a superior reality

I want to finish my story from when I visited California. This story has had a huge impact on me.

Friday was the last day of the conference. It was so awesome. As I said before, the worship is outrageous. Unlike anything else. It literally pulls down Heaven. I got so much prayer that night, from so many different people. David spent a lot of time with me that night. We had a lot of stuff happen in my brain. It was crazy. I’m not sure if it had to do with my SMA, or if it was entirely something else. People kept giving me words about my brain. It felt like electric currents running through my head. David and many other people told me I need to come to the healing rooms bright and early the next day. Healing rooms are a place to go receive your breakthrough. I wanted to go. That night in the hotel was crazy. I was so wired and pumped. I laid down at 2:30 and had to wake up at 6 AM to go to the healing rooms. For three and a half hours I didn’t shut my eyes once. It was wild. Bryan and Steve woke up and we debated going. I was worried because I didn’t sleep at all, I wasn’t sure how I would feel. But I pushed through and went. We got there and Bryan and Steve fell asleep right away. How amazing are they? They gave EVERYTHING to make sure I had the week of my life. I wanted David to pray for me but God put me with a couple I didn’t know. They were incredible. They prayed for the fire of Holy Spirit to come upon me, and I felt it. And then Denise’s sister Amy came and laid hands on me too, and His presence increased on me and in me. The couple told me to close my eyes, and they asked Holy Spirit to show me how He sees me right now. Instantly I saw myself RUNNING in a field, totally healed and free. I just wept. I heard God say, “this is you NOW!” Wow. More than any other time, my miracle became a promise. When people die some say well God just decided not to heal them. How can that be? Jesus bought our healing in His death and resurrection. He put my disease on Him so that I won’t have it. Lets say we buy a truck. We can drive it for ten years, leave it in a garage, burn it, sell it, crash it, or give it away. But we can’t un-buy it. We can’t go back to the dealership and say well I decided I don’t want it. They won’t give us our money back. Just like God can’t take back His payment for our sin, disease, torment, poverty, and death. So many reduce the cross to forgiveness of sin. If that’s all it was, then praise God. Best gift ever! But Jesus told us to repent because the Kingdom of God is at hand. (Matthew 4:17) He also taught us to pray “on earth as in Heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) Heaven is made up of righteousness, peace, and joy. (Romans 14:17) Peace is one of the most pregnant words in the Bible. One meaning is divine health. Divine health is in my inheritance as a son of God. Not to enjoy just when I go to Heaven in 85 years, but it’s available now. Heaven is my destiny, but my assignment is to bring it to earth. I dare you to dream of God’s goodness. Dream your biggest dream and God will still out dream you.

A few months later my friend Denise Gater painted me a picture of my vision. It’s so great. I have it in my room and look at it everyday. Everyone loves it. I would like to suggest to you it’s not just a picture. It came out of an encounter with my loving Daddy, where He spoke to His son. And when Father speaks, His words carry the weight of Heaven. It’s a picture that shows a superior reality of peace invading an inferior reality of disease. In the fall of 2008 the apartments above us burned down. Our ceilings caved in and our home was ruined from water and smoke. But out of the ashes came my picture, untouched and protected by Father. He wanted to remind me that I am His son and we have a good Father. His love never fails.

layla grace

Tuesday March 9th, 2010 Layla Grace went to Heaven. She has been battling cancer her whole life. A short life of two years. On her parents twitter account they have over 40,000 followers. She has taken this world with her heart. I spent a lot of time genuinely praying for her miracle. But she is dancing with Jesus now.

I want to honor her and her family, so what I’m sharing is from my heart. I will not buy into a theology that says it was Gods will for her to pass today. Cancer is never from God. He hates cancer. He can’t give what He doesn’t have. People often say that God gives cancer to teach people lessons. When did Jesus ever give anyone a disease? He didn’t. Bill Johnson says Jesus Christ is perfect theology. Layla has touched a lot of hearts, including mine. I’m glad she has helped us, she reminds us that our problems aren’t that big compared to the hell they have been through. But God did not put her on this earth to teach us that. She is a daughter of the King. Cancer is illegal. Jesus defeated disease on the cross. Today was not her time to go. I won’t create a theology that says “well it was just Gods plan.” NO! What father among us plans their child’s calamity? Our Heavenly Father only plans our destiny. So why did she die? I don’t know. I do know God is always good. So we wrestle with what we do know, and what we don’t.

