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God is powerful! Blake Barr, an automotive shop owner, encountered the glory of God in a moment of desperation and he will never be the same. He was going through difficulty with his business, and he did not want to have to put his business on hold to work for someone else, and because of this, he was having a difficult time. He is very analytical and logical, so when he couldn’t understand something, like someone being touched by God, he would judge that person. He decided to go to the Gulf Coast Pastor’s Conference, at Church of His Presence, with Pastor John Kilpatrick. He didn’t want to go to the conference because he was very upset about what was going on with his business, but he chose to go anyway. God touched him, and he had an experience with the glory of God, and he says he will never be the same.
Blake was asked to share his testimony at Vine Fellowship Network Dream Center, and he read his experience, from a Facebook post he had written to the church, and the power and glory of God fell. This is Blake’s experience in his own words. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to share this experience or not but being transparent means to share my experiences regardless how I feel about them or what others may feel or could say.
I was at the Gulf Coast Pastors’ Conference Saturday night (last night of a 3-day event), and Evangelist Nathan Morris was speaking about the Gates of Heaven and being a gate keeper. As standard per an Evangelist, they don’t sit down or stand still to preach. They walk around and get very emotional/intense. It’s really quite exciting to see someone so on fire in a nice suit who is literally drenched in sweat from the raw emotion.
I grew up in a traditional Methodist church. Really the only time people were prayed for aloud was during your baptism lol. So needless to say, I come from a background which would generally say “This is weird” or “Really?” when people are touched and fall to the floor. I was always the guy judging people who fall out and look like fish out of water. Who am I to judge what they are feeling? Maybe it’s acting, maybe they are so hungry for God, it just moves them in a way that is uncontrollable. I don’t know, and after my experience, I will not judge ever again.
So here I am singing and worshiping with my eyes closed believing Nathan was on the other side of the church. Next thing I know, it was like a light switch. He touched my forehead and said something very profound. “Never the same.” I think if I would been prepared and knew he was there, I would not have fallen to the floor, but I did, I fell to the floor. An action I just never did understand until it happened to me. I fell to the floor and just laid there and could not help but be overcome with emotion. I literally felt like my body was on fire. I immediately began to sweat, and it was the greatest feeling, yet weirdest feeling I believe I have ever encountered. I couldn’t move. I have listened to sermons regarding the weight of God and the weight of God’s glory, and it was incredible. I felt so convicted for the judgment I had cast upon others. I couldn’t help but be in my head in a time where I just needed to lay there and not think. I kept asking myself, “Is this real? Why am I just laying here, get up.”? But I couldn’t.
So where am I going with this? After I got up, it took a little while to finally cool down but I sit here now and reflect on that moment, and I believe God just wanted to show me a piece of what it’s like to be on fire for God and a taste of that experience. Do not judge others for you will be judged how you judge others. God allowed me to experience something which I basically considered fake or exaggerated for the longest time in order to change my perspective.
The Bible talks about what heaven is like, and we experienced about a 2-hour window of what that was like Friday night. It was the sound of revival. You know the sound in movies when the light shines on a treasure chest that has just been opened and its full of jewels? That’s how this sounded. 1000 people worshiping God in their own way which all had a common ring to it when the sound is put together. It was beautiful. Heaven isn’t kicking back and drinking a cold one. Heaven is about worshiping God. If you think worship is weird and judge those who worship differently or worship at all, but you want to go to Heaven, why do you want to go to Heaven? Worship IS the sound of Heaven. If you don’t like God, Jesus or the things of God on Earth, why would you want to go to Heaven? That is the question I am faced with, and there was a shift in my life the minute I was told I would never be the same from that moment forward.
When I die and face Jesus at the gates of Heaven, He will hold me accountable for everything I did in my life and show me everywhere in my life which I could have done better or reached out to someone who desperately needed God. I want to enter into the narrow gates of Heaven and be welcomed as a faithful servant who spoke the truth, was kind and loving and praised God for grace and mercy. Do you?”
When Blake was done sharing his testimony the Glory of God broke out, and people fell out, cried, and couldn’t stand up in the Glory of God. God responds to desperation. Blake was desperate, and God responded. Maybe that is you in a place of desperation? He wants to hear you cry out to Him for His Glory! You can also bring your mess to God. In Blake’s situation, God provided him with a well-paying job working on high-end cars, where he can work any hours he wants to, and he was given keys to the business on the first day! Everything that was needed for Blake and his family God provided.
There is nothing like the Glory of God! John talks about his time of encountering the Glory of God at the Brownsville Revival. He was a businessman and once Steve Hill, the evangelist, was done preaching John went up to shake his hand and to thank him for the message. Steve didn’t even hear what John said, he spoke, “More Lord,” and John flew backward. He was too cool for that, so this was a completely new experience for him, and because this encounter with God shook him so much he gave his life to the Lord and he has never been the same. Also, as John was under the power of God, he heard God speak to him for the first time ever. He had been asking God for a while, “God are you real.” God answered, “Son am I real? You just don’t even know.” Maybe that’s you, and you need an encounter with God. Cry out to Him for his Glory! The great harvest of souls is coming, and it will only be done by the Glory of God! Let us cry out together for more of the Glory of God! We want to hear from you, you can write to us at [email protected]. Greg and John shared in this segment.
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