holy Spirit power! As God continues to pour out His Spirit power on ALL flesh, the enemy continues to launch his counter attack, trying to force people to buy into his defective power system—reliance upon self. If we choose to depend on our own source of power we will most certainly find ourselves left in darkness. Separated from God, we can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from Him is like deadwood (John 15:5).

Instead of becoming deadwood, we are called to be “islands of power” that will illuminate the spiritual darkness around us. We are called to be the light of the world. So let’s not hide our light, but let it shine forth for the world to see. For Jesus is the treasure that we each carry in our earthen vessels. He is the Light that lights up every man.

For our God is at work making sure His "customers" receive all the power they need. In fact, God has marked His customers with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing their inheritance until their redemption (Ephesians 1:13).

God is assuring us as His children that when we stay connected to Him, we are connected to His failsafe system! God's Power Grid will never become overloaded because of our excessive use of it during dry seasons of spiritual drought. We will never be cut off. We can rest in Him 24/7 knowing that His power system will never fail us.

Since God is for us, "nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom.8:39). As long as we stay plugged into Him, we have all the power of the Spirit that we need. Signs and wonders will follow those who believe as they share the light of the gospel to those who are still in darkness.

I believe this natural power failure is a warning of a deeper spiritual power failure within us. We are being called to repent of our dependence upon our own source of power and turn to God. Over the years many of us have tried to tell God how to manage his Power System. We have wanted to make changes in the way He ran His Power Grid. We have wanted to "help" Him manage His power by trying to control it, because we felt uncomfortable at times with the way He chose to distribute His power.

Although man’s source of power has failed, and will continue to fail, what is God’s promise to us? Listen to His words of encouragement. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Only through the Holy Spirit can we receive the spiritual power we need. Only by our reliance upon His promises can we become conduits of His power that will erase the darkness.

When everything around us seems to be falling apart we will be able to look up to our mighty Power Manager and say with the psalmist, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. For the Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:2-3, 7).

“You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to His people. Praise be to God!" (Psalm 68:35).

God Got My Undivided Attention

by Hazel Holland

God spoke very clearly to me one weekend while I was attending a Seventh-day Adventist Women's Retreat in Flagstaff, Arizona. Not only was this experience another turning point in my spiritual journey, but it also demonstrates for us how God determines the gifts we will receive. Through this spiritual encounter, the Spirit began to place within the womb of my heart the passionate love of the Father's heart for His children, especially those within the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA).

In May of 1995 I was still an SDA, and I was part of a team of people from Celebration Center (a SDA church in Redlands, California) who presented “A Wedding Drama” at the Arizona SDA Women's Conference. After the Saturday evening program some of us were relaxing in the hotel Jacuzzi, sharing our thoughts about God's presence in the events of the evening. In the course of conversation I learned that Myrna, the fourth lady in our room who had not been with us Friday night, would be joining us shortly. Quietly I excused myself and hurried up to my room ahead of the others, hoping to be asleep before they arrived. I had heard that Myrna snored loudly, and because I sleep lightly, it seemed in my best interest to fall asleep first.

As much as I tried, sleep would not come. Although I was tired from the intense evening schedule, my mind insisted on recounting each scene in the wedding drama we had just put on. I wondered how many of the people watching it had been touched by the Spirit’s presence as I had been.

All too soon the women returned from the Jacuzzi. Seeing I was already in bed and appeared to be asleep, they moved about in hushed tones. Soon the lights were out, and everyone was quiet. But not for long. My snoring sister was in good form. As her snoring began, I pulled the covers over my head. When that didn't muffle the sound, I tried the pillow. Feeling exhausted and helpless, I began complaining to God. Immediately, I heard a very clear internal command. "PRAY!" Perhaps that would take my mind off my own selfish desire for sleep. As I began to pray, I received another strong urging; this time it was to lift up my hands as I prayed. I obeyed.

Never before had I lain in bed with my hands raised up in prayer to God. And now God was compelling me to do this in a hotel room with three others to witness my strange behavior. To my amazement the snoring stopped. I continued praying, thanking the Lord for a few minutes, before slowly lowering my hands. As I turned over on my side, planning to quickly fall asleep, the snoring resumed with greater intensity than before. Quickly, I raised my hands again in prayer, and the snoring ceased.

"Lord, what is going on?" I complained. “It's midnight! I can't keep my hands up all night. I'm tired. I need to get some sleep. You know I’ve got a long drive tomorrow.”

As I lay there facing the wall opposite from the snoring, I felt Debbie [my bedmate], who was nearer to Myrna than I, reach across to the other bed and gently give her a little shake. Immediately the snoring stopped—for a minute. Then it started up again.

This scenario was repeated several times. As soon as I lowered my arms, the snoring would return. Then Debbie would reach over and shake Myrna, and the snoring would cease for a time. As it started up again, I would lift up my hands in prayer and the snoring would stop. To make matters worse, a gnawing pain in my right leg began to bother me, the late result of a pinched nerve in my thigh that I had received months earlier. Knowing I had some pain pills in the bathroom, I climbed out of bed, hoping I could at least do something to alleviate that problem.

On my way back from the bathroom I had to walk by the foot of Myrna's bed. Again came the strong urge to lift up my hands and pray. I obeyed. Again the snoring stopped.

“Lord, I know you're trying to teach me something.” I was getting nervous. “But please don't let Myrna wake up, or anyone else for that matter, and see me standing like this at the foot of the bed. I'll scare them to death!”

