What is God’s secret weapon? That was a question I had for Georgian Banov of Global Celebration. I’ve watched his ministry from a distance over the years and was in awe of what God has done through him as numerous and notable signs and wonders take place.
I was excited to have a conversation with Georgian for my podcast, Adventures in the Spirit with Jared Laskey. Georgian shared his personal testimony with my viewers and listeners of how he escaped communism in his home nation of Bulgaria. He was part of the first rock band in Bulgaria, but the government shut them down. Fearing for his life, Georgian made a plan for escape, and the U.S. had open arms.
“I made my way from Bulgaria all the way over to Hollywood, USA,” Georgian said. “On the streets of Hollywood, I encountered the Jesus People. They were very friendly, kind of weird … I thought they were on a new drug because they were so happy, saying ‘Jesus loves you’ … But it wasn’t a drug. It was Jesus.”
Hunger had been part of his life as regimes under communism are never well fed, and he had next to nothing when he first arrived in the United States. But the food from the Jesus People fed his body as the Scriptures began feeding his soul. And one night, he decided to give Jesus a chance.
“A thought came to my mind, to ask, ‘God, do you exist?’ And when I said that, something supernatural happened. I felt a canopy or blanket come over me. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it. Everything became charged with knowing it was God. I remember falling in the dirt wanting to know all about it. That was my first encounter with the Lord.”
When I asked Georgian what God’s secret weapon is, he said, “Joy … we tend to treat joy as an extra. But joy is right there with love in the fruit of the Spirit. I saw God in full ecstasy of joy. And first of all, joy is a strength. We need joy in the good times and the hard times. Joy is essential, actually super essential. It disarms, disengages and paralyzes the demonic.”
Georgian stated, “In God’s presence is fullness of joy. I’ve seen it and experienced it … I’ve seen it in Sudan, the Congo and in places where terrorism takes place. Joy breaks through the darkness and is a weapon of the Spirit.”
Listen to this exciting conversation on Adventures in the Spirit with Jared Laskey. Don’t forget to subscribe and share it with your friends and receive the impartation Georgian blesses you with on this episode. It’s available on Apple, Spotify, Google, Charisma Podcast Network, YouTube and anywhere you listen to podcasts. {eoa}
Jared Laskey, M.Div., M.A. in Christian Ministry, is the founder of Fireborn Ministries and host of the Adventures in the Spirit podcast. He lives to see Jesus awaken this generation to the power of the Holy Spirit. Jared loves teaching people how to hear God. He has recently published the Spirit-Empowered Journal, available on Amazon, and e-courses Entry Level Prophecy, The Last Days, The Baptism with the Holy Spirit and more on charismacourses.com.
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