OpenHeaven.com






Home   |   Contact Us   |   About Us



Home



Forums



News



Free Download
Books & Videos




Articles



Links
Kingdom Revival
House Church
Market Place




Networking



Prayer



Library


>
Old Reports



Audio/Video
Live Webcasts




Contact Us



About Us




OpenHeaven.com
DIGEST ARCHIVE
by Article Titles
and Date


KINGDOM
GROWTH GUIDES


Ron's Newest Book
END OF THIS AGE
God's Intervention
on Planet Earth
Free Download


VOICE of
PROPHESY
FORUM


Kingdom
Prophetic
ARTICLES by
Ron McGatlin

RON'S KINGDOM
BOOKS
Free Download

PAT BOON'S
Fatherhood
Message and
Communion

Watch This
Powerful 2 min
Video

Baptized With
HOLY SPIRIT
AND FIRE

Holy Spirit
Filling/Baptism

Holy Spirit
Power
 

Deliverance
Ministry

VIDEO
Supernatural
Deliverance
Nick
Griemsmann

Hearing God

Deeper
Spiritual Life

RaisingThe
Dead


Billy Graham's
Message to
America - Video

How I Escaped
the
Mormon Temple



Reports & Testimonies

« Back
The Secrete Place Conference January 2005
January 22, 2005

Conference Report

ENTERING THE SECRET PLACE RELEASES VICTORY AND HEALING
Abbotsford
January 12th-16th, 2004

by Kevin Paterson

At Fresh Fire Ministries' (FFM) third annual Secret Place Conference last week, a powerful sense of the Holy Spirit's presence drew thousands of hungry people into deep intimacy with Him. This conference was originally born out of a visitation that Todd had in Eastern Europe years ago in which the Lord asked him whether he would honor Him by making the first conference of the year about seeking His presence. This year, conference speakers, Heidi Baker, Todd Bentley and Graham Cooke each shared their special passion for, and revelation of, the secret place as thousands yearned or cried out for MORE of Him.

The capacity crowd braved freezing outdoor temperatures, lining up each day to seek the fire of His presence. About 1800 people in the sanctuary and 500 people in the gymnasium (watching the service on a theatre-style screen) pressed into God's heart in worship and hung on every word of each message as the anointing of the secret place drew them in. Also, 70 to 80 pastors joined the hungry in crying out for His presence. People came from all over the world, including Denmark, Norway, United States including Alaska, Canada including Yukon, England and even India.



Prophetic Words: Tsunami of Revival

Before he began his opening message, Todd described some prophetic visions he (and another FFM minister) had recently. (This is an example of God speaking secrets to those living in the secret place.) About 5 months before the tsunami hit, while in Vacaville California, Todd had a vision of an angel with one foot on Malaysia and one on Indonesia. As the Lord inspired him Todd prophesied that a tsunami wave would hit SE Asia and the crest of the wave would say "Revival." He spoke about a judgment hitting the region that would release revival.

As powerful confirmation of this word, says Todd, Charlie Robinson, a FFM itinerant minister, just returned from SE Asia where everyone is talking about the tsunami wave of Revival. A few weeks before the tsunami hit, Charlie said that God was going to judge the seas. While Charlie was in SE Asia, the Glory of God fell in power on one meeting and spoke separately to him and other people that revival had begun in SE Asia. Not long after, the tsunami hit the region. Todd then proclaimed that in spite of the devastation of the tsunami, God is releasing a revival of miracles, signs and wonders. Soon FFM will be shipping six containers of relief goods to India, where a team will conduct a crusade in March, which is expected to reap a harvest of between 250,000 and 500,000 souls.



The Journey of Intimacy:

Todd opened the conference by sharing his personal journey into the secret place. He described the three-month intimacy season the Holy Spirit drew Him into for 4 to 12 hours a day. In this season Todd had powerful visitations of Jesus and the Holy Spirit which eventually launched him to the nations seven years ago.

