THE NEW WINESKIN
Is it possible to live disease free and unrestricted by pain? Is vibrant, long life available to those who believe that God heals? Can you look and feel better than you have in decades, without cosmetic surgery or costly procedures?
The Bible is packed full of promises that God’s people can walk in divine health and have their youth restored, even in their advanced years. Yet few are seeing the full manifestation of these truths. Instead, most are suffering some sort of pain, disease, or disorder, and many are physically and mentally worn out.
To add insult to injury, every glance in the mirror confronts us with the loss of our youthful looks. It’s in those moments that we toy with ideas about cosmetic procedures in a desperate effort to restore some semblance of our glory days.
I have battled all of this. I also have fought and, thankfully, conquered many physical disorders. But certain lingering issues have refused to submit. As the producer and host of an international TV show, I face more pressure than most to look great. After all, millions are watching as I age, program by program. Many viewers compliment me, but over the years, some well-meaning people have also made hurtful comments about my weight or appearance.
It’s hard to grow old in front of the masses. I was well into my forties when I started my ministry, so I was already “on my way out,” as some would say. I also had to deal with the ravages of my BC (Before Christ) years of partying on the streets. Hard-core drinking, smoking, and drug abuse take a toll on a person’s body and appearance. The stress of ministry didn’t do my health any favors either. After a decade of grueling touring, it’s no wonder I started looking haggard.
However, it was menopause in my early fifties that took my battle with aging to a whole new level. This attack on my youth put years on me practically overnight! To say that I was ticked off at the devil would be an understatement.
Is it possible to tap into the youth-restoring guarantees the Word brags about—and if so, why isn’t everyone running faster, serving stronger, lasting longer, and looking better while they do those things?
That’s what I set out to discover. What I learned was a game changer, to say the least. I witnessed biblical truths manifesting in my life and the lives of others that left me bowing at God’s feet, overwhelmed by His goodness and downright ecstatic.
PROMISES OF YOUTH RESTORED
The Bible makes some audacious claims concerning health, long life, and the restoration of youth. Check out these examples:
His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s: he shall return to the days of his youth. Job 33:25, KJV
Run to GOD! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Proverbs 3:7–8, MSG
Wisdom extends to you long life in one hand and wealth and promotion in the other. Proverbs 3:16, TPT
When I first read these scriptures, their daring assertions astounded me! It seems preposterous to believe that you can live a long life and have strong bones and flesh fresher than a child’s. Yet the Bible says His Word is absolute truth that does not return void but accomplishes that for which it was sent (Isa. 55:11). This leaves us with the burden of believing what He says, no matter how impossible it seems. To do less is to take from Christ the just reward of His suffering. After all, we have been healed by His stripes (Isa. 53:5). And yes! That encompasses all disease, including disease associated with aging.
So what’s the deal? If the Scriptures contain such incredible promises, why aren’t we seeing them manifest in their fullness? Ephesians 3:10, AMPC, says that “… through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known …” The wisdom of God is complicated, many-sided, and infinite in its variety. I’ve seen thousands of jaw-dropping miracles through the ministry He has given me. However, each miracle came about because the Holy Spirit showed me complex secrets in the Word that enabled me to work the miracles.
That is essentially what this book is about. It is the result of countless hours of harmonizing Scripture so that suffering people everywhere can tap into God’s fountain of youth.
THE MOUNTAIN OF AGING, DEATH AND DISEASE
More than a year ago the Lord showed me a vision of a huge mountain that was blocking my access to the next level. As I looked intently at it, I became troubled by the enormity of its cliffs and elevation. When I asked Him what the mountain was called, He said, “Aging, death, and disease.”
People say there are two things you can always count on: death and taxes. Both are considered inevitable. As believers we understand that death is only a transitional moment. However, aging, death, and disease are at work in our bodies every single minute until we make that glorious passage. They slowly and insidiously drain our vitality, one precious drop after another, until all that remains is a withered corpse.
That day, as I stared at the mountain before me, I wondered whether it was even possible to climb what seemed so impassable. Thankfully, Jesus said that it was, and He made it sound easy:
Jesus answered [His disciples] and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” Mark 11:22–23, NKJV
Have you ever read this verse and pictured the impossibility of a mountain jumping into the sea at your command? I have. Yet I knew God was calling me to take this mountain not with my puny faith but with His faith. That’s what happened to Zerubbabel when he returned from Babylonian captivity. Amid the most adverse conditions, God called him to rebuild the temple and assured him that his “mountain” would become a mere molehill:
For who are you, O great mountain [of human obstacles]? Before Zerubbabel [who with Joshua had led the return of the exiles from Babylon and was undertaking the rebuilding of the temple, before him] you shall become a plain [a mere molehill]! And he shall bring forth the finishing gable stone [of the new temple] with loud shoutings of the people, crying, Grace, grace to it! Zechariah 4:7 AMPC
Zerubbabel and I were both called to complete essentially the same task. He had to reconstruct the temple structure; I had to learn how to rebuild the temple of the body. Each of us faced a mountain of obstacles. Zerubbabel dealt with people problems, whereas I encountered the obstacle all humans face: battling the slow, deliberate process of death that occurs over a lifetime.
As I read Zechariah 4, I could hear God mocking the enemy: “Who are you O great mountain! My people will bring forth the finishing stone of this new temple!” It would happen exactly as Zechariah prophesied: “not by might, nor by power, but by [His] Spirit”! (Zec. 4:6, ESV).
As soon as I committed myself to the battle, in my mind’s eye I saw the mountain again. This time, an eagle soared over its crests. Immediately I knew that massive formation would be thrown into the sea by a revelation of renewed youth! Psalm 103:5 says, “You’ve supercharged my life so that I soar again like a flying eagle in the sky!” (TPT). Isaiah 40:31 adds, “Those who wait upon GOD get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, they run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind” (MSG).
Taking the mountain of death includes walking in renewed youthfulness and beauty. So many people today have cultivated enormous influence through social media. Some make millions, even billions, just by flaunting their looks. Sadly, followers allow themselves to be manipulated by celebrities who are beautiful and seem to have flawless looks. As Christians we know our value does not come from our outward appearance. But I believe we should look amazing—not because we want to keep up with reality TV stars, but because we have conquered the mountain of unhealthy aging, death, and disease and understand the supernatural power we possess to restore our youth.
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of thinking about how I look and feel. I want the freedom to serve God and think of others first. That’s why I have fiercely pursued the truths in this book. I want to tap into His supernatural power to look and feel great. I believe you want the same.
THE NEW WINE OF REVIVAL
Certain revelations come into the earth in specific seasons. I believe this is the time for youth to be restored. After I saw the mountain vision, the Lord gave me a word: He said He was going to create new wineskins for His people.
What does that mean?
A wineskin is simply a container for wine. Your body is the wineskin (or vessel) that contains your spirit and soul. Age, stress, and the traumatic state of this world can cause your body to get old fast. The Bible says that when new wine is poured into an old skin, the skin bursts, and the wine is spilled. (See Matthew 9:14–17; Mark 2:18–22; and Luke 5:33–39.)
