 |
| Could God's work in your life that you're not conscious of be the secret to serving Him well? |
Supernatural Impartation
A Key Sign You've Received a Supernatural Impartation
LARRY SPARKS
It took me over
10 years to discover that during one event back in May of 2000, I received one
of the most significant blessings of my life and ministry.
In fact, that
one single night would go on to define everything about my Christian journey
from that moment onward.
And to think, I
almost missed its significance and importance! I pray that my story will help
you recognize and steward your divine moments.
The Journey of
An Unwilling Worshipper
The event took
place in a church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Nothing really special about the
place.
It was not some
type of megachurch, conference or revival service; it was simply a night of
worship led by a musician from Australia, Darlene Zschech.
Little did I
know what God was orchestrating behind the scenes. You see, this was all new
for me at this point in my life!
I had been a
true follower of Jesus for less than a year when I attended the worship event.
It was only in
the late summer of '99 where I received a powerful, life-changing touch in
God’s presence that supernaturally changed my life.
God was no
longer a concept to me. He was not distant and detached.
Christianity
was not some moral code that I needed to adhere to in order to get to heaven and
make the rapture. That is how I thought until I encountered His presence.
If you told me
back in 1999 that I would be attending a worship event — and actually be
excited about it — I would have thought you were insane.
My encounter
with God was sovereign and supernatural. The Spirit stirred my curiosity
concerning the things of God.
At the time, I
was attending a local nondenominational church that happened to do
“contemporary worship.”
This involved
clapping, slight body movement and upraised hands. All of this was way outside
my comfort zone and, to be honest, a little creepy.
In fact, I did
not consider it a bad thing when I showed up to church late, missing the music,
as my heart was hungry to receive the inspiring teaching.
God's ways are
absolutely amazing and surprising. One Saturday night, I showed up at
church before worship began.
To cut a long
story short and bring us back to the worship event with Darlene, I remember
very clearly that during one of the worship songs, I felt something in my chest/stomach
area — like, physically felt something.
It was not bad;
it was absolutely glorious. It was like fire. My hands felt a slight but
extremely noticeable sensation, like mild electricity.
God’s presence
started to touch my life. From that point on, I knew that the Jesus in my heart
was alive and very near.
Heaven Came
Down and Changed Everything
Back to the
worship event in Ft. Lauderdale. I knew who Darlene Zschech was (most notably,
the writer of “Shout to the Lord,” which my Christian school had been doing
in chapel for many years at that point).
Interestingly
enough, it was also one of Hillsong’s songs, “In Your Hands,” that the
worship team was playing during my first power encounter with the Holy Spirit.
Since that
moment, I started listening to their music — and absolutely loved it.
Even so,
nothing in this world could have prepared me for what I experienced during that
night of worship.
I came to that
event hungry for God and left hungrier than ever. I stayed for both services,
as I just could not get enough.
There were
moments of high worship, where I felt like my physical body could not bear any
more of His glory. I am not talking about a flutter in my heart, a tear
trickling down my cheek or a smile on my face. No.
The mighty
presence of God came crashing down on me like heavy waves. Heavy.
That is the only word I can use to describe the climate of that atmosphere.
Surely the
priests of old knew it well. When the glory came, they could not “stand to
minister” in that weighty presence of God (2 Chronicles 5:14, NASB).
Just when I
thought there was a moment of relief, another wave came. I was getting
gloriously pummeled by His presence and absolutely relishing every single
moment.
Wave after wave
reminded me that He is alive. He is not religion. He is not a theory. He is not
a Bible class. He is not a program. He is not platitudes and spiritual sayings.
God Almighty is
alive and moving and, yes, graces humanity with special moments like this where
He manifests His presence in a specific location.
Something awakened
in my heart during that event. A desire. A longing. A hunger. An unquenchable
thirst.
I must have
more. At all costs, I must press in to experience as much of
His presence as possible this side of heaven.
Your desire for
more is absolutely legal.
When we
encounter these waves of His presence, with each one crashing over us with
greater love, intensity, strength, power, joy and glory, each wave gives us a
greater glimpse of greater glory and summons us to greater hunger.
This is exactly
what happened to me that night in Ft. Lauderdale.
But of course,
life went on ...
Recognize
Your Covert Blessing
One thing I could not shake was my appreciation for
Darlene Zschech’s ministry. It was not fandom. Even hero is
not an adequate word to describe Darlene’s influence upon my life.
This
woman is a general of the faith. She is one who has been key in sowing into
generational revival, passing this “baton” of extravagant worship to emerging
leaders.
When
the history books are written, I believe Darlene will be listed among other
people of His presence, such as A.W. Tozer, Kathryn Kuhlman and John G. Lake.
Even
though these men and women are recognized for different aspects of ministry — writing,
healing, signs and wonders — their burning quest for God’s presence motivated
everything. Such is the case with Darlene.
I was absolutely drawn to her hunger for God’s
presence. From that event onward, I continued to listen to her music.
We
have attended at least 10 events in the states where Darlene has led worship. I
have been over to the Hillsong Conference in Australia twice.
I
have had the great honor of meeting Darlene on multiple occasions and even
interviewing her.
Yet none of these things ultimately satisfied me. I
celebrate them all, for sure. However, I was not simply looking to meet a hero
in the faith — though she clearly is.
Instead,
I was looking at someone who walked out a pursuit that I desired to live
myself.
I
discovered that during that worship event back in 2000, I received an
impartation from Darlene. Her hunger for God called me up higher and left an
indelible imprint on my spiritual life.
It
was totally covert. I did not go forward, asking her to pray over me — I
received it by simply being present in that atmosphere.
“God Transformed My Life … and I Didn’t Even Know It!”
I want to encourage you that some of the most
significant moments of impartation in your life can take place without you even
knowing it!
The
key to unlocking these hidden blessings is taking time to reflect on your
history with God.
What
stands out? What are common themes? What drives you? What are you passionate
about?
What
are you experiencing breakthrough in? What causes you to dream?
When we look back over our lives, we notice certain
threads.
For
me, it has been a quest to experience more of God’s manifest presence, to help
bring others into a similar encounter and to help them walk out their Christian
lives confident that God Almighty actually lives inside of them.
The
very purpose of my ministry was birthed in that impartation—and I had no clue
what was going on!
This immediately makes me think of Jacob in Genesis
28. He has this incredible prophetic dream of a ladder stretching from heaven
to earth, with the angels of God ascending and descending upon it.
Verse
13 even reveals that “the Lord stood above it and said ... ”
All
of this supernatural activity is going on, not to mention that the Lord God
Himself is speaking and reminding Jacob of the covenant promise He made to
Abraham.
So, what’s first thing Jacob says
upon waking? “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it” (verse 16).
This
tells me that we can encounter God in one dimension and yet our minds need some
time to catch up with the transaction that took place in the spirit.
Consider
Jacob’s language: I did not know it.
God was there.
Something
life-changing and destiny-defining was clearly happening to Jacob, and yet — during
the moment it was taking place — Jacob’s mind could not comfortably wrap around
the work of God in his life.
Jacob’s story is a powerful illustration of how God
can covertly release something into your life that goes on to shape everything
about you.
Most
likely, you will not possess full clarity of what’s happening during your
moment of impartation.
Nevertheless,
something has been released into your life that will be profound and
significant for the days ahead.
One of the Key
Signs You Received a Life-Altering Impartation
Even now, I
encourage you to come before the Lord and ask Him to reveal significant moments
in your life where you received an impartation.
There are
kingdom leaders who have incredible teaching on the power of impartation. Most
notably, I think of Randy Clark, president of Global Awakening Ministries.
For more
resources on this topic, I encourage you to look into his ministry and others
like it.
Please do not
over mystify or hyperspiritualize impartation. Charismatic Christianity has
often turned it into some type of “super-sized” anointing type of experience.
It’s not.
Impartation has nothing to do with receiving another anointing or the upgraded
Holy Spirit.
It is a
blessing — a grace of power that is released into your life that is tailored
specifically for you. For your calling, your ministry, your
purpose, your destiny.
It is a
significant way that God uses the body of Christ to edify and build up one
another to ultimately accomplish His kingdom work.
Impartation is
for you, but it is not about you — it’s about you becoming more effective in
seeing His glory cover the earth.
Research some
of the major leaders in the body of Christ. Many will have impartation stories
that defined their lives and ministries.
I think of
Reinhard Bonnke and the impartation he received from British evangelist George
Jeffreys.
Leadership
expert John C. Maxwell recounts a powerful impartation he received from E.
Stanley Jones.
I think of
Brownsville Revival evangelist Steve Hill and the impartation he received from
being exposed to the powerful Argentine revival through leaders like Carlos
Annacondia.
One of the key
signs that you received a life-changing impartation from God, even if no one
laid hands upon you, is the unusualness of the experience.
I cannot think
of a better word than that. Only you will be able to recognize the
significance. It does not have to be a dramatic moment.
We should never
assume a destiny-defining moment has to be dramatic; however, it will always be
significant to you.
During my
impartation, others were experiencing the same presence of God. However, I knew
what was taking place was significant. Looking back now, I recognize the
significance even more.
You can be
experiencing waves of God’s presence crashing over you or you can be sitting
under teaching on a certain subject — and something ignites within you.
You can have a
leader lay hands on you and pray or you could be sitting in your prayer closest
reading a passage of Scripture — and suddenly your heart starts to burn.
The reality you
just read about grips you unlike anything you have ever experienced before. It
could just be one verse — one truth that sets the course of your life.
You cannot
manufacture these moments; they are supernatural and sovereign. Like with
Jacob, they can be so significant and so deeply spiritual, your mind may not
even register what is going on.
But something
undeniably happened. And your life will never be the same again!
Larry
Sparks is
the author of Breakthrough Healing (Destiny Image, 2014). He is a
conference speaker, blogger, columnist and host of the weekly radio
program Voice of Destiny (www.thevoiceofdestiny.org). Featured
in Charisma magazine and on CBN’s Spiritual Gifts webcast,
Larry is also founder of Equip Culture—a ministry that equips believers with
the tools and resources to live victoriously through the supernatural power of
God. Subscribe to his blog at www.lawrencesparks.com. Follow
him on Twitter @LarryVSparks.
Get Spirit-filled content
delivered right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
Great Resources to help you excel
in 2019! #1 John Eckhardt's "Prayers That..." 6-Book Bundle.
Prayer helps you overcome anything life throws at you. Get a FREE Bonus with
this bundle. #2 Learn to walk in the fullness of your purpose and destiny by
living each day with Holy Spirit. Buy a set of Life in the Spirit, get a second
set FREE.
https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/43702-a-key-sign-you-ve-received-a-supernatural-impartation
Shout To The Lord
You
might also like:
Darlene Zschech,
the ‘Mama Bear’ of Worship Music
CLICK HERE . . . to view . . .
CLICK HERE . . . to view . . .
https://puricarechronicles.blogspot.com/2018/07/shout-to-lord-darlene-joyce-zschech-my.html
Why You Must Fight to Worship
Shout to the
.................................................................................................................................................................
CLICK HERE . . . to view . . .
..................................................................................................................................................................
Shout to the
Lord
Story behind
the song
CLICK
HERE . . . to view . . .
..................................................................................................................................................................
CLICK
HERE . . . to view complete playlist . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment