Controversy

There has been much ado about the Lakeland Outpouring. Although I have been there, my purpose is not to criticize. I can only share with you what I feel God has said to me. There is a polarization around Bro Todd. Some decrying his "methods" and others standing with him regardless of his methods.

The thing that I see is that many criticize without being there. As Todd himself has written and spoken, during these things not all is God, there is some of God, some of flesh, and some demonic. God has never put his people in a sterile environment. He said to Jeremiah that in order to be as His mouth he would have to take for the precious from the vile. One of the indicators here is that the precious, just in order ot be precious, has a small ratio to the content that is vile.

I want to make it clear, I am not saying that all that goes on at Lakeland is vile. We need to focus on becoming as His mouth. The test on the men and women of God today, is, are they willing to become "dirty externally" in order to take out the precious.

One of the things I noticed when I was there, was the presence of God. The dimensions of worship there , pouring out from hungry hearts draws the Lord Jesus into the meetings, for the Lord inhabits the praises of His people.

Lord willing we plan to go again, not for the miracles, nor for the show, but to be in His presence and allow Him to do what He desires. I expect to come home with some precious, because that is my hearts desire, to be as His mouth. Jer. 15:19

Until He comes to be glorified in His saints 1 Thes. 1:9-11 there will always be vile concealing the precious. The vile is highly visible, the precious is concealed within it. Which are we going to focus on? One will cause us to be as His mouth, the other will only frustrate our religious nature.

Remember, when He said He would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, He did not qualify it as deserving flesh. Some of the flesh it is poured upon will get more fleshly. I need to stop juding another man's servant. Rom. 14:4. Just as I am judged by Jesus, so is Todd. I am not to judge him.

There is one more factor, that many miss. These who write are talking about the fruit When we think of fruit in the natural, it takes time to grow and there is no hurrying the results. There are very few growing seasons that are 75 days long. It is important to know that the fruit is not souls. In the light of scripture, the "fruit" is the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, that will take time to manifest. In many of the articles I have read, the ones writing are not manifesting the fruit of the Spirit. Their harshness is just the opposite. I know some are judging by appearance, but the Bible says of Jesus that He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, nor the hearing of Hie ears. If He is the pattern then we need to stop pointing to the visible signs and ask God to show us Todd's heart and then give time for the fruit to grow.

Well I think I have shared enough for you to catch the drift of what God has been saying to me. In my over 50 years around Pentecost, Charismatic and End Time things and meetings, I have seen much and heard much more. The Holy Spirit is the one to convict the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment to come, I am not. Lord help me take for the precious from the vile, that I may be as His mouth.

Dr. Bill