Jesus is alive and loves to manifest his reality to his brothers and sisters (the Body of Christ)!  Indeed, he lives in each believer [see Galatians 2:20, for example] and wants them to be certain of that reality.  

This desire of Jesus (and Abba!) was demonstrated to me in a profound way during my tour of Israel in 2007 with a team of about 30 members of my church. I hope to encourage you by sharing the story of an Israeli ring that I wear, a ring that is indeed “precious” and Jesus is very much the Lord of this ring. [Apologies to fans of J.R.R. Tolkien for “borrowing” some of his terminology.]   

On one of the mornings of our tour, we all boarded the tour bus parked at our hotel in Jerusalem and waited eagerly for our tour guide to join us so we could begin another exciting day of sightseeing and soaking in the history to be shared with us by our knowledgeable guide. But when he boarded the bus, he asked us for a couple of minutes of our time so that could introduce us to his friend that was with him. This friend was a “trusted” jewelry merchant and our guide wanted to give us the opportunity to purchase souvenirs from someone whom we could trust.  

Indeed, the merchant passed out brochures describing custom items such as necklaces, brooches, bracelets, rings, etc., that we could order, and he promised delivery of the items the next morning. He did not take any money in advance, saying that he could be paid when he delivered the goods.

Several team members placed orders with the merchant, but I was not personally interested in buying any jewelry so I returned the brochure to the merchant without placing an order.

The next morning, the merchant boarded the bus, delivered the custom items and collected the payments from his customers. All of them were quite pleased with their purchases and excitedly shared their delight with their neighbors aboard the bus. Because of the quality of the jewelry items, other team members asked if it was too late to order also. As you can guess, the merchant handed out brochures again so more orders could be placed.  

As he was doing so, I heard a voice say to me, “Buy a ring!” I ignored it, but heard the voice again say the same thing, “Buy a ring!” This time I said, “Shut up, Satan! I’m not buying a ring.” Then I heard a firm voice command me again, “Buy a ring!” This time, I realized it was the Lord and I apologized for calling him Satan!

I reluctantly asked the merchant for a brochure and found the cheapest ring, about $50 in price. I told the merchant I will order that ring, but he replied, “Oh, no. That ring is too thin and feminine. You need a ‘masculine’ ring.” I rolled my eyes in exasperation and said, “OK, how much is the ‘masculine’ ring?” He said the price was $80. I feared any further disobedience, lest I wind up with a ring costing $200! So, I ordered the ‘masculine’ ring (a silver band) for $80. He asked what inscription I wanted on the band, and I chose this one:

“Where you go, I will go.”

I felt like I would be making a promise to Jesus to go wherever he goes, much like the promise that Ruth made to Naomi [see Ruth 1:16] as an expression of devotion to her mother-in-law. The merchant made note of my order, but did not measure my ring size, which I thought was curious.

The next morning, he returned with all the follow-on orders for the team members, including mine. He gave me my ring with the inscription I had chosen, written in Hebrew. It fit perfectly on the ring finger of my right hand, even though the merchant had not sized my finger the day before. I paid him the $80 and thanked him for the very nice ring that now graced my finger.   

I felt a great deal of pleasure regarding the ring as an expression of my covenant with Jesus to go wherever he goes, and I continued to ponder that for a few moments until I heard the Lord say to me, “And where you go, I will go!” My eyes filled with tears of joy as I realized this ring was representing a two-way covenant between the Lord and myself. As I sat in my seat on the bus, marveling at this new covenant ring on my finger, I then heard the Lord say to me so sweetly,

“I am the one who put the ring on your finger!”

Since that day, I have not removed the ring except to show it to friends who ask what it represents. Wherever I go, Jesus (and Abba) are both with me! I have the precious covenant ring from my Lord on my finger as evidence and a frequent reminder of my constant companions! 

© 2023 The Father’s Touch Ministries

Our loving Father is perfectly precise in his timings and knows exactly the right moment to instruct or correct us as we mature as his sons.

Very early in my Christian experience Abba taught me a simple, yet profound, lesson as one of his “young” sons who needed some guidance in the basics of Christian life and ministry. I knew that he had provided all that we needed for both these aspects of sonship [see, for example, 2 Peter 1:3], but what I didn’t realize is that there are some miracles he expects us to do instead of asking him to do them. 

