David Hathaway

Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralysed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’ At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, ‘This fellow is blaspheming!’ Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, ‘Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk”? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So he said to the paralysed man, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home.’ Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man. (Matthew 9.1-5, NIV.)

When I first received the Holy Spirit, I had asked for the Gift of Faith – now I wanted to see how far God could/would reveal His Power – if I stepped out in faith.  My adventure going to Jerusalem in 1961 was the start. Going where no man had gone before. The first in the world to make the unknown and dangerous overland crossing behind the Iron Curtain, through the communist countries and Arab nations on a war-footing with Israel, I received a medal from the Israeli Government when I arrived, and I was on TV when I got home! Now, aged 93, I have not reached the limits of God’s Power HERE, ON EARTH! But the faith driving me is not in my head, it’s in my heart.

One of the first people that I saw healed was when I was a very young pastor and evangelist in England. Shortly after finishing college, I left the church I had pastored as a student, in Dorking, Surrey, and I was called to take over a church in Harrogate, North England, and prepare for an evangelistic crusade. I was only twenty years old. Soon after arriving, Mr Corker, one of the men in the church, 73 years old, became ill. He refused to go to the doctor until it was too late – they had to rush him into hospital where they diagnosed terminal cancer. He was so sick, they took away most of his stomach, gave him a catheter to pass the water, and a colostomy – and sent him home to die. The doctors expected him to live for just three weeks. As his pastor, I went many times to his home to pray with him and I discovered that although he had a difficult very blunt ‘Yorkshire’ character, this man loved God from the bottom of his heart. I saw him in a new way, not just as a dying man, not just as a difficult deacon i

We’re just back from Baku in Azerbaijan where, together with the local Christians, I held 3 days of evangelism in a prestigious venue in the city centre. It’s a bold step of faith to preach Christ publicly in a culturally Moslem country, and there was a fear, at government level, of some backlash and provocations. So no, we were not allowed the larger arena I had hoped for, but the Minister of Religious Affairs did give his full support and attended the opening night. This was the first time in the history of Azerbaijan that Christians have been allowed to take a public venue.

God has a plan and a time – for me, for you, and for the whole world we live in. God does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets. Amos 3:7. He is working to a prophetic timeline and so must we. My whole life has been closely linked to prophecy, not because I claim to be a ‘prophet’, but because when God gives me a vision, it is a prophetic path for my life. What He reveals to me in prophecy, I have to act on it – in order to fulfil it. As a baby, I dedicated to the Lord by George Jeffreys. I knew the miracles in his and in Smith Wigglesworth’s lives. But all my life, I have believed there is more Power available from God than anything yet seen on earth. I grew up surrounded by what those who had received the Holy Spirit’s Power had achieved – the miracles – the thousands saved. Yet as I read the prophecies of Joel Chapter 2, I sensed there was an even greater Power available – which Joel calls the Latter Rain. But GREATER than the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the

I have not reached the limits of God’s Power HERE, ON EARTH! But the faith driving me is not in my head, it’s in my heart. 'Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward,' (Hebrews 10.35). Don't cast away your confidence, your hope and trust in God. Do the work of the evangelist, and you will see the reward, the promises of God fulfilled. The Bible says that 'the just will live by faith', don't draw back; faith is active, it is not a theory, it's how you live; I've done the impossible with God: my first overland trip to Israel in 1961, released from a communist prison, healed of cancer twice - I refuse to sit passively. Remember, the Kingdom of God is not demonstrated by your words, but by your actions!

As I write this, together with my faithful team I am leaving for the frontline spiritually – Baku, in Azerbaijan, culturally Moslem, taking a 5,000-seat stadium for three days – with a permit from the government! They liked what I preached when I was there in January, because I preach Jesus, whom they honour in their Koran as a prophet, but He is the Son of God, who died to save all men! The miraculous healings prove that Jesus is very much alive today. I tell the people that I cannot heal them – but Jesus can and does! Taking a stadium for this visit is an historic breakthrough in this country! And we take it for Friday, Saturday and Sunday!

In the 1960's, God gave me a strong challenge one morning after preaching to my church in Dewsbury: He said, shut up, stop telling others what to do… go out and do it yourself… live by faith, demonstrate it works, then come back and tell others how do it. The Apostle James wrote, 'Show me your faith by your works.' What do you believe? Even the devil believes in God. We must demonstrate our faith in God by the way we live. I grew up with George Jeffreys and was dedicated by him as a baby. I knew the miracles in his and in Smith Wigglesworth’s lives. But all my life, I have believed there is more Power available from God than anything yet seen on earth. I grew up surrounded by what those who had received the Holy Spirit’s Power had achieved – the miracles – the thousands saved. Yet as I read the prophecies of Joel Chapter 2, I sensed there was an even greater Power available – which Joel calls the Latter Rain. But GREATER than the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the 20th Century, which everyo

For the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power,' (1 Corinthians 4.20). This is the essence of the Bible - people doing the 'job'. The Bible is a practical Book, a book of action, an adventure story: Creation, Israel, the prophets, the stories, the Kings, the nation - the fights - the prophecies relating to Israel and Christ. I believe in action. God has called us into the Kingdom, and if you are a born-again, baptised, Spirit-filled believer, God has done that for a reason. God doesn’t save you and call you so that you can sit at ease – we are saved to serve! 

