24. Positive change – Currently I am studying the booklet “Steps to Personal Revival”. The short and to the point compilation about revival has enriched my wife and me. It was an enlightening realization that our biggest problem was a lack of the Holy Spirit. Since my wife and I are praying intensely for the Holy Spirit, we notice a positive change in our spiritual life and our relationship.     W.B.

25. Great rejoicing in the Spirit – The distribution campaign of “The Great Controversy” resulted in my study of the “40 Days” book and also “Steps to Personal Revival”  – with sensational success and great joy over the work of the “Holy Spirit”. It’s great when you can just observe how “He” works!      R. U.

26. God has blessed us so much! – During my morning prayers just now, I again thought about how the Lord has given us special blessings during these 40 days. I can only praise our God for what he has done, with a lot of joy in my heart, but I also want to thank the Lord that the whole congregation took part. We as a congregation should go through such a program every year. My wife and I prayed during these 40 days for something I had already written off. But God blessed us so much. Thank you Lord!   C.H.

27. Overcame habitual sin – Through the books “Steps to Personal Revival” and “40-days”, I overcame two habitual sins, which were hindering my faith for many years.  (Name withheld)

28. Found the Faith – I thank God that I have found through the booklet “Steps to Personal Revival” faith in Christ Jesus.  (Name withheld)

29. 40 Days of Prayer in Zurich – Our pastor and I each received independently from each other a book, and its contents thrilled us. It is called: “40 Days – Prayers and Devotions to Prepare for the Second Coming” by Dennis Smith (Review and Herald). This book cannot be read and then just set aside. The contents changed my life. Since we felt a great need for revival and prayer in our church in Zurich-Wolfswinkel (approx. 100 members), we planned “40 Days of Prayer” for autumn 2011. The book provides detailed and valuable information, as does the booklet “Steps to Personal Revival”.      (Name withheld)

30. Great progress in Faith – The first booklet by Dennis Smith was given to me as a present in 2011 and I studied it by myself. That was so encouraging that I reread it with a neighbour and prayed with her. The prayers made me happy and free and they helped me to a wonderful start to the day. I was experiencing a difficult time and the devotions built me up nicely. I was very blessed by the 2nd volume. I studied the “40 Days” with a “sister-in-faith” from our bible study group and these days have truly bound us together. My prayer partner made great progress in her faith! After repeated prayer over 40-days, the intense prayer becomes a habit. Of the 5 people for whom I have prayed, at least 3 will come to the visitors Sabbath tomorrow. Now there still remain many prayer requests. But I’m very motivated.    F.F.

31. The Holy Spirit changed brawler – The teacher and the student report – When the booklet “Steps to Personal Revival” was distributed in our church, I read it through very quickly. Already while reading it I had more experiences with God than ever before – this fascinated and encouraged me. In the booklet’s appendix I found the following suggestion: “Pedagogical research has shown that it is necessary to read or listen six to ten times to a topic till we have thoroughly understood it.” These encouraging words captivated my attention: “Try it at least once. The result will convince you.”

I wanted to experience that and already by the third reading it seized me and I felt a great love for our Redeemer, which I had longed for my whole life. Within 2 months I read it through six times and the result was worth it. It was as if I could understand what it would be like when Jesus comes close to us and we can look into His pure, kind and loving eyes. This joy in our Saviour I did not want to miss from here on. When I woke up in the morning I already yearned for my morning worship time in order to again experience fellowship with God, and during the day I prayed quietly that the Holy Spirit would help me with my thoughts during conversations, my example while teaching and communicating. When a child craved attention and acted accordingly, God gave me strength and wisdom to deal with it. Since then my work days are filled with the presence of the Creator. He helps me literally in my everyday life. Since then, I pray in the morning and during the day for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is as if you come closer to heaven and can already taste how good it will be there. While reading the booklet it occurred to me that my students should also share in this experience. I teach the 10-15 year-olds at our Adventist School Elijah in Vorarlberg, Austria. So I prayed for God to give me opportunities. Very soon after I had one of my most wonderful experiences with how the Holy Spirit can work in young people’s hearts.

