“And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.” (1 Sam. 10:9)

April 2005

Dear Friend,

Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. We are fine, and are praising God for getting us through this winter with our ministry going strong. Just think! Spring is on its way! Many times we resist change and we like things to always remain the same, but if we did not have winter seasons, we would not appreciate springtime when it comes with warm sunny breezes, birds singing, trees blossoming, and joy penetrating our soul. It is the same in the spiritual; there is a time for the dark night of the soul, where we wonder if God is hearing us, or if things will always be harsh or painful. We may cry for change in that situation while at the same time resisting  it because we don’t know what to expect. But oh, how wonderful it is when breakthrough comes, and our life is changed! Would we appreciate it as much if we did not go through the hard times? I wonder...

Change is hard even if it is exciting, rewarding, fulfilling and fun. It is difficult to cross new paths, new challenges, and new opportunities. But new lives are normal with God, He is the God of the “new.” He is not simply the God of the past. The Bible continually speaks of the new man, new mercies every morning, new birth, new song, new spirit, new covenant. God is continually instilling change into the lives of people. While it is true, God’s character never changes, (Mal.3:6) He continually brings change into the lives of His people. How does He prepare us for this? When we look at Saul, he was hesitant to believe that God would choose him as king of Israel, and he was hesitant to follow Samuel, but Scripture tells us “God gave him another heart.” (1Sam. 19:9) God prepared Saul for this change; he didn’t just leave him to fall into it by himself. Think about that for a moment...

When we see change coming, we may resist it, trying to hold on to the past, and the blessings of the past. We enfold ourselves in the security of yesterday, we close our eyes to what is happening now. How many of us do that? Even in church, we resist what God wants to do now! We look at the past, as wonderful as it was, and relish in what God did then. We have fond memories of “church” as it was then. We may remember the excitement of the Charismatic movement, smiling as we remember the times we waited on long lines just to get into church! People of all denominations joined together to form communities, where we lived out the Book of Acts sharing what we had with one another. I remember one night, it was zero degrees outside, and I waited on line outside with my friends to get into a night service at our church! God was moving powerfully! And it was magnificent! All we wanted to do was read our Bible and buy Christian books, and keep on learning and growing in the Lord. The Holy Spirit moved powerfully! Yet some in the church world condemned this movement. They quenched the Holy Spirit, and insisted that church had to be as it “always” was. My friend, Church was never as it “always” was. We had Martin Luther, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, on to modern day Billy Graham, David Wilkerson, Mother Teresa, to name just a couple of those who radically changed history or who made a mark in how Christianity should embrace the poor and unsaved. We see the Toronto Blessing, the Brownsville Revival, Friends of the Bridegroom which focuses on intimacy with God, embracing romance with our Heavenly Bridegroom, Eagles Wings which focuses on the same, including emphasis on prayer for Israel, and I can go on and on.

Our church, New Hope Fellowship, is seeing the birthing of revival here in Brooklyn NY. People have asked, “Could anything good come from Brooklyn?” Yes, it could! There is a strong church leadership bonding taking place, and through it we are witnessing the mighty power of the Holy Spirit flowing in wave upon wave throughout the Borough, drawing in the lost, the hurting, all towards the gentle heart of Jesus Christ. He is here with His arms outstretched, calling people to Himself. There is a hunger and thirst for the things of God; there is a radical change in the climate, as God is putting new hearts into people. Last spring we had “Pray NY” where intercessors walked the zip codes of every block in Brooklyn. The waterways were prayed for, the government was prayed for as I brought Pastors Roger and Teresa McPhail into Fort Hamilton army base to pray up on a hill overlooking the Fort and the ocean. Since that day, we have witnessed God move in mighty ways, halting would be terrorists in our area, etc. We will be doing this again in the spring. Wherever you live, get your pastors involved, and see what God does!

Prayer brings change! Change is good in many ways, especially in the Spirit realm. Watch this year for signs of revival, and do not resist. Embrace it! Boldly, courageously, and joyfully embrace what God wants to do in your heart, in your neighborhood, and in your church and in your city. Look for the possibilities and opportunities in this “new thing” that God is doing. Discern the signs of the times, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His will to you. Study the Word of God, make time for private prayer, and learn from Him. If what you see lines up with the Word of God, then reach out and accept it!

I believe we are living in a special time of history, and we are going to see more and more of the supernatural. There will be angelic visitations, there will be moments in our lives where we see into the spirit realm. We will see ordinary people, like you and me, through the power of the Holy Spirit, lay hands on the sick and they will recover. We will prophecy, speaking God’s Word to encourage the Body of Christ. God will give us Words of Knowledge and  Words of Wisdom. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit will be evident, not in “superstars,” but in everyday ordinary people who are open to what God wants to do. He will give us a new heart; we will receive courage to move forward in His ways. His purposes for this time in history will be accomplished. Be ready!

God bless you,

Rev. Barbara Anne Yovino, Ph.D.