Totally Surrendered to God - The Incredible Ministry of Dwight L Moody

The Incredible Ministry of D. L. Moody
At the beginning of his ministry Mr. Moody heard a preacher raise the question, “The world has yet to see what God can do with one man that is totally committed to him.” Upon hearing that,  it is told that D.L. Moody said to himself and a few gathered around him that he wanted to be that man. It would be his practice from then on to rise early every morning for prayer and serious Bible study. Most mornings would find him up before 4 a.m. studying in his small prayer room.


This practice of significant Bible study would be the foundation on which God would build a worldwide ministry. Out of his commitment to serious Bible study he discovered the regular discipline of intercessory prayer. It would become his lifelong thrill to take every concern to his Heavenly Father and seek to prove the reality of God by his own prayers. He would often call many of those who supported his ministry to times of prayer and fasting for specific meetings in the cities he would travel in.

Out of his continued walking with God he came upon the commitment to not let a day go by where he did not talk with at least one person about their need for Christ. There would be some days when he would be preparing for bed and realize that he did not speak with someone about their need for Christ and he would get up and go about the city seeking to find one person whom he could share his Savior with.

I suppose if you were to travel with Mr. Moody you have been somewhat embarrassed by his constant pleading with people to put their faith in Christ. The conversation would not cover the topics of the day but would often turn to the truths of Scripture. Gossip would not do around Mr. Moody for there was too little time and too many lost persons around to spend it in trivial conversations.


This one man totally committed his life to God.  Through this surrendered life, two continents were shook for God!  Millions were brought into the Kingdom of God.  Will you totally commit your life to the Lord?  He can do the same thing in our day.

A Prophetic Word for the African American Believer

A Prophetic Word for the African American Believer

by Michael Edds

A few years ago while living near the beautiful mountain village of Summersville, West Virginia, I had a most extraordinary dream. The dream was divided into four parts. In the first part, I was leaving my position as the Headmaster of a private school. Secondly, one of my teachers was elevated to my former position. Thirdly, the board chairman who had lived in the community all of her life was moving away. In the fourth part of the dream, I was preaching to a large African American church on the subject, "You Have Settled on the Other Side of the Jordan." 

In the dream, this great Black church had accomplished much and possessed a great national ministry. However, the Lord said that they had not reached the fulfillment of their divine destiny. As I preached, the powerful presence of the Lord descended in that mighty church. He began to give revelation and direction concerning the immense destiny that He had planned for them. The church exploded in worship and praise. I awakened from the dream.

The first three parts of the dream happened within a few months. I resigned from my position, the teacher I saw in the dream became the interim Head of School, and the board chairman and her husband sold their family business and left town. However, the fourth part of the dream did not immediately happen. In fact, I did not understand this portion of the dream. Five years passed as I continually pondered the dream in my heart.

Not long ago, I was invited to conduct a grant writing workshop and preach at a large African American church in Chicago. I still did not understand the meaning of the message, "You Have Settled On the Other Side of the Jordan" but the Lord directed me to preach this message. As I studied the Word, the incredible prophetic meaning of the message in the dream was revealed.

Two and a half tribes of the Israelites found the rich farm and grazing lands to the east of the Jordan River to their liking. The tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of the large tribe of Manasseh decided to settle on the "other side" of the Jordan and thus not cross over into the promised land. Moses and Joshua had given them permission to do so but with one major requirement, their warriors must led the battle in taking the Promised Land. Joshua chapter 3 records the miraculous parting of the flooded Jordan. The priests led the procession on a dry, divine path made through the flood waters. True to their agreement, 40,000 warriors of the two and a half tribes took the lead in the battle. Their divine destiny was to assume the reigns of leadership in battle and bring the rest of the tribes into their promised destinies and lands. What a great mantle of ministry was laid upon Gad, Reuben and half of Manasseh!

