by Jennifer A. Miskov, PhD.

“Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” –Hebrews 12:26-29

A Second Wave

Over the last couple of years, there has been a sifting and refining that has taken place in the church. The hidden places were uncovered and God, through His mercy, extended an invitation to repent. I feel that in 2022, there will now be a second wave of refining fire sweeping across the church. This fire will not only go deeper in exposing the roots of sin in order to heal and re-establish on healthy foundations, but it will call us all to a higher level of consecration and devotion to Jesus in our everyday lives so that we can steward the increasing glory God wants to pour out.

The first wave of refining took out many who started their journey strong but got distracted or sidelined by fame, hidden sins, undealt with brokenness, or who were not deeply rooted in Jesus. There is now another refining coming that will purify at an even deeper level. The fire I am referring to is the fire of God’s presence and holiness. The Lord in His mercy, is sending this second wave to prepare us to learn how to live in the fire, refined and consecrated so that we can receive all that He has for us. This invitation to live in the fire is not as much a turning from sin, but it’s a call to those who are already walking in obedience to become even deeper rooted in His presence to steward the incoming glory. It’s an invitation to have greater union with God Himself.

Living in the Fire

When we learn to live in this fire rather than avoid it, when the fire does come, sometimes through increasing favor and other times through trials or persecution, we will already be purified to the core of our being so it won’t take us out. When we welcome the fire of God to examine our motives and purify our hearts, to purge us of anything that would hinder honoring His holiness, we will be immoveable to the swirl and constantly changing atmospheres around us. We will be established in Him as our Source and anchored in the Word of God which is His eternal truth.

In this new year, inspired by our burning love and devotion to Jesus and led by the Holy Spirit, may we seek to honor God by walking in purity at a deeper level (2 Corinthians 7:1). There is a seriousness about His holiness that must be respected. We must position ourselves to stand under the incoming greater glory so that we are not crushed by it. What we will face in the future demands a deeper level of consecration now so that when persecution knocks at our door, we can withstand the increasing shaking.

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty… ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” –Haggai 2:6-9

Take Your Place

I know this is a heavier word than I have released before and more of a warning, a calling to walk on the highway of holiness and to raise the plumbline, but times are changing. I just released a book called Fasting for Fire and am preparing for our online School of Revival on the theme of Martyrdom this spring. We must get ready. This is no time to flirt with the things of the world. We must set our faces like flint before the King of kings. We must come off the sidelines and step into the front lines if we are not already standing here.

I pray the Holy Spirit uses this word to both apprehend and inspire you to throw off everything that hinders and run the race destined for you, fixing your eyes on Jesus, the glorious and holy one who paid a price for loving you.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross…” –Hebrews 12:1-2

Happy New Year! May we run into the fire of His love and holiness together and may we live our lives in such a way to honor the great price He paid (Romans 12:1).

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If you want to find your place in the kingdom of God, join our global online School of Revival family and run with us!

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. and friends

“The Color Line Was Washed Away in the Blood”

I want to share a testimony of what God poured out here in Charlottesville, Virginia this past week at the Writing in the Glory and Women’s Abide Conference I was a part of. Saturday afternoon November 10, 2018, I was ministering on a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit and felt led to release a little of the Azusa Street Revival story along with some slides so people could see some of the main characters, including William J. Seymour. As we went into the session, deep worship and prophetic dance preceded my time of sharing and the music continued into the session. I shared an encounter Carrie Judd Montgomery had, then Ezekiel 47 and along with an invitation to dive into more of the Spirit. Then I shared about Peter stepping out of the boat yet another time in John 21 and how it doesn’t matter how many times we’ve previously encountered God or if we’ve already been baptized in the Holy Spirit, but there’s even more today than there was yesterday. After sharing some personal stories of not being afraid to use the voice God’s given and encourage others to be the unique gift He’s called them to, we waited upon the Lord for a fresh baptism of His love. As people came forward to the altar and began to get touched, I stepped out to bless what I recognized God was doing in the room.