God I know you are always good. There is no lack on your part. I will not create a false theology to make myself feel better. I will not give up until all cancer bows to your name. I ask that you would give us grace to go low and serve. I ask that you would fill us with your love. Give us grace to be an extension of your love, a love that heals ALL disease. I ask that as a church you would give us divine justice, a seven times greater authority over cancer. Please give us grace and peace as we grieve her loss, especially Layla’s parents and family. Thank you that she is with you today. You are such a good Daddy. We give it all to you.

when heaven comes down

“This is what it sounds like when you sing Heavens song, this is it what it feels like when Heaven comes down, this is what it looks like when God is all around….”

In June 2007 I went to visit Redding, CA to go to Bethel Church. I first heard about it in June 2005 from my friends, and I was blown away. Bill Johnson spoke of a good God in a good mood. Their mandate is to bring Heaven to earth. Their number one priority is to love and worship Father. From that place of abandonment they love people. And out of that love they heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, and bind the broken hearts. It’s the normal Christian life. It’s the standard Jesus saved us to live by. I kept listening to their sermons every week and I loved every second of it. So me and Steve Nelson and Bryan Hamilton took off and started our adventure.

I love Redding so much. In June it’s super hot, which I totally love. It’s a beautiful city. We didn’t have a lot of money so we stayed at a Motel 6, but it was rocking. We made it fun. The first morning there we went to IHOP for breakfast. And after we paid Steve realized he had no more money left, and we were going to be there for ten days. It was quite hilarious. We went to Target and bought peanut butter and jelly for the rest of the week. But Denise Gater took care of us, her daughters and sister met us there. It was really fun to go around the city. I heard so many testimonies of miracles on the podcasts, it was so fun to see the different locations they took place in. A few months before, and before I knew I was definitely coming, I sent Bill Johnson a letter. I told him how much he meant to me, what a great impact he has had in my life, and that I’m coming to see him for the conference. I got to Bethel and it’s so beautiful. We registered and there was a huge line to go in the sanctuary. As we were waiting, Deborah Stevens introduces herself, and she said your Zac Beach, we got your letter and have been expecting you. I was so shocked. She gave me a hug, and asked me if I have ever been there. I said no. She then asked me what am I believing God for, and I said I want to walk. She then gave me a hug and said, “Okay I’m believing with you.” I started crying. This lady didn’t know me, but she was investing in me. I’ve never had anyone say to me, your disease is not God’s will, lets believe together for your miracle. I was so honored and loved. We skipped the whole line and she took us to our seats. It was fun to see and meet so many names I knew. Two of Bill’s assistants, Judy and Mary, both came and talked to me. They told me it was such an honor to meet me and read my letter, and that Bill loved it. We met Jamie and Donna Robbins, they pretty much fell in love with me, and me, Steve, and Bryan fell in love with them. They will be in my life forever. Crazy how that happens. Before the conference started, Bill Johnson himself came and met me. I kept thinking holy crap in my head. When I was 19 I wasn’t sure how much longer I was going to live. But this man changed my life, he showed me how much Jesus loves me. It was such an honor to meet him. Throughout the week he prayed for me several times. All I can say is wow. The worship there is unlike anything else. God’s presence is so strong. Deborah took me, Steve, and Bryan into a meeting we weren’t supposed to be in. She wanted me to be around the fire of Holy Spirit. What favor! The meeting was outrageous. Everyone was completely drunk on the Holy Ghost. Now this was before I spoke in tongues and before I was used to that kind of encounter, but I was cool with it. But Steve and Bryan had no idea what to think. People were speaking in tongues, laughing wildly, shaking, and falling over. It’s a manifestation of Father’s extravagant joy. It’s like being drunk on joy, the wine of Holy Spirit. And sometimes when God’s power fills you, no matter how hard you try, you can’t contain it. I told Father I want to know Him deeply, and He touched me over and over.

The first or second day we met David and Erica, two ministry students at Bethel. They are so amazing. They basically spent the whole week with me, pursuing me, loving me, and praying for me. They didn’t see me as I was, having a disease and being in a wheelchair, but they saw me as I will be, disease free and walking. I got to know them and build a friendship. It was awesome. Every time they prayed for me I felt fire in my body. A lot of fire. Bill wanted me to get prayer during worship, so David and Erica surrounded me and just loved me. We started singing the chorus to “What Does it Sound Like” by Brian and Jenn Johnson. I started this post with the lyrics. I’ll never forget this. Erica began to cry. She laid her hand on me and said, “Daddy show us what it feels like when Heaven comes down on Zac!” At that instant I saw two huge angels with my physical eyes. They were as real as any person. I just kept worshiping and they began to circle around us over and over. I felt such a hot fire in my spine. I was consumed with Father’s love, I was just weeping. I thought I was going to get out of my wheelchair at that moment. I knew that was Heaven on me. I have more stories, but that’s for later.

