I want to invite you to turn to the word of God this morning, First Corinthians. Do you remember First Corinthians, Chapter 12? Three weeks ago, 21 days more or less, perhaps a little less. I began a meditation on Chapter 12 of First Corinthians, and during the last two weeks we have had special guests, both men and women, and we had to pause the meditation for a little while.

Remember that throughout all these weeks the Lord has been leading us through the subject of the Holy Spirit and the filling of the Holy Spirit, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit-filled life. It is an extremely important subject, a subject every believer should know. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of ignorance about it, and God does not want us to be ignorant of the complexities of the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and has an essential role in the believer’s life. Christ saves us, connects us with the Father, is an intermediary, and God also manifests himself through his Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is that executive agent whom God has sent to earth to strengthen his church while his church is here on earth, to pour out gifts upon the people of God so that the people of God can reach the goal God has set before them, so that the people of God may have the power necessary to evangelize the world, to live in holiness, to heal their wounds, to be effective witnesses of the Kingdom of God, and so many other things the Holy Spirit does. As we have seen, he leads us into all truth, brings us into better communion with the person of Jesus, strengthens us when we are weak, enlightens our understanding, and also pours out supernatural gifts, which make possible things such as the prophetic word we had this afternoon, which agrees with what the Lord placed in my heart about calling the church to consecration.

How do I know, for example, that God is calling Lion of Judah to a spirit of greater consecration? No one has sent me a telegram saying, Pastor Miranda, you have to teach about greater consecration. No, but I have been sensing something within me. I cannot explain exactly what it is, but it is a sensation, a feeling, a shadow there inside; it is an inclination of my thoughts that continually seems to focus me on the fact that God is speaking to the church and to my life about greater consecration, greater surrender.

I have no way to explain why I feel that, because it is one of many subjects, but that, I believe, is the Holy Spirit speaking to the senior pastor of this church and telling him, Roberto, my directions for my people in the Lion of Judah congregation for this time are: I want greater consecration; I want greater surrender. That is the Holy Spirit doing that work in my spirit, and I pass it on to you. That is a prophetic word from God; that is the prophetic spirit. That is one of the gifts God provides.

Sister Alberta here receives a similar word, and the two things connect, and then the people of God are edified, right? There is agreement, an affirmation. Other brothers and sisters feel the same thing, and there is assent, recognition: yes, that is true. Many of you may have felt similar things. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is moving. That is what the Spirit does: he leads a congregation in a certain direction. And if a church learns to move like that, to discern the voice of God and adjust itself to the voice of God, that church will grow and prosper, it will be protected, it will be kept safe from the enemy’s attacks, and it will go from blessing to blessing and from greater effectiveness to greater effectiveness.

How many believe that? That is the Holy Spirit, and that is why God does not want you to be ignorant, as the Apostle Paul says, as we read earlier at the beginning; he does not want us to be ignorant about spiritual gifts. And God wants to do the same thing in your personal life as well, and unfortunately many Christians do not know that when you enter the Gospel, God wants to install a component in your spirit so that he can communicate with you daily. And perhaps at some point you will be at the plant, at the factory where you work, sitting there at the table where the employees eat, and you will be eating your sandwich, and as you take a bite of the sandwich, you see a person in a corner of the room and feel something tugging at you, something that seems to say, that person needs a word, or go over to that person. And if you are a Christian trained in the moving of God, you will discern that this thought does not come merely from your own mind, but from the Holy Spirit.

And you will pray about it and move in faith, perhaps feeling uncomfortable but believing that there is something there, because you want to be obedient to the Spirit. And you will approach that person and, with complete courtesy and respect, say, look, I do not know you; I am a Christian, and while I was sitting over there, I believe the Spirit of God told me to speak to you and greet you. I am here to serve you, and I would like, if you allow me, to pray for you.

And how many times have we done that and tears have streamed down a person’s face, yes or no? There has been confirmation in that person’s heart, a divine appointment has taken place right there, and that person has had an encounter with God. God wants to do so many things like that.