In a mainly white crowd at this women’s conference, when I looked at the room, I saw that God was especially moving in the handful of African Americans in the room. Everyone I was drawn to pray for who I recognized the Spirit of God on in a powerful way happened to be African American. Then I took a step back and asked the Holy Spirit what was going on. Since that was the group highlighted to me, by the grace of God, I took a leap of faith and stood out on a limb doing something I’ve never done before. I called all of the African Americans to the front and the 8-9 of them came forward. I shared that I saw God was doing something special with them that day and He wanted to honor them, and also welcome their voice. I then held out my hand with the microphone for whoever of them wanted to speak. It was their floor. One of by one, some with tears, they shared their hearts while all the others in the room gathered around them up close in a circle together. It was a holy and prophetic moment that the Holy Spirit orchestrated.

Because I’ve been in such crazy transition in my personal life, I didn’t have time to research the city I was going to beforehand. I actually first thought I was going to Charlotte, North Carolina and told everyone I was going to be there until the conference director told me I had the wrong state and I was going to Charlottesville, Virginia. It was not until after God poured out His Spirit in a special way upon us that afternoon that I began to hear the story of the horrific thing that had happened in this very town a year ago. This was the place where a group of white supremacists marched in, even carrying torches and chanting horrible demonic things on August 11 and 12 of 2017. The event was called “Unite the Right” in Charlottesville, Virginia. During a rally, a white supremacist drove his car through a group of non-violent counter protesters where he killed a woman and injured many others. You can learn more about what happened HERE (warning, graphic images).

When I started to discover the significance of where God had sent me, I was in awe of how God moved that afternoon and my heart was broken for what all of these precious people had to endure when evil came in and targeted their city one year ago. With this new revelation, it felt to me that what had happened at the conference Saturday afternoon was even more significant that I realized at the time. I recognized it as one of those defining moments that I will never forget where God comes and moves in a special, tender, and prophetic way. I believe that what the Holy Spirit orchestrated was a seed not only for what He wants to pour out in that city and region but for our nation as well.

I believe that God has a great plan for Charlottesville because in my own experience of knowing the history of Destiny House, I know that whenever great evil is attracted to a place it’s because it’s a well of revival and there is great glory and inheritance in that place. I am confident that God is going to heal, restore and redeem what’s been stolen from this land and my prayer is that the greatest spirit of unity this world has ever seen will flow from this land of destiny.

This was a slide I released about the Azusa Street Revival that same day when I was speaking.

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 Stepping Out of the Boat: Extending my Time in Virginia

Later that evening, the night before I was to fly out, a couple of the lovely ladies from the conference came up to me and invited me to stay longer and welcomed me into their homes. Because of how God had moved that afternoon, I smelled revival. I felt the Holy Spirit doing something big in this region from all that He had been pouring out. I decided that I didn’t want to miss what He might have. I didn’t have much time to make a decision since I had already checked into my flight the next day but I was able to change my flight. Staying there meant canceling a week of activities. I struggled with doubt the first two days because I was delaying seeing people I loved in Redding and having to cancel teaching at the school of ministry which I committed to and so enjoy. Finally after much prayer with precious friends, I was able to embrace what God had placed in front of me and dove in as I counted the cost of saying yes to the tiny seed of what I thought might be the Lord. As a result of staying, we got to do another revival meeting and also open it up to the men to come along where God moved in power. I released the Azusa story in full and there was a mighty baptism of fire released where lives were marked by God’s presence. 

Making the decision to stay ties into the new shift in my life of helping to raise up pioneers. I find it interesting that these recent invitations to step out of the boat into unknown territory are happening at the same time that I am about ready to release my Walking on Water Encounter E-course as the first course in the online School of Pioneering Revival. See video below. Me pioneering into new territories makes sense and is important if I am going to help inspire and encourage others to step out of the boat. So this extended week was yet again, another one of those moments of stepping out of the boat and trusting the Lord.

The coolest thing is that when I chose to extend my time in Maui and rest before stepping into this clear yes in Virginia, I said no to a lot of opportunities that also would have provided for me financially. This conference in Virginia I sold out of all my books and I had triple the number of Writing in the Glory attendees I normally have. God totally covered and blessed me by providing for my season of rest. Entering into this huge “yes” fully rested was one of the best decisions and I’m so grateful for all God poured out during my time intersecting with this beautiful community.