I hurried back to my bed, hoping to fall asleep while everything was quiet. But after a couple of minutes the snoring resumed again. Debbie sprang into action. She gave Myrna one last bold shake that shook both of our beds. Instantly Myrna stopped snoring and quietly slipped out of bed. I heard a door close. Now is my chance, I thought. "Lord, please let her stay long enough in the bathroom for Debbie and me to get some sleep!"

Some time later in the early morning I woke up. Everything was quiet. Then I heard God's voice speak clearly in my mind. "You asked Me earlier what is going on. Let Me explain... Myrna is My child. She represents the church—the Seventh-day Adventist Church that is asleep. She not only must be shaken awake, but hands must be lifted up in continual intercession1on her behalf."

I lay there in bed with tears streaming down my face as I pondered those weighty words, and felt the deep, deep love of the Father's heart for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I don’t know for how long I wept and prayed. But I do know that God’s heart of love is so deep and so wide and so high that it encompasses the whole world, and yet He has room in His heart for you and me. In fact He has room in His heart even for the Adventist church that has so misrepresented and distorted the new covenant gospel of Jesus Christ.

Several hours later I woke up again as I heard the bedroom door creak open. Myrna crept apologetically into the room. It was then I realized that she had not gone to the bathroom earlier as I had supposed, but had gone to another room to sleep.

"Don't apologize!" I insisted as I held up my hand. "God used you last night in a powerful way!"

"What? He did? How?" she challenged.

Excitedly, I recounted to her and the other women the "events" of the night, and what the Lord had revealed to me. Debbie was surprised to hear of my strange behavior because she never saw a thing.

Soon the women were up and about, hurrying to get bathed and dressed so they would be on time for breakfast. Hoping to catch a few more minutes’ rest, I decided to skip the meal, and volunteered to be last in the bathroom. When the room was quiet, I reluctantly got out of bed, hoping I still had enough time to make it to the last morning session.

Audible Voice of the Lord

I was in the bathroom drying my hair. Suddenly, above the din of the hair dryer, I heard a clear, audible voice from above me say, "I want to give you a double portion of My Spirit!" Unlike the inner voice spoken by the Holy Spirit to our hearts, this voice was unmistakably real, audible, and outside of me. It also was the voice of God!

I spun around. No one was there. Immediately the story of Elisha flashed through my mind. I remembered how he had asked Elijah for a double portion of His Spirit before he was taken to heaven in a fiery chariot. It was years since I had read or even thought about that story. I was awed by the possibility that God wanted to give me a blessing like that. To my mind at that time, such giftings were reserved for rare, special people—like prophets in the Old Testament—not for single, divorced women like me.

As soon as I shared my incredible experience with my friend Margo, she understood the word she had received from the Lord earlier that weekend. Together, she and another friend, Donna, obediently laid hands on me and prayed for me to receive whatever gifts the Holy Spirit wanted to give me.

My request from the Lord at that time was to receive more of His unconditional love so I would have a greater capacity to love His children—particularly the learning-handicapped students that I taught in public elementary school at that time. As my Adventist friends laid hands on me and prayed I felt a certain amount of discomfort because Margo’s hands began to shake uncontrollably as she poured out her heart to God on my behalf. This was something I wasn’t used to and hadn’t witnessed before, so I felt a little cautious and amazed.

However, since that May morning over twelve years ago now, my life in the Lord has not been the same. I have become consumed with an insatiable hunger to know Him intimately. As I have chosen to spend more time lingering in His presence He has faithfully made Himself known to me through His Spirit and His Word. Intimate communication with the Father throughout the day has become my greatest joy and source of delight. To know Jesus is to love Him passionately. I desire to obey His voice more than the clamoring of my own heart. He has become my life.

Receiving a Double Portion

As I began to review how God called various people throughout history to do a specific work, I realized that I had also been called and set apart for God’s purposes. Since I had responded with a “Yes, Lord!” when God had told me He wanted to give me a double portion of His Spirit, I had received that blessing by faith. Although no precious oil had been poured over my head like Aaron and other biblical characters had experienced, I was lovingly anointed2 by God and inducted into His service. I knew by faith that I had received a double portion of God’s Spirit even though I had no special feeling or physical evidence of it at the time. Like Elisha who grabbed hold of Elijah’s mantle as it fell from the heavens, I grabbed hold of God’s promise and held it close to my heart, knowing that He would reveal what His purposes were for me in His time.

Ever since that day when hands were laid upon me and friends prayed that I might receive whatever gifts the Holy Spirit wanted to give me, I have been experiencing a growing and deepening awareness of the passionate love in the Father’s heart for His children. I didn’t realize until many months later that during my midnight encounter with the Lord, He had planted a seed in me. As the months and years have gone by I am able to look back to that time in my life and trace that experience to the birthing of God’s heart in me for prophetic intercession. This was the beginning of the call upon my life to “stand in the gap” and cry out to God for those who did not know the Father’s love.

God didn’t have to speak to me in an audible voice in order to get my attention. He already had my attention. I had already committed my life to loving and serving Him. But from that moment to this He has had my undivided attention.

Undivided Attention

God has a plan to get your undivided attention also. I am reminded of a story I read recently that illustrates how God sometimes has to get our attention by using unconventional methods. In this story it was a brick. What will He use to get your attention?

A young executive was driving his brand new Jaguar in an area where there were usually several children playing in the street. He thought he saw something darting out from between parked cars and slowed down.

