Today I'm writing this email while my Drakensburg mountain range is capped
in snow! Yes, it is very cold, but the Lord has given me some awesome
revelation on the snowy winter!

 But first I would like to share a really funny only-in-Africa experience
that happened to me last Saturday:

 I made a visit to my hometown in the afternoon to find some sick to pray
for or just to allow God to use me in any way. I approached a man and his
wife in their sixties and asked if they had any pain in their bodies. They
were holding their packets of groceries and were hesitant to talk to me.
Just then a woman (with no space bubble) ran up to me and exclaimed, "Oh!
Please pray for me! I, I know I'm drunk but please pray that God will help
me find a job!"

 She must have seen me pray for someone a previous time and wasn't going to
miss this opportunity! I admit I used to be a real Pharisee when I saw
people huddled around a bottle of alcohol in a make-shift Shebeen (pub),
until I sat down amongst them and listened to their problems and prayed for
them! To my surprise I found that often they readily received the Gospel!
Many of those people were facing such desperate situations and turned to
alcohol to help ease the pain and I was judging them!

 Matthew 9:11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples,
Why does your Master eat with tax collectors and those sinful?

 But when Jesus heard it, He replied, Those who are strong and well have no
need of a physician, but those who are weak and sick. Go and learn what this
means: I desire mercy [that is, readiness to help those in trouble] and not
sacrifice.

 Back to the story.

 I prayed for the woman as if I was praying for myself and encouraged her
in the Lord. Fortunately the other couple stood by to observe and it seemed
they thought I was legit. The husband had painful arthritis for the past
nine months and after sharing a testimony about a lady who was healed
instantly after 18 years of arthritis, we both came to the conclusion that
if God could heal an 18 year condition, his 9 month problem was no problem
for God!

 I often share a testimony before I pray because it builds my faith, their
faith and in doing so, I'm prophesying that God will do it again (Rev
19:10)!



 I laid hands on him and rebuked the arthritis. He was instantly healed!
Then I took the groceries out of his hand and told him to show the devil he
could now run! We were all excited and he was about to start sprinting when,
without hesitation he said, "No! If I run, you're going to run off in the
opposite direction with my stuff!"

 I was so shocked I almost hit him! No, not quite. I told him he just got
healed and now I'm going to steal from him? He weighed up the odds, 'took
the risk' (of losing his stuff) and ran!

 I've witnessed many reactions from people but this was a first for me! I
guess you gotta be careful! Only in Africa!

 Now for the snowy revelation:

 Isaiah 55:10 says For as the rain and snow come down from the heavens, and
return not there again, but water the earth and make it bring forth and
sprout, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, So shall
My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void
[without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which
I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

 I love the fact that as the rain and snow fall, they MAKE the earth bring
forth fruit - results! The earth doesn't have a choice in the matter! It
just has to bear!

 Now God says, in the same way the rain and snow fall (forcing fruit) so
does His WORD proceed from His mouth into the earth. Therefore, whatever
comes into contact with His Word cannot help but to accomplish, prosper, and
bring forth fruit. The Word has to be fulfilled! It is an absolute!

 Now we read in John that Jesus is the WORD!

 John 1:1 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.

          1:4 In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.

 So when God spoke the Word in the beginning (Gen 1), and said "LIGHT BE!"
the darkness had no choice.

 Now if the rain and snow in Isaiah 55:10 are compared to the WORD in
55:11, and the WORD is Jesus (John 1) then we can substitute 'rain, snow and
word' with 'Jesus' and Isaiah 55 would read something like this:



 When Jesus comes down from the heavens and waters the earth and makes it
bring forth and sprout, He will give seed to the sower and bread to the
eater, So shall Jesus be that goes forth out of My mouth: He shall not
return to Me (Father in heaven) void [without producing any effect,
useless], but He shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and He
shall prosper in the thing for which I sent Him.

 He is the Water of Life. He is the seed that was planted to produce you
and me (John 12:24). He gives us seed to sow. He is the bread of life we eat
(Mark 14:22) at the communion table. He returned to the Father after
birthing us on the cross for 6 hours and left us with the authority and
power in His name to continue to accomplish and prosper in the Father's will
and bring Him glory!

 He MAKES us bear fruit when we simply abide in Him (John15), and we
subsequently ooze His LIFE, His LIGHT, His LOVE etc.

 John 6:51 I [Myself] am this Living Bread that came down from heaven.