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Revival Meeting: The Significance of 11-16

Since I had extended my trip, we were able to plan a region wide revival meeting where we could also invite the men to come along. The date was set for November 16, 2018 (11/16/2018). That evening, I shared a testimony of what happened to me on this same date on November 16, 2007 not long after I had first moved to England. I went to a church with a friend and was marked by the Holy Spirit. Before this time, I had become obsessed with the theme of Spirit baptism and had begun asking my friends about their experiences and was interested to learn more about it, especially as it was at the heartbeat of the Azusa Street Revival, which I was then studying in my Ph.D. there at the time. When I got home from the meeting that night 11 years ago, I was in awe of how the Spirit had marked me and as I prepared to set my alarm and turn off my phone for the night, I looked and it said 11/16 for the date at 11:16pm. I opened up the book of Acts 11:16 to see if God might be speaking. That verse was the only red letters on the page where it was recalled that Jesus said, “John baptized you with water but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” I was in shock and so rocked by how specifically God spoke that night. It was amazing (to read the whole account see Spirit Flood).  

Because there’s so much momentum on that date in history and because I was releasing the story of the Azusa Street Revival that same night year later, I opened the meeting by sharing that testimony. As I continued to share the Azusa story, I released a prayer by eyewitness at Azusa, Frank Bartleman, about how the Heroes will arise from the dust of obscure circumstances. As I read the prayer over people, I hadn't noticed the extra significance of it until a couple came up to me at the end of the evening and asked if I had realized that the date he released that prayer which was noted on my power point was November 16, 1905. The very same date of that day except 113 years earlier! Jesus!!! How amazing is that! Unexpected and amazing how God speaks and moves even in the details.

Many lives were touched this past week in Virginia including a couple who is going to plant a worshipping community in Richmond as a result of what God did, another being awakening and introduced to the power of the Holy Spirit for the first time in her life, reconciliation between family, heart healing, voices unlocked, shifting into a new season, and an awakening of burning ones who re-consecrated their lives to be sold out for Jesus. Thanks to everyone who prayed, offered grace when I didn’t return back to Redding when planned, those who invited and welcomed me to stay, rearranged their Sunday church meeting to have me speak, and Joan Hutter for hearing from the Holy Spirit to invite me and Amy Lancaster to come out to Virginia for such a time as this. So blessed. May a new fire be ignited in you today, filled with His fiery love!

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Testimony: The Simplicity of One Yes

Here is a beautiful testimony by Kim Hager about her time at the Writing in the Glory, Women’s Abide, and other revival meetings that happened in Charlottesville, Virginia this week November 9-18, 2018

One persons “yes” has every potential to be another person’s breakthrough. I both experienced and witnessed this in substantial ways with Dr. Jennifer Miskov’s visit to Charlottesville, Va.  Her “yes” to the Lord to come to Virginia launched a chain reaction of breakthroughs this week in so many lives and without a doubt countless more to follow.  As for me personally, I was suddenly launched into a brand new life season. 

Ministering at Restoration Cornerstone church with Kim releasing worship on the keyboard in the back.

I had been wrestling to fully get up out from underneath the clutter of busyness in ministry and the rubble of a difficult past season. In the process, some of who I am and how I was made to be had begun to dry up. I knew the Lord was positioning me for a season of writing and so I attended the “Writing in the Glory” workshop. I expected to gain a helpful resource but I did not know I would get swept up into such a move of God in the process. The authority of Jen’s message, lifestyle, and testimony literally was a prophetic wind of God to breathe life into the dry places in my destiny.  

As she faithfully released what she was carrying in her spirit, an impartation came. Her ministry was the hand of Jesus pulling me up out of the clutter and rubble of my past season and setting my feet in the broad place of my now, new season. Jen was the prophetic voice that re-awakened the dreamer and adventurer in me and called me out into the very season of deeper intimacy and fruitfulness that I am now walking into. Praise God!