A 13 year-old Ruffian and the Holy Spirit

The experience started a year before I read the booklet on the Holy Spirit. A new student came to our school and within a few days our peaceful oasis was changed into a rough scuffle room. The boy was 13 years-old then – he was the biggest of all the children and correspondingly strong. Many things that had been learned during the school year and had brought wonderful fruit seemed to disappear in a moment.
Let him tell about it himself: “When I came to my present school, I had no idea what awaited me. On my second day of school I let myself get provoked, snapped and started a fight with one my classmates. I hit him even though he was considerably weaker than I was, berated him and never wanted to see him again. Later I realized my mistake and apologized, just as I always had in the past. After that I had a conversation with the headmaster. In the following months a process started in me. It is astonishing that this process had only now started, since I was a pastor’s son. I started to spend more time with Jesus.”
The teacher continues: I thought that this young person would need extra special attention. He was aware of his failure, regretted it and tried again, but he didn’t have long-lasting success in his own strength. At first, hardly a day would go by when he wasn’t in a fight, but gradually it got better. After 6 months he said he thought it was the prayers that had brought him closer to God. In the meantime he had started praying for strength in the morning. His fits of rage and fights became less frequent. Eleven months had gone by since he came to our school and we could see even more improvements. But his anger, his swearing outbursts and his fists weren’t permanently under control. It was only natural – he tried to win in his own strength and understanding, which worked sometimes and other times not at all. Our prayers had made some achievement, but his mindset still wasn’t right and the renewing power of the Spirit was missing.
What good does it do, when a person sees their mistakes, tries to control their temper and in the next moment fails again? Just at the time when I realized that I was at my wits’ end, I received the booklet mentioned above. It came at just the right time. Then I realized what we were missing. It was the power of the Holy Ghost. We hadn’t even asked Him to help us!
Since I had been touched by the message of “Steps to Personal Revival” I got up my courage to ask the boy if he had ever prayed for the Holy Ghost. No – he never had. Then I tried to awaken his interest in the booklet. I didn’t give it to him though. He should really want it. And very soon he did ask for the booklet.
Again in his own words: “In November 2012 my teacher gave me the booklet “Steps to Personal Revival”. I eagerly started to read it. At that time I wasn’t really acquainted with the work of the Holy Ghost.” Within the first day he had already devoured almost two chapters and then he asked me how many times I had read it. He immediately started to read the chapters again and wanted to do exactly what the booklet suggested: reading it 6-10 times. Since then a lot has changed. From December 2012 on there weren’t any more fist fights or scuffles – I could hardly believe it. The boys that he had beaten up every day became his friends and they get along just fine.
He has completely changed – he is polite and even obliging and peacefulness has taken over his aggressive nature. His classmates can confirm that God was at work. You can see the fruits every day. To God’s glory I want to mention that the boy decided to get baptized in June 2013. If that wasn’t the Holy Ghost.
I had always thought that I could manage a child and make him see reason. Patience, attention and lots of talks would do it, but it just didn’t work long-term. God had to intervene and teach me that it is His Spirit, who makes the impossible possible.
Someday when this boy is in heaven, then I will know that God brought it about. When I was at the end of my wisdom and finally understood that I couldn’t guide him, then God started to radically work on him. It encourages me to see that there are no hopeless cases for God.  C. P.

32. Book arrived just in time – During the 40 days, my husband and I had usually taken time to pray in the evenings. Sometimes we had to skip the reading, but we remained faithful to praying together. Our family had experienced turbulent times recently, and the book arrived just in time. We had quite unexpected and surprising answers to our prayers. This made us realize how much we need prayer and how wonderfully God helps us.       R.K.

33. God heard my prayer – God heard my prayer for a friend whom I was giving Bible studies to. I sensed how God could work through my testimony. God guided me during a discussion about faith with my boss and a colleague. This was the beginning of an interesting conversation about God’s rescue plan. I wish now to always be open to spiritual conversations.      P. P.

34. God helps me to bear witness for him – I would like to continue meeting with my prayer partner once a week even after the 40 days. I also want to stay in touch with the people whom we prayed for. During the “40 Days”, we had organized a vegetarian dinner and invited 16 people. We could say grace and people took books which we offered. It is becoming apparent that some will come to our home bible study meetings. I experience that God helps me to talk to people about spiritual topics.      C. L. (edited and shortened)

35. Marriage saved – The booklet “Steps to Personal Revival” was translated into Hungarian. The translator writes: I get a lot of positive feedback. May God achieve a real change in our church and in our hearts! We long for a living relationship with God, and this booklet is a practical aid. A sister-in-Christ told me that her marriage was very problematic. Her husband shouted at her, was impatient etc. But then he read the booklet and his behaviour changed. He no longer shouts, but praises her and is very kind to her. I’m very glad about that!      E. F.

36. Found self-worth in Jesus – When I was first baptized, I lacked the love for the church of Jesus, due to negative experiences. I always enjoyed the word of God, but I had a very sceptical and distanced approach towards the members of the church. Somehow I felt not to belong there, because I suffered so much from my injured “Me”, from which I could not free myself. For my husband’s sake I attended church, but irregularly and listlessly and felt therefore guilty. When I studied the wonderful booklet “Steps to Personal Revival”, I started to ask Jesus every day for the Holy Spirit and also for love for the members of the church. Yes – and I say this to the glory of God – I experienced a prompt answer to prayer, because my request was according to the will of God. I began to look forward to the Sabbath in my church, to see my brothers and sisters, whom I love from my heart, to pray for them and to take part in their lives. And how much love I got back in return! It’s just overwhelming. My personal relationship to Jesus has become much closer, my self-esteem I have found in Him and I feel blessed. I’m so sorry for what I missed out on during all those lost years. Thank you for this wonderful booklet. It gave us an important and cherished support for life with the Holy Spirit. I enjoy reading it again and again.      A. A.