More than anything else, people at Bethel want you to take what you learn and what you receive from impartation, and use that to change the world by bringing Heaven to earth. I give my word to honor Bill & Beni Johnson, Kris & Kathy Vallotton, Danny & Sheri Silk, Brian & Jenn Johnson, Kim Walker-Smith, Eric Johnson, Banning Liebscher, Dann Farrelly, Paul & Sue Manwaring, Jason Vallotton, Joaquin Evans, Ben Armstrong, Deborah Stevens, Judy Franklin, Mary Walker, David D’Louhy, Sarah Beni, Erica Gismegian, Allan Logan, and Joseph Payne. And most of all my parents, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. I bring Heaven to earth!

Daddy show us what it feels like when Heaven comes down!

some eat meat, but others don't

I spend a lot of time dreaming with God when I’m awake. I just let Him take over my mind. I will act out situations that I was born to do. I dream of people instantly getting off of ventilators and out of their wheelchairs when the power of God hits them. People who have never walked in their entire life. I dream that I literally empty Mott’s Children Hospital here in Ann Arbor. I’ll think about pulling into an automobile accident where someone has died. I start worshiping my Father because He is ALWAYS GOOD! I release Heaven into the situation, and then Holy Spirit comes with life! The person has been raised from the dead, breathing new life again! I think about my first day walking and what that will be like. I’m going to go super crazy and dance and worship all day. I’m pretty sure I won’t stop hugging and kissing my family and friends. I think about how I’m always going to be giving. My parents, brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends have been selfless my entire life. They give everything so that I can live. I want to spend my life giving back to them. I want to invest in them and give them everything I have. I can’t wait to cook my Mom dinner, or to drive to see my grandparents just to pursue and honor them, or to go on vacation with my friends without needing care from them. I think about falling in love with my future wife, pursing her, loving her as a daughter of the King, and fighting for her heart. I will treasure her and I will give and give and give and give and give, and when I’m tired of giving, I’ll give some more. I think about starting a family with her, having sons and daughters and being so blessed. I want to build an inheritance for my children’s children’s children. They will be in perfect intimacy with Father, and they won’t know disease, addiction, immorality, poverty, or death. But most of all, I think about being an abandoned radical lover of Jesus. He is the love of my life, He is why everything above is possible. I think about spending hours in His presence just worshiping Him. Without deep and real intimacy with my Father, my life isn’t worth living. I want to obey His every word and be completely yielded to Him. It’s going to cost me. I would like to suggest to you that if I’m not paying that cost now, my Father can’t trust me to do it when I walk. It’s embarrassing to talk about the cost of revival. Christianity is not a message of sacrifice, it’s about hope, love, faith, and abundance. But there is no doubt that it requires sacrifice to obtain the impossible. God requires our full hearts and nothing less. He wants all of us. But when we do that, God gives back a hundred times over.

He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God – Romans 14:6

Many Christians live with sin management, or they often live in legalism. But Christianity is actually a culture of grace, it’s rooted in a relationship with a loving Father. A culture of grace is actually more demanding than a culture of law. We have a personal responsibility to live a life abandoned to our Father. It’s why I’m giving up all television and movies. I have really felt Father asking me to do this for quite some time, but I’m finally listening and obeying. Like the verse says, some eat meat, but others don’t. Eating meat isn’t a sin, but our relationship with our Father demands certain things. For me, I’m not supposed to be watching television or movies. Watching television is not a sin, but since God told me not to, it is for me personally. There are many people that can have real intimacy with God and still watch television, but I’m not one of them. For some, it might be that God tells you to not have alcohol, or certain foods, but those issues don’t effect everyone. It’s all about the heart.