Sometimes we have problems with a difficult, disobedient child, and it is already nighttime and the son or daughter is sleeping in bed. Perhaps we walk past on the way to our bedroom, look through the door, and the child is lying there asleep, and the Lord tells us, go and anoint his bed with oil. Go and place your hand over his head and declare my power, and break the chains the devil wants to place upon his life. And in the name of Jesus, you go there, listen to the voice of God, and do it in the power of the Holy Spirit at that moment; and the next day your child feels something he had not felt before. And the following Sunday he comes to church, and he does not know why, and God has an encounter with that individual.

So many things—the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, wants to manifest himself in different ways, and that is what the Apostle Paul speaks about: the diversity with which the Holy Spirit manifests himself in the life of the child of God.

Look here at verse 4. It says: “...Now—First Corinthians 12—...now there are varieties of gifts, but the Spirit is the same; and there are varieties of ministries, but the Lord is the same; and there are varieties of workings, but God, who works all things in everyone, is the same. But to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good, because to one is given through the Spirit a word of wisdom; to another, a word of knowledge according to the same Spirit...”—and we will explain that later—“...to another, faith by the same Spirit; and to others, gifts of healings by the same Spirit; to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, discernment of spirits; to another, various kinds of tongues; and to another, the interpretation of tongues. But all these things are done by one and the same Spirit, distributing to each one individually as he wills....”

The Apostle Paul is pointing out a very important aspect of life in the Spirit in this passage, and that is that there is one God, there is one Holy Spirit, but that Holy Spirit has no limitations on how he manifests himself. For every situation in life, for every need of the church, the Holy Spirit can assume a different manifestation.

I do not believe the Apostle Paul intended to identify only nine gifts and say, there are only nine gifts. There are many Pentecostal and charismatic people who identify with the moving of the Spirit who point to only nine gifts and say, those are the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. I do not believe the Apostle Paul was interested merely in saying, there are nine gifts and that is all. He was simply giving an example of the various ways in which the Holy Spirit can manifest himself, and he wants us to understand that the Spirit of God can manifest himself according to any situation, any need, any problem, any demand of life.

And let me tell you that as I say this, I am very conscious that I am departing from the way I treated this verse, these verses, this morning. What is coming out of my head right now is very different, but perhaps the Lord wants you to know that there are different situations in your life—financial, work-related, family, spiritual, emotional, and mental situations—and God says, he is telling you right now, look, it does not matter what your situation is; it does not matter how specific the demand in your life may be; I can manifest myself favorably and bless you in that way. My Spirit has no limits. So whatever you are going through in your life, I want to instill faith in you, says the Lord, and I want to let you know that I have no limits in my capacity, I have no limits in my creativity, and I can subject any problem and any situation to my good will and give you a solution to your problem.

How many believe that? Amen. There are varieties of gifts; there are not only nine gifts. The Lord is saying, I want to distribute my gifts among my people, and I want to raise up a very, very diverse people for myself. I want the teacher to be supernaturally endowed so that the word coming out of his mouth will not be a merely human, lifeless word. I want to endow the teachers of my people with a word that will be life to the young people who hear it, so that even if the teacher is teaching mathematics or languages or whatever it may be, I will place upon the tongues of my male and female teachers an endowment of power that will be life to the students who hear it. And I will place something special within them, so that merely through their interaction with those students, life will flow out of him or her, and those students will receive a touch that will come from no other being but the one who is in contact with my Spirit.

