Not by Might nor by Power

Zechariah 4:6 Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.



I was disappointed as I reasoned with my then 16 year old son, Johnny. Not disappointed that he wanted to finish college first, but that he didn't seem to have a desire to go on an extended missions trip or go overseas to bible school to dive into the Word before he started college at a secular school. I shared with him that right after graduation would be a perfect time to do something like it because he had no responsibilities of family, job, etc. and he would probably never be able to get another opportunity. Even when I mentioned it, I could sense he had already decided he wasn't going to do it. Every part of me wanted to continue reasoning with him and arguing with him about why it was such a good idea. But deep in my heart, I said these exact words..."Ok, I won't mention it again, but you can't escape my prayers." I smiled to myself knowing that the Lord would honor my quiet spirit (which is very difficult for me by the way), and He would honor my self control in not quarrelling. I was certain I could come to the Lord with my request and He would move on my behalf if I acted in meekness and faith.

That evening, I added this important request to my prayer journal. The Lord brought a scripture to my spirit. Exodus 10:1-2 Now the Lord said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son's son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord." You see, the Lord wants to take every opportunity to bring glory to Himself...He is worthy of all praise. I knew as soon as I read this truth that in the end, no matter how long it took, the Lord would bring glory upon Himself. I also knew if He could change Pharoah's heart from hard to soft, he could certainly change Johnny's heart who had a deep desire to serve and honor the Lord.

It has been over a year since I wrote that in my prayer journal. I have quietly come to the Lord with my request and I have never mentioned anything about bible school or a missions trip to Johnny again since that day. I have waited patiently on the Lord for Him to bring glory to Himself. Just a couple of days ago, I was riding in the van with Johnny. "You know, mom, I've continued to have this feeling in my heart that God wants me to go to go out of the country either to bible school or on a missions trip with Gospel for Asia. The Lord has just continued to bring it up in my heart. I don't know what to think about that."

He didn't know what to think about it, but I did! I wanted to jump up and down and get out of the van and do a dance! Our God hears our prayers and if we wait, He will answer, without fail, 100% of the time. We don't have to knock our kids over the head or beat our husbands to listen, or be verbally aggressive to get our way. We just need to have a quiet spirit, and come to the One who will change our situation. He is in the business of the heart. He judges the heart and works in the heart and He is very, very good at the work He does. I want to bring honor and glory to the One who knows our hearts. I am thankful today that the Lord gave me His Word and He ALWAYS tells me the truth. If we seek Him and His Word and quietly come to Him with our requests, He will move and it's the most amazing thing! I pray that you never give up asking, seeking, and knocking. Because if we ask, it will be given to us, if we seek, we will find, and if we knock, the One who opens the doors, will open it to us! (Matthew 7:7) God Bless you this Christmas!

Psalm 107:1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

1Peter 4:7 Love will cover a multitude of sins.

It was September of 2005 and I had just started my job at the hospital. I was taking care of a young woman with end-stage AIDS. Her body was severely battered by years of drug addiction and AIDS had taken its toll on her. All she wanted to do was lie in bed and wait for her pain medications. She looked like a shell of a person lying there. There was no eye contact, no expression. She didn't want to shower or even talk. She just waited to die. Her condition saddened me and I called out to the Lord for help. God placed her on my heart and I started to pray for her daily. I asked that the Lord how I could minister to her and also that He would open a door so I could share with her about the love of Jesus. Day after day as I cared for her, I would try different avenues to get on the subject, but the door was completely closed. I remember telling the Lord that it was impossible to share with her because her heart was closed to anything spiritual. She was discharged from the hospital one day and I never saw her again.

