I suspect that Abba chuckles when Jesus has fun teaching us that the “impossible” can happen quickly! Here is an example:

On a business trip to the Northwest just before Christmas several years ago, one of The Father’s Touch team members was conducting a small, informal training of new sales associates in the home of a young woman who graciously agreed to host the impromptu meeting on a Saturday morning, in spite of her not- quite-complete recovery from a bad cold.

After several cups of coffee that morning and a rather long first session, our team member desperately needed to take a restroom break (others did too, so there was a line forming already!). As he started to dash for the bathroom, he was interrupted in his quest for relief by the groans of the anguished hostess in the kitchen who was holding her ears as she coughed again and again from lingering congestion in her chest. When asked what was wrong, she said her ear infection was causing extreme pain whenever she coughed. She was obviously in a great deal of pain!

For our team member, this was one of those dreaded moments when he just knew that the Lord was going to give him an assignment that didn’t quite agree with his plan. Sure enough, the Holy Spirit told him to pray for the woman. “Can’t it wait, Lord, until after my restroom break? Please?” “No, pray for her now,” came the answer! What would you do in his shoes? Most of us would be tempted to think that it couldn’t be the Lord talking; it must be the devil trying to inflict serious injury in the form of a burst bladder! Visions of a marathon 2-hour healing session were beginning to invade the team member’s mind. And he began to wonder who was going to pray for his healing! 

Wanting to be obedient, but also highly impacted by his urgency, he silently made a demand of the Lord, “OK, Lord, I’ll pray now for her, but you’re going to have to make it snappy!” 

When he asked if he could lay hands on her ears and pray, she nodded in agreement. As he reached for her ears, his hands began to tingle with a familiar presence of healing power and she was delivered from pain instantly when he touched her ears! Then he asked if she needed anything else and she responded that her throat was very sore. That pain also left instantly when he touched her throat! 

Again he asked if there was anything else, wanting to make sure he finished everything the Lord wanted to do before he made a mad dash for the bathroom! She said her lungs were really congested (in his self-focus he forgot about her lungs!), so he commanded her lungs to be cleared and told her to take a breath. She breathed in freely with no vestige of congestion and exclaimed, “No way!” He said, “Yes way!”, gave her a high five and made his dash!

The healing that he thought might take many minutes (in agony – his!) actually took no more than 15 seconds! The Lord did indeed “make it snappy!” And the entire room full of trainees witnessed their first miracle! 

When our team member returned from the restroom in a much more relaxed state, he found the hostess sobbing where he had so abruptly left her in the kitchen. She was in shock over the Father’s loving touch. As a result of this encounter with the powerful compassion of Jesus, she soon after surrendered her life to her Savior and Lord! 

When you have true “urgency” in accomplishing the Father’s will, he and Jesus and Holy Spirit are right there with you, eager to “make it snappy!” Get in the habit of asking for what you need!

© 2023 The Father’s Touch Ministries

Abba delights in amazing his children by showing us that nothing is too hard for him!

I’ve learned through several examples that Abba will sometimes answer even my half-hearted requests and by doing so, he demonstrates that he is listening. One such example I can share is delightfully simple and yet ripe with lessons for those of us who need encouragement to ask and believe for unusual miracles because of his incomparably great power (Ephesians 1:19).

On a very hot summer day years ago, about a dozen attendees of a weekend seminar in the Los Angeles area gathered with the main speaker for lunch after the conclusion of the morning teaching session to fellowship at a popular restaurant. It so happened that the men were seated at one half of the long table, while the ladies were seated together at the other half.  

The food was delicious and the conversation was lively during this wonderful lunch. However, there was one annoying problem. The air-conditioning vent above the table was blowing very cold air on our group without ceasing, because of the influx of very warm air coming through the doors of the restaurant as the diners came and went. We were all freezing, so to speak, and my three requests to the waiter to do something about the a/c were all ineffective. (I joked with the waiter that my salad fork was not the only chilled object at the table!)

