On this episode of A Touch From Above, Dr. Luauna Stines breaks down what real faith looks like beyond routine religion. She explains how faith works hand-in-hand with God, why the Holy Spirit is essential, and how believers can move from ritual into real power and transformation.
Welcome to A Touch From Above with Dr. Luauna Stines from the Prayer Mountain in Ramona, California. Today’s episode is part one of God Does Not Change. In today’s program, Dr. Luauna will explain while many Christians think they understand faith, they often do not know how it works in daily life. Living in a world marked by disappointments and unfulfilled promises, Christians who genuinely comprehend faith and the assurances given by Jesus are empowered to transform their own lives and make a difference in the world around them. Let’s join our host, Dr. LaWanna Stines, as she explores this important topic.
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Well, I titled my sermon, God Does Not Change. Amen. Somebody say, God does not change. Well, When everything around us seems crazy, you and I have to remember a very important thing, that God has not changed, amen? God has not changed. Turn to your neighbor and tell him or her, God has not changed. Tell your neighbor God hasn’t changed. You know, he knows the beginning to the end. He knows everything. I know right now the world seems to be in chaos and everybody’s worried about this and worry about that. And what about the war? And what about Ukraine? And what about Israel? And what about the border? And what about this? What about that? What about stop it? God’s in control. God knows everything. He knows the beginning to the end. He’s got it all worked out. Somebody say amen. When you can’t see, it doesn’t matter. God knows the beginning to the end. You know, I was thinking, I’ve been saved a long, long time, and I was thinking about how many people think they understand about faith. And yet in a practical sense, in a practical way, many really don’t know how faith works. And so I thought today, I thought, wow, okay, I’m going to try to help you understand how faith works. It’s like, we may not understand faith. You know, Hebrews tells us, faith is a substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Let me stop there. Faith is a substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Let me stop there. I’m going to continue on that verse there, but I want to stop there for a moment to help you understand faith works hand in hand. Give me your hand, Ms. Anna. Faith, got to hear this, this is faith, works hand in hand with God. Faith doesn’t work by itself. Faith works hand in hand with God. And without faith, it’s impossible to please God. And so many people say, well, I have faith. And yet, really, they don’t understand how faith works. Because faith is so powerful. Oh, my goodness. I want to read that again. Hebrews chapter 11, verse 6. But without faith, it’s impossible to please God. But without faith, it’s impossible to please God. For he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Let me stop there for a moment and help you understand. It is absolutely impossible. It’s absolutely impossible. It doesn’t matter how much you sing, how much you dance, how much you scream, how much you holler. It doesn’t matter how much you quote the word, but you have to remember, it’s impossible. It’s impossible, why? Why is it impossible? Without faith, it’s impossible. You can have all the rituals. You can go to church. You realize that churches all around America are filled. All around the world, churches are filled. But there are many that are sitting in churches around the world that don’t have faith. But they have a ritual. They have a form of godliness, but yet they deny his power. It’s part of their, well, grandma went to church. Grandpa went to church. Well, I’m going to go to church. And, you know, it’s just part of life. And, well, I better go to church because I’m a real estate agent. And, you know, I got to get me some customers. And, well, I’m a dentist. So let me go to church. And I can look. And when I tell them I’m a dentist, maybe I’ll have a couple more customers. Let me go to church because of this. Well, let me go to church because of that. Those are… Reasons that are all around the church world, but that doesn’t take you into the arena that God wants you to be in. Amen? Amen. Well, if singing, why is it so important to praise God? Let me just stop for a moment. You know, on our Friday night, the beginning of the month, it’s amazing how the small core group that comes to prayer, there is an atmosphere of praise and prayer that you would not be able to understand. And that atmosphere of full praise and worship, praying in the Spirit on the Friday night, it goes for an hour to two hours. And everybody is, I can’t explain it. It’s an experience. It’s like all of a sudden heaven opens and we’re in that presence of the realm of the glory of God. And so when I share with you and Marshall shares the scriptures about praise, it’s not because it’s something we just are wanting to read to you. It’s something that I’m trying to get down inside of your heart that if you’ll understand the power of praise, because you can stand there, twiddle your thumbs, you can stand there and just look around, or you can stand there and think, oh, yeah, this is great, or look at the building and look at somebody else and say, man, they’re really radical, they’re really fanatical, and never enter in to the presence of God. But when you let go to let God, when you worship him, you have to imagine what it was like in the upper room in the book of Acts in chapter two. When the Bible says, here they went back in Luke chapter 24, the very last chapter, just before Jesus goes into heaven. In Luke chapter four, Jesus says something really powerful to his disciples. Now remember, the crowds followed him everywhere. One part of the crowd, there was 5,000. Another crowd, there were 25,000. Another crowd was there. There