I was also given the honor to lead worship and help facilitate ministry times during Jen’s stay for later meetings (some of them unplanned but divinely orchestrated).  Having been under Jen’s messaging, I was instilled with a newfound courage to step out which resulted in me giving voice to a vulnerable part of my testimony during worship that I had never shared publicly before. As a result, lives on the precipice of darkness were brought into the healing breakthrough of Jesus and hope and strength for endurance was released. I also found faith and courage to allow the Lord to re-arrange my schedule to stay with the move of God that was being released among us.

Jen took the time to lovingly yet boldly challenge me to respond based on my new season not my old one. Throughout her time here we witnessed powerful moments of God as people were baptized in His Spirit, filled with fresh faith, received emotional healing, surrendered their whole hearts to Jesus, and stepped out into new things in God. We participated in the awakening rumblings of racial reconciliation and watched the Lord awaken dreams and destiny in His people. What a great and unexpected week its been! 
I am undone with gratitude for the goodness and kindness of the Lord in what He has done here through Jen’s “yes” to him and her love for us. Thank you Jennifer Miskov for being willing and obedient to come to Virginia. You have an inheritance with Jesus here.

*Check out some of Kim’s anointed worship music HERE

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Testimony: “You Want Me to be a Catcher?” And an Invitation to a Deeper Experience in the Holy Spirit

Testimony by Emily who was already an answer to prayer for me because she helped run my book table and all the books even sold out! May God bring you to deeper depths of His Spirit as you read her account of what God did this week.

What a week. I feel like I was thrust into this new world when Joan Hutter, the director of Women’s Abide conference looked at me and said, “You’ll be a catcher.” I thought, “how did she know I’m a great catcher? Wait, what am I catching?” It was a whirlwind of praying in tongues, people passing out, loud laughter and uncontrolled sobbing. How can so many things be happening all at once? I just knew I wanted to know more about this.

We’ve been studying Romans as a church and for months I’ve been anticipating Romans 8. I desperately want to know what it means to be walking in the Spirit. This conference came at a perfect time when my heart was already positioned to be looking for life in the Spirit...even though I was really only there because my boss asked me to help out at the conference with the logistics and such. I kept that as my excuse to not enter in. “I’m really just here for work.”

I mostly observed during the worship services; watching some women dance in one corner and others grab banners and twist them around like they were doing work. Women were face down on the ground while others kneeled at their chairs. This worship seemed intentional; like these women had praise and adoration to bring to the Lord and they were going to use their whole body to do it. How is there a whole community of believers coming together to worship and I feel like an outsider, like these were not my people?

I’m so thankful the Lord brought Jen to guide and help me through what was going on and to graciously answer my questions. There were a lot. To be clear, I have heard of the term “baptism in the Holy Spirit” but I had no concept of what it is in real life.

For a few days I asked questions, searched scriptures and read Jen’s book on Spirit baptism called Spirit Flood, and then Tuesday night things got weird. I had dinner at the house where Jen was staying with Nicole, and after asking a few rounds of questions from me along with some vulnerable moments exploring what was hindering me from moving forward, Jen asked if she and Nicole could pray over me. I’m not sure that I even know what happened. I am still praying about it and seeking understanding. But as they prayed over me and we took time to wait on the Lord there was something like a very heavy blanket that covered me. I looked at Jen so confused about why I was so heavy. She encouraged me to lay down and to take note of pictures and words that came to mind as this was an important time of hearing from the Lord. I laid down and almost immediately I heard the Lord say to me, “You’re clean, Emily. You’ve been washed clean.’”

This moment has changed me. Not because of some physical experience - while that is something to look into and explore with the Lord - it changed me because after years of knowing that I’m saved and that I’m covered by the blood, it was like I actually knew it and believed it for the first time. I’m actually clean!

For the past week now, I’ve been borderline obsessed with what it means to walk in the Spirit, to worship in the Spirit and to live in the Spirit. I want to spend time with the Lord, abiding in Him. What if He has more to say? What if He has more to make clear to me or has things that only He can help move from my head knowledge to my heart understanding? And more importantly, does everyone else know that they can be washed by His blood too and walk in the freedom He’s given us?

