The people of Israel in the book of Joel become one of the desperate ones. They are in a time of famine, and have not been serving God. God allows plagues, famine, and eventually raises up another army to destroy the people of Israel. This is time serious chastisement directed upon God’s people. The army that is coming is described as one that is unified, strong, an unbearable––no one can stand against them. At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale (2:6). Yet, in midst of the destruction God sends a form of hope through the prophet Joel. He declares, “Yet, even now, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning (2:12).” They are told to seek the Lord in a desperate way corporately. Joel 2:16 says, “Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bride leave his room and the bride her chamber.” God spares his people because they gathered in unity and sought him whole heartily.
We can elevate into a desperate faith that changes history through deserting all for corporate activity in the Kingdom of God. In comparison to the part one, which Jacob left all so he could be alone; God is now calling the people of God to escape all by corporate desperation after him in unity. We can not merely change and reach the world by being a pioneer, or lone-ranger. Rather we must be available to the corporate body of Chrst. Joel 2, is a special instance in scripture, and can be seen as revival. Yet, we must be ready to drop our schedules and what we think it should all look like and be participants of God’s outpouring. The people in the book of Joel stopped a wedding in order seek God. You and I must be willing and ready to stop our lives when God calls and says, “It’s revival time.” Again in the same breath we should be like Jacob wrestling with God saying, “Now is revival time.” God may lay stumbling blocks to enable His people to be thirsty for things of Him, and also to keep us humble like in the book of Joel. Also Possible, there may be works we don’t understand or know how to explain to someone else. The Spirit may do a “new” things that we aren’t accustomed to––it may be extraordinary, unusal wonders. “God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles” (Act 19:11).
Jonathan Edwards said, “a work of God without stumbling blocks is never to be expected” (Works 2:273). There are many stumbling blocks in the spirit of revival and outpouring, may it never be our own schedules and inabilities to come together into the house of God as a body of believers. We can elevate into a desperate faith that changes history through deserting all for corporate activity in the Kingdom of God. We are the body.
Written by Michael Krysty
http://www.inhabitfire.com
© 2010 Inhabit Fire Ministries
A Desperate Faith: Cornelius’ Habit (part two)
March 1, 2010
http://www.michaelkrysty.com
I learned to make prayer a lifestyle rather than an obligation or act in my days in Teen Challenge. I had a roommate that loved to pray, and in the world’s eyes he was a convicted felon and drug addict. He spent years in prison, and he looked the part as well. He was not a small man, in fact, he was huge and no one in their right mind would mess with him. This was my roommate that loved to pray. He begin to invited me to pray with him, well, he would wake me up at 4 and 5 A.M then tell me to get up to pray as if I didn’t have an option. He did this for about a month in a half, and then the tables turned, I began to wake him up––sometimes even earlier. Together we learned to hunger after God, but we made prayer a lifestyle. I found by regularly consecrating time to pray I could adjust my whole mindset throughout the day on God. I began to do what Brother Lawrence described as “practicing the presence of God”, which is the name of his book. One of my pastor friends says, “The future belongs to the intercessor.” You can change history by having a dedicated lifestyle of prayer and servanthood.
Dedicated to a lifestyle of prayer and servanthood. (Acts 10:1-4)
Cornelius was also one of the desperate ones. He was apart of the Italian Regiment as a Roman centurion. He was God-fearing and devout to point that his whole family was following after God. He gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. He had a dedicated lifestyle of prayer and servanthood. The Angel of the Lord came to him and said, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God (v. 4).” Cornelius was instructed to send men for Peter, so he did. Meanwhile, Peter was in a trace and had a vision. Afterwards, the Bible says while Peter was thinking about the vision the men sent by Cornelius came to him, and the Holy Spirit instructed him to go. Peter went with the men and went to the house of Cornelius, which eventually lead to one of the most glorious experiences in Church history, the Gentiles being baptized in the Holy Spirit for the first time, which was confirmed also by the vision that Peter had in the trance.