There is no limit to God's Power, but to see miracles we have to link prayer and faith. In Hebrews it says of the Israelites that 'the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.' I want you to link your prayer with your faith. 'The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.' (James 5.16-18, NLT.)

There are three levels of faith; (i), when all the evidence says it will happen; (ii), faith when there is no evidence; (iii), faith when it is totally impossible. I'm not just celebrating 75 years in ministry; I'm demonstrating that faith works. - It was this challenge that I took up when God said to me, "Shut up, go out and do everything you're talking about". Living by faith is so misunderstood. It isn't sitting in a monastery waiting for the Lord's return; I live by faith by what I do: I went to Jerusalem by faith in 1961 - it was impossible with difficulties all along the route, but by faith I overcame every obstacle; twice God has healed me of cancer. I want you to live in this faith - faith which does the impossible!

We talk about faith, we have to have faith! I laugh, because my wife used to complain that I jumped into bed. But that was an ‘act of faith’ that the bed wouldn’t collapse! We all have to use an element of faith. If you get in a car and somebody else is driving it, you need faith! Faith in its simplistic sense is part of everyday life! It’s the trust you have. You trust people, you have to trust your doctor, the police, your government – though often they fail us – they are only human. But if faith is trust, faith in God is faith in the unfailing God! In James 2:15‐17, we’re looking at different aspect of faith: If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you will say, “Go away, be in peace, be warm and filled” – in other words, “Be blessed, but I’m not giving you anything” – if you see someone who is in need and you only speak words of comfort, but don’t give them what they need – that’s useless! In the same way, faith without the works to go with it – is dead! Such ‘faith’ is jus

The whole of my life has been based on the fact that nothing is impossible – if you go by faith! Joshua and Caleb were so upset with the Israelites, and said in Numbers 14:8ff, “Look, it’s an exceeding good land. If the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into this land and give us the victory! Don’t rebel against the Lord! Don’t be afraid of the enemy! They’re like bread for us, their defence is gone, and the Lord is with us!” At this, the whole congregation made to stone Joshua and Caleb, but the Glory of the Lord appeared before all the Children of Israel, and God said to Moses, “How long will these people provoke Me? How long will it be before they believe Me because of all the things I have already shown them? How long will they resist Me and provoke Me when they have already seen the miracles I did to bring them out of Egypt?” God is upset with the Church when the Church doesn’t see, doesn’t know the unlimited Power He has! My whole life has been to search out the unexplored Power of God to do the imp

Numbers 13:21ff tells exactly where the spies went. It was harvest time. In Eshcol they cut down a bunch of grapes so great, they had to carry it between 2 poles. After 40 days – it was a detailed search, and remember, they were on foot, or perhaps with donkeys – they returned. This was their report to the whole congregation of Israel, v27ff: “The land is exactly as promised, it flows with milk and honey – they showed the fruits of the land – it’s good! But the people living there are very powerful, their cities are walled and very great, and the children of Anak, who are giants, live there!!!” At this point, v30, Caleb speaks very strongly – to Moses and all the people: “Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it!” But in v31, ten of the spies brought an evil report of the land they had searched: “It devours its inhabitants, and it’s got giants! We’re not able to go up against these people, for they are stronger than we are. We were as grasshoppers in our own sight, and in their

I want to share something with you from the Book of Numbers – it’s very heavily marked in my Bible, and I believe it’s extremely important. This was a very great period of miracles, in fact the Children of Israel saw more miracles under Moses than later under Elijah and Elisha. It was Moses who led Israel out of captivity in Egypt. He spent 40 years of his life doing this one job! I wouldn’t have liked to be in Moses’ shoes!!! Numbers 13.21ff tells exactly where the spies went. It was harvest time. In Eshcol they cut down a bunch of grapes so great, they had to carry it between 2 poles. After 40 days – it was a detailed search, and remember, they were on foot, or perhaps with donkeys – they returned. This was their report to the whole congregation of Israel, v27ff: “The land is exactly as promised, it flows with milk and honey – they showed the fruits of the land – it’s good! But the people living there are very powerful, their cities are walled and very great, and the children of Anak, who are giants, live t

We are living through what are the most troubled times for a generation. To those old enough to remember, like me, it is a repeat of the 1930s and a serious threat of a third world war! ...But Joel 2 reveals that there is a final harvest – that’s why I am so busy, and we desperately need a massive increase in every level of support and finance. Jesus said, “Go out and compel them to come in!” The Spirit and the Bride say come, Rev 22:17, yes, but we must go out and tell them! My next evangelism in October is a stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan. This needs massive prayer and financial support – the more difficult the region, the more prayer and finance it requires. This year a large part of our finance and my evangelistic effort has been to reach the Central Asia countries!

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’  Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and illness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.  (Matthew 9.35-38, 10.1-4, NIV)

Which is easier: to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk”? I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So he said to the paralysed man, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home.’ Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man. As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill. But go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’ Then John’s disciples came and as

In August I preached at the most powerful meetings of my life, firstly at SOZO – All-Central Asia Youth Conference, held for 3 days in Almaty, Kazakhstan August 20-22, then evangelism on Sunday 24th. Thank you for supporting in prayer and finance. Costs were enormous but the result – money could never buy. Coming out of extreme persecution, revival is breaking through and the Holy Spirit came down!

A synagogue leader came and knelt before Jesus and said, ‘My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.’ Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.’ Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed at that moment. When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and the people playing pipes, he said, ‘Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.’ But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region. As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’ When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, ‘Do you be