David Hathaway

I believe in these last days that the revival we will see will be among the poor, the deprived, the persecuted – and the Kingdom of God will be filled with these people. I’m working in the former communist territories among people who were persecuted and oppressed; I work among the persecuted Jews, the Holocaust survivors. I lived through those days of suffering and persecution under communism, and in 1972, I was put in prison for it. Such are the people for whom Christ died. If we are not careful, revival will not come into the Church, but among the unchurched, the poor. The Gospel must be preached to the whole world before Christ comes back!

I LIVE in revival! It’s burning within me with a passion, an intensity. I live in revival. But here, in Acts 7, we see persecution. I believe we are going to see in certain areas a massive revival, but at the same time we cannot deny the fact that there will also be massive persecution. And the nearer we get to the coming of the Lord, I believe we have to strengthen ourselves – like Stephen did, fill of faith and the Holy Spirit! So that when that persecution comes, we will stand strong in the face of it, even if it means death and martyrdom. Yes.

You are never alone! Jesus teaches in John 16, ‘You have sorrow now, but I will see you again. Then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy. The time is coming, indeed it is here now, when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving Me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. Here on earth, you will have many trials, and sorrows. But take heart because I have overcome the world.’

Jesus says, ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE! He says very clearly in Mark 11:23-24, you WILL HAVE what YOU SAY! We have to make that confession of faith! In my life, if I don’t ask, if I don’t make that confession of faith, I don’t get what I want, if I don’t in faith confess it!!! And if I confess it, I get it! I’m trying to encourage you simply to THINK DIFFERENTLY! But don’t just think differently, SPEAK differently, ACT differently. Get your Bible out and read Ephesians 3:20. And then sit down and begin to pray, because He is able to do EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL that we ask or think - according to the Power that works WITHIN US.

God wants YOU to be full of faith and full of the Holy Ghost so that you can work great miracles! In Acts 6, Stephen, who was appointed as an administrator not as an apostle, was so full of faith that many people were healed by him. What an example! This is a tremendous challenge! Too many people think that the 'anointing' only rests on Pastors, Prophets and Evangelists, but no! The example of Stephen, who was appointed for ‘secular’ work, yet he was so full of faith and the Power of the Holy Spirit, that he did great wonders and miracles! That should be the example for all believers: you may be a teacher, nurse or retired, but you should be full of faith and the Holy Spirit, working great miracles. 

I want to encourage you to THINK differently! But don’t just think differently, SPEAK differently, ACT differently. Get your Bible out and read Ephesians 3:20. And then sit down and begin to pray, because He is able to do EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL that we ask or think - according to the Power that works WITHIN US.

We are called to a lifetime of service to God. There is no retirement, only to be re-fired by the Holy Spirit! I recently celebrated 72 years of full-time ministry, following the moment when I experienced God’s call on my life 3 years earlier in 1947, aged 15, when I surrendered everything to Jesus on the seafront at Brighton. Like the Queen, my call is not something to retire from, but a lifetime of service to God, which can only end in the final call to ‘higher service’. The Apostle Paul urged us in Romans 12.1, 'to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, this is your true and proper worship.'

Exceedingly abundantly ABOVE ALL THAT WE CAN ASK!!! Paul is saying that through Christ, God will do MORE than we can ask. Or even think! Jesus will give us, not only what we’re asking for, but He will fulfil our wildest dreams! Too many of us are restrictive in our prayer. I don’t think we understand the willingness of God through Christ to do SO MUCH for us – if only we would ask!!! 

Prayer is more than just ‘fellowship with the Lord’. We are encouraged to ASK for our needs. The Apostle Paul says, 'God is able to give you ABOVE what you can ask'. Too many Christians are afraid to ask, I don’t know why. I have no hesitation in asking. If there is something I need, I know the Scripture, so I ask! And the Lord answers me! Now if what I am asking for isn’t right, then I don’t get it… But if it’s right and pleasing to the Lord – and God is a far better judge than we are if it’s right or wrong – He provides it! 

Too many of us are restrictive in our prayer. I don’t think we understand the willingness of God through Christ to do SO MUCH for us – if only we would ask!!! In Ephesians 3, having looked at the extent of the love of Christ, Paul is now looking beyond the love of God to the fact that Christ is ABLE to do exceedingly abundantly more… Exceedingly abundantly above… That’s EXPANSIVE! So descriptive… Exceedingly abundantly ABOVE ALL THAT WE CAN ASK!!! Paul is saying that through Christ, God will do MORE than we can ask. Or even think! Jesus will give us, not only what we’re asking for, but He will fulfil our wildest dreams! 

Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you! I want to encourage you that as you surrender your life to the Lord, and as you hear God’s Voice and obey what He says, God will not only watch over you and protect you, but the things which the devil is trying to do to harm you, God will turn to His Glory.

The love of God is simply beyond description, indescribable, too vast to comprehend. And yet, read with me Ephesians 3:18-21, Paul wants you ‘to be able to comprehend, with all saints, what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know, the love of Christ which passes all knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the Power that works in us, to Him be Glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.’ World without end is a very interesting statement, as we are living in a time when the end of the age (not the world) is coming, when Jesus will soon return.

“We ought to obey God rather than men!” When I came out of the communist prison, a lovely Christian lady accosted me to my face, saying, “Wilson should not have got you out of that prison. You broke the law. You knew you were breaking the law, taking Bibles into the communist countries. But you did it, so you should have stayed in prison!” That was just a few weeks after my release. It wasn’t very easy for me to hear! But I quoted Acts 5:29 to her, that we should obey God rather than men. 

‘Those who trust in God will never be ashamed!’ I want to remind you. Whatever the circumstances, whatever the difficulties we may be going through, we shall never be ashamed of our faith and our trust in God, and in His Power and in what He is going to do…  

If you commit your life to the Lord, and if you are hearing God’s Voice, and doing what He says, God will not only watch over you and protect you, but the things the devil is trying to do to harm you, He will turn ultimately to His Glory. There is no question, my time in prison was foreknown by God and transformed my life. When I was arrested, I was an unknown Bible smuggler – because you couldn’t talk about it, even the passengers on my tour bus didn’t know we had 2 tonnes of Bibles hidden in a secret compartment where their luggage was supposed to be... But when I came out, it was to a blaze of publicity, because Harold Wilson used the publicity for his election campaign! And three days later my denomination asked me to speak to 10,000 people in the Royal Albert Hall in London at their Easter Convention. And after that, for two years I travelled the world telling my story and winning thousands to Christ – because everybody wanted to know why the British Prime Minister got me out of prison. I wouldn’t be doi

Don’t be discouraged. I want you to get that Vision of what God can do! Get into your ‘watchtower’ and pray until God answers you and shows you His Power and His Glory! O Father, open people’s eyes, let them get into that place in the ‘watchtower’ where You answer them when they cry to You, “How long are You silent?” O God, be not silent, but show Your Power and Your Glory! In Jesus’ Name. Amen. 

"Fear not, be glad and rejoice, for the Lord will do GREAT THINGS!" This is the vision God is giving me. How strong can I be on this point? And how strong can the Lord be? Because He says to you, “Fear not, because I will do GREAT THINGS!”

I believe that what we are about to see is an even GREATER revelation of God's Power on earth than anything in the past. God’s Power doesn’t diminish just because there’s sin and wickedness in the world. God doesn’t change! God still loves the sinner. He still wants to redeem the earth. That’s why, in the near future, Jesus Christ is coming back – to fulfil every Promise, every Vision!

Looking back over more than 70 years of ministry, seeing the difficult times I’ve been through – God has never failed me! There have been ups and there have been downs in my life, but as the Bible says, "The Lord answered me!" Sometimes in our lives we need the patience to wait for the fulfilment of God’s Promises.

David has recently returned from Armenia where he was able to meet and teach senior pastors from Armenia and Georgia. This is critical as we are planning major evangelism in both countries. Both countries have recently experienced war, Armenia only two years ago. Both are desperate for God’s help and are open for evangelism. Thank you for continuing to support our humanitarian and spiritual relief efforts in Ukraine. Our staff are continuing to assist all those affected by the brutal Russian invasion.  To make a donation eurovision.org.uk/donation