The lesson came forth when I was fervently praying on my knees at home for God to heal a woman in the community who was very ill and near death.  In the midst of crying out to him for her healing, I heard Abba interrupt me with a very kind, but firm, question:

“Son, why are you asking me to do what I’ve commanded you to do?”

I immediately thought of Jesus’ command to his disciples (in agreement with the Father’s will, of course) as recorded by Matthew:

“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.  Freely you have received; freely give.”  [Matthew 10:8]

Here I was on my knees, asking Abba to do what I had been commanded to do by Jesus (who is one with the Father)! I had no good answer for Abba and apologized for my disobedience and repented of abdicating my responsibility as a disciple of Jesus. I commanded the healing “at a distance” and the miracle was accomplished!

From that day onward I have been very careful to make the distinction between praying for the healing of the sick and actually healing the sick! We need the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of Christ to carry out this command to heal, and we have both! [See, for example, Ephesians 1:17-21 and Matthew 10:1].  

At issue, perhaps, for many maturing disciples is whether we do indeed believe that we can carry out the command to heal the sick. Once we believe, then we have the activation of many of Jesus’ promises.  Here are just two:

“Everything is possible for one who believes.”  [Mark 9:23]

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, ….” [John 14:12]

Now, when someone offers to pray for me if I have an ailment of some sort, I am thankful for the gesture, but because of the “teacher” in me I say to them, “Please don’t just pray for my healing; heal me!”

© 2022 The Father’s Touch Ministries

John the Beloved records a fascinating promise by Jesus:

Jesus replied, “Loving me empowers you to obey my word. And my Father will love you so deeply that we will come to you and make you our dwelling place.”
[John 14:23 (TPT)]

One of the most profound manifestations of this indwelling that I have experienced occurred on
my tour of Israel in 2007 with a team of about 30 from my church. Early in our tour, our team was in a time of worship on the morning of our departure to Nazareth to visit “Nazareth Village,” which was a small region that was crafted to look like Nazareth in the time of Jesus. As I was deep in worship of our Lord, I began to feel an emotion that grew in intensity. It was a “mixture” of expectation, excitement, and even thrill. I wasn’t sure why I was feeling this so strongly and suddenly realized that this was an emotion of Jesus, who lives in me. I asked him, “Lord, what are you feeling right now?” He promptly answered this way:

“Thank-you for taking me home!”

Then I recognized what Jesus was feeling – he was excited about seeing his boyhood home of Nazareth. I could relate to him, in the sense that I would feel the same way about anticipating a visit to my own childhood region after many years of being away from “home.” I questioned Jesus about his gratitude expressed to me specifically, since I knew that he was also “going with” the other members of the team. He acknowledged that I was correct, but he blessed me by saying that he wanted me to know how thankful he was that he was living inside of me (making me a dwelling place for he and Abba) and that I could feel his heart, even as he felt
mine!

I shared this Jesus-encounter with our pastor who asked me to then share it with the rest of the team because he knew it would bless them. However, before I could do so we were called to quickly board our tour bus for our imminent departure to Nazareth. (We had learned that it was not good to keep our Israeli tour guide waiting since he was keeping us on a strict schedule.) As we explored the Nazareth Village “sights” which were fascinating because of their authenticity, complete with shepherds herding sheep, a carpenter’s shop, an olive press, etc., I had a powerful impression about half a dozen times that Jesus had walked right where I was walking. I could feel his intense emotion of being “home” and I was overwhelmed by his joy.

The next morning, I had the opportunity to share my experience with the rest of the team, and several of them said they had felt something similar to this “boyhood home” emotion and my encounter helped them identify their emotion more clearly! We were all blessed by these tangible expressions of the reality of the “indwelling” of Jesus and Abba with us!
As we surrender to the entwinement of our hearts with those of Jesus and Abba (our joyful “roommates”), we experience an ongoing “escalation” of blessing by this intimacy with God himself! May you truly experience the thrill of your divine roommates!

© 2022 The Father’s Touch Ministries

Abba’s perspective concerning land “ownership” can be quite distinct from our (limited!) view!  

I encountered a fascinating example of the distinction in early 2001. The prelude to this adventure begins in 1995 and has several fascinating features, but I will save those for another time. The main “ingredient” is that the Lord declared that he intended to give me “the land I had cried for.” This land comprises about a square mile in a wonderful and desirable section of Southern California.  

