Your words have the power to change your present atmosphere and release you into the future God has planned for you. When you choose to speak words of life and truth, God will show up and show off His glory in ways that will establish your faith walk with Him for the rest of your life.

Recently I met with a friend of many years, and I couldn't resist asking him about one night we both spent at a camp meeting in the Appalachian Mountains. He was a teenager playing drums, and I was speaking at the camp. What happened that night is difficult to believe. Matter of fact, most of the story takes faith to believe. But when I asked Pastor Mike Rakes if he remembered the meeting and all that happened, immediately, he said yes.

I came to that camp meeting with a new message from the Holy Spirit. To me it was life-changing, and I couldn't wait to share it. But just before it was time for me to minister, torrential rains began to pour. It was an old-fashioned building with a tin roof, lifted wooden windows and no insulation to buffer the thrashing of the storm. The rain was booming like the sound of a thousand roofers pounding.

Hungry to hear God's Word, people jammed into the auditorium despite the treacherous storm, but it was impossible to hear. Standing there, microphone in hand, I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, "Speak to the rain and command it to stop."

Fear overwhelmed me. I thought, "What if the rain doesn't stop? People will think I'm not a man of God!" At that moment the rain let up just enough that I could be heard. I gathered all the courage I could muster and said, "Everyone join hands. If God wants me to speak tonight, we need His help to deal with the rain." Everyone took the hand of the person next to them to pray intensely and fervently. I lifted up my voice and shouted, "God, if You want me to preach this message tonight, stop the rain!"

Suddenly, the sound of the rain stopped. The entire place became quiet. There was no clapping, no shouting, no amens, just silence and an overwhelming sense of the presence of God. No one moved as I started the message God had given me, "The Cost of the Power of the Cross."

Standing in Bogota, Columbia, last week, I asked Mike one more question: "Do you remember the most important detail?"

"Yes!" he said. "It never stopped raining. God didn't stop the rain. He stopped the sound of the rain on the roof." I left the camp meeting tabernacle that night at 11:30 p.m., and the rain was still beating down.

The Bible proclaims that nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:27) and all things are possible to those who believe (Mark 9:23). But the Word shows us another, related truth: When God speaks to you, you must speak it out. There is truly life and death in the power of the tongue (Prov. 18:21).

This is the season of a fresh move of God. Speak His voice clearly. Move in agreement. And get ready to experience His astounding power!

You are beautiful. I see Jesus in you.

Have an awesome week!

Mikel French has challenged spiritual awakening all across America, where many celebrations extended into multiple weeks, and has conducted celebrations in France, Sweden, Russia, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Germany, South Africa, Malawi, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Haiti, Japan, Singapore, India and Thailand. He conducted an outreach celebration in Manila, Philippines, reaching 200,000 teenagers with the Book of Hope. Through the generous support of partners, he has presented the message of Jesus Christ to millions of people in the nation of Russia through televised citywide soul-winning celebrations. Mikel considers it an honor to assist in conducting the annual pastor's conference, where thousands of pastors from Russia's 11 time zones come for training, teaching and equipping. Mikel and his wife, Marsha, reside in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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