As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's passenger door! He slammed on the brakes and spun the Jag back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. He jumped out of the car, grabbed some kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?" Building up a head of steam he went on. "That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"

"Please, mister, please. I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do!" pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..." tears were dripping down the boy’s chin as he pointed around the parked car. "It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."

Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you and God bless you," the grateful child said to him.

The man then watched the little boy push his brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long walk back to his Jaguar—a long, slow walk. He never did repair the passenger door. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone had to throw a brick at him in order to get his attention.

God whispers in our ears and speaks to our hearts through His Spirit all the time. But sometimes when we don't take the time to listen, He has to throw a "brick" at us. It's our choice. Will we listen for the whisper of His voice—or wait for the brick?

As you look at your life some of you will recognize that God has thrown a “brick” at you in order to get your attention. Others of you will perhaps see that the SDA church is like the crippled little boy in this story who fell out of his wheelchair. Others may see that the Adventist church is more like the executive driving the brand new Jaguar, and that fixing the dent in the passenger door is going to cost the church a lot of money. Still others may see that the dent in the “door” should be left alone. Perhaps God can use it for His glory if the corporate leadership of the church repents of covering up its unbiblical teachings and renounces them, along with confessing its deceptive practices.

One thing becomes very clear to me in the above analogy. We can’t lift our handicapped “brother” back into his wheelchair. We need a Good Samaritan to come along who will pour healing oil into the scrapes and cuts and bandage up his wounds. Only in Christ is there healing from this kind of a fall.

I am reminded of how God set a bush on fire out in the middle of the desert, because He wanted to get Moses undivided attention? When the Lord saw that He had caught Moses’ attention (Exodus 3:4), He began to share with Moses His plan to use him to free a nation crying out to God because of the oppressor. Moses was being called to be their deliverer after dwelling in the desert for forty years. Gone was the proud and independent spirit of the former prince of Egypt. As a broken and repentant man, he humbled himself before the Lord and felt totally inadequate for the job God was calling him to do. It was in this place of weakness, brokenness and submission that God could now use him. It will be the same with us. It will be the same for the corporate leadership of the SDA church. Repentance is the key that opens the door for God to rebuild upon our ruins.

Why did God choose to get Moses undivided attention through a burning bush? Perhaps because one of God’s attributes is that He is a consuming fire. Although He is a consuming fire, the bush was not consumed. Although He is a consuming fire, we are not consumed. The refining fire of His presence consumes only the dross in our lives, but the gold remains. If we submit to His loving discipline the remaining gold will be polished until we become transparent vessels, able to reflect His glory—the glory of His finished work.

If the Lord has now got your undivided attention, remember that He is the Relentless Pursuer. He will do whatever it takes to capture your heart. My prayer is that you will renounce all other lovers and have only eyes for Him!

1 Definition of “intercession” [Webster’s Dictionary]: to come or go between, mediation between conflicting parties with a view to reconciliation, prayer or pleading on behalf of another or others.
2 “anoint” means to rub or smear with oil

The "Ho!" Manifestation

By Hazel Holland

In an effort to try and understand this particular manifestation of the Holy Spirit I have gathered together some information that I pray will be helpful in furthering our understanding of what I believe the Lord is saying through this phenomenon. Although prophetic shaking started happening to me in 1995 when the Lord began giving me dreams and visions, the “ho” manifestation didn’t begin until the fall of 1997.

When the Spirit first began to manifest His presence on me in this particular way I was appalled. Although I knew this was God because the sweet presence of His Spirit always accompanied this manifestation, I didn’t fully understand this involuntary exclamation of the one syllable, “Ho!”

It seemed that whenever someone said something that my spirit got a hold of, a loud “Ho!” would come out of my mouth. I also noticed that my unspoken thoughts sometimes triggered this same loud response. Sometimes the “Ho!” appeared to be given to encourage us, but at other times it appeared it was given as a warning. These outbursts were always accompanied by the anointing presence of the Lord, and were often followed by crying and weeping. It seemed that God was placing an exclamation mark at the end of a thought or sentence in order to make an impact on what was being spoken, either by others or myself.

Not wanting to attract negative attention to myself by this involuntary response to the Spirit’s moving, I fell to my knees before the Lord in prayer. Immediately God brought me the words of Isaiah 55:1… the Old King James Version: “Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters and drink, and he that hath no money; come….” Was the meaning of “Ho” a call to come and drink of the Water of Life? With tears of thankfulness I momentarily felt comforted by the Holy Spirit.

Although I now knew this unusual anointing was to draw our attention to Jesus Christ, the Living Water, I wanted to run and hide in shame every time the Spirit came upon me in this particular way when I was around people. Having the Spirit come upon me when I was worshiping or praying within the confines of my own home was one thing, but having the Spirit come upon me like this during corporate worship, or out in a public place was an entirely different story. My comfort zone was thoroughly rocked.

More Understanding of “HO!”

As the anointing of the Holy Spirit continued to fall upon me in this way, it became more frequent and more pronounced. I earnestly sought the Lord to bring me further understanding of this powerful manifestation of His presence. Several months later I was providentially brought into contact with a Seventh-day Adventist couple who teach Davidic dance in churches who are open to this beautiful expression of worship. I had not seen them for a year, so I was surprised when I went up to hug the wife at our church potluck, and the anointing of the Spirit fell upon me and I loudly “ho”-ed. Linda’s immediate response was, “Oh, I know what that means! The Lord had us studying in the Hebrew Bible just yesterday regarding that particular word!”

