But God: Injured Infant Miraculously Healed After Faith-Filled Prayer

With her infant child laying severely injured in a Corpus Christi hospital room, single mother Britany Rene Garza knew all she could count on was prayer and God’s healing power.

Her 3-month-old, Saveah, was injured in an accident when someone knocked over her stroller. After being taken to the emergency room at a nearby hospital, Saveah went into a seizure and was transferred to Driscoll Children’s Hospital, where an initial scan revealed bleeding and severe bruising on the baby’s brain.

She also suffered a broken clavicle and two broken ribs in the fall. Saveah’s injuries left Britany Rene in a state of panic, but she knew immediately what she must do: pray, and get others to pray for her baby’s life.

“I was definitely in shock and had severe goosebumps everywhere because it was crazy unbelievable,” Britany Rene said. “I was upset and cried a lot.

The mother texted a friend, Adrienne, at New Life Church, and it so happened Adrienne was there with her daughters for Sunday night youth group. Adrienne informed the youth pastor, Mario Carrete, of what happened, and asked if Carrete could come to the hospital to pray for the injured child.

“When we got there and we finally met up with the mother, she was very emotional and that’s completely understandable,” Carrete says. “It was only me, the mother and the friend, and the friend’s daughter. I remember Pastor Mike (Fehlauer) telling me that when I did these hospital visits, it was my responsibility to be the spiritual stability, and I took that very seriously.

“I told them that we were going to pray, and what we were going to pray about. I said that we were going to pray by the blood and stripes of Jesus that she will be healed and that she would be discharged the next day.

“I’ve seen God heal people instantly, and we prayed in faith that she would be. As it turns out, that’s exactly what happened, praise God.”

When Carrete received a phone call the next morning from the mother’s friend, the miraculous had taken place.

“The friend told me, ‘the doctors don’t know what happened, but they did a scan on the baby this morning and they couldn’t find any bleeding or swelling in her brain,'” Carrete said. “It’s as if it never happened. They ended up discharging her before lunch.

“But the doctors were still thinking, even if her head was healed, she still has a fractured collar bone and ribs, so they wanted to follow up with her in three days. They wanted to do a scan of her brain again and put a cast on her clavicle and treat her ribs.

“But once again, after another scan, they couldn’t find anything. They rescanned her clavicle and ribs, and nothing. They couldn’t find any sign of a break. Again, it was as if nothing ever happened.”

The miracles didn’t cease for the mother and child. Prior to the accident, Carrete said, Saveah had developed a metabolism problem and could not gain weight. By the time she came back for her final scan three days after the accident, she had gained four pounds.

From that day forward, Saveah has been a perfectly healthy baby.

“I had never seen anything like it,” Britany Rene said. “When I learned of the severity of her injuries, I was broken. I was almost angry because I was like, ‘why my daughter?’ I knew that people were praying, though. And when we prayed at the hospital, it was a very quiet moment of peace I felt.

New CM Cover“I believe in Jesus and love the Lord. I’m in shock, but I believe it because it’s God. When I found out she was ok, that was what led us back to the church.”

“Tell me that God doesn’t still do miracles,” Carrete said. “There’s no rhyme or reason for what happened other than it was God. I’m so happy for Britany Rene and so thrilled that Saveah is healed from that terrible accident. It’s amazing!” {eoa}

Bring Charisma magazine home with a subscription today!

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.




When the Dust Settles: Inside the Asbury Revival with Student Reporter Anna Lowe

I sit in the back row of the Hughes balcony. My legs are starting to ache from stiffly sitting in the same position for so long. Voices echo throughout the high ceilings as the pounding beat of a drum rattles my bones. The light shifts with the sun through the yellow, artfully crafted, stained-glass windows facing me.

“Our affection, our devotion, poured out on the feet of Jesus.”

Over and over again, this refrain repeats.

I sat here on Wednesday, I sat here on Thursday and I sat here on Friday. Hopeful to connect with Jesus in the earth-shattering way it seems everyone else has. Or at least in the way their Instagram stories make it seem.

After my 1 p.m. class on Wednesday, I felt called to go to Hughes. Lately, my heart has been incredibly hardened. It was full of frustration due to so many situations in my life that I felt unheard and unvalued. For the sake of complete transparency, it had even been impacting me physically with a tightening in my chest, a bodily response from being unable to access my emotions. When I arrived at Hughes, my immediate inclination was to take photos and record what was happening through interviews, as my job typically requires. In my heart, I felt an outer nudge to be still. And so that’s what I did.

Nothing immediately happened to me or changed in my heart. A beam of light did not cast itself upon me, and thank goodness, the Lord did not immediately smite me out of existence even though I deserved it. I did not let the lack of immediacy deter me, even though I thought about leaving. All that mattered at that moment was our Creator. The transfer of my focus nudged me to ponder how infinitesimally small we are. The situations that enraptured my mind were mere specks on the horizon compared to eternity.

My heart shifted, and a resentment that had followed me for months was lifted by the grace of God alone. Walls of bitterness and agitation released themselves from my mind. I felt them cast out of my mind and heart to the point where I have almost completely forgotten the prior feeling. Knowing myself, I am confident this shift is not of my own volition. I was set and satisfied in my resentment, but God had different plans for me.

This moment of absolute peace shifted my reality. My conversations with friends are deeper. Reconciliation is genuine and pure in heart with no intent to harm. God-prompted, open discussions are strengthening beliefs in ways I never could achieve on my own.

But I am still apprehensive and cautious regarding some aspects of this revival.

Revival is a gift from God. He takes the initiative, which means we must be careful when assigning credit for what is taking place. Across campus, there is already a toxic stigma of “revival shaming.” I’ve heard things such as, “How many hours have you been here? I’ve been here all day. I am sooo exhausted. I even skipped class.” What do you notice in these comments? Jesus is usually not mentioned. We must be careful with self-centered responses based on who is “showing up for Jesus” and who is not.

My goal is always to report the truth, not making assumptions about anything, much less someone’s profession of faith.

But I have been to many a summer camp in my life, some fully present, others not as much. One concept constantly discussed before, during and after each camp is the idea of a “Jesus high”: an adrenaline rush from lack of sleep, excitement from newfound knowledge and the fulfilling promise of the Holy Spirit.

The most dangerous aspect of this Jesus high is that it wears off.

Once the dust settles, there is exhaustion from lack of adrenaline, agitation from disagreements and overall burnout from the lack of community encouragement. And eventually, I forget everything I learned until I am reminded again in this toxic and tiring cycle.

We must ensure that our community does not drift in a similar direction.

When the dust settles, and Hughes is empty, what will remain?

We must answer honestly, are we pouring out our affection and devotion on the feet of Jesus or onto ourselves?

Jesus is working, and the Holy Spirit is moving in Hughes. But He is always moving everywhere. God is using this revival in incredible ways. There is reconciliation, confession and soulful worship. But I pray we do not turn this revival into a prolonged event for its own sake and forget that genuine revival is initiated and sustained by the living God.

There is a deeply rooted history of revival in our community. The influence of the 1970 Revival has an incredible weight that cannot go unnoticed. The records on Asbury’s website indicate that revivals occur mainly during February, with two in March.

This month, my mind constantly returns to The Call of Wisdom in the first chapter of Proverbs. A question Wisdom cries out in verse 22 calls to me in particular, and it floods my thoughts constantly.

“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?”

We cannot think about this revival simply. Think deeply about the call in our hearts and this moment in the perspective of eternity. Seek understanding contextually, historically and spiritually in this moment. A holistic mindset is required when seeking the Truth. Before you post, before you pray over others, before you share your testimony, please seek Wisdom. Do not be complacent or accepting of what you hear at face value. Deep comprehension will make this revival a more fruitful and lasting experience for everyone.

Anna Lowe, Managing Editor, The Asbury Collegian, is a member of the Courageous class and a Journalism major. She is RA of Kresge 1st East this year and is excited to assist in helping students on campus stay informed. She loves to tell others’ stories and hopes she can continue representing others as an immigration attorney in the future.
This article furnished and republished with permission by Asbury University
student newspaper
The Asbury Collegian Managing Editor, Anna Lowe.
Originally posted Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.



Is the Next Great Awakening Launching from Asbury Revival?

The revival at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, has revived the hopes of many that America is on the verge of another Great Awakening. Feb. 22 is George Washington’s birthday and there is something very instructive from the life and career of Washington that potentially runs parallel to the revival that has erupted at Asbury, and is now spreading to other colleges and universities.

Here is the potential parallel I am suggesting. Washington and the other Founders were prepared for their historic role in the founding of America by the First Great Awakening. Since the current revival is occurring on college and university campuses, is it possible that God is sending another Great Awakening to prepare a new generation of leaders for a rebirthing of America?

There is no question that Washington and every Founding Father were, to one degree or another, impacted by the First Great Awakening. The late Harvard professor, Perry Miller, said, “The Declaration of 1776 was a direct result of the preaching of the evangelists of the Great Awakening” (Hyatt, “1726: The Year that Defined America,” 105).