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Radio Interview

When I first arrived in Virginia, I had the opportunity to be on Jeff Gaffney’s radio show where I share some of my personal story and encourage people with hope. Enjoy these raw moments below and thanks for being a part of my journey today!

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“Heroes Will Arise from the Dust”

I close with the prayer that Frank Bartleman released on November 16, 1905, just months before revival broke out in Los Angeles at the Azusa Street Revival which later spread across the globe. I declare over Virginia, over California with all of the wild fires, and over our nation that God would pour out His Spirit of revival again in our day.

“The current of revival is sweeping by our door. Will we cast ourselves on its mighty bosom and ride to glorious victory? A year of life at this time, with its wonderful possibilities for God, is worth a hundred years of ordinary life.

“Pentecost” is knocking at our doors. The revival for our country is no longer a question. Slowly but surely the tide has been rising until in the very near future we believe for a deluge of salvation that will sweep all before it. Wales will not long stand alone in this glorious triumph for our Christ. The spirit of reviving is coming upon us, driven by the breath of God, the Holy Ghost. The clouds are gathering rapidly, big with a mighty rain, whose precipitation lingers but a little.

Heroes will arise from the dust of obscure and despised circumstances, whose names will be emblazoned on Heaven’s eternal page of fame.

The Spirit is brooding over our land again as at creation’s dawn, and the fiat of God goes forth. “Let there be light.” Brother, sister, if we all believed God can you realize what would happen? Many of us here are living for nothing else. A volume of believing prayer is ascending to the throne night and day.

Los Angeles, Southern California, and the whole continent shall surely find itself ere long in the throes of a mighty revival, by the Spirit and power of God.”

-Frank Bartleman November 16, 1905

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Key Resources

If you would like to learn more about some of the topics mentioned above, see these resources.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. and author of Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution

Can thousands of people gathered together for one purpose shift a generation into the next Great Awakening? What if the date and location of this gathering tapped into one of the deepest wells of revival we’ve experienced over the last century?

On April 9, 2016, which was also the 110th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival, our generation was inaugurated into a new era. Lou Engle and TheCall, in partnership with Bethel Church in Redding, California, hosted over 60,000 people in an event called Azusa Now. People from all around the world gathered together in the rain at the Los Angeles Coliseum to make the name of Jesus famous once again. The day was filled with worship, prayer, healing, miracles, prophetic acts, and signs and wonders. During the week preceding this event, Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, Circuit Riders, Youth With A Mission, Iris Global, and many other ministries sent out armies of Jesus lovers to flood L.A. with the love and power of God. Deaf ears were opened, people got up out of wheelchairs, many were welcomed into the family of God, and signs and wonders were released.

Because of the prophetic words and impossibilities connected to the Azusa Now story, it is important to pay attention. This was not just another Christian worship event. Deep wells of the Azusa Street Revival (1906), which birthed over half a billion Christians and has spread to nearly every country in the world over the past century, were accessed on Saturday. At Azusa Now, many different streams of Christianity came together in unity for one purpose. Profound reconciliation occurred. Worship filled the stadium. Ripple effects that will impact the world and eternity will result from what was poured out at Azusa Now.

We Walk by Faith Not Sight

Something powerful and profound happened at Azusa Now whether we see and understand it now or not. Many stepped out in great faith to see God’s kingdom come to this generation. If all of this was done and only one person got saved or healed, it would have been worth it. What if that one person will later become the next D.L. Moody or Billy Graham we may never know. However, we do know that many entered into God’s kingdom and many others were restored, healed, and set free that day. We don’t know how many lives these ones will touch in the future but these will be the inheritance of what was poured out at Azusa Now.

In the evening session at Azusa Now, evangelist Daniel Kolenda shared how God marked him at TheCall D.C. over ten years ago. He was impregnated with a hunger and passion to see souls saved. He’s since brought thousands into the kingdom of God. The impact of what was released when he attended TheCall D.C. might not have become visible the next week or even the next year, but something significant happened that later contributed to the momentum of hundreds of thousands being led to the Lord. Whether we see profound results today or in the next ten years from what happened at Azusa Now, we said yes to what God asked of us. That is something to celebrate. We need to trust Him with the results as we continue to dive even deeper into His presence.