Over a year later, I returned from the hospital after maternity leave. I hadn’t worked for some time. I grabbed my coffee and listened to report. I was surprised when I heard Becky was one of my patients. I was sure she had probably passed away. During morning rounds, I went into her room and she was sitting up in a chair writing in a journal. Becky was reading a little prayer book that one of the priests from the hospital had given her. I introduced myself again and told her that I remembered her. She shared a little bit about herself. Becky said that she had gotten into drugs very early in life. She explained that she had three kids, all of which she had lost custody of, and she had gotten AIDS from IV drug use. I had a small window of opportunity to tell her just a little bit about what Jesus had done in my life. She was a little more open about talking about spiritual things, but she still seemed distant and had a wall up. Every chance I got, I glorified God and shared all that God was doing in my life. I had hoped and prayed that God would open a door for me to share how Jesus wanted to give her a new life, but as the days went by, I realized the opportunity to do this was slipping by. Her discharge date was set in a couple of days.

The next day, I drove across town to Gospel Supplies so I could buy her a bible. It wasn't just any bible. I wanted to get her one with big letters because she had AIDS-related meningitis that damaged her eyes. I also wanted to get her name engraved on it so that she could call this bible her own. I went and purchased her pretty, red bible and I brought it up to her in hopes that we would be able to talk more. She seemed thankful, but I still never had an opportunity to share with her about this matchless love that can only come from Jesus.

It was over a month later and a day before Thanksgiving, 2005, I stopped in to work because I had to pick up some paperwork. I wasn’t even in my uniform, but I heard someone from behind me call my name. I turned around and it was Becky. She said excitedly, "I have been looking for you." She told me that she had a relapse with her drugs and she had gotten readmitted to the hospital three days earlier. For the past three days, she had been walking up and down the hallways looking for me and wondering if I was going to be at work. She had just prayed that she would see me and there I was! I walked with her for a while. I noticed how broken she looked. She had really come to the end of her rope. She explained she wanted to find me to let me know how special her bible was to her. She said, “I had no idea that you had engraved my name on the cover of the bible. I have shown every doctor and nurse who comes into my room my new bible and I hold it up and say this is my bible!” Friends, may we never underestimate the power of love. It covers a multitude of sin and it NEVER fails. Becky went on to explain that every time she felt like doing drugs, she would pull her bible out and read it. When she did, the feelings to go and do drugs would leave her. It made me want to cry for her. I saw her in her eyes how much she longed to be free and that God had touched her heart through His Word.

She invited me to sit with her for a while and the anointing of God was in the room. I shared that I had been praying for her and I sensed the Lord had opened the door for this appointment. I asked Becky if I could share with her how she could go to heaven. God had totally opened up her heart and she listened intently to everything I said. When I asked her if she wanted to repent and receive eternal life, she nodded her head and closed her weary eyes as I led her in prayer. She sat on her hospital bed repenting and asking Jesus to be her Lord and Savior. For the first time, I saw joy light up her face. I just wanted to cry with her because I knew that the Lord set a wretch like me free and He was doing His mighty work again. He had created another beautiful masterpiece by His blood.

Right before I left Becky’s room, I asked if I could lay hands on her and pray for her health. She asked if I could pray for healing of her body and that God would deliver her from her drug addiction. I prayed over her and spoke the Word of God over her and her addiction. I told her the Lord had the power to deliver her and she could believe Him because He was worthy. I have never seen such a change in a person's demeanor as I saw after she had received the powerful blood of Jesus. Praise God that even when we give up on ourselves, He is faithful to never give up on us.

As I walked down the hall and out of the hospital, I realized how much I had to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. I thought about my own salvation and how freely Jesus forgave a sinful woman like me. I write this to encourage all of you on this Thanksgiving 2010. For all of you who have prayed for your family and friends to be saved and have lost hope, be encouraged on this Thanksgiving season and believe with me for the salvation of our loved ones. The Lord’s hand is not too short to reach those we see as unreachable. We serve a God who has the power to heal and save mightily. I prayed for this woman that I didn't even know and God answered me in all of His glory and power. Now what more do you think our Father in heaven will do for those His own children hold up in prayer? When it really comes down to it, what else is there? It’s just God's perfect love for us and the precious gift of salvation through Christ Jesus our Lord. May you have a blessed Thanksgiving as we see the Lord’s work in our own lives and as we continue to see the gospel go out and touch the lives of those we see who do not yet know Him.

