Todd Bentley

[JimB]

In truth, nobody knows what God has done in Bentley's heart in these last few years. What if God has done a great clean up? What if God is pleased with the man? What if God decides to use him and work through him? I'm not a Bentley fan, it's not that. I'm not hoping and praying for the return of his ministry. I wasn't invested in the Lakeland thing, but I do believe God was at work in it- I don't reject it as false. I do believe our Lord allowed it, and I also believe this was exposed before the whole world for a reason. I don't believe God did that to leave thousands wounded and confused, or to humiliate Todd on the big stage. There's another chapter coming. There's healing coming because that's who God is. I also think many will miss it because they really don't believe the Father's love is great enough to restore a sinner like Todd. I believe the chapter that is to come will be a story about the Father's Love, Mercy and Grace. I really don't care how "bad" Todd is or was, because my Father is Bigger and Lovelier. I'm confident that Daddy got through to the man, because there's many in the world who are just like Todd who need to know the Father's Heart for them. God doesn't give up on sinners as quickly as the church does!

Lot's of what ifs here. What if the opposite is true? Problem is with these sort of things ... who knows?

~Jim

It is impossible to reason a person out of something he hasn't reasoned himself into. ~Jonathan Swift​

 

[Child of JC]

Lot's of what ifs here. What if the opposite is true? Problem is with these sort of things ... who knows?

~Jim

It is impossible to reason a person out of something he hasn't reasoned himself into. ~Jonathan Swift​

I've been editing what I wrote. I've concluded with "I guess we'll see."

 

[Biblicist]

Tobias (# 38),

One thing that I should point out to you, is that I am not one to say that the Holy Spirit was never present during the Lakeland meetings and even though many people make the a silly claim that he wasn't it shows that even though they may be justified with their righteous contempt of Bentley and his cohorts, their disgust with the behaviour at Lakeland is sadly blinding their thinking in this matter.

In fact for anyone to ever contemplate that it would be impossible or even unlikely for the Holy Spirit not to be present amongst a company of believers goes beyond reason as he WILL ALWAYS be present amongst any two or more Saints. As the Spirit is present and if there is faith within any individual within such a meeting then there is no reason that the Spirit will not choose to work in and amongst his people even if a scoundrel or scoundrels are the venue coordinators.

We can leave Bentley aside for the moment and return to a couple of decades earlier when we had a confessed charlatan by the name of Marjoe Gortner who conned thousands over many years into thinking that he could minister in the power of God – sadly he later admitted that he was never a Christian and that his parents played thousands into thinking he was some sort of child prodigy. Even though he was a confessed liar and charlatan, I have no doubt that the Spirit of God ministered amongst some of the crowds that flocked to hear him but of course the Spirit never worked through Gortner himself.

Even though I hold men such as Gortnor, Bentley and the hordes of other scoundrels in contempt, in that they have not only brought dishonour to the name of Christ but that they have also shipwrecked many lives in the process. When it comes to the shame that he has created, he will certainly be accountable for this and most importantly so will his ardent supporters such as Joyner who have shown a complete lack of integrity.

When it comes to the poor sods whose faith has been shipwrecked or temporarily derailed I certainly feel for them and when Bentley finally faces the Lord who will undoubtedly pay the price for this. For the new believers in Christ this can certainly be a horrendous event in their lives but for those who are more mature in the Lord if it has badly affected them then they need to get their sight off man and back toward God; Bentley is not the first conman nor will he be the last for their will always be individuals ready to replace the last fallen celebrity as they know too well that there will always be a sizable component of the Church who will be more than ready to have their ears tickled.

Over the years I have personally encountered not only many conmen but also those who are essentially only on a church payroll to advance their own needs and I have paid the price for placing my trust and confidence in them. This has happened even in my own church and it will continue to happen until the Lord returns. So to those who have been heavily unsettled by the developments at Lakeland all I can say is get over the shock of their gullibility and naivety and get ready for the next conman by setting their sight not on man but God!

 

[Simon Peter]

That is my main concern, when people feel the need to say that the Holy Spirit was never present, and that everything behind the hype was nothing but smoke and mirrors.

One thing that I should point out to you, is that I am not one to say that the Holy Spirit was never present during the Lakeland meetings and even though many people make the a silly claim that he wasn't...

I've read quite a lot about Bentley/Lakeland and I can't recall a single person making that claim! Perhaps I just didn't notice?

Could you point me to some of the quotes from those people?

