Recently, I released Four Strategic Turning Points I have perceived. This is now Part Two bringing you an additional “Four More” Strategic Turning Points. The following is a review of the first four points upon which I will then build and bring the last half of this strategic message.

1. The Middle East—a Boiling Cauldron

For more than a decade I have been declaring that in 2014, the Middle East would be a “boiling cauldron” where it seemed as though things were totally out of control. But I continued looking for the promise in the midst of a “time of trouble.” Then understanding came to me, “There will be one nation that will arise in that dark hour—the nation called the ‘body of Christ’—who will be Israel’s best friend.”

2. The Sounds of Heavenly Hope

While recovering from surgery, I had an amazing encounter. I heard brilliant clear sounds of orchestrated chimes and bell choirs ringing in my bedroom. Then I realized, “These are the sounds of Heavenly Hope ringing audibly in my room.” Yes, the bells of Heavenly Hope are ringing in the earthly realm. Tune your ear to hear the “Sounds of Heaven in the Earth” realm!

3. The West Coast Rumble

There is a spiritual shaking coming to the entire West Coast of North America. The Holy Spirit calls it “The Rumble.” It will happen all the way from San Diego to Vancouver, British Columbia, with seaports all along the way. This RUMBLE will include Presence-saturated miracles. The birthing room of prayer is now in place to watch over the movement as it begins.

4. The Door of the Harvest is Open

I have been seeing angels with sickles in their hands coming down the ladder of heaven into the earth realm. Angels of the harvest have been released. The Scripture from Joel 3:13 was illuminated to me: “Put in the sickle for the harvest is ripe!” Expect divine appointments! It is Harvest Time!

Thus far, I have given you an overview of the previous 4 points. Now let’s build on this as I give you more details concerning these Strategic Turning Points.

5. Apostolic Motion

In certain spheres, networks, cities and nations there is an “accelerated motion” taking place. This is a requirement for the Kingdom purposes of God to move forward at a quickened pace. We are stepping into the Days of the Convergence of the Ages. I am not referring to “apostolic succession” but “apostolic motion.” These are two different concepts.

Things must move forward at a faster pace now than what some might have anticipated. Young and older apostles are being thrust upon the scene, and they must lead and appoint pastors and others to lead the congregations and ministries they have birthed. These leaders may remain the “Senior Leader” but should not carry the title or responsibility of a “pastor.” It is a test of empowerment.

It is time for these emerging apostles to select, find and appoint others to lead in the spheres they have pioneered. If they do not, they could end up in a place of frustration, and the grace will lift and the door to contention could enter in. But in this time of great transition, let’s learn to empower, trust the Lord and “let go.” It is a time of “Apostolic Motion.”

6. The Shaking and the Glory

Yes, the shaking and the glory are on a collision course. Hag. 2:6-9 reinforces these understandings. “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the Lord of hosts. ‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and in this place I will give peace,’ declares the Lord of hosts.”

Here in Haggai 2 we have the historical recordings concerning the first and the second temples. The first was grand in external splendor, an architectural wonder of all the ages. After the desolation and then a time of despair, a second temple was built. But it did not compare to the earlier grandeur. But the Word of the Lord came forth in that situation declaring that the “latter glory of this house will be greater than the former.” (For more on this subject see the E-Blast on The Collision on the Shaking and the Glory.)

Bottom line: A) The First Temple was Built in Grandeur; B) The First Temple was Destroyed; C) The Second Temple was built appearing in the natural as “nothing in comparison;” D) A Prophetic Declaration was released in the midst of disillusionment, “The Glory will be Greater!” 

Likewise, the early church saw great glory and power followed by a great decline. Five hundred-plus years ago, we stepped into a new era called the Reformation with such truths as “the just shall live by faith.” Now we are stepping into the Convergence of the Ages with accelerated movements and motion of the current day operation of the Holy Spirit. I personally see a Glorious Eschatology where light confronts darkness and shaking and glory collide—but eventually where the light of the Lord wins out. The glory of the Lord will cover the Earth as the waters cover the seas! Amen and Amen!