The Lord began to reveal the divine destiny that He has for HIS African American people. I was given an article written by Susan Castell which stunned me. The prophetic word given to her concerning African American believers was identical to what the Lord was revealing to me. She wrote: " You have come to this land for such a time as this. It is now time to lay aside the weight of racial hatred and the sin of unforgiveness which so readily clings to and entangles you. It is now time to forget what lies behind and to reach forth to what lies ahead. It is now time to arise and seek Me for the fulfillment of your divine destiny.

Just as the survival of ancient Egypt and Israel rested on the shoulders of Joseph (a man sold into slavery by his brothers and carried away to a foreign land), so does the very survival of this great nation of America rest upon you. It is now time to embrace My plan and to allow Me to birth within you the heart and the attitude of Joseph who was able to forgive his brothers and those who had enslaved and imprisoned him. It is now time to embrace the cross of My Son and become a great blessing in the land of your captivity.

Even as man has seemingly succeeded in humbling you to the very lowest of places, so will I exalt you to the very highest place, even to the very throne of My Glory. As you humble yourselves under My mighty hand and allow the mind and heart of Christ to be formed in you, you will experience supernatural healing and deliverance from the many and deep wounds inflicted by those who have degraded, despised and humiliated you. As you identify with My Son and you begin to cry out: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do", you will enter into a new dimension of My Grace and Glory, and you will receive the revelation of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection power which your hearts have been hungering for.

It is now time to understand that all history, including Black History, is HIS STORY. It is now time to lift up your eyes above man's agenda and catch the vision of My agenda. It is now time to declare with Joseph: "As for you, you thought evil against me, but G-d meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive..." (Gen. 50:20)

Arise my people, my Joseph company, whom I have brought from afar and planted in this land for such a time as this. Look unto Me and I will unveil the meaning of your history. Look unto Me and I will reveal the mystery of your many and long sufferings. I am the L-rd your G-d, and besides Me, there is no other. Look unto Me and be healed of the wounds of your captivity. Look unto Me and I will make you free to be my instruments of healing and deliverance in this land of your divine destiny."

The fullness of the prophetic meaning of the message, "Settling on the Other Side of the Jordan," came into full focus. The Great Awakening that is soon to burst upon this world as a final witness will be led by a "Joseph Company" that God has been preparing for a long time. This Awakening will bring God's holy remnant together as a Bride without spot or wrinkle. Divisions, separations, and walls will collapse as the Church comes together to fulfill her final destiny. Each tribe that composes the Church has a promised destiny, a specific divine mission to fulfill. Leading the way to bring all tribes of believers into that fulfillment will be the African American believer. Just like Gad, Reuben and Manasseh, a mantle of leadership will rest upon them. God is an excellent bookkeeper. All of the weary years and long generations of blood, sweat, tears, unpaid slave wages and rejection WILL BE PAID IN FULL! It will not come from the White House, the Supreme Court or from Congress. It will come from the hand of the mighty God! Just like Joseph, they will be suddenly ushered from obscurity to the fullness of divinely appointed leadership. What man meant for evil, God will turn into good for the saving of many lives. The mantle of leadership will be laid upon them by a divine Hand. They will lead the rest of us into our appointed destinies. I believe that the Holy Spirit is stirring within them now. Divine gifts within that have been given for this prophetic hour are now being activated and released. Understanding of the long night of their suffering is being revealed to them. The heart of Joseph is reaching perfection within them. God calls them to fulfill their destiny. The Jordan has parted before them. They lead the way for the rest of the Body of Christ to follow. Pay day has finally come!

The final part of the dream came to pass as I preached that message that Sunday morning in Chicago. Walking behind the pulpit that morning, the anointing of the Lord fell and the message thundered out.  The audience heard God's prophetic word spoken that day.  The Holy Spirit rained down!

Isn't it incredibly ironic that God would reveal and speak this message through a white man, a descendant of slave owners from the South? Isaiah 60:10 states, "The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you. All who despised you will bow at your feet." God fulfilled the words of the prophet on the day I preached the message, "You Have Settled on the Other Side of the Jordan." May God soon fulfill His prophetic word to these divinely called leaders of the Coming Great Awakening.