Thanks,
Simon

 

[Tobias]

I've read quite a lot about Bentley/Lakeland and I can't recall a single person making that claim! Perhaps I just didn't notice?

Could you point me to some of the quotes from those people?

Thanks,
Simon

Huge problems arise when we say that something is of God, when it really is not.


peace,
Simon

Sorry, but I guess that's what I hear when I read 99% of your posts concerning Bentley.

Thanks for clarifying!

 

[Simon Peter]

Sorry, but I guess that's what I hear when I read 99% of your posts concerning Bentley.

Thanks for clarifying!

How on earth can you take that quote - which doesn't even mention Bentley, Lakeland, the Holy Spirit, or the words "never present" or "hype" and claim someone has said:

say that the Holy Spirit was never present, and that everything behind the hype was nothing but smoke and mirrors.

That is one of the most disingenuous claims I've heard. This would be like me saying 'all supporters of Bentley believe that anyone who accuses or criticises Bentley is not a Christian'.


How about all the others, can you point me to the other quotes or people who have said that "the Holy Spirit was never present"?


peace,
Simon

 

[Tobias]

How on earth can you take that quote - which doesn't even mention Bentley, Lakeland, the Holy Spirit, or the words "never present" or "hype" and claim someone has said:

say that the Holy Spirit was never present, and that everything behind the hype was nothing but smoke and mirrors.

That is one of the most disingenuous claims I've heard. This would be like me saying 'all supporters of Bentley believe that anyone who accuses or criticises Bentley is not a Christian'.


How about all the others, can you point me to the other quotes or people who have said that "the Holy Spirit was never present"?


peace,
Simon

Todd Bentley has always been a very heated topic. This is why I always try to state my position, while making sure people know just why I sound like I still support the guy and exactly what my reasons are for doing so. Why? Because it's real easy for everyone to get caught up in the arguments and forget to mention they are not on either the side that is completely 100% for or against him.

So I make sure I tell how I was not impressed with him as a person, least anybody think I had a man-crush on the guy. I tell how the Holy Spirit led me to watch the meetings, and how I was ministered to by being obedient. And I also mention how I had trouble seeing past the man and hearing the Spirit; which led to troubles later when the Spirit was waning and I was still trying not to focus on the flesh that was so evident. I also mention how I feel it is of the utmost importance that people who experienced the Spirit in these meetings, should know that it truly was God and not senior Kundalini.


Of those who wish to say that Bentley was a scoundrel, taught false doctrine, and led people to worship fallen angels; Biblicist is the first I can remember to speak from that side who admits that the Holy Spirit may really have shown up and ministered to some of us. This goes a long way in diffusing the volatility of the discussion! It's simple really. All it takes is listening to the other side, and trying to come up with a compromise on key elements that are unmovable for the other party. I may still disagree with him on some of the finer details, but as neither of us are omniscient, there really isn't any point on hashing those out any further.


I really cannot understand why you sound so shocked. Do you ever try to come to an understanding with other people by repeating back to them what you have learned through the discussion with them?

For example I said "Huge problems arise when we say that something is not of God, when it really is."

To which you retort: "Huge problems arise when we say that something is of God, when it really is not."

How is that to be taken that you have a teachable spirit, or that your position is anything except in total disagreement with what I said? Generally when someone feels the need to state the exact opposite from something someone just said, it does not mean that they are good buddies and agree on the first statement.

So to answer your question, perhaps all I have to go on is other people's recalcitrant attitude toward the multitude of claims that God showed up in Lakeland. We must have been too preoccupied trying to state and restate our respective positions, to ever bother mentioning that we agree (at least in part) to any of the other side's statements.

 

[Simon Peter]

Todd Bentley has always been a very heated topic. This is why I always try to state my position, while making sure people know just why I sound like I still support the guy and exactly what my reasons are for doing so. Why? Because it's real easy for everyone to get caught up in the arguments and forget to mention they are not on either the side that is completely 100% for or against him.

So I make sure I tell how I was not impressed with him as a person, least anybody think I had a man-crush on the guy. I tell how the Holy Spirit led me to watch the meetings, and how I was ministered to by being obedient. And I also mention how I had trouble seeing past the man and hearing the Spirit; which led to troubles later when the Spirit was waning and I was still trying not to focus on the flesh that was so evident. I also mention how I feel it is of the utmost importance that people who experienced the Spirit in these meetings, should know that it truly was God and not senior Kundalini.


