Florida Healing Outpouring with Todd Bentley

Effective May 26 to indefinitely, the Lakeland Outpouring will be holding ALL NIGHTLY 7PM services & Saturday 10AM services at the SUN n' FUN @ Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in a Clear Span Structure building  which is complete with Air-Conditioning and plenty of parking available. 

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Lifting Jesus High!
Bringing Biblical Light to Your Questions
about the Lakeland Outpouring & Todd Bentley


June 8, 2008

Dear Friends,

    Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for hearing my heart on some of the issues that seems to be causing division and some confusion in the Body of Christ. Throughout the Old and New Testaments and in every age following, as far as I can determine, the Lord has given His people dreams and visions, signs and wonders, heavenly encounters and divine supernatural experiences that, for the most part, we cannot understand with our intellect. In the spiritual realm, God isn't limited by our thinking!
    God's ways of communicating with us hasn't changed from the beginning of time, although the Bible is the mainstay of His communication to us in today's Church. Sometimes pictures say a lot, though, and the Lord does speak to us through visions and dreams, just as He spoke that way to the people of ancient days and just as He has promised us that He would in the Last Days. God says, "I am the LORD, I change not" (Malachi 3:6).
    Whenever God pours out His Spirit, dreams and visions become integral to the move of God and are especially a Last Days phenomena  according to Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17. God-given dreams and visions are often because of the gracious outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They fall into the category of the miraculous when supernatural revelations are imparted. Ezekiel, the prophet operated in a continuous miracle ministry in the revelatory realm.
    Some people desire Scripture for every manifestation of God - for every detail of every God-given, Holy Spirit inspired vision, dream, encounter, or demonstration of the supernatural realm of God manifested on the earth. While I firmly believe that we're to defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I don't believe we're to defend divine manifestations of God, because they are proof within themselves of the Gospel, wherever the Word of God is sent forth. Discern yes, but defend, no. Consider that many of the "greater" things that Christ said we would do hadn't even been done yet and weren't recorded in the Bible.

On Visions

    While it's good and right and biblical to test the spirits to see if they are of God, it's vital to realize that just because a type of vision or a sign is not listed in Scripture, that it's unscriptural, to be discounted, or false. For instance: If you dream of Jesus visiting you, and in your dream, Jesus, the Man, was the most handsome man you'd ever seen, would the fact that the Bible described Him as having no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him (Is. 53:2b), discount your dream as being scriptural or genuine, relative, and of God?
    Just as no two people are alike, no two experiences are alike. Guaranteed, the Bible doesn't list the details of each dream, each encounter, or everything that God has, does, and will eventually reveal to His people. It doesn't record every detail of every dream, or everything someone has seen in the spirit realm, or on earth for that matter. Nor does it record every possible miracle, but it does say that nothing is impossible with God (see Luke 1:37; Matt. 17:20). We have no account of miracles like amputated limbs growing back, but the absence of this is Scripture doesn't mean that such a miracle unbiblical.
    If a person is of the mind-set that everything spiritual that happens or manifests in our lives has to be found in Scripture to be divine and of God, then that standard or belief would have to be applied to every area of one's life. God responds to each one of us in different ways so the specific way He speaks to any of His children should not become a doctrine of correctness.
    Someone once said that limiting revelation is like trying to fit an ocean into a cup. God is continually restoring truth and light to His Church. Therefore, we should place no limit on further revelation. To have a view that everything that happens in someone's life because of God's loving response to us as His children should be listed in the Bible or else it's wrong or evil, is like saying that Jesus, who is the Word represents a list of do's and don'ts. Jesus is a Person who, through intimacy and relationship, we perceive and understand by the Holy Spirit what is good and what is evil. If Jesus listed for us everything that we needed to know, then knowing Him would have become an option. It's in knowing Him, who is The Word that we enter into what He has prepared for us.
    To apply doctrine to the response of God in our lives is wrong. For someone to assume that something that happens to us isn't of God because it's not in his or her doctrine or knowledge of Jesus is, in my opinion, to grieve the precious Holy Spirit. I believe each experience is unique and tailored to the individual's background, experiences, circumstances, capacity to receive, and personal relationship with Jesus. The experience is usually one that a person can relate to. The Lord meets us where we're at and often shows us things in a way that gets our attention, in a way that we, as individuals, uniquely understand and relate to.
    Some are questioning the soundness of my visitation from Jesus while I was in Redding, California. I stated in an interview that it was as though He came into this realm and I saw Him as I would imagine Jesus would be with the disciples on the Earth, as the Son of man, a humble servant as He walked the earth, not in His resurrection glory. The purpose of this experience was for God to impart to me His supernatural peace in my life. God chooses, in His infinite wisdom, to reveal Himself in different ways, and in various aspects so that people can understand, relate, and even receive Him. Why do some think it so bad if God wills to come in His grace and reveal Himself to us in whatever manner He chooses?