7. Holy Ghost Woodstocks

One of the words seer Papa Bob Jones brought to us in the early years was concerning “praise going to the streets and to the fields.” There are always layers of applications to most prophetic declarations. The Jesus March of the past was a great tool used in the Lord’s hand in the U.K., Brazil and many different cities and nations. But we are now stepping over the threshold into another dimension where these prophetic Christian artisans will assemble together in open-air fields, stadium events, and spontaneous eruptions where worship and prayer and healing take place. It is a time for the beginning of the Holy Ghost Woodstocks.

In the summer of 1969 the Woodstock Music and Art Festival showed up on the scene in Ulster County, New York. Thirty-two musical acts performed before 400,000 young, lost people at the height of the counterculture movement, in the midst of the Flower Power and Free Love movement. Many things have changed. And yet things go in cycles in society and culture as well. It is time for the Holy Ghost Woodstocks to flourish. Let them spread like fire that cannot be controlled. I see! I see it! I see these worship gatherings spreading, growing, healings flowing, salvations pouring in. Come on now! It is time for the church to be at the forefront. Let the Holy Ghost Woodstocks begin!

8. The Translucent Veil

There are many different phrases that are used to express these phenomena. Such terms as Open Heavens, Portals, Passage Ways etc. (See the books The Seer Expanded and Shifting Shadows of Supernatural Experiences for more on this subject.) In my experience and observation, there are times it seems like the veil that separates the temporary earthly from the eternal heavenly becomes quite thin. This often occurs in historic revivals, awakenings, times of crisis and personal visitations. For me, the veil between the temporal and the eternal has been extremely thin.

I have found myself visiting heaven on various occasions recently. I have not personally experienced this realm with this level of intensity for several years. I am keenly aware that we definitely “entertain angels unaware” according to Heb. 13:2. But now I am grasping that we can learn to participate with angels aware. (See the MP3 audio message “Angels Aware” for more on this subject.)

Recently, when it seemed like my very life was teetering between this side and the other side, I found myself in heaven. I was among some of my beloved relatives who have gone before me. All of a sudden, one of the great cloud of witnesses quickly passed through the “translucent veil” from the heavenly side to the Earth side. I was still in heaven. Then a voice from the messenger spoke to me while I was basking in the glory of heaven. Ever so clearly I heard, “You are needed on this side. Your assignment is not yet finished on this side. You are needed on this side.”

I then found myself being sent back from heaven to Earth. My being hit my body lying in my bed and the presence of God surrounded me. The words echoed within my being, ““You are needed on this side. Your assignment is not yet finished on this side.” I am here to tell you that the veil between the eternal and the temporal is very thin right now. God has a word for each one of us in this hour. In one of the very darkest moments of my life, God pierced through to release a sustaining word to me to give me strength in this hour.

Yes, the veil is very thin. But then, in reality, it is always so because of the sacrifice and Blood of the Lamb of God, Christ Jesus the Lord.

I hope that these eight Strategic Turning Points are helpful to you. I have given much prayer and deliberation concerning them. Know that God has the Harvest on His mind!

Dr. James W. Goll is the president of Encounters Network, director of Prayer Storm and coordinates Encounters Alliance, a coalition of leaders. He is director of God Encounters Training—an e-school of the heart, and is a member of the Harvest International Ministries apostolic team. He has shared Jesus in more than 50 nations worldwide, teaching and imparting the power of intercession, prophetic ministry, and life in the Spirit. Goll is the prolific author of numerous books and has also produced multiple study guides and hundreds of audio and video messages. 

“I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:1-4, NASB).