Of those who wish to say that Bentley was a scoundrel, taught false doctrine, and led people to worship fallen angels; Biblicist is the first I can remember to speak from that side who admits that the Holy Spirit may really have shown up and ministered to some of us. This goes a long way in diffusing the volatility of the discussion! It's simple really. All it takes is listening to the other side, and trying to come up with a compromise on key elements that are unmovable for the other party. I may still disagree with him on some of the finer details, but as neither of us are omniscient, there really isn't any point on hashing those out any further.


I really cannot understand why you sound so shocked. Do you ever try to come to an understanding with other people by repeating back to them what you have learned through the discussion with them?

For example I said "Huge problems arise when we say that something is not of God, when it really is."

To which you retort: "Huge problems arise when we say that something is of God, when it really is not."

How is that to be taken that you have a teachable spirit, or that your position is anything except in total disagreement with what I said? Generally when someone feels the need to state the exact opposite from something someone just said, it does not mean that they are good buddies and agree on the first statement.

So to answer your question, perhaps all I have to go on is other people's recalcitrant attitude toward the multitude of claims that God showed up in Lakeland. We must have been too preoccupied trying to state and restate our respective positions, to ever bother mentioning that we agree (at least in part) to any of the other side's statements.

So you haven't actually ever heard anyone say "the Holy Spirit was never present", you just assumed it?


As for saying "huge problems arise when we say that something is of God, when it really is not." I wasn't trying to make a statement about how teachable I am. I was merely pointing out that problems arise from wrongful discernment (full stop/period). Does it make a difference if we think it was God and it's not, or we think it wasn't and it was?


What I want to know from those who say 'Bentley was from God', is who then do you say is not from God? Who are the false teachers, or do you claim everyone is from God?


peace,
Simon

 

[MadameGuyon]

My thoughts on Todd Bentley:

While in the Lakeland meetings, the worship was some of the most angelic and reverant that I have ever experienced. There were moments when the worship team just stopped playing because the crowd was caught up in the presence of God and angelic sounding worship was coming from the lips of people there. It was heavenly. I still remember it to this day, several years later, how glorious it was.

His preaching was excellent. He said nothing, while I was there that disturbed my theology, but I admit that all his tattoo's were very different than what I was used to in a preacher on a platform. He is definitely not a polished sophisicated guy, having come to the Lord from the streets. I think we better get used to this, as God is saving a lot of 'street' kids these days and they are bold and radical, just what we need for this decadent evil time inwhich we live.

Since Lakeland, I have seen and heard Todd several times as he has visited the church I attend. I see changes in him since his fall from grace in Lakeland. He seems much more mature and very humble. Still very bold preaching, but much more meek in character.

As for visitations from angels, this is becoming quite common in certain church circles these days who accept that God is restoring the office of Prophet and Apostle. For those who don't, the idea of visitations is false doctrine. Each must make up their own mind. But I will only add..does anyone think that we the Church will be able to face the present increasing darkness on this earth without the kind of Pentecost walk and experiences that the early church had? Much that the early church experienced was lost during the Dark Ages and is being restored in our day. The charismatic movement wasn't the end of what God is doing in the earth today.

 

[Faulty]

But I will only add..does anyone think that we the Church will be able to face the present increasing darkness on this earth without the kind of Pentecost walk and experiences that the early church had?

Yup.

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matt 16:18
​

Jesus always has his true church within the visible church, and they will never be defeated... ever!

 

[Biblicist]

Tobias,

Though it may surprise some, I am of the firm conviction that those who are giving Bentley the best and most loving support are in fact many of whom he would deem to be his greatest detractors.

I’m pleased that you have understood that I not only acknowledge but fully understand that there is a difference between the questionable credentials of a given venue coordinator (a safe and neutral descriptor) and with those believers who are attending the events that they run. From a purely theological perspective, I cannot accept for a moment that the Spirit will not be present nor that he will be totally unable to work within a meeting of believers even if the lead person and/or his associates are indeed scoundrels.

I have no doubt that the Spirit of God was even able to work within at least some of the meetings that were organised by the charlatan Marjoe Gortner and I would be certainly more than surprised to find any of his close associates being Born Again. With Gortner the Spirit would have never worked though him as he was an unbeliever. I should of course point out that Bentley is not Gortner or Gortner Bentley but there are many parallels particulary with how so many people ardently supported Gortnor as they had with Bentley.
Marjoe Gortner

It may have been you who made the comment that there are many church goers and even Christians who will be more than happy to discredit any Full Gospel ministry, I would go as far as saying that there will be many church goers who are just as prepared to criticise any work of the Holy Spirit as well. Leaving aside their inability to understand spiritual things, even though the Spirit can indeed work on the individual in such meetings, this is sadly outweighed by the amount of dishonour that has been placed upon not only the Church as a whole but on Christ himself by Bentley’s scandalous antics. In my opinion it would have been better if Bentley had never entered into the Church as his activities have caused far more harm and everlasting destruction than good.