Focus on the Revelation

    This can be drastically different from one person to another. What's important, however, are not the details of, for instance, a vision, but how it points to Jesus, the revelation gleaned, what we learn from the experience, how we apply it to our life, and/or speak it into the life of another, and how it draws us closer to Him, for His name's sake. Because one person may not be able to relate to a dream, vision, or experience of another, he or she may attribute this to the devil or to the flesh, or hallucinations, for example. I'm sure many have seen strange things happen in our meetings - things that puzzle, things that aren't normal to them, but understand - God doesn't seek approval for how He manifests through His people or in signs and wonders.
    The Bible is full of visions, encounters, signs, wonders, miracles, and manifestations that people have experienced, some of which may be downright hard for many to wrap their minds around, let alone believe it could happen today. Again, it's all relative to each individual, their experiences, and backgrounds, and with what they have learned through intimacy with Christ Jesus, and what they have received as a love response from God. I spend hours and hours at the feet of Jesus and perhaps the next person doesn't.
    As I can recall, Smith Wigglesworth once had a vision of Satan. He'd been sleeping in bed during a thunderstorm that had rattled the windows and made the lights flicker. Suddenly he saw a vision of Satan standing at the foot of his bed. However, he wasn't in the least bit disturbed because he had first-hand knowledge and experience of God's protective nature and understood the power of the name of Jesus. "Oh, it's just you," he said to the devil, and turned over and went back to sleep.
    If this were a new, breaking story today, how would people receive or respond to the account of what he saw? It would all be relative to what you know or have experienced relating to demons, or the knowledge that you have about the authority that you have as a blood-bought child of God, even to the church climate. If you've never cast out a demon from your life and seen him run at the mere mention of the blood of Christ Jesus, you wouldn't understand.

Angels

    Likewise, if I say that I had a vision of an angel, or encountered one or even spoke with one, but you haven't doctrinally or experientially, come to terms with the reality of angels being in our midst, then you may not attribute it as valid. You may even tag me as someone who worships angels, seeks them for counsel, ministers under the power of, or misrepresents them in some way. In the case of the angel called "Emma," who I described as having mother-like nurturing qualities, some have automatically assumed that my doctrine is that I believe in female angels. This has never been the case! For whatever reason God chose to show me this angel in a female persona, He did. This isn't to say that the angel was female. Angels are spirit and appear in many forms. Perhaps that's the form God chose this angel to take for the purpose of the revelation He gave me. They are spirit beings of light, created out of God's glory, without gender, and appear in whatever form God chooses to send them to us.
    Let me throw this out there for you to think about. If someone encounters an angel on earth that has come in the form of a female human being, and even refers to the angel as a "she," it doesn't raise eyebrows. We know they must sometimes appear to us in human form because the Bible tells us not to forget to entertain strangers, "for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels" (Hebrews 13:2). There is biblical precedent for angels appearing in human form in the example of the two angels who came to Sodom to warn Lot before the destruction of the city in Genesis 19. They visited, had a meal, and even spent the night. Their human "form" even fooled those who tried to accost them and the angels struck them blind.
    Even though they appeared as men, they are still genderless. Emma appeared to me in angelic form appearing feminine, which is not to say Emma was female or had a gender. This was the first angel I'd ever seen in feminine-like form, in this motherly nurturing type of persona that opened up a well of healings and breakthrough.
    Mary, Paul, Peter, Jesus, the shepherds, and several disciples, and many Old Testament folk like Abraham, Hagar, Daniel, and others had angelic encounters and some interacted with them in conversation. That doesn't suppose they worshiped these angelic beings or sought them out for revelation apart from God. I never summon angels directly. I do ask God to send angels to encamp around me, and others. Let it be said, that I seek only God for revelation and should He send an angel to me to impart revelation, get my attention, or open wells of revival and healing, so be it. I'll echo Mary's words when the angel Gabriel visited and conversed with her "You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said." And the angel left her (Luke 1:26-38).
    Christ paid the price for our spiritual blessings and access to heavenly things - angels included. Where I would be concerned about angelic revelation as being deceptive or as angels actually being demonic spirits, is where not-yet Christians claim angelic revelation while rejecting the cross of Christ.
    Angels have a purpose in God's plan. It shouldn't come as a surprise to the Body of Christ that an angel, called the "Winds of Change" should usher in a new move of God.
    Of the angels we learn, "He makes His angels winds and His servants flames of fire" (Heb. 1:7, NAS; see also Psalm 104:3, 4). If God has chosen to send them to us, it behooves us to welcome their presence as we usher in the presence and move of the Lord.
    We see a manifestation of God's presence and power by means of "wind and fire" in the New Testament on the day of Pentecost "when suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1-4).
    Angels are messengers from God in heaven to His church on earth, and they seem to appear at the most critical points in the history of salvation. We get the sense also that they observe what's happening here on earth at least in the life of the Church. Christ ended two of His parables saying "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:7,10, NKJV). They are also reapers in the great harvest, "...the reapers are the angels" (Matt. 13:39). Described as "ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation" (Heb. 1:14, italics mine).

