Over fifty-three years ago, God performed a miracle and brought me out of a Soviet prison. Back then, people begged me, "David, don’t go back. You're married. You've got a wife and children. You’ve already suffered behind bars. Stay home."
I told them I couldn't. Because while living alongside those men, I learned to truly love them. My closest companion in that cell was a convicted murderer. I was surrounded by every kind of criminal, and that was where God opened my eyes: Jesus didn’t come just for the respectable, the powerful, or the politicians. Jesus loves the sinner. That is the real miracle.
The prison guards once laughed in my face when I told them my God had more power than them and would set me free. They looked me in the eye and said, "Nobody gets out of here except in a wooden box." Yet the very man who told me escape was impossible was the one ordered to tell me a miracle had occurred and I was going home. God proved His power. And that is why I went straight back into the work: because they need Jesus.
Look to Jesus
People often ask me about the crowds, the packed stadiums, and the healings I have witnessed across Russia and Central Asia. I always tell them the exact same thing: do not look at me.
I am not a healer. Look at me – I am only a shadow. The reality is Jesus.
When we were planting churches across the Soviet Union, nearly every pastor we worked with had spent years in prison for their faith. God met them in the darkest places and transformed their lives. (Even the one pastor who hadn't been in prison was a former member of the Communist Party whom God dramatically turned around!) That is what the Gospel does. It takes broken, discarded people and brings them into the kingdom.
The Seed Must Die
In England, we have a saying: you cannot sit on a fence, because sooner or later you will fall to one side or the other. Right now, across nations like Kazakhstan, millions of souls are lingering in the valley of decision.
If we want to see God's power in our cities, we have to understand how the harvest works. When you place a seed into the earth, it must die first. Only after it dies can it take root, be watered, and bring forth an abundant harvest.
In the same way, we must die to our old selves. You must be born again. You cannot hold onto the old life and expect to bear kingdom fruit. God planted you as a seed. He gave you His Holy Spirit. But it is our responsibility to step out into the highways, the streets, and the cities to bring the harvest into the house of God.
Why I Refuse to Slow Down
People wonder why, after so many decades, I still travel to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and war-torn regions like Ukraine.
The answer is simple: I am not satisfied.
I refuse to quit, and I refuse to die until I see the fullness of God's power and glory sweeping across these nations. I want more power, more fire, and more of the Holy Spirit at work. The harvest field is vast, eternity is real, and Jesus is coming back.
Do not remain on the fence. Die to the old life, let Christ make you new, and let us go out together to gather the harvest while there is still time.