Since I had been praying for many months that the Lord would bring me more clarity and understanding from the Scriptures as to what this expression means, I was excited to hear this news. “Please tell me!” I urged.

So they explained how “ho” is a Hebrew word found around fifty times in the Bible.1 It is spelled “ho” and also “hoi,” and is pronounced as “ho.” The different spelling of the word does not alter its meaning. It is like using a verb or its past participle. In the King James Version the actual word, “ho” is used more often than in more recent translations. I learned from my friends that this word translated into English means: woe, ho, alas, come, pay attention, listen up, etc. Most of the time in Scripture it appears to be used as a warning to alert people to pay attention to what God is saying through His prophets.

This explanation helped explain the growing urgency I felt in my spirit when the Lord would come upon me in this way. It appeared there was a direct connection between the “Ho” manifestation and the prophetic dreams and visions that Lord had given me.

Kansas City Brothers

About a month after meeting the couple who teach Davidic dance, the Lord led me to meet two Christian brothers from Kansas City. During a house church meeting one of them stood up and shared what the Lord was revealing to him regarding my “Ho!” outbursts that had spontaneously happened while he was preaching.

He began reading out of the same passage of Isaiah that God had initially given me months earlier. “Ho! Ho! Ho!” he began “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! …Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to Me; hear Me, that your soul may live…” (Isaiah 55:1-6).

After he had finished reading the first six verses, he looked up and began saying something like this… “Listen up church! Pay attention people! The Lord is calling us to come to Him. “The day of the frozen chosen is fast coming to an end. The day of the dead church meeting is drawing to a close. Death Valley will become like a river in the desert. Where there has been parched land, springs of living water will begin to flow…!” Needless to say, I was blessed and encouraged by this word of affirmation.

Human Shofar

shofars.” People are being used as trumpets to sound the alarm. Praise the Lord! He uses the body of Christ like a well-oiled machine, if we will only let Him. The Scripture she quoted to me for confirmation is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:16: "For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first."

As soon as she spoke these words I was hit with loud and continuous “ho”-ing that lasted for what seemed several minutes. I couldn’t stop “ho”-ing as a very heavy manifestation of the Spirit continued to rest on me. Weeping and intercession followed. I saw that God is using people as human trumpets to wake up those who are “spiritually dead.” Listen up church! Pay attention people! I'm coming back to receive my bride! Wake up! “Blow the Trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on My holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand—” (Joel 2:1). I saw that the prophetic revelations God had given me were given to arouse us from our Laodicean sleep.

“Ho” Manifestation in the Body

After receiving Joanie’s word I was determined to visit other churches and find other brothers and sisters whom God was using in this particular way as human trumpets. When I visited Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena I was reminded of an incident that had happened there a few years earlier as I was beginning to experience the move of the Spirit in my own life. I had witnessed Bonnie Chavda, a well-known pastor’s wife, “ho-“ing during an intermission. Although I knew she had a prophetic calling on her life I was shocked and somewhat disgusted by her behavior, hoping that I would never see anything so crude and weird again.

Since she was a powerful woman of God, who was well thought of and had an established ministry in the body of Christ, I came to the conclusion that there had to be others out there whom God had chosen to be “ho”-ers for Him, too! I knew she wasn’t behaving that way to attract attention! I knew it was God even though it made me feel very uncomfortable.

Over a period of several months I visited a number of other churches. Providentially God allowed me to attend a couple of Prophetic Conferences where I discovered a number of other Christians from various churches who were also experiencing this same phenomena of “ho”-ing in their daily walk with God. In another church I visited, a pastor came up and introduced herself to me after the service when she heard me “ho” several times during the meeting. She had this same anointing on her, but had never met anyone else with it. She wasn’t the pastor of that particular church, but like me, she was attending the series of meetings being held for intercessors in the area. I found out she traveled around the United States speaking and teaching in various churches that invited her. As I talked with my new friends and shared my concerns, I discovered that we had much in common.

Our Response to the Spirit’s Presence

I discovered that Scriptures that uphold Jesus Christ as our only righteousness or speak of His finished work on the cross seem to cause a “ho” response from some other intercessors, too. Also, Scriptures that draw our attention to the final outpouring of God’s Spirit upon the earth as He draws all men to behold the cross of Jesus Christ, or Scriptures that give warnings about redemptive judgments that are soon to come upon the earth, seem to bring the house down with loud and continuous “ho”-ing from some of us. As I listened to their stories of how the Spirit is choosing to manifest His presence in their lives, I was encouraged to know that I was no longer alone.

Generally speaking, I found that this physical response to the Spirit’s presence is often accompanied by shaking—either of one or both hands, but sometimes even the entire body. What follows is often loud crying and weeping as God’s heart of compassion and love is being poured out through the intercessor. At times intercessors who experience this “ho” anointing double over like they are in pain as they feel a yearning in the heart of God calling them to intercede for a particular person or for an entire group of people. Others experience an arm shooting up in the air like they are saluting the King of Kings. Others find that one of their legs jerks up when the anointing hits them.

I noticed that the human responses to the Spirit’s presence varied from person to person. Some experience a very light shaking while they “ho” while others experience intense and rapid jerking, like they are fanning a flame. Some feel the fire of God fall on them while they are “ho”-ing, while others do not. Some only experience it in the privacy of their homes while they are in intercession, or during corporate worship in church, while others (like me) also experience it out in the market place and during the most unexpected times. In other words, God will cause His anointing to fall in this manner at any time and anywhere that He chooses. He is no respecter of time or place.

