Since Brother Norvel Hayes went home to be with the Lord, God has stirred me to go back through the message that Brother Norvel brought to the Body of Christ. Brother Norvel taught faith and divine healing, but he taught it from the place of worship.
Years ago, God spoke to Norvel Hayes and stated, “My children basically love Me, but they live in poverty and sickness and defeat. They don’t live in Heaven’s blessings because they don’t worship Me enough. You’re teaching faith and confession, you’re praying for the sick, but you need to worship Me more, and you need to teach My people to worship Me more. I’m their God, and they’re My children. If you’ll teach My children to worship Me more, I’ll do great and mighty things for them.”
Praise Brings the Anointing
This word from God changed Brother Norvel’s life and ministry. I want to look more closely at what God said to him. God stated that His people don’t live in Heaven’s blessings because they don’t worship Him ENOUGH. He didn’t say they don’t worship Him — they worship Him, but not enough. How long is long enough?
I’m reminded of something Kenneth Hagin, Sr. used to say to us, “Praise brings the anointing, and the anointing destroys the yoke.” Psalm 22:3 tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. How does God inhabit our praises? With His anointing. When we praise, His anointing indwells those praises. We understand that under the New Covenant God inhabits His people, but God also inhabits our praises. This helps us understand what God said to Brother Norvel. In light of what Dad Hagin taught us, we could accurately word what God said this way: “They don’t live in Heaven’s blessings because they don’t worship Me long enough for the anointing to come into manifestation and destroy the yoke.” The more time we spend worshipping God, the more time we are giving for the anointing to work on our behalf. We are the ones who determine how long the anointing will work on our behalf. Little worship, little anointing. More worship, more anointing. Much worship, much anointing.
There’s No Substitute for Worship
In the word God spoke to Brother Norvel, He also stated, “You’re teaching faith and confession, you’re praying for the sick, but you need to worship Me more, and you need to teach My people to worship Me more.” God commended Brother Norvel because he was teaching faith, teaching confession, and praying for the sick. Those things are right to do, but God showed him that worship was being neglected. Teaching faith, teaching the confessing of God’s Word, and praying for the sick are right to do, but they are no substitute for worship. Each of these have their place, but one cannot substitute for the other.
Keep Worshipping
God went on to say to Brother Norvel, “I’m their God, and they’re My children. If you’ll teach My children to worship Me more, I’ll do great and mighty things for them.” Notice, people have to be taught to worship God and how to worship God. They have to be taught how to keep worshipping, no matter what the circumstances are.
Psalm 34:1 instructs us, “I will bless the Lord AT ALL TIMES: his praise shall CONTINUALLY be in my mouth.” We are to praise and worship God “at all times” — whether the times look favorable or unfavorable. We must learn how to keep worshipping God no matter what circumstances look like. If we will keep worshipping God when circumstances look unfavorable, it will change the outcome of those times. In this verse, God is giving us the instruction of what to do at “all times” — even times when we don’t know what to do next — praise Him. We are to practice the spiritual habit of having His praises “continually” be in our mouths. We are to practice a lifestyle of praising God.
Great & Mighty Things
Look at the last phrase of what God said to Brother Norvel. “If you’ll teach My children to worship Me more, I’ll do great and mighty things for them.” Those who worship God will see great and mighty things done for them! This is what God longs to do for His people — great and mighty things! But notice the instruction — it’s when we worship God more that He is able to do great and mighty things for us. Worship brings the anointing, and it’s by the anointing that great and mighty things are worked.
But worship is also an act of faith, for faith is dealing with the unseen, and when we worship God, we are worshipping a God we don’t see; therefore, worship is an act of faith. When God finds people worshipping, He finds faith. And where He finds faith, He finds a place where He can do great and mighty things.