Todd opened the conference with a message on the Journey of Intimacy, calling for everyone to take a journey into God's heart and for a burning, erupting passion for Him to come into every person in the place. As Todd took the congregation on a journey through the Song of Solomon, He said he was asking for the anointing of divine romance and hot intoxicating love for God to stir each heart. Although that Fresh Fire is often seen as a bold, evangelistic, healing ministry, said Todd, the entire ministry is rooted in hours of pursuing God's presence. Everything else that we think of as success in ministry will come when we get more of the presence of God, he said. Todd said that, like Esther, when we soak in the perfume and oil (of the Holy Spirit) for months, we receive great favor from the King and then walk in great authority to rescue God's people. Ministry comes out of the secret place, he said.

Todd examined scriptures focusing on the bridal intimacy that believers are called to (Ps. 27; Psalm 31:20; Ps. 91; Song of Solomon 3). Referring to the passage in Song of Solomon, Todd noted that sometimes God hides from us to encourage hunger and a deeper pursuit of Him and the hidden life. But He really does want to reveal Himself to us. Todd warned people to protect themselves from the intimacy robbers such as unbelief, isolation, fear of intimacy, unforgiveness and the cares of the world. He said that we can awaken lost love for Jesus by stirring up passion, spending much time in His presence and being committed to sacrifice whatever is necessary to find Him. Our groom wants abandoned, laid-down lovers. He noted that the greatest key to awakening a heart of passion for Jesus is to spend time just gazing on His beauty and receiving revelation from heaven.



Birthing New Things in the Secret Place

In the second session Heidi Baker spoke about the new things God wanted to birth in His people in the secret place. She said that the Holy Spirit wants to overshadow people (like He did Mary, the mother of Jesus) to birth in them things that are completely impossible. He wants to take His people into a place of supernatural birthing, so that nations are saved through "little laid-down lives." She promised that it would not be just a nice little conference, but that each person would be "totally wrecked and stretched out of shape."

She said she was pregnant with the promises of God—promises of nations, millions of souls and that the Makua people would be saved. The Makua tribe (1,300,000) in Mozambique, according to Patrick Johnstone, in Operation World, calls the Makua "the largest (Moslem) animistic unreached people in Africa, possibly the world." Heidi told a story about a recent visit to an unreached Makua village with some orphans as her ministry team. She shared about the profound love of Jesus and prayed for the sick. After the Lord healed a blind man, the whole village was saved.

Heidi stated that living in the secret place produces fruit like this. "If there's no fruit, you haven't been there." Heidi and her ministry team have planted thousands of churches in about 6 years, raised 40 people from the dead and seen every miracle in the bible. She said that every believer has promises in them that they don't know how to birth. If we will glorify God in the process, like Mary, and be willing to endure the reproach and pay the price by hungering and seeking after God in faith, we will see fulfillment. She described the beginning of the fulfillment of her promise: "I went to the Makua trive two years ago and led 15 to the Lord. Now there's 140 churches among the Makua…. He has performed mighty deeds with His right hand!!"



Kingly Reign

Continuing where Heidi left off, the next session Todd spoke about walking as spiritual kings by taking authority over every hindrance to our prophetic promises. This is the kind of kingly authority that begins to grow in us as we live in intimacy with Jesus in the secret place. Preaching from second Samuel, Todd spoke about the three distinct anointings of King David as he grew in kingly authority. He was first anointed as king; later he actually became king over Judah and finally he became king over Israel. This process of reaching his full kingly calling took 33-1/2 years. David had to overcome various battle and tests to come into full kingship.

After reading from Isaiah 32and Isaiah 32:16, Todd pointed out that a king reigns in righteousness and makes righteous decrees on behalf of the poor and needy. Job, in chapter 29:13-16 says, "I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban. I was eyes to the blind, and I was feet to the lame. I was a father to the poor…" Job was also a defender of the weak. Todd also showed while David reigned over all Israel, he administered judgment and justice to God's people.