Prayers for people who are in positions of authority have high priority in the heart of God. We see this in Scripture, such as the one quoted above. You could even say that 1 Timothy 2:1-4 is an apostolic admonition for prayer. When South African pastor and prolific author Andrew Murray read this passage, he wrote in response, in Day 17 of his book Helps to Intercession:

“What a faith in the power of prayer! A few feeble and despised Christians are to influence the mighty Roman emperors, and help in securing peace and quietness. Let us believe that prayer is a power that is taken up by God in His rule of the world. Let us pray for our country and its rulers; for all the rulers of the world; for rulers in cities or districts in which we are interested. When God’s people unite in this, they may count upon their prayers effecting in the unseen world more than they know. Let faith hold this fast.”

Murray laid hold of the fact that earthly authority cannot be exercised within the will of God without the steady application of prayer on the part of the people of God.

Jack W. Hayford, respected founding pastor of The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California, comments in his book Prayer Is Invading the Impossible: “You and I can help decide [whether] … blessing or cursing … happen on earth. We will determine whether God’s goodness is released toward specific situations or whether the power of sin and satan is permitted to prevail. Prayer is the determining factor.”

Yes, the prayers that Christians pray for those in authority matter; they are essential to the advancement of the kingdom. We cannot afford to leave them up to others. Prayer for leaders must become one of the features of our lives as intercessors.

Many other Scriptures help us understand how to pray for people who are in positions of authority. Let’s look at a few of them:

• “Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17, NKJV)
• “Fear the Lord and the king, my son, and do not join with the rebellious, for those two will send sudden destruction upon them, and who knows what calamities they can bring?” (Prov. 24:21-22, NIV)
• “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan” (Prov. 29:2, NKJV).
• “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil.
• “Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
• “Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor” (Rom. 13:1-7, NASB)

Why Should We Pray for Those Who Are in Authority?
I see two reasons in 1 Timothy 2:1-4: (1) “so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity,” and (2) so that God can bring those in authority—as well as those under their authority—to Himself (He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth”).

I once heard the late international Bible teacher Derek Prince expand on this. He said that it doesn’t matter what plans, systems or programs you devise. If you bypass prayer, you will not have power to carry them out. He compared prayerless intentions to a building that is wired for electricity, but if it’s not connected to a power source nothing will work—even if the wires are in good order and the light fixtures are beautiful.

Our power source is prayer, and we are enjoined in the Bible to pray in particular for “kings and all who are in authority,” for good government and wise leadership. Why? So that we might have peace and order; for the propagation of the gospel; and because God desires all men to be saved.

Another reason we should pray for those who are in authority is simply to be obedient to the will of God. It’s clear that He wants us to pray for those in authority. He also wants us to obey them as far as it is possible to do so. If you “do good,” as Romans 13:1-7 says, you will have no need to be fearful of the authorities.

Praying and Voting
Voting is to prayer as works is to faith. We are to demonstrate our faith by our works or corresponding actions. You can do more than prayer after you’ve prayed. But you cannot do more than pray until you’ve prayed. We do not choose between the two as though they are conflicting purposes. No! We pray, get informed and then put feet to our faith—and vote!

Let me close this out with a simple and urgent appeal as voters in the United States of America head to the polls this week for our national elections. Pray that righteousness prevails. Pray and vote for those who take a stand for life, who stand with the biblical view of marriage and take a firm stand with Israel. This election is not just about the economy or international affairs—as important as those subjects are. These elections, like few others, are about righteousness ruling in our land.

Pray for righteousness to prevail!

A Heartfelt Prayer for People in Authority
While we each have special prayer assignments, we are all called to pray for people who are in authority (review 1 Timothy 2:1-4 from above). It is God’s heart! It is God’s Word! It is God’s command! Let’s tune in to God’s heart, praying for leaders and issues that concern them.

Father, in accordance with Your Word, we pause and pray for kings and for those in authority. We bring before You the one who is the president of the United States at this time. We pray that You will raise up godly counsel around the president’s life, and we pray that the voices of advisers that are based on an unbiblical framework will be silenced.