And this afternoon I am telling the teachers, in the name of Jesus, to believe this afternoon for a special endowment of power to be life in those classrooms and to be a presence of the Kingdom of God in those places, because God is going to spread his Spirit specifically through believing teachers, Christian teachers. How many Christian teachers are here, whether retired or...? Stand up right now, and if you teach in a nursery, if you are a teacher’s assistant, if in any way you have influence over... stand up. It does not matter in what capacity you are working; it can be anything, but if you are teaching students in some way, young people, if you are exercising some kind of influence, wherever it may be—it may be with adults, it may be in a hospital, it may be in a school where you are teaching, whatever it may be—stand up in the name of Jesus, and this afternoon I am going to believe for a transfer of power and a special gift upon your life. And I believe, in the name of Jesus, that we are also going to stand here in the place of many other Christian teachers in other schools and other churches, and I believe God is going to spread a special gift. And I want you to receive it this afternoon as something God is going to give you; and then begin to exercise it and to believe that when you speak with the parents, when you speak with the children, you are sending that gift, sending that endowment of power to those young people and to those teachers around you as well. And in the name of Jesus, believe for a special influence.

So now, thank you, Father. Thank you for your presence, in the name of Jesus. Lord, in faith, in faith I send your gift upon my brothers and sisters—your gift of life, your gift of knowledge, Father, your gift of imparting energy and grace—wherever they may be, Father, because you have made us instruments of your Kingdom. And Father, I believe we are in a pivotal time, a new time in the history of Boston and of this nation; and in the name of Jesus, with the authority of your Kingdom, Father, I declare a new anointing, a fresh anointing upon your male and female servants. You have placed them in positions of influence, Father, to exercise influence over lives.

And now, Lord, I declare that they receive the endowment of your power and your grace, and I bless them in the name of Jesus and declare an anointing of grace, discernment, wisdom, counsel—oh God, authority to rebuke demons in those children who are in bondage, Father, authority to declare the peace of God over families and homes. Receive that authority in the name of Jesus: authority to take schizophrenic and bipolar children, children who have been sexually or physically abused, violent children, and to declare a word, Lord, of transformation over their lives in the name of Jesus, because your endowment of power has no limits, Lord, and you have an endowment for every situation. So, Father, in the name of Jesus, we declare that we are not going to continue living on the defensive; we are not going to continue complaining about the devil roaming through our schools and wreaking havoc among our children.

Father, we take the offensive in the name of Jesus. Receive authority and power in the name of Christ. I feel the presence of God working here. Open your chest, open your heart right now, open your soul, and receive the gift of God in your life. Father, I believe for changes.

Lord, I believe that there will be changes in the hearts of your teachers. Father, this is not magic; it’s really just what you promised in your word. We take hold of it today, Father, and we believe that you’re a God of miracles. Father, you’re a God who gifts his people to do wonders, and Father, we refuse to walk in this impossible, inadequate way, fighting against an enemy that’s too powerful, and we move in the power of the Spirit. Father, we receive your anointing.

We receive your anointing, Father, in the name of Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Say, “I receive that anointing, I receive the power, I receive the grace of God.” Hallelujah! Amen.

There are also social workers here, or people involved in administering schools or hospitals, or who work in community social services. Raise your hand if you are in the field of social services or work with an agency; stand up as well this afternoon, stand up in the name of Jesus. Stand up if you are with an agency or involved in some kind of administrative process or whatever it may be. I believe that the Lord has something for you too, an endowment of power.

There are also people here in the field of family counseling, or who deal with abuse, families suffering abuse or anything of that sort, abused women, single young women—all these kinds of things. Stand up as well, and let us believe the Lord for a special endowment. If you exercise influence in some way in that area, receive from the Lord as well.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we send forth your grace, we send forth your power. Father, grant illumination and understanding in a secularized, humanistic environment that often does not understand the workings of the Spirit. We establish ourselves as watchmen, as radical presences in those places, Lord. And Father, I ask that your people be endowed right now with a special portion of the Holy Spirit; that they walk like kings and queens, like warriors with a rod of authority, Lord, like people with X-ray eyes that penetrate to the very depths, O God, and who can heal, who can open and close, Lord; who are able to declare blessing over any situation, and that situation comes into alignment with the purposes you have for those lives. They are examples, and they are people who have discernment of spirits and know what they are dealing with, what they are confronting, and they can give a fitting word for that situation, for that need. They are people of power and authority; they are people of prayer and fasting, people of prayer and fasting, people who know where to go to receive the nourishment they need for what lies ahead. They are exemplary people; they are people who have overcome the devil and who can have authority to break chains and yokes in others, in the name of Jesus. We receive that anointing, we receive that authority, and we declare it. Receive that gift in the name of Jesus: gifts to transform the community, gifts to make an impact in the community.

