My partner and I found ourselves in front of a young man who was having a bit of a problem. Many people experience anxiety attacks. They vary in severity but do progress rather quickly as anyone who has panic attacks could tell you.
The young man we were called to help was having a moderate panic attack. He wasn’t to the point where he couldn’t function at all but he couldn’t relax either. We tried our best to get him to breath normally but nothing was working. All he could focus on were the various stressors in his life. Fear was dominating his reality.
I could feel the Holy Spirit in me begin to stir and I knew that God wanted to do something great in the young man’s life. I was thrilled that my partner for the day was also a believer and as we made our way to the hospital I looked at the patient and asked him if we could pray for him.
He quickly nodded his head and so we began. We prayed for peace to flood the rescue and against every fear and the power of anxiety. We watched as the heart monitor reflected the power of God. The young mans heart rate began to slow down as well as his breathing. He slowly began to relax and a smile formed on his face.
He began to wonder how he could be free from fear and we talked about the power of God to cast out all darkness. We showed him how to bind fear and cast it out while speaking the perfect love of God into his heart. It was an amazing experience and our adversary lost a lot of ground.
I love seeing the power of God at work to change the lives of all who come to Him. But He told me something the other day that I want to share. He said, “Son I want you to go out into the world and use all the gifts and abilities I’ve given you to reach the hurting but don’t ever forget that love is the most important thing. It must go before you.”
I think that sometimes we can get caught up into the pursuit of miracles signs and wonders and it ends up dominating our lives. I think that this typically happens when God chooses to work a miracle through someone for the first time. It’s our first taste and our adversary uses it to focus our attention. If we don’t catch on to what’s happening our lives become a pursuit of supernatural thrills instead of the perfect love of God’s heart.
Our adversary desires to build us up on a foundation of supernatural experiences and we rise when they are happening and fall when they aren’t. God wants to build us up on a foundation of His perfect love. We may rise higher when He lets us experience Him in a new or special way but we certainly don’t fall when He doesn’t.
Satan says, “Seek Miracles and you will be happy.” God says, “Seek my love and you will be happy and miracles will happen naturally.” One sets up miracles, signs and wonders as Idols and the other puts everything right.
But it’s not just for our benefit right? What happens when we minister only out of a desire to see something supernaturally cool? People get hurt. When results are the focus feelings get trampled on, privacy is ignored and people are disrespected (this is sadly common with some who minister in the prophetic. Many have been hurt by “Prophetic People”). This really grieves God’s heart because He loves them just as much as He loves you.
We must be a love-oriented people. Our hearts cry must be, “How can we love?” It may not be as flashy as some things that are done to elevate our emotions but it’s the only thing that will change someone’s life. Without it everything we do is just noise.
Jesse and Kara Birkey
Sid Roth on Life Resurrected
“This next, greatest, and perhaps last move of God’s Spirit before His return will use nobodies to operate in a level of miracles that the world has never seen! This book will supernaturally release your faith to do the same works as Jesus and even greater.” -Sid Roth, Host, It’s Supernatural!”
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Comments
God is Love
by Anonymous
Dear Jesse,
Thank you for yet another heart warming story. I enjoy every one of them and learn so much through them.
Perfect examples of how awesome God’s love is, is in 1 Corinthians 13 and of course the Book of 1 John. While reading your block on gifts and love this Treasure of Truth comes to mind:
1 John 4:18
There is no fear where love exists. Rather, perfect love banishes fear, for fear involves punishment, and the person who lives in fear has not been perfected in love. (ISV)
As soon as you show God’s love to this man who was hyperventilating, his fears was banished. A point of interest is how our Father in heaven uses love and not faith to get rid of fear.
God is love – stay in His love and keep up the good work.
Blessings.
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