"O Africa, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not plead thy cause, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth." - Lyman Beecher

Amanda Berry Smith, God's Image in Ebony

Many heroes and heroines of the Christian Faith have been forgotten by the church today. Amanda Berry Smith, one of those heroines, rose above slavery, poverty, prejudice, loss and impossibilities to mightily impact three continents for God. 

Amanda Berry Smith was born as a slave in Long Green, Maryland near Baltimore in 1837. She was the oldest of thirteen children. To save her from being sold away from her family, her father worked many long late hours to buy her freedom. Amanda's life was marked by loss and tragedy. Amanda's first husband died during the Civil War, while serving in an African American military unit. She lost her second husband and all of her children except one to death. To survive, Amanda worked long hours into the night washing and ironing clothes. She had a passion to truly know God. She locked herself in her basement and told those close to her to not open the door. She was determined to know God or die. She came out of that basement shouting and with her heart's desire. Amanda had little education, however God blessed her with an incredible singing voice and a powerfully anointed preaching ability. She became well known in camp meetings throughout the nation. They called her "the Singing Pilgrim" and "God's Image Carved in Ebony." During her early thirties, Amanda began in preaching in the New York City area, receiving inspiration at a local African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. She became a charter member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union in 1875, and was associated with the African American Women's Clubs. Before 1880, Amanda embarked on a twelve-year missionary trip through Europe, Asia, and Africa. Her faith was incredible. She went to the port in New York with her bags packed to leave for England as God had directed her. However, she had no money for the fare. As she stood there, a white Christian brother recognized her. He walked up to her and told her that God had directed him to give her something. He placed into her hands the exact amount needed for the passage to England! She had told no one but God of her need!! She spent eight years in Liberia and West Africa, establishing churches and temperance societies. She awed the nobility and populace of Great Britain with her incredible singing and powerful preaching. In India, she stopped a vicious mob attack by Hindus on Christian missionaries by dropping to her knees in the midst of the riot, lifting up her hands toward heaven and praying. The mob instantly became silent, dropped their clubs and weapons and left. She moved to Chicago in the late 1890's. Amanda raised a large amount of funds to open one of the first orphan homes for African American children in America. During this time, Harvey, Illinois, was being developed and marketed by business friends of Dwight L. Moody as a community with high moral, religious, and temperance character. Smith's purchased property there in 1895. Her orphan's home opened in Harvey in 1899 and has the great honor of being Illinois' first orphanage for African American children. Her ability to raise the necessary finances permitted the school and home to operate without government funding. Amanda died in Florida in 1915. Christian businessmen and leaders had her body transported by train back to Chicago. One of the largest gatherings for a funeral in Chicago's history was when the masses gathered to meet the arrival of her body back to Chicago. What an incredible life she lived!! She rose from slavery, poverty, rejection, loss, sorrow, hunger and loneliness to shake America, Great Britain, Liberia, and India for God. She was buried in Harvey, Illinois. The great mantle of ministry that she carried was not buried with her. It was only placed on hold until a generation would be born that could relate to and pick up that mantle of ministry. That generation now exists today. That mantle is about to be picked up and placed upon chosen servants of God today to finish what Amanda started long ago!!! 

The Great Chicago Visitation of 1913 and Prophecy

"The Great Chicago Visitation of 1913 and Prophecy"
by Michael Edds

The ancient prophet once cried out, “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!” That cry has been echoed all down through the generations of those who have hungered for the manifestation of the presence of the living God. Throughout the history of the church, God has rent the heavens and intervened on behalf of His people. The Great Chicago Visitation of 1913 was such a time. It was one of the most powerful visitations of divine presence that this city has ever experienced.

