Faith E-Book

Yonggi Cho

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Seitenzahl: 363

Beschreibung

What can we learn from the Scriptures about how to trust God no matter what, and believe in something that is not yet seen? As a young man with only weeks to live, Yonggi Cho was healed of terminal illness, saw the resurrected Jesus, and quickly began sharing God's hope with others. Those listeners became the world's largest church.  In Faith, Pastor Cho and Dr. Wayde Goodall share how to - Understand and grow in your faith. - Walk with the Holy Spirit and produce the fruit of the Spirit. - Overcome mistakes and continue to depend on Christ in times of discouragement. - Believe for and trust God's supernatural power. - Use every situation to accomplish tremendous things for God's kingdom.  For our lives to work, we need faith—the kind of faith that gives birth to hope and chooses to believe in every circumstance. God will answer prayer, heal, and perform signs and wonders as we walk daily by faith. You can trust God as your source, security, and assurance. 

Leseprobe

Endorsements

Bestselling authors Dr. Yonggi Cho and Dr. Wayde Goodall discuss how to have believing faith while encouraging us to have more faith and challenging us to believe and trust God for His leading in our lives. The amazing stories of Dr. Cho’s life and the miraculous growth of the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea, are thrilling. Faith: Believing in the God Who Works on Your Behalf offers sound biblical principles and personal stories that will certainly bring hope and inspiration to believers and skeptics alike. I encourage you to pick up your copy today!

—DR. GEORGE WOOD, general superintendent

of the Assemblies of God; chairman of the

World Assemblies of God Fellowship

In the last hundred years of the global Christian church, no one has more visibly shown how abundant faith and obedient vision can empower a leader to transition with his people from an impoverished situation to tremendous success spiritually as Yonggi Cho. This book, in which Dr. Cho and Dr. Wayde Goodall share their tested faith encounters and pilgrimage as they have trusted God for results, is most amazing and inspiring. The biblical principles gleaned from the application of promises from God’s Word are contagious, encouraging the reader to step out in faith and believe God. I wholeheartedly recommend Faith for those who want to be used radically to further Jesus’ kingdom.

—DR. TOM PHILLIPS, vice president,

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

Since 1982, I have had numerous occasions to be with Dr. Cho and Yoido Full Gospel Church. The presence of the Lord has always been significant, and Dr. Cho has continued to be a friend, a great Christian leader, and an obedient servant of the Lord. His ministry has impacted the church worldwide with many Christian leaders finding their own faith increasing through the encouragement and inspiration of this special servant of God.

Dr. Wayde Goodall has written an excellent book providing new insights about a pastor and world leader who has helped shape the church in the last half of the twentieth century and first decade of this one. May these stories of faith encourage others to trust God and take steps of obedience in their own spiritual walk as Dr. David Yonggi Cho has done for over six decades.

—RUSS TOURNEY, regional director,

Asia Pacific Assemblies of God World Missions

Dr. Wayde Goodall has put his faith, years of experience, and Bible insights into a wonderful message from the greatest church of the twentieth century. Working with Dr. Cho from Soul Korea, Wayde takes us on a miraculous journey of relationship with Jesus. The Yoido Full Gospel Church and its founding pastor have brought hope and faith to millions of people around the world. With close to one million members, it truly is a supernatural experience. The stories, prayers, and Bible revelations of Faith: Believing in the God Who Works on Your Behalf will inspire and empower you to a greater walk with God. The real testimonies of Dr. Cho are expressed in a relevant and life-changing way through Wayde’s perspectives. If you want to grow in your closeness to God and in your faith in Him, you’ll love this book. Get ready for an exciting journey of faith!

—DR. CASEY TREAT, pastor,

Christian Faith Center, Seattle, WA

Dr. Yonggi Cho has blessed the world with a godly ministry that has touched the lives of countless millions. For many decades, ministers of the gospel from every denomination have looked up to Yonggi Cho as the great icon and example of church growth. I have been privileged to receive from and to associate with God’s humble servant for many years. Through his church, his conferences, and his books and tapes, Yonggi Cho has been a true blessing to my life and to the lives of other pastors.

