February, 2001

Dear Ministry Friends,

There are specific things you can do to produce a supernatural, uncommon life. As I think back over the years since 1980, I am amazed at what the Lord has done in and through my life. I remember how Jesus came into my car in 1980, laid his hand on my right shoulder, and spoke audibly to me. I marvel at how He led me and kept me safe when smuggling Bibles into China, Russia, and Communist Eastern Europe back before the "walls" fell. I think about how God has used me to physically save the lives of seven people. God has used me in City Council meetings, in seats of government, and in counseling other churches and ministries. He has used me to minister on radio and television, etc. Plus, He has blessed me with a wonderful wife of 18 years (which He led me to) and four super children (when we were initially unable to conceive). How did all this come about in the life of a very ordinary American male? I will tell you in this letter.

The end of July, 1980, I was driving 45 miles per hour in my 1976 Buick on Highway 380 in Denton, Texas, west of Loop 288. I was working for a great company with an international reputation in Dallas. But I was thinking about how I had succeeded in a business career, yet I was spiritually empty on the inside. I had been saved as a child, and filled with the Spirit, but I had lived for my own goals. I had climbed the ladder of success, only to discover it was leaning against the wrong wall. I had a heart-felt desire to repent to the Lord and live for Him. I told the Lord verbally as I was driving that I had been foolish, that I repented of my sins, that I wanted to live for Him, and I finished by saying, "I will do whatever you want me to do, go wherever you want me to go, and say whatever you want me to say." Suddenly, a hand came on my right shoulder. I felt the pressure and immediately in a split-second turned to look into the back seat thinking that somebody had hidden in the back of my car. No one was there, but I could see my shirt crumpled down on my right shoulder under the pressure of an unseen hand! As I glanced back to see if I was staying in my lane, the Lord spoke audibly to me in the car. He communicated that He accepted my prayer and my yielding of my life to Him. And therein lies the first key to living an uncommon life: total, 100% commitment to God to do His will.

We each need to come to the place that we actually make Jesus Lord of our life. If we will make Him Lord, He will act like Lord! But God is a gentleman. He doesn't force salvation on anyone, and He doesn't Lord it over anyone unless we want Him as Lord. Most Christians simply get their salvation and then keep wanting to run their own lives. They are actually afraid of God — they don't trust Him or think that He is really a good God. They think He will ask them to go to Africa as a missionary to somehow punish them for their sins. (He asked me to go to China, Russia, and Eastern Europe — but I actually enjoyed the trips knowing I was in God's will and that I was helping to "overthrow Communism" with Bibles.)

The second key to living a supernatural, uncommon life is faith. Now I know what you are thinking — you think you have heard all about that faith stuff. Well, I wrote an entire teaching letter on what faith really is in July, 1999, which you can read on my ministry web site, www.wordsoflife.org. But let me say that I immediately dug into studying teachings on faith when I started ministering for God in 1980, and my life was revolutionized. I found the answers to the common theological questions, and faith empowered me to do the things God wanted me to do. Let me quickly add that faith is not sitting on the sofa waiting for money to fall out of Heaven, because faith without work is dead. And faith doesn't come from formulas, it comes from relationship. It doesn't come so much from coldly reciting a list of scriptures to try to pressure God into doing something — as it comes from spending time with God through His Word to get to know Him and trust Him. And when your trust level is higher, you will take on more, attempt the improbable, and receive the impossible!

But that brings up the third key: being led by God's Spirit. That's because you can't just decide what you want to do and where you want to go, then get God to bless it. Jonah tried that. You have to discern what God is saying and where He is leading. And in spite of our wish that He would yell it at us, God says it in a still, small voice (the one that is so easy to run over while listening to the other voices in the world that are shouting at us). When my four children plus my wife are all talking to me at once, it is difficult to pick out the quietest one to listen to! But it is possible to progressively make the other "voices" in our life quieter, and be able to discern God's quiet leading in every situation! I cover this in a quick way in my book, How to be Led by the Spirit. I cover this issue more thoroughly in my six tape set by the same name where I explain the processes in developing spiritual sensitivity and removing the hindrances to hearing God.

The last key I will discuss here to living a supernatural, uncommon life is spiritual warfare. When Abraham offered a sacrificed bull to God in Genesis chapter 15, God and Jesus literally came down and passed between the two halves of the split bull (in the form of a smoking oven and a burning torch) in a show of acceptance of Abraham's sacrifice to confirm a covenant with him. Wow, you talk about dramatic! God and Jesus both showed up for one man's sacrifice — the only time in history. You would think that sacrificed bull was blessed, sanctified, and protected as Abraham was waiting for God to show up. But verse 11 says, "The vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away." The vultures are symbolic of evil spirits (the prince of the power of the air, Ephesians 2:2) who come immediately to steal (Mark 4:15). Abraham had to exercise his authority and drive them away. If he had not done so, they would have eaten up the sacrifices, and God would not have come down, and Abram would have been wondering what went wrong.

Lester Sumrall dealt with more demons in his world missionary travels than most people, becoming famous in the Philippines for delivering Clarita Villenueva in a jail cell as she was being visibly bitten by demons (documented on video tape). I had the privilege of driving Lester around in Tulsa on several occasions when he flew in to speak over the years. He once said on August 22, 1994 (I wrote it down), "It's because you are not assaulting the devil that he has the chance to hurt you." Coming from a man who lived one of the most successful, supernatural, uncommon lives ever, that is an important statement! He built huge churches on 3 continents, many Christian TV and radio stations in America, successful Bible schools, and a trans-continental ship and airplane feeding program for the needy. He lived well into his 80's still going strong for God while wearing out younger men (I met him in Russia in 1991 and everyone had to run to keep up with him). I think that ought to motivate us to "assault the devil" — amen? A strong daily prayer life using our authority can make a real difference.

I have two different tape sets on spiritual warfare. The one for personal change is Winning at Spiritual Warfare. The other is for general break-throughs in life and it is titled Classic Studies in Spiritual Warfare. These will also help you live an uncommon life — they sure worked for me! If space permitted, I could discuss other issues that help believers live uncommon lives. But these four keys above will go a long way toward helping any believer have a supernatural life. G.K. Chesterfield once said, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting, it has been perceived as too difficult and not tried."

Being Uncommon for God,

Dale Leander