The healing revival lasted from 1947 until 1958. Those who ministered during that time saw thousands upon thousands, if not millions, healed and turn to the Lord. Their names were spoken daily in households across the nation. Their stories filled secular papers from coast to coast. The tent meetings they conducted were unlike anything seen since the times of Jesus. Yet, it did not last. According to Kenneth E. Hagin, the revelation of prosperity, focusing on that and getting off course, was one of the things that killed the healing revival.

The majority of the major, more famous, healing evangelists of the healing revival broke away from denominations because of the constraints put on them. While this allowed them more freedom, it also took away oversight and the protection of the counsel of leaders. However, that doesn’t mean that those leaders and the counsel were right as well.

Billy Graham’s influential ministry spanned over 70 years, from his ordination in 1939 until his passing in 2018. Though he ministered at the same time, he was of a different flow, ordained as a baptist minister. Yet his ministry outlasted all of those in the healing revival. Why? In short: integrity, character, and staying with his call.

Salvation from sin was preached among the healing evangelists, but whatever the intention of the evangelists, it was never the central theme of their meetings. Though these men and women, whom we see as great people of faith, certainly flowed in the miraculous, they were not without their problems. In fact, because of their great influence and the blow they were striking to the kingdom of darkness, the devil attacked them greatly.

Many of them dealt with moral failings and other problems that shortened their lives and helped shrink the anointing that was upon their lives and ministries. The following is meant to document the issues they faced, not to put them down, but as an example of how the devil attacks those of great influence and anointing.

The devil doesn’t need any help trying to bring down those who are helping the kingdom of God. But we can all use a warning to help us avoid his attacks. Please remember, as you read through this, none of it is an attack. All of this is common knowledge, just unknown. These men did great things in their time, but the devil was able to take them out, just as he desires to take us all out.

Please know that it is assumed that if you are reading this, you have an understanding of those who are mentioned and how anointed their ministries were. I will not be covering the great things that they did, for that is widely available and not the intent of this. It is simply to make us aware of how the devil will try to bring us down by illustrating that even those of great faith who do great things for God are still open to the attack of the devil.

The Forerunner Of The Healing Revival

Before the great healing revival of the 40’s, there was John Alexander Dowie. Dowie’s ministry lasted 35 years, from 1872, when he became a Congregational pastor, to 1907, when he died. He was 59. His death came just as the Azusa Street meetings began to flow worldwide. In his time, he saw thousands healed. There is a famous photo of him standing in front of a giant wall with all sorts of medical devices that had been left after his meeting—because people no longer needed them!

Dowie is considered the “father of healing revivalism in America.” Though not directly influenced by him, many important figures in Pentecostalism emerged from the work of his ministry, including F.F. Bosworth, John G. Lake, and Raymond T. Richey. Though Dowie saw many great things happen in his ministry, the devil clearly influenced him. He founded Zion, IL, as a “paradise for the righteous,” which saw 10,000 people move there within two years. However, he would eventually rule the city with an iron fist.

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, his “leadership style” changed to more authoritarian and autocratic as his ambitions to build and develop Zion City grew. He even had his followers swear an oath to him that went as follows:

“I vow in the name of God my Father and of Jesus Christ, His Son and my Savior, and the Holy Ghost that I recognize John Alexander Dowie, general overseer, in his threefold prophetic office as a messenger of the covenant, the restorer; and I promise to obey all rightful orders issued by him, and that all family ties and obligations and all relations to all human Governments shall be held subordinate to this vow. This I make in the presence of God.”

In January 1901, he claimed to be the prophet Elijah’s third arrival. He made controversial claims of “repeated divine revelations exalting his personal status.” He took upon himself an office that was not his to take.

Dowie’s ministry was run largely as a commercial enterprise, not a ministry. All members were expected to tithe, and only those who paid were eligible to request Dowie’s aid in healing.