I’m saying to my Father that I will give Him everything. At any cost God, you can have it all. There is nothing more important than my intimacy with Him.

honoring our medical community

I talk a lot on this blog about God and His supernatural power. It’s a big part of my life. I’m in a need of a miracle, so many people are. But I want to take a minute and honor the medical community. If it wasn’t for doctors, nurses, scientists, and inventors I would have been dead long ago. I’ll be the first to admit that I hate every machine I use, from my vent to my wheelchair. I wasn’t born to need them. But I am thankful for them. They keep me alive and allow me to have a life. I’ve gone to the University of Michigan my whole life for health care, they have been amazing. Their selflessness is beyond what most people give. There are doctors, nurses, technicians, respiratory therapists, and countless others who work their butts off so that I can live a better life. Please stand with me to honor and bless them!

Father I ask that you would encounter every medical professional with your love. Show them how much you love them. Grant them your favor and blessing. Anoint their hands with your healing touch! Give us dreams and visions to find cures to cancer, diabetes, aids, SMA, and every other disease! I release wisdom and revelation to scientists so they can prove for a FACT that LIFE begins at conception! I declare that Heaven will flood our medical community, and the two will partner to eradicate disease from this earth!!!

are you happy?

I got inspiration for this post from my friend Steve Ewing’s blog, you can read that post here. It’s a great blog because I believe it’s part of his heart, just like this blog is a part of mine. The two blogs are very different, but everyday I read his and I’m deeply impacted. Sometimes it makes me laugh, it challenges me, it makes me think, and it touches my heart. Plus the dude can really rhyme.

To me, being happy is a choice, but it’s not always an easy choice. In fact it’s often a hard choice to make, and one that I often fail at. So many factors effect our happiness. Our relationships, our health, our career, our social status, our finances, our schedule, our school, and anything else you can possibly think of. If all of those things are going great, then most likely we will be very happy. But for a lot of people, they have a lot of crap in their life. They have to deal with things that we have no idea how to relate to. And we have things in our life that others don’t understand. Steve talks I think half jokingly about people thinking he’s 18, but actually he’s 26. Next week I’ll be 24. There’s nothing I want more than to be in love with a beautiful girl, to be married and to be a daddy to my boys or girls. But instead I’m stuck on a vent and in a wheelchair, and for now I still have a disease that cripples my body. That’s not fun nor does it make me happy. I know I’m not the only one, we all would probably change something about our lives. I’m not usually happy about my life.

But I do always have joy. The joy of my Father that overcomes all things. Please know that when I write this it is often real to me. Many times it might seem like the cliche Christian answer. “Don’t worry brother, God is good and He is with you.” But the truth is, HE IS!!! The biggest choice in life that we will ever make is, do we want to know God or do we not? I’m not talking about knowing about Him, but do we know Him intimately? As a person, as our Father, as our savior, healer, deliverer, friend and as our lover? Do you want to? Some people say God is good to make themselves feel better, others say it because they know it from the depths of their soul. I’m not a person that is all knowing or perfect, but I do know God. And my relationship with Him is constantly growing when I allow it to. The more and more I get to know Him, the more I see how much value He has for joy. He is a Father full of joy, and He wants to abundantly pour it upon His children. I think having joy and being happy are two different things. You can be happy and not have joy, but it’s impossible to have joy and not be happy. Meaning, when we have joy it engulfs everything that might steal our happiness. God just simply makes me happy. I am His son!!! He takes delight in me, He sings and dances and shouts His praises over me. As His son I have legal access to step into that and carry that with me. Having a “lifelong” (by the standards of unbelievers) disease, one of my greatest weapons is the joy of my Father. And even people without disease, joy is still critical. Beni Johnson teaches she lives in a constant state of joy. When she prays it must be from a place of joy, it gives us the mindset of victory. That’s what I want. I want to always live in joy. We cannot yield to our circumstances. But when we yield to our Father, to His joy, our circumstances will bow to Him. Joy gives me strength. It gives me strength to persevere and to pursue my dreams. The dream of walking and falling in love with my future wife.

Father fill us with your joy!!!

mercy triumphs

It’s tragic how many people think God is mad at His people. God is a good Father, more loving than we may ever know. I don’t know Pat Robertson, and I don’t judge him. This post is not to criticize him. But I just want to clarify what I believe. I hear so many people ask, “If God is so good, then why does he allow such bad things?” And there is the other side to it, “God causes tragic situations to bring judgment and humility.” Both sets of theology are so far from the truth. In case you don’t know, Robertson said this while talking about the Haiti earthquake, “You know … something happened a long time ago in Haiti. …They got together and swore a pact to the Devil.” Now he did not directly tie that statement to the direct cause of the earthquake. But he should never have brought it up in the first place. Not when a tragedy has just collapsed their nation. Maybe what he said is true about the pact, I don’t know. Pat Robertson is older and wiser than me and no doubt he is a man of God. Please take the following as a position from innocence and humility. But even if there was a pact with the devil, God never takes His wrath out on people.