Encounters/Visitations

    Some people have even ventured to say that my visions and visitations are false. That's like telling someone who's just told you about a dream they had in their sleep that they didn't really dream it.
     In the case of my encounter with Paul the apostle, just as Paul didn't know if he was in his body or out of his body when he was taken into the third heaven, I don't know whether my encounter was in a vision or an actual encounter. I do know that it was not of the adversary. God had reason for this experience and for the revelation that transpired from it. These things I cannot refute.
    It's not that far out there when you consider that the apostle Peter beheld Jesus, Moses, and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration and was actually commissioned while in a visionary trance, to preach to the Gentiles (see Matt. 17:9, Acts 10:19).
    Some may not find my experience doctrinally sound, and liken it to speaking to the dead, and unbiblical, citing the apostle Paul's warnings in Galatians 1:8, and 2 Corinthians 11:14, of which I'm very aware. My accountability team and I, through careful examination, determined that this vision was not outside of God's realm. God had a purpose and a plan for the revelation He gave me and it all pointed to Christ.
    In visions and encounters that I share, I emphasize that it boils down to Jesus Christ who is the essence of everything and is the All in All. It's all about Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. An encounter with heaven is an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.
    Many people don't see what's happening in the spirit realm, viewing things only from the physical realm. This is one reason why there's so much division right now. I have found that many are judging things by what they see or hear in the natural, by their natural senses, to feelings, or without having relevant supernatural experiences themselves.

No Prototype for Revival

    One of my colleagues told me of a pastor and his wife visiting Lakeland from Las Vegas last week. They pastor a church of over 5,000 people. They shared that they had to repent for believing in their hearts some of the concerns that they'd heard or read about, without first seeking the Lord about it or attending the outpouring, and experiencing first hand what God was doing here. They were amazed by the power and the glory of God there, and have headed back to Nevada with good reports!
    This seems to be what I hear from many attending, and from what I read on blogs from people who've experienced the fire of God at our meetings. Every night we see hundreds of pastors and leaders all hungry for the fire of God to touch their churches, to disarm the religious paradigms that keep God in a box, quenching the work of the Spirit.
    People may see me or others sprawled out on the floor, or in heavenly laughter, or shaking because of the glory and presence of God, but try to look beyond and understand that something's happening in the spirit, trusting that there's that other realm that you may not see.
    Revival is often messy because there's a lot happening and sometimes it's hard for people to take in everything they see in the natural. Many come and some do manifest fleshly things, but for the most part, everyone is sincere and of good intention at a revival. Trust it's better to be full of life with a little untidiness than to be dead. Also, trust that God is big. He can handle it and can separate the tares from the wheat.
    Revival shakes paradigms. It doesn't fit the mainstream Church's way of thinking. Revival is an upstream move of God that breaks away from the stagnant pools of religion and tradition. Those bound by tradition and inside a paradigm of do's and don'ts who give way to an upward stream, find transformation, and a new supernatural, empowering paradigm for their lives.
    Moves of God like this are never normal. Do you think what happened in Acts looked normal to the disciples, or even to the onlookers? Pentecost was way, way out there, pretty far out, and must have caused much talk. No one had ever seen anything like it before. Revival is about new things happening, so it's important not to be quick to judge. There's no prototype for revival. It's not a cookie cutter thing. We're only in our baby stages - and there's a lot to learn, but what we need now is the support of the Church because unity is crucial.
    If you cannot understand the supernatural things of God, or even if you disagree or choose to discount or discredit me in any way, then I urge you to look at the fruit. Every day we're seeing salvations. Every day people are being healed, not only physically, but emotionally too! Every day, people who thought they knew Christ are discovering Him in a fresh and powerful new way. Every day, we're teaching people how to use their gifts to evangelize. We're equipping and sending hundreds into the streets and marketplaces to talk about Jesus.
     It's not even limited to this region. We're seeing this move of God as exponential growth because people carry the anointing and glory of God home to their churches and regions, empowered to "do the same stuff" and ignite more fires.

Before You Pick Apart the Worker...

    Please examine the fruit before you pick apart the worker. People are being saved! Certainly this is common ground with every believer - our hearts should always be for the lost. Can we not come together and make this our mission, understanding that our theologies may be different but that we agree on this very important and vital commission. We serve the same God. God is the Father of all of us. We are His children. We are all in the same family. We are all running the same race but at different paces. The Word planted on good soil bears good fruit!

Salvation of the Lost

    If you're watching out a window from a distance and see a child running around a busy street and in obvious danger of being hit, but see someone close-by who could help, what would you do? Would you first judge the person to determine if he or she is "fit" enough or qualified to lend assistance, in your eyes? Would you check to see that the person is wearing an "S" for "Superman" on his shirt? Would you wait for the right person to come along that fits your mold, or would you throw open the window and yell, "That child - save that child!"
    Please. Our mission is to save the lost. Period. Everything that is happening at Lakeland is to that end. God is good. People are being saved. That should be the priority of every believer. You may not understand some of the things that you see. It may be out of your paradigm or traditional way of thinking, but trust that if God didn't want this to happen that He is more than capable of shutting it down single-handedly without the help of man.
    Jumping into rivers of condemnation, disapproval, even censure before experiencing things for yourself could make you responsible for the loss of the one who may have come to the Lord but for quick judgments or criticisms. God is doing new things! Church history should never be used as a blueprint for experiences or beliefs, that's what the Word of God is for.