Benjamin Rush (1746-1813), a Philadelphia physician, member of the Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence, attributed the development of his thinking and ideals to the preachers of the Great Awakening. In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin (1706-90) tells of his friendship with the most famous preacher of the Awakening, George Whitefield, and how he attended his meetings and financially supported his ministry (Hyatt, “America’s Revival Heritage,” 69).

Washington’s Deep and Living Faith

Although he never mentions the Great Awakening per se, Washington’s life, prayers and faith are characteristic of those whose lives were dramatically transformed during the Awakening. It is a fact that the Awakening, which began in 1726, had a particularly profound impact on the state of Virginia where Washington was born on Feb. 22, 1732.

This was confirmed by Charles Hodge (1797-1878), Professor of Biblical Literature and Systematic Theology at Princeton University, who gave an account of the Awakening in a pamphlet he wrote on the history of Presbyterian Church in America. He said, “In no part of our country was the revival more interesting, and in very few was it so pure as in Virginia” (Hyatt, “1726: The Year that Defined America,” 131).

Among the many indications of Washington having been profoundly impacted by the Awakening is a little prayer book that was discovered among his personal belongings in 1891. Called “Daily Sacrifice,” it is filled with daily prayers in Washington’s handwriting when he was in his twenties. One of the first entries reads,

Direct my thoughts, words, and work, wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the Lamb, and purge my heart by Thy Holy Spirit . . . daily frame me more and more in the likeness of Thy Son Jesus Christ (Hyatt, “America’s Revival Heritage,” 72).

Commenting on this prayer book, Professor S. F. Upham, of Drew Theological Seminary, wrote:

“The ‘Daily Prayers’ of George Washington abound in earnest thought, expressed in simple, beautiful, fervent, and evangelical language. They reveal to us the real life of the great patriot and attest to his piety. The prayers are characterized by a deep consciousness of sin and by a need for forgiveness, and by a recognition of dependence upon the merits and mercies of our Lord” (Hyatt, “1726:The Year that Defined America,” 132-33).

“It is, therefore, not surprising that when Washington was commissioned as commander-in-chief of the colonial army, one of his first acts was to issue an order that each day was to begin with prayer led by the commanders of each unit. He also forbade profanity, swearing, gambling and drunkenness and expressed his desire that, ‘Every officer and man will endeavor so as to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier'” (Hyatt, “1726:The Year that Defined America,” 114).

“Rev. Henry Muhlenberg (1711–1787), pastor of a Lutheran Church adjacent to Valley Forge where Washington and is men were quartering one winter, observed Washington’s activities and wrote, ‘Washington rode around among his army yesterday and admonished each one to fear God'” (Hyatt, “1726: The Year that Defined America,” 115).

A Jesus-Centered Faith

After the surrender of General Cornwallis at Yorktown, Washington sent a letter, dated June 14, 1783, to the governors of the various states in which he urged them to make Jesus their role model for life. He exhorted that we must all:

“Demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of His example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation” (Hyatt, “1726: The Year that Defined America,” 120).

In a meeting with chiefs from the Delaware tribe, Washington politely and boldly recommended Jesus to them as the key to their happiness. The chiefs had come to meet with Congress, and they brought with them three of their youth, asking that they be educated in American schools.

Washington addressed the chiefs as “Brothers” and expressed his hope that the Delaware would “become one people with your brethren of the United States.” He assured them that Congress would look upon their youth “as their own children.” He then said,

“You do well to wish to learn our arts and our ways of life and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention” (Hyatt, “1726: The Year that Defined America,” 172).

Many historians recognize in the Washington and the Founders an unusual collection of brilliant minds at one time in history. Even Frederick Douglass, the former slave and famous abolitionist, lauded the Founders in a July 4th, 1852 speech, saying,

“I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this Republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men too—great enough to give fame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men” (Hyatt, “America’s Revival Heritage,” 86).

New CM CoverThis Awakening Could be Historic

The First Great Awakening played a vital role in preparing Washington and his colleagues for their historic role of birthing the freest and wealthiest nation in the history of mankind. With this present Awakening impacting young people on college and university campuses, let us pray with faith and hope that God will continue His work and raise up a new generation of leaders for a rebirthing of America. {eoa}

Bring Charisma magazine home with a subscription today!

Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt is an author, historian and biblical scholar who has written extensively about America’s history of Spiritual Awakenings. This article was derived from his books America’s Revival Heritage and 1726: The Year that Revived America, available from Amazon and his website at .




President Mark Walker Explains Revival at Lee University

It’s amazing what is beginning to happen on our college campuses. With the Asbury University Revival more than a week in, other pockets of revival are beginning to break out around America, which is extremely encouraging for a country in desperate need of God.

