A Lot of Times Revival Comes Through the Back Door by Kathie Walters

Macon, GA

When God Takes Over – What Are We To Do?

I am sure you know, or at least have read, how many times revival has come through the back door. That is, not the way people were expecting.

Did you know that very often in history, revival has come through children? Do you know that God is much more willing to "take over" than we are willing to let Him? We believe we are willing, but God sometimes does "strange acts" that we are not familiar with. In Isaiah, chapter 64, it says that when God came down He did terrible (i.e. awesome, powerful, unimaginable) things "we looked not for."

So, when God takes over and He does all kinds of powerful and wonderful things – what are we to do? Definitely NOT try and work it out with our mind. The mind, however great, will never understand the mysterious ways and mysteries of God but by the enlightenment of the Spirit. This is where we have to listen closely to the witness of the Spirit within us. He is there to teach you the truth. In 1 John it says that "you don't need any man to teach you because the anointing within you is to teach you" (1 John 2:27, paraphrased).

Does that mean we don't need teachers? Of course not, because they are given by God to instruct the Body of Christ in truth – anointed teachers who teach under the anointing of the Holy Spirit and impart spiritual truth that brings you, ultimately, into a closer relationship with Jesus. Truth from God, of necessity, always sets you free, because that's His nature. "(He does not bring you into) bondage again to fear..." (Romans 8:15).

That being said, I think sometimes we assume that God wants to use someone, but there are times when God does things all by Himself! He comes through the back door. Keep your spiritual antennas up in the coming days!

Where We Least Expect It

When my husband, David, went to the schools in England years ago, they sometimes had to close the school because the power of God came into the school. The kids were under the power of the Holy Spirit, in the corridors and laying all over the playing fields. No one prayed for them. David preached, and then God took over. He chased people. (Photo via Pixabay)

In the Hebrides Revival the presence of God came down and chased people in the fields and pubs and dance halls. They ran to the church or the police station. In that revival, whole towns were saved.

When and in Ways We Least Expect

Another time, I was in a meeting in Columbus, Ohio, where my husband, David, had been preaching and the Spirit was moving everywhere at the end. At that time, the little ones had been released from the nursery because they thought the meeting upstairs with the adults had finished. A small girl came up to me. I knelt down to ask the little girl what she wanted (she was tugging on my skirt). She started to speak to me when suddenly God came upon her.

The little girl was gesturing with her arms, and she was suddenly "frozen." That's an expression I use and has been used in times of revival. I don't know if this has ever happened to you. If not, don't worry, it will...but the presence of God comes on you so strong that you really can't move. Not even bat an eyelid. The person is encased in the presence of God. Usually you are taken by the Spirit into Heaven, or even to another country, or to a place somewhere in the Spiritual realm which is not of this earth. The little girl was what I call "gone away."

In Scotland, years ago during times of revival, when people were encased like that in God's presence, they would say they had "gone away" (in the Spirit). I waited, and two other small children came and leaned around the girl to see what she was doing, but as soon as they got close to her, this awesome presence fell on them too, and they all stood frozen, like statues with their hands raised. One girl had her arms stretched out in front of her...and they stood like this – frozen. The presence around them was so strong.

I stood up and was keeping an eye on them, because I know when that happens, you can't tell how long they will be "gone away." Maybe an hour, three hours, 24 hours? Well, after about an hour, I saw one of them move very slightly. When the anointing lifts like that, it is very gradually, not suddenly. I knelt down again and waited. When the Holy Spirit lifted from the first little child who had been talking to me, she opened her eyes and looked at me and finished the sentence that she started before this anointing came. I asked them afterwards if they remembered anything. One said, "Jesus was hugging me close and whispering to me about my future." (Photo by Jennifer Page "Dance with Me" via elijahshopper.com)

Funny thing was, we were at the back of the room. God sometimes comes in the back door.

With Whom We Least Expect It

In a camp one time, in Ohio, we were ministering to the youth and adults. The youth were like concrete – you just couldn't get through to them. They were so resistant to the Holy Spirit, because they were all together, and the guys were trying to be "tough" and not yield to God. The third day we asked the Lord about it, and He said, "After supper, minister and pray for the children." So after we finished eating, we gathered the children in a room and David began to preach to them. He preaches the same to the children as he does to the adults because they don't have a junior Holy Spirit. He preached and then prayed. The power of God fell on them. They were all over the floor. They were weeping and praying and were truly in another realm.

Someone came and said we needed to make our way to the meeting place at the top of the hill, so we ushered the children out, although they could hardly stand. They were still weeping and laughing. Halfway up the hill they caught up with the teenagers who were dragging their feet, not wanting to be at the meeting. But as the small children caught up with them – bang! – the power of God fell on the teens, all of them at once, and they fell out on the side of the hill and started sobbing and weeping and repenting. After a while, when they tried to get up, they were so drunk in the Holy Spirit, they all helped each other, the big kids and little kids, pulling and pushing each other up to the meeting place.