were so many people. Do me a favor, Marshall. Put a blanket under Danny’s arm there for me. So many people. don’t realize that in that time when Jesus told his disciple and his people, he said, go back to Jerusalem until you are endued with the power. The promise of my father will come upon you. The power of prayer will come upon you. There is something, the Holy Spirit will come upon you. Why did Jesus say that? Why did Jesus tell them not to even leave Jerusalem, not to start their ministry, don’t even step out of Jerusalem until you have received the promise of my Father? Well, in Acts chapter 2, they go back and they’re trying to figure out, okay, well, we might as well, we’re here. We’re back in Jerusalem. Let’s just pray. So they’re praying in their natural understanding. Father, we’re here. Jesus, you said we saw you rise from the dead. Lord, we pray for our uncle, our aunt, our mom, our sister, our brother. Lord, we pray for the government. We thought that Jesus was going to change the government and he was going to run for politics. But Lord, that didn’t happen. And now what, Lord? I can imagine the 120 people in that upper room trying to figure out what they were praying for. So here they are in the book of Acts chapter 2. They’re all in one accord, in one place. And they just saw Jesus, the one that they loved, the Messiah, the Savior, the Rock of Ages, the one that made blind eyes open, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk. And here they are now. They saw him crucified. They saw him rise from the dead, walked with them another, whatever, 30, 40 days forever. fed with him, ate with him, broke bread together. And then they’re standing there in Luke chapter 24. And he says, and then he goes up. There he is. There’s Jesus. He’s going up. He ascended before the very eyes. And you can imagine their minds, they don’t realize who he really is. They have a little bit of a knowledge. They know he’s amazing. But they really don’t know the depth of who it is that they are going to take the baton and run the race and do what God has called them to do. So in that upper room, suddenly the Bible says there was a sound from heaven that came as a mighty voice. rushing wind and it said and cloven tongues of fire you can imagine this when you think about a candle cloven tongues of fire set upon each one of them on top of their head the bible tells us clearly on top of their head but then something happened miraculously the bible says that that cloven tongues of fire set upon them and all of a sudden guess what happened they were All of a sudden, that fire from up there came inside of them. And all of a sudden, they begin to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now, this is the confusion that a lot of people have today when they read that. Because not only were they all baptized with the Holy Spirit that very day and begin to speak in a language that they had never learned before, But the gift of the Holy Spirit was released that very same day. What do I mean by that? When they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, the Bible says that the city was filled. There was Pentecost. There were people everywhere from around the world. People from Poland. People from… Africa, people from Egypt, different parts, Jerusalem, Nazareth, you know what I mean? They all were there and they heard them speaking in their own language. Now, a lot of confusion is because they try to mix it up with the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is totally different. The gifts of the Holy Spirit, when God baptizes every single person who is hungry for the Holy Spirit, God wants you to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and he wants to give you that prayer language. Paul, the apostle, said, I pray in tongues more than you all. Why did he give us that ability to pray in a language that we have never learned? Because God, through the Holy Spirit, speaks mysteries. to you and I in our hearts. So when we’re praying in the spirit, I’m not praying, Paul said, I’m not going to pray. I’m not going to come up here and I’m not going to speak to you in a tongue. I’m not going to sit up here and speak in tongues to you because you will not understand me, Paul said. He said, you know what? And yet Paul said, I speak in tongues more than you all. So why did Paul turn right around and say, I’m not going to speak to you in a tongue, but I speak in tongues more than you all. Because when I speak in a tongue, I do not speak unto man, but I speak unto God. The gifts of the Holy Spirit in Corinthians are different than what you see. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was in the book of Acts chapter two. Then the gifts were immediately released, the gift of tongue and the interpretation. Everyone that was there from a different country, different land said these words, who are they? that speak in my language that they have never learned. Do you know why that was happening? It was about ready to have a revival. God was releasing the prophetic gift of the word and in the interpretation, the tongue and interpretation. The gifts were released immediately at Pentecost. Gifts immediately. Why? Because through the Holy Spirit, That’s where all the gifts are released. The gifts of what? What are the gifts? The gifts of prophecy. The gifts of what? Healing. The gifts of teaching. The gifts of faith. Faith, and that’s what I wanna talk about. Faith works hand in hand with God. You see, it doesn’t matter if you have ability to sing and do the rituals and do all this religious stuff, but if that singing and that praying and that dancing and that shouting doesn’t lead you into the throne room of God, then it’s all in vain. Then all you have is religion. So I want to encourage you today, you know, we can do all those things, but we would accomplish nothing. And that’s what Jesus knew that the church needed. The New Testament church needed the power of the Holy Spirit to make impact on a lost and a dying