God is Mighty

I rushed out the grocery store making my escape to the van. My six week old daughter was hungry and not about to wait. As I made my way across the parking lot, there I saw her. Our eyes met. As if I knew what she was going to ask, I quickly shifted my eyes to the asphalt hoping she wouldn't notice me. As she took two steps towards me, I heard the dreaded request. "Do you have any spare change?" With a sigh, I replied, "No, no spare change." I was annoyed as I moved quickly to my van. I just wanted to get home to feed my baby and relax. Could they not understand my body language and my annoyance when they asked me for money, I wondered. She promptly thanked me after I said no and I hurried on my way. Deep in my spirit, I thought how this homeless lady still mattered to God and as a daughter of the King, she should matter to me also.

Thoughts came flooding back to my heart as I remembered what Pastor Fernando told me months earlier. He said he never gave money when homeless people asked, but he would give them fruit or whatever he had from his lunch. I got to my van and buckled my daughter in her car seat. I looked in my grocery bag at the one loaf of bread and carton of yogurt at the bottom of the bag. A drew in a deep breath as I felt the Lord prompting me to share the little I had. I drove across the parking lot to the woman. I opened my window and called out to her. She came over to my window. I said, "I have no money, but I do have a yogurt if you want it." She smiled a sad smile and thanked me for sharing. She was about 40 years old, thin, weathered, and one of the loneliest souls I had ever seen. It showed on her face all of the pain and sorrow her life had offered her. I saw the dissatisfaction that that squashed her hopes and dreams that resulted from believing the lie that the world had something to offer her. The world had left her void of any peace, joy, or love. All of a sudden, like a flood, I got such an overwhelming feeling of love that flowed in my heart for this woman. What spilled out of my mouth at that moment would do nothing short of changing this woman's life in an instant. Tears welled up in my eyes and I said, "I want you to know that Jesus loves you." Just the sound of that name changes people...that beautiful name, Jesus. A flash of hope lit up in her eyes and I saw that my Mighty God had had touched her deep in her soul. "I appreciate you telling me that," she said. "I have been very, very down lately and I needed to hear that."

For a few moments we were like old friends catching up. She started opening up to me about her life. She told me her name was Cynthia and that she was homeless and hungry. She had contracted a rare blood disease that was causing her to be sick. The doctors told her that she didn't have long to live. She shared with me the hurt she had in her heart that she could trace back as far as she could remember. Over the past couple of days she explained that things had gotten so bad for her that she didn't want to get up and face another day. She thought to herself just hours before that she hoped to either die on her own or that she would commit suicide. Tears flowed down my face as I pointed to Jesus for her solution. I explained that the Lord sent me to talk with her and that He was willing and able to to change her life and heal her.

Cynthia had been very sick recently from her disease and she had been thinking a lot about God and heaven and when I asked her if she knew she was going to heaven, she said this very question plaqued her heart. All the while it tugged at her heart, she was completely unsure of her eternal destiny. My heart flowed out Living Water as the scripture talks about. The power of Jesus just flowed through my heart as I sat in awe of God. He was opening the door for me to share with this woman and I was privileged to be a part of His glorious work. My daughter, on the other hand, was not very excited. She was starting to cry because she was hungry.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, I invited Cynthia into my van to drive across the parking lot. This is something I would never recommend. When I think back, I knew I was being led by the Holy Spirit because this is something so contrary to what I would do on my own. I would never invite anyone into my car, especially with my 6 week old baby in the car with me. We quietly drove through the parking lot to the resturant where I would give her something to eat that would satisfy her for a while, but also share with her the Bread of Life that would last forever.