David and I had gone ahead and sat with the other 200 people attending the camp and waited. As they hit the doorways, the power of God fell on the whole place – everyone was tipped out of their chairs onto the floor. Even more weeping and sobbing and laughing, and the whole place so was drunk in the presence of the Lord. I don't think we really had another meeting after that. When the kids and youth came near, the whole place would just fill up and get lost in God. He took over. He wants to. He loves to. He loves to show Himself strong on behalf of those that love Him... Sometimes He comes in the back door.

"Revival" or "Move of the Spirit" – What Happens When God Can Be and Do What He Pleases

It's natural for people who have had some kind of encounter with God to want to experience Him more. If God is God and is a supernatural God, which He must be, then it's normal to want to experience and know His supernatural acts. After all, He's our Dad. I was thinking of this the last couple of days...inside it felt like I was groaning. There is a groaning of the Spirit that stirs you up inside.

I remember when David and I first came to America, it was during the full-blown Charismatic move. There was speaking in tongues and prophesying, words of knowledge, etc...but I would feel something missing – and I would find myself praying, "Lord, please show people what You really can do. Let them see You when You are really in charge."

At first, I couldn't figure out why I didn't see the kinds of things I had seen before in other places. Now, we were in places where God was moving and things were happening, and there was a measure of God's presence, but it was not what I had seen before. I was hungry for more.

I remember we were ministering to a group of Christians from Portsmouth, UK. They were having a "camp" meeting on the Isle of Wight, which is a small island off the south coast of England. We were staying in a "Bed and Breakfast" guest house owned by some Christians, and we had access to the meeting hall of the Plymouth Brethren church next door. In the evening, we would use the meeting hall for our meetings. During the daytime we did the normal holiday-type things: beach, sightseeing, etc. After the meetings, we went back to our B&B for an evening drink and snack. (Photo via Pixabay)

We had a great time, and then we came to the last day. It was very quiet, though, as we joined in the Plymouth Brethren service, and then went out in the afternoon, and had a meeting in the evening in the fellowship hall. The evening meeting was good; people were blessed. Then most people went back into the house for the pre-bedtime snacks. David and I also left, leaving a group of teenagers standing in a circle, still worshipping the Lord, so sweetly.

Drinking our hot chocolate and chatting in the guest house, we had not thought anymore about the teens. Suddenly we heard the sound of feet running and someone yelling, "David! David! Kathie! Come quick!" Well, we didn't know what on earth was happening. We followed the young guy back into the meeting hall.

When we entered the room, it was filled with a heavy presence of God. Some of the teenagers were yelling. In the middle of the circle was a young man of about fifteen years old. He had been saved earlier that day, so he knew nothing of the Spirit realm. He was kneeling on the floor and his arm and finger was raised and pointing. He was slowly turning in a circle on his knees. As his finger pointed, moving around the circle, the person he pointed to fell to the floor and started to get delivered. Some were crying, some were laughing, some were making other sounds as demonic spirits left them.

The teens who had not yet been reached by Andrew's pointing finger were trying to run away, but their feet were "glued" to the floor and they were unable to move – that's why they were yelling. We just stood and watched as Andrew's arm and finger slowly moved around and pointed to them. Then each just crumpled and fell in a heap. The Spirit of God started moving on them and they began to get deliverance from lots of things from the past. We waited until the last one hit the floor. Andrew was still kneeling in the middle.

I wanted to explain that it was like watching a movie. Like they were not there. I'm not sure how to explain that if you haven't experienced it yet. We left them there and went back into the house to join the other adults, drinking their nightcap tea and munching cookies. I remember hearing a noise like a train and thinking, "I didn't realize we were near a railway station." Well, we weren't; we were in a little village. Then this sense of POWER came slowly into the room. The lady I was talking to knew something (i.e. the presence of God) was coming towards us, and she was trying to put down her cup of tea before it did. (Photo via Pixabay)

Suddenly everyone fell down on the floor and started weeping or laughing or making other sounds. After a while it was quiet and people were whispering to one another. People were confessing things to one another. Then the room was very bright and silent.

We took a breath, and suddenly there was another noise above us, like when the wind blows. Then the children came running down from upstairs. They had all gone to bed and were asleep, but the Holy Spirit went up there and woke them up and began to convict them and touch them in a powerful way. They ran down the stairs and flew to their parents to ask forgiveness and tell their mom and dad how much they loved them. Does it surprise you that God doesn't think, "Oh, little children are asleep, I'll come back tomorrow"? He sees them the same as you and I. Because they are small it doesn't mean they have a baby Holy Spirit.

The next day we left and went home. No one was the same. Sometimes God comes in the back door. Keep an eye on it. God doesn't always use the ones in front. Sometimes He doesn't use anyone in particular – He uses Himself. This is on the way – don't look just for what you are used to. He is the door – He can be and do as He pleases. When He shows up, it's really better to move out of the way.

Kathie Walters
Good News Ministries
Email: kathiewalters@mindspring.com
Website: www.kathiewaltersministry.com