—EVANGELIST DAG HEWARD-MILLS, Healing Jesus Campaign, Accra,

Ghana; founder and presiding Bishop of the Lighthouse Chapel

International; graduate of the University of Ghana Medical School;

Adelaide Heward-Mills conference speaker

This book by Dr. Yonggi Cho and Dr. Wayde Goodall will inspire you to a deeper level of faith. After reading Faith: Believing in the God Who Works on Your Behalf, you will believe God for even greater things. The principles of faith and courage will help you conquer life’s challenges and experience a life of greater fulfillment. I recommend this book for anyone who desires a life of greater power and purpose.

—HAL DONALDSON, president, Convoy of Hope

It has been my privilege to serve alongside Dr. Cho for more than forty years through our involvement in Church Growth International (CGI) and the Pentecostal World Fellowship (PWF). I have been personally impacted by his life of faith as he not only teaches and preaches but also lives by example. This book about his life of faith will certainly give hope for every challenging situation.

—REV. DR. PRINCE GUNERATNAM, senior pastor of Calvary Church,

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; general superintendent emeritus

of the Assemblies of God of Malaysia;

chairman of the Pentecostal World Fellowship

No one more than Reverend Dr. Cho has brought a phenomenal impact on the Body of Christ both in Korea and worldwide by proclaiming the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer in faith. I am thrilled to see how this marvelous book by the honorable Reverend Dr. Goodall and honorable Reverend Dr. Cho will touch many souls who are devoted to Jesus Christ.

—BILLY KIM, chairman of Far East Broadcasting Company, Korea;

former president of Baptist World Alliance

We have been privileged to live in a period of history that has celebrated the largest known Christian church in the history of Christendom. This church has not just held that reputation for a year or two but for many, many years. The leader of this astonishing miracle and fifty-plus-year revival is Dr. Cho. What an amazing honor it is to have his life-story of faith, obedience, sacrifice, and enormously influential ministry in our hands. Like his life, this book will bring insight and impartation to so many millions of ministries, leaders, and Christians around the world. Thank you, Dr. Cho, for your incredibly inspiring life and for your generosity in sharing it in these pages.

—PHIL PRINGLE, C3 Church, Australia

I have come to know Dr. Cho as a friend, and I respect him tremendously, not only for what he has done for the Body of Christ but also for his worldwide teaching on faith in God—the God who works on our behalf. It is so important to have dreams and goals to succeed in anything in life, whether in ministry or the workplace. This book by Dr. Cho and Dr. Wayde Goodall will give you greater understanding on how to bring heaven to earth in every situation. It will help you grow in your faith and not give up on the dreams and desires God gives you. May this book empower the Body of Christ.

—REV. DR. MARGARET COURT, AO, MBE, senior pastor,

Victory Life Centre, Perth, Western Australia

It is without equivocation that I recommend this book by Dr. Cho and Dr. Goodall to every believer. Whether you’re a new Christian to the faith or a life disciple of our Lord who has faced challenges that deplete the soul, this book, Faith: Believing in the God Who Works on Your Behalf, is for you.

Faith is essential to every believer. Learning to develop faith, depend on the Holy Spirit, and practice what we learn is a lifetime achievement. I personally know no other man more than Dr. Cho who has the ability to impart faith through life lessons from his daily walk with Christ, through his personal stories of healing, and through successful achievements after overcoming tremendous odds. You will be inspired, gain practical insights, and witness your faith increase as you read the words from these pages.

In the spring of 1986, Dr. Cho took me under his wing and since then has been my pastor, mentor, and dear friend. Since 1987, I have had the honor of ministering with him in India, Africa, and other locations. He has changed my life. This book will change yours.

—DICK BERNAL, founder/pastor, Jubilee Christian Center,

San Jose, California

It has been my privilege to be a personal friend of both authors of Faith: Believing in the God Who Works on Your Behalf. I believe the times in which we live demand words from such great men of the period. Both Wayde Goodall and Yonggi Cho have excelled in their fields for many years. It is comforting to hear from people who have actually lived and experienced a life of faith. I highly recommend the reading of this vital work.

