Cooperating with the Holy Spirit

Only Jesus Christ can “Make America Great Again”!

One thing will save America. And it is not the election. It is an awakening to God! One thing will avail for Israel and the nations. It is an awakening to God! The best person in the world could be elected president of the United States and it would do no good if the people do not awaken to God.

We were silenced. Even rebuked!

A spirit of repentance, for misplaced faith that a man or a party held the answers to America’s condition, enveloped us.

Holy Spirit-guided thoughts raced through my mind: The best person in the world could be elected president of the United States and it would do no good if the people do not awaken to God. America. American history. The Great Awakening. The place of prayer in an awakening. Study.

And so I did. And ever since, I’ve shared the things gleaned in that study. The Believer’s Voice of Victory broadcast with Gloria Copeland has allowed me to share those timely, life-changing instructions from the Lord, and the study that evolved.

By My Spirit, Saith the Lord

The Lord impressed us with this absolute necessity for an awakening—we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit.

A relatively small group of Jews came back from Babylonian captivity and were faced with the formidable task of building the second Temple. The word of the Lord came to Zerubbabel as to how it would be accomplished: “…Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith [Jehovah] of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).

The word hayil (might), which also means an “army,” or “host,” probably stands for the strength of many, while koach stands for that of “one man.”

It is not by human strength—not of many, nor of one—but only by the power of the Holy Spirit that things of God are accomplished. Therefore we must learn to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. And cooperation always means, perhaps above all else, yielding—whether as an individual, or as a corporate body.

In Our Individual Lives

Tremendous promises are given us regarding the Holy Spirit. For example: He abides in us (John 14:16-17). He teaches us (John 14:26). He speaks to us; He guides us and shows us things to come (John 16:13). He leads us (Romans 8:14). But all His wondrous doings in our behalf are predicated upon our yielding to Him. He’s always teaching, always speaking, leading and guiding. But we must listen. We must yield.

Dr. George Washington Carver, the renowned scientist, born of a slave, is credited with saving the agriculture of the South. He is a wonderful example of listening and yielding to God. Rising early every day, he sat before the One he called “Mr. Creator,” and learned secrets to bless mankind. In the book, The Man Who Talks With the Flowers by Glenn Park, Carver is quoted as saying:

There is literally nothing that I ever wanted to do, that I asked the blessed Creator to help me to do, that I have not been able to accomplish. It’s all very simple, if one knows how to talk with the Creator. It is simply seeking the Lord and finding Him…all my life I have risen regularly at four o’clock and have gone into the woods and talked with God. There He gives me my orders for the day…when people are still asleep I hear God best and learn my plan…after my morning’s talk with God I go into my laboratory and begin to carry out His wishes for the day.

Speaking at Macalester College in Minneapolis, Dr. Carver prophesied:

…There is going to be a great spiritual awakening in the world…it’s going to come from people…plain, simple people who know—not merely believe—but actually know that God answers prayer.”

Cooperating With the Holy Spirit in a Meeting

A more literal translation of 1 Corinthians 12:1 would be, “Now concerning spirituals [things of and pertaining to the Holy Spirit], brethren, I would not have you ignorant.”

The chapter then illuminates us regarding nine wonderful, supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, (special) faith, the gifts of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, kinds of tongues, the interpretation of tongues (verses 8-10). Verse 11 declares, “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”

Donald Gee, an early Pentecostal leader, said verse 7, which introduces the list of nine gifts, is the key verse to this chapter: The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”

Gee added that our meetings ought to be marked by manifestations of the Holy Spirit.Ministers (preachers) need to yield to the Holy Spirit in their own preaching. We have been guilty of overriding promptings of the Spirit of God as we preach. I know, for I have done this.

There must also be place for the manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s gifts. For according to God’s plan and provision for our profit, there must be manifestations of the Holy Spirit—in our meetings as well as in our individual lives.

Maria Woodworth-Etter’s meetings were known by great manifestations of the power of God. She gave a wonderful message on “How to Cooperate With the Holy Spirit in Meetings.” You can find it posted on our website at billyebrim.org, but here are some excerpts from it:

We too often draw back, or compromise, and ‘use wisdom’ of the wrong kind, and are just as well satisfied when the power of God is not manifested so much, and the nice, quiet, imminently respectable, and precise modern Christians are not offended. We should be praying and looking for God to work more and manifest His power more, to draw back is not pleasing to God, and therefore, the marvels and miracles, the manifestations of His Presence and power are, to a great degree, lacking….

Meet the conditions. Come at peace with all the brethren, with love for God and man. Come with the desire that Jesus may be glorified. Meet together in one accord.

Lose sight of yourself and each other in the supreme desire that God should work, that He should manifest His power. Then pray the prayer of faith and something supernatural will happen. God will answer. His power will flow in and through you.

He will give you fresh courage and enable you to do your part, to speak the word of God with boldness, and to give witness to the Resurrection with great power and the signs following will give positive and unmistakable evidence that the Lord is working with you. Fear and convictions will fall on unbelievers…His words must abide in us.

Keep reading and practicing the New Testament teachings…. One case of healing in the Name of Jesus, accompanied by the knowledge of sins forgiven, and the peace which passes all understanding, is sufficient to demonstrate the divinity and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and therefore, convict and convince sinners.

The Lord has made me to know that to awaken the walking dead in the world, and even to awaken sleeping church members, a manifestation of His power must and, thank God, will come. We must know how to cooperate with it. We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit. John G. Lake said, “Electricity is God’s power in the natural, the Holy Spirit is God’s power in the supernatural.”

Prayer and Awakening

In studying awakenings, we saw that prayer always preceded them. And I am happy to report that the Spirit of prayer is enveloping believers everywhere in a way I have not seen in my life. The Lord has touched a prayer meeting we stream live every Wednesday at noon (CT) from Prayer Mountain.

Thousands from more than 50 countries join in each week. Their letters and emails often speak of the strong sense of unity they feel with the knowledge we are praying together in faith for an awakening to God.

June 29, 2008, we began to follow the Lord by praying for an awakening. He has now further instructed us to pray for a manifestation of His power.

© Copyright April 2016, Believers Voice of Victory Magazine