Sweet Holy Spirit

By Nathan D. Pietsch
Holy Spirit Conference at ICLV
Weighty Glory
Back and sciatica healed
Ankle healed
One salvation
Hope to drug addict
Broke off spirit of suicide
July 26, 2010

Dawn and I normally hit the streets of Las Vegas around 7:30 PM. However, since we have arrived in Vegas about three weeks ago, we have been attending the International Church of Las Vegas (ICLV). The church is having their annual, Holy Spirit Conference. Dawn and I decided to go to the conference before going onto the streets later that night. Jake Hamilton from Jesus Culture led worship.

During worship, the Holy Spirit fell so powerfully upon us. For me, I could feel as if an extremely heavy hand was pushing me to the ground. I was completely unable to stand under this weight. Fortunately, I was as close to the alter area/front stage as I could get and was able to hold onto the stage to keep from completely falling down under this unseen force.

After a few seconds, I would try to rise back to my feet and “stand” in His Glory. Each attempt was futile. The power of the Holy Spirit would buckle my legs. This happened five or six times, each time asking for more of the Holy Spirit. Nobody laid hands on me, God just showed up to encounter me.

Dawn and I know that we have been called into a radical life for Jesus. There is no way to accomplish our full destiny in Christ without the help of the Holy Spirit. This is pretty obvious from scripture, when Jesus did not begin His public ministry until after He was baptized in the Holy Spirit. (See Matthew 3 and 4.) We need the Holy Spirit working in our lives. He is so sweet.

The weighty Glory that I experienced during worship is known in Hebrew as, the kaw-bode. (See Strong’s Dictionary H3519.) The kaw-bode is the weighty Glory that filled the temple in II Chronicles 5:13-14 when the ark of the covenant was brought in during the dedication of the temple. The Bible says,—
13 indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying:
“For He is good, For His mercy endures forever,”
that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

Dawn and I made it onto the Las Vegas Strip around 11:30 PM. We walked from the Bellagio to Harrah’s. Our first encounter was with an African-American man named, Frankie (40’s). He was having a lot of back and sciatic pain. He had crushed some intervertebral disks in his spine. Dawn and I prayed for him, and his back pain eased, and the sciatica left.

A short distance later, two guys were highlighted. We walked up to them and asked, “Do you guys need any prayer, or radical healing miracles in your body?” One of the guys walked away, but the other, Mike (early 20’s) said, “I twisted my ankle slightly in a basketball tournament.” He is here in Vegas from Texas for a basketball tournament.

I asked, “Do you want your ankle to be healed?”

“Ya sure, how?”

“We’re going to command the pain to go away, and it will. Can we?”

“Go ahead.”

“In the name of Jesus, we command all this pain to go to the cross right now. We command this body to come into alignment. Now test it out. Are you feeling any change, or anything going on in your body?”

“Ya, a little. My ankle doesn’t hurt as bad, but there is still a little pain.”

“Can we go for it again.”

“Ya.”

“We command this ankle to be fully healed right now in the name of Jesus. Is there any change?”

“Ya, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Holy Spirit.” We then prophesied over his God given destiny.

It was pretty clear that this young man was being touched by the presence of God. “Would you like to rededicate your life to the Lord?”

“Ya, I would. I’ve wanted to get closer to God. I know I need something better in my life.”

Dawn and I then lead him through the sinner’s prayer, and afterwards, he started laughing.

He said, “Already I feel better.”

Dawn replied, “Many people come to Vegas to gamble and do other things, but you came to Vegas to get saved. Hallelujah. You have a strong calling on your life.”

Awhile later, Dawn and I approached a guy in his mid 20’s sitting on a bench. He had tattoos all over. We talked with him for awhile, and he told us he was a drug addict. He allowed us to pray and prophesy over his life, but he wouldn’t be convinced that he didn’t need to “clean himself up” before starting a relationship with Jesus.

“You don’t need to do anything to change your life,” we said “you just need to invite Jesus in to help you. That’s the beauty of it, you don’t need to do anything, He does it all for you. You just need to ask Him for help.”

He wanted to believe us, but it seemed too easy for him. He was believing a lie that he had to “do” all this stuff to get saved, and then after getting saved, he would have to do all this more stuff.

We preached a finished works gospel. In other words, Jesus did it all on the cross when He said, “It is finished.” There is no more religious “do-do.” All we have to do is enjoy the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that is not a have to, it’s a get to.

Our final ministry stop was with an African-American man named, Will. He came out to Vegas from Texas with the hope of “making it big” in the casinos. He lost $4,000, and was left outside to dry. He has been homeless for the past three days, and even contemplating suicide. He is however, a believer in Jesus. We saw him sitting on a bench, so we walked up to him and asked, “Do you need any prayer tonight?”

“I sure do,” he replied. He was completely open. He was desperate.

Dawn and I started getting words of knowledge, and speaking life, truth, and encouragement into his situation. Dawn broke off the spirit of death that had started to linger over Will’s head, in the name of Jesus. Dawn and I could also see that he had a strong pastoral anointing on his life. We prophesied this over him. It turned out, his uncle is a Pentecostal bishop, and grandma was a mighty, mighty prayer warrior. He has been told on several different occasions he should be a pastor.

Dawn and I talked with Will for about 45-minutes. His entire countenance changed. The Holy Spirit was refreshing and reviving him before our very eyes. There is no doubt Will has a strong anointing upon his life. I believe he could be a world famous preacher. It was truly an honor being able to meet and encourage Will.

Lord, we pray for the people You touched tonight. Bless and keep them, and cause Your face to shine upon them. In the name of Jesus, Amen.