A small piece of that land is a double-lot in a commercial zone on a main thoroughfare passing through the larger region and this “gateway” became the focus of a prayer assignment from the Lord in late 2000, just before the turn of the year. I was with a group of intercessors praying together for revival in our region, and during that meeting the Lord instructed me to walk around that double-lot once per day for six days and then seven times on the seventh day. Shades of Jericho (see Joshua, Chapter 6)!  ☺

This particular double-lot was occupied by a building (and associated parking area) that had been shared by two businesses that had suffered some fire damage many years before. One-half of the structure was now empty and a bit of an eye-sore for passers-by (its fenced-off parking area was weed-infested). The other half was still usable and served as a headquarters office for a business needing room for a few employees. Some churches and businesses had their sights on that lot because of its prime location, but the neglected half was presumably a problem for potential buyers.

Concerning my prayer-walking assignment from the Lord to circumnavigate the lot several times I thought it would be appropriate to begin my walk on the first day of 2001, which would be 01/01/01. However, the Lord said, “No, begin your walks on January 2.” I was tempted to accuse the Lord of not recognizing the significance of 01/01/01 as the start date but thought the better of that and instead simply postponed pressing him for understanding until the third day of my prayer walk around the double-lot, on January 4.  

When I asked the Lord (during my third walk) why he had me begin on January 2 instead of my preferred date of January 1, he asked me, “When will you finish your assignment?” That was an easy question to answer so I said, “On January 8.” Then I instantly realized why he had delayed my start date by one day. I would be finishing my assignment on the 8th day of the new millennium, and the 8th day (the day of circumcision for baby males) would signify that this land was being “circumcised” for use in the Kingdom! Now I was encouraged even more by the significance of this prayer-walking assignment. I had been walking around the double-lot once per day, praying strongly for this land to come into Kingdom use. 

On the sixth day (January 7) of my assignment, I ended my walk in the usual spot at a corner of the abandoned and fenced parking lot. I noticed that on the top of the chain-link fence was hanging a woman’s plastic beach sandal that had not been there the day before. I began to feel an overwhelming sense of awe and declared to the Lord: “If that sandal is still here on the fence at the end of my seven circuits tomorrow (the seventh and last day of the assignment), I will take the sandal and hence possession of this land for Kingdom use.”   

I knew that the Lord knew that I knew the significance of the sandal, according to Ruth, Chapter 4. When a particular piece of land in ancient Israel was being transferred to a new owner, the previous owner would take off one of his sandals and present it to the new owner as proof of the transfer. In essence, the sandal served as a “deed” to the land. The possessor of the sandal was recognized as the rightful new owner.

Sure enough, at the end of my seventh circuit around the lot on the seventh day (January 8), I took possession of the sandal and claimed the land for the Kingdom of God! I was so overwhelmed by the power of the Holy Spirit upon me that I nearly fell over. I took the sandal home, washed it off, and placed it on a shelf in my home office.  (By the way, on the instep of the sandal was a word embedded in the plastic: “SWEET”)

Just a few days later, I was shocked to notice that the abandoned portion of the building on “my lot” had been bulldozed – the walls had come down, a la Jericho (again, see Joshua Chapter 6)! My “Jericho-walk” had a very tangible consequence. The timing was not a “coincidence” – the abandoned half of the building had stood unattended for many years up to that time.

There are several more chapters to this story, but I can summarize by saying the eventual developers of the scraped lot erected a commercial building a few years after my Jericho-walk, but the meager occupancy of the new retail space has been a disappointment to them, I’m sure. During the more than 20 years that have passed until this writing, I have often smiled as I view the sandal on my office shelf and have unwavering confidence that the land will eventually come into my physical possession, or that of my grandsons perhaps. With boldness I often issue a reminder to myself and the heavenly realm by declaring:

“Lord, I’ve got the sandal!”

© 2022 The Father’s Touch Ministries

I confess that I sometimes become gleeful when “religious” people have their doctrinal “apple  carts” overturned by Abba’s demonstrations of creativity, power, and playfulness! 

One of my favorite anecdotes in this regard was precipitated by a series of truly outrageous demonstrations of the power of the Holy Spirit flowing out of ordinary believers. It began for me in late 2009 in northern Kenya while I was waiting in a plastic, white chair on the field near the platform where I would be preaching in a few minutes, at one of our Freedom Festivals with a large crowd (several thousand precious souls hungry for the reality of God in their lives).  