Maria Woodworth-Etter, a well-known evangelist, had been invited to hold a series of meetings at the Stone Church, located at 37Th and Indiana, beginning on July 2, 1913. Posters had been placed throughout the city to advertise the meeting. The services were to last until the end of July. This was a time of divine appointment for the city of Chicago; God rent the heavens and came down!! Scenes from the days of the Early Church began to occur at Stone Church. Word began to spread throughout Chicago of miraculous healings, deliverance from demonic possession, conversions, and of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit happening in these meetings. Advertisement was no longer necessary!
Incredible healings were reported. A woman, who had been blind 15 years and had never seen her children, was instantly healed. A paralyzed man, whose joints were ossified, could not move any limb or his head, had to be fed with a spoon, and could barely speak, was prayed for. For eight years, he suffered the confines of this prison of infirmity. Sister Woodworth-Etter commanded him in the name of Jesus to rise and walk. The power of God fell on him. He jumped from his wheel chair, ran down the isle of the church and a half a block down the street. Many followed him outside and waved their hats in the air yelling, “Hurrah for Jesus.” He ran back into the church and shouted praises to God. A young woman, who had lost total hearing in one ear and was losing hearing in the second ear, came for prayer. She was instantly healed. During one song service, four crippled people were healed and began to walk without the use of canes or crutches.
Word spread throughout the city of the miraculous intervention of God. Thousands came on trolleys, buggies, and trains, while many walked. Some came from hundreds of miles away. 1200 to 1500 packed into Stone Church each night. The basement was filled and many stood out on the street. Street meetings were held to accommodate them. Three services were held on Sundays. No services were scheduled for Saturdays so that the ministers could have a day of rest. However, some came on Saturdays and were met by Christians who prayed for them. A crippled woman, not knowing that services were not held on Saturdays, came on the trolley. She got off and hobbled down the street to the church. A German woman met her at the church and informed that no services had been scheduled for Saturdays. However, she invited the crippled woman to come into the church and she and others would pray for her. As soon as the woman walked into the church, she was instantly healed. A father traveled from Oklahoma bringing his two daughters with him. One could not use her limbs nor talk. The other was born deaf and dumb. Both were instantly healed. One of the girls wept and laughed when she heard singing for the first time in her life.

God had rent the heavens and come down into Chicago. Thousands were healed, incredible miracles occurred; multitudes were saved, and thousands were filled with the Holy Spirit. The meeting, which was scheduled to last for a month, lasted for six months. Sister Woodworth-Etter and believers dug a deep well of revival.

The Chicago Visitation possessed several remarkable characteristics:
1. The success of the work was not due to preaching of profound theological doctrine and differences. Instead, the Gospel was presented in its simplicity. The people were drawn by the manifestation of the presence and power of God.
2. There was extraordinary unity among Christians. Denominational lines vanished. Christians from all backgrounds joined in the work. Great harmony prevailed among believers. Controversy was not tolerated and was absent. It was a “strife-free zone.”
3. Worship was in its purest form. Entertainment and obvious display of talent did not exist. Music, singing and praise were to glorify God and Him only.
4. The entire Body of Christ was involved in ministry. Laying - on of hands was not regulated to the evangelist or pastor. People ministered to one another.
5. Ministers and members from all denominations were baptized in the Holy Spirit.
6. A prophetic word was given the last night of this six-month long meeting.
As Christians prayed around the altar, Sister Woodworth-Etter and others gave the following powerful prophecy and divine promise for the future........
“We are not yet up to the fullness of the Former Rain and that when the Latter Rain comes, it will far exceed anything we have seen!”

Frank Bartleman, the chronicler of the Azusa Street Awakening of 1907, once wrote, “In order to understand what God is going to do, we must understand what He once did.” It is imperative that we study and understand these “old wells of revival.” We need to understand the divine dynamics of these moves of God. We need to know the promises that God has made in the past, which will impact us in our day.