We ask You to provide wisdom like that of Solomon, as well as purity, protection and safety. We release the knowledge of God’s will with all spiritual wisdom and understanding. We also pray for our governors [name your state governor] and for our members of congress on the national and state levels. We pray for those in authority in the judicial system, especially the nine Supreme Court justices of the United States (and your nation wherever it may be). We bless them in the name of the Lord of Hosts.

We pray that all of those in authority would realize and recognize their personal inadequacy to fulfill their role and that You would release to them a revelation of dependency upon God. We pray that You would reverse the trends of socialism and humanism in this nation—all trends that deify man rather than God.

Lord, as this nation and different nations go into critical times of elections, we call forth those who are truly appointed by You. Let them rise to the top with favor, as cream rises to the top of the milk. Give them a voice that will be heard. Release favor to righteous men and women and to those who are humble, to those who are wise and have revelatory activity upon their lives; release them into positions of influence and impact and authority.

We pray for priorities to be released, revelation to come of the honor of being a public servant. We pray that there would be reliance upon the Word of God, the will of God and the ways of God as the source of daily strength, wisdom and courage. We pray that there would be a restoration of dignity and honor, trustworthiness and righteousness in the land.

We pray for our spiritual leaders. We pray for our pastors, our apostles, our prophets, our evangelists and our teachers. We pray blessings and protection over them. We pray for purity. We pray for the quality of life in their families.

We bless those in authority this day and we declare that this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men and women to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. We thank You, in Yeshua’s great name. Amen.

Join with me across the nations of the earth in prayer for the national elections of the . What happens in the United States affects the entire world; so let’s join together for righteousness to prevail for such a time as this.

James W. Goll is the president of Encounters Network, director of Prayer Storm, and coordinates Encounters Alliance, a coalition of leaders. He is director of God Encounters Training, an e-school of the heart, and is a member of the Harvest International Ministries apostolic team. James is the author of numerous books and has also produced multiple study guides and hundreds of audio and video messages.

In early 2008 when the U.S. presidential primaries were in full swing, I was given a visitation from the Lord. It was one I did not fully understand at the time. On the Republican side of the political aisle, John McCain had not yet secured his nomination from his party and Barack Obama was still in a heated debate with Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side of the ticket. Much was at stake and eventually Barack Obama was elected president of the United States at our national elections close to four years ago.

A Confirmation Comes
What I am about to share is to be discerned and prayed over as is the case in all revelatory experiences. It was only in recent months, after I re-listened to a recorded word given to me by a trusted prophet in January 2010, that I realized the magnitude of the word given directly to me by the Holy Spirit. This prophetic person stated that I had been given a visitation in early 2008, which was for the country and was governmental in nature. I had thought it was for then, but the Lord said it was a word for what was about to come.

When I received the word in January 2008, I wrongly interpreted the message. I thought, Oh that is about my visitation to start Prayer Storm The Hour that Changes the World. I thought, That is a great confirmation! Only in recent months when I re-listened to the word recorded on my phone, I realized my commissioning encounter to start Prayer Storm was in April 2007, not 2008. So my interpretation was wrong. I was left musing.

I searched through my materials and realized, I did have a visitation in early 2008. It was governmental in nature and for the United States of America. (Maybe my getting it wrong and then getting it right will encourage some of the rest of you in your three-stage journey of revelation interpretation application.)

The Background
I was alone sleeping in a downstairs room in my home in Franklin, Tenn. Michal Ann was still with us at the time, though very ill with her long-fought battle with cancer. We had ’round-the-clock home caregivers with her—whether in our bedroom, at the hospital or in the rehabilitation unit. We slept the last two years of her dear life apart, as she was constantly being taken care of.

I was desperate and seeking the Lord that night in a little hideaway room down in our basement. That night the Lord gave me a vivid dream followed by a waking vision and an experience where the external audible voice of the Lord came to me.