—DR. JOHN BUENO, former executive director of Assemblies of God

World Missions; founder of Latin America Child Care

BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC

Racine, Wisconsin, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

Faith: Believing in the God Who Works on Your Behalf

Copyright © 2017 Yonggi Cho and Wayde Goodall

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5496-6 (softcover)

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5497-3 (e-book)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Chapter 12 is taken from The Fruit of the Spirit by Thomas Trask and Wayde Goodall. Copyright © 2000 by Thomas E. Trask and Wayne I. Goodall. Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright © 2000; 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NET are taken from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996–2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Publishers Inc. Emphases in Scripture quotations are those of the author.

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Cover design by Chris Garborg at garborgdesign.com

Typesetting by Katherine Lloyd at theDESKonline.com

Printed in the United States of America

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CONTENTS

Foreword by Dr. Yong Hoon Lee

Foreword by Dr. Dick Eastman

SECTION I

Depending on the Holy Spirit

1 Born Again: How My Faith Walk Began

2 Faith and Dreams

3 Being Led by the Spirit

4 The Principles of Faith

5 What Weakens Our Faith?

6 Listening to the Holy Spirit

SECTION II

The Faith Hall of Fame

7 What Is Faith?

8 Faith: There Is No Greater Power in the World

9 Confidence That Builds Faith

10 The Demonstration of Faith

11 Heroes of the Faith: Things Are Not as They Seem

SECTION III

Walking by Faith

12 Faithfulness: The Foundation of Faith

13 Hope

14 Prayer: The Cry of Faith

15 Be Confident in Your Faith

16 Faith, Power, and Impartation

17 You Can Grow in Your Faith

18 Forgiving Yourself by Faith

Appendix: Faith Scriptures for Meditation

Acknowledgments

Endnotes

About the Authors

FOREWORD

by Dr. Yong Hoon Lee

I was born and raised as a fourth-generation Presbyterian. In April 1964, my Presbyterian grandfather started attending the Full Gospel Church and invited me to that congregation. Since then, I have spent fifty-two years as a witness of the history of Yoido Full Gospel Church, working closely with Pastor Yonggi Cho in his fifty-eight-year ministry. I was baptized with the Holy Spirit through Pastor Cho’s ministry and from him have been learning how to activate my faith. The two pillars of Pastor Cho’s ministry have been faith in the fullness of the Holy Spirit and the faith armored with absolute positivity.

Pastor Cho planted a church in Daejo-dong area in Seoul with his late mother-in-law, Pastor Jashil Choi, in 1958. It was a small tent church with only five members, yet it grew rapidly and, within several years, had to move to a new sanctuary in the Seodaemun neighborhood. The church continued to grow to eighteen thousand members in nine years. In 1973, the church moved to its current location in Yoido Island. At the time of Pastor Cho’s retirement in May 2008, Yoido Full Gospel Church was the largest congregation in the world, with eight hundred thousand members. All of this has been possible because God has walked with Pastor Cho in his ministry.

I believe no Korean pastor has ever matched the passion Pastor Cho has manifested in emphasizing the importance of the fullness of the Holy Spirit for the Christian life. Pastor Cho has always said, “Holy Spirit, I acknowledge, welcome, invite, and rely on you,” calling him his Senior Partner in his ministry.

Pastor Cho’s theology and spirituality are epitomized in the Fivefold Gospel, the Threefold Blessing, and the Fourth Dimensional Spirituality. The Fivefold Gospel describes the core five blessings manifested in the gospel of the cross of Jesus Christ: Regeneration, the Fullness of the Holy Spirit, Divine Healing, Blessing, and the Second Coming. The Threefold Blessing refers to the holistic blessing given to the believers in Jesus as a result of the atonement of the cross: “I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well” (3 John 2). The Fourth Dimensional Spirituality offers practical ways to apply the Fivefold Gospel and the Threefold Blessing to everyday life. Christians can enjoy God’s blessing by using their thought, dream, faith, and language in a right way in the Holy Spirit. With the message of the Fivefold Gospel, the Threefold Blessing, and the Fourth Dimensional Spirituality, Pastor Cho has gone around the world to preach the gospel, and his ministry has impacted world Christianity.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Goodall for his painstaking work on this wonderful biography of my spiritual mentor and the founder of Yoido Full Gospel Church. Reviewing the ministry and theology of Pastor Cho and his great contribution to the foundation and growth of Yoido Full Gospel Church through the scholarly lens offered by an esteemed theologian is inspirational and insightful.