Dowie became obsessed with the idea of building a utopian city named Zion in Illinois. Even before the idea of Zion, he started focusing on real estate. He “liked to buy up securities of bankrupt companies and sell them to his members.” He defrauded two women this way and was sued by them and lost. The operations of Zion have been characterized as “a carefully-devised large-scale platform for securities fraud.”

Dowie’s departure from scriptural teachings even included a plan for a “Harem of Seven Wives,” one of the reasons why he divorced. He had five of the seven chosen. He was planning a polygamous colony in Mexico at one point.

Dowie faced personal and financial scandals, including accusations of financial mismanagement and inappropriate behavior. There were allegations of personal misconduct and inappropriate relationships. Dowie’s behavior, including his interactions with followers and critics, became more erratic and contentious as he faced increasing challenges to his authority. In 1906, he was sued for libel and faced other legal challenges related to his conduct and leadership practices. Though at the height of his popularity, Dowie and the ministry were quite successful (he spent $250,000 to furnish his private home—$7,007,500 in today’s dollars (2024) based on inflation adjustments), when he died he was broke owing creditors.

Dowie was known to confront critics and dissenters directly, often using harsh rhetoric and legal actions to suppress opposition. He was known for publicly denouncing and rebuking individuals who questioned his teachings or opposed his leadership. In some documented instances, Dowie would use strong language and accusations against critics during public gatherings or church services. He was quick to excommunicate or shun individuals within his church who expressed doubts or raised concerns about his doctrines.

Dissenters were often ostracized and marginalized within the community. Dowie was not hesitant to resort to legal action against those he perceived as enemies or troublemakers. He filed lawsuits against journalists, former followers, and critics who published negative articles or exposed controversies surrounding his ministry. Dowie engaged in personal feuds and vendettas with individuals who crossed him or threatened his authority. These conflicts often escalated into public disputes and legal battles. Among others, Dowie held a grudge against Maria Woodworth-Etter, who was one of his greatest critics.

An associate of Dowie wrote a book where he tried to trace back to a moment in his ministry and life where things changed. He found that almost to the day, it was when he left his place of prayer, which he kept every day. That’s when he started getting involved in building Zion.

Dowie was ousted from Zion in 1906 after financial problems, among other reasons. He passed away on March 9, 1907, “deserted by all except a few faithful followers,” including his wife and son. Paralysis and a complication of dropsy and other maladies were indicated as the cause of death. On his death bed, he became delusional, thinking he was reliving the past. His last moments were singing hymns “Joy To The World” and Lead, Kindly Light.” His last coherent words were “I have fought the good fight.” His health deteriorated significantly due to a series of strokes that left him partially paralyzed until his death. At the time of his death, he was also dealing with heart disease.

The One Who Stands At The Forefront Of The Healing Ministry

William Branham’s ministry lasted from 1946, when he received his angelic visitation, to 1965, when he died in a car accident. Gordon Lindsay was chiefly responsible for keeping the ministry organized and running smoothly. When Lindsay left Branham’s ministry, the men who replaced him were not of the same character and quality. While Lindsay was great at organization and keeping books, these other men did not help in these areas of the ministry. It was at this time that the ministry actually started to go into debt for the first time. The IRS audited the ministry, and Branham settled out of court for $40,000, which was still being paid back when he died. It is likely that these people were embezzling money from the ministry.

Other ministers of his day started to gather around him and claim he was the new Elijah, encouraged him in his weird visions that he claimed he had, and lifted him up in pride with other weird claims about him. It was at this time that he took on himself the office of a teacher. It was not given to him by the Lord Jesus but was taken by Branham. It was at this time that he started coming out with weird doctrines. The things that he had stood for in the early days of his ministry were no longer there.

In the later part of his ministry, he lamented the fact that other ministers were more popular than him. He tried to regain popularity through doctrinal teaching, which he claimed was given to him by prophetic revelation. He tried to predict international events at this time as well.