From what I have experienced as well as observed over these past few years, this “ho” manifestation appears to fall on people suddenly in order to call them into crisis intercession and spiritual warfare. Most of the time it is unpredictable. It can come in single “ho” outbursts or a series of quick trumpet-like blasts. At times it comes to confront and expose the spirit of religion, the spirit of control, and the spirit of pride so that these strongholds can be rooted out from our hearts and lives. It comes on individuals at times to confirm what God’s Spirit is doing in a particular situation. It comes when God chooses, not man. It comes to make us aware of what is on God’s heart, not ours. God wants us to hear the cry of His heart for the lost… in the church and outside of it. God is calling some to weep publicly for those who cannot weep for themselves. God wants to stop us dead in our tracks in order to arrest our attention and focus us on Him. God is bypassing our agendas so that He can reveal His.

Encountering Offense

One thing I noticed that continues to be a source of comfort to me is that people out there in the market place never appear to be offended by my “ho” outbursts. Initially, some are concerned for my health, not understanding what is happening, but once they understand I am not having an epileptic seizure, or a heart attack, they always seem interested and want to know more about God and His Spirit. Restaurant waitresses have been very gracious and never rude. A number have asked for prayer. No one has ever appeared to be offended.

However, a growing number of people within the church continue to have a knee-jerk reaction when the Spirit falls on me in this particular way. Over the past several years several pastors have asked me to leave their congregations because of the negative responses of a number of their members. These pastors sincerely believe that people like me should be able to control this involuntary response to the Spirit, especially during corporate worship times. Others think it is an attention–getting device to fulfill some unhealed need. Still others think I, and others like me are being deceived. They believe another spirit is causing us to behave in this way.

I sympathize with other Christian’s negative reactions to the move of the Spirit, especially since my experience in one particular church in the fall of 1999. I heard this “ho” manifestation on a number of individuals throughout the auditorium during the praise and worship service. Again I noticed that the anointing seemed to fall on certain words and phrases that God wanted to emphasize or draw our attention to. During the delivery of the sermon, “ho”-s also punctuated the message at times.

On this particular evening we had been asked to bring our offerings up front and place them in the baskets provided. As we got up out of our seats to walk up the aisles, I suddenly witnessed this manifestation on a young girl in front of me. She must have been in her twenties. She was bent over double like I was, “ho”-ing and barely able to stand up and walk.

Instantly I was overcome with repulsion and wanted to get as far away from her as I possibly could. Even though I was manifesting in the same way, the other side of the church was not far enough away. I was very offended and put off. As I passed by her, I saw that she had fallen just short of the offering basket and was unable to get up. I also was having trouble walking but was determined that I wouldn’t fall anywhere near her.

After I had deposited my offering in the basket and was slowly returning to my seat, she caught up with me. I felt her hand on my back as she steadied herself, trying to keep from falling on her face again. Immediately the Spirit confronted me with my sin of judging her motives. I had seen myself in her and I didn’t like the picture. My own judgmental attitude towards her behavior forced me to see and better understand why some people continue to be offended by my manifestations. I recognized that the religious spirit and the spirit of offense had been exposed in me, causing me to react in this unloving and judgmental way towards her. As we made it back to our respective seats we helped each other along, unaware that probably some others looking on were having similar negative feelings as I had just experienced.

As soon as the service was over, I went back a couple of rows to where she was sitting and ministered to her as the Lord had directed me to do. As I humbled myself before her and repented, I was truly blessed. She needed a “spiritual mom” who could be supportive and help her understand a little more of what was happening to her. She had been praying that the Lord would send her someone. Immediately I recognized our meeting was a divine appointment. Not only did we bless each other, but also her pastor who was also visiting this church that evening came over to where we were “ho”-ing and got some of his questions answered. As a result he felt more informed to help his congregation and be more supportive of my new friend.

From my experience with this young girl it seems to me that the enemy is trying his best to bring offense to people on both sides of the issue—on those who are open to the moves of the Spirit and those who are closed. Either way, the enemy succeeds is we fall into his trap

However, as Christians how are we supposed to handle intolerant attitudes and misunderstandings? In love. Pastor Lou Engle, who pastors prophetic intercession at Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena, advises us that we need to hold all judgment regarding this “ho” manifestation. Apparently God is moving in unusual ways as He brings this “ho” anointing on more and more individuals within the body of Christ.

Judging by the number of pastors who are calling him, it is causing quite a stir in a growing number of churches. Pastors are finding it increasingly difficult to know how to pastor the flock and give advice to those intercessors who are experiencing this phenomenon. Their loud outbursts seem at times to interrupt the normal flow of things. It is certainly possible at times to leave the corporate worship service if the “ho” intercession gets too disruptive. But at other times the presence of the Spirit is so heavy on a person they cannot get up to leave to go to a more secluded place to intercede.

Perhaps if God should decide to bring this anointing on more people within a given congregation, the normal flow of things would be instantly stopped. Perhaps the pastor would extend the invitation to the entire congregation to fall down on their faces before the Lord in repentance. Perhaps the Spirit would help us see that often we are like the people on the cover picture of a Keith Green tape. On this tape church people are all gussied up in their church clothes looking beautiful as they walk along a pier, oblivious to the fact that people are drowning in the waters all around them.