There is another one that is beginning to take hold at Lee University—a private, Christian university in Cleveland, Tennessee—and it looks as if the Holy Spirit is moving mightily among the students and faculty there. I had the privilege or recently talking to Lee University’s president, Mark Walker, who says this move of God began Monday morning as an organic, spontaneous prayer vigil by a handful of students.

This all reminds me of the early days of Pentecost. There was a day when the Lord would move in a church and people would stay at the altars, usually after a Sunday night service, and pray through. Does anyone remember that expression? We don’t see that much anymore.

This is a beautiful, spontaneous, very Pentecostal thing to do. Mark told me that he knew many of the Lee students who began the revival, and that it quickly began to spread to the community in Cleveland who began to hear about it.

Mark says what is happening is what revival is all about.

“There was repentance taking place,” he says. “There was a foot washing that occurred, too. One of the faculty members that was in charge of leading at that particular time felt led to do a foot washing of one of the students, and it was a beautiful moment.

“There were students praying in tongues. We have students that are filled with the Holy Spirit. We had some that came forward to give their lives to Christ. So yes, we had the whole panorama of what you would consider to be what the Holy Spirit wants to do in all of us, in every church, and in every gathering of followers of Christ. Certainly, it’s the signs of revival.”

There are all kinds of revival. If somebody gets turned on to Jesus, there is a revival of one. But we haven’t seen anything like this since the Toronto Outpouring (1994-1996) or maybe what happened at Brownsville in Pensacola, Florida (1995-2000).

And with the direction this country has been heading, it’s almost like we need some kind of move of God to come against the onslaught we face in our culture from the secular community. And lately, it seems more and more that it’s infiltrating a lot of the Christian institutions. So, I’m just encouraged to hear that this is happening at Lee. Thankfully, they don’t have that reputation. It is a great Christian university that has been around for 100 years.

It’s this kind of repentance and praise and prayer and seeking God that He wants from us. And, thank God, it is happening to Gen Z—18 to 20-year-olds—which many have written off as lost from the kingdom of Christ.

“There’s so much confusion, confusion of identity, leadership, who can you trust. They have witnessed so much disunity and division within the church and within the political arena of our nation and the cancel culture. There has been so much abuse that this generation has witnessed. There are people that should be showing them the way that have let them down.

“This type of experience is something that is hugely needed by this generation. And this is the cry of their heart. This is a cry out of the depths of their soul. … This, I really believe, is a cry out of their soul to the only One they know that can truly satisfy.”

new cm coverimageVery well said, indeed. There is a deep longing for this, and it’s beginning to happen for these young people. Our hope is that it will continue to spread to the rest of the nation.

Please watch the video of my interview with Lee University President Mark Walker or listen to my Strang Report podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network. And please be sure to share it with your social media followers. {eoa}

Bring Charisma magazine home with a subscription today!




Why the The Jesus Revolution Movie Is a ‘Must See’

Neil Diamond’s classic song, “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show” had this memorable line, “Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies, everyone go…” That’s my appeal as the outstanding film “The Jesus Revolution” opens nationwide.

“In the 1970s, Greg Laurie, and a sea of young people descended on sunny, southern California to re-define truth through all means of liberation. Inadvertently, Laurie meets a charismatic street preacher, and a pastor who opens the door to a church to a stream of wandering youth. What unfolds is a counterculture movement that becomes a great spiritual awakening in American history.”

This is not some “cheesy” low budget film, but rather a first class film produced by Greg, a nationally known evangelist who fills stadiums yearly in California and worked closely with Billy Graham.

The movie features award winning actor, Kelsey Grammer of “Cheers” fame and Kimberly Williams Paisley, star of Father of the Bride with Steve Martin and wife of singer Brad Paisley.

Revisiting a Move of God

If you are over 50, you probably remember it. If you are under 50, you may not know much about it. Watch what God did and wants to do again.

In a very turbulent and discouraging time in our nation’s history, God intervened in a supernatural way during a five-year period from 1968 to 1973. A grassroots spiritual movement burst forth on the scene with a soft explosion that revolutionized millions of lives. It was called the “Jesus People Movement.”

In the midst of our daily barrage of disturbing and depressing developments we desperately need something like this film to stir up memories of a time when God’s fire fell upon our nation.

Rewind the Tape

The 1960s was an unsettling time of cataclysmic change in America. Kennedy was assassinated; prayer and Bible reading were banned from public schools; the “British Invasion” played a major role in bringing rock ‘n’ roll, unrestrained sexual activity and drugs to America; the Anti-War, Women’s Lib, Black Power and Gay movements exploded on the scene; and when Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. were assassinated, amidst student riots and burning cities, Time magazine declared 1968 as the “knife blade that severed past from future.”