God is good beyond anything we can dream or think of. I’m dealing with the second part of the wrong theology first. “God causes tragic situations to bring judgment and humility.” Unfortunately most people and even most Christians believe God is a proverbial big man in the sky. We believe He is a distant cold God that is not interested in our lives. In fact, most people like it like that. Most Christians want religion, rules, or no rules, a formula, a path, an easy way out. We don’t want relationship, but it is in fact what God demands. All God wants is us, our love. He is madly in love with each of us. All He wants is good things for us. I got involved with a Bible study my freshman year of college. We got together every Sunday night to talk about Jesus, our hearts, the adventure we live, and the battle we fight. It was the best thing I ever did. I went so deep with God and my brothers. The deeper I went it got more and more painful, but I also got more and more free. I really started to question why I had a disease. Did God give it to me? Why? Throughout that year I formed a strong friendship with Jesus for the first time in my life. And you know what I found? Goodness. His love for me is deeper than I had ever known. Through my friendship with Him, through His presence, through His voice, through wisdom and revelation, through His word, through testimony, through worship, through my friends, and through council, I realized that God did not give me my disease. His will is for me to be well. It’s that simple. What mother and father among us would cause calamity to their children? How much more then does God have love for us? I think the best proof is in Jesus. Jesus only did what He saw the Father do. Bill Johnson says Jesus is the most normal Christian in the Bible. He is what we must become. He healed EVERYONE that came to Him. Not one person left Him sick. And Jesus rebuked every storm. Not once did He give a disease or any kind of storm to anyone for any reason. God is a judge, there is a devil, and there is sin. God does have wrath. But because of the blood of Jesus, it is not pointed at people. Not even unbelievers. Mercy ALWAYS triumphs over judgment. As Christians we must not forget that. We must declare and decree His mercy and grace. “For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.” (1 Corinthians 7:14) As believers we must sanctify unclean situations through the love of Jesus. That is our duty. It might be healing the sick, raising the dead, binding the broken hearts, or just loving people. We must go to the dark and release life. Our belief sanctifies the unbelieving. God is good all the time.

“If God is so good, then why does he allow such bad things?” This question is a little tougher to answer. First of all, hurricanes, earthquakes, famine, disease, torment, and death is not the will of God. We already discussed that. So why does it happen? The short and right answer: “I don’t know.” I think its better to not answer a question that God is not answering. Here is what we know. We have Holy Spirit living inside us, the very Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. We have all the authority and power. He has given us reign over the earth. This is our dominion. The reason that we have free will is because God wants us to choose Him. He wants our worship and relationship, but He wants us to choose that. Through our relationship with Him we partner with Him to bring Heaven to earth. To many believers believe that prayer is powerless and become passive in their secret place. In most cases God doesn’t act unless we pray first. It’s not that He needs us, but He chooses to work through us. I’m not going to get out of my chair unless people pray for me. We’re not going to stop hurricanes and earthquakes without praying first. I really believe that through prayer we can prevent disease, poverty, and natural disasters. But it still happens. Everyday people die and it’s not Gods will. Why? I don’t know. Frankie died from Spinal Muscular Atrophy almost seven years ago, and in three weeks I’ll be 24 with the exact same disease. Why? I don’t know. I do know Frankie should be alive today. There is so much that we don’t understand. Whether you like it or believe it or not, we are at war. There is a thief that comes to kill, steal, and destroy. Is an earthquake a result of the war? I don’t know. Please understand that I am not about mindless Christianity. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6) We must always be on a pursuit for truth. But sometimes God doesn’t answer every why, and therefore we shouldn’t either. We are very much allowed to ask. God why did the earthquake happen? God why did Frankie die? But if He doesn’t answer we must know that it was not Gods fault, it was not His will. We must not become offended. And finally we must seek justice. It is our responsibility to seek divine justice, making sure no one else parishes in the same way. That’s the best way to deal with tragedy. We must never think that we have arrived, there is always more in God. I will not be satisfied until every single person that asks me for prayer is healed. There is no other option. What do I have better to do? Every person that I pray for and their not healed, that’s on me. There is no lack on Gods part. He is absolutely good. That doesn’t mean I do the guilt thing. Even though it’s on me, I can’t think oh man if only I prayed harder, or oh man if only I didn’t sin that day. What I do instead though is I seek God further. I ask for strategies and words, I ask for wisdom and revelation, and I just worship Him. I live in His presence. And I keep going for it, I never give up. God is so good and so big He uses me. I pray that I will live to see the day that Spinal Muscular Atrophy bows to the name Jesus. I pray that I will live to see the day that nations are so filled with the Spirit and are so protected by the prayers of the saints, that earthquakes can’t harm anyone. I’m alive to bring Heaven to earth. “God why am I in a wheelchair? Why am I on a vent? Why might I die from this? God I’m not hearing an answer, but I know it’s not you. I know you’re deeply in love with me. I know you want me to walk more than I want to walk. God it really hurts. Please come Lord, please bring freedom. Lord I pray that I will never rest until this is beaten. Lord make me hungry for you. Give me an appetite for the impossible. Fill my heart with compassion, fill me with righteous anger, fill me with your love. I want to be so consumed with you that disease will flee when I walk into a room. Jesus I love you.”