New Wineskins and New Garments

    This move of God may not fit your perception of revival, especially if you are basing it on previous revivals, or even on the traditions of the Church. So too, I likely don't fit the mold of the traditional evangelist. Jesus used the Pharisees' disapproval as an opportunity to teach why it was important that He didn't fit into their mold. First, He used the metaphor of the patched garments and said "No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old" (Luke 5:36). To try to attach a new, unshrunk garment to the old will not only tear and destroy the new but also the old won't look right and will eventually tear again. Jesus contrasted the old and new again with a parable about new wine and old, saying that if a person pours new wine into old wineskins the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out, and the wineskins would ruin (Luke 5:37, 38).
    What could possibly be so new in Jesus' day as to be ruined by being attached to the old? The radical Gospel! Man-made rules and tradition would hinder the work. Jesus wanted them to see that the dead Pharisaical traditions didn't result in heart transformations. It would be easier for them to clasp onto and justify what was familiar and comfortable, than to be led by the Holy Spirit but the two can't be combined. Jesus wasn't throwing out the law or discounting it but came to fulfill it. The Gospel needed to be free of the confines of tradition and religious comfort zones to work its power. Jesus wanted to restore the hearts of the people, to restore life to the core of the Hebrew faith. Those external things, as Paul wrote in Colossians 2:23, "have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh." Their system of laws had lost Christ who was their substance. They had the shadows but not the substance of Christ. Pride pretended to penetrate heaven but hadn't.
    Signs, wonders, and miracles should be proof of the Gospel. However, Jesus said there would be false signs and wonders in the last days that were not done by Him (Matt. 7:21-23). Of this, I am well aware. Some people may do these things in His name and yet never really have a relationship of love and fellowship with Jesus. Salvation is knowing Jesus and being known by Him - it's much more than spiritual works or a verbal confession. I understand that lofty places in this visible kingdom are no proof of anyone's acceptance with God, and neither are the mighty works, even done in Jesus' name. However, the condition of the heart is what truly allies us with Him. This I've stressed repeatedly in my ministry. The heart changes when someone spends much time with the Lord. This is the foundation of my ministry and my walk with Jesus. From the outset of my salvation, my ministry, and even today, I spend hours in the secret place of His presence. I seek Him and His will for every meeting. My team here at Lakeland knows that several hours of every afternoon; before every meeting, I'm not to be disturbed as I spend time with Jesus. Signs, wonders, miracles, dreams, and visions I believe are His loving response - the fruit of fellowship.
    Spend time in His presence and you won't be as resistant to change. You won't be afraid to be a new wineskin, God's present wineskin. You won't even be the same wineskin as tomorrow, because with God wineskins are new and newer. New wineskins won't limit God or what He can do.

When Did the Devil Change His Plan?

    From what I've been hearing, my heart is saddened because critical people are bringing more attention to the supposed "works of the devil" in my life, and here in Lakeland than to the very real and wondrous works of God. Too much credit is being given to the devil and to man to the detriment of God's sovereignty and power. Some are even attributing good and wonderful manifestations of God's loving response to His children, to the devil! But this exalts no one but themselves when they choose to make a ministry out of their judgments and criticisms in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Since when did the devil come to heal the sick, raise the dead, open deaf ears and eyes, lead people to salvation in Jesus, or preach that the Kingdom of God is at hand? Just when did the devil change his plan? Jesus promised life and life more abundantly, and that's the fruit that we're seeing in Lakeland.
    For this reason, I asked my staff to remove from our website, articles that are causing such strife and division and deterring the Body from the very real and pressing focus of these last days. Jesus wept when people missed the purpose. Every blessing flowed and people received, but they missed the purpose. Don't miss the purpose!
    Again I emphasize, it's good and right to search out the Truth and to discern the spirits, God expects us to do so. Nevertheless, it's also important to do so outside of one's comfortable box, not mistaking discomfort for discernment, and realizing that God is not only a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, but also a God of new things. Realize also, that if you spend time in His presence, in fellowship with Him, and if daily, you put on the full armor of God and spend time in His Word; you'll be more comfortable erring on the side of extravagance rather than quench the Spirit. A body of believers without the Holy Spirit is a breathless, lifeless body.


Accountability

    I am accountable to God, and to those who He has sent to me to speak wisdom into my life and ministry - (I submit to an accountability team that comprises my pastor and spiritual overseers from varying backgrounds and denominations). They have not discounted the things that the Lord has shown me just because they don't fit the mold of tradition or the old wineskins that some are carrying. The dreams, visions, and experiences that I've brought forth have been solely for ministering to the Body of Christ. My experiences have made me even hungrier and more zealous for God. That hunger transfers into a hunger to see others experience what I know to be true. They've been substantiated through the Word of God in principle, and accepted and given the go-ahead by my accountability team.
    I also have an entire department of our ministry devoted to intercession, to coordinating and administering prayer covering over my life and family, over the ministry, and to those to whom we minister. We have an email list called The Firewall that comprises hundreds of intercessors from around the world who keep us covered in prayer.
    