We can elevate into a desperate faith that changes history through a dedicated lifestyle of prayer and servanthood. Cornelius was one that was used to change history, yet the angel revealed that his prayers and gifts to the poor had come up as a offering before God. There is a unexplainable mysterious about the heart of God, yet He links Cornelius into a position to facilitate revival in his home because of his desperate attitude toward the Kingdom. His prayer was not something that was once in awhile, or when ever he needed God because of trails. His prayer was not something that he did only every time he got together with people of like faith. No, his prayer was a lifestyle––it was unbroken fellowship with God as he communed with him regularly. If we think that we are going to change history and not have a dedicated lifestyle to prayer and servanthood we are saying that are methods and our minds are greater than God’s. We are saying that we can do it alone and that are motives are impure. We must have lifestyle of being intimate with “Poppa”, Father God, to be used like Cornelius–––Changing the roads of history.
The Moravian Mission movement, changed church history as we know it. It was birthed through lifestyles fashioned in prayer. I can only imagine a prayer service lasting one hundred years. Men and women were literally born, raised, and sent out as missionaries soaked in a life of prayer.
“When God was visiting the Moravians in the early days, they organized at Herrnhut two praying bands, one of men and the other of women, each with twenty-four members. These bands set apart one man and one woman to pray every hour of the day, so that the men in their place and the women in theirs were praying continuously during the twenty-four hours. This double prayer, unbroken through every day, was maintained for a hundred years. During this period there emerged the Moravian Mission movement in which the missionary church grew three times as large as the home church. The Moravians were used to give new light on essential Bible truths to John and Charles Wesley, thus preparing them for the revival that swept England and reached America.” (Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations)
You can change history by having a dedicated lifestyle of prayer and servanthood.
Desperate Faith: A Jacob Heart (part one)
February 24, 2010
The most powerful and innovating times of my life are captured in the presence of God. The more desperate am I for Him and His Kingdom to come––the greater my identity, purpose, and power is elevated. When I got saved I began to pray a prayer, “God make me the hungriest”, and then this prayer soon became a declaration, “God, I am the hungriest; I’m soo thirsty for you, I’m desperate.” It has never been a competition between another brother or sister in the faith, but while I was in Teen Challenge I secretly wanted to be like Moses or Job. When the Lord look upon a community of people and saw them, he saw desperate humble men––someone he could trust to do his work. I wanted to do great works for the Lord. I learned very early in the faith that I had to be desperate for the things of God, and it was the grace and Spirit of God, which facilitated that.
I’ve learned that the battle between the flesh and Spirit is one that the flesh works to dissemble the total surrendered mindset to God. The flesh works to make our faith dead, mundane, or routine. If we become unproductive and mundane in our faith we cannot reach the lost, influence the earth, nor change history. We must elevate and remain into a realm of desperation! God is calling us to be slaves of righteousness, in that, we are sold out completely to His domain––God’s Kingdom. We can change history through elevating into a desperate faith. Jacob was one of the desperate ones who would not settle for the mundane and unproductive faith, rather he wrestled with the Angel of the Lord, God, all night until he was touched by Him. He sees the person of God manifest, and is enveloped by His presence through faith. By following the lifestyle in the texts of desperate faith we can change history.
Desperate for the person and presence of God. (Gen. 32:24-31)
Jacob was one of the desperate ones, insomuch, he wrestled with the physical manifestation of God all night and would not let Him go. He sent all his wives, maidservants, sons, and possessions across the stream of Jabbok, and was completely alone. This act, possibly knowingly or unknowingly, was preparation for what was about to take place through the night and morning hours. Jacob set himself up for the person and presence of God. The Angel of the Lord, God, touched and wrench the socket of Jacob’s hip because he held onto him and would not let him go until he blessed him. Jacob was given the name Israel because he struggled with God and men and overcame. The next day he was walking with a limp because of his hip that was touched by God.
We can elevate into a desperate faith that changes history through the hungering for the person and presence of God. In order to do this another we must take this work personal, in that we set ourselves up for the presence of God. Jacob sent away everyone and thing, every possible distraction or anything that might take his focus away. I have the feeling Jacob knew he was about to go after God; I have the feeling Jacob knew he was about to meet with the Creator of all, so he positioned himself to wrestle all night long. God is looking for people, communities, and nations that will cast everything away, and send it over the river in order for one to meet with His manifest presence.