Follow Biblical Principles

Instead of judging and criticizing one another, a good biblical rule to follow would be to pay attention to the fruits of the Spirit in the lives of those who manifest in this particular way. Inspect the fruit of their ministry in the church. Instead of becoming hung up on the weirdness of how they look and sound, perhaps we need to pay more attention to the words or message that God is bringing through them. Let us refrain from making any more false accusations and open the door even wider to the spirit of offense.

Also, let us refrain from using Scripture out of context to shame and judge those who are manifesting His presence in this unusual way. “The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets” has been a Scripture that continues to be repeatedly used to try and control the “ho” and shaking manifestations that people like myself experience. The problem with using this Scripture is that it’s not talking about an involuntary response to the Spirit’s presence. Rather it is teaching us that when someone is prophesying they have the ability to stop speaking if someone else receives a revelation while they are talking. “For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets” (1 Corinthians 14:30-32).

Unusual Manifestations

Isn’t it true that many of us want signs and wonders, but not wonders that make us wonder? We want wonders that we can control. We want logical wonders. We want wonders that fit the shape of our old wine skins. So when God chooses to make someone jerk or “ho” under His power, it offends many of our minds and insults our intelligence. Although we love and worship a supernatural God we don’t want Him to do anything that appears to be “unnatural.” We want wonders that don’t violate our intellects.”2

However, 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us that the things of the Spirit are foolish to the natural man. The word foolish is moria. It means moronish. Does this mean that the things of the Spirit are often going to seem ridiculous to the natural mind? I believe so. How can we expect a supernatural God to do things naturally? How can we expect the works of an all-wise and knowing God to always be explainable? We can’t.3

I know that intellectually motivated people often have great difficulty accepting anything supernatural. I know because I used to be one of them. If I couldn’t understand the supernatural manifestation or logically explain it, I rejected it.

I also believe some people reject the Spirit because of their fear of loosing control. Fear of loosing control and becoming overcome by a power that is greater than themselves is a frightening thought. Essentially, fear of loosing control means, “Do what You want God as long as You leave me in control.”4

When strange manifestations began to occur during George Whitefield’s meetings, he heeded the advice given him by Lady Huntington, a woman whom he greatly respected. Instead of silencing the people or having them removed from the meetings as he had been inclined to do, he heeded her wise counsel. “You are making a mistake,” she told him. “Don’t be wiser than God. Let them cry out; it will do a lot more good than your preaching.”5

Are we also trying to be wiser than God is? Can we trust Him to do His work His way? Can we allow the Holy Spirit to do what He desires and emphasize the truths He wishes? Although manifestations grab our attention, it’s our hearts that God really wants. If the trumpet has been sounded and the awakening cry has been raised, will we answer the radical call to follow Jesus in a radical way?

A Call to Repentance

Yes, God is bypassing our agendas in order to reveal His. He is manifesting His power through human trumpets to get our attention. He is using the most unlikely people. May we each humbly submit to His ways and be willing to be taught by His Spirit. I sense we have many things to learn and unlearn about the way the Spirit chooses to manifest His presence and power in our midst. Let us hold all judgment and refuse to pass condemnation on those things that we do not understand.

Instead, let us prayerfully submit our lives to the Spirit’s control and look for the good fruit that the Lord is bringing forth. Although we must guard against extremes of the flesh, we must allow the extremes of the Spirit.6 Although we should not seek physical manifestations; neither should we be ashamed of them when they occur. Let us no longer fall for Satan’s bait and let offense and judgment affect our relationships with one another and our relationship with God. Instead of falling into the trap of offense over unusual manifestations, let us fall on the Rock and be broken. As we see our true heart condition before the Lord, let us “be earnest, and repent” (Revelation 3:19).

Last fall when the following Scripture was read one afternoon during a prophetic conference at Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena, I noticed that many intercessors in the room were hit with this same “ho” manifestation. “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch… I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day of night. You who call on the name of the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give Him no rest till He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth” (Isaiah 62:1, 6-7).

The pastor who was reading the Scripture at the time paused and commented on this unusual manifestation of God’s presence that was happening in the room. He remarked, “Many Christians might wonder what on earth you people are doing should they wander into the sanctuary right now. I believe that some prophetic intercessors in the body of Christ are being called as watchmen to stand on the walls of the church. Standing at your post you are being called into crisis intercession for the body of Christ. That is why you are manifesting in this strange way.”

Coming for His Bride

I believe that this “ho” manifestation is an urgent wake-up call. The parable of the ten virgins reveals that the Church is spiritually asleep—the wise along with the foolish (Matthew 25:6-7). Perhaps that is why God is using human trumpets to sound an alarm in order to wake up the sleeping Church. Noticeably this “Church” is made up of God’s children who are found not only within the confines of the organized structure of religion, but also outside of it in the marketplace.

I believe that there are aspects of the Jewish wedding ceremony that speak to us of the closeness of Jesus Christ’s Coming for His Church.7 In the traditional Jewish wedding the groomsmen go ahead of the bridegroom in order to announce to the waiting bride that her bridegroom is on his way. In a similar way today God is calling forth grooms people who are announcing to the Church that Jesus is on His way. Some of these prophetic voices, these watchmen, are being used as human shofars—human trumpets to sound the warning, because the Church is asleep. We cannot remain quiet until God establishes is the Church in righteousness—until He makes His bride the carrier of His glory—the one who proclaims His righteousness and salvation like a blazing torch throughout the earth.