Healing on the Streets

When I was doing my Ph.D. on revival history while living in England, I helped my church set up Healing on the Streets in the city square where many youth gathered. We set up chairs in the middle of the square and put up a flag that said Healing. Anyone walking by who wanted prayer would sit in a chair and we would pray for him or her right out in the open. We did this every month and saw many miracles take place: legs grew, depression lifted, cigarettes disappeared, and people even grew taller. However, there’s one story I want to share that will help demonstrate the unseen impact Azusa Now will have in the future.

One time when we were out on the streets, we met a teenager named Ben. He had been hit by a car and his leg was in a cast. He was a rough looking kid but had allowed us to pray for him. As our team laid hands and prayed for him in the middle of the town square, the presence of God fell on him powerfully. However, when he left, he hobbled away, still on crutches with no visible sign of healing. Did we fail? Did we not have enough faith to bring him into his healing? I think not. I believe that every Holy Spirit-led act of faith is something to celebrate. Our job is to obey God. He is in charge of the results.

The next month we went back to the same spot and saw Ben running out to greet us. He shared how a week after we prayed, he was totally healed and even went out jogging!!! We hadn’t seen the effects in the moment we prayed, but God was working behind the scenes. Furthermore, one year after Ben got healed, we were all drinking coffee in a Starbucks and sharing testimonies after our ministry time on the streets. I noticed the Holy Spirit was doing something in Ben so I asked him what was going on. His grandmother had just passed away and he heard her favorite song come on which made him emotional. We prayed for him right there in the Starbucks and he began to weep. Then he said to me, “Jen, I never told you this before but a year ago when you all prayed for me, I had so much anger and rage inside of me that I was going to beat someone up that day. After you all prayed for me, that anger left and I have never been the same.” We found this out one year later!

We don’t always know or see the results of stepping out in faith, worshipping in unity, or doing prophetic acts led by the Spirit, however, in due time, these will surface. Azusa Now may or may not have been what we all imagined. We may have seen incredible miracles and salvations or we may not have seen what we were hoping for. However, something powerful was released either way that will impact generations. We must be content knowing that heaven is celebrating us each and every time we step out in faith to follow the leading of the Spirit. Yes, many people got saved, healed, and delivered which is incredible. However, Azusa Now was just the beginning of more to come.

The Rudder of Our Ship Has Shifted

The prophetic act of thousands of people worshipping together in one place, in one city, and on the anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival synergized and shifted us into a new era. What we did that day is like shifting the direction of a rudder on a large ship. Our generation may or may not recognize the radical change and the momentum that will carry on for generations from now from what was released at Azusa Now. However, even the slightest of changes on a rudder will re-direct the course of that ship. Over time, that ship will arrive at a completely different destination.

We are now going in a new direction, even if ever so slightly. This change will take us to a greater reality than any could ever have hoped, dreamed, or imagined. The New Jesus Revolution has already begun. Sometimes this happens in the smallest of ways. Never underestimate the power of Jesus working even in one small shift, one great decision made, or one person saved. Remember and record what happened in your life on Saturday April 9, 2016 and celebrate each seed of hope that was released. This is only the beginning. These seeds will one day grow and emerge into giants as they are saturated by more of the Holy Spirit.

I close by quoting a song by Bob Dylan. I encourage you to imagine God singing it over you and our generation:

“The storms are raging on the rolling seas

And on the highway of regret

The winds of change are blowing wild and free

You ain’t seen nothing like Me yet

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true

Nothing that I wouldn’t do

Go to the ends of the earth for you

To make you feel My love”

God has already gone to the ends of the earth to make you feel His love when He sent His Son Jesus. I pray that in this new era, your eyes are opened more than ever before to see and to receive a fresh revelation of the Father’s great love. I pray that you become a target for His blessing, favor, and presence. May your heart increase in capacity to be able to receive the great love God is pouring out and to overflow it to others. May you be apprehended by God’s extravagant and unceasing love like never before. Hang on tight, we’re in for the wildest ride of our lives! 

