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Several years ago, I traveled to Norilsk, Siberia to preach the gospel in a city that was built by slave labor under Stalin's regime. At that time, there were only a handful of believers in this Arctic city. Yet, it was one of the most incredible meetings in which I've ever ministered.
Despite bad weather
conditions, we had the largest attendance of any kind of meetings in the
history of the local football stadium. The most amazing thing took place at the
close of my message. As I extended the invitation for people to come to Christ,
95% of them responded. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. As they made their
way to the platform, I asked them to stop. I then once again explained what it
meant to believe in and follow Jesus. They kept coming.
After the service
concluded, a journalist asked me, "Mr. Tippit, do you believe that our
city is under a curse? Many people here believe that our city is under a curse
because people died here in prison camps building this city. What do you
think?"
My response took her by
surprise. "No. I don't believe that your city is under a curse," I
said. "I believe it's under a blessing."
Looking shocked, the
lady said, "But how can that be?"
I then explained,
"Many of those who died building this city were believers. I'm convinced
that as they laid the asphalt for the streets, they prayed, 'Oh, God. I ask you
reveal your salvation to everyone who one walks on the streets.' As they laid
the bricks on the apartment buildings and offices, I'm convinced that they
prayed, "I pray that You would make Yourself known to everyone who sleeps
in these apartments and works in these offices."
I then looked straight
into the eyes of that journalist and said, "Today is the day that God has
answered the prayers of those dear people. So, this city is under a blessing -
the blessing of the prayers of those men and women whose lives were completely surrendered
to God."
Of course, I had no way
of proving what I was saying to the journalist. However, I learned a few months
later some very interesting facts. There were a group of young people from Moldova that
had gone to the city before us to make preparation for those evangelistic
meetings. What I learned was this - several of the grandparents of those young
people had been sent to those prison camps because of their faith in Christ.
Isn't that amazing!
Those godly people never saw the answer to their prayers. But God raised up
their grandchildren, and they were the ones who saw the glory of God and the
answers to the prayers of their forefathers.
God is looking for men
and women whose hearts are completely His. When He finds such people, He will
move heaven and Earth to bring to pass an answer to their prayers. He will
change the course of human history to respond to those who hearts are
completely surrendered to Him. Prayer combined with a surrendered heart are a
powerful weapon in the hands of the man or woman of God.
God's Word has not
changed. It says, "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to
strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him" (2 Chron. 16:9
NIV). He's still looking for hearts fully committed unto Him.
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