It does seem that we are as a people seemingly prepared to accept any individual who jumps onto a church platform irrespective of their moral and spiritual credentials. Where Paul tells us to be very careful with whom we place into ministry and leadership and that it should never be a new convert, we seem quite content to allow anyone who can perform before a camera to do just that.

So in spite of Bentley’s wickedness you can be confident in that if God did indeed work within your life than there is no reason to doubt this; even though Bentley himself was a sham.

 

[Tobias]

So you haven't actually ever heard anyone say "the Holy Spirit was never present", you just assumed it?


...


What I want to know from those who say 'Bentley was from God', is who then do you say is not from God? Who are the false teachers, or do you claim everyone is from God?


peace,
Simon

I am familiar with the strawman argument that supposes there are people out there who believe that false teachers don't exist. I can't imagine who they think actually believes this. Nor can I image what kind of person would believe that anybody else believes this.



I have explained myself half a dozen times that I stand against those who say the HS was never in Lakeland. If this is the first you've heard it, or perhaps the first time you've decided to answer it, then that's your fault.

Perhaps it too is a strawman, IDK. But I am rather certain there were those immediately after Lakeland that claimed this was the case, and argued their position against mine. I am also pretty certain we could find a number of anti-Lakeland websites that make this claim as well.

I would be quite interested though, if you could dig up anybody anywhere that believes there are no false teachers in the world!

 

[Biblicist]

MadameGuyon (# 49),

His preaching was excellent. He said nothing, while I was there that disturbed my theology, but I admit that all his tattoo's were very different than what I was used to in a preacher on a platform. He is definitely not a polished sophisicated guy, having come to the Lord from the streets. I think we better get used to this, as God is saving a lot of 'street' kids these days and they are bold and radical, just what we need for this decadent evil time inwhich we live.

Here’s the rub; there were many of us who came away not only disturbed by what we heard and saw but we were also dismayed in that people were saying much the same as yourself in that Bentley was some ‘new breed’ of preacher; if many of us think that this is the case then the Church is indeed in a shameful and decadent state.

 

[Tobias]

Tobias,

Though it may surprise some, I am of the firm conviction that those who are giving Bentley the best and most loving support are in fact many of whom he would deem to be his greatest detractors.

I’m pleased that you have understood that I not only acknowledge but fully understand that there is a difference between the questionable credentials of a given venue coordinator (a safe and neutral descriptor) and with those believers who are attending the events that they run. From a purely theological perspective, I cannot accept for a moment that the Spirit will not be present nor that he will be totally unable to work within a meeting of believers even if the lead person and/or his associates are indeed scoundrels.

I have no doubt that the Spirit of God was even able to work within at least some of the meetings that were organised by the charlatan Marjoe Gortner and I would be certainly more than surprised to find any of his close associates being Born Again. With Gortner the Spirit would have never worked though him as he was an unbeliever. I should of course point out that Bentley is not Gortner or Gortner Bentley but there are many parallels particulary with how so many people ardently supported Gortnor as they had with Bentley.
Marjoe Gortner

It may have been you who made the comment that there are many church goers and even Christians who will be more than happy to discredit any Full Gospel ministry, I would go as far as saying that there will be many church goers who are just as prepared to criticise any work of the Holy Spirit as well. Leaving aside their inability to understand spiritual things, even though the Spirit can indeed work on the individual in such meetings, this is sadly outweighed by the amount of dishonour that has been placed upon not only the Church as a whole but on Christ himself by Bentley’s scandalous antics. In my opinion it would have been better if Bentley had never entered into the Church as his activities have caused far more harm and everlasting destruction than good.

It does seem that we are as a people seemingly prepared to accept any individual who jumps onto a church platform irrespective of their moral and spiritual credentials. Where Paul tells us to be very careful with whom we place into ministry and leadership and that it should never be a new convert, we seem quite content to allow anyone who can perform before a camera to do just that.

So in spite of Bentley’s wickedness you can be confident in that if God did indeed work within your life than there is no reason to doubt this; even though Bentley himself was a sham.