As we sat down together at the table, she ate as if it were her last meal. I knew she was hungry for food. But what I started to realize was she was more hungry for eternal security and the love of Jesus. I told her that even more than the food she was eating or any amount of money in the world, what I was about to share with her was worth more than Gold. I sat and nursed my daughter as I shared the gospel with this stranger. Cynthia cried as she accepted forgiveness and invited Jesus into her heart. While I prayed with her, she took in a very deep breath. After I finished, she said that she had not been able to breath in deeply in so long because of this heaviness she had in her chest. She explained that while I was praying for her that God had lifted something from her and she was able to take a deep breath. God had forgiven all of her sins and removed the burden from her.

The Lord removed her sin and I visited with my new friend. She was now my sister and part of my family. I was so cut to the heart when she shared her life with me. She had been living in an abandoned home with no furniture or electricity. She shared that her childhood was very difficult and she never felt any love in her home. The Lord revealed to me that she had been wounded and deeply hurt by abuse as a child. As if being unloved isn't enough, her brother had committed suicide 6 years earlier. It broke her heart so much that she gave up on God. She realized as the Holy Spirit worked in her heart that she had been mad at God for her brother dying. I told her, "I assure you, Cynthia, God has never given up on you because He sent me to talk with you today." Jesus was the answer to all of her problems and He wanted to give her a new life and fill her with a joy that couldn't be obtained anywhere except through HIm.

After all of this, she said, "More than the meal you've given me, thank you for taking the time to tell me all of this." In all of her life experience, no one had ever taken the time to talk to her about God. She explained how she had a deep sense of relief in her heart that she was unable to explain. Her smile lit up the room and it gave me great joy to see God be glorified.

When we were getting ready to leave, she pulled out a dirty, crumpled piece of paper with a poem on it. She had written it that morning and this is what it said

My true love, Sent from the Heavens above
As beautiful as a flying white dove
Wanting him, needing him, missing him, and loving him,
I have deep emotions for this man, so much so you just
wouldn't understand.

Life has so many commands and demands,
struggles and strides, so many tears to hide
not really one soul you could honestly confide
Life to me has always been a rough ride,
much loss but not much gained
releasing my tears as it may rain
at times I may feel insane, with no one in particular to blame

I pray day after day, night after night, for my life to just be alright
Yet I know I must not give up, I must try with all of my might
Althoguh I cry myself to sleep almost every night, still I must awake
the next day and put up another fight just to survive and be alright

Written by Cynthia AKA Sinner

I was moved in my heart that she had written this. The man she spoke of in this poem was Jesus and He had given her a new life. He had rescued her from her darkest hour and she was going to be alright. The Lord had done a wonderful thing in this woman's life. I was amazed as I thought about how when people ask me for spare change, how deep inside I have already judged them. But God showed me how it doesn't matter to the Lord if we live in an abandoned building or a high dollar mansion, His spirit wants to reach them and save their lost souls.

I felt blessed as I walked back to my van. I reached in my glove box and handed her a brand new bible that I had been carrying around for months for that special soul that God showed me. She was thankful for her bible and told me she never had one of her own. While we said goodbye, I asked if I could lay hands on her and ask that God would heal her body. As I prayed, I felt God's anointing and I believe by His power He not only healed her spirit, but her body also.

As I drove away, I pondered the greatness of God. I realized the matchless gift God had given me through His adoption. My life with Him was an abundant life and now Cynthia had the same rights to that life I had by taking one step of faith and believing. I smiled as I thought about my wonderful husband, five beautiful children, and an inheritance in heaven that no one can put a price on. I never saw Cynthia again. I often look for her when I go to that grocery store on the west side of town. But I knew I would see her again in eternity, as she had just received from God what every man and woman is looking for...forgiveness.

A friend of mine recently sent me an email and she signed it "God is Mighty." I say, yes He is! My God is so mighty.

He Redeemed the Crown

As most of my good friends know, one of my biggest struggles in life is to eat to the glory of God. It is truly a struggle for me. I like to eat past the point of being full, I love candy and cake and everything that isn't good for me. To some, overeating might seem like a small thing, but to me, it is purely captivity when I am controlled by food. But over the past two years, the Lord has really convicted my heart to stop eating when I am full, give up the sugar, and look to Him and only Him for my satisfaction. He has reminded me that that piece of cake or candy is not going to satisfy me. I continue over and over to try to meet my needs and satisfaction in food, but it leads me to the same result every time...emptiness.