How many of you work in hospitals or in the field of physical health? If you work in a hospital or have any kind of job in that field, raise your hand as well. There are people here who work in hospitals; stand up. You may drive an ambulance, translate in a hospital, be a nurse, be a doctor, or work in X-ray or CT-scan technology or whatever it may be; but if you are in the field of physical health—or mental health as well—stand up right now, and let us believe for a visitation from the Lord this afternoon. Amen.

Because God says, “The diversity of my gifts has no limits. I am one Spirit, but I have gifts for all my people.” In the name of Jesus, let us believe for a visitation of power now. Father, I bless my brothers and sisters who work in hospitals.

I bless my brothers and sisters who are working in hospitals, Father. We know that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, spirits of disease.

Father, we know that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, spirits of disease.

Spirits of mental illness, spirits of neurosis of all sorts, spirits of physical infirmity that kill the life in your children, Father. We pray for anointing.

We ask, Lord, for a supernatural anointing, and we declare it in the name of Jesus. We want to see miracles, Lord.

We want to see miracles, Father, and give you the glory and give you the honor.

So, in the name of Jesus, I declare works of power, miracles being manifested when we pray for the sick, when we are translating for them, Lord; may we be able to influence doctors and nurses. Father, in the name of Jesus, may these people be distinguished by a special grace that gives confidence to those who arrive at those hospitals with so much fear and with so many threats against their lives, Lord. In the name of Jesus, I declare a special grace.

I declare special grace, special anointing, the blessing of God—to be angels there in those hospitals. In the name of Jesus, receive that gift. I declare it in the name of Christ, in the name of Jesus, by the authority of the Spirit of God: gifts of healing, gifts of discernment, gifts of words of counsel. In the name of Jesus, you receive them now. Thank you, Lord; thank you, Father. We worship you, we bless you. Hallelujah!

Begin to exercise those gifts when you are in the places we have mentioned, because they are places where there is much reluctance toward the things of the Spirit. But the Lord wants you there as a watchman, says the Lord. The Lord wants you there as a positive influence. There the Lord says to you, “Enter as one who has authority. I give you that hospital, I give you that school, I give you that social agency. You will be my watchman there; you will be my authoritative presence there. My authority will flow through you even though you are merely an employee. But if you are in the Lord and the person above you—whether he or she—is not, I place you there as the representative of my kingdom. Let my Spirit flow through you.” Believe it, and begin to pray for those people, and begin to pray for those children, and begin to operate with the gift you have received. Amen.

Glory to the Lord. Give the Lord a great round of applause. Hallelujah! Thank you, Lord Jesus.

It says here: “...Now there are varieties of gifts, but the Spirit is the same; there are varieties of ministries, but the Lord is the same; and there are varieties of operations, but God, who works all things in everyone, is the same. But to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all...”

Why has God sent his Spirit? For the benefit of the church, so that the church can do everything it needs to do. When a church is formed, it needs talents; it needs different kinds of gifts. It needs people to sing in the choir, people to lead worship, people to teach the children, people to teach Sunday school or discipleship classes, people to help maintain the church, people to support the pastor in governing the church, people with gifts in finance, for example, or administration, and people with the gift of service—the ushers, for example, who miss out on fully enjoying the service because they have to remain standing, welcoming people, making sure everything is all right, handing this out, arranging that.

If God does not place a gift of service in a person, imagine it: people will say, “Well, I go to church because I want to enjoy the service, not to work there. I already work all week,” as so many people say. But God places a gift of service in some people, and they feel a stirring and say, “I want to serve as an usher.” And what a blessing ushers are. God brings people, as he has brought them to this church, who have knowledge of construction. We could never have developed these two buildings if God had not sent people who work in construction and know about it, and who also have a gift of generosity toward the church, and who have given in incredible ways for the benefit of the church.