In the dream, I saw the nation on a teeter-totter tipping back and forth going to and fro with great instability. We were going up and down and up and down and it seemed there was no relief in sight. The United States was reeling from fatigue of wars, corruption and economic uncertainty.

Then the voice of the Lord came in the dream, Liberalism will reign for a season in the land and then it will become popular for moderacy to rule, which could ultimately lead to true conservatism.It was not the word I honestly wanted to hear from the Holy Spirit at the time but it came very succinctly to me anyway. Sometimes, we have to remove our own preconceived prejudices with our tainted filters to be able perceive a clear word from the Lord.

Suddenly, I was awakened from the dream and the basement room was tangibly filled with the presence of destiny. I then saw in the seer realm a baseball game in action. A young pitcher was throwing a ball to the plate with great force and seeming agility. It was a curve ball that appears to be a strike but instead it was not a ball for the batter to swing at. Another player was squatted behind the plate with a huge catcher’s mitt. He caught the off-target ball as it pounded into his glove.

Then the external voice of the Lord came to me saying, When the nation has been thrown a curve ball, I will have a man prepared who comes from the state of Michigan and he will have a big mitt capable of catching whatever is thrown his way.

Hearing a Hard Word
A strange word I did not understand except for the sequence liberalism to moderarcy to the possibility of true conservatism. I have wrestled with this word and it has wrestled with me. I remember even being in the state of Massachusetts at a church not long after this encounter, squatting to the ground and acting out the word about the Lord preparing a man from Michigan who would have a big mitt! Mercy! Some liked what they heard and some did not. I was a bit clueless.

I thought it was for then—2008—and I guess partly it was. Liberalism has ruled in the nation for the past four years. Some cheer this as a great success and other bemoan this as a disaster. Whatever your view, it has come to pass. Liberalism, unlike any recent time in modern American history, has ruled the land in the past four years.

But the Lord said there would be a man prepared who would come from the state of Michigan who would have a big mitt. Little did I know at that time that Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, was born in the state of Michigan. Little did I know, when I received this in 2008, that he would win his party’s primary for the 2012 national elections!

At the Crossroads of History
Let me give a word of perspective. We are not voting for a pastor, an elder or a deacon of a church. This is not the next senior pastoral selection committee. There are many views and I value interaction, discussion and educated dialogue. Let me also be clear and state: I did not say who would win the national election. We have a free choice and God honors that. But He always offers us a choice.

As I have stated earlier, I have wrestled with this word and it has wrestled with me. I have pondered deeply if I should even share the word at all publicly. I understand about praying revelation and at times not sharing your word with others. I have privately prayed more words than I have given in public. I have taught this realm for years and these truths are contained in my book The Prophetic Intercessor.

But being that we are in such a crisis of a crossroads in this nation, I for one cannot remain silent. I cannot let this word go unspoken. The Holy Spirit gave a confirmation to it to give me confidence. I have pondered and prayed through this issue. I have made a decision to dare to be bold enough to share my subjective revelatory experience with you.

The New Testament says to, “Test all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 5:21). But please, whatever you do, do not be apathetic in this hour. Get informed—even at this last minute—pray and seek the face of God and put works to your faith—and vote!

This is our American liberty; men and women have fought and died for the right for the voice of the people to be heard. I urge you to shake yourself off. Arise and make a difference! This I do know: When the nation is thrown a curve ball, He has a plan!

James W. Goll is the president of Encounters Network, director of Prayer Storm, and coordinates Encounters Alliance, a coalition of leaders. He is director of God Encounters Training, an e-school of the heart, and is a member of the Harvest International Ministries apostolic team. James is the author of numerous books and has also produced multiple study guides and hundreds of audio and video messages.