As I was mulling the content of my prepared message while waiting to be called to the platform, I knew there would be several minutes required for the succession of “hosts” of increasing rank in the church to finish introducing their superiors until finally the chief bishop would in turn introduce me. I felt I had a powerful message, but I also had a nagging feeling that I was missing something that Abba wanted me to include. So, I asked him directly: “Abba, am I missing something you want me to do or say?” 

Abba answered me with a question:  

“Son, how much do you believe?” 

You may be able to agree with me that it seemed to be a “loaded” question! I was tempted to proudly declare, “I believe for all things!” But I knew that wasn’t true and I needed help to discern what was really the truth. So, I whispered to the Holy Spirit, pretending that Abba couldn’t hear me (a game I sometimes play with my Daddy in heaven): “Holy Spirit, how much do I believe?” 

He answered quickly, “You believe a little bit, but you have a long way to go!” 

That sounded accurate to me, so I “came back” to Abba and said, “Daddy, I believe a little bit, but I have a long way to go. Will you help me?” You see, I knew I had been “set up” by Dad to be prepared for a “learning experience” and that he had a goal of teaching me how I could believe more than just a “little bit.” 

Now that Abba had my agreement that I needed to believe in a bigger way, he commanded me to “Read Acts, Chapter 5!” I still had some time before the chain of hierarchical introductions would be finished, so I turned to Acts, Chapter 5, in my Bible and began to read. It starts with the story 

of Ananias and his wife Sapphira who had sold some land so they could lay some money at the Apostles’ feet as others had been doing (see Acts 4:34-35). The problem was that they kept some of the money for themselves and lied to the Apostle Peter about doing so. Within about three hours they had both separately lied to Peter and fell dead at his feet, were carried out and buried by the young men who assisted Peter. Wow! 

I said to Abba, “I haven’t sold any land lately, so what are you teaching me?” He said, “Start reading at verse 12.” If you read that passage from verses 12 to 16, you will discover that so much power was flowing from Peter as he walked along the streets, that sick people were brought and laid on beds and mats close to Peter’s path so that at least his shadow might fall on them. Luke writes that, “Crowds gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.” 

Here is an important point: it wasn’t Peter’s shadow that healed the people. I believe that it was the power of the Holy Spirit flowing from his innermost being, according to Jesus’ prophesy recorded in John 7:38-39.  

I instantly realized that Abba was wanting me to walk by some “sick” people who I could call up on the platform, and they would be healed in front of the entire crowd, a la Peter in Acts, Chapter 5. I have to shorten the story for this already long Glimpse, but that is exactly what happened. Ten people with bad backs were healed on the platform as I simply walked by them, pretending to be like Peter walking through the streets of Jerusalem. I didn’t pray for them (not even a word) and I didn’t even look at them. I wanted to make it clear that what healed the people was the same power (i.e., Holy Spirit) flowing from me that flowed from Peter 2000 years ago. The crowd  rejoiced mightily because of this demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit, and many more were healed and saved that night! 

Abba had me demonstrate this phenomenon of “walk-by healings” in many places in the next few weeks, not just in Africa, but in many places in North America. But each time I asked a volunteer to doing the “walking” so I could help build confidence that anyone who believes can do the same as Peter (see Mark 9:23). Many of these testimonies are fascinating encouragements because of the variety of situations, locations, and volunteers where we have seen walk-by healings occur.  

In just the few short weeks of a ministry tour in the Pacific Northwest (January of 2010), we saw walk-by healings accomplished by many different volunteers, including a 10-month-old girl who “toddled” by a line of 15 sick people in a church service and the entire line was healed. A homeless man named Bill, who was a double amputee, rolled in his wheelchair past a line of sick people and they were all healed. People of all ages and backgrounds have been amazed to see sick people healed as they simply walk by. I have personally witnessed this miraculous phenomenon over a  hundred times now, in many different nations, always with ordinary volunteers who believe that  God can do anything! 

But to now bring this long anecdote to a close, I want to share one of the episodes that happened  that first month in January 2010. I was ministering in a small home meeting in the Seattle area, sharing some of the testimonies of walk-by healings and again planning to follow the Holy Spirit’s  leading to demonstrate this phenomenon with the few sick people in the living room. During a short break before the ministry time at the meeting, I was pondering how to carry out the  demonstration in light of the cramped space in the living room. There was no way to have the people form a line so that a volunteer could simply walk by them, a la Peter. 