*See book Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution by Jennifer A. Miskov with Heidi Baker, Bill Johnson, and Lou Engle to learn more about the Azusa Street Revival and the new move of God in our day.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

The Azusa Street Revival was catalytic and played a significant part in the expansion of the Pentecostal movement around the world. This revival was marked by a hunger to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. People from around the world flocked to Los Angeles to be a part of this great move of God and to receive impartation to take back to their nations. They, like many in the early church in Acts (see Acts 2), waited on the Lord until they were baptized in the Holy Spirit and also spoke in tongues. This all-consuming encounter with God drew people into a revival that swept across the world.

I have been struck lately by Matthew 3:11-12 where John the Baptist said,

I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and He will clear the threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

While Azusa Street was marked with a Baptism of the Holy Spirit, I believe that the next great move of God will be marked with a BAPTISM OF FIRE. Fire purifies, refines, sanctifies, and makes holy. It causes all the dross to dissipate and only the gold to emerge. Asking for the baptism of fire strips off any enemy of the cross of Christ, even good things that are distractions. There’s no greater way to be surrendered than when we are willing to ask God to send His fire over every detail of our lives, relationships, dreams, thoughts, and ask Him to burn away anything that is not from Him for this season. When we realize the price He has paid for us (see Romans 8:32), we will be willing to become living sacrifices (see Romans 12:1) and we will continue to lay our lives on the altar to burn for Him continually. It says in Leviticus 6:8-13,

The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.

What would happen if we lived in a baptism of fire daily? What does it look like to be a burning one in this generation?

There is more for each one of us today. I believe God is asking us to call out for the fire of God to come and consume anything that might get in the way of all He wants to do in our lives. I encourage you right now to ask for the fire of God to fall upon you and for this fire to burn away any bitterness, unforgiveness, double-mindedness, offense, fear, shame, insecurity, disappointment, hopeless, or discouragement. Ask God to search your heart to see if there is anything holding you back from all that He has. Wait on Him for a few minutes.

As the Holy Spirit brings up people and situations, today go and be reconciled. If someone has an offense against you, go and make amends quickly. Give no foothold for the devil in this time of great awakening that’s coming. Always remember that our battle is never against flesh and blood (see Ephesians 6:10-18) and that you have authority in Christ to tear down every stronghold or enemy of God that tries to oppose you (see Romans 8:31). Stay deeply connected and knit together with the Body of Christ in this season, for they will also be your armor bearers. When the fire falls and the pruning begins and you feel the pain of things leaving in your life that you were once comfortable with, ask for even more fire. He wants to purify us so we are prepared to carry what He is about to pour out across the earth. He is looking for pure and holy vessels that He can possess and fill with His Holy Spirit and with fire. I encourage you to pray the following prayer outloud:

God, I ask right now for a fresh baptism of fire over my life. Let your fire fall on every single detail of my life. Burn away anything and everything that is not in line with You in Jesus’ name. Purify with fire all of my relationships, thoughts, dreams, desires, and situations. Burn away anything that is contrary to your nature or that will hold me back from all that You want to do in and through my life in this season. I surrender all and ask for the fire of consecration to come and set me apart as a burning one for You. Let my love for You be marked by purity, holiness, and a burning passion. Fill and possess me with Your Holy Spirit and with fire. I am all Yours. My life is in Your hands. Have Your way in my life today whatever it looks like and no matter the cost, all for Your glory. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

*I encourage you to get involved in The Call Azusa to take part in re-digging this well of revival at Azusa Street to bring American back to God in our day.

*To learn more about the Azusa Street Revival and Baptism of the Holy Spirit for today see Spirit Flood: Rebirth of Spirit Baptism for the 21st Century in Light of the Azusa Street Revival and the Life of Carrie Judd Montgomery)

*To read about an encounter when fire fell on the sacrifice in a ministry school totally consecrated to God, see A Time of New Birth: Consecration with Rees Howells and the Welsh Revival