There is an increasing hunger today among the people of God. More and more believers are crying out for an outpouring of the Spirit. We long to see a real move of God, an awesome demonstration of His power and His gifts. We want the Lord to come right into our midst. We yearn to see His glory!

But do we really know what we are asking for? Are we ready for a full manifestation of God?

The children of Israel who came out of Egypt under Moses experienced more of the manifest presence of God than any generation that has ever lived. All of them were eyewitnesses of His power. They saw Him smite Egypt with ten plagues while they themselves were unharmed. They saw Him split the sea in two so they could walk through on dry ground. They saw the pillar of cloud every day and the pillar of fire every night. They saw Him provide manna for them in a continuous supernatural supply. They saw the Lord’s splendor shake Mount Sinai and they heard His voice speaking clearly.

They met with God face to face. The Lord of hosts taber?nacled among them. They had what we dream about and long for—an ongoing visitation from on high. And all of them died in the wilderness with the exception of just two. Only Joshua and Caleb survived. Not Aaron or Miriam or even Moses escaped. The presence of the Lord can be dangerous. Are we ready for a visitation from the Holy One? Could our churches survive a moving of God?

Consider the Book of Acts. The Spirit of the Lord was there! Three thousand Jews were saved after Peter’s first ser?mon. Jerusalem was completely astir. There were outstanding public miracles, and even whole towns turned to the Lord. The name of Jesus was being glorified, and the disciples were one in heart.

But sin was also being judged. Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Lord—and both of them fell dead on the spot. Simon the sorcerer tried to buy the gift of God—and he was threatened with damnation for his guilt. Herod gave a speech and was hailed as a god by the crowds.

“Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died” (Acts 12: 23). Elymas, called Bar-Jesus, tried to oppose Paul’s preach?ing. A few seconds later he was blind.

All this, too, was part of the Book of Acts. Do we really want complete restoration? Do we want to be part of a “New Testament church”?

The Corinthians had all the spiritual gifts in their midst. They spoke in tongues, prophesied, healed the sick, and saw the miraculous. But great privilege means great responsibility. Sin could not be swept under the rug. An unrepentant, im?moral member was turned over to satan for the destruction of his flesh, and some of those who sinned at the Lord’s table either became sick or died. God’s nearness can have an ad?verse effect on our health if we flagrantly violate His will.

What is the painful lesson to be learned from the so-called “Healing Revival” that occurred forty years ago? From 1947-1958 there was a great outpouring of healing power, unprece?dented in modern times. Until that time, healing anointings were rare. It was only a handful of vessels—men and women like Maria Woodworth-Etter, John G. Lake, Stephen Jeffreys, Smith Wigglesworth, Charles Price and Aimee Semple McPherson—who were used in mighty healing miracles.

But in 1947 things changed. All these heroes of faith were gone. A new generation was being raised up, and suddenly the gifts were everywhere. There were hundreds of “healing evangelists” preaching throughout the United States and over?seas, many of them with huge tents and even television min?istries. Some outstanding miracles were taking place. But the vessels were not properly prepared, and many of them fell into sin and died before their time. One of the most prominent preachers of that era died of polio before he reached the age of forty. Another leader suf?fered fatal injuries in a head-on collision with a drunk driver. (He had already fallen into serious doctrinal error.) Another died in a motel room of cirrhosis of the liver—a chronic al?coholic while still in active ministry. Some became adulterers; others became corrupt and greedy. Although some were humble and pure at the beginning of their work, in less than fifteen years they became proud charlatans. The list goes on and on.

In some important ways, the “Healing Revival” ended shamefully. Only a few of its ministers came out whole. The others simply couldn’t handle the power; the anointing of God was more than they could bear. It takes holy servants to be channels of the Spirit. He cannot be separated from His gifts. They are a manifestation of Him. And He is totally Holy. An outpouring in today’s Church could be fatal.1

The generation of Israelites that took the Promised Land under Joshua wanted to remain faithful to the covenant. When Joshua urged them to take a stand for the Lord, they answered with one accord: “We too will serve the Lord, because He is our God” (Josh. 24:18). But Joshua didn’t believe them. He remembered the day when he heard his people tell Moses, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey” (Exod. 24:7). And he remembered all too well what he had seen the next forty years. Hundreds of thousands of his contemporaries were buried in the desert! All the adults who followed the Lord out of Egypt perished without ever receiving their in?heritance.

So Joshua warned them sharply:

…You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after He has been good to you (Joshua 24:19-20).

This could easily happen to us and our nation in this generation.