I believe that whatever need the church of Jesus Christ has, God is powerful enough to send what that church needs. We have begun, for example, an English-language service. We have been engaged in that effort for over a year now, and I am asking the Lord to send me every kind of gift. For example, we want to strengthen the worship ministry more and more. God has already sent us people such as Jean Fabard, as well as Stephen Johnson and Sharon Shraft, and others who have arrived there and have been instruments for the Lord. But I know that God still has more blessing in that area, so I am already praying to him: “Lord, send musical gifts, gifts of praise, to strengthen that ministry.” And in the Spirit I can already see a whole beautiful music team there leading that ministry in English, because God says, “I will give my gifts for the benefit of my people.”

You have a gift that God has placed within you; there is a diversity of gifts. God says that the gift is given to each one for the benefit of all. That is, you have received something in your life that you need to put to work in the situations you have to resolve in your life. And if you move in faith and confidence, brother, God will begin to unleash the gift he has placed in your life. Never assume that you have nothing.

People sometimes think, “Well, that is for the pastor, yes, of course, or for educated people.” Look, God sometimes chooses the humblest people and places powerful gifts in them to bless his church, and the church continually needs people.

A sister was telling me this morning—Sister Luz—she told me, “I spent several hours talking with a sister, someone from the church who only recently began visiting the church,” and glory to God that... She did not tell me the person’s name; she did not tell me anything about that person that would reveal her identity. But I rejoiced that there is someone with a gift of counseling and service who is supporting someone I cannot reach. I do not even know that person, but God has placed in that sister a gift of mercy and love to minister to that life. And so the church needs people who will say yes to the Holy Spirit.

God wants you to understand that he wants to use you and that he has a diversity of gifts. That is what God is saying in this sermon, which is not so much a sermon as it is a pastoral sharing.

Brothers and sisters, there is a world out there that God will soon set free so that it may hear the Gospel, and many souls will flow into the church. I believe that God will thin the heavens and clear the air, which is infested with demons, for a visitation of power upon this city, and the harvest will be great. But many people will be needed to join God’s army and begin using the gifts God has placed within them.

God will need gifts of evangelism, gifts of counseling, gifts of discipleship, gifts of administration, and financial gifts. I believe that one of the things God wants to do is endow Christians—and perhaps they are already out there and have not yet been converted—with the ability to make money and with a generous heart to give it to the Kingdom of God, so that churches can accomplish the things they need to do. It is a gift.

I believe there is a gift for making money. It is not there in the Bible, but there are people for whom everything they touch multiplies, yes or no? There are people who have a financial gift and can sell ice to an Eskimo because they have that gift and know how to make money. Many of them are out there; they do not know the Lord, but God is going to bring them into the church. Churches need that gift. I am asking the Lord for two or three people like that, but don’t get any ideas—you will have to keep giving too; this is not so that you can go to sleep on me. But when I think about it, two weeks ago we submitted a roll of plans weighing about 14 pounds to the inspection department for a new sanctuary. That sanctuary is a beautiful, beautiful thing. I am walking by faith. Financially, there is no way we can build that sanctuary right now; according to the books, there is no way. But I believe in a powerful God, a God who gives his gifts for the benefit of the church. It is a dream sanctuary. If I could, right now I would show you a rendering or something like that of the sanctuary. And you have heard me talk about it for years. I have been working on it; we have not moved forward because we have still been working hard to finish this building here. It is a multimillion-dollar project, but God has enabled us to do it very economically, although that makes the process slower.