There were a few people still seated while the others were in the kitchen sampling refreshments during the break, and I noticed that the family dog, a 13-year-old English Dinmont Terrier named Maggie, walked into the room. Maggie was “famous” as a Holy Spirit “soaking” dog who often would hobble into the worship times during ministry nights at the host home, lay down on the floor  and “soak” in the presence of the Lord for a few minutes. Then, she would typically bounce out of the room, evidently free of the pain of the arthritis in her joints. 

When Maggie walked into the living room during the break time at this particular meeting, I cavalierly blurted out, “I bet even Maggie could walk by the sick and they would be healed!” I realized the absurdity of what I just had said and wanted to capture the words I had uttered and pull them back into my mouth! But while I was sitting there somewhat chagrined by my off-hand comment, Maggie walked over to a man seated in a chair and just stood by him. He exclaimed, “All my hip pain is suddenly gone!” The lady seated next to him said, “I feel better, too!” 

Maggie walked over to one lady in the room and stood by her a few times and she sent an email to the hostess the next day, testifying that “Every time your dog stood by me, I felt my blood pressure go down another notch, and today all my fluid retention is also gone!” So, Maggie the Holy Spirit soaking dog indeed had walked by the sick and they were healed! Wow! 

When I’ve shared this testimony in the occasional presence of “religious police” they sometimes ask, in a judgmental tone with their “nose in the air,” “Why would God use a dawg to heal the sick?”  

My gleeful answer is simple: “Because handkerchiefs don’t have legs!” (See Acts 19:11-12) 

© 2022 The Father’s Touch Ministries

There is only one place in the entire universe that has your shape, a place where you fit perfectly!

In one of the most vivid open-visions I have experienced from Abba, I learned a powerful truth about his love for us all. The scene was at a small conference held in a neighborhood community church in Pasadena, CA, during the corporate worship time before my mentor was invited to the pulpit to share a powerful teaching. I was standing in front of my seat in the front row (in my role as “bag-carrier” for the speaker) facing the worship team on the platform.  

Not long into the time of singing I was treated to an open-eyed vision from Abba in which I saw before me a portion of his “heart.” It did not have a “Valentine” shape, but I knew by the Holy Spirit that it was a region in the “infinite heart” of Abba. What was captivating my attention was a “hole” in Abba’s heart that had the shape of a “ginger-bread-man cookie” with a head, two arms, and two legs.

I was curious about this hole and asked Abba to tell me what I was seeing. He answered, “Son, that is the hole in my heart with your shape!” As I looked more closely, I noted that the hole appeared to be more “skinny” than my body and I wondered if Abba was hinting that I should go on a diet? Abba and I laughed together at his teasing!

But then the scene changed, and I saw a much bigger region of his heart, extending as far to the left and to the right as I could see. There was a huge string of similar “holes,” each attached to their “neighbors” in finger-tip to finger-tip fashion like a very long paper-doll cut-out extending further than I could see in both directions. I asked Abba what this string represented and he replied, “Son, there is a hole in my heart for every one of my children!” Wow!

Finally, I saw a person trying to “wedge” their way into one of the holes that didn’t seem to have their shape and I heard the Father yelp in pain at the attempted forcible entry. A hand appeared and guided the person to the hole with precisely their shape in Abba’s heart and they were able to fit into that place perfectly. I realized that if someone doesn’t take their particular and pre-fashioned place in Abba’s heart, no one can do so in their stead. One immediate lesson was that we should not try to be like someone else, but rather be the person Abba intends us to be.  

At this point the vision ended, and I began to weep uncontrollably because of the revelation that many of the holes in Abba’s heart would never be filled, because of rebellious refusal on the part of the intended occupants to accept the salvation purchased for them by Jesus Christ. Those holes in Abba’s heart would remain empty forever, causing eternal pain for Abba. I felt only an infinitesimal fraction of that pain and I could barely stand it.  

The conference organizer came over to me to ask what was “wrong” that I should be weeping so sorrowfully, and I shared the vision with her. She then asked me to share the vision with everyone and many in the congregation began to weep also. It was a very solemn and holy moment that I will never forget! I have written elsewhere to exhort believers to share the power of the Gospel message and fill more of the places in Abba’s heart with new believers, thus reducing the pain that he would feel forever. 

The good news is that when you “step into” the place in Abba’s heart prepared and reserved exclusively for you, you will fit perfectly and become one with Him and you both will rejoice forever. But don’t stop there – help as many others as possible do the same and everyone in Abba’s heart will rejoice forever because of your evangelistic expression of his love!