Doctrinally, he got completely off, no matter what denominational considerations you may use. Some of these doctrines included:
• No eternal Hell. (Hell was forever, but after a time those in it would be annihilated.)
• Seed of the Serpent: Women weren’t a created product of God but a by-product of man. Animals were a higher rank of species because they were created from nothing. Eve and the serpent had sexual relations in the Garden, and that created Cain. (Among other weird beliefs associated with this.)
• Divorce and Polygamy: Because women introduced divorce, they had to be punished. Men could have many wives, but women could only have one husband. When Jesus was talking about divorce, He was talking to women, not men.
• Mark of the Beast: Protestants were the harlots and Catholics were the Beast; he was the end time messenger, the laodicean prophet who would reveal the seventh seal in the book or Revelation, and that the United States would be destroyed in 1977.

After his death, Gordon Lindsay wrote of Branham, “God may see that man’s special ministry has reached its fruition, and it’s time to take him home.” Lindsay stated that the Holy Spirit had told him that Branham was going to die and to tell him. However, he was unable to get through the yes men that surrounded him to tell him. Earlier, when they were still speaking regularly, Lindsay had talked to him about the subject. He asked Branham, “Why don’t you function where God wants you and manifest the gifts God’s given you? Stay there! Don’t try to get over into this other ministry.” Branham just replied, “Yeah, but I want to teach.”

Kenneth E. Hagin prophesied that he would be removed two years before it happened. The Lord never told him to talk to Branham; in fact, the witness in His spirit was to “leave him alone. Don’t say a word to him.”

On December 18, 1965, Branham and his family were returning to Jeffersonville, Indiana, from Tucson, Arizona, for the Christmas holidays. About 6.2 miles west of Friona, Texas, just after dark at 8:15 PM, Branham’s 1964 Ford station wagon collided head-on with a 1956 Chevrolet that was headed westbound. The driver of the other car, 17-year-old Santiago Ramos, died at the scene, and the other three passengers were severely injured. Branham was seriously injured and transported to the hospital, where he lived for six days before passing away on December 24, 1965, at 5:49 PM. He was 56.

According to Branham’s daughter Sarah, on the night of the accident, “I remember that my father was very troubled before we left Tucson for the Jeffersonville meetings where he was to preach “The trail of the serpent” and expose names of the people of this message that were doing wrong, including family members.” During the car ride, Branham and his wife were arguing because they had let one of their daughters stay at an apartment with a friend on the condition that she stay at the apartment. After repeated phone calls, she had not answered. They stopped for dinner at a diner and continued the drive, arguing about their daughter. Sarah recalls, “My father said, “I am going to expose many things and names this time.” My mother kept begging: “Please, no, Bill…” It was during this argument that the crash happened.

The Strongest Healing Anointing Of Anyone In My Lifetime

Kenneth E Hagin said of Jack Coe that he “carried the strongest healing anointing of anyone in my lifetime.” However, the anointing cannot stop the devil from attacking you. The anointing is for ministry, not living the daily Christian life.

Jack Coe visited a Roberts meeting, measured the Tulsa evangelist’s tent, and then ordered one slightly larger. In July 1951, he ran a notice in The Voice of Healing magazine:
“A letter from the Smith Manufacturing Co., Dalton, Ga., declares that according to his measurements the Coe tent is by a slight margin the largest Gospel tent in the world. Since Oral Roberts has a prayer tent 90′ x 130′, Brother Roberts has the largest amount of tent equipment. Both the Coe and Roberts tents are larger than the Ringling Brothers big top.”

He bought and sold tents until he finally had the biggest in the nation and bragged about it. Though he declared he was never in competition with anyone, he repeatedly mentioned that he had the biggest tent in the world.

In 1953 he was kicked out of the Assembly of God denomination, becoming bitter and trading accusations with them. For a while, Coe apparently considered establishing a competing group to be called the Fundamental Assemblies of God. In his obituary, Gordon Lindsay wrote that Coe was “not without bitter enemies.”