The men were super-cold, but even more so the ladies since they all were wearing sleeveless blouses on this particularly hot day, and they had no wraps in their cars that could give some protection from the “arctic blast” coming from the vent above. Their shoulders were so cold that it was becoming very hard for them to focus on the conversation. Finally, I was so frustrated with the situation and felt such compassion for the ladies that I raised my hand toward the overhead vent and half-heartedly requested, “Abba, please heat up the air over the ladies’ half of the table!”

Instantly, to my surprise the vent-air over the ladies’ section became warm and comfortable for them. But the air from the same vent that was coming over the men’s section was still icy cold.  This miracle lasted for over 20 minutes as we finished our meal. Air from the single vent was warm for the ladies and very cold for the men. 

Abba answered my half-hearted request, perhaps because his compassion for the ladies was even stronger than mine! He also demonstrated his willingness to answer some requests very specifically, which gave us a powerful lesson to be careful and intentional about how we pray.

The men complained to me as we were leaving, saying, “Why didn’t you pray for us as well as the ladies?” I teased them with my quick answer: “Because they are more beautiful than you!”

© 2023 The Father’s Touch Ministries

Is it possible to bless Abba’s heart? 

Of course it is! We do so in myriad ways as we exhibit Christlikeness in increasing measure. We  “tickle his funny bone” with our humorous ideas, behavior, and even our jokes. We bless him when we recognize and/or receive his uncountable blessings. His infinite love for us enables his heart to rejoice over us in more ways than we can possibly imagine.  

This is not news to you, I’m sure.

But I want to suggest another way to bless Abba’s heart: directly, with a declaration of blessing. Here is one way to do so (and there are undoubtedly many more!). It has to do with Abba’s intense desire for everyone to have eternal life with him (see John 3:16). As I meditated on this again recently, I recalled a powerful vision I had many years ago in which Abba showed me that his heart had a huge number of “holes,” each having the shape of one of his precious children (see the Glimpse entitled, “The Only Place with Your Shape!”), and that his desire is that everyone would take their unique place in his heart.   

Regrettably, many people refuse the offer of Abba to take their place in his heart and this causes him (and us, because we love him) incredible pain. The symbolism in this vision was profound and impacted me greatly! When this revelation of “divine pain” takes hold of us, how can we not endeavor with passion to share the Gospel message so that more people can take their place in Abba’s heart? When they do, he is blessed and joyful beyond measure!

I realized recently that the well-recognized and demonstrated power of spoken blessing could be applied to Abba himself, i.e., to his heart condition. So, I’ve made it a regular habit to speak out loud the following blessing:

“Abba, I bless your heart with fullness of your children, in Jesus’ name!”

I can feel his immense pleasure when I bless him directly in this way. If the possibility of blessing Abba through your spoken word seems odd to you, please remember the promise of Jesus in Mark 9:23: “All things are possible for him who believes.” Don’t underestimate the influence you have with your voice as a son of God.

So, if this practice seems good to you, please join me, as often as you are prompted, in directly blessing the heart of our Abba with the fulfillment of his utmost desire. Your heart will be blessed also because it is entwined with his!

© 2023 The Father’s Touch Ministries

You have much more value than a bird!

Jesus wants us to understand our value in the Father’s sight, so he offered this comparison to the disciples when teaching them not to worry:

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

[Matthew 6:26-27]

During the last several months, I have had an occasional visitor at my favorite early-morning prayer spot on a cliff overlooking the Los Angeles basin. He is a cute little bird who I began to recognize because of his shriveled leg. He seemed to get along just fine by hopping on one leg as he searched around me for tidbits of food for his morning breakfast. This friendly guy lingered quite close to me on several occasions and perhaps he may have been sensing the presence of his Maker residing in me (a topic for another time!). 

I have both compassion for him having only one useful leg, as well as admiration for him because he doesn’t seem to let it hinder him. Indeed, I’ve learned some lessons from my little friend.  This morning I saw him from the comfort of my car as it was raining, and he lingered nearby for a while, as if to greet me once again. This time I felt the Father’s incredible compassion for this little bird, and it brought me to tears because I was sharing in Abba’s heart as he invited my heart to entwine with his as we both “looked” upon his precious creation.  

Then Abba spoke to me to let me know that this caring compassion of his that I was feeling for the bird was nothing compared to his caring compassion for me! He reminded me that he feeds this little lame bird; how much more shall he meet my needs so that I need not worry. His care for me as I “limp” through life is far beyond his care for the little bird!   

Today, the above teaching of Jesus in Matthew, Chapter 6, came alive for me! Abba’s affectionate care for me (and you!) is truly far beyond bird-care!

© 2023 The Father’s Touch Ministries

Never doubt the power of a praying Mama! 

Several years ago in the university office of one of our Father’s Touch team members, a student came in to discuss her late term paper just before the Christmas break. She had a valid excuse, relating that she had finally been diagnosed with debilitating Still’s Disease which is a very painful auto-immune disorder that had begun to exhibit symptoms in her body when she first came to the university two years before. 

Her body was swollen because of the corticosteroids she had to take to suppress her malfunctioning immune system. She was still in obvious pain as she sat across the desk from her professor while they discussed her situation for a few moments. 

Prompted by the Holy Spirit, he politely asked her what kind of faith she had. She replied that her mom was a Baptist! When pressed a bit about her own faith, she seemed a bit embarrassed when she confessed that she hadn’t attended church in two years since starting her studies. He then asked if she believed in the power of prayer. She replied, “Oh, yes! My mama and I pray together on the phone every night! [Her mother lived on the opposite side of the continent!] 

Encouraged by the fact that Mama had been praying with and for her daughter, the professor asked if he could pray right then for healing! She nodded and within 10 seconds of exercising authority over the disease in her body, she was delivered of the pain in her neck, back and shoulders and was able to easily move her arms! When she got up, walked around the office and discovered that her legs were also pain-free, she began to sob with joy and amazement! 

She was encouraged to go home and immediately call her Mama to let her know that her prayers had been answered! 

Two months later, he bumped into her again and could barely recognize her! She had lost about 30 pounds and looked great! She said she was completely pain free and off all medications! God had done an instant work in response to a short prayer added to Mama’s stockpile! 

Mamas’ prayers are powerful!

© 2023 The Father’s Touch Ministries

Sometimes just one word, spoken with authority, is enough to shift an “atmosphere” because of Abba’s power carried by the word! In other words, a word spoken by the unction of the Holy Spirit can accomplish all that Abba desires in that moment.  

Just one example from our Father’s Touch ministry in East Africa, of the many I could share, may encourage you:

On the third night of our 5-night 2016 Freedom Festival in Kisumu, Kenya, we were blessed to encounter a greatly increased level of joy and freedom at the field when we arrived. One major reason for this shift in the “atmosphere” had to do with the crowd exerting authority over the demonic realm on the previous night.

On that second night, I preached on the authority demonstrated by Jesus (see Mt 8:16) when he drove out evil spirits with a word. A single word! The Gospel writers do not record what that word was, but I guessed that it was “Go!” So, I encouraged the believers in the crowd to issue a one-word command in Swahili to all the demons who were afflicting the people present on our Festival field. That word was “Nenda!” – which means “Go!” Many people indicated that they were delivered because of that authoritative one-word command!

On the third night we began by asking for testimonies of healing/freedom from the second-night Festival, and a man named Sylvester came to the platform to testify that he was delivered of tormenting bad dreams as a result of the “Nenda!” command. Sylvester finally had a night with only “good” dreams, after 32 years (his whole life!) of persistent “bad” dreams! He gave glory to God and praised Jesus for his freedom that came through the one-word command issued by the crowd: “Nenda!” This was but one example of why the “atmosphere” shifted at our Festival field: there is authority in the voice of the believer, when you speak on behalf of your Father!

Nenda! And do His will!

© 2023 The Father’s Touch Ministries

The Holy Spirit often communicates (and wonderfully so) the Father’s heart to us at just the right time–for example, when we need guidance and/or encouragement.   

Sometimes he also provides a “2.0” update when we are ready.

I received an initial encouragement via the Holy Spirit many years ago when I was frustrated and a bit discouraged by the reluctance of church leaders in my community to embrace, (let alone endorse), our fledgling healing ministry. The more I tried to convince some of these leaders that our ministry was biblical and growing in effectiveness, the more frustrated I became at the lack of genuine reception of the ministry carried out by our dedicated volunteers.  

I had hit the proverbial “brick wall” with leaders who were seemingly “spooked” by the supernatural power of God flowing through our ministry team members who were sincere and yet viewed as “novices who couldn’t possibly know what they were doing.”

At that critical time in my own maturation as a leader learning how to navigate the minefield of naysayers, I needed wisdom from heaven! That is when Holy Spirit whispered this wise advice to me:

“Let your fruit do the talking!”

That was exactly what I needed to hear! I was enabled to grow in patience as I allowed spontaneous praise “reports” of the amazing fruit of our ministry to be communicated by recipients of the many healing touches from the Father and “heard” by a growing number of believers in our community. The fruit was doing the “talking” without my “advertisement.”

As a result, believers began to travel quite some distance to attend our healing services and meetings, and our ministry grew because of the healing touches of the Father through more and more volunteers that we were privileged to train and encourage. Our teams were eventually able to serve much of the Southern California region and as a result, I was ready to hear the Holy Spirit add something profound to his advice which helped clarify this as a principle that is important to teach those with “ears to hear” what the Spirit is saying:

“Let your fruit do the talking, and your silence will make it louder!”

© 2023 The Father’s Touch Ministries

Believing sons and daughters in the family of God have incredible power living within them! [See, for example, Ephesians 1:18-20, Galatians 2:20, and 1 John 4:4]. The Lion of Judah (Jesus Christ) lives in you and is your Champion who encourages you and fiercely defends you. Not only is he the Lamb of God, but he is also the Lion who fights for you.

There is intention on the part of Abba to have you demonstrate this power when necessary, not only individually but also in concert with other believers. A particularly inspiring example of this occurred during one of my visits to central Kenya several years ago and the raw power of united believers acting “as one” was unleashed in an amazing victory over the kingdom of darkness.  

I was conducting a series of late-afternoon “Freedom Festivals” (aka open-air “crusade” meetings) in a rural village area of central Kenya. These events drew crowds of Kenyans from the surrounding area who were hungry to learn about God and/or needed to experience the miraculous healing power of God’s love in tangible ways because they were desperate to be made whole.  

The organizers had done a very good job of preparing for these meetings and the crowds numbered in the thousands each night. But a curious thing was happening during the first few evenings that puzzled me, namely that most of the crowd departed even as I was introduced on the platform to preach the Gospel and bring healing to the sick. Because of experience with many Freedom Festivals in the past in various regions of East Africa, I was used to having to typically wait for quite some time before the choirs were done performing as they led worship and I often had only a few minutes left before dark to minister to the crowds.  

But in this particular location the crowds were rapidly “thinning out” even well before dark each night and I was frustrated, to say the least, because of the lack of opportunity to see Abba bless them with his love and mercy. So, when the pattern became clear, I asked the main organizer what was going on: “What was the reason so many people were leaving the Festival grounds ‘early?’”

He replied with the news that the people were afraid of traveling home in the dark because of violent activity in the region that had been perpetrated not far from our field only a week before. A satanic group called the Mungiki had slaughtered many people in a massacre and over 50 who had survived but had been seriously wounded were still in the local hospital. 

Fear had gripped the entire region!

So, the next late afternoon I asked to be introduced earlier, well before dark, so that I could help the crowd of people get delivered from this spirit of fear that had permeated the community. The strategy the Holy Spirit gave me was truly creative and resulted in one of the most amazing displays of collective power I have seen!