It is time to rally the troops and seek God. This year is historic.
The great serpent has coiled himself around the globe, and who shall set the world free from him?” This was the question asked in the 1800s by the British Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon, known as the “prince of preachers.” If the serpent had a strong grip in Spurgeon’s day, what can be said about our own? Is the grip of the enemy the reason a new breed of radical, fierce, yet humble intercessors is emerging on the scene?

Commentator Matthew Henry, a British clergyman in the 1600s, once stated, “When God intends to do great mercy for His people, the first thing He does is to set them a-praying.” I once heard the fiery evangelist Leonard Ravenhill declare, “At God’s counter there are no ‘sale days,’ for the price for revival is ever the same—travail!”

This all sounds rather intense today in light of the fast-food mentality that has permeated much of the body of Christ. But the principles are the same in every age: Prophetic prayer precedes revival.

In every generation God raises up forerunners and intercessors. Like John the Baptist they beseech heaven and exhort earth to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord and His purposes in their generation. In our day, too, the Lord is raising up radical, prophetic intercessors.

Last fall I was in a meeting of the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders convened by C. Peter Wagner and Cindy Jacobs. We began to intercede for Lou Engle, founder of a movement among youth named The Call, when prophetess Sharon Stone from England released a piercing word directed toward Engle.

She declared that “7-7-07” would be “the day when the scepter of the Lord is lowered and an invitation for the new youth army begins.”

Engle had been privately planning to call a national “solemn assembly”—The Call Nashville—on that exact day in the Titans Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. The Lord confirmed His word to him through Stone.

Little did this group know I had previously prophesied to Engle that The Call movement would go dormant for three years and then would be resurrected in an hour of crisis in the nation. That is exactly what has happened.

At The Call D.C. in September 2000, some 400,000 youth and adults assembled on the National Mall in Washington and worshiped and prayed for 12 hours. Engle then held The Call assemblies in several other cities and stadiums.

It is time to rally the troops and seek the Lord again. This year, 2007, is a historic generational marker. This summer we celebrate 40 years of Jerusalem’s being a united city under Israel’s domain as well as the 40th anniversary of the start of the Jesus Movement.

Yes, we have come to a strategic time when the scepter is being lowered again. It is time for the hearts of the children to be turned to the fathers and the hearts of the fathers to be turned to the children.

In 1997, I had an ecstatic visionary experience in which I prophesied, “Out of the belly of the Promise Keepers Movement will come forth a youth extravaganza that will rock the nations.” Though I have not yet seen this word come to pass, I still believe as strongly as the day I received the revelation that the promise will be fulfilled.

It is time for prophetic watchmen on the walls to sound an alarm. It is time for a new youth army to rise up. Join me and thousands others in seeking the Lord through prayer and fasting at The Call Nashville on July 7. Remember, prophetic prayer always precedes revival!

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James W. Goll is the co-founder of Encounters Network and the author of The Seer, Dream Language, The Lost Art of Intercession and The Prophetic Intercessor. Visit for more information.

Religious people think extravagant worship is a waste of time. But Mary of Bethany taught us that Jesus deserves only the best praise.

Do you want to be a passionate worshiper of Jesus the Messiah? Although we may sincerely desire to worship our Savior with abandonment, many of us have grown up in a religious or home environment where we were never allowed, or never encouraged, to freely express our emotions.

Emotions are the language of a person’s internal state of being. They are a form of communication that powerfully conveys the intensity of things we are feeling on the inside. Unbridled emotion will permit us to express ourselves in free, spontaneous and profound responses to the God who longs to have intimacy with us.

God has always wanted to be near His people. In the beginning, the first human couple enjoyed open, unbroken intimacy and fellowship with their Creator as they walked with Him “in the garden in the cool of the day” (Gen. 3:8, NKJV).