Steadfast Word of God

    Certainly, some people may not understand the visions God has given me, just as I may not understand theirs, but I'll always hold and stand firm on the truths and the promises He's given me because He lines them up in my life with the Word. What eternally matters is His Word, which is steadfast and true. My visions may fade away but God's Word never will. As long as I have the Word, I don't even need manifestations to prove to me that God is God.
    However, God has promised that it shall come to pass in the last days that He will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh: that "your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions" (Joel 2:28). God is raising up an Ezekiel company empowered with the gifts of faith and the working of miracles, with voices like trumpets commanding and heralding the miraculous power of God. Effectiveness and power isn't limited to clergy. God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh.
    We have to be immersed people. I want to be saturated with everything that God has for me - including dreams, visions, miracles, signs, wonders, and everything accessible to me as a child of God in the supernatural realm of His kingdom. I want the same for you, and so does God.

Go the Distance

    People may criticize me for my boldness and zeal, for my methods and ways, for my intensity and urgency, but when we follow the Holy Spirit, He often leads us to do bold and even unexpected things - even outside of our norm. Samuel prophesied to King Saul that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon him and that he would prophesy and be turned "into another man" (1 Sam. 10:6). I am another man. Try to look beyond my paunch and the tattoos, and see how God has used me, and see how He can use you, and is using others.
    Christianity shouldn't be a dead religion but full of life, vim, and strength! Supernatural signs and wonders so often lead people to the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whether people know it or not, no matter which way a person comes to Christ, the supernatural is involved.
    It's vital for us to go the distance with God if the world is ever going to experience the might of who He really is! Walking in communion with God and in the reality of heaven on earth is the distance to aim and reach for but you have to be open to the impossible happening, even if it bursts your wineskin. The realities of heaven that have happened in my life, and that are happening here at Lakeland are to glorify God so that the lost would come into right relationship with Him, for He is mighty to save.

Take Part in the Feast

    God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. For some reason, He's chosen a bald-headed, red-bearded, tattooed, pierced, imperfect man as an agent for revival. I understand why I would come as a shock to the religious camp. Nevertheless, trust that if what I'm doing is of the flesh or of the devil, I will fail, but if what's happening is from God, nothing and no one can quench this blazing revival fire unless God wills it.
    We're throwing a feast and we're inviting the sick, the poor in spirit, the oppressed, and those bound in old wineskins. We're going out to find and minister to those that no one else can touch to bring them in, and we're seeing an outpouring of God's blessings such that we cannot contain. Is it the work of the devil?
    Spend time praying for souls. I pray you can see past my imperfections and gaze at the perfection of Christ Jesus. Break through your old wineskin and into the present one. Trust the wisdom of God and His hand in all of this.
    I'm thankful that people are being watchful in these last days, just as I am watchful. Questions are good when we're uncertain of things. Trust too what a respected Pharisee advised in Acts 5:38, 39: "And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it - lest you even be found to fight against God."
    I understand that people have questions, and God understands too! I invite you to come to Lakeland to see what God has for you, and to see for yourself the mighty and wondrous things that God is doing here. Thanks again for hearing my heart. It is my heart that we can bring unity to the Body of Christ to see a great harvest.

Fresh Fire to you,

Todd Bentley

Where are Lakeland, Florida hotels near the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport and how do you make reservations?
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Best Western Diplomat Inn  
Lakeland, FL    
The Best Western Diplomat Inn and Conference Center is a full service hotel under new management. Our hotel features a complimentary 8-course hot buffet breakfast and is located just off I-4 at Exit 32, midway between Tampa and Orlando. Our hotel features 5 banquet / meeting rooms with a total of...

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Holiday Inn LAKELAND-SOUTH  
Lakeland, FL    
Southern Hospitality at it's business best! This friendly full service hotel is conveniently located between Tampa and Orlando just minutes from Lakeland's downtown historic dining and antique district, Sun 'n Fun site, the Florida Air Museum, Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, The Lakeland Center...

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Holiday Inn LAKELAND I-4 HOTEL & CONF CTR  
Lakeland, FL    
Welcome to the Official Winter Home of the Detroit Tigers! We are Lakeland's full-service Hotel & Conference Center,The Holiday Inn Hotel Lakeland, conveniently located just off I-4 at Exit 32 between Tampa and Orlando. Featuring 5 flexible meeting rooms and Grille 498 Casual Dining & Spirits. We...

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Snowbirds Inn  
Lakeland, FL    
Located in Polk County just minutes away from major central Florida attractions such as Disney World, Sea World and Universal Studios in Orlando, as well as Busch Gardens in Tampa. Just a short drive to Spaceport USA at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida's Gulf and Atlantic beaches and Tampa and...

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Hampton Inn Lakeland  
Lakeland, FL    
Hampton Inn Lakeland is located at I-4 Exit 33.[OLD EXIT#19} centrally positioned between Tampa and Orlando. We are 41 miles east of Tampa Airport and 51 miles west of Orlando Airport. Area attractions include Joker Merchant Stadium, home of the Detroit Tigers, shopping malls, Busch Gardens, Sea...

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Hyatt Place Lakeland Center  
Lakeland, FL    
All-suite hotel in the heart of Lakeland's business district and attached to The Lakeland Center. The hotel caters to business, group and leisure travelers, featuring over-sized suites, completely furnished kitchen, large living areas and all the comforts of home, including a deluxe continental...