That’s what we do when tragedy happens. I’m not perfect, I don’t always have that attitude. But I pray that I do more and more everyday. You may or may not agree with me, and that’s fine. God have mercy on us. Bring restoration and healing to Haiti. Encounter them with your love. Lord I ask for divine justice. I pray that an earthquake will NEVER bring this kind of devastation again. In the name of Jesus. Let your will be done. On earth as it is in Heaven.

“Once the author steps on the stage, the play is over.” -CS Lewis.

marked by heaven

God bless you is a very common term that millions of people say everyday. I’m sure some people really appreciate it, but I know that I used to take it for granted. I never really thought about it. I thought, well I guess it’s nice someone wants God to bless me. But what does bless even mean? I think in our Christian culture we have so much lingo for God things that it’s easy to forget our words have power and meaning. Our words carry real weight. The Bible says that life and death are in the power of the tongue. And that is true whether we are Christian or not. But as I am a Christian, I want to know what I’m speaking and praying.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary it means “to invoke divine care for,” or “to confer prosperity or happiness upon.” That’s basically what I was taught, and it is absolutely true. Being blessed can mean exactly that, and that can be very powerful in it self. But there is more, in life there is always more. As Bill and Kris teach, there are many levels of truth in life. What you reap you sow is a powerful truth, but living in grace is deeper and even more true. The same is true for words. Every word is an onion layered with truth and meaning. It’s an invitation for revelation. We can choose to stay at the surface or dig in deep. And I dig as far as I can go. My words literally carry the weight of Heaven. So Lord as I discuss the word blessed, release revelation, understanding, and life.

I don’t want to redefine it, but I do hope to give a deeper meaning. The first thing we need to understand is that every person carries a measure of favor. Favor is our standing with God. Every person has a different amount of favor. God is madly in love with every single person the same amount, but our favor is different. We are all born with it, but it’s not equal. And the amount of favor at birth has nothing to do with us or our parents. The great thing is that we all can grow in favor, and there is no limit. Even Jesus, the Son of God, had to gain in favor with man and God. A basic way to grow in favor is by blessing each other. Bill Johnson says that when we bless someone, we are literally releasing our own favor onto them. We are marking them as blessed, which is an open invitation for God to dramatically intervene in there lives. It sounds cliche, but if our prayers move us, it moves Heaven to act. But it’s so true. That’s why whenever I pray I always ask God to open my heart first. Because if I’m not feeling it, neither will Holy Spirit. I always pray the blessing of God over others, it gives them favor and is an open invitation for whatever they need. Whether it’s love, grace, a breakthrough, or anything else. I was learning this about two years ago right before I went to Bethel for the first time. I was ready to get on a five hour flight with Steve and Bryan. I hadn’t flown in years and I wasn’t sure how my body would respond. I trusted them but they had never taken care of me, so I was pretty nervous. Going through security a nice lady checked me over and let me through. As I was leaving she said “God bless you.” I felt an overwhelming peace and started crying. Whether she knew it or not, she marked me with Heaven, giving me an increase in Gods favor. I knew then I had learned for a reason what being blessed meant. I would never again take those words for granted.

I challenge all of us to have faith that our words release the power of God. Our words can cause cancer to flee, the lame to walk, and allows the blind to see. When we speak, lets choose to release blessing.