The presence and person of God so much affected Jacob that the Bible says the next day he was walking with a lip because his hip was touched by the Lord. The presence and person of God changes the very way we walk. When we set ourselves up for God, he has acutely set us up for Him. He wants to touch your life so much that you will walk different, peculiar, unique, in that everyone around you will know the change.
This is from Wesley’s journal from Jan. 1, 1739: “About sixty of our brethren until three in the morning, the power of God came mightily on us, insomuch that many cried out for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground.” John Wesley prayed, “Lord send us revival without its defects but if this is not possible, send revival, defects and all.”
Can you hear the sounds of desperation? The cry for the person and presence of God?
By consecrating yourself in the secret place through putting away everything and being alone while setting your attention of the Father, you are setting yourself up for Jesus.You can change history by having and encounter with the manifest presence and person of God. We have the great invitation to be a people inhabiting the presence of God.
Written by Michael Krysty
Instant Healing
August 6, 2009
It was the first time I had been to youth group at our home church in Springfield, Missouri because we had been gone all Summer – it wasn’t an out of normal meeting despite the fact it was great to reunite with all our friends. God was already at work behind the curtain.
Chase, a boy in our youth group has always been one whom could naturally relate to me. We meet up as I walked into the the building. Youth service was soon to start and we all entered right into worship – it was a great time for myself personally, I don’t know about anyone else because I was lost in God’s presence. About half way through worship my left knee started to ache terribly, and I didn’t know what to do about it. I prayed and then tried to kneel down to see if it would stop hurting – then I recognize maybe God was trying to speak to me or get my attention.
I sensed that God was telling me about someone’s knee that was injured and he was going to heal it, but I didn’t know who. I really wanted to interrupt the worship service because I felt so strongly about God’s direction – I waited though for more instruction from God. Worship continued for the rest of the time – God was doing big things in the hearts of the youth.
When everyone started to settle the pastor dismissed us all. Chase quickly came to me and wanted to know if I would pray for him. I almost stopped him before he finished his sentence to ask him if it was for his knee. Wouldn’t you believe it, he asked me to pray for his knee! He hurt it during football practice, and was worried he wouldn’t be able to play.
I told him what had been going on in my heart and said I’m going to pray right here and your going to get healed right here. We prayed together, and instantly Chase’s knee was healed. I instructed him to do something that he wasn’t able to do before – he did so. It surprised him, yet, it wasn’t the fact that he was healed that surprised him, but it was the fact that it happened so quickly in his words.
God is doing big things! He sees healing as a priority, and we all can be apart of the power of heaven! Do you think when you get to heaven broken bones, or amputated legs are still going to be damaged? Or how about blind eyes, and cold? Of course not – as soon as we pass over into the glorious land we will be as good as new and never to be broken again. But Jesus said pray that God’s kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven(Mt. 6:10). If heaven invades how can you not be healed?!
Seek Jesus.
Michael’s Testimony
July 20, 2009
“I can’t believe you’re still alive” – Alias
Chapter 1
Captured by Hell
Michael grew up in a typical American family. It had it’s troubles, laughs, pain, and love. He grew up being taught to follow Jesus Christ, and even had a prophet call spoken over him that through him God’s people would know that He was alive and well after his paralyzed arm was healed as a baby.
There are spiritual forces of good and evil in the world, and Michael says he has strongly felt them both.
In Michael’s earliest memories of his childhood he can remember living in fear in the dark. Yet, this wasn’t your average childhood boogy monster in the closet causing fear in the young Michael. He believes to this day there was a demonic assignment after his life. Michael continued to age and the fear never left him. He never made Jesus his personal Lord and Savior in his teen years, but attended a few youth services to be with girls.
Michael’s heart grew hard and sick as he plunged into pornography and further from God. This lifestyle of feeding his desires increased rapidly as he literal was falling into sin. The next step was drugs and alcohol – there surly was a plot to destroy Michael’s life, yet even in the midst of living in sin God chose to use Michael. He went to a church with his family and the pastor said there was a problem with a baby. Michael to this day doesn’t even remember this happening clearly because of the drug abuse, but he gave a word of knowledge that he felt burning within him that the baby would be healed. Surly enough it was healed!