If we want to grow in kingly authority in these last days, says Todd, we will stand and fight for those who are less unfortunate than ourselves. "God is checking your works of righteousness. Deliver the poor and needy! Free them from the hands of the wicked!"



Manifestation and Hiddenness

Graham Cooke, in the following session, began by describing a situation in his life that taught him about the hidden places of the secret place. He was going through "a profound season of depression" and a time of not sensing the Lord's presence. Then the Lord sent a Catholic priest (who just happened to know his name) to sit with him at a coffee shop. The man explained the principles of times of hiddenness, when God seems to hide, and the times of manifestation, when God seems close at hand.

Referring to Psalm 91, John 15 and Psalm 32, Graham began to describe how God works in these two places of relationship with Him. Graham said that hiddenness is a time when God works wisdom in our lives which produces peace. He wants to renew our minds so we are prepared to enter into visitation into heaven: "A renewed mind precedes visitation." In times of manifestation, you are enamored and overwhelmed with His love and presence; you can't receive deep truth because "He's the biggest distraction on earth." Graham said, "In manifestation, He is trying to show you His beauty. In hiddenness, he is trying to show you His glory." Like the men on the road to Emmaus, he said, Jesus will hide so he can teach us mysteries. Graham said that during times of hiddenness believers should regularly journal the things God wants to speak to them.



Overcoming from the Secret Place

During the conference, Graham also spoke about the secret place of the desert. He noted that the desert, dry places of the Christian's life is about developing a disciplined inner life (Hebrew 4:12). Through wilderness experiences, we learn how to get free from the past and get to know God in the present. We also receive revelation about the past and understanding of progressive truth.

Jesus had a desert experience right after His baptism, after heaven opened and God spoke of His pleasure with Jesus. We can see here, said Graham, that the desert is the place that God takes you when He is happy with you. "The desert is one of the most wonderful places you can go," he said. Like Jesus, in the desert we will all have the tests of learning to live by faith for bread and provision from God alone; the test of a true worshipper which requires losing our ego; and the test of servanthood which requires us to recognize that our ministry belongs to God. In the secret place of the desert, said Graham, we receive powerful revelation, like Moses; we also learn obedience as well as vulnerability and weakness so God can be our greatest strength.

The next day, Graham spoke about the strength we cultivate in the secret place which allows us to "mess with the enemy's mind." Drawing from the story of David and Goliath (1 Sam 17), he noted that those walking in intimacy with God are not intimidated by the enemy. The two spies, Joshua and Caleb, must have had a history of intimacy with God, he said. They knew they could overcome. God wants us to be so close to Him, said Graham, that the enemy is threatened by us: "God has called us to fight and win every time." He said that believers need to learn how to mess with the enemy's head through prayer, faith and perseverance. Also, by walking in love, selflessness and generosity, we overcome.

Referring to Habakkuk 3:17, Graham showed how that when everything around seems to be going wrong, when we choose to rejoice, we are on our way to victory. We need to choose to encourage ourselves and choose to be cheerful! As we abide in the secret place, His joy becomes our strength.



The Father's House

The secret place, or the Father's house, said Todd in his final message, consists of different rooms or experiences. He described a series of visitations during his three month soaking season, in which God took Him into nine rooms in the Father's house. Many Christians, said Todd, only ever visit one or two rooms during their lives. But God wants us to experience every place in His house. The nine rooms include: the living room (the place of comfort and blessing where we receive the benefits of God and cast our cares on Him); the kitchen (the place of work and service where the 'Martha' ministry takes place); the dining room (where we drink, feast and party, enjoying spiritual manifestations and joy); the bathroom (the place of repentance and cleansing); the basement (the place of warfare and intercession in the foundation of the house); the bedroom (the most intimate place where the Lord kisses us and starts the process of fruitfulness in His people); the recreation room (the place of games, delight or of joyous celebration in the church); the study (where we develop a deep well of divine scriptural knowledge) and the storage room (the room of hidden treasures of revelation through supernatural encounter). God wants us to all experience every room in His house as He leads us there.