To that end, the Lord has really been working with me. He has given me so many truths and He has satisfied me beyond anything a piece of chocolate cake could do! A few weeks ago, He gave me a promise. Isaiah 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land.I have been standing on this promise for weeks. I try to remember it when I want to overeat or eat something I know I shouldn't. I realized that IF I am willing and obedient to His Word, God has something so much more for me than food or candy.

Well, in my rebellion, I decided the other day to get some Lemonheads. I don't know if anyone knows what those are, but they are little hard candies. I am driving to the bank and I am eating away. The whole time I am eating, I am remembering that promise and really not caring, if you know what I mean. I'm thinking, I might care after I get done with my candy. Really, I had several days of just rebelling and deciding in my heart that I really just want to eat my candy. So I am chewing away and all of a sudden a hear a crunch, crunch, crunch. I knew it wasn't the candy and I reached in my mouth to pull out a whole chunk of my crown that had broken off.

You know, I just sat there and thought to myself...that's what I get! You know, God's promise to me is contingent upon "IF" I am willing and obedient, then I will get His best. So here I sat, I had just paid $600 to get this crown on not long ago and I was going to have to get it redone at the same price. I even thought I had cracked the tooth next to it.

I went home with a heavy heart. I wasn't willing and obedient and it was clear I was not reaping the best from God. So I went up to my room and I sat quietly before the Lord. I repented and made a committment to Him that by His Spirit, I would look to Him again for my satisfaction and not the candy.

I was so sad that I was going to have to pay so much money to get my tooth done again. So I said to the Lord, "Lord I am turning from my overeating again, for the thousandth time. I know I am back here again, but I ask you to forgive me. This is not too much for you Lord. I know you can redeem my crown too. You can make it cost me nothing if you choose to. But I am putting this in Your hands."

Friday, I went to my dentist and I am thinking anything under $1000 is good (considering I thought I might have hurt the crowned tooth and chipped the tooth next to it). He looked it over and guest what? There was no damage to the underlying tooth and I did not crack the tooth next to it. The crown is still under warranty (If you can believe that...I didn't even know they had a warranty) and it is not going to cost me anything to have it replaced! Nothing is too much for my God. The one thing that really came to me with this experience is not so much the crown being fixed for nothing, but that the Lord just desires me to repent and be right with Him. He WANTS us to have the best from Him and IF we are willing and obedient, He will give it to us. Even if we start out wrong and repent, He will still give us the best. My God is able to do immeasurably more than I could EVER ask or think.

His Words Heal Our Flesh

After several hours of traveling and waiting in airports, I was finally boarding my plane to Mexico City. It had been in the works for a couple of months and the day had finally arrived. It was March 2003, and I was going to Mexico City on my first mission trip with Operation Serve International. When I boarded the plane, the Holy Spirit whispered something so profound to me, “This will be a life-changing experience for you.” I was so excited. After all, it is always my hope to be changed by Him who is the only one who has the ability to change me. I had no idea what was in store, but I was anxiously awaiting the work of the Lord.

The next morning, we arose early at our hotel and were assigned to our areas of work. We would be going to a dump site in Mexico City and setting up a make-shift medical clinic. Here we would be providing medical, dental, and vision care for the people in the dumps. I’m sure Connie could see the disappointment when she assigned me to work in dental. I was in the middle of nursing school and it was my desire to be used in this capacity. But something in my spirit said God had other plans for me and I was right where He wanted me to be.