I am quite unimpressed with little kids doing grown up stuff. I don't really care about this Marjoe guy one bit. Nor do I see any relation between his story and Bentley's.


I did watch a couple of Todd Bentley meetings on God TV prior to Lakeland. I can assure you he was not a sham. There was/is nothing particularly cute or attractive about him (unlike your child preacher), the only merit he had was the Holy Spirit showing up in the meetings.

People look to Todd's doctrines and lifestyle, and must make the assumption that God would never support this guy's ministry with His Presence and signs and wonders. But I experienced it. If all the negative stuff they say about him is true, then the only logic I can offer is Samson, whom God used despite his blatant disregard for the laws of God.

Many people claim that revival is happening when it isn't, or the Holy Spirit is moving while He isn't. This isn't a new thing that we were unprepared for, so we got taken in by the thousands! What we were unprepared for though, was God using a man with serious integrity issues. (...provided of course, that the accusations against his lifestyle are true.)

 

[Tobias]

My thoughts on Todd Bentley:

While in the Lakeland meetings, the worship was some of the most angelic and reverant that I have ever experienced. There were moments when the worship team just stopped playing because the crowd was caught up in the presence of God and angelic sounding worship was coming from the lips of people there. It was heavenly. I still remember it to this day, several years later, how glorious it was.

His preaching was excellent. He said nothing, while I was there that disturbed my theology, but I admit that all his tattoo's were very different than what I was used to in a preacher on a platform. He is definitely not a polished sophisicated guy, having come to the Lord from the streets. I think we better get used to this, as God is saving a lot of 'street' kids these days and they are bold and radical, just what we need for this decadent evil time inwhich we live.

Since Lakeland, I have seen and heard Todd several times as he has visited the church I attend. I see changes in him since his fall from grace in Lakeland. He seems much more mature and very humble. Still very bold preaching, but much more meek in character.

As for visitations from angels, this is becoming quite common in certain church circles these days who accept that God is restoring the office of Prophet and Apostle. For those who don't, the idea of visitations is false doctrine. Each must make up their own mind. But I will only add..does anyone think that we the Church will be able to face the present increasing darkness on this earth without the kind of Pentecost walk and experiences that the early church had? Much that the early church experienced was lost during the Dark Ages and is being restored in our day. The charismatic movement wasn't the end of what God is doing in the earth today.

I have so got to get out one of my Lakeland video tapes, and watch it again.

I'm in this discussion but can't hardly remember what it was like back then, or recall anything that Bentley taught on. I do know my wife got healed of flat feet, much to our surprise and wonder. Wonder as in, why the heck would He feel the need to heal her from that???? lol

 

[Biblicist]

Tobias,

What we were unprepared for though, was God using a man with serious integrity issues. (...provided of course, that the accusations against his lifestyle are true.)

I think that you will find that even his ministry friend supporters will not deny his prior wickedness, well at least with most of it. The problem is no longer was his wickedness true or not but are we to accept any ministry that comes along because they have some media appeal.

A problem you will encounter within any discussion on Bentley is that any suggestion that his wickedness was unproven will leave you a bit on the backburner; all you have to do is read FreshFireMinistries material to see this is the case, providing that they have kept this material up and running.

When it comes to Bentley’s ministry, when I was first told to watch this ‘latest and great move of God’, I did hope that it was going to be real but after about four hours of watching him through a camera I came away thinking that something was not right about him and with those on the stage who were supporting him. Having seen my fair share of conmen and even ministries that merely tried to “Help God along” I guess that it becomes a bit easier to see the signs fairly early in the piece.

With regard to the Gortner video, I don’t know if you went through all of it where this ‘child actor’ became a conniving adult who was easily able to con many individuals including church leaders for many years. The connection between Gortner and Bentley, beside their mutual manipulation of those present was with how both their supporters blindly supported each of them.

 

[Biblicist]

Tobias,

I have so got to get out one of my Lakeland video tapes, and watch it again.

I'm in this discussion but can't hardly remember what it was like back then, or recall anything that Bentley taught on. I do know my wife got healed of flat feet, much to our surprise and wonder. Wonder as in, why the heck would He feel the need to heal her from that???? lol

This will help her to bring your coffee and cake to you while you are relaxing in the backyard on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

PS. Don't tell her I said that.

 

[Biblicist]

Duplicated (or more likely a case of double trouble.)

 

[Tobias]

Tobias,
I think that you will find that even his ministry friend supporters will not deny his prior wickedness, well at least with most of it. The problem is no longer was his wickedness true or not but are we to accept any ministry that comes along because they have some media appeal.