© 2022 The Father’s Touch Ministries

There is “incomparably great power” that dwells in those who believe! [Eph 1:19]

The Holy Spirit possesses (and shares!) power so vast it cannot be measured! And Abba wants us to realize and demonstrate this power to advance his Kingdom on the earth.  

Long ago, one of my mentors in the arena of spiritual warfare taught me a powerful truth (based on 1 John 4:4). He said to me, “Steve, you have more power in your little pinkie finger because of the Holy Spirit in you than all the devils put together, including satan himself!” I answered with delight, saying, “That’s awesome, because I have TWO little pinkies!” ☺ We had a good laugh over that “revelation!”

I have been delighted on many occasions to remind believers all over the world of this powerful truth, with the goal of helping vanquish timidity and encouraging boldness in dealing with devils when the occasion arises (see Matthew 10:8, for example).

I’m convinced that Abba delights in demonstrating his power through his sons and daughters.  Let me share just one of several instances in which I’ve coached entire crowds to exert dominion over devils because of the “pinkie power” that resides in them.  

The setting was a Freedom Festival gathering on a large field in the northern Ugandan city of Gulu in 2016. I used one of the five successive nights of ministry from the platform to help activate over 10,000 Ugandan believers to exert dominion over devils that had been harassing their community. 

On that particular night, I preached on the power of the Holy Spirit within every believer and shared the lesson I was taught by my mentor on “pinkie power.” Several hundred people on the Festival field had indicated by a show of hands that they were experiencing torment in various forms from devils, including night torment and voices, chronic sickness, persistent addictions, pain, fears of various kinds, etc.  

Here was the strategy I laid out for the crowd to have victory over the devils. I asked all the saints who believed that they indeed had incredible power because of the Holy Spirit resident in them to hold up their hands, wiggle their pinkie fingers and simply smile at the devils (even though unseen) without uttering a word. I promised that every demon would leave the people on the field as they did this powerful act of exerting dominion over the enemy (see Luke 10:19).

The majority of those in the crowd followed my instruction and every person who had been experiencing demonic torment subsequently waved their hands to indicate they were now free! They had felt the “release” instantly and knew they now had freedom through this simple victory obtained as thousands of believers collectively enforced the demonic exodus!

That night the entire crowd was delivered by “pinkie power” and an army of deliverance ministers was birthed in Gulu and rejoiced mightily as they praised God!

The next time you may experience any harassment from a devil, wave your pinkie finger (or two) as a display of belief [it needs to be sincere and solid, not just a “wish!”] in the authority you have over all power of the enemy. “All things are possible for him who believes!” (Mark 9:23). Your Father in heaven will laugh right along with you as the devil flees!

© 2022 The Father’s Touch Ministries

There is an ancient pathway to joy that awaits every believer! 

Abba desires our obedience because he loves us beyond measure. He encourages us to trust him and reap wonderful benefits as a result. His desire is that we have joy that stems from childlike faith that, in turn, enables us to trust and obey him. Even when we don’t understand how that obedience could possibly lead to a good result, we certainly can rely on his unchanging character and ability.  

Obedience, trust and joy are strongly linked, even interwoven. They can be regarded in a sense as forming a 3-stranded “cord” that ties our hearts to his. I learned this in my second year as a believer, in a dramatic fashion!

During my first 18 months of learning how to walk with Jesus, I struggled with the issue of tithing. I started out giving 1% or 2% of my income and then I forced myself to give 5% the next month. But then I was short of funds to make ends meet the following month and reverted back to giving 1 or 2 percent of my income. I went up and down this sort of cycle a few times until I grew more trusting of my Abba.

As a university professor I opted to receive my academic 9-month salary in 12 equal monthly installments each year. In addition, I was allowed to receive two months of salary during the summer recess as I conducted physics research funded by grants from government agencies. This extra two-months income in the summer was like “gravy” that enabled me to pay for family vacations, pay off bills that had accumulated during the year, etc.  

So, during that second summer in my Christian walk I made a somewhat easy choice to tithe the full 10% in June and July. Why not? I had “extra” income those two months. It felt good to finally be “obedient” (in my mind). But then August came and my paycheck at the end of the month was back to its much lower 1/12th amount. Now the test was staring me in the face, so to speak. Would I be truly obedient and still give the full 10% tithe, or would I revert to succumbing to fear of lack by giving much less so I could pay the bills?

