Often we face situations that would paralyze us, rendering us unable to complete what God has set before us, if we did not have the mind of Christ. I faced one such challenge in Mexico.

I was invited to Monterey, Mexico, for a citywide evangelistic meeting. It was only for one evening, and I paid the expenses to go there. I spent half the day in prayer. As I prayed, I saw a dark cloud over the building where we were to meet. I asked the Lord what it was. He explained,

“John, that is the darkness that is fighting against this meeting. Continue to pray.”

A very strong anointing came on me, strengthening me to pray. Within thirty minutes I saw something else. A shaft of light went from the top of the building straight up to the sky. Again, I asked the Lord what it was. “That is my unhindered glory coming in the meeting tonight,” He said to my spirit. I was so excited.

The service was scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. We arrived a little early, only to be greeted with the news that a government official wanted to see the pastor who organized the meeting. This government official was accompanied by two uniformed officers.

The pastor and I went to meet with the official. He spoke for awhile to the pastor in Spanish, then turned and questioned me in English. “Do you speak Spanish?”

“No, sir,” I answered.

He then ordered me, “You will say nothing to this crowd tonight except about tourist-related activities.” Then he turned back to the pastor and spoke with him. I watched the pastor. He did not look very happy. In fact, he looked quite scared.

When the official finished, he and the two soldiers left. The pastor pulled me aside and said, “John, this man is a government official, and he says you cannot preach. There is a law in Mexico that you cannot preach in this country without a permit if you are not a citizen.” He went on to say, “It is a law that usually is not enforced, but this guy obviously does not want you here, and he is exercising it. He also said he wants you in his office at nine o’clock Monday morning.”

I could not believe what my ears were hearing. I immediately said to the pastor, “Look, I didn’t fly all the way down here not to preach. If you are concerned only for me, then let me preach.”

The pastor said, “John, it could also affect my church. He could cause a lot of problems. He is a high-ranking official. We had better not let you preach.” This pastor was intimidated, and I could do nothing but pray, because he was in authority over that meeting.

I went outside the building, a gymnasium located in downtown Monterey. There was a flagpole in front, and I began to walk around it. I knew God had shown me in prayer His glory manifested in this service. I knew God had instructed me to come. But I didn’t know what to do now. The thought kept running through my mind, Would this intimidating official keep me from what God had sent me to do? Then I’d reason, This man cannot stop what God has shown me in prayer. Back and forth I wrestled, What do I do?

I then said, “Father, I don’t know what to do, but You’re not surprised by this. You already knew this would happen. So I need Your wisdom and counsel for this situation.” I began to pray in the Spirit. This scripture came to my mind.

Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out (Prov. 20:5). Jesus said that believers would have rivers of living water flowing out of their hearts (John 7:38). I needed the river of the counsel of God. I needed the mind of Christ. Praying in tongues would bring it forth.

After praying for several minutes, my mind was quieted enough to hear more. This thought bubbled up from my heart: Tell the people about the greatest tourist to ever visit Mexico.

I shouted out loud, “That’s it! The man said I could talk about tourism. I will tell them about the greatest tourist to ever come to Mexico -Jesus Christ!” Joy rose up within me, and I began to laugh.

I ran back into the building. To my delight God had already dealt with the pastor. He said, “God spoke to me and told me to tell you to do whatever He says.”

I opened the service by saying, “I was told only to talk to you about tourist-related activities. So tonight I want to tell you about the greatest tourist to ever come to Mexico.” I preached Jesus as Lord and Savior for an hour. Several responded to the call to receive Jesus Christ as Lord. There was a disabled man in this group. After I prayed for those in the group to receive Jesus, the Lord spoke to me, “There is the first man I want to heal.” I looked at him and said, “Sir, the Spirit of God says He wants to heal you.” I laid hands on him and prayed. Then I took him by the hand, and we began to walk. He was very cautious at first. Then he moved faster and faster. Soon he was walking; then we ran together. Finally, I let go of his hand, and he ran by himself.

The crowd went wild. People with all manner of sickness and disease ran to the front. In all the confusion I lost my interpreter. A couple of hundred people had stormed toward the stage. Many were healed, including one woman who had been totally deaf in one ear since birth and partially deaf in the other. She wept until her blouse was soaked with her tears. It was wonderful!

I was unaware that the government official had sent two men back to the meeting to arrest me if I preached. They arrived just as I was praying for the disabled man. An usher spotted them and heard them say, “Let’s watch what he does before we arrest him.”

When they saw the disabled man healed, one asked the other, “Do you think this is real?” They moved closer and continued to watch what God was doing.

When they saw the deaf woman healed and weeping, one said, “I think this is real.”

Then a five-year-old boy fell on the floor, obviously under the power of God. Seeing this, they agreed: This is real! And these two men who were sent to arrest me came forward for prayer! Hallelujah!

I left the country the next day, and I didn’t bother keeping the appointment with the official. The next week the Mexican pastor flew to the United States, bringing along a copy of the Monterey newspaper. He read me an article in the front section about our meeting.

The newspaper reported that the government officials said I was a fraud, and all I wanted was money. (I had been led not to take a penny out of the country and had covered my own expenses. After hearing this, I knew why.) However, the newspaper went on to state that its own reporters saw people genuinely getting healed! Glory be to God!

The government official attempted to stop me with his intimidating threats. If the pastor and I had come under the control of those threats, the gift of God in our lives would have been dormant. No one would have been saved or ministered to that evening. God’s word, which He spoke to me by His Spirit, had given me boldness to break through the intimidation released against me. That’s the power of a sound mind.

Used with Permission. Bevere, John. Breaking Intidimation. Lake Mary: Charisma House, 1995, p. 181-185.