Laid-down Lovers Will Change the World

During one of the evening sessions Heidi Baker talked about how she receives strength from the Lord in the secret place." She said she prepares for ministry a lot like Todd does: "We just drink a lot (of the Holy Spirit), read the word a lot and go out and feed the multitudes and heal the sick." She said that because she is often 'drunk in the Spirit' some people tell her to "get a grip." Because their vision is so big, she said, "If we got a grip then we couldn't do the things we do." Today, in only about six years, her ministry has thousands of churches and thousands of orphans. How did it happen? By lying soaking on the floor she says. Heidi just soaked in the secret place and then said 'kill me Lord.'"

"God is looking for people who are so dead that He can just breathe on them and then win nations." Heidi said that God is about to throw a banquet and millions will come to Him. When you throw a banquet, she said, you don't invite the rich, you invite the poor, the cripple, the sick and the destitute." That's what she has been doing since she was saved, says Heidi and today hundreds of thousands of souls have come into the kingdom.

She said that God is looking for "fearless lovers" who are going to believe the book and change the world. She describes how she was arrested by eight men with AK47 machine guns. But a life in the secret place laying down her life before the Lord gave her boldness. She merely laughed as they arrested her and took her to prison. She knew her life was not her own and that it would have been just as wonderful to die and go to heaven. Soon after, she was released to continue her work. One of Heidi's final statements summed up the spirit of the entire conference: "God is looking for laid-down lovers who will live in the secret place and inside His heart, who are so radically in love with Him that they will change the world."



From Intimacy to Healing

Todd ministered at another meeting the day after the conference; worship leader, Michael Larson sang "Rend the heavens and come down" as people cried out for the Lord's presence. God responded in healing power. Many agreed that they had never witnessed a meeting in Abbotsford in which the power of God was so powerfully present to heal. One man reported seeing a vision of Todd's healing angel standing at his left with its wings spread covering the whole auditorium—a prophetic picture of the tangible healing presence of the Holy Spirit overshadowing all gathered.

After worship Todd shared he felt that the Holy Spirit was going to release the corporate healing anointing in the auditorium. Todd explained from Luke 5:17 how, at times, the "the power of God (is) present to heal." He shared some healing testimonies and soon the presence of the Lord invaded the room. Throughout the night countless people seemed to be healed from various conditions; many gave testimony.

One man testified to healing from a 10-year acid reflux condition which caused him considerable pain. Three days later he was able to eat whatever he wanted without pain. One teenage girl's ears popped. A woman was healed after suffering from arthritis and chronic pain in her hands and wrists for 4 to 5 years! Both her wrists snapped and then all the joints in her fingers started snapping. Days later, she said the pain and stiffness is completely gone and it feels like she has new hands. A number of people testified of healing from mental illness, saying confusion, double-mindedness and mental torment had gone. A woman with degenerative disk disorder and sciatic nerve damage (because of severe hip pain she was scheduled for partial hip replacement surgery for both hips) was healed from chronic pain! She started to feel God's healing fire in her tail bone (she had arthritic pain in her tailbone since she cracked it at age 12) and then the heat exploded throughout her entire body. Days later, she has cleaned her entire house and moved furniture and done aerobics with absolutely not pain! It's a miracle. Many others testified of God's healing power.

Later in the evening, Todd told people to call others on their cell phones so he could pray for God to heal them. Like He did in Toronto last year, God was faithful to release a wave of healing virtue over the phones. People testified that God's power was touching them to bring healing from ringing in the ears, arthritis, eye disease, degenerative spinal disease, blood disorders and deafness.


Location: Abbotsford, Canada
Website: http://www.freshfire.ca/