No Return, No Tourettes
By Kyle Blackwell
In my first article of the year, Reflections and Desire, I made a point to explain the importance of regeneration. In faith of a revival in the American church, this article is going to double-down on the same theology. The last three churches I’ve attended have kicked off the new year with beginning the book of Acts. Of course, this book is monumental. I’m no pastor, but I am a preacher. Not a preacher at a church, but at work, where I buy gas, the Dollar General and wherever I go. One thing is for sure, I have much respect for any preacher who has the guts to take on the book of Acts.
Acts chapter 1 shows how the early church dealt with Jesus’ departure. In my Bible, I have written “when junk hit the fan, they prayed”.
All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. -Acts 1:14
I have heard so many say during hard times, “all we can do now is pray”. What? Prayer should be the first resort to any situation, not the last. All we have is prayer. Without prayer, the church is dead. There was a message I heard a few months ago of a missionary from southeast Asia. This man shared a story of him and the pastor of a small town church visiting one of the largest churches in Asia, which were only a few miles apart from each other. They visited with a mission to find out what the larger church was doing differently. They both had dynamic messages filled with truth filled doctrine. Both had excellent praise and worship. What was different? They started touring the building until reaching a certain hallway. The mega church pastor ordered the missionary and preacher to remain silent while walking past a few rooms. The missionary noticed sounds of crying and talking and he asked what it was all about. The pastor stated there is not a single minute that goes by without at least one person praying on the grounds.
You want a revival, America? Why don’t you start by mimicking this sort of prayer life within your churches? Jesus was constantly going to the Father in prayer. King David was constantly in prayer (there is actually a book in the Bible called Psalms which records many of his prayers). Job was constantly in prayer. Paul constantly prayed. Peter constantly prayed. If we want to see the revival of the early church revisited, we must have consistent prayer. Not just prayer, but also the faith God will see your prayer through to the end.
Daniel prayed 21 days before the angel of the Lord visited. In Daniel chapter 10, the angel Gabriel told Daniel his prayer was heard the first day. Even so, Daniel did not know this. He continued praying day after day. When is the last time you prayed relentlessly for an extended period of time, believing God still answers prayer?
Next, we see the welcoming of Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 2. With the filling of Holy Spirit within the believers hearts, we begin to see unimaginable miracles that is a continuation of the works Jesus performed. Do you believe the God of this world is the same God of the Bible. God told Moses to proclaim God’s name as “I Am”. What God was essentially saying is this: God is the One who was, who is and is to come. Later, Jesus called himself I Am.
I am telling you the truth,” Jesus replied. “Before Abraham was born, ‘I Am’. -John 8:58
By utilizing the same verbiage God used while speaking to Moses, Jesus was proclaiming himself as 100% God, 100% man. Which, by the way, is a perfect argument for those wonderful, door-knocking Jehovah’s Witnesses. I can attest that the God of the New Testament is the same as the God of the Old, as the same as today. The only difference is the church of today has strayed away from repentance and the power of prayer.
Since the beginning of the year, I have been laying hands on my wife in faith that God will heal her of blindness. I had a revelation January 1st that Ana will be healed in 2023. I cannot explain the revelation, but God spoke to me. While driving to get my boys Thursday evening, I prayed and asked God in the middle of my prayer for Ana: “And while you’re healing Ana’s vision, heal my Tourettes as well. And while I’m at it, go ahead and cure me of ADHD also.”
I have been living with verbal, mental and physical ticks since around 7 years old. There has not been a single day without Tourettes dictating my life. Four days since my prayer, I have not had a single tick. I would be running patterns and mathematical equations constantly through my head, winking my eyes and twitching my head, making weird mouth gestures uncontrollably. I feel free. I feel peace. I have a clarity like never before. I can finally slow down. My life was in the fast lane, now I’m in the slow lane with everyone else. This is unexplainable to most. However, my God is the only explanation needed.
America, if we want a revival, we need to start believing, and testifying the power of the Blood of Jesus Christ. We need to start having a faith that is also visible in our actions. No! No! No! This is not me preaching about works, but of faith. Jesus said “you will know them by their fruit”. This Bible I preach is not for suggestion, nor is it open for discussion. We must not leave out the Law just because we think it is Old Covenant. We are called to be set apart, from the beginning. God wants His people to be Holy, as He is Holy. Holy, meaning set apart. The exact reason why the apostles were first called “Christians” in the book of Acts is they were “Christ Like”. Then, we are called to be fishers of men, not benchwarmers in a Sunday congregation.
God is still alive, Jesus’ Blood still has power, Holy Spirit still works miracles. 2023 is the year of revival in my household. What about yours? I don’t care about the church. I am asking about you. It starts in your heart.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge -Hosea 4:6