During one meeting, Coe stood up in front of the people and told them he needed $740 badly. When he did, one lady walked up to him and wrote out a check for the entire amount. Two nights later, he said, “I sure would like to have a Hammond organ or some kind of music for this tent,” and the same lady bought him an organ.

During his trial in Miami for practicing medicine without a license, he said that the love offerings he took up at his tent meetings went directly to him, not the ministry.

He claimed in one meeting that he had never had reserve funds in an appeal for donations to support the children’s home, despite the income of the ministry as a whole (around $500,000 at the time apparently). He would appeal to people’s emotions using the orphan’s home as the reasoning.

Coe would stop service after a notable miracle and then take up an offering, to get more money. Rev. Kenneth E Hagin said he was in a meeting where 21 students from a state school for the deaf was were instantly healed. As soon as it was done, Rev. Coe stopped the service to take up an offering. “Don’t come down here unless you’re going to give $50.00.” People ran over one another to get down there.

When he would have tent meetings, he would hold on average 3 meetings a day, each lasting four to six hours at a time. Many times after a crusade, he would eat a heavy meal at 3:00am. He was said to eat too much fried chicken, especially at revival meetings.

Rev. Kenneth E Hagin told of a time where the Lord told him to tell Coe to judge himself in three areas: (1) his love of the brethren; (2) his weight problem; and (3) the love of money. If he would not judge himself in these areas, he would die early. Three years later, he was dead.

Rev. Coe would put his tent up and hold meetings for a local church in a particular city every year. The other churches in the city would come and cooperate with him, and thousands of people would come to the meetings and get saved and healed. They’d fill up the tent and run it over with people. But then he announced, “I’m going to build a revival center in this town,” and he built it not very far from the local church that had helped him hold the meetings. Then one day he went to the pastor of that local church, and told him, “I’m going to start my church on your members and Brother So-and-so’s members and Brother So-and-so’s members.” And that’s exactly what he did. He died before the church grew to anything.

Jack Coe died at 38 from polio. He had neglected his health years while holding crusades. Coe’s ministry only lasted 5 years before he died.

The Handmaiden Of The Lord

In 1938, Kathryn Kuhlman announced to her Denver congregation that she was going to marry evangelist Burroughs A. Waltrip. Waltrip had been a speaker at the Denver Tabernacle repeatedly, starting in 1935. When the two first met, though, Waltrip was married with two children. During Waltrip’s second extended meeting in Denver, his family left and returned home to Texas after some time. A month later, Waltrip wrote his wife, charged her with dissertation, and later divorced her.

Kuhlman’s friends advised against the marriage, but she did not listen. It was said, “Waltrip loved money, loved the extravagant lifestyle, but most of all loved Kathryn’s ability to raise money and draw a crowd.” The marriage lasted 6 years before Kuhlman left him.

It is said by those closest to her, that Kathryn announced at the very beginning of her ministry, that she would be the next Aimee Semple McPherson, founder of the Four Square denomination. Instead of being who God called her to be, she compared herself.

Being a non-denominational/cross-denominational evangelist, Kathryn never permitted the spiritual gifts of tongues, the gift of interpretation, or prophecy to operate in her services. If someone repeatedly spoke in tongues loud enough to disturb anyone, she discreetly had them removed from the service. Kathryn believed in all the gifts of the Spirit but didn’t want to do anything that would hinder or distract the uninitiated from a simple belief in God. However, she did allow people to be “slain in the Spirit.”

She never preached against smoking, drinking, or that sickness was from the devil. She placed more emphasis on the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit than on faith, as she was wary of placing any restrictions on her services that might hinder the flow of the Holy Spirit.

She was “every bit as theatrical, flamboyant, and eccentric as her hero and mentor Aimee Temple McPherson.”

