The “buzz” in the evangelical world about the “Lakeland Outpouring” or “Lakeland Revival” is widespread across the internet. If you haven’t heard about it, here’s a quick summary – about 35 days ago, a Canadian evangelist named Todd Bentley was holding meetings at a 700 seat building in Lakeland, Florida. The power of God began to break out at these meetings and doctor-confirmed miracles began happening. Since then, nightly meetings have been going on, the venue has changed to a 10,000-seat convention center, and healings are happening night after night.

This healing power has even touched us in a powerful way here at IHOP. A young teenager who is a part of the Children’s Equipping Center here at IHOP named Kelsey had been diagnosed with serious autoimmune diseases several years ago. She was in constant pain and needed an IV drip to live. We had been praying for her healing often. In faith, her family took her down to Lakeland despite her constant pain. The folks there prayed for her, and she was completely healed! She came back with an amazing testimony, and just yesterday she went to the doctor and her blood work came back completely normal. That’s the power of God… See this link for more of Kelsey’s story.

I’m so grateful for what the Lord is doing down in Lakeland and I’m excited for the Lord to pour out His promise of supernatural healing even here in Kansas City. But at the same time that I’m desperate for such a move of God here, I’m trembling on the inside at the prospect of it actually coming.

What we’re seeing in Lakeland today is just the beginning of the beginning of what the Lord wants to do all over the earth. I’m not talking about believers everywhere saying “BAM” loudly and watching people shake and fall out under the Spirit’s power. I’m not even talking about the Lord miraculously healing people. While I love those things and I love it when the Lord manifests His power, good meetings and miracles are not the ultimate ends of the coming global revival.

The big picture and ultimate end goal of revival is about the people understanding a message and changing their hearts as a result. If the scope of the revival was just limited to physical healings or good meetings where people are heavily influenced by the Spirit, we would continue in our lethargic, passive Christian lifestyle. We can’t be deceived into thinking that signs and wonders in and of themselves are sufficient to cause an apathetic church to live in wholeheartedness or to cause unbelievers to turn to Jesus. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day saw undeniable miracles and still crucified the Lord. The book of Revelation makes it clear that supernatural signs and wonders actually cause a hardening in the hearts of unbelievers before the return of Jesus. (Rev. 9:21)

The Lord’s prescription for end-time revival is seen in Acts 2:17-19:

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.”
(Acts 2:17-19 NKJV)

What was first seen at Pentecost in Acts 2 happens on a global level at the end of the age. The Holy Spirit is poured out on all flesh in the last days. As a result of the power of God being manifest in a real and tangible way for those dwelling in Jerusalem to see, the Apostle Peter stood up and gave a very precise message about the Lord that caused his hearers to be “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37) and ask how they could be saved. It was the message that provoked their hearts to this question. The physical manifestation of the Holy Spirit was just a vehicle to escort their hearts into a greater receptivity to Peter’s message.

As with Peter in the days following Christ’s first advent, the Lord is raising up messengers to trumpet the second coming of Christ with precision and clarity. I’m trembling on the inside because I feel the urgency of the hour and realize I barely have any clarity on the message. As we approach the second coming of Jesus, the spirit of prophecy, dreams, and visions will become more abundant throughout the body of Christ. Revelation about the coming global crisis, the need for repentance and wholeheartedness, and the return of Jesus will begin flowing to the hearts and from the lips of messengers worldwide. This is why the Lord is sending us tokens of revival now. God will not pour out the Holy Spirit in a vacuum but He does it because messengers are being sent to all flesh. A witness of the gospel will be established in every nation before Christ’s return (Matthew 24:14), and the signs in the heavens that are shaking the earth are in context to a message that is shaking the earth.

I don’t just believe there’s going to be one big meeting one day that we can call the day of the “great revival”. Lakeland is just one page in the story of the Lord’s orchestration of global revival before His return. This is only going to increase in intensity… Are you ready?

(You can watch what’s happening in Lakeland through my website if you’d like – http://joshuahawkins.com/healing - live broadcasts are from 7pm-11pm Eastern time nightly.)