God's Power Falls on Mobile, Alabama
After coming to Christ, the prayer principle was alive on the inside of me.
I hadn’t been taught it beforehand. When God delivered me from drugs and alcohol through a supernatural encounter, I thought to myself, “If my friends only knew this powerful God and experienced His power firsthand, they would give their lives to Him.” So I began to tenaciously go after God in prayer and fasting, pleading for the supernatural power of God to fall on me and release an anointing that would break bondages off of people bound and helpless.
As I think back, it was so pure because my main prayer was that God would give me the power to see people slain in the Spirit. I prayed that way because that is what happened to me when I first experienced God in a tangible way. After I got off the floor from an encounter of a lifetime, I wanted everyone to have that same encounter. With that being said, it doesn’t matter if you fall, shake, or just stand quietly, God can release His power however He wishes. This was just all I knew in my new experience and relationship with the Lord.
“After I got off the floor from an encounter of a lifetime, I wanted everyone to have that same encounter.”
After praying for about three months that God would use me in this fashion, God used me this way in my home church one Sunday. I was praying for an elder in the church and he was hit by the power and fell to the ground. It was a powerful encounter for us both. As a young believer, I saw God answer my prayer to be used in a specific way to release the power of the Holy Spirit. I thought to myself, “God, if You can do this in a church, You can do this in the most wicked and vile places of the city!” So that’s where I began to go.
A Burden for My City
I set out for downtown Mobile, Alabama, to a place that has similarities to the famous Bourbon Street in downtown New Orleans. The setting was a mixed bag of pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers, transvestites, a large number of gay bars, college-age partiers, alcoholics, and drug addicts. With the foundation of how God delivered me, I knew that there was nothing impossible for God.
I spent the majority of my Friday nights and often Saturday nights on the streets of downtown Mobile. I would pray and believe God would use me to see the captive set free. I would approach individuals who were bound and ask them a simple question, “Have you ever felt the power of God?” I had an answer for however they responded. If they answered, “No,” I would simply ask, “Would you like to?” If they said, “Yes,” I would simply ask, “Would you like to again?” After they would express that they were open to experiencing God’s power, I would receive their permission to lay hands on them for prayer.
I can’t tell you how many individuals I laid hands on before I finally witnessed an above-normal, powerful manifestation, outside of the local church. Many would say they had felt the power of God, but I was hungry for a visible, life-changing encounter to occur!
Through this process of praying and not seeing what I had been earnestly seeking, it caused me to press in more. I wasn’t discouraged because I knew God would hear my cry. Oftentimes, I would go by myself, which I would not recommend, but this deepened my burden to see bondages broken. I remember one Friday night at around midnight just sitting up against an old rusted-out fence, in front of around five or six gay bars, praying and weeping for people to get free and experience God. I wasn’t praying for a massive ministry, a platform, or finances. I just longed for an open heaven and for chains to be broken over Mobile. God was teaching me what it was to carry a burden and allowing me to feel His heart for people who didn’t know Him.
It all starts at the place of prayer—everything that God wants to do through you. Why else does the devil discourage saints to cultivate an active prayer life? He fully understands the power of prayer, because anyone who has ever inflicted damage on his kingdom was a person of prayer. Moses, Daniel, Esther, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, Elijah, Elisha, David, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, and our greatest example, Jesus Christ, just to name a few. They changed history through intercessory prayer!
Everything God has done and will do through us is birthed, maintained, and sustained in prayer. Jesus has given us many examples to encourage us to persevere in prayer:
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly” (Luke 18:1–8).
“God is looking for a praying man or a praying woman for a region or city, to put His burden upon them to pray until He opens heaven.”
Jesus gave His disciples a great word, “Pray and never give up.” It would’ve been easy for this widow to have thrown in the towel and walked away, especially if led by her emotions and the initial results. But instead of giving in she pressed in, even to the point of intimidating the judge! She had a very powerful stance—a made up mind. There is tremendous power in a mind that is made up. When we lay hold of spiritual truth and principles and refuse to take “no” for an answer, no matter how long the wait, victory is only a few steps away.