“Throughout her career, Kuhlman worked ceaselessly to hone an image of her ministry as refined, professional, and most especially, not fanatical.” Though some stated that she had the purest ministry of the Holy Ghost with no flesh, the theatrics do not agree with that.

She was alleged to be “guilty of financial malfeasance, diverting funds to finance a “lavish lifestyle”.” In 1975, Kuhlman was sued by Paul Bartholomew, her personal administrator. He claimed she kept $1 million in jewelry and $1 million in fine art hidden away and sued her for $430,500 for breach of contract. Two former associates accused her of diverting funds and illegally removing records, which she denied.

Her biographer and friend Jamie Buckingham wrote, “She loved her expensive clothes, precious jewels, luxury hotels, and first-class travel.”

Her heavy schedule of travel and exhausting preaching appearances took a toll on her health in the early 1970s, leading to her being hospitalized twice in 1975 before undergoing open-heart surgery shortly before her death in 1976. Kathryn Kulhman died at 68 years old. Her ministry lasted 50 years, from 1933 to 1976.

Minister to the Marginalized

Rev. A.A. Allen once said, “I like to see a thousand people, and you see Jews, Italians, Negroes, whites, rich, overalls, suits, silk, Cadillacs, Fords, wired together, okay, I like that. I like that type of ministry.” He wanted people from every socioeconomic background. Allen’s ministry began around 1936, when he became a licensed Assemblies of God minister and started preaching at a small church in Colorado. He soon left his pastorate to become a full-time revivalist.

An alcoholic before getting saved, AA Allen occasionally drank, and his staff covered it up for him. Some of these claims are disputed, though. There were persistent allegations of alcoholism and struggles with addiction. Rumors and reports of Allen’s excessive drinking and erratic behavior circulated within religious circles, leading to questions about his personal conduct and fitness for ministry.

In 1947, he took the pastorate of an Assembly of God church in Corpus Christi, Texas, to be off the road. This lasted for a few short years before he went back to being an evangelist.

He, like many healing evangelists of the time, were consistently attacked for their ministry, services, or doctrine. “It did seem that whenever persecution would attack him, he would retaliate with some unusual miracle or occurrence, going to the extreme in an attempt to prove his call.”

In the mid-1950s, he launched a full-scale attack on denominationalism and “man-formed religion.” While much of what he said and wrote about denominationalism was accurate, it was clear that his words came from a place of hurt and frustration.

During the last few years of his life, he was sued for $300,000 in back taxes. Though according to Mrs. Helen McMaines, his former banking department head, he was up front and honest with all the financial gain his ministry received, and she remembered how he would bring the love offerings to her and plop the heavy bags down on the counter. “Put it all back into the ministry, Helen,” she remembers Allen saying, “This all belongs to God.” McMaines said that he worked day and night for the people, never seeming to tire. “Nothing was put in his name; not the house or anything in Miracle Valley,” she said. In spite of Allen’s fervor, it does seem that his charismatic personality and ministry direction did change in the later years, by publishing violent renunciations of certain churches, and in the late 1950’s he started focusing heavily on vows and financial prosperity, not healing.

He and his wife separated (possibly divorced) right before his death. There were rumors of extramarital affairs and marital difficulties. Nothing can be substantiated, though.

Rev. Allen died on June 11, 1970, after flying to California to redo radio contracts and see a doctor about knee pain. The coroner’s preliminary finding was that Allen died of a heart attack, but he later changed the report to say that Allen was an alcoholic. One source states there was alcohol in Allen’s blood at the time of his death. However, another source claims the coroner who examined Allen later sent a letter asking forgiveness for falsely accusing Allen of dying from acute alcoholism and cirrhosis of the liver. The coroner reportedly hung himself before anyone could meet with him about the letter. Allen’s death certificate stated he died of cardiac arrest. The cause of death on the coroner’s report was stated as “acute alcoholism and fatty infiltration of the liver.” He was 59 years old.