I was privileged to work with Dr. Ismael, a national dentist, for the week. He had a measure of faith I had not seen in my three years of Christianity. Our whole team was cut deep in our hearts when he shared his testimony with us one evening. He was about 20 years old (which was about 12 years before this time) when he and another friend had eaten a taco from a street vendor. They both became violently ill and within a few days, his friend sadly passed away. Tears welled up in his eyes as he recalled this time in his life. He told us day by day, he continued to get sicker and sicker. Finally, the grave news came when doctors told him there was nothing they could do for him and they didn’t think he would live two more weeks. He was not a believer at the time, but the Lord sent his aunts to his side to share with him about Jesus. They explained that the Lord could heal him and if he wanted to accept Him in his life, they believed the Lord would restore his health. Right there, he accepted Jesus in his life and within 3 days, he was completely restored to health. It was truly a miracle. I could go on and on about what God had done in his life since that time His testimony to the Lord and our experience working with him was such a time of faith for all of us. After 10 days of personal revival and being changed from the inside out, we all said our goodbyes to the Operation Serve Team. I returned home but all that Dr. Ismael shared with me about his faith has stayed in my heart until this day.

In June of 2003, the Lord opened another door for me to return to Mexico City for a second mission. Again I arrived to Mexico City for the Lord to finish what He had started in me just three months before. Our team loaded the bus in the morning to go to the dumps. There sitting by herself was a young, quiet woman. I sat down next to her and introduced myself. All the way to the site, we talked and shared with each other. I was sad as she shared with me how as a young child, she never felt loved by her family. She explained how this experience as a child caused her to have some deep wounds in her heart that affected her mentally and spiritually.

After a long time of talking, she started to share in more detail how this experience of feeling unloved had affected her life as an adolescent. Sarah explained that she started noticing that she was not having any “normal” relationships with boys. She didn’t feel comfortable around them and just started to get a lot of anxiety. It really started to bother her and she developed a bipolar disorder. This caused her thoughts to be very clouded and this is where the enemy was able to get her to start believing a lie. She said her thoughts started to mess with her and she felt that maybe because she couldn’t have any normal relationships with boys, that she must be a lesbian. It started to seep into her mind and into her heart and if it weren’t for the Lord’s protection, this lie would have utterly destroyed this woman. She started to struggle with this temptation and it completely ravaged her heart and soul. I have to be honest, as she explained these things to me, I got really uncomfortable. I had just met Sarah on the bus ride to the site and I was sitting all alone with her while she was telling me she struggled with being a lesbian. At that time, I just said a little prayer in my heart to the Lord. “Lord, just help me have wisdom to minister to this woman,” I prayed. I trusted the Lord for His strength because I knew He had me sitting next to her for a reason.

Sarah shared that through all of these emotional, physical and mental struggles, she had committed her life to Jesus and He was bringing her mind back to where it needed to be. She continued seeking the Lord for deliverance in this area that she struggled with. “One time God spoke to me,” she said out of the blue. Sarah explained that she is a math major and she often times will think in terms of numbers. One morning while she was struggling, the Lord placed a number in her heart. The number was 4. A little while later, another number came to her. It was the number 23. She was perplexed by these numbers that were dropped into her spirit, until finally she asked God for understanding. She waited on the Lord and later that morning, the word Proverbs was on her heart. She grabbed her bible and looked up <strong>Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. This was a Word from the Lord and she knew it. She said from that day forward, she had been holding on to those Words from the Lord. I was amazed at God and pondered in my heart how efficient and sufficient He truly is. He is totally able to meet all of our needs in whatever way that He chooses to do it.

As we continued to drive, we had a few moments of silence. When she broke the silence, she said with her quiet voice, “Do you think I am going to struggle with this my whole life?” For a second, I didn’t know if I could answer her. But the Lord quickened my spirit and gave me wisdom…not my wisdom but His. I told her, sexual sin is a problem with your flesh and the Word says, “Do not let my Word depart from before your eyes, because it is health and healing to ALL of your flesh.” I thought to myself…where did that come from? In fact, when she asked me where the scripture was, I didn’t even know. I thought it might be in Proverbs, but we spent the rest of the trip looking through Proverbs to no avail. I apologized to her that I couldn’t find it for her, but I assured her that it was indeed there. I knew she wanted to find it in print so she could hold on to that promise.