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Suburban Hotel Lakeland  
Lakeland, FL    
Suburban Extended Stay Hotel is conveniently located 1 mile North of I-4 within walking distance of Lakeland Square Mall. If dining is your pleasure, we have 26 restaurants within 1 square mile of the hotel property. Lakeland is a beautiful town with lots of lakes. Come and visit and let us here at...

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The Terrace Hotel  
Lakeland, FL    
The Terrace Hotel is Lakeland's only full-service hotel. Located in the heart of the downtown district, it is within walking distance from nearly 100 specialty shops and cafes. The hotel re-opened after a $13 million renovation in 1999 and has subsequently been granted historic status. The...

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Quality Inn & Suites  
Lakeland, FL    
Hotel is a centrally located hotel within a short ride to all Orlando attractions as well as the Tampa shoreline and business districts. They are nestled in a courtyard setting with easy access on and off Interstate 4.

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Crestwood Suites Lakeland  
Lakeland, FL    
4 stories, interior corridors, extended stay and daily rentals. Continental breakfast served daily, outdoor swimming pool, computer center, fitness room, guest laundry facility.

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Courtyard by Marriott Lakeland  
Lakeland, FL    
The hotel designed by business travelers, Courtyard surrounds you with all the conveniences that make business and pleasure travel easy. The Courtyard Lakeland is conveniently located three miles from Breed Technologies, The Lakeland Center and Publix Headquarters, four miles from Florida Southern...

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Imperial Swan Hotel and Suites  
Lakeland, FL    
Lakeland's largest full service conference hotel. Featuring 168 designer-decorated guest rooms including 30 junior and executive level tworoom suites with whirl pool tubs, over 10,000 square feet of conference space including 10 different break out meeting space, the four-star rated restaurant...

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Days Inn & Suites Lakeland  
Lakeland, FL    
Days Inn and Suites Lakeland is a brand new state of the art 100 percent Non Smoking Facility featuring top notch services and amenities with a touch of Southern Comfort and Hospitality. Besides our Southern Hospitality, we offer Complimentary Hot Continental Breakfast, 27-Inch Flat Screen...

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Comfort Inn & Suites  
Lakeland, FL    
Hotel is conveniently located within walking distance to Lakeland Mall, movies and an assortment of restaurants. Lakeland Civic Center is only minutes away. Appealing to the leisure and business traveler who are looking for a quiet, convenient escape from the average hotel. FREE Continental...

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Safar Inn Lakeland  
Lakeland, FL    
SAFAR INN LAKELAND IS LOCATED ACROSS FROM BEAUTIFUL LAKE PARKER ON HIGHWAY 92, 2 MILES FROM DOWNTOWN LAKELAND. OUR CLEAN AND SPACIOUS ROOMS INCLUDE INDIVIDUALLY CONTROLLED AIR CONDITIONING AND COLOR TELEVISION.

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Best Motel Lakeland Inn  
Lakeland, FL    
The Best Motel Lakeland Inn, a Magnuson Hotels affiliate, is located in Lakeland, FL centrally located between Tampa and Orlando area activities. Enjoy day trips and come back to Best Motel Lakeland Inn your home away from home. Please note that some websites do not add extra person charges to...

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Hilton Garden Inn Lakeland  
Lakeland, FL    
The Hilton Garden Inn Lakeland Florida hotel is located at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, home of the annual Sun N Fun Fly In... the second largest aviation convention of its kind, adjacent to the Florida Air Museum (open all year round) and conveniently located midway between the cities of...

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Value Place Lakeland  
Lakeland, FL    
Value Place is a short term residential product that blends the best of extended stay lodging and furnished apartments. Our rates are priced for a minimum one week stay, and are not adjusted to a daily rate if the stay is less than one week. When your stay goes into the next week, another weekly...

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Residence Inn by Marriott Lakeland  
Lakeland, FL    
Residence Inn by Marriott is designed to make you feel at home for a day, a week, a month or more. Our suites give you fifty percent more space than most traditonal hotel rooms. The Residence Inn Lakeland is located one quarter mile from Lockheed Martin, two miles from Lakeland Center, Lakeland...

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Baymont Inn & Suites Lakeland  
Lakeland, FL    
Located between Orlando and Tampa, the Baymont Inns & Suites-Lakeland is surrounded by beauty with abundant lakes and exciting activities. While you are here, attend events at such places as Lakeland Center. USA Speedway is only three miles and we are only five miles from the Frank Lloyd Wright...

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Wellesley Inn and Suites Lakeland  
Lakeland, FL    
The Wellesley Inn and Suites Lakeland is located two blocks north of Interstate 4 off Exit 18, next to beautiful Lakeland Square Mall and just five minutes north of lovely downtown Lakeland. This Wellesley Inn proves to be the most popular choice of business and tourist travel destinations. A new...

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Sweet Dreams Inn  
Lakeland, FL    
Newly renovated hotel on 4 acres of lakefront property and a resort-type setting. Relax and conversate with friends on our Tiki Deck, while enjoying a wonderful view of the lake. Take advantage of the serene, peaceful setting you will not find anywhere else in Lakeland.

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Jameson Inn Lakeland  
Lakeland, FL    
The white columned colonial style property has a pool with an adjacent fitness center. We provide a free breakfast express buffet, newspaper, local calls and HBO on a 25-inch color TV with remote. Premium rooms are available featuring a recliner, microwave and refrigerator. Jameson Inns, Inc...

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Terrace Hotel  
Lakeland, FL    
The Terrace Hotel is Lakeland's only full-service, luxury hotel. Located in the heart of the downtown district, The Terrace Hotel is within walking distance to nearly 100 specialty shops and cafes. The hotel re-opened after a $10 million dollar renovation in 1999 and has subsequently been granted...

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Sleep Inn Lakeland  
Lakeland, FL    
Beautiful new 2005 hotel located midway between Tampa and Orlando. Easy access to I-4. Several restaurants adjacent. Area attractions, businesses, shopping and medical facilities within minutes. Gulf Beaches and all Orlando theme parks a short easy drive. Beautiful rooms offering microwave and...

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La Quinta Inn & Suites Lakeland  
Lakeland, FL    
The La Quinta Inn and Suites-Lakeland is located directly off Interstate 4, across from the Lakeland Square Mall and surrounded by a variety of restaurants. The hotel is just minutes away from the Lakeland Convention Center, winter home to the Detroit Tigers, Lakeland Cancer Center, Hospital...

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Dr. Greig writes: "(God's) desire is to help every potential reader know that what God is releasing through Lakeland and through the Fresh Fire Ministries team is indeed squarely biblical and is not New Age or outside the clear teaching of Scripture and historic Christianity."

According to the Lord's leading, and our examination of the booklet's contents, we are in agreement with his theological assessment. Our accountability team has made this very informative document available to you on our website in PDF format for download, and will have print copies available as soon as possible. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Dr. Greig and to the Lord for this timely and vital theological response to concerns and criticisms.

Fresh Fire Ministries is an international ministry called to global harvest.   Todd Bentley and his team take God's saving, healing and delivering power to the nations.  Todd travels throughout North America , sparking revival fire and equipping the body in power evangelism and healing Ministry.  As well, Todd and his team conduct many healing crusades throughout Africa , India , South America , Europe and beyond.  Thousands have been saved, healed and delivered.

Todd Bentley, his wife Shonnah and three children, Lauralee, Esther and Elijah live in Abbotsford, BC, Canada.

In his late teens, Todd had a dramatic encounter with the saving and delivering power of God. This experience brought Todd out of a lifestyle of drug and alcohol addiction without cravings or withdrawal symptoms. He was also delivered from a lifestyle involving criminal activity, youth prisons, drugs, sex, satanic music and bondage.  Todd's miraculous conversion to Jesus was much like the Apostle Paul's on the Damascus road. Todd was instantly transformed into a radical disciple and soul winning evangelist for Jesus.

God has drawn Todd into deep and intimate places of prayer.  These extended times in God's presence has released a fresh prophetic and miracle-healing anointing.  In the past God has used Todd to spark many revivals where meetings have been extended to last from one to two months, continuing on even after he has left.

The passion of Todd's life and ministry: is to see others set free through the anointing of the Holy Spirit and to see others come into the reality of intimate relationship with Jesus. He also desires to see Christ's body healed, equipped and rising up in the power of the Holy Spirit to fulfill the great commission.

Todd believes the body of Christ needs to be strengthened and encouraged. He ministers prophetically, corporately and personally as well as brings forth the word of God with the power and demonstration of the Spirit -- God confirming His word with signs and wonders following.  God has released an increase of the healing anointing into Todd's life to the point where the blind see, the deaf hear & growths dissolve as Jesus still heals every sickness and disease.

Statement of Faith

We believe there is one living and true God who has revealed Himself in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, infinitely perfect and eternal in existence and equal in glory, majesty and power (Matt 28:19; Luke 3:21 -22)

We Believe in...

1. THE WORD OF GOD

We believe the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error, unified in their redemptive purpose, yielding a complete revelation of God's will for the salvation of mankind. We hold the Bible to be trustworthy, the only supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. Scripture is our source of revelation of God, the knowledge of salvation, the origin of all things and of the hereafter-it is the final Court of Appeal on all points of doctrine, life and godliness. (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Hebrews 4:12)

2. THE PERSON OF GOD

We believe there is one living and true God who has revealed Himself in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, infinitely perfect and eternal in existence and equal in glory, majesty and power (Matt 28:19; Luke 3:21 -22):

a) God the Father is the Creator of all things and the Author of eternal redemption. (Matt 6:9)

b) The Lord Jesus Christ was manifest in the flesh as the very Son of God-fully God and fully man, Creator of all things with the Father, and the appointed Judge of all men (John 1:14 ,18; Col 1:13-20; Acts 17:31; Heb 1:1-4).

Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died on the Cross for our sins, was buried, resurrected bodily on the third day according to the Scriptures and appeared to his disciples (1Cor 15:1-8). He ascended to the Father, where He continues His High-Priestly ministry. He will personally and physically return for a glorious Church and execute judgment upon the wicked. (1Thess 4:16 -18)

c) The Holy Spirit is The Comforter, the Promise of The Father (Acts 1:4), the Revealer of Christ and His work on the Cross, the Empowerer and the Distributor of gifts and graces upon the Church.

3. HUMANITY's FALLEN NATURE AND NEED OF THE SAVIOUR

We believe the human race was originally created by God, in His image, to have dominion over His creation (Gen 1:27 ). However, with The Fall of humanity, sin entered through disobedience and rebellion. Humanity became separated from God and totally incapable of saving itself (Rom 5:12 ). All of mankind needs to turn from sin and trust personally in the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, to receive redemption. (Rom 3:23 )

4. SALVATION ONLY THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST

We believe the power of sin and death was broken when Jesus bore our sin at the Cross and rose again, providing the only way of salvation for the whole person: spirit, soul and body. (Heb 4:12 ; 1Thess 5:23 )

Mankind can only be saved by grace through repentance and faith in Christ's perfect and sufficient work of the Cross. We receive remission of sins by Christ's substitutionary sacrifice for us, redemption through faith in His shed blood and regeneration by the Holy Spirit's power. (John 3:5)

5. EMPOWERMENT OF CHRIST's PRESENCE

We believe the Lord's Presence, Peace and Power are manifest in His Body in various ways, which are not, however, to be regarded as a means of salvation. We regard:
a) The Lord's Supper as a means of fellowship of the spiritual body of Christ, and as a way of partaking of the spiritual benefits bequeathed to New Covenant believers.(1Cor 11:17-34)

b) Water baptism, by immersion, as the obedient response to the Lord's command (Acts 2:38 ; Matt 28:19-20) and a visible representation of our death, burial and resurrection with Christ.

c) The baptism of the Holy Spirit as a valid and important experience for believers today. The Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost and is present for all believers today, often subsequent to the new birth and evidenced by speaking with other tongues (Acts 2:1-4;10:44-46; 19:1-6) and empowerment to witness (Acts 1:8). This baptism is also accompanied by grace gifts and fruit of the Spirit (Rom 5:5, 1 Cor 12:5-11; Gal 5:22 -23).

6. THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH

We believe the Church is the Body of Christ ( 1 Cor 12:12 -14; Eph 1:22 -23) , His Bride (Eph 5:25 ) and Temple of the Holy Spirit (1Cor 3:16 ), the expression of the present rule and reign of Christ's Kingdom of God on earth. Christians are members of the universal, mystical, body by faith-they are a holy priesthood of believers. Believers need to live out their commitment to Christ in love, unity and community with other body members in the local church-this is the practical expression of Christian faith in action. Christ gifted His Church with unity and a five-fold ministry of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers for maturing, ordering, equipping, and releasing the whole body to do the works of service that reveal His glory. (Eph 4:11-16)

7. DIVINE HEALING

We believe divine healing is within Christ's work of atonement (1 Pet 2:24 ) and great gift of salvation. Healing, communicated by God's grace, gifts, laying on of hands, anointing with oil, and simple faith alone, minister healing for the whole person (emotional, mental, physical) and deliverance from oppression by the devil (Acts 10:38; Mk 16:17-18;

Jas 5:14-16). The gospel is not only in word, but in power and "these signs will follow those who believe."

8. THE LAYING ON OF HANDS

We believe that the laying on of hands, as practiced in the New Testament, is an operation of the ministry of the Holy Spirit for:

- healing the sick
- baptism of the Holy Spirit
- receiving spiritual gifts

- dedicating children

- ordaining ministries
- and sending out ministries (Acts 13:3)

9. THE CHRIST-LIKE ABUNDANT LIFE

We believe all Christians are called into a life of separation from sinful practices and they should take every opportunity to promote righteousness and godliness (James 4:4; Romans 12:1-2, 13:1-10; 2Cor 6:14 -18; 1 John 2:15 -17). Holiness is the release of Christ within each and every believer, changing us into His image, from glory to glory. (2Cor 3:18 )

10. EVANGELISM

We believe the mandate and privilege of every Christian is to spread the Gospel to the lost world by making disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them to obey everything He commands (Matt 28:18-20). This lifestyle of evangelism is accomplished through prayer, living out our faith, preaching the Word and sacrificial giving. (Acts 1:8; Luke 10:2; Matt 10:7-8; 1Cor 9:19 -23)

11. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

We believe the Ascension and Exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ to the throne of the Father proclaims His present rule and reign over the universe. His Kingdom is revealed here on earth through His Body, the Church, resulting in a glorious Church and global harvest at the end of this age. He will be finally revealed through His personal, physical, and soon return and the events described in the following scriptures, including the resurrection of the dead (the just to everlasting life and unjust to eternal separation from God (Acts 1:11 ; 1Thess 4:16 -17; Titus 2:12 -14; 2Thess 1:7-10).

12. FURTHER REVELATION

We recognize that God is continually restoring truth and light to His Church. Therefore, we place no limit on further revelation; however, each must be substantiated according to the Scriptures.

When you come to Lakeland, Florida plan now to spend the night.