The Media Sensation

Aimee Semple McPherson was a captivating figure. Her ministry embraced individuals often overlooked by mainstream society. Her first husband, Robert Temple, died in China while they both were there as missionaries. Her second husband, Herbert McPherson, divorced her, unable to deal with the life of ministry. Out of loneliness and need to be loved, she married David Hutton. He would file for divorce from her just two years later.

She was accused of numerous financial improprieties over the years, though none were ever proven. At one point she faced 45 assorted legal actions. Concerns about financial transparency and accountability within the Foursquare Church were sometimes raised by members and leaders who questioned the handling of donations and finances.

During the Prohibition era in the United States (1920–1933), McPherson was a vocal advocate for temperance and the prohibition of alcohol. She supported the legal prohibition of alcohol consumption and used her platform as a prominent evangelist to promote temperance campaigns and encourage adherence to moral standards.

Aimee’s mother, Minnie, ran her ministry from the rafters to the basement, keeping their finances in the black during her time. She was tough and sometimes only slept two hours a night. She screened every sick person before the service to weed the troublemakers out, and she spent long hours with the invalids before the service began. The two were seemingly always at odds. If anyone ever got too close to Aimee, Minnie would harass her daughter until that particular relationship was broken. Many employees quit or were fired because of Minnie. Aimee’s feeling of being “owned” and “controlled” would eventually cause them to part.

In 1930, she suffered a complete emotional/physical breakdown and was confined to a Malibu beach cottage under a physician’s constant care. This came upon by stress, the work of the ministry, fighting with her mother, lawsuits, dealing with accusations, and the media. Even after she returned to ministry, she was not the same. Aimee’s physician explained her problem by simply stating she “could not get her needed rest.”

She incorporated elements of theater, music, and spectacle into her “dramatic preaching style.” She seemed to thrive on controversy and scandal. “During the decade 1926-1937,” wrote her biographer, “Aimee Semple McPherson’s name appeared on the front pages of the Los Angeles newspapers an average of three times a week.” She incorporated stage techniques and the growing appeal of popular entertainment into her preaching style at Angelus Temple. McPherson utilized props and costumes in theatrical displays to enliven the Foursquare gospel for her audience. For example, she once roared onto the stage on a motorcycle while dressed as a police officer for a sermon called “Arrested for Speeding.” In a retelling of a parable about Jesus searching for his lost flock, McPherson had a fully grown sheep brought onstage.

McPherson felt that traditional Christian ministry was “too archaic, too sedate, and too lifeless ever to capture the interest of the throngs.” She explained in her 1927 autobiography that she “developed methods that have brought hundreds of thousands to meetings who otherwise would never have come… Religion, to thrive in the present day, must utilize present-day methods. The methods change with the years, but the religion remains the same.”

McPherson employed a small group of artists, electricians, decorators, and carpenters, who built sets for each service. Religious music was played by an orchestra. McPherson also worked on elaborate sacred operas. One production, The Iron Furnace, based on the Exodus story, saw Hollywood actors assist with obtaining costumes. Though McPherson condemned theater and film as the devil’s workshop, its techniques were co-opted. She became the first woman evangelist to adopt cinematic methods to avoid dead church services. Animals were frequently incorporated.

Believing that film had the potential to transform Christianity, McPherson explored Hollywood culture and appeared in newsreels alongside Mary Pickford, Frances Perkins, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. She lost weight, cut and dyed her hair, began to wear makeup and jewelry, and became known for stylish dresses. This solicitation of fame was off-putting to some church members who preferred her former uniform of a navy cape over a white servant’s dress.

In 1926, McPherson disappeared for several weeks, claiming she had been kidnapped. This caused a major scandal and even a trial. Some witnesses claimed to have seen her in a hotel with a radio engineer, but nothing was concrete on either the kidnapping or the hotel story. Those claiming to have seen her at the hotel, as well as the district attorney, changed their story at different times. McPherson’s story never changed. There was more weight on the possibility of her kidnapping being connected to the mob. She went through three marriages, two divorces and was seen as a sex symbol by some. There were rumors and accusations of extramarital affairs and improper relationships.

In September of 1944, Aimee Semple McPherson was in Oakland to dedicate a new church. She was always plagued with insomnia. She was taking sedatives from her physician. McPherson died of an overdose of sedatives, with her death pronounced accidental. An autopsy later revealed that she had died from an overdose of barbiturates, specifically Seconal, which she had taken accidentally. She died at 53 on around September 27, 1944.

What Can We Learn

If you have read through all of this, you might see a few things sand out and recurring in the lives of these great faith giants. In fact, there are a lot of things that were recurring. The devil doesn’t really change his strategy; he just tailors his attacks to our weaknesses. So the first thing we should do is find out our weaknesses and correct them.

That’s not something we are going to do on our own. We need God’s help. We may need his help finding out those weaknesses, and then we may need His help correcting them. Praying in the spirit is a great way to get those things revealed to us. 1 Corinthians 4:2 says that when we pray in the spirit, we’re praying out mysteries. Mysteries are divine secrets that can be revealed.

Though not all of these ministers dealt with the same problems, there are recurring issues. Time and again we have seen that these ministers dealt with financial scandals—putting wealth above what God called them to do. They had no one to be accountable to. Many disassociated themselves from a denomination for various reasons, including not wanting to be told what to do. Some surrounded themselves with yes men, while others fired or attacked anyone that disagreed with them. Some got lifted up in pride. Some neglected their health. Some put the natural in front of the spiritual. Some got out of their calling.

Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin said some of those that had some of the greatest miracles got off because they tried to operate in the anointing when the Holy Spirit was not there. And that is when demons would come in. Because these ministers were trying to do something spiritual when there is no spirit, a different spirit comes in and led them (and the whole crowd) astray. That is why you need to stay with the Holy Spirit and operate in the anointing when the anointing is there and not try to make something up.
If the anointing is not there, just preach the Word. Just teach the Word. If not, you will start opening yourself up to familiar spirits. Don’t try to put something on. If you embrace the face, you will never have the real.

Some would even give a “Word from the Lord “about how so many people needed to give money to their ministry. Anytime you have any minister prophesying money out of someone else’s pocket and into their pocket, that is not of God. It is straight from the devil.

Even though all of these men and women operated in the supernatural, the devil was still able to take them out before their time. The Bible does tell us to desire spiritual gifts, but look at what we’re told right before that.

Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. – 1 Corinthians 14:1

Pursue love. Many of these people got out of their love walk. When you start to operate in the supernatural, people are going to attack you. It’s important to walk in love. God is love, and we must be like Him when we start operating as He does in the spiritual gifts.

Two other major issues that happened to some of these great men and women is that they started to get off biblically. They started preaching some goofy doctrine that is nowhere in the Bible. So what we must do is simple: stay with the Bible. Stay with the Word of God. If it’s not in the Bible, forget it.

Maintain a consistent prayer life. Prayer and the Word keep us stable. Having someone to be accountable to and submitting to them helps as well. Stay with the Word no matter what. Forget about some new revelation. Stay with the revelations contained in the Word of God.

Final Words

If you’ve made it this far, great. The devil is after all of us, ministers especially. If the devil can get a minister off, he can get everyone off who listens and follows that minister. Don’t allow him to get you off. Don’t let him destroy what God wants to do in your life. Stay humble. Stay with the Word of God. Stay with the Holy Spirit. Stay submitted to God and someone who is of high moral and spiritual character. The Lord probably already has someone in your life like that.

I hope you have learned something from the success and failures of these ministers. Prioritize your relationship with the Lord above everything else. Keep your heart right before him. Stay with the Word and the Spirit.