world. Amen? You see, through faith, we are working with God. Oh, my goodness. And God has a different nature than we do. Do you understand that? Our human nature… I was thinking about this. Pastor Jill walked into my house yesterday, and I go, God raised the dead. And she just looked at me. I said, did you hear me? God raised the dead. And she goes, yeah. I said, no. God raised the dead. God raised the dead. You see, God moves far beyond. Without the miracle working God, you know, the dead would not be raised. God works in ways that you and I can’t even understand. You remember God raised Lazarus from the dead. Do you remember Lazarus had been dead how many days? And the sisters said what? But Jesus, they cried for Jesus. Jesus, you’ve got to come quickly. Lazarus is sick. Well, Lazarus died. He’s dead. He’s already had the funeral. They’ve already put him in the tomb. He’s already there with the grave clothes. They already wrapped him up in grave clothes. He’s gone. Bit the dust. Say hello to the gophers, whatever. He’s gone. Bite the dust. It’s over. No breath in him. Dead as a doorknob. Gone. Zero. Zelch. Jesus steps on the scene four days later after his death, and his sisters go, if you would have been here, Jesus, if only you would have been here, he would not have died. God raises the dead. You didn’t hear me. God raises the dead. Amen. God, you see, most of the time, we don’t know who we serve. We live in this natural realm, and that’s all we see. The natural realm says, yeah, but, oh my goodness, you know, I’m in this wheelchair. It doesn’t matter. God raised the dead. I have a report of cancer. It doesn’t matter. God raised the dead. You don’t know what I’m going through. God raised the dead. We serve a God that is so powerful and so awesome and so amazing. God is a God who raised the dead. And God does not change. Amen? Cars change. Man, if I’d have kept every old car that I had, man, I’d be rich today. I had a 65 beautiful Bronco turquoise white with a half leather top. I had a beautiful classic Volkswagen way back then. I had a beautiful Volkswagen van. That would have been classic. I had a 56 Chevy pickup, a 56 Chevy bomb, the bomb, bomb mobile. It was a big one. The big wheels. I mean, my goodness. Cars change. Amen. Clothes change. One minute they’re wearing skinny jeans, the next day they’re wearing bell bottoms, the next day they’re not wearing anything. Hairstyles change. One day it’s all curly. Next day it’s all straight. One day it’s in a ponytail. One day it’s buzzed on the sides. The hair changes. People change. But God does not change. Amen? Many think today that the time of miracles is over. How many people I meet that say, you don’t understand what I’m going through. You see, you have to know in your heart, you have to know in your heart that God is a miracle working God. God is a miracle working God. If you do not believe that, you know what, God can perform miracles, then you are unable to work together with God. Because God is a miracle-working God. Somebody say amen. Amen. You know, I think about Jairus’ daughter in, what is it, Mark? I think Mark chapter 4. Jairus’ daughter is dead, and Jesus steps on the scene, and he raises the dead. Amen? What about the widow’s son in Luke chapter 7? Amen. Jesus raised the dead. You see, until you understand God raised the dead, he performs miracles. God calls those things that are not as if they are. Let me say it one more time. God causes those things that are What? Are not as if they are. Faith is a substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. When I was in Seoul, Korea, . Now you have to understand, I had an amazing, amazing opportunity in Seoul, Korea. I lived in Seoul, Korea for over a year. I preached in probably five to six churches a day. We were so busy. I had a beautiful driver. They set me up in a wonderful apartment because over there everybody has high-rises apartments, you know. And they had a driver that would pick me up. The driver would pick me up, take me to one church. I’d preach there. Then they had a little, the churches were massive. When we say, oh, a mega church in America, it’s nothing compared to Seoul, Korea. They’re baby churches. Oh, you come to my baby churchy and preach for me this day. Oh, Pastor Luauna, you come preach my baby. It’s only baby churchy. I say, okay, no problem. I don’t care, baby churchy, whatever. We get there on a Wednesday. I think Pastor Joe was with me at that time. We get there on a Wednesday, and they said, oh, you preach at 12 o’clock. All business people come to churchy. They come for prayer at 12 o’clock. You preach message. I said, okay. So they took us in a back room, and way up in the, I think it was like the 10th floor, and they had a little studio there. So Pastor Jill had a room to rest, and I had a room to rest, because it was about an hour before the service. So I’m in there, and I’m just praying in the Spirit, praying in the Spirit. Then they come in, oh, we brought you tea. You like a tea? So you have your tea, and I’m praying, and I’m praying, and I’m praying. And then they come to get me. I have no idea where the church is or what room it is. I’m thinking it’s in a room. A room. So all of a sudden my interpreter comes up there and she says, we will be going in five more minutes. I said, okay. So we go through the back, uh, the back stairway and then we catch an elevator and we go down a couple floors and we go into the back area and suddenly we’re on this massive stage and I’m sitting on this stage and I looked at my interpreter, I said, This is baby churchy? Oh, this is very baby churchy. Only three years. I go, I’ll take you to America and show you what a real baby church is. And there were, I think, 7,000 in that afternoon service. We preached. After that, they said, oh, you must stay for evening service. You must preach for evening service. We have tonight’s service. Please stay. Everything is an E at the end. I don’t know if you know that. Churchy. Pastor, you come. Preachy. Churchy.