I hope God will be with all the readers of this wonderful book as he has worked in the life and ministry of Pastor Cho. I also pray that this book will expand the understanding of Pastor Cho’s spirituality and theology, setting an example of faith for many people to see realized in their lives.

DR. REVEREND YOUNG HOON LEE

Senior Pastor, Yoido Full Gospel Church, South Korea

Co-president of the Christian Council of Korea

Chairman of National Council of Churches in Korea

Chairman of Assemblies of God of Korea

FOREWORD

by Dr. Dick Eastman

The hospital system in my city is currently running an advertising campaign in which survivors share their stories in simple “then-now” statements: “Then I suffered a massive heart attack. Now I climb a new mountain every month”; “Then I couldn’t breathe. Now I run six miles every morning.” Between then and now, we assume a story of doctors and nurses, surgeries and recoveries. Between then and now is a hospital system.

This picture came to mind as I read Dr. Yonggi Cho’s story in this insightful and provocative book. Then Cho was a hopeless young man trapped in poverty and Buddhism in Korea, diagnosed with a fatal case of tuberculosis. Then he was certain he would die very soon and had nowhere to look for hope or salvation. Now Pastor Cho is a healthy man who has lived in the abundance of life in daily partnership with the Holy Spirit. Now he has given birth to what is widely considered the largest church in the world, leading a movement that has touched all corners of the planet. Now he has a lifetime of stories of healing and miracles to share, with some of the most amazing of these stories included in the pages that follow.

Between Pastor Cho’s then and now is not a hospital system; it is a living, active, and faithful God who rescued him out of death into a life driven by eternity and marked by the miraculous. Between Cho’s then and now is a life of incredible devotion, trust, faith, and belief. The book you hold in your hands is the in-between—the link between the then and now in Pastor Cho’s story. It’s a powerful and profound “bridge of faith” between Dr. Cho’s then and his present day now. It beckons you to cross that bridge into a new and exciting realm of believing the implausible and attempting the impossible. And if your heart is open, it could well be the bridge from your then to an amazingly miraculous now. I know it has been for me.

In a somewhat unique way, I had the privilege of being a part of Dr. Cho’s then some fifty years ago when, as a twenty-two-year-old youth pastor in southern Wisconsin, our church hosted Pastor Cho in his very first trip to America. It was the mid-1960s. I vividly recall Dr. Cho’s message, shared without the aid of an interpreter, describing how he had planted a new church in Seoul, Korea, just six years earlier. Their first building was not a building at all but a tent. With a touch of humor, the thin Korean pastor told how at the starting of his church with just five believers (including the woman who was to become his mother-in-law), he asked God boldly to give him one thousand new members each year. “But God did not answer my prayer as I had prayed it,” Cho explained. “Today I should have six thousand members. Instead, I have seven thousand!” The young Korean pastor smiled and added, “So, I’ve been asking God why he gave me a thousand too many!” On the pages of this remarkable book, you will read more details of this miracle and the many that followed.

Cho’s then in the 1960s was preparing him for a supernaturally wonderful now. Indeed, if Dr. Cho had continued to see a thousand souls added to his congregation’s numbers over each of those ensuing years, his church would have a remarkable fifty-seven thousand members today. But instead, Pastor Cho’s now has grown to more than twelve times that number—exceeding eight hundred thousand members. Imagine pastoring a congregation that increased by some twelve thousand new members every year for some five decades! But there would be no now were it not for Cho’s then. Pastor Cho’s journey has truly been a journey of extraordinary faith lived out of countless hours spent in the secret place of prayer (often four or five hours daily).

Faith: Believing in the God Who Works on Your Behalf is truly a supernaturally anointed, faith-inspiring manual directing the reader to a wonderfully fruitful Christian life. This is, simply put, a book about how to have faith that prevails. In the pages that follow, Pastor Cho, along with a dear personal friend and ministry coworker of mine, Wayde Goodall (who serves on our ministry’s international board of directors), explores what it looks like to surrender fully to a radical pursuit of Jesus Christ—living a faith-saturated life in His presence, trusting daily in the leading of the Holy Spirit, and pursuing a wonderfully fruitful personal ministry the Lord has set before each of us (with eternity in view).

