I hear the Lord saying, “There will be a new wave of healing revival coming around the world through the church, because I am moving the church out of apathy to global events.”

Hold, on. Let me take a step back before we get there, though.

I am not a prophet, nor have I ever claimed to be a prophet. What I am is a Christian who can do what Jesus says all believers can do, which is to hear His voice when He speaks to me personally (see John 10:4). Hearing Him is an automatic result of receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit, coming to dwell inside of us. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit would bring everything Jesus has already spoken into our remembrance, as well as teach us new things the Lord wants us to know (John 14:26).

With that clearly stated, I want to share something today that is a bit unusual for my blog. My common practice is to share practical tips for living the Christian life or ideas on how to be a better leader in the gospel. Included in the topics I have shared many times are how you can hear God’s voice for yourself, and practical ways to grow in hearing Him. However, today, I want to share with you a prophetic word from the Lord that He has been pressing into me deeper and deeper over the last few weeks.

This word comes in light of the fact that this coronavirus’ spread has continued to bring fear to the whole world. It has given the spiritual authorities at work behind governments and leaders the ability to creep further and further into the realm of ‘church,’ even taking away some religious freedoms.

Why Has God Allowed This Virus?

Before I get to the prophetic word, let me begin by saying that all of the things going on in the world concerning this disease are not without a cause. What I want to point out, however, is that God is not the cause of this thing. It actually goes all the way back to Eden.

When mankind sinned, in the beginning of our existence on earth, there were penalties that came upon the world as a result. The earth would, from that point on, war against humanity and give hardships as we tried to live our lives. Sickness and disease — forerunners to the ultimate curse of death — were a part of those consequences for our sin. This virus taking over the world now, is a fruit of our sin; not a plague sent by God.

These rulers in heavenly places still have control over the human nations of the world until those nations are brought into submission to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They, aligned with Satan, control the kingdom of darkness, and have control in the world through the sin of the people. When we talk about the coronavirus that is sweeping across the world and causing so much fear and panic, we must understand that whether it is natural, or if it turns out that the disease began in a lab somewhere deep in China through manipulations by men, the real reason that this disease has spread and been causing so much devastation in the world is because the spiritual authorities in heavenly places have desired to use a global pandemic to stand against Christ.

The results of this pandemic are obvious, and I have mentioned some of them before: there is a Spirit of fear that is taking hold, which is stronger than the disease itself, causing people to live in great anxiety, depression, loneliness and more. Suicide rates are up in some of the most developed nations. Even in some of our isolated villages in Africa, there are people afraid to go into their own gardens and plant. That is not the result of the love of God. Those are fruits of the enemy and His schemes!

Looking at my home country, the U.S., I am so burdened every time I read the newspaper about more unnecessary government overreach in the church. Drive-in Easter services, where members did not even get out of their cars, led to arrests and fines from anywhere between $500 and $1,000. One county in California banned singing worship songs on Facebook Live broadcasts. The craziness of this whole mess, and the unreasonable attacks it is bringing against the church continue to be the greatest burden to my mind in this pandemic.

Submission To Authority.

I want to be very clear here. I am not against the government mandated protocols which have been put in place to try to prevent the spread of the disease. I think there is wisdom in washing your hands, covering your mouth and nose with a mask, limiting human contact, and not going out of your house if you do not absolutely have to. This disease is deadly, it is spreading rapidly, and human governments are given by God for our protection (see Romans 13:1-4).

What I am saying is that as a Christian I am not blind to the fact that when a sickness is taking over the world, it is not just a natural phenomenon that we should expect every once in a while. It is absolutely the work of the devil as a result of his authority in the world through sin.

More than that, I believe that as Christians — as those who have been brought out of his Kingdom of Darkness, and serve the Lord in His Kingdom of light — although we do not (yet) have authority over human government, we do currently have authority over this disease in the heavenly, to see it healed by the power of Jesus. This is the promise of Jesus because of His atonement: by His stripes we are healed (see Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24).

It’s Time for the Church to Rise Up

As Christians, we cannot just sit back and ignore this disease; ignore the power of the enemy; and allow the overreach by spiritual authorities working through governments, to suppress the church in any way. We must rise up! 

So what does that look like? Well, I believe there are two keys we must understand biblically and historically. They are summarized for us very clearly in 2 Chronicles 7:14 (emphasis mine):

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

The First Key is Prayer.

We must become a people who stop living like the world and simply waiting on scientists and world leaders to tell us what to do. They do not have the answer. We do. Jesus is still the answer.

We must learn to pray. To shut ourselves in our prayer closets once again and believe Him to overcome every scheme of the enemy at work in the world, so that God’s Kingdom can continue to be established and grow, just as the Bible said it would (see Isaiah 9:7).