As soon as I was given the microphone I quickly taught (reminded?) the crowd concerning how a male lion (Simba) roars when the lionesses are “on the hunt” for food. Instead of directing the sound of his roar up into the air, he instead roars close to the ground. The sound waves travel much further and faster in the surface layer of ground than in the air. When an animal in the distance “feels” the roar it cannot easily determine the direction from which the roar is coming. This leads to a paralysis of fear because it does not know which way to flee. Then it is easier prey for the hunting lionesses and dinner is soon served to Simba.

[I must admit that I felt a bit awkward as an Mzungu (white person) “teaching” the Kenyans about Simba! Many of them probably already knew this fact about lions.]

After this primer on the lion’s fearsome roar, I reminded the believers on the field that they have the Lion of Judah (Jesus) living in them. Then I instructed them to jointly (on the count of three) let the Lion of Judah roar through their throats, so that together they would produce a very loud roar that would “terrify” the spirit of fear in the region and that demonic spirit would henceforth be paralyzed and ineffective.

The collective sound of several thousand believers releasing the “roar of the Lion of Judah” from within them for about 45 seconds was unforgettable! When we finished the giant “roar,” one old man leaped into the air, whirling with joy at the new freedom he could sense immediately. The entire crowd also began rejoicing wildly because they could feel their freedom from the spirit of fear, and almost all of them continued praising God and celebrating on the field well into the darkness of the evening as evidence of their freedom from fear.  

While many people were being healed during ministry into the evening, I felt the Lord instructing me to declare that he was changing the name of the village to “Kijiji cha Amani” which is Swahili for “Village of Peace.” The large crowd rejoiced even more!  

I learned later that soon after this regional deliverance the villagers constructed a bridge across the river that separated them from their nearby kinsmen and peace was reigning in the region, with no more activity by the Mungiki. The violence was halted by God himself as part of the dramatic transformation of the village and the surrounding region.

It may delight you to know that when I asked the organizer in private later in that amazing evening of freedom what the original name of the village was before the Lord changed it, he gladly informed me that in the local dialect the former name of the village meant “Roar of the Lion.” 

© 2023 The Father’s Touch Ministries

Abba loves to delight in the adventures of his children. Indeed, he takes great delight in us [see Zephaniah 3:17]! With this in mind, I trust that you can believe that it is possible to make your Father “smile” and laugh, and even “belly-laugh” (those laughs probably reverberate throughout the universe!)

One of the times that I heard him “belly-laugh” occurred on an evening when our Father’s TouchTeam was about to conduct a worship and healing service in Southern California, at a small church that graciously hosted such services once per month.  

Our worship team, intercessors, and faithful volunteers arrived about 45 minutes before the start of the service and quickly set up everything in the main sanctuary to get ready and then retreated to a meeting room located some distance down a hallway in order to pray together for the service.

This pre-service prayer time was graced with a powerful sense of the presence of the Lord, and everyone was so captivated by the love-charged atmosphere that we completely lost track of the time and did not send anyone back to the sanctuary to greet the guests arriving for the meeting.   In fact, we had “abandoned” the arrivals as we were “caught up” in the Lord’s presence in the prayer room and finally made our way to the sanctuary about 20 minutes after the scheduled start time of the service.

Our “abandonment” of the guests had an unintended effect. Because the arriving saints found the sanctuary devoid of team members, but they saw jackets and other items scattered on some of the chairs, and instruments left on the platform, they had an eerie sense that they had been “left behind” by the “raptured” Father’s Touch Team members! Ha!

When we finally entered the sanctuary and the guests breathed a sigh of relief as they shared their “left behind” experience, we all shared a few moments of hilarity together as they quickly forgave the team for causing a bit of a “fright!”  

I could feel Abba’s “belly-laugh” as he delighted in the humor of the moment. He is a fun Dad!   

© 2023 The Father’s Touch Ministries