I see, brothers and sisters, an admirable sanctuary over that parking lot there. It has already been designed. It was about 8 or 9 years ago; I do not know exactly how many. I was sitting in room 208, which is on the corner of the second floor, behind that balcony, and this was still rubble. And what was outside there in that parking lot was still dirt and brush, weeds everywhere, and the Lord—and I visualized a sanctuary there on pillars, preserving the space underneath for parking, with a large balcony and a floor above. We had not even made much progress on this building, and God was speaking to me about a future sanctuary. We did not even have enough people to fill half of this hall here, but that has never left my heart. And I have moved forward. God has provided us with an incredible architect, a man who graduated from Harvard University, with a Christian heart devoted to serving the Lord. He has done the design work for us and hired all the other engineers and designers, watching every penny like a lion, fighting for every penny on behalf of this church, and charging us such a ridiculously low price that I myself told him this week, “Look, although we do not have a great deal of money, I want to give you more than you are asking for this, because I believe in being fair, and I also believe that when a person is generous, God blesses them.” He did not want to accept more, but I told him, “No, in the name of the Lord, because you have been very noble toward us.” I believe that we cannot take advantage of people’s generosity either.

But you know what? We submitted it to the inspections department. It is there now, and now a process of review and all that sort of thing begins. I am walking by faith; there you have the initial design for the sanctuary. And soon I am going to show you an even clearer rendering. It is a sanctuary with a large balcony for many, many people. I am not even at liberty to say how many, because of inspections and all that sort of thing, but it is a beautiful space that would honor this community and, above all, the Lord. It would be a great place to honor the Lord and say, “God prospers and God blesses His people.” Imagine three buildings all joined together: that one with this one, and with that other one over there. There would be space for every need for a long time, unless the Lord causes us to grow in such a way that, as happened here, we soon outgrow this building too.

But the point is that there would be something there through which the Lord could glorify Himself, and we could have the next stage of growth. Now, God is already providing the gifts for that. He provided us with that wonderful architect, with a generous heart. He has provided us with people who work.... I do not know how many of you have been able to see the work on the doors outside, which is still in progress. When you pass by the front of the church, look at the front entrance, and soon the inside will be completed too, as we did back here. Those doors are beautiful; God provided the materials from Bolivia. And God is providing carpenters; He has provided masons, plumbers, and electricians. Those are God’s gifts for this church, brothers and sisters, you know. Because people think that a gift is only, let us say, the gift of prophecy or the gift of healing. That is one way in which the diversity of God’s gifts is manifested, but there are many people who do many other things that bless us here.

And I bless the Lord for those brothers and sisters who work in cleaning, who do maintenance work in the parking lot—gifts that God provides for His people. And I am asking Him, “Lord,” and I declare it in the name of Jesus, “send a large financial endowment so that this church can do what it has to do, and place within the hearts of Your people a generous gift, a generous heart to give and to put their hands to the work so that what You want to do—the miracle You want to perform in this city—may happen.”

What would happen right now if God sent thousands of people who became believers? Where are we going to put them? We are not going to sit them on top of one another here; we are going to have to have a larger place, and God can do it. God does not cause a church to grow and then put it in a straitjacket. He sends gifts to make it possible.

Here in our church there are hymnwriters; in our church there are teachers, administrators, disciple-makers, mentors, and more leaders, and the Holy Spirit is sending those gifts into this church. Begin to exercise them in the name of the Lord; begin to believe: God has placed something within me.

Paul tells Timothy, “I advise you to fan into flame the gift of God that is in you.” The gift of God is in you; now you have to begin to fan it into flame and use it to build up the people of God. God needs—this church needs—counselors. It needs people who will get involved and allow the gift of the Holy Spirit to begin to flow and operate. This Thursday, Gregory is going to be leading a reception for people who will be working in areas of counseling and social services, providing referrals and all that sort of thing. God has placed among us people with those endowments, and we want to develop more of them.

But it requires people who will say, “Yes, amen, present! I am going to make life difficult for myself; I am going to sacrifice, because the gift of God is in me and I want to develop it. I want to begin studying the Bible; I want to begin taking steps of faith.”