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I said, okay, no problem. So we stayed, and that night, The church doubled in size, baby church of 14,000. I looked around, I thought, my goodness. I said, how many years? She goes, three years only, baby churchy. I said, man, we are in trouble in America. I said, we are in big trouble. Three years. Oh, pastor, pray. Have faith. Work with Holy Spirit. Work with God. People get busy for Jesus. You see, faith to believe who God is. When I was in Korea and when I saw what God did there, and then they said, you go to Prayer Mountain. You go preach at Prayer Mountain in Seoul, Korea. I go, Prayer Mountain? Oh, yeah. You meet big churchy. They pick you up by bus. They take you up to Prayer Mountain. I said… Okay, so we went to the big church, waited for the bus. Big bus, city bus, 60-some people start piling in. We’re piling in the bus. We get in the bus. We take the bus. It takes an hour to two hours. I think it was an hour and a half to get up to Prayer Mountain. We get up to the Prayer Mountain, and we get off the bus, and lo and behold, I step off that bus, and I’m shocked. I look around. And I said, is this a church? Oh no, this is Prayer Mountain. Many people from all Christians come from all over to pray, to work with God, praying in Holy Spirit. And so I said, okay. So I went and put all my stuff away in one of the little locker things and they had a room for me. I put everything away and then I started taking a walk around the Prayer Mountain.
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You’ve been listening to Dr. LaWanna Stines preaching at a touch from above, Prayer Mountain. Join us for a spirit-filled church service every Sunday at the Prayer Mountain, 16145 Highway 67 in Ramona, California, 92065. We are a church without walls at the Prayer Mountain, so bring your Bible, dress warmly, and prepare yourself to grow in the Word. remember a church alive is worth a drive we are a member supported broadcast and we need your help to reach the brokenhearted for jesus if you’ve enjoyed today’s message you can give by visiting a touchfromabove.org or by calling 760-315-1967 and along with your generous gift we will send you a copy of dr Luauna’s book a woman called of god where she shares how satan tried to stop the call of god on her life It’s free with your generous donation at a touch from above.org. Thank you for listening and God bless you. Join us for the touch from above conference. Stand strong in your faith. A three day event at prayer mountain in Ramona, California. You’re invited to attend on May 22nd through the 24th. Each day promises to strengthen your faith as we celebrate the power of God and his miraculous works throughout the weekend. Dr. Luauna will share astonishing stories of miracles and divine intervention. Registration is $225 a person and includes comfortable lodging and delicious meals for all three days. Reserve your cabin now as availability is limited. Call 760-315-1967 today to secure your spot. If lodging is not needed, registration is only $150 and covers all meals from May 22nd through the 24th. For more information, visit our website, atouchfromabove.org and click on the conferences tab. We hope to see you there. Need a snack? Visit KingdomCandyShop.com. The Lion logo is your sign of premium freeze-dried treats, candy favorites, and amazing freeze-dried fruits and vegetables that will satisfy without the guilt. Perfect for the office, road trips, or gifts, experience how freeze-drying creates lasting freshness, bold flavor, and a satisfying crunch. Upgrade your snacking at KingdomCandyShop.com. Kingdom Candy Shop, sophisticated snacks with a playful edge.
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