If you are a Christ-follower longing to experience more of the power of God in your life, this book is for you. If you are wondering what it means to believe in Jesus at all, this book is for you. If you are a seasoned believer who already has seen miracles of the Lord in your life, this book will cause you to yearn for even more. Pastor Cho’s story and Wayde Goodall’s time-tested insights truly lead us into the deeper things of God. They offer tools to pursue the voice of the Holy Spirit and follow Him with reckless abandon, unafraid and—most importantly—full of genuine faith. My desire is to challenge all eight thousand of Every Home for Christ’s global staff to read this incredible book at least once every year. I’ve made that my personal goal. If you read this book just once, you’ll understand why I offer this challenge.

What is your then? What will be your now? What dreams, hopes, and plans has the Holy Spirit planted in your heart? Where might you go if you truly opened your heart to His leading? What would you do if you truly believed in the God of the Bible—a God who is full of love and power and amazing plans for your life? If any of these questions touches your heart, I invite you to plunge into these pages with your eyes wide open and your heart keenly awake. I believe the Lord wants to bridge your then to your now (and beyond) into a supernatural abundance of His Spirit. Read on and discover how.

DR. DICK EASTMAN

International President, Every Home for Christ

SECTION I

Depending on the Holy Spirit

Every morning when I awake I greet the Holy Spirit and

invite Him to go with me through the day and take the

lead in all my affairs, and He does. I say, “Good morning,

Holy Spirit. Let’s work together today, and I will be your

vessel.” Every evening before retiring I say again, “It’s

been a wonderful day working with you, Holy Spirit.”

—Yonggi Cho, Holy Spirit, My Senior Partner

1

Born Again: How My Faith Walk Began

One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.

—John 9:25 ESV

My (Dr. Cho) family lived in North Korea. When the Korean War broke out, we lost our home. And so with other refugees, we traveled south to Pusan. Money and food were extremely scarce, and I worked hard to eke out an existence of one meal a day and to continue my education.

One day while I was working, blood filled my mouth. Soon it was also coming from my nose, and I struggled to keep from choking, until finally I blacked out. When I regained consciousness, my clothing was soaked in blood. My head was spinning—I was too dizzy to stand up. I’m not certain of how long I had been there, but I knew something was terribly wrong.

I struggled to walk but managed to reach home. All during the night I was in and out of consciousness. My fever continued to rise, and when I coughed, blood gushed out of my mouth. By morning I was weak, feeling like I was more dead than alive. My parents took me to a hospital and the doctor examined me and X-rayed my chest. The doctor said, “I am sorry, but we can do nothing for you. You have less than a month to live.”

“Doctor,” I cried out, “are you telling me the truth?”

He showed us the X-rays and explained, “Your right lung is completely destroyed by tuberculosis. The upper part has collapsed and gangrene has set in. Your left lung is also tubercular. Malnutrition and hard work have caused your heart to enlarge, and it cannot circulate the blood properly. There is no medical help for these things, so I have no choice but to tell you the truth.”

Dazed, I returned home, where my father tried to reassure me: “My son, there is no life and no death, no joy and no sorrow, only in Buddha is there reality. Forget about life and death and have peace.” But no matter what he said, his logic didn’t make sense to me.

“The blood that I am vomiting is real,” I told my father. “My suffering is real. Buddha and your philosophies have not helped me. I reject them all.”

Not long after that, I became fearful and desperate. So I cried out, “Is there any God? If there is anyone called God—anywhere in the universe—then please come and help me. I want to make myself ready to die.” God heard my prayer and He answered, but in a form I didn’t expect!

A young girl knocked on my door and entered. She was carrying a Bible. I was stunned because at the time, especially in our culture, women were not forward and men disliked being taught by them. Arrogantly, I ordered the girl to leave, but she said, “I can see that you are dying. I want to tell you about Christ Jesus, my Savior.”

I became angry and cursed her. I told her that millions of tuberculosis germs were flying around in the air and that she would become infected. She only replied, “My Christ will protect me.” She continued to witness to me before she finally left.