Three weeks ago we received a notification. God used me together with a person named Pat Duval to submit a proposal to the federal government, and they sent us $50,000 for a project to train family counselors in Hispanic churches. This is through COPAN—lay counselors for couples, for marriages. There is a great marital crisis in the Latino community. Many couples are breaking up, and there is a great need even among Christian people for good counseling.

Well, we want to develop people in the churches who can counsel others in marriage, because here we have Brother and Sister Luis and Ada Valles, and Meche, my wife, and they cannot keep up. So people are needed among you whom God will endow with the gift of counseling, to counsel others and provide support in our church. There is a great need in that area.

How many here have at some point felt God tell you in your spirit that perhaps you have a gift for counseling? How many? Perhaps you have felt that. Why don’t you stand up right now? Let us believe; let us believe that God is going to begin developing that gift of counseling in you. Amen. There is a terrible need here in this state and throughout the United States in the Latino community. I am glad to see men as well as women, because the gift of counseling and teaching is not only for women; it is also for men. If you believe that God has given you a gift for counseling, stand up. Jorge, you are somewhere back there; I saw you just now. Stand up too, because I believe that you have a gift for counseling within you. So, is there anyone else? If you have felt that God can use you—and as I look at you, I feel that He can; I feel that confirmation from the Lord.

You do not have to be a great scholar or necessarily have studied psychology. That can come later, and how wonderful if you can do it. But what you need right now is for God to plant the embryo within you, to imbue you with the ability to discern, to have empathy and mercy, to feel another person’s pain, to be able to look inside their soul and see what they need and how to counsel them. And God has placed that within you. Nancy, stand up, because I believe that you have that gift too. Is there anyone else? Well, I am going to help you if you do not know. Amen.

And now, in the name of Jesus, let us believe; let us believe that God is also going to place within us a gift for counseling. Receive it. Focus now on the Holy Spirit as though He were there saying to you, “I commission you.”

Father, I commission these men and women and young people—glory to the Lord—up here in the balconies, down here too, wherever they may be, Lord, in the name of Jesus. Father, there is a community out there that is falling apart, and there is need even in our church. Father, the field is white for harvest; the woman is ready to give birth, but there are no midwives to help, Lord. Now I commission my brothers and my sisters in the name of Jesus. And Father, by Your word, by the authority that is in Your word, in the Holy Spirit I declare wisdom over Your children. I declare, Lord, the ability to discern. I declare the right word in the mouths of Your sons and Your daughters, Lord. I declare a spirit of mercy that can feel another person’s pain and identify with them, Lord. I declare, Father, wisdom to know when to speak and when to be silent, when to ask the right question and when to give advice, when to acknowledge the person’s pain and validate what they are feeling, and when to confront them with a corrective word that comes from the Word of God; when to speak firmly and when to speak gently; when to intervene and when to allow time for the Lord to bring the person to maturity for the proper intervention.

In the name of Jesus, I remove all timidity, Lord, and I ask You to heal Your male and female servants as well, so that they may then be healers of others. Father, I ask You to give them understanding of Your Word and hunger and an appetite for Your Word, so that from the treasure on which they feed each day, they may break bread and give it to others as well. Oh Lord, look at those young people who want to be counselors and bless them. Look at those who do not have a higher education but also feel that calling. You have no limits, Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus, I bless this people. Lord, I now declare a healing army that will spread throughout this church and this community, in the name of Jesus.

Brother, sister, believe that God commissions you today to be a healer in this community of Boston. God is doing that work in your life, and He is going to use you greatly. He will fill your mouth with healing words, and you must begin to exercise the gift. Do not wait. I encourage you—yes, when you have an opportunity to read something in that area, that is also one of the ways to prepare yourself. Read short articles, whatever you can, about counseling and the healing of souls. But also begin, in the name of Jesus, to exercise your gift discreetly and humbly. If God places in your path someone who needs counsel, give what you have. Humbly, do whatever your hand finds to do. If God gives you only a phrase of encouragement, give that phrase, and that is all. If God gives you the right question to open something in that person’s heart, ask the question. If God simply gives you, “I want to pray for you, bless you, and declare God’s anointing over your life,” that is all you are going to do.