God has ways of reminding His people of His promises. In 1999, before I had any knowledge of the Chicago Visitation of 1913, I had a dream. In the dream, I was standing with a small group of believers in the basement of Stone Church. A pastor friend of mine asked us to form a circle and offer up “pure praise and worship” to God. I looked around and saw many, many rooms filled with hospital beds containing the sick. In these beds were people suffering from a diversity of illnesses and infirmities. Caring for them was an elderly head nurse. As we began to worship and praise God, the nurse left the sick and came and joined in the worship. As the worship continued, I saw all of the sick rise from their hospital beds. They were instantly healed and came to join in the worship! I awoke from my dream. Now, ten years later I understand the meaning of the dream. The same things that occurred in the Visitation of 1913 will happen again. Pure worship and praise will ascend unto God. The blind will see, the deaf hear, the lame walk and the dumb will talk. Healing and miracles will flow again throughout this great city. God IS going to reopen this “old well of revival” in Chicago! Why, because He promised that He would and that it will far exceed the Visitation of 1913!

What is our responsibility in the reopening of this old well of revival? Second Chronicles 7:14 gives us that needed direction, “If My people who are called by My Name, shall humble themselves and pray, seek My Face and turn from their wicked ways, I WILL HEAR FROM HEAVEN AND HEAL THEIR LAND.” It is time to come clean with God, to be honest about our wicked ways and repent. As Joshua
told the Israelites the day before crossing the Jordan River into the promised land, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” May we heed that call today!!

Persistent Prayer

Revivals Come Because of Persistent Prayer
by R. A. Torrey

We find right here why it is that many prayers fail to accomplish that which we seek from God. We pray and pray and pray, and are almost up to the verge of the attainment of that for which we are praying, and right then, when God is just about to answer the prayer, we stop and miss the blessing.
For example, in many churches and communities there are those who are praying for a revival. The revival does not come at once, it does not come for some time, but they keep on praying. They have nearly prayed through. They are right on the verge of attaining what they sought, and if they would pray a little longer, the revival would break upon them. But they get discouraged, throw up their hands and quit. They are just on the border of the blessing, but they do not cross into the Promised Land.
In January 1900 or 1901, the faculty of the Bible Institute of Chicago instituted a late prayer meeting Saturday nights from nine to ten o’clock, to pray for a worldwide revival.
After we had been praying for some time, a thing happened that I knew would happen. People came to me, or to my colleague who was most closely identified with me in the conduct of these meetings, and they would say, "Has the revival come?"
"No, not as far as we can see."
"When is it coming?"
"We don’t know."
"How long are you going to pray?"
"Until it comes."
And come it did—a revival that began there in that prayer meeting room of the Bible Institute in Chicago, then broke out in far-away China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, India, and swept around the world, with most marvelous manifestations of God’s saving power—not merely through Mr. Charles Alexander and myself, but through a multitude of others in India, Wales and elsewhere. In Wales, for example, under Evan Roberts and others, it resulted in one hundred thousand professed conversions in twelve months.
I believe that God is looking to us today to pray through again.




Saved After Fifteen Years of Daily Prayer I prayed fifteen long years for the conversion of my oldest brother. When he seemed to be getting farther and farther away from any hope of conversion, I prayed on.
My first winter in Chicago, after fifteen years of praying, never missing a single day, one morning God said to me as I knelt, "I have heard your prayer. You need not pray anymore; your brother is going to be converted."
Within two weeks he was in my home, shut in with sickness which made it impossible for him to leave my home for two weeks. Then the day he left he accepted Christ over in the Bible Institute in Mr. Moody’s office, where he and I went to talk and pray together.
I told this incident when holding meetings in a certain city. An elderly woman came at the close of the meeting and said, "I have been praying for the conversion of my brother, who is sixty-three years old, for many years; but a short time ago I gave up and stopped praying." She added, "I am going to begin my prayers again." Within two weeks of that time she came and said, "I have heard from my brother, and he has accepted Christ."
Oh, men and women, pray through; pray through; pray through! Do not just begin to pray and pray a little while and throw up your hands and quit; but pray and pray and pray until God bends the heavens and comes down!