Rebellion and cynicism abounded. A hippie and drug counterculture blossomed as America youth were seduced even as they are today by the “Progressive” Democratic Party and radical LGBTQ, BLM and “Woke” activists. I know firsthand because I was there pounding away on my drums for a Cleveland rock band called “The Lost Souls.” Like scores of naïve youths, I was lost and in need of God’s saving grace.

As Barry Maguire sang his song, “Eve of Destruction,” something unexpectedly happened. Smack dab in the epicenter of California’s hippie subculture, the Holy Spirit began drawing bummed out youth to a genuine encounter with Jesus!

As scores of gullible guys and gals grabbed their love beads, put flowers in their hair and fell in line behind Pied Piper Scott McKenzie (“If you’re going to San Francisco…”), God started intervening.

Multitudes of young people got radically converted and set free from drugs, sexual immorality, homosexuality and deception!

Jesus Revolution

New converts began enthusiastically, pointing their one-way finger heavenward and hitting the streets to tell others about a living, dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. They were baptized—many in the ocean! They swayed to new forms of music and found themselves gathering informally in coffee houses where they shared testimonies about the living God.

Like wildfire, this move of God, spread across the country before the advent of cell phones, computers, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media!

God imparted a burden among young people to reach their generation. He instilled in them a hunger for His Word, evangelism and genuine community. There was spontaneity and a simplicity that characterized the come-as-you-are gatherings.

New and innovative expressions of art were displayed through Jesus newspapers, posters, bumper stickers, T-shirts, jewelry and buttons. Rock and folk music creatively communicated to curious crowds. God had intervened, and was at work to rescue a generation that Satan was trying to destroy.

Birthing Time

Influential ministries like Calvary Chapel, The Vineyard, Willow Creek, Jesus People USA plus outdoor Jesus Festivals drawing tens of thousands were birthed. Contemporary Christian Music was launched.

Musicals like “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Godspell” were born. Leaders like Steve Strang, Greg Laurie, Mike Bickle, Dr. Michael Brown, Bob Weiner, Rick Joyner, Arthur Blessitt, Phil Keaggy, Andre Crouch, Keith Green and Larry Norman emerged.

I was converted in 1969 and aligned with young people who had been radically saved. Starting with a handful of believers in a home, a ministry was launched that in a few short years grew to over 2000 meeting weekly just 15 minutes from the White House!

Cars lined the streets outside the facility and people arrived early to get a seat. A Senator, a son of a Supreme Court Justice and a young, messianic Jew named Sid Roth sat in the crowd.

At that time a publisher challenged me to write my story, which I did in the book “Clap Your Hands!” When it became a quarter million best seller, I knew I was truly part of something supernatural. Listen to it free as an audiobook at .

“Campus Crusade for Christ” held a massive event in Dallas called “Explo 72” and 85,000 Jesus people attended the five-day event. The Saturday closing session drew a crowd estimated at 180,000 with Billy Graham and Johnny Cash.

Capturing a Nation

The Jesus Movement landed on the cover of Time magazine, which featured an eight-page positive report! In Larry Eskridge’s book he mentioned amazing stories in the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and Life magazine.

“In many ways, the advent of the Jesus People must have seemed like an oasis in the desert of several years’ worth of distressing news about the younger generation.”

We need this today! It’s time for another Jesus Movement but in a way that will be uniquely God and hopefully a precursor to a Third Great Awakening in America.

New CM CoverHere’s the Deal: There’s no question we are reaching a tipping point today. May we pray with desperation like the prophet Habakkuk for a fresh visitation from Almighty God and may He use this movie to stir our hearts. Watch for it in your nearby theater!

“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O, Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time, make them known; in wrath, remember mercy” (Hab. 3:2). {eoa}

Bring Charisma magazine home with a subscription today!




How to Remove Generational Curses in Heaven’s Courtroom

This article originally appeared on Curt Landry Ministries.

*Note: This is the first of a two-part series.

The power of life and death is in the tongue (Prov. 18:21). To remove generational curses in heaven’s courtroom, it’s important to speak God’s Word that cancels the curse.

God’s Word is the sword of the Spirit. It splits bone from marrow. It is the only weapon that can remove iniquities, cutting them away from your life.

We are going to walk through these six steps to removing generational curses in heaven’s courtroom.