 When we declare His Word into a situation, we're not just repeating God's
word, hoping He'll remember what He promised, but because He IS the Word, we
bring the very Person into the midst of that situation! It becomes personal!
WOW!!!

 I'm sure you've heard the phrase 'Alright.now this is personal!'

 Like a thief robbing houses in a neighbourhood. Yes, the investigating
officer is concerned for the victims and is trying to catch the thief, until
one night the thief breaks into his house and steals something of great
value! That's when it becomes personal!

 "Oh, now you've gone too far. You've stepped over the line buddy. Now I'm
gonna catch you if it's the last thing I do and get back what's mine!"

 When we realise that the Word is a Person and not an utterance or a sweet
promise, and realise that the Word cannot return to God void, our
expectancy, faith and hope must rise! His blood MUST accomplish. His Kingdom
MUST come. The earth has no choice! It MUST obey the Word. Sickness,
darkness, etc MUST obey! It MUST submit!

 I was in Ladysmith one day and had stumbled into a "hot spot"! It was a
government disability pay out building with lots of cripples, blind people
etc. a breeding ground for miracles!!! Actually, I found the place through
persecution! I was in a mall and had approached 2 elderly woman who were
clearly in much pain and was about to pray for the grateful gogo's  when a
policeman stopped me and threatened to arrest me because I was conning old
women and was going to steal their money. He made quite a scene but he had a
serious stuttering problem which made him even more angry! I offered to pray
for his stuttering, but as you can imagine, my kind suggestion didn't go
down so well with him! Immediately he jumped back in fear and told me not to
touch him (that was a pretty funny moment)! He then threatened to arrest me
if I didn't leave, so I left and God led me to my hot spot!

 I saw Jesus heal so many people that day! A witch doctor had seen me
praying and healing the sick (Luke 10:9), and wanted prayer for a painful
back problem but was in a hurry to get to her business by taxi. I was
unaware of this but later a man who knew this woman told me. I asked him to
take me to her business. On the way, he told me how this witch doctor had
had a dream about heaven a few months before and told him about it. He told
her to follow Jesus but unfortunately, in her pursuit of the supernatural
she unfortunately found herself on the devil's route.

 When we arrived, even though she wanted to listen to the Gospel, there
were so many distractions, and we found it difficult to retain her undivided
attention. Eventually the man I was with managed her take-away business
while I gave her the uncompromised Gospel. She readily wanted to receive
Jesus, the free Gift, but then I told her that she would have to renounce
and cut off all the witch doctor paraphernalia! She was very hesitant and
backed off immediately. I told her she must choose one. She can't go 2
directions and follow God and Satan!

 After a long pause, she said slowly, "I want the free Gift."

 I didn't believe her though and said, "OK, this is how it's going to work:
I'm not going to pray for your healing. You're going to receive Jesus into
your heart and if you're really genuine about it, then Jesus will come in!
If Jesus (the WORD in PERSON) comes in, all sickness will leave."

 She prayed and received Jesus into her heart and instantly she was
completely healed! Then I knew she took the Gospel seriously!

 I've seen many miracles take place like that. Just by receiving the Word
they are made whole. That's the true meaning of salvation! Complete life and
wholeness. It also gives people solid faith in the fact that Jesus is really
in their hearts!

 Psalm 107:20 He sent His Word, and healed them, and delivered them from
their graves.



 In closing, God showed me that when snow falls, it brings a significant
change to the atmosphere and normal day-to-day temperatures!

 Facebook statuses are dominated by comments on the snow and cold, and even
the toughest of warm-blooded humans quickly put on a jacket. Nothing and no
one escapes the chill!

 Now if Jesus is the snow that falls, imagine what should be taking place
in our communities and spiritual climates! If Jesus could really come to us
like thick falling snow, the spiritual temperature would change and we'd see
even the hardest of atheist hearts realising their hypothermia and running
to our light, ready to be clothed in a thick, heavy robe of righteousness!
The lukewarm comfortable ones will suddenly realise the dwindling fire in
their hearts can't sustain the drop in temperature and they'd return to
their first-love with the Consuming Fire. And we would truly have awesome
revival on our hands!

 Isaiah 64:1 OH, THAT You would rend the heavens and that You would come
down, that the mountains might quake and flow down at Your presence!

 Psalm72:6 May he be like rain that comes down upon the mown grass, like
showers that water the earth.

 Even so come Lord Jesus! Come like rain! Come like snow! Come like thick
lingering dew! Just come Lord!

 Be Blessed

 Wendell