As we all know, sin broke that relationship and erected a “veil” of separation between the holy God and His own creation. God wanted to be near us so much—to repair the breach—that He became one of us. Through His Son, Jesus Christ, He “became flesh and dwelt among us … full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

By His death and resurrection, Christ tore away the veil and opened the way once more for face-to-face intimacy with the Father. But intimacy with God is not automatic; it takes time and commitment, motivated by a ravishing hunger for Him. Typically we rush into our “time with God,” rattle off our list of requests, and then rush off again. We must take the time to get to know Him as He knows us—just as His friends and disciples did.

Among Jesus’ closest friends when He was on Earth was Mary of Bethany. She was one who publicly expressed her love for Jesus in an amazingly lavish way. The Bible tells us in John 12:1-3 that Jesus was attending a dinner party when Mary “took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.”

In another Gospel account, we read that Mary’s sister, Martha, complained to Jesus because Mary wasn’t helping her serve the meal; but Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the good part (see Luke 10:40-42). That part was to sit at the feet of her Lord and friend, rapt in His words and His holy presence (see v. 39). Then, in an act of breathtaking extravagance, Mary lavished her love on Jesus in a display of unbridled devotion and abandoned worship.

According to the parallel accounts recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, this supper on Jesus’ behalf was held in the home of a man known as “Simon the leper” (Matt. 26:6; Mark 14:3). Luke’s account further identifies Simon as a Pharisee (see Luke 7:36,39). Although some biblical scholars contend that the story related in Matthew, Mark and Luke is a record of two different women, it is possible that all four accounts tell of two different acts by the same person.

John’s account, however, is the only one that identifies Mary by name; the other Gospel writers refer to her simply as “a woman.” Luke goes a little further, identifying her as a “sinner” (Luke 7:37). In that context the word “sinner” (Greek hamartolos) refers specifically to an immoral woman, or a woman of ill repute.

Matthew and Mark record that she poured the perfume on Jesus’ head (see Matt. 26:7; Mark 14:3); Luke and John say that she poured it on His feet, adding the additional detail that she wiped His feet with her hair (see Luke 7:38; John 12:3). We know from the different accounts that Jesus’ disciples as well as others were in attendance and witnessed Mary’s controversial act.

Let’s try to consolidate these various accounts and see if we can frame the complete picture. Jesus is in Bethany, the village where Lazarus, Martha and Mary live. While there, He attends a supper in the home of a Pharisee known as Simon the leper. Lazarus is also one of the dinner guests, as are Jesus’ disciples and others, perhaps some of Simon’s friends.

Martha is there to serve. It appears that this was not a small, intimate meal but rather a large dinner party.

Suddenly, in the middle of everything, Mary appears, carrying an ornate bottle of very expensive perfume. Seemingly oblivious to the presence of perhaps two dozen or more witnesses, she stands behind Jesus’ feet, wetting them with her tears (see Luke 7:38). Breaking open the vial of perfume, Mary first anoints Jesus’ head and then His feet. Then, kneeling down, she gently and lovingly wipes Jesus’ feet with her hair.

Such a blatantly public display of intimate affection probably caused a sudden embarrassed silence from everyone else in the room. For some, that embarrassed silence quickly became shocked outrage, but Mary didn’t care. She was deeply in love with a man—the Messiah—who had forgiven her and saved her and who treated her with a love, dignity and respect that no one else had ever afforded her. Whatever else she may once have been or done, no matter how she may have wasted her life before, Mary is different now. Jesus has changed her.

Now she is bent on wasting her life on her Lord—the God who loved her and forgave her—and she doesn’t care who knows about it or what anyone else thinks. For Mary, the expensive perfume means nothing; it is merely a symbol of the unrestrained love she feels in her spirit and of her determination from that day forward to waste her life on God.

Religious Criticism

It didn’t take long for Mary’s radical expression of love for Jesus to provoke strong criticism. “But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.’ And they criticized her sharply” (Mark 14:4-5).

On the surface, the criticism appears quite practical and religiously correct. The perfume was worth three hundred denarii, equivalent in those days to a year’s wages for a common laborer. Why “waste” such valuable essence on one person (no matter who he was) in a matter of a few seconds?