  1. Make a choice to be in God’s Word
  2. Enter into the courts and state your case (first stepping into your identity in Yeshua)
  3. Repent and forgive
  4. Renounce the curse
  5. Apply the blood
  6. Strike out the words of the accuser

God has words written for you in heaven. But the enemy has words written for you too. By the power of the blood of Yeshua, you can cancel the enemy’s assignment and release God’s Word from Heaven.

We’re dealing with the issue of generational curses. I want to talk to you today about removing generational curses in the Courts of Heaven.

But I’m going to start with some of the most general questions, and then I’m going to lead you in prayer and instruction for breaking those generational curses in the Courts of Heaven.

4 Questions for You to Consider When Breaking Off Generational Curses in Heaven’s Courtroom

  1. What is one step that you can take today to start connecting more with the Word of God? So we’re going to deal with that question.
  2. Why do you think God’s Word is referred to as a sword of the Spirit?
  3. What is an example of a time when God’s Word divided soul and spirit? That would be Hebrews 4:12.
  4. What are the verses that the Holy Spirit has heightened to you about the power of the Word?

So I’m going to answer these questions real quick, and then we’re going to go into the Courts of Heaven and apply it on this podcast with this precious time that we have.

  1. One Step You Can Take Today

Start by learning that the power of life and death is in the tongue and speaking out life, which we’re going to do. We’re going to actually speak it out, and we’re breaking the generational curses in the Courts of Heaven.

So the first answer to that question is the power of your mouth and the spoken word.

  1. God’s Word is the Sword of the Spirit

Why do you think God’s Word is referred to as a sword of the Spirit? It’s a sword of the Spirit because it actually cuts things. So if you can imagine that someone is tied by a chain or a rope and is held back, unable to reach outside a boundary or a perimeter, the sword of the Spirit comes like a cutting torch and cuts that chain or cuts that rope so that you can have freedom and go free.

  1. God’s Word Divides Soul and Spirit

What is an example of a time when God’s Word divided soul and spirit in your life? The scripture in Hebrews 4:12 says, “The Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword, dividing the ways and the intents of the heart.” So the way it is for me in my life, anytime I get a situation where I’m asked to do something, even secular things, it’s just a habit I have. I always ask myself, what is my motivation for doing this?

  • Am I motivated because I’m trying to network?
  • Am I motivated because I want to make money
  • Am I motivated because I want to have influence?

None of those things are bad, but I know just for me, I’m not in a season where I do that. If my soul is saying, “Ooh, I want to go to this meeting for influence, finance or something to gain for myself,” I usually won’t do it because it’s like my heart is not right. For me, at this stage in my life, unless my heart is to help those I’m meeting or interacting with and not self-promotion, then I’m spiritually ready to go.

If I have hesitation and I’m in that other realm, I either deal with it in my heart or I don’t go at all.

  1. The Holy Spirit Highlights God’s Word

What are the verses the Holy Spirit has heightened to you about the power of the Word? In Isaiah 55:11, it says that the Word of God shall not come back void but shall prosper in what it was sent to do. Here’s a great Scripture for removing generational curses. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “Do not sorrow for the joy of the Lord.”

Pray for Joy

You have to have the joy of the Lord. So many times when you need to be delivered from generational curses, you’re not in a place of joy. So it’s a choice. You may not be there today.

So let’s just pray right now and decree and say,

  • “Lord, the joy of the Lord is not a feeling. It’s a choice. And I choose the joy of the Lord to be my strength this day. So Lord, cleanse me and wash me of all sins. And Lord, I ask that as I agree with these words today, that Lord, I am going to go into the Courts and I am going to remove generational curses in the Courts of Heaven to set my family and I free from these oppressive, demonic entities that are trying to steal our peace and to steal our purpose and our identity, in Yeshua’s name.” {eoa}

VIctory in Spiritual WarfareClick here to view Rabbi Landry’s book on spiritual warfare!

New CM CoverBring Charisma magazine home with a subscription today!

Curt Landry, founder of Curt Landry Ministries, and his wife, Christie, travel extensively, preaching and teaching about the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. Together, their passion is to empower families to live and leave Kingdom legacies and understand their own personal heritage.




Former Disney Exec Turned Christian Author Dave Hollis Dies at 47

Dave Hollis, former president of worldwide distribution for Walt Disney Studios, a Christian author and social media influencer, died at his home in Texas on Feb. 11. He was 47.

Hollis, whose ex-wife Rachel Hollis wrote the bestseller Girl, Wash Your Face, was pronounced dead Sunday at his home in Dripping Springs, a city on the outskirts of Austin, according to Hays County Justice of the Peace Andrew Cable. An autopsy will be performed.