1 Endnotes: Scriptures that have ”ho” or “hoi” in them: 1Kings 13:20; Isaiah 1:4, 24; 5:11, 18, 20, 21, 22; 10:1, 5; 17:12; 18:1; 28:1; 29:15; 30:1; 31:1; 33:1; 45:9, 10; 55:1; Jeremiah 22:13, 18; 23:1; 30:7; 34:5; 47:6; 48:1; 50:27; Ezekiel 13:3, 8; 34:2; Amos 5:16, 18; 6:1; Micah 2:1; Nahum 3:1; Habakkuk 2:6, 9, 12, 15, 19; Zephaniah 2:5; 3:1; Zechariah 2:6, 7; 11:17.
2 Dutch Sheets, “The River of God,” p. 170.
3 ibid. p. 171.
4 ibid. p. 172.
5 ibid. p. 179.
6 ibid. p. 184.
7 Richard Booker, “Here Comes the Bride,” p. 9.

Wideness of God's Mercy

By Hazel Holland

I recently read an article by John Scotland1, an English pastor, who has ministered in England and America for over thirty years. He describes the challenges he has faced since the beginning of the renewal in 1994—“the agony of being made a prophetic sign and wonder.”

Many times over the past seven years I have tried to put into words what it feels like to be made a “prophetic sign and wonder.” Being English myself also, I have been taught by my culture to be reserved and appropriate in social situations, and not to unnecessarily call attention to myself. So when the Lord’s hand came heavily upon me in 1998, and began causing me to become intoxicated with the Spirit in unusual ways like shaking, weeping, laughing and “ho-ing,” it became very hard for my natural mind to comprehend. What became especially difficult was learning to embrace rejection as I began to experience the agony of being shunned by people I loved.

Over the last three years I have come to better understand the purpose of God in causing someone to become drunk in the Spirit as I am reminded that the early church was born with the sign of intoxication. When the Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost believers drank Him in to such a degree they were accused of being full of new wine because they acted and looked drunk to the natural eye.

One of the benefits of being intoxicated with the Spirit was that they were given boldness to fearlessly proclaim the Good News. They were freed from old mind-sets and paradigms to such a degree that they became totally abandoned to God and His purposes. Even though outwardly they appeared crazy to their listeners they were in fact very sensitive to the Holy Spirit and could hear His voice and obey freely.

What was God’s purpose in causing them to become drunk in the Spirit? Clearly it must have been similar to the intoxication Jeremiah experienced as he was called to prophesy to a people in bondage under the Babylonian system. He said, “I am like a drunken man whom wine has overcome because of the Lord and His holy words” (Jeremiah 23:9).

As the Holy Spirit intoxicated Jeremiah he was enabled to prophesy to God’s people in order to break through religious mindsets and the judgmental spirit created by the false prophets of his day. Because the church today has become a “wilderness” of confusion, the Holy Spirit is moving through various prophetic voices at this time in order to draw people’s attention away from the old wine of institutionalized religion so that they will become thirsty for the New Wine—Jesus Christ.

If we understand the purposes of God and the prophetic anointing being carried by those God has called to awaken the church out of her sleepy condition we will not frustrate the grace of God. I have come to realize that God uses the anointing of prophetic drunkenness (for lack of a better word) on me at times to address modern-day pharisaic spirits, and disable the self-righteous mindset of many in the church today. God uses what appears to be foolishness to confound the wise.

The prophetic utterance of ‘ho!’2 is given to startle us and awaken us out of our spiritual slumber. God wants us to desire Him… to become thirsty for the Living Water. His desire is to unlock people’s hearts and minds so that they can be set free from denominationalism. He is overturning the “tables of the money changers” so that His house is no longer “a den of thieves.” He’s bringing up stuff we’ve tried to keep quiet. He’s leveling the junk we have placed on top of Him. He is releasing the captives from spiritual abuse so they can respond by faith to the Good News of Jesus Christ and His finished work for all people.

The Scriptures reveal that the benefits of Christ’s death have been made available to all men throughout all ages from the very beginning of the world. “For God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless in His sight from the creation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). Apparently people are able to benefit from Christ’s work without knowing or confessing His name but by responding to the light shining in the darkness and which the darkness did not put out (John 1:5).

Faith in God is what saves us—not possessing a certain amount of minimum information. God’s Word tells us that He cares about faith more than the content of our theology. He cares about trust more than orthodoxy. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). In essence the issue God cares about is the direction of the heart.

So faith is our response to information about God in the direction of trusting Him and obeying Him. Since God has not left anyone without a witness, God judges us all fairly on the basis of the light we have received, and how we have responded to that light. How wide is God’s mercy for all people. How far-reaching is God’s redemptive work in Christ that is intended to benefit the whole world. “… God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:19). “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world” (1John 4:14). In these texts we see that God gave a gift to the whole world in the person and work of Jesus Christ. God provides salvation for the world (the many) through the person of His Son (the one).

We see that this is a pattern throughout Scripture from the very beginning—the pattern of God setting aside one person to be the source of salvation for the many. First, God chose to make a covenant with Adam and then Noah, showing the pattern of representation. In these covenant promises God announces His saving purposes are going to be working among all peoples sharing a common ancestry in Adam and then Noah.