This is the typical response of religious people when confronted with an act of genuine spiritual devotion; it is incomprehensible to them. The religious mind counts the cost of such extravagance and concludes that it is a waste. Such criticism is almost always clothed in pious garb: “The perfume might have been sold … and the money given to the poor.”

What religious critics fail to understand is that extravagant acts of abandoned, “wasted” worship that are motivated by unfettered love for God need no justification or explanation before men. In fact, as I study the Bible, I find that extravagance in worship always wins out with God over self-conscious conservatism.

The real issue is whether we are trying to give attention or gain attention. God looks at the heart and welcomes the open, unfeigned adoration of His children, however it is expressed.

This is why Jesus jealously rose to Mary’s defense. “But Jesus said, ‘Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. … Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her'” (Mark 14:6-9). He cut right through the pious hypocrisy to focus on matters of the heart.

What is the true object of our love? Jesus said that wherever a man’s treasure is, that is where his heart will be also (see Matt. 6:21). Mary’s heart was in the right place, and Jesus affirmed her.

Once again, Mary had chosen that good part, and it would not be taken away from her. She wasted everything she had ever achieved or earned on her new Lord!

The Door to Greater Intimacy

Wasting our life on God is a doorway to greater intimacy with Him. It is a lifestyle practice that has been sorely missing in the modern, “fast-food” church for many years. It’s beginning to make a comeback, however.

Hungry believers in all parts of the world and in every stream and denomination are starting to rediscover this lost key to the simple, deeper life. The Lord Himself is stirring it up and bringing it to the remembrance and awareness of His people. He is raising up a company of friends, a society of the brokenhearted, yet grateful.

This is neither a gender issue nor a theological, doctrinal, or sectarian issue, but an issue of the heart; a heart overflowing with love and gratitude to the One who poured out and “wasted” His divine fragrance on us. What greater “waste” could there be but that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8)?

God is drawing and calling His people to a deeper, focused walk with Him, not just into the inner court but also all the way into the most holy place, that safe, quiet inner chamber to which He alone has the key. But He has given us the key and has invited us to come in.

Jesus said, “‘But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly'” (Matt. 6:6). Our prayers are welcomed and received before Him just as Jesus welcomed and received Mary’s tears that wetted His feet and her perfume that anointed His body for burial. Like Mary, a people of God are arising whose chief goal will be to waste their lives on Him.

A key to living a life wasted on God is to learn to enter the place of quietness before God; a place of meditation and what many writers of old have called contemplative prayer. That is where true intimacy and spiritual communion reach their fullest realization.

I invite you and challenge you to go on a journey with me to that secret inner place, a life wasted on Jesus. It is an invitation to join the society of the brokenhearted, a people of gratitude, meekness and faith who have felt the warm gaze of the Lord into their inmost being and have heard His affirmation, “I knew you were like that all the time.”

Out of that brokenness will come forth a fragrance that will fill the house, the fragrance of abandoned, “wasted worship” and a life completely poured out for God. That fragrance will rise and be collected in heaven, where one day the Messiah Himself will be pleased to pour it back out as an ointment to draw His people to Himself and bring healing to the nations.

The road to true intimacy with God is an inward journey, proceeding into His presence through the entrance gate of quietness of the soul. It is a narrow track that lies well off the beaten path, virtually unseen and ignored by the vast majority of humanity careening headlong through life. Although it is not easy to find, the riches and rewards are well worth the effort.

Why don’t you begin to follow it? Set off today on a road less traveled and allow the adventure that awaits to whet your appetite to get “wasted” on Jesus!

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James W. Goll is a co-founder of Encounters Network ( .com). He has traveled extensively teaching about the power of intercession, prophetic ministry and life in the Spirit. He is the author of numerous books, including The Seer and his most recent, The Lost Art of Practicing His Presence (copyright 2006), from which this article is adapted. Used by permission of Destiny Image.