You would think this would slow someone down or turn them around, but this was not the case. Michael began to use harder drugs, such as cocaine, crack, ecstasy, and acid. Yet some how these drugs didn’t fascinate Michael rather it was the money to be made by selling them that caught his attention. He began doing the devil’s work in his words by selling ecstasy. He recalls praying to Satan, he said that he would ask him to keep him safe so that he could continue to do his work. For some time he had no problems with anything, and life was easy and exhilarating, but a season of drought was soon upon his life that the Lord was sending to bring Michael back to him.
He found himself with thousands of dollars worth of drugs, yet he couldn’t sell them to anyone. It was as if he was invisible to the drug addict. It wasn’t long until he began to use again, but this time the drugs would take a hold of him. His life quickly spiraled to hit bottom at age 19. He made money, made friends, had girls, yet simply was empty.
“In October of 2005 I had done more drugs, spent more money, overdosed, been with more women than I’ve have ever had in my entire life, yet I was utterly empty and lonely. I really needed help or I was going to die.”
A couple weeks later one of Michael’s friends was home from Teen Challenge – a faith based drug rehab. Michael went to see him give his testimony and that night the Holy Spirit gently instructed Michael to return to the Lord and to go into the drug rehab as well.
Michael went into the rehab, but there again was that fear in the night tormenting him. Michael says one night when this was happening he began to cry out to Jesus late in the night hours, and suddenly a serge of energy from all limbs of his body meet at one point and was released from him – something had literal came out of him.
Michael’s life was demoniacal possessed, and the next night would be his complete healing!
God literal lead him to his councilors for help just like in the Bible when the demons came running to Jesus. For three hours evil spirits were cast out of him, and he experienced freedom that he had never felt in his entire life. He was captured by Hell, but set free by Jesus! Michael made up his mind that night to committed his life to do anything the Lord Jesus ask him to do.
Chapter 2
The Fire and Grace Came With the Call
Later that week the program went to a Sunday night church service and Michael was desperate to have more of God. With little knowledge of church doctrine, gifts of Holy Spirit, or just about the Lord in general he set out to know more with a deep passion. He said that it was never a competition between him or another brother or sister in the faith, but he secretly wanted to be like Moses or Job when the Lord look upon a community of people and saw them. The Lord saw a righteous humble man; someone he could trust to do his work we he saw Moses and Job. Michael wanted to stick out for the Lord to please him. That night during the worship service Michael began to quiet himself before the Lord, and he felt a power and heat that sent a jolt through his body like electricity. Michael was baptized in the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues and he literally drowned in God’s Spirit that night. He didn’t want to come up or away from his presence.
For 16 months he was trained in the drug rehab to live according to the principles of the Bible. He said that he had to learn to live all over again like a newborn baby.
In the eighth month he recalls having a revelation of God’s grace. He read many times about the work of Jesus on the cross in that he forgave all his sin and he trusted in that, but it was very hard for him to forgive himself from his past life to experience God’s grace.
“I laid on my bed for hours on a Saturday afternoon just smiling and meditating about the Lord’s love for me. For the first time I actually felt fully forgiven – in was a inner experience that change my whole perspective of how to treat others.”
“I knew that I was called to preach and take the gospel to the ends of the Earth, and I wasted so much of my life doing the Devil’s work in an extreme way that I wanted to be even more fanatic for the Lord!”
“There would be days that I would plain to do nothing so that I could read through the entire New Testament in one sitting.”
In Teen Challenge Michael learn to pray. He learn about making it a lifestyle and not just a duty. God began to awake him 3 am & 4 am to pray, and this was the driving force that kept him teachable and pure for the days to come. All he wanted to do was tell people about Jesus.
In 2006 he preached his first sermon to a church congregation at two Sunday morning services. Michael says, “I preached how I interpreted the Bible, all I had was simply faith and passion, and in looking back this message was the worst I’ve ever preached, yet God moved so mightily!”