The promise given to Noah prepares the way for the blessing of all nations through Abram. Abram is called, not for his own sake or even his family’s sake, but for the sake of the whole world. It appears that God’s way is to choose a single representative of the group to deal with the whole group. It is vital that we grasp the meaning of the call of Abram and to his seed after him to be a special nation in the context of God’s concern for all nations. God chose Abram for the sake of the world, not for his own sake. His election was not a sign of God changing His mind about the other nations, wanting to save some and reject others. No. The decision God made to call Abram reveals the path God has chosen to bring about the salvation of the many through the faith of the one. The election of Abram is evidence of God’s desire to save the world. This is most clearly emphasized in Scripture by Jesus being presented to us as the last Adam, the one who represents the race as its Redeemer (1 Corinthians 15:22).

Since God is maker of heaven and earth and the creator and judge of all nations the scope of His concern embraces the whole of humanity. The whole world and its peoples belong to God who created them to relate to Him. God is not just the God of Jews or even Christians, but the Lord and judge of all the earth.

Further glimpses into God’s saving work among people at large prior to the time of Abram is given in anecdotes concerning such people as Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Daniel, Job and Melchizedek. All these men being neither Jews nor Christians pleased God because they sought Him with the faith response (Hebrews 11:6).

After the call of Abram the Old Testament makes it clear that God’s election of Israel is a corporate election and a call to service, not privilege. Israel is summoned to be God’s priestly people in the earth. The prophet Isaiah puts it eloquently when he says; “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).

Israel was elected to a ministry of redemptive servanthood. God chose Israel because He had a special task for the Jews to perform, not because He loved them more than the other nations or because they were better than the rest. The calling of Israel could succeed or fail. In fact Paul speaks of the failure of this mission when he says, “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (Romans 2:24).

The Old Testament doctrine of election remains unchanged in the New Testament. Christians are God’s chosen people the same way that Israel was, chosen in Christ to be a servant community and witness to the kingdom of God. We have been called out of darkness to declare God’s praises (1 Peter2:9). Our calling is to be the first fruits of the new creation as we anticipate a much larger harvest to come (James 1:18). We are elected to serve God by issuing the invitation to all peoples for God’s end time banquet.

What is universal is God’s love for the human race. God’s election of Abram or of Israel or of the church is the way God implements His love for humanity. Because God loves the world He elects a people, he elects prophets and apostles in order to implement His love for the entire human race. Election has nothing to do with the eternal salvation of individuals but refers to God’s way of saving the nations.

After the call of Abram God is still presented in the Old Testament as active beyond Israel’s borders. God’s concern for the whole world does not stop once Abram is called. He is still in dialogue with Gentiles. Unfortunately in the church today we have overlooked the meaning of the call of Abram. We have ignored the tradition of holy pagans that tells us that God is in dialogue with people beyond the borders of Israel and the church. No one group or any certain territory holds a favored position in relation to salvation. God is bringing these blessings to all people on earth. Exclusivity and elitism are out of the question. Peter declares after his change of heart, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:34-35).

Although salvation exists for everyone, it is not automatically conferred upon everyone. There are two many warnings in Scripture about divine judgments falling on people to be ignored. These warnings clearly reveal that God allows people in their freedom to reject Him. “But unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke 13:5). Clearly God does not purpose to reject anyone, but anyone can choose to say “No!” to Him.

If Christ died for all while yet sinners, the opportunity must be given for all to register a decision about what was done for them (Romans 8:5). They cannot lack the opportunity to receive salvation because someone failed to bring the Gospel to them. So how is salvation within the reach of the unevangelized? I believe the faith principle is the basis of universal access to salvation. As has already been emphasized, people are saved by faith, not by the content of their theology. They cannot respond to light that did not reach them, but only to revelation that did.

Charles Ryrie states it clearly when he says that the basis of salvation in every age is the death of Christ. The requirement for salvation in every age is faith. The object of faith in every age is God. But the content of faith changes in the various dispensations.

Jesus, speaking as a Jew with the Gentiles in mind, reminds us that deeds of love done to needy people will be regarded at the last judgment as having been done to Christ. Jesus is standing in solidarity with the human race. Serving the poor embodies what the love of God is, and is accepted as the equivalent of faith. The Son of Man, because He is identified with humankind in every way, receives the deeds done to the poor as deeds done for Him. Those who confess Christ and those who do not are judged alike by the extent to which they walk in the way of the Son of Man.

Having said that I am compelled to ask two thought-provoking questions. Are nominal Christians who profess Christ with their lips but do not perform deeds of love to the needy in greater danger of being condemned than those who have not heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, but whose hearts walk in the way of the Son of Man? Is it possible that God is using prophetic voices to trumpet His concerns for those in the church who are enlightened in the things of God, but are in danger of being condemned at the last judgment because their hearts are not walking in the way of the Son of Man?

1 The testimonies of John Scotland and his wife can be read at his own website (John Scotland.org) or in the current issue of Spread the Fire Magazine (a free magazine from Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship—tacf.org).
2 In the fall of 1997, the Lord began manifesting the Hebrew word “Ho!” through Hazel Holland involuntarily, similar to how the Lord blasts the Hebrew word “Hey!” from the mouth of John Scotland. The Hebrew word “Ho” is found around fifty times in the Old Testament, usually translated as “woe, ho, alas, come, pay attention, listen up, etc.” and sometimes retained in Old King James English. Most times in Scripture it appears to be used as a warning to alert people to pay attention to what God is saying through His prophets. I believe that today God is using men and women as “human shofars,” as trumpets to wake up those who are spiritually dead inside and outside of the church (see Joel 2:1). The “Ho!” is a call to forsake our empty cisterns (Jer. 2:13) and come drink the living water of intimacy with Christ: “Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters and drink, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yeah, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Isa. 55:1, KJV)