But the following morning she was back again. This time she sang some songs and read aloud from her Bible. I cursed and called her a Christian dog, but she did not respond to my rudeness; rather, she remained calm and persistent. For hours she talked about Christ. She did this for two more days.

When she came on the fifth day, I asked why she continued to come back and pray for me. She simply said, “There is someone who constrains me to come here and pray for you.”

“Who is it?” I asked.

She gave me her Bible, and I began reading at the place she indicated—Matthew 1. After a few minutes, I said, “This is like a telephone directory. How can this help me?” She told me to keep reading and I would find a wonderful story.

After she left, I continued to read, expecting to find a difficult philosophy such as I had studied in Buddhism. But I found that the Bible was about a man called Jesus Christ, who was the Son of God! I read about Jesus healing the sick and those who were dying. I thought, If only I could come to this Jesus. He would help me!

In my mind, reason argued that I could not do this. I had cursed and hated Him. I tried to find a Scripture verse showing that Christ hated sinners, but search as I would, I could not find one. Instead, I found that He forgave an adulteress and delivered a demon-possessed man. He always received the sick and sinful. Slowly the realization came to me: although I was the poorest of the poor, a great sinner, and dying with tuberculosis, Jesus Christ would receive me!

I decided to pray and ask Jesus to become my Savior. A great peace showered down upon me; every cell in my body seemed charged with new life. Something began to bubble up inside. I thought at first that I was going to vomit blood again, but then I realized it was joy! I wanted to sing, but I didn’t know how.

After going through a tremendous amount of rejection from my family because I had left the Buddhist faith, I rented a small room in which to live. One day, I locked the door of my room and began to pray. “Jesus,” I said, “I want to meet you and have a consultation about my future.” I waited, but Christ did not come. Then I shut my eyes tightly, hoping He might come in a vision. But no vision appeared. I prayed all day. By nighttime, I was soaked in perspiration, but I still prayed. After midnight, the strength had left my body and I lay down to rest.

Suddenly the room became bright. A billow of what I thought was smoke rolled in. I was awestruck. Thinking the house was on fire, I tried to call for help, but no one came. In desperation, I looked around and beside me I saw two feet. I looked up higher and saw a white robe. Then I looked into a face that was like a powerful sun and rays of light shining outward. But I still didn’t know who He was until I saw the crown of thorns on His head. They were piercing His temples and the blood was streaming down His face. I knew then that He was Jesus Christ. His love seemed to pour over me.

My gods had been gods of fear and curses. I had always gone into their temples to beg them not to punish me. But Jesus was different. As I felt His love, all fear left me. Glorious joy came from my inner being. My tongue and lips began to speak. I tried to stop, but it seemed that another person was controlling them and forcefully expressing Himself through me. I did not know what it was, but I realized that the more I spoke the better I felt, and so I continued to speak.

When I became aware of my surroundings once again, Jesus had gone, but the glory was still in my soul. I forgot about the pain in my heart and lungs and ran to a nearby house where a missionary whom I had met stayed. I knew that Louis Richards, the Assemblies of God missionary, would be able to answer my questions about this experience. When I explained to him that I spoke in a strange language, he opened his Bible to Acts 2 and explained that I had been baptized with the Spirit as the early believers had. We cried and expressed our thankfulness and joy.

Some time later, I realized I was no longer suffering from heart pain or shortness of breath. I went to the hospital, and after an examination and X-rays the doctor told me that my lungs were well. No tuberculosis! Even my heart was a normal size once again.1

Since that time of experiencing the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, my life has been a life of walking by faith. Everything that has been accomplished in my life is because of the precious grace of God. Another has purchased me; I now belong to Jesus. To Him be the glory.

Faith in Jesus Christ will change your life forever. As you walk by faith in Him, He will help you grow in your faith and believe in miracles and signs and wonders. God will use you in amazing ways and give you courage beyond anything you could have thought was possible. The principles in this book are truths that can be applied to your life. Walk by faith, believe in the impossible, dream His dreams, and let God …

But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,

nor the heart of man imagined,

what God has prepared for those who love him”

—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

(1 Corinthians 2:9–10 ESV)

2

Faith and Dreams

Faith is more important to me than life itself because

without it there would be no fullness of life.

—Mother Teresa

When I (Dr. Cho) was dying with terminal tuberculosis—growing weak, coughing up blood, and thinking that my life would soon end—I had lost all hope, and I had nowhere to turn. My family’s Buddhist beliefs brought me no hope for life or healing, no answers to the questions of what would happen after death. Although I didn’t understand prayer, I prayed, “Lord, if you heal me, I will give the rest of my life to you and I’ll become a minister.” After that, I noticed that I was feeling better and had more energy. In six months, I was so healthy that I could breathe normally once again. Although they could not explain it, the doctors told me, “You are healed.”

When I gave my life to Jesus Christ, my faith was simple. My miracle was an obvious sign to me that Jesus still healed. I began the discipline of prayer and studying the Scriptures. I grew in my understanding of miracles, how prayers are answered, and how God often gives dreams and visions to His children. I believed in what the Holy Spirit had revealed to me, and I had hope when there was no hope. By faith I could see things happening when they were not yet in existence in this physical world. I thought and imagined that what I was praying about was actually possible. With the dreams the Holy Spirit gave me, I believed that with Christ all these things were truly possible.

Because of what I understood the Bible had to say about healing, as well as my own personal experience of being healed, I developed the faith that others could receive healing too. Over many years of serving Jesus Christ, I have witnessed countless miracles, signs, and wonders. As a young Christian, I wasn’t certain about how this happened, but I now anticipate miracles and the wonderful healings that come when we pray by faith and believe.

Positive Dreams Give Hope

The Bible tells us that all of us have a “measure of faith” (Romans 12:3 KJV). Even though our faith is as small as a mustard seed, Jesus said it could grow into a huge tree (Matthew 17:20). Faith grows as we pray and meditate on God’s Word and on His goodness (see Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:15–16; John 15:7). With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can discipline ourselves to think about the positive and the good (Philippians 4:8) promises from Scripture. As we do this, our thoughts are positive. When our thoughts are positive, we are able to think of what is possible and not the impossible. We experience dreams and have visions that give us hope.

Hope is a tremendous experience that gives us a renewed endurance and strength. The enemy would like to take your hope and discourage you because he knows that your faith will be greatly weakened as a result. Jesus Christ gives us hope, and as we walk by faith, our hope will only continue to grow.

All followers of Jesus Christ have dreams, but because of their lack of faith, many do not believe their dreams are possible. Fear, discouragement, worry, and obsessing about rejection are all enemies of faith. Anger, bitterness, sinful thinking, and the attack of the enemy can cause a person’s mind to be preoccupied with negative or sinful thoughts. These thoughts can become debilitating and overwhelming at times.

People who have been terribly hurt, abused, or experienced terrible trauma often have painful memories from their past that continually influence their thoughts. The Lord is the healer; even though we might have tragic memories, the emotional pain can be removed.1 We can experience this miracle as we let our minds be transformed by the Word of God (Romans 12:1–2), with God’s help forgive those who have hurt us, and permit the Holy Spirit to give us peace from our past.

We can discipline ourselves to find a way to focus our thoughts on the goodness of God, on the beautiful, the positive, and what is truthful and pure (Philippians 4:8). As a child of God, we decide to control our time (so we can pray and meditate on God’s Word), and our minds will naturally hear the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit in that quietness. It is here where our positive dreams infuse us with hope.

The truth is that all of us have hopes, dreams, and visions. Many incredible inventions, programs, companies, churches, careers, personal goals, and dreams have been accomplished because of this God-given ability. For the Christ-follower, we pray and meditate on God’s Word, and as we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, we frequently have a growing desire or vision of what we can do. Mother Teresa said, “Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.”2

When we have a dream or a vision, or we imagine a solution to a situation, we must ask ourselves: Does this have a biblical precedent? Does it line up with experiences cited in the Word of God? As humans, we are capable of compromising, rationalizing, and justifying bad and sinful behaviors, but we need to keep our own thoughts in check. God invites us to examine all our behaviors, desires, thoughts, and dreams by what Scripture tells us is true or false. If we can support our thoughts by the truth that is found in the Word, then we can process how to plan our next step and believe by faith.

Dreams Give Hope for Tomorrow

A dream that is given by the Holy Spirit refers to the hopes and wishes for tomorrow. This inspired thought can be about us or about our family members and friends. It can be about our occupation, strategies of how to do what is on our heart, or a multitude of other possibilities. God is a creative God who can give us a creative idea that can open the door to circumstances that will bless our lives and the lives of those who are important to us. We carry the dream in our hearts.

People who are successful are, without exception, people who have dreamed. They see what others do not see. Oftentimes they stand alone with their confidence and vision. Henry David Thoreau once said, “I have learned, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”3

At the age of seventy-five, Abraham received God’s calling when he was in Ur of the Chaldeans and he carried the dream that God gave to him. Although he was asked to leave the place he knew and go to a place where he had no guarantees, Abraham possessed his dream. He carried that dream in his heart and continued to pray about the dream he was given. God answered his prayer and made him into the father of faith (Genesis 12–24; Romans 4).

Abraham’s great-grandson Joseph had two dreams that were misunderstood by his family. Even he didn’t understand the meaning of the dreams as he saw himself leading his brothers. When he told his brothers about his dream, they were threatened by the possibility that he would become greater than they. In fact, they thought his dream was his pride and arrogance; as a result, they were so angry with him that they wanted to kill him (Genesis 37).

Principles of Faith and Dreams

When you begin to believe that God can speak to you and give you thoughts, dreams, and visions, then your life will change because you will have brought Jesus Christ into the equation. This wonderful truth has changed everything I (Dr. Cho) do as I endeavor to ask the Holy Spirit to be my partner in daily life. When I sense that the Holy Spirit is giving me a dream or a vision, I study and understand principles that the Scriptures give, then I think through a process and move forward by faith. Here are some of the principles of faith and dreams that I understand.

A Dream Is Not yet a Reality

God has a future and a hope for each one of us. He doesn’t tell us 100 percent of our future, but as we study God’s Word, pray, and meditate on His truths, God will speak to us about the future and the plans He has for us. This is an experience that gives us hope, imparting to us tremendous amounts of strength and energy. Although the dream is only in our mind and not yet a reality, we can begin to pray, examine this idea from Scripture, and think about the process of how to begin acting by faith in the implementation of the dream.

Throughout the Bible, God has frequently showed godly people His own perspective on the times and conditions in which they live. He has shown His perspective on what is going on and has revealed His purposes and actions. Men and women of God have frequently interpreted events accurately for God’s people: “For the LORD God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7 ESV).

Frequently, I (Dr. Cho) refrain from telling anyone about my dream or vision when I first receive it. Before sharing it with anyone, I think about it (sometimes for weeks, months, or even years). When a dream is from the Holy Spirit, it grows and develops. More ideas will come as we meditate on what the Lord has given to us. But I specifically pray about the dream and ask the Holy Spirit for a strategy and for His favor (Proverbs 16:3). I compare the dream to what the Bible says, holding it in my heart.

When the shepherds spoke to Mary, the mother of Jesus, she “treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19 ESV). Many times, it is wise to place our dream on a shelf in our heart, holding it there as we receive more clarification of the details or the timing. If I sense the Holy Spirit has given me a dream, I know it is not yet reality; however, it provides a goal for which I can strive. Goals are important and need to be written down and specifically prayed about as we process how to accomplish what God has put in our hearts.

If we don’t have a dream, then we no goals to live by and can become fatalistic minded. Then it becomes easy for us to fall into despair when difficulties come our way. Having a dream and walking by faith as we move forward is frequently filled with many challenges, which are nothing more than opportunities to trust God and permit Him to help us with difficult people or situations.

Even though we are experiencing a difficult challenge or trial, or have made a mistake, we have hope God will show us how to turn our difficulty into His “good purpose.” Paul reminds us that “it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). We need to be willing to walk away from any experience that has discouraged us and weakened our strength. Instead, we choose to look at the wonderful possibilities the Lord brings into our lives. With God’s help, we can refuse to let our past failures, heartaches, rejections, attacks from the enemy, or negative comments from people rob us from His good purposes in our lives.