A representative for Hollis’ family said he died peacefully Saturday night at his home outside Austin, Texas, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He had been hospitalized recently for heart problems.

Rachel wrote about Dave’s sudden death in an Instagram post on Tuesday, asking for prayers.

“We are devastated,” she wrote. “I have no words and my heart is too broken to find them. Please wrap the kids in prayers as we try and navigate through the unthinkable.”

Hollis is survived by his four children: Jackson, Sawyer, Ford and Noah.

Hollis had a 17-year career with Disney, working his way up to become president of the theatrical distribution division. During his tenure as the division’s president from 2011-2018, he played a key role in the relaunch of the Star Wars franchise, as well as the Avengers series, Frozen and Ryan Coogler’s blockbuster superhero film Black Panther (2018), according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Under Hollis’s leadership, the studio experienced amazing success at the box office. In 2016, it became the first studio to surpass $7 billion in global ticket sales in just one year.

In 2018, Hollis left Disney to relocate with his family and work alongside his then-wife Rachel as CEO of their company ChicMedia. The parents of four moved from Los Angeles to the Austin area, collaborated on live streams, podcasts and organized life-affirming conferences. In their podcast, “Rise Together,” they focused on marriage.

To view the rest of the article, visit our content partners at CBN News.

Reprinted with permission from . Copyright © 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.

New CM CoverBring Charisma magazine home with a subscription today!




Pastor Greg Locke’s New Movie Takes the Fight to Satan

Hoping to re-engage the American church in spiritual warfare, Pastor Greg Locke of Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, hopes to mobilize God’s faithful against Satan.

To do this, he and members of the Demon Slayers Podcast have created a movie filled with the Word of God to confront and overcome the enemy.

The movie, “Come Out in Jesus Name,” launches Mon. March 13, with more showings and locations to be added by Fathom Events.

“This is really, totally, an organic move of the Holy Spirit,” Pastor Locke told Charisma News in an exclusive interview.

“This is not anything we ever intended. I never had a goal or desire to get into movie theaters. And yet, the Lord began to accentuate such a mighty move of His Spirit at our church. And I thought, ‘Let’s share this with the world!'” he continued.

Sadly, deliverance ministry has left the mainstream Christian world.

Too often, delivering someone of evil spirits was allowed to seem mysterious and frequently included overacting by which to work over people’s emotions. Using drama and theatre gimmicks is not going to remove a demon from someone’s life, only the power of God has authority over those spirits.

But deliverance of unclean spirits was a huge part of what Jesus did in the Gospels, and is a practice that should have never been left behind.

“We’re taking the silliness out of it and showing people this is the ministry of Jesus,” Locke explained. “This is the ancient ministry of the New Testament. It’s a third of what Jesus did. And it’s [the movie] so theologically well done, from beginning to end. It’s packed full of just Scripture, Word of God after Word of God after Word of God.”

With a lack of deliverance ministries being shown to Christians, many do not know what to expect when a person is delivered of a demon. It can make a person uncomfortable at what they are witnessing, but the Bible says there are physical reactions in a person when a demon is coming out of them.

“I think people have a hard time with the uncomfortable,” Locke surmised. “Nobody wants the uncomfortable subjects, and there’s really nothing more uncomfortable to talk about than demons.

“We’re not talking about kitty cats, we’re talking about evil problem with the American church is we care more about our dignity, than we do our deliverance. So you gotta leave your dignity at the door, quit compromising and patty caking with evil spirits, and you got to be willing to wrestle to the mat the issues that have kept you where you’re at,” he continued.

Pastor Locke highlights an area that has plagued the Christian church for some time now, and that is the feeling of comfort and not being trained up in spiritual warfare.

Jesus Christ has victory over Satan, it is a done deal, but that does not mean the forces of darkness are going to give up without a fight. If anything, they are fighting to the death. Scripture shows clearly that in some cases a person delivered of possession is at heightened risk for a sevenfold recurrence of possession (Matt. 12:45).

So Christians need to start flexing their spiritual muscles again and take hold of the victory that was achieved by the blood of Jesus on the cross.

A spirit may not come out with the first laying on of hands and prayer. This is why the Bible stresses the need for Christians to endure and have perseverance in their faith. Not only that, but to put that faith into action and by the power of Jesus Christ deliver people from the demons tormenting them.

To find out more about the new deliverance movie “Come Out in Jesus Name,” visit their website at . {eoa}

New CM CoverBring Charisma magazine home with a subscription today!

James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.




The Chapel Service That Launched Asbury University Revival

On Feb. 8th students at Asbury University gathered together in Hughes Auditorium for a chapel service. One week later, that service hasn’t stopped. So what happened that led up to the revival?