37. Changes in my Spiritual Life – About a year ago I received the booklet “Steps to Personal Revival”. I read it at that time, found it valuable and – set it aside. Reading the “Missionsbrief” (MissionLetter)  two weeks ago, I remembered. A great joy and eagerness came over me, to subordinate myself to Jesus and to ask for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit according to the biblical promises and to be thankful. Every day now God’s spirit reminds me repeatedly that I am a child of God and I am firmly assured of his leadership. The joy over this new Christian experience is bubbling right out of me and has motivated some other church members to also read the booklet. A young sister-in-Christ is also very enthusiastic, she just finished reading it and is starting to read it again. Straight away she taught what she had read to her 7-year-old son, who now himself asks Jesus for the Holy Spirit! I never thought it possible that it would make such a difference whether one prays “with one’s own formulations” or with promises from the Bible for God’s guidance for the day! Promises have always been very important to me, I trusted them as much as I do now, but I had failed to lay claim to them daily. My life with Jesus reached a deeper, more joyful, more confident and more relaxed dimension. I thank God for it. I would like to have up to 50 more copies of “Steps to Personal Revival.”     C. S.

38. New Motivation and Inner Joy –  A sister-in-Christ handed me the booklet “Steps to Personal Revival”. I was overwhelmed by the content. That was something I had long sought and finally found. Now I began to organize my spiritual life and noticed only then that I had to do something: I surrendered myself to Jesus. From then on, the Lord woke me up very early every morning and gave me “quiet time”. Then I studied every day the 40-day book. The hours flew by and it moved me continually. I noticed clearly that my relationship with Jesus had grown enormously. It was deeper and more intimate. The Holy Spirit was working on me. After the 40 days, I studied the 40 Days Book # 2. Meanwhile, I have worked through both books four times. I cannot help but ask daily for communion with God. The effects are overwhelming, because new  motivation and inner joy did not go unnoticed. I was blessed with a lot of experiences at this time. I also looked for opportunities to pass on that what I had experienced. Through the close relationship with Jesus many things have become unimportant, unnecessary worries dissolve. I wish and pray that many more believers may have this experience.      H. S.

39. Intercession promotes Healing –  The same sister wrote two weeks later: During the 40 days I prayed especially for a retired teacher. One day she visited us and told her distress. She was going to have surgery followed by rehabilitation. But who would care for her almost blind husband during that time? We offered to look after her husband. We were also allowed to pray with her and my husband asked God for a good solution. The lady said tearfully: “In all my life, no one has ever prayed for me and with me!” Two days later a niece telephoned this lady, told her that she had leave and offered to care for the nearly blind man. Due to the positive situation, the teacher had such peace that the doctors were amazed at her rapid healing. She clearly recognized that the prayer had been answered. The seed sown is beginning to grow.      H.S.

40. Father and son reconciled – After graduating from the “Steps to Personal Revival” and “40-Days Devotions and Prayers” Nos. 1 and 2, I had the wonderful experience of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. It was especially inspiring for me to see that the Holy Spirit can and wants to work in all areas of my life. My relationship with my father has always been a bit complicated. My father had a difficult childhood and unfortunately did not have the strength and the opportunity to correct his relationship with his parents, particularly his father. Since my father’s relationship to his father was not good, this has unfortunately also transferred to his relationship with me. My wishes and prayers in childhood and adolescence have always been to have a better relationship with my father. But it got worse. One day, he even said to me that I was no longer his son. Later in tears he confessed to me that he did not mean it seriously. Another six to seven years passed. God filled the great emptiness in my heart. He worked in my life through various people and experiences. In 2012, my wife and I received the booklets “Steps to Personal Revival” by Helmut Haubeil and “40 Days-Devotions and Prayers …” by Dennis Smith. While studying and praying for the infilling of the Holy Spirit, we made a lot of great experiences with God. We asked God for our families, and especially for my father. During this time I got a new strength to love my father. I could forgive him everything that had not gone so well in our relationship during my childhood. My father and I are now friends. He also started to be a spiritual man, and to tell other people about God. Today, two years later, the relationship with my father is still very good. I am very grateful to God for this experience. Previously I felt so powerless and often alone. But since I pray daily for the infilling of the Holy Spirit, I experience a whole new wonderful way of life and relationship with God.     B. M.