But in the name of Jesus, right now I declare over my brothers and my sisters an anointing that is released now in the name of Christ, so that this river of healing may flow, bringing healing as it runs over this city in the name of Christ. Receive it; begin to exercise it. And I know that I will hear examples and accounts of how God is going to use you, and opportunities such as you have never had before will begin coming into your life, opportunities to bless lives, counsel others, and be a blessing to others. Believe it, in the name of Jesus.

Father, right now, this very week, Lord, I declare divine appointments in the city of Boston for these people to be a blessing to someone. Open the eyes of these people, Lord; open their eyes so that they may be healers—even if they are wounded healers, still healers, Lord—and begin to heal their wounds as well. I declare an army that mobilizes today, Father, from this time forward, so that there will be no lack of food in Your house, no lack of a voice, no lack of an ear to listen with respect and humility to the needs and complaints of Your people. Father, in the name of Jesus, thank You, Lord; thank You because You do it. I bless these efforts they are making, Father, to raise up fathers who work with young people, and counselors and social workers, Lord. We receive them. Hallelujah! Thank You, Lord, thank You. I bless this people, Father, and no word will fall to the ground, in the name of Jesus. No promise that has been given, no declaration of power that has been made this afternoon will fall to the ground, but it will accomplish that for which it was sent, in the name of Jesus, because it is not man, nor is it the word of man; it is the Word of God that does the work, in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Thank You, Lord.

Diversity of gifts, says the Lord; diversity of gifts, diversity of gifts. That is the Word of God for this people today. Diversity of gifts through one Spirit; diversity of gifts through one Spirit.

Stand up; we are finishing. A river of life is flowing from the throne of God. Do you know why I chose that chorus? Because God has placed an image within me in these days. Another image God has been placing in my heart is Ezekiel 47: a river flowing out of the temple, distributing healing to all the nations.

The word of God says that Ezekiel saw in the Spirit a river flowing from the east side of the sanctuary. It began as a thin little stream, but it grew wider and deeper, and as the prophet waded in, he realized that it was becoming deeper and deeper and deeper. It says that this river flowed into a symbol of death—the Dead Sea, full of salt, where there are no fish and no life because the water has nowhere to flow out—and Ezekiel says that he saw how this river healed the Dead Sea. And the water of that river was so rich, so beautiful, and so wholesome that trees grew along its banks, and their fruit was the fruit of life, and their leaves were for the healing of the nations.

But that river flowed from the temple of God, and I believe in the name of Jesus that waters of healing will flow from this church and other churches to the city of Boston and to the state of Massachusetts, in the name of Jesus. This is what I declare: from the church of Christ Jesus, from the church of Christ—because it will not be only from this church, but water will flow from many churches for the healing of the nations. Counsel will flow forth, a word of health will flow forth, a word of resurrection from the dead will flow forth, a word of healing and deliverance will flow forth, a word that will break yokes and drive away the powers of the devil will flow forth. A word will flow forth that will declare the lordship of Jesus and open the way for the coming of the One who is to come, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah!

That river of life is already beginning to flow, it is already beginning to go forth, and you are part of it; you are a drop of water in that river of life. And when you leave here, that river of water begins—that river of life begins to flow and begins to carry out its work of healing. We are a river: the Holy Spirit in me, and I in the world, healing the nations with the gifts that God places in His people.

Let us declare it: this is the Lord’s time; this is the time for that river to flow. Hallelujah! Thank You, Lord. We worship You. We believe, Lord; we receive Your promise, Father. Hallelujah! Thank You, Lord Jesus.

Thank You, Jesus. We worship You. Thank You, Lord.

Song

A river of life is flowing from Your throne, O God

Bringing life, bringing peace to every nation

With great power, with great might, it flows today

Pour out Your glory upon us, O Lord.

Your river will flow.