Lakeland Outpouring

As to date, its been some time since everything happened with Todd Bentley stepping down and dealing with the issues there. I thought I had posted earlier about this, but I guess I didn't. And I guess I'm only posting now because I wanted to give it time and not just post right away.

Whenever things like this happen, it breaks my heart. I think of the families involved and how it's going to effect them. I also think of the implications it will have on the Body of Christ in general. Let's face it, the secular liberal media jumps on these things and just hurts everything more. Not to mention those who had been opposing things like this from the start. Actually, i think sometimes the 'revival police' and those who apparently know how God is going to do what He does better than others actually do more damage than the secular media.

Below are some articles online about the situation and the people who know more about the details of what happened.

Statement and Appeal Regarding Lakeland - Dutch Sheets
Statement By C. Peter Wagner Regarding Todd Bentley

I don't claim to be an expert on this stuff. I have had experiences in the past and have somewhat of an opinion on stuff like this. But ultimately, all I want to do is present a case and allow each person to make a decision for themselves according to the Scriptures. I've never been down to Lakeland myself to experience what was going on there, but I do know a few people who I know to be grounded in the Word and level headed. They came back with good reports.

I will say that they also came back with some reservations and concerns about it, but I didn't give any sort of opinion back because I wasn't there.

All in all, it just makes me re-examine myself and my own life. I mean, you may be able to function to a certain degree ministering to others, but eventually you'll be found out. To all of this stuff, I am reminded of the phrase "let him who has never sinned cast the first stone." That is not to say that I condone what was going on behind the scenes. But I only know what I've been told and from that, I decided to hold to the idea of that what makes me think my opinion matters?

More than anything, I like what Dutch Sheets said about it... that it shows that we as the Body of Christ need to step up and learn from these mistakes. I understand that when you're hungry and desiring for the Lord to move that you'll eat up just about anything. There is a balance for all this. Some people are really freakish about having anyone touch them in the slightest. I've had people pray over me that i later on find out some bad stuff about them. I just plead the blood of Jesus over myself and declare myself clean according the Bible and any sort of spirit that might have tried to get a hold of me.

In any case, through all of this, I'm not going to stop pursuing more of God and pursuing more of the Holy Spirit to invade this Earth. You don't stop pursuing it, you just use wisdom and test it with the Scriptures. For those who say that the Lord can never use people who have messed up, just don't look at some of the individuals that were used in the OT. They weren't perfect, but somehow the Lord used them. (again, that isn't condoning their sin, but i'm just making a point.)

Until later, be blessed.