Jesus gave His disciples a great word, “Pray and never give up.” It would’ve been easy for this widow to have thrown in the towel and walked away, especially if led by her emotions and the initial results. But instead of giving in she pressed in, even to the point of intimidating the judge! She had a very powerful stance—a made up mind. There is tremendous power in a mind that is made up. When we lay hold of spiritual truth and principles and refuse to take “no” for an answer, no matter how long the wait, victory is only a few steps away.
“You are the only person in your particular spot.”
God is looking for a praying man or a praying woman for a region or city, to put His burden upon them to pray until He opens heaven. He’s done it in the past; he’ll do it again. Are you that person? I said, “Are you that person?” This world is in desperate need for this ministry again, for individuals to have an old-fashioned burden for people to be saved and God’s kingdom to invade the particular spot God has placed them. You are that person, for you are the only person in your particular spot.
This calling reminds me of the great prayer warrior Nehemiah. He had a great burden for his people to be free as well:
They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven (Nehemiah 1:3-4)
Nehemiah experienced a great burden for God to bring restoration to His people. Great destruction had taken place. This is a good parallel to the culture today. Morality is broken down today, with gay marriage, abortion, the high rate of out of wedlock pregnancies, the legalization of drugs, godliness rejected in every corner of society. We need a burden like Nehemiah had.
He sat down and wept, fasted, and prayed. He was a layman in the king’s palace. He wasn’t a professional preacher or a prophet; he simply had a burden and wasn’t going to enjoy the delicacies at his disposal. He was in mourning for a move of God. Ask yourself the question, “When was the last time I sat down and simply wept over a generation that is growing up in a society that promotes, relishes, and embraces a totally heathen society?” Barring a move of God, the next generation could pay the price for what we failed to pray.
We are in desperate need for praying men, women, families, and churches to simply ask God to use them in their day-to-day life, to release God’s power and make a difference one conversation at a time. God heard Nehemiah’s prayer and brought great deliverance and freedom. But it was birthed and forged through great anguish and prayer. God, let this burden fall on us again!
I consistently cried out for my city through fasting and prayer. Even though I wasn’t seeing the manifestation of what was in my heart, I was determined not to give up and let go. Oftentimes people give up in prayer because of what they see or don’t see. Discouragement sets in and they allow their emotions to override or build a false principle around what God is not doing or hasn’t done.
I love what one of my spiritual heroes, evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, said once. He said that if he were asked what he would do if he prayed for 200 sick people and not one was healed, he would pray for the 201st like all 200 sick people were healed! He went on to say that he doesn’t pray for the sick because of the results he gets, but because it’s what God told us to do.
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well (Mark 16:17-18; see also Luke 4:14–19; Acts 4:29–31).
“Talk is cheap. How we respond to God through our actions reveals what we truly believe.”
God Shows Up
Talk is cheap. How we respond to God through our actions reveals what we truly believe. Are we willing to pray even if we don’t see results? When we meditate on what God is not doing instead of what God has done or is doing, we literally sit down at the table the devil himself has prepared for us and partake of the great poison for the saints—doubt and unbelief. So when we pray we must heed the words of Christ, “Always pray and never give up.”
After about a year and a half of developing a burden and continually praying for the bound in Mobile, unbeknownst to me I was on the verge of a major breakthrough. I was on the fourth or fifth day of a fast in downtown Mobile one Saturday night like countless times before. I asked a gay man if he had ever felt the power of God and he said he hadn’t. I replied with my usual response, “Would you like to?” He said he would and gave me permission to lay hands on him and pray. When I prayed, just like every other time with faith and expectation as if everyone I had ever prayed for was hit by the power, a bolt of power fell like the lightning of God! This man was slain in the spirit and fell down upon the concrete sidewalk without warning—no background music or someone to catch his fall—just the raw power of God. It was the power manifestation I had been longing for and that I knew with all my heart God could do. He got up after a moment and I led him to Christ. I didn’t need to convince him that God was real—he had a first-hand encounter. It was actually very easy. He had tasted of the goodness of God. I love what Leonard Ravenhill once said and I believe this with all of my heart: “America doesn’t need another definition of Christianity; she needs a demonstration of Christianity.” He went home that night having met Jesus through a demonstration of power.
Something changed in me that night. I stepped into a fresh new anointing. No one could ever tell me God couldn’t move in whatever way He chose and wherever He had a vessel to move through. After that night, I saw God move in this manner over and over and over again. A scripture that rings true to this on another level, but has similarities, is from King David:
Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah (1 Samuel 16:10-13).
Three powerful truths can be found in this passage:
Samuel instructed everyone, “We will not sit down until he arrives.” He was communicating that we will not enjoy any more food and rest until the anointing has a place to rest. This should be our position before God. We will take no spiritual rest until we are walking and manifesting the anointing that God has for our life.
We are going to show God honor by placing a high honor on the anointing. The anointing is precious and has no monetary price tag. Therefore, we must reverently position ourselves in God’s sight, eagerly praying and waiting for the fullness God has intended for us.
After the anointing oil fell upon David, “From that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.” This tells us that God desires His power and anointing to rest upon us continuously and undiminished. From that day on it never departed from David. God grant every reader this amazing gift that will never depart, in the name of Jesus.
“We must reverently position ourselves in God’s sight, eagerly praying and waiting for the fullness God has intended for us.”
Walking in Prayer
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7–11)
We see a clear process God gives us to receive answered prayer. He gives us three distinct approaches and repeats Himself. So this is without a doubt a picture of walking out prayer. This can and has been demonstrated over and over to receive a fresh anointing throughout the word of God (see Acts 2).
Christ repeats Himself to make His point clear. He first instructs us to ask. There are many things in life that you have to ask for if you want to receive them. If you are in a particular restaurant, you don’t expect the waiter or waitress to know what you want them to bring you; you ask. After you ask, they will grant your request. How much more loving is God to grant us our request, especially if it’s the request for a fresh empowerment to see the lost come to Him and move in the power of His Spirit?
Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
We see another clear example of this with Bartimaeus.
Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God” (Luke 18:40-42; see also Mark 10:46–52).
Jesus fully understood what he needed, but He wanted to hear it from him. Just as you are specific with many requests to God, be specific and ask God for a fresh anointing to impact the world around you.
Knock and the door will be opened is another powerful key. If a neighbor’s house were to catch on fire in the middle of the night and they were unaware, I would not just go and give a gentle knock at the door and if no one answered just assume they did not want to be disturbed. I would beat on the door and get an axe if need be; I would not stop until they knew I was there and I received a response. This is the way God wants us to seek Him. He wants us to knock until the door is opened. He promised the door would open; we just have to knock until it is.
Seek and you will find. I don’t know about you, but I have been known to lose my keys from time to time. It always seems to happen when I have an important meeting that I have to attend. I’ll search the house over, turning upside down the couch cushions, going through every room and every possible place they could be. Why? Because I’m not leaving until they are found. Some seek their keys or a lost possession with more intensity than they do walking in a fresh anointing. If we seek God for a fresh anointing, He will answer us and we will find that anointing. We just have to pursue by asking, seeking, and knocking.
“If we seek God for a fresh anointing, He will answer us and we will find that anointing. We just have to pursue by asking, seeking, and knocking.”
The woman with the unjust judge did not give up until she was granted justice—from a judge who didn’t fear God or care about people, but because of her persistence, her petition was granted. Her mind was made up that she was not going to quit until she had justice.
Let’s make up our minds, like Samuel, and not sit down until the anointing has a place to rest. As the blind man Jesus healed cried, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” He would not be denied until he was healed. As Nehemiah fasted and prayed until the city was rebuilt and victory was at hand. Let us now bow before God before reading any more, for God to pour out His anointing and Holy Spirit upon us in a fresh way to empower us to destroy the works of hell and use us in dimensions we have not yet walked. Ask God to give you tenacious faith as Jacob had as he told God, “I will not let you go until you bless me.”
God, we have made up our minds—we will not let you go until we are walking in the fullness of Your supernatural power to impact a lost and hurting world like never before!
Joe Oden