The Second Key is Holiness.

The church must come out of living like the world and repent! Holiness is a prerequisite for overcoming the power of the devil. His authority is sin. Yet we have a generation of believers who think that because Christ has forgiven them, they can do whatever they want and it will be ok. That is NOT true! Even if you believe in eternal security and know that you are forgiven in Christ, there are still consequences for your sin in this life on earth. 

Every time we willingly sin, we are empowering the devil in our lives and in the world around us. We are showing that we are not living submitted to the rule of Jesus, but we are still willing to play the devil’s games.

I believe that when the church rises up in prayer and holiness, once again, it will lead to a greater revival than the world has ever seen!

Another Great Awakening

Can you just imagine, with all of today’s technology and the ability to take a message around the world instantly through things like YouTube and Facebook Live, just how quickly would another Great Awakening go around the globe? Just how quickly would a revival spread from house to house, city to city, and nation to nation?

I believe the greatest revival in human history is yet to come! In this season of the devil’s work causing a global pandemic, I am becoming more and more hopeful that the time for this revival is knocking on our door! Whether it is the big one or just another foretaste of that revival, I believe the season is upon us, now!

With all that in mind, let me tell you what the Lord has been speaking to me, repeatedly, over the past few weeks.

The Word the Lord Spoke to Me

I believe the Lord said to me, “I hate this sickness, and I hate that the enemy has used it to bring fear to the whole world. The heavenly forces and demons have used it for a major power grab. They are even overreaching by attacking the church, well beyond just a simple shutdown of in-person services. The devil and his demons think that this disease will expand their grasp in the world for another season. However, in response to this disease, I AM about to release a healing revival in the earth greater than the world has ever seen.

I have already told you that this disease is going to disappear just as fast as it came, not through doctors and medical intervention, but by My power. I will confound the wise. Yet in the wake of this disease, when the world is still feeling the anxiety and fear because of what the devil has done, and wondering if it is really gone, I AM going to show Myself even more powerful than all sickness in the earth.

This is not just going to be a healing revival among those churches who believe in healing already. I AM going to bring healing through My people who have only nominally believed in healing in the past, like those who only know how to pray, ‘Lord, if it is Your will…’ I AM going to show them that it is My will to heal. This will be a move of My power, not limited by the faithlessness of men.

I AM going to bring great increase to the healing anointing on My people, so that in homes and coffee shops, and in grocery stores, and small meetings among friends, simple prayers for healing will be effective. In the most insignificant moments I AM going to wipe out major cases of cancer and heart disease and Alzheimer’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease and polio and Ebola and tuberculosis and others. This will not be done in a major show from pulpits and platforms. I Am going to do it in simple, house fellowships and family prayers. I Am increasing not only the gift on My healing evangelists, but I Am increasing the healing gift in the Body of Christ for My glory! Testimonies will arise from every corner of the earth, in the places you least expect them.

In the wake of this coronavirus, which the devil has used to make his name great in the earth, I AM going to release My healing through My people in such a way that My Name is lifted up for the world to see, and the devil will think twice before using a disease like this for his purposes again. 

You have seen this disease bring death and fear. The healing revival that is about to come is going to bring life and peace and joy and is going to lead many thousands more into My Kingdom than this disease has been able to take out.”

Let’s Get Ready

Again, I have never shared a prophetic word like this on my blog before. Right now, however, I am so convinced that the Lord is going to do this, that I believe the church must get ready. We must pray. We must repent, where necessary. And we must become the voice for what the Lord wants to do in the earth.

Most importantly, we must take this word from Him as an opportunity to see Him working through each one of us. Many of you have never laid hands on the sick to pray for them. I believe this is the greatest season of opportunity to learn. God is about to make healing the sick easier than every before, through simple prayer in His name. Let’s be ready to step out and pray at every opportunity, as we see this new healing revival come!

In my next post, I will share more on the healing gift of God, and how you can pray for the sick with confidence. However, I didn’t learn these things on my own. If you want to learn about healing and grow in the gifting yourself, there are many great books and trainings available to you, that will take you deeper than a simple blog post can. Let me recommend just a few to you here: 

What About You?

Is God stirring something inside you, during this pandemic, that says “I Am still in control! Look and see what I Am about to do!” Maybe you have already seen an increase in healing happening around you!

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

As always, if you are enjoying what you are reading on my blog, I would also be honored if you would subscribe to my weekly email below. You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for regular blog updates, and other ongoing #ChristianLife and #GospelLeadership insights!

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry! You can also donate to my missionary work and ministry through Sozo Ministries, here.

Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash