Army Archives

When Satan was Silenced!

When was the last time you saw men and women give up “idols” as they sought the Lord’s Spirit in their lives? by Captain Charles Smith

Do we believe that God can have His way as He once did? Do we expect the Lord to rest in might and solemn power as He once did? It can happen if we let Him have His way as a group of Salvationists did during a series of prayer meeting in the Rhondda Valley in Wales.

We may ask ourselves of those all-night prayer meetings in 1879, “What hath God wrought?” The influence of the Holy Spirit rested mightily upon the crowd.  

The meetings were packed beyond capacity as people saw the Founder and a host of other Salvationist soldiers on the platform. Onlookers crammed into the hall to see once swearing drunkards now saved wanting the opportunity to be in the meeting and be “all night with Jesus.” The Founder read the Scriptures and urged the crowds to be “wholly sanctified.” After a few testimonies and lively singing, Miss Shepherd stood up and “spoke with power” concerning holiness. As she sat down, a man stood on a chair and declared, “Seven weeks ago in the Hall, I was convicted and converted under Miss Shepherd, and I have been a new man ever since; tonight, I am convicted again. I want something more, and I am willing to give up. I have one little idol—it is my pipe; here it is,” and pulling it out of his pocket, he threw it on the ground.  

When was the last time you saw men and women give up “idols” as they sought the Lord’s Spirit in their lives? May we go back to those midnight meetings of prayer and earnestly expect to see the Lord redeem the people. 

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