Chapter 3
Getting Theological with my Parter King Jesus
Michael went to Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri after he completed Teen Challenge. It wasn’t long after that he fell in love Amanda who is his wife now. Interesting enough Michael put his body in much harm when he was a drug user, yet he lived without sickness. In the first year at Bible college he was stricken with a very serious staph infection inside his knee, which require immediate surgery. The infection returned a couple weeks after the surgery, and another surgery was scheduled. Michael cried out to God in his room while anointing his knee with oil. That night all the infection came out by the power of the Holy Spirit and it was instantly healed! The next year at school Michael was sick with mysterious ailments such as the swelling of the intestines, throbbing back pains, palpitations, and again another staph infection. God miraculously healed him from every sickness!
In the midst of all the trails God began to increase the burden within Michael and Amanda to evangelize, and they sought out that winter in the midst of everything to follow the call. Michael is an evangelist preacher being trained in God’s glory to lead many to the Lord. He talks about the end-time revival that is among the church before the coming of Christ.
“God is calling a desperate priesthood to follow in his ways – to seek him in the midst of darkness surrounding us. It is true wickedness will increase in the end days, but also true, so will the power and glory of the mighty King Jesus, which will be reveal through His bride the church!”
Michael has a yearning to have Heaven on Earth! He craves a fresh dose of the Holy Ghost, and believes God must work in you to work through you. He travels the United States preaching the word of God with fervor and faith. They are based out of Springfield, Missouri and are members and serve at New Vision Ministries. Michael and Amanda are finishing up there degrees at Central Bible College, and from there plan to go to the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary for their master work.
God has been gracious in sending them into the ministry even while in Bible school. Their ministry is centered around Jesus – only He has the power to unlock life over death and free the world of its decay.
“There are no other gods above Jesus!”
Breaking out of the Mundane
June 29, 2009
A couple of days ago a hawk swoop down right in front of me. It was so close I thought it was going to hit me. It quickly caught my attention. It left me just as quick as it came to me and it soared with out any struggle to a higher place. The Holy Spirit spoke to me very softly right at that instance and told me to watch the bird fly. I notice how it traveled in circles as it soared, yet the more it traveled in circle the higher it actual rose in the atmosphere. The air pressure was lifting it higher! The Lord then spoke to me about the mundane and routine life.
I want to encourage you in that you may feel as if you’re moving in circles seeing the same views over and over again. Possible you are a mother struggling to raise her son and you don’t know what you’re going to do next, or perhaps you are a student facing the pressure of life learning who you are and want you want to be in the midst of peer pressure. Maybe your are like me, a minister seeking God’s doors day by day.
God told Elijah to go and that he had already prepared someone to provide for him in 1 King 17. God raised up and humble widow to help Elijah, and she didn’t even know she was able within her resources, in fact, Elijah encouraged her in her faith and let her know she would not go without food if she provided the last of her bread for him. God has already raised up all the resources you need!
Your faith can affect your surroundings just like Elijah’s assurance of God’s word would provide for him that this widow would be a God given tool for his provision. His faith encouraged her to walk in faith and it saved her life. She would have most likely ran out of food leaning on her own wisdom. It not only saved her life, but also the life of her son. Your faith in your situation will effect everyone around you, including generations to come!
Isaiah 40:31: but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
It is of no surprise of what you’re facing today to God. Know he is underneath you lifting you higher just like an eagle or hawk soaring in circle. You are not just going in circles, yet you are being lifting to another level! Put faith in that God has provided already for you, and the resources are already raise up like Elijah was taken care of through a widow who did not have any food.