I decided that I should trust God in simple obedience and just see what happens. So, I gave 10% to the church, paid rent and some other essential bills, and found myself with only $3 in my bank account and about four weeks to go until my next paycheck. That was crazy, by worldly standards.

That week I had to travel on Friday to the university to make arrangements for my upcoming teaching duties for the Fall term starting the next week. As I was driving along the freeway to the campus, I thought about how I was trusting God to meet my urgent needs, with only $3 in my account and just enough gas in my car to make one more trip to the campus on Monday. An amazing joy began to flood my soul and I started singing in my car and shouting out praises to God! I experienced the feeling of having no worry whatsoever! I had true freedom from any concern for my provision, because I trusted my Abba.

When I arrived at my office on campus I saw that I had a message on my answering machine and pushed the play button. The department chairman had left me a message earlier in the day that said this: “Steve, we just received word from the Dean’s office that, because you agreed at the last minute to teach the extra course we asked you to consider, the Dean wants to give you an extra ½-month’s salary! You can pick up the check on Monday.” Hallelujah! Abba had already taken care of my needs while I was filled with joy simply from trusting him in obedience. Wow! 

That weekend I let the lesson sink in. I made a commitment to never worry about provision again, and even as I occasionally encountered “sketchy” financial outlooks I have always tithed every month in the subsequent decades, reveling in the joy of obedience born of trust, and I have never lacked the basic necessities (see Matthew 6:25-34).  

Abba has proven faithful as I have walked this ancient pathway to joy! There is room on this pathway for all those who dare to believe!

© 2022 The Father’s Touch Ministries

Abba trains his sons to take charge on his behalf as they mature!

As we become more like Jesus during our maturation as sons of God [see Romans 8:29], we are entrusted with increasing responsibility to do (or “carry out”) his will upon the earth, as it is in heaven [Matthew 6:10].  

That seems like a good thing, and indeed it is! But sometimes we may “balk” at exercising our authority, perhaps because we are not sure of the “right” thing to do in a situation, or we may not realize that Abba expects us to “do the miracle” as Christ would, or that we should issue a “command” on behalf of our Father.

This may well be one of the toughest challenges in our growth as sons of God, namely to stop asking the Father to do everything while we “spectate,” and instead to “take charge” as sons imbued with his authority and power for the situation. Abba can and does give us perfect guidance, however, as he helps us to be bold and grow in confidence in the process of becoming like Christ.

There are several instances in my own growth process when Abba interrupted my prayer for help (or a complaint about a situation) by asking, 

“What are you going to do about it, son?”

Those times are precious to me because not only did Abba challenge me each time to do something about the situation at hand, but he also trusted me to take charge in his stead! All I needed was a little “prompting” when I was somehow “balking” (in his opinion). The empowerment I felt when he asked me such a question was thrilling to me as a fledgling miracle-worker. I am not alone in having that as part of my “job description” — if you are a believer, you have it, too!  Jesus said as much in John 14:12:

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing,

and they will do even greater things than these, …”  [John 14:12]

Just one example will serve to help encourage you, I think. Many years ago, I was preaching at an open-air Freedom Festival in western Kenya when thick black clouds rolled in and began to drench the crowd (and I was getting soaked on the platform in my 3-piece suit). Two-thirds of the roughly 3000 people on the field ran for cover under trees or building overhangs nearby, while the 1000 people remaining stood fast to hear the Gospel message while I kept preaching in the downpour. I complained silently to the Father that this rain was preventing many people from paying attention to the Good News, and it just wasn’t right! What’s more, I was worried that I had a microphone in my hand, connected by a wire to the amplifier connected to the generator nearby on the ground. I was basically a human “lightning rod!” Yikes! I wanted Abba to please stop the rain!  

Instead, he asked me a familiar question, “What are you going to do about it, son?” That’s all I needed to hear! I pointed to the sky and shouted out loud, “As a son of God, I command this rain to stop, now!”  

Instantly, and I mean instantly, the rain stopped. Not one more drop fell on us, even though some drops were already falling when I issued the command! They disappeared somehow! The collective gasp of astonishment in the crowd of 1000 on the field was unforgettable! I was astonished also, thinking “Wow, that was good timing!” The 2000 people who had fled for cover earlier came running back to the field as fast as they could because of this miracle, and many hundreds surrendered their lives to Christ that afternoon.

I could share many more examples such as this one, involving not only myself, but several of my spiritual sons and daughters. Remember, Jesus said we would do the works he did, and even greater!

Are you up to the challenge?

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