A problem you will encounter within any discussion on Bentley is that any suggestion that his wickedness was unproven will leave you a bit on the backburner; all you have to do is read FreshFireMinistries material to see this is the case, providing that they have kept this material up and running.

When it comes to Bentley’s ministry, when I was first told to watch this ‘latest and great move of God’, I did hope that it was going to be real but after about four hours of watching him through a camera I came away thinking that something was not right about him and with those on the stage who were supporting him. Having seen my fair share of conmen and even ministries that merely tried to “Help God along” I guess that it becomes a bit easier to see the signs fairly early in the piece.

With regard to the Gortner video, I don’t know if you went through all of it where this ‘child actor’ became a conniving adult who was easily able to con many individuals including church leaders for many years. The connection between Gortner and Bentley, beside their mutual manipulation of those present was with how both their supporters blindly supported each of them.

No, I didn't watch much of the Gortner video. But I get it. You think Bentley was supported ONLY by a tv crew and his team, and my ability to sense the Spirit of God on him was completely wrong.

Just curious, when exactly did you tune into Lakeland? I do not disagree that things went south long before the meetings adjourned. I caught it real close to the beginning, due to the fact that I had heard about Bentley, and started seeing large blocks of God TV air time being taken up with his name on them. If you didn't see him until a couple of months in, then I'll give you a thumbs up for sensing something was off kilter by then.

Also, what is this wickedness you speak of? Doctrines you don't personally agree with, or actual confessed sins that were swept under the carpet?

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I guess that the test of any ministry is firstly, that the Gospel is preached (souls coming to Christ), the sick are healed (instantly - maybe not all but at least some), demons cast out.

Secondly, when souls come to Christ there is genuine repentance, and they approach God with a deep respect and reverence. They also put a very high value on Christ and Him crucified.

"Easy believerism" type conversions involve being content with signing a decision card, joining a church, and doing the religious thing. Many of these fall away because they never experience the reality of Christ. They have never really repented of their sins; in fact, they have never had a really sense of their sin and how it broke the heart of God. They have no sense of God loving and weeping over sinners. These are the ones who become religiously self righteous and think they are better than the common "herd". They are more likely to be judgmental of other Christian strugglers who don't achieve the level of "spiritual" perfection and knowledge that they think they have. But, in God's view, they are "dead men walking."

So it is a good idea to go to a Bentley convention, experience the meetings, and see the people coming to Christ, and have fellowship with those who enthusiastically follow his ministry. Do you sense the reality of Christ in those meetings that you have sensed when you are alone in your private fellowship with Christ?

The most intense sense of the reality of Christ should happen when you are alone with God. It should be much more intense than what you would sense in a church meeting. People sometimes get the cart before the horse. They have their most intense sense of the reality of Christ in church meetings, so they are unhealthily dependent on the hype and emotional atmosphere of church meetings, and once away from that environment, are unable to have the same intensity of closeness and fellowship with Christ.

An example of sensing the reality of Christ with a preacher, I viewed a Youtube clip of Carlos Annocondia when he was very loudly telling demons to get out of a meeting to enable to the Gospel to be preached freely. He had the whole congregation involved in spiritual warfare, and I was sensing the intensity of that in my spirit and I was praising and worshiping God just viewing it. That why I know that Carlos Annocondia is moving in the power of the Holy Spirit, and why there is revival in the churches in Argentina where he has the most influence. When Carlos engages in spiritual warfare in a meeting, the power of the Spirit is so intense that demons start manifesting in the meeting and have to be taken to the deliverance tent for further ministry.

Do meetings run by Todd Benley have that effect? Is there that intensity of the power of the Spirit in his meetings? You might sense it by watching a video of his meeting, or you might have to be there in person.

I watched a DVD of Bill Johnson, and I got so anointed that I believe I received the gift of faith for a while where I could believe God for anything! And that was just hearing him preach!

That is the difference between an anointed man of God, and someone trying to be. There is the story of Smith Wigglesworth the English healing evangelist praying with some ministers before one of his meetings. The presence of God was so intense that the other ministers had to leave the room. They couldn't take it. So, when the next prayer time came, one of the ministers decided that he was going to tough it out and not leave. As Wigglesworth prayed, the presence of God become more and more intense, so much that the determined minister was overwhelmed and eventually had to leave the room for Wigglesworth to continue praying alone.

This tells me that there is more to be experienced in Christ than we have to this time already experienced.