RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

A number 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 to reveal your salvation to everyone who 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 whose 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.