The Issue
June 3, 2009
This summer has been like none other. Already it has been a great time while being in Ohio. Amanda my wife has been working with Women’s Teen Challenge – God has been using her in great measures. Myself, well I have been on wall watching and listening for the Lord’s voice in where he would like to take our ministry to. I’ve put a lot of time into the promoting ministry of evangelism networking, yet I’ve felt the hand of the Lord to wait and listen for a door. I believe Evangelism is done in a couple ways: direct, and indirect. For instance, if your talking to a friend and the conversation of eternal life, God, and life has not come up you must make an attempt to make it come up, and this called, direct evangelism. If they open the door themselves and ask you question about the Lord this would be indirect. They are both biblical, and we must be ready for both strategies. Yet, being an Evangelist is some what similar in the approach with relation with church fellowships. Sometime God has a seasons of direct contact making in where doors are actively sought for, and then at others indirect in where doors are just there. Yet, in both approaches all opportunities, wisdom, and results are from the Lord’s hands, and when one is dependent on him the glory returns to God. When I walk into a church from an invitation I’m thinking…Evangelize the nations, Go and make disciples, Revial of the nations! For the time being I am in an indirect mission in where I’m not knocking on doors or making phone calls, but rather waiting. God is good.
Last sunday was a incredible time in the Holy Spirit. We ministered for the first time in Ashville, Ohio at Village Chapel. I spoke on Psalm 92:10, David says that God has made him strong like that of an wild ox, and that he has anointed him with fresh oil. The wild ox is the picture David gives for overcoming spirit that the Lord sustains him with. The unpredictable, untamable, uncontainable Spirit of God was released upon David in that day, which was lead him into an adventurous passion filled journey after Father God. It is still the plan of God today – that we would be filled with the joy of God’s Spirit that we would be like that of a wild ox on the journey of God’s highway.
Many came for prayer, and God supernatural broke down life controlling bondages.
This issue is many are falling into hell today and they do not know about the plan of God.
Wont you tell them?
iEvangelize
May 4, 2009
iEvangelize. The dreams that burn in my heart come to my mind very often through the day. I don’t know the effectiveness or the complete outcome of them, and I do not fully understand how to do it. I don’t know how I will get there, yet it is a dream. The same way I dreamt as a young child I again repeat that progress. Is it faith, or mere untenable thoughts that sooth the soul? I think both, but I do know one thing for sure, and that is; the only way to be an evangelist is to spread the gospel where ever you are at, and do impossible things for God.
The Pastor and Church need a spark, an open heaven, a nuclear blast that will expose the schemes of the enemy. They need something that will awaken self to Christ. That is my objective to bring them to Christ. I must do that to the one has been saved from evil’s grips for 20 years or 1, I must bring them closer to Christ. Most assuredly I pray to lead the one who is not in the family of God to the Son Jesus. I want to be the place where humanity must make their final answer while they live on Earth.
All I am is a vessel that the Lord of Heaven and Earth pours through. I’ll fast and pray for the miracle – Salvation. I’m weak and not in love with this way of living, but I’m in love with life and have it more abundantly than anyone who does not depend upon the Creator. I may sound arrogant or straight forward to some, but that is the nature in which I must be because I am not promised tomorrow, and neither is this world or humanity. I lay down everything to be a vessel for God. I’m an Evangelist, iEvangelize…. you are called to as well. If you not spreading seeds for the Kingdom, what are you spreading? I’d rather spread a thousand seeds than make a thousand dollars. iEvangelize. ______________________________________________________________
© 2009 Michael Krysty Ministries
Hey Friend, I just pick up a new book called “Confessions of an Insignificant Pastor: What Pastors Wish They Could Tell You”,and I believe it would be extremely beneficial to your ministry as well. I had the change to meet the author Dr. Mark Elliott, and I could sense a hunger and fire within him inspired by God to train! 
Take a couple of minutes to read some excerpts and pray to see if God would have you use this material in your churches and own heart at………………
http://docmarkelliott.com
“Mark Elliott is on to something here. No one is speaking to our churches on behalf of pastors…UNTIL NOW! This book is filled with the courageous words that many thousands of pastors need to convey to their congregations but lack the space or gifting to capture. Mark does it for you in this breakthrough book! Pastors you need to get this book into the hands of ALL your congregants!”
-Steve Sjogren, Author and Founding Pastor, Vineyard Church, Cincinnati
Blessing to ya all, and were praying for ya!
Michael and Amanda Krysty
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© 2009 Michael Krysty Ministries | www.michaelkrysty.org
