Five Things We Will Learn
- How God responds to humility and fasting with tangible, overwhelming manifestations of His glory.
- What Scripture means when it says the priests could not stand because of the glory of the Lord.
- How the glory of God can linger beyond a fast and affect everyday life and ministry.
- Why true spiritual encounters are not performances but responses to surrender and humility.
- How God uses shared testimony to release His presence far beyond the original moment.
A Fast That Ended… But the Glory Did Not
We had a wonderful Bridegroom Fast this year. I’m so thankful to everyone who joined us and prayed. God really moved—the testimonies are amazing. I just want to share a couple with you.
I keep thinking about 1 Kings 8:11, where the Word of God says the priests could not stand to minister because the cloud—the glory of the Lord—filled the house of the Lord.
That Scripture became very real to us.
On January 27th, the day the fast ended (a Saturday), Mary Alfred and Cimarron came from Louisiana to Morgan City to visit. They arrived a little early and said, “Come on over—let’s have dinner. The fast is over; let’s eat!” (We didn’t end it on spaghetti, by the way—not a good idea.)
We were all talking, playing some music. The presence of the Lord was sweet and gentle. Then I brought them into our studio—they had never seen it before. Mary stood here, Cimarron there, Donna back this way, and me over here.
As I began testifying about what God had done during the fast—sharing how His glory had moved—the more I spoke, the thicker His presence became.
This was right at the end of the fast.
When the Glory Began to Rise
Suddenly, we could feel it on the floor of the studio—like water rising from the ground, except it was the glory of God. At first, it came just over the tops of our feet, not even to the ankles.
I kept sharing. God kept ministering through the testimony.
Then the glory rose to our ankles… then to our knees.
By that point, Mary was hanging onto the edge of the table. Her knees were giving out under the weight of God’s presence. She finally said, “I’ve got to go to the floor.” Someone ran to help her as she was shaking under the power of God. She made it down face-first onto the floor.
And still the glory kept rising.
There is nothing like the manifest presence and glory of God.
God showed up powerfully after our fast.
The Glory That Followed Me Home
After they left, we went to bed, and the glory of the Lord rested on me all night.
The next morning—Sunday—I wasn’t sleepy, but I could barely keep my eyes open. All I wanted to do was curl up and soak in His presence. I had to force myself through the things we needed to do that day. It was difficult.
As Sunday service approached, the glory kept getting thicker and heavier. It wasn’t something I could pray away—it was wonderful, but almost impossible to stand. My knees kept giving out. I kept thinking, I can do this… I can do this…
Then suddenly I fell onto a stool. (Thank You, Jesus, it was padded.)
I even thought about calling Brother John Kilpatrick, a spiritual father to me in the Lord, thinking, I still have to shave, and I’m a little nervous holding a razor right now.
It’s hard to explain. It was overwhelming—and holy.
Miraculously, I managed to get ready.
“Just Talk to Me—Keep Talking”
We all gathered to eat—I love when the church family comes together—but I was completely undone. Normally I greet everyone, hug people as they arrive. I couldn’t. I just kept saying, “Oh my goodness.”
I ended up facing Patrick McGlothren, who had his back against the glass door. I sat down and said, “Just talk to me. Keep talking.”
My eyes were closed. I could barely function. God was all over me.
Patrick started talking about “three inches of this and twelve inches of that.” I have no idea what he was saying. I just kept saying, “Keep talking, man. Keep talking.”
Acts describes how people thought the disciples were drunk when the Spirit was poured out. Your body doesn’t work normally—your joints feel loose, everything shakes.
The Glory Returns in the Gathering
We prayed over the food. Every step I took felt like a victory. I sat down. Somehow food appeared in front of me. Everything sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher—wah wah wah.
Then we started laughing. I thought, If I start laughing, I won’t stop. Brianna Bolander said, “Hey, I like laughing!” I said, “Don’t say that!”
Eventually, that wave moved on.
We shared praise reports from the fast and worshiped. Then the Holy Spirit said, Now let’s pray.
The glory flooded the place again.
I somehow stood to pray for people. Pat Hamilton came over and asked if he should hold me up. I thought, An angel has been sent.
Just like Scripture says—the priests could not stand because of the glory.
As I prayed, God ministered to each person uniquely. There were tears, joy, laughter, and healing.
A Creative Miracle of Healing
One powerful healing stood out.
Patrick McGlothren had an injured back. While face-down in the glory, he said God held him to the floor, took his vertebrae, pulled them apart, twisted them, and completely healed his back.
Just amazing.
These were truly awesome days.
Humility Invites Heaven
We did nothing special.
We humbled ourselves. We turned to God. We didn’t eat. It wasn’t religious performance.
God responded to humility.
As His Word promises:
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
— 2 Chronicles 7:14
He poured out His glory. He forgave. He healed.
As we walk into this new year, remember: all you did was humble yourself.
Stay humble. Keep your nose low and the Lord high.
God will fight your battles by His Spirit.
The Glory Continues Through Testimony
There’s more—I wrote about some of this in the newsletter.
One sister, Sandy DeJesus, called me after reading it. Her son brought the letter from the mailbox and said, “Open it—woo!”
As she read and spoke about it, the glory of God hit her. I was on the phone in my office, and my spirit started vibrating with His presence. Prophecies began flowing.
Testimony releases glory.
Maybe you’re feeling that same presence right now just from reading this. I don’t know—but Jesus is the answer. His presence fixes everything.
Anything that causes the glory to depart—sin, pride, anything—must go.
A Taste of What’s Coming
Thank you for praying.
I believe this was just an early taste of what God wants to do.
Why not believe Him for a full glory outpouring?
The Word says:
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
— Habakkuk 2:14
So we say:
“Lord, let the whole earth be filled with Your glory.”
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Praise God.