Jesus told us in Luke 24:49 to wait until we were clothed with power from on high before beginning to minister (Luke 24:49 (Net), "And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. But stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high") . He said this to His disciples just before ascending to His Father. Sometimes I think we feel this scripture only applied to the disciples in the first century church, but it is a model that applies to all of us NOW!

We have lamented about the lack of power in our ministries. We are filled with the Holy Spirit, we receive our prayer language, and we jump into our ministries - only to fizzle or strive without significant results for our efforts. Why? Where did we go wrong? What are we lacking? I hear a lot of different reasons - that God doesn't move like that anymore, that He doesn't move through any one person anymore but only in small groups, that we must just be patient and keep plugging away until ... But I hear very few people willing to look at the truth, the real reason why!

It's important to look at the words in Luke 24:49. "Stay" carries the concept to sit down, to settle as in hover or dwell, to continue in this state. "Clothed" carries the concept of being invested with clothing, in the sense of sinking into a garment. "Power" is the Greek word dunamis, meaning force, miraculous power, or a miracle itself. "From" speaks of where the power proceeds from or out of. "On high" carries the concept of elevation, altitude or dignity indicating the power comes from higher than you.

You might ask why is it important to wait? Is there a difference between receiving your prayer language, and receiving the dunamis power of God? Aren't they one and the same? Good questions! Let's take a look at Peter. In Luke 22 Peter gives in to fear of man and denies Jesus three times. Yet in Acts 2:14-3:41 he delivers a stinging message that draws better than 3,000 people to give their hearts to the Lord. In Acts 3 the Holy Spirit flows through Peter and heals a crippled beggar. In Acts 4 he delivers a strong message to the Jewish Sanhedrin. In Acts 5 he delivers a rebuke to Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Spirit and they died on the spot. In Acts 8 he and John were sent to Samaria and as they laid hands on many people they were filled with the Holy Spirit. In Acts 10 God sends Peter to open the door to Gentiles (non-Jews) and the Holy Spirit fills them the same as He had filled Jews, a very controversial move. In Acts 12 the Holy Spirit breaks Peter out of prison so he can continue his ministry. What caused such a transformation? It wasn't just receiving his prayer language. Peter was filled with the life-changing, dynamite power from God.

Let's look at another. How about Paul. He was trained by Gamaliel, a Pharisee of Pharisees. In Acts 7 he is consenting to Stephen being stoned to death. In Acts 8 he (as Saul) begins destroying the church, putting people in prison and killing others. In Acts 9 he has a "run in" with Jesus on the Damascus road that radically changes and rearranges his life. He is turned 180 degrees and set on fire for God. Immediately he begins preaching powerfully for God, and ends up being sent to the backside of the desert for three years, and finally ending up at Antioch with Barnabas. From Antioch he went on three major missionary journeys covering around 10 years, endured many beatings, stonings, shipwrecks, and persecution. He was instrumental in turning the known world on its ear for Jesus.

There was a key element in both of these men's lives. Peter's occurred at Pentecost in the upper room. The disciples waited in the upper room, meaning they contended with God for something they did not know what it was. They stayed in a posture, pressing God, waiting for something they had never had or known before. They waited. They did not leave that room and go start some ministry - they waited. They continued in a state of prayer until they received - something. When they received that "something" their lives were permanently changed, and they turned the world upside down.

Paul's monumental change occurred at Antioch. He had been baptized in the Holy Spirit in Acts 9, had received much revelation in Tarsus, but still was not ready for what God wanted to do with him. Paul ended up staying at Antioch, with Barnabas, and teaching and praying for a year. They waited. They didn't do their own thing. They didn't feel they had received and jumped out on their own to start a ministry. They waited! They stayed there, not setting out on their own, waiting - until the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." The prophets and apostles laid hands on Paul and Barnabas, prayed for them and released them. From there the rest was history - they turned their world on its ear.

In both cases they waited, contended with God, fought with Him until they received what they had been promised. I seriously doubt if any of them had any idea what to expect. They received the dunamis, life-changing power from God. That's when their ministries began. That's when the power gifts began flowing, people were healed, delivered, the dead raised, people were healed as their shadows passed over them, thousands upon thousands of people swept into God's Kingdom.

Folks, that is the step we have not wanted to do - wait on God, contend with Him, fight with Him until he fills with His dunamis. We end up short-circuiting the process. We pray, receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, feel we have arrived, and immediately launch our ministerial careers. We don't wait until the Holy Spirit releases us. We settle for an imitation of what God wants to do, and deceive ourselves into thinking that what we have is the legitimate moving of God's Spirit. We put the cart before the horse, and therefore lack the power, anointing and directional focus of the Holy Spirit!

We must return to the old ways. We must return to a lifestyle of prayer, persevering prayer, life-changing prayer. We must lay everything aside, humble ourselves before God, admit we made a mistake, and wait. If we must stay before Him the rest of our lives, then we wait. We must lay our agendas aside, and let God do with us as He wants, not as we want.

We talk about open heavens, where prayers are answered, power flows freely, angels ascend and descend between us and God's throne. I don't know of any way to have that happen except through much prayer. Jacob spent an entire night in prayer until his life and walk were permanently changed. King David inquired of the Lord on every battle and would not move until he had an answer from God. Jesus Christ spent so many nights alone in prayer hearing from His Father what to do the following day.

These men had open heavens because they gave themselves to God entirely! There is no shortcut. You cannot obtain open heavens and have God's Glory and anointing flowing unless you pray and pray and pray.

We have much work to do, many souls to bring into God's Kingdom and He will only do it through us. But He will only move when we are submitted vessels that He can fully use. I challenge us to change how we have been doing things. I challenge us to get hungry for God's Hand to move. I challenge us to change our focus, lay aside our wants, and get hungry for Jesus. We must lay aside our agendas, and begin giving ourselves in prayer. Turn off our services, and give the time in prayer until we hear from God. Lay aside our fellowship times and give ourselves to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

I realize this is a hard message that will offend a lot of people. But hear my heart! We MUST hear from God. We must become vessels He can flow through. We must get a vision of and for Heaven, and not settle for our vision. We must change! God has driven a sword in the land, and we are being required to choose whether we are sheep or goats. We must choose who we will serve. Oh my friends! Let us choose God, let us choose life, let us choose all He has and wants to do!

Currently we have nothing to give to anyone else, and that is why we have so little success in evangelizing. We do not have life to give. When we grab hold of God and He turns us we will become carriers of life, and then people will be changed. We will become as described in Isaiah 32:15,  "This desolation will continue until new life is poured out on us from heaven. Then the desert will become an orchard and the orchard will be considered a forest."

Come on a journey with me, and let's see what God will do.