Asbury University Reverend Zach Meerkreebs was preaching to the students about love. Now thousands from around the country have flocked to the sleepy town of Wilmore, Kentucky to partake in the miraculous move of God.

In this Charisma magazine video, we play clips and talk about the sermon he shared that has put a spotlight around the university for the world to see.

“I know the heart of God is not one to keep guilt and shame on us,” Meerkreebs says in the sermon.

Teaching about the sacrificial love of Jesus, he inquired of the students to determine how they love one another and what is the true source of that love.

Meerkreebs spoke from Philippians 2:3-4 which says, “Let nothing be done out of strife or conceit, but in humility let each esteem the other better than himself. Let each of you look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others.”

He told the students, “Pressures off. You can’t love the way this verse speaks. Do you know that? You are loved by Jesus. Stop striving. Stop wearing this heavy burden of ‘I’ve gotta love because I’m a Christian.’ No, you’ve got to love because you’ve tasted and seen the goodness of God.”

At the end of the sermon, he prayed that the students would be overwhelmed by the love of God. That they would experience the kind of love that God has for them because that’s the love the world needs.

Anyone who has been to the revival shares there is a “sweetness” in the air. A tangible love of God is being felt by many around the country. God is clearly showing this generation His relentless love and pursuit of them to change and transform their hearts for one another.

Tune in to the video to hear clips from the sermon. {eoa}

Bring Charisma magazine home with a subscription today!

Shelby Bowen is an assistant editor for Charisma Media.




Is Valentine’s Day A Pagan Holiday?

Hallmark cards are being wiped off the shelves, flowers propped up in pretty vases and a barrage of candy hauled out of local stores. Single or married, just about everyone partakes in Valentine’s Day to some degree.

As a Christian you may be wondering the historical roots of the holiday and whether some of the pagan folklore surrounding the day is true.

So, what is the history?

The first festival that some tie Valentine’s Day to is “Lupercalia,” which was an ancient Roman festival of fertility. Records show that during Feb. 13th-15th some men would kill a goat and a dog, and take the skins of the animals.

Yale Professor Noel Lenski told NPR the women would line up for the men to hit them with the blood soaked skins believing it would help make them fertile.

Pastor Vlad Savchuk posted a video saying, “There is no record of this holiday being a matchmaking that Valentine’s has become today or that is promoted romance or love.”

You’ve probably also heard of Saint Valentine. Valentine was reported to be a temple priest who died in A.D. 270. Some accounts say that he was imprisoned by Emperor Claudius for helping Christians in Rome wed.

While imprisoned some believe he fell in love with the jail keepers daughter. He would send notes to her signed, “Love, Your Valentine.”

It is unclear for certain whether Pope Gelasius I made Feb. 14th into a holiday to celebrate the Christian martyr. “We just don’t see for a thousand something years Christians or other cultures really celebrating love and romance in honor of Saint Valentine,” Savchuk says.

Valentine’s Day gained more popularity after Chaucer and Shakespeare started writing about the romantic day in their work, which spread across Europe into the New World. A man by the name of Geoffrey also wrote a poem called “The Parliament of Fowls.”

“It probably had more influence on what we know the Valentine’s Day to be today than anything else. It was written in the 14th century. It described a group of bird which would gather together in the early spring to Saint Valentine’s day,” Savchuk says.

People around the world would send love letters during bird mating season which also fell in February.

In 2020 Forbes reported that Valentine’s Day is a now $20 billion holiday, “a day where 145 million cards trade hands.” The giving of cards on the holiday in America originated from Esther Howland. She designed unique, pricey cards that later turned into New England Valentine Co.

With that being said…

“Historically speaking it’s not really connected to a pagan holiday and historically speaking it’s not really connected to a guy who was martyred,” Savchuk says.

He encourages all Christians out there to look at their motive. If you are married and want to go out of your way to celebrate your spouse with a thoughtful card and romantic evening—that’s great! If you are a Christian single going out to party and get together with different people then that would be wrong.

Whether you are married or single we can all embody the kind of love talked about in the Bible. First Corinthians 13 tells us that love is long suffering, love is kind, love does not envy, love isn’t puffed up, love does not behave improperly, love does not seek its own, love is not easily provoked, love rejoices in truth, love bears all, believes all, hopes all, endures all thing and love never fails.

This Valentine’s Day you can prayerfully examine your heart in each of those areas to see how you can better love those around you. {eoa}

Bring Charisma magazine home with a subscription today!

Shelby Bowen is an assistant editor for Charisma Media.