Within a few minutes, we heard the rattling of the bus and we were stopped at a gas station to pick up someone. I looked up from my bible and there was Dr. Ismael! I waved to him and he looked surprised to see me. He sat down several seats from me and the bus driver put it in gear and we drove to our site.

Finally, we had arrived at our destination…the dumps. I walked off the bus with Sarah, and apologized again that I couldn’t find the scripture. We gave each other a hug and I encouraged her to keep holding on to the promises of God. She gave me a nod and we walked off to our separate work sites.

As I entered the building, I saw Dr. Ismael standing there. He had a big smile on his face and then he reached right into his shirt pocket and pulled out a folded piece of purple paper. Handing me the piece of paper, in his broken English, he explained that right after I left Mexico three months earlier, he and his wife, Rosa, were in a car accident. In their private prayer time with the Lord after their accident, they both had asked the Lord why He had allowed this to happen to them. In answer to them, the Lord gave them three scriptures. Taking the piece of purple paper from him, he said , “And the Lord told me to give these to you because you would need them.” As I think back on this event, I couldn’t even tell you what the first two verses were, but when I looked at the third verse written on the paper, I saw Proverbs 4:20-23. I looked down at the word “Proverbs” and as if the world had stopped for a moment, I immediately knew this was the scripture I was looking for to give to Sarah.

Excitement swirled in my head as I began to grasp that the God of the universe had given this Word to Sarah three months prior to her ever arriving into the country and Dr. Ismael had no knowledge that I would even be there. I snapped the piece of paper into my palm and I ran out of the building and into the bus. I reached up in the luggage carrier of the bus and pulled down my blue bible. There it was in print…Proverbs 4:20-22 My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. It was beautiful. The Lord had provided His Words for Sarah before her search ever began. His Word is true when He says, “ask and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7

I leapt off the bus to search for Sarah. You should have seen her face when she realized what God had done on her behalf. She lit up like Times Square. The Lord gave her assurance that He was going to take care of her and by His Word and His Word alone He would heal her flesh. We marveled at what an awesome God we were serving. Then she said, “And look, the scripture that the Lord spoke to me months before that I have been holding on to is just below it.” It was as if God was finishing a thought He had for her and waited for the perfect time to finish the thought.

This Jesus is like no other, friends. He is always looking out for you and for me. He is always willing and able to meet all of our needs, physically, spiritually, and mentally. He desires to speak to us personally through His Word, other believers, and through His Spirit. My prayer is that the Lord would speak to you so profoundly that you would never let go of His promises. His promises are for good and the Lord will never fall short of His beautiful promises to you.

Dance for Jesus - a Little Rap Song

I went into my daughter's room today and she had gotten hold of one of Chad's notebooks. She scribbled all over it and ripped up all of the pages. When I looked down at it, I could see that it was something Chad had written. I found all the pieces of paper and put them all back together. It really touched me what he wrote and wanted to share it with all of you. Here's a special little rap song Chad wrote.



Dance for Jesus, by Chad Gallego

1,2,3 Jesus loves you and me.
He is the One,
He didn't rest until the earth was all done.
He is great, He is our fate,
He is the truth and not a rumor.
If you think He isn't, you have no future.
Jesus has no sin,
Against the devil He will always win.
Jesus is the way,
So get up, raise your voices, and say...

The devil doesn't stand a chance, so come on, come on let's dance. Dance for Jesus; dance because He is the Son who will save everyone. He sits on the throne night and day; the Word of God is here to stay. We all like sheep have gone astray, but on the cross He dearly paid.

If you always read the Bible, I promise you will never get bored.
The Bible is like a spiritual sword.
In the Bible it says not to kill,but to fill everybody's mind with God's will.
In Heaven there are streets of gold,
So if you want to go, be bold.
Be bold against the world and hardships and pain,
Don't worry about fame.
Be wise,
You are famous in God's eyes.
Jesus is the way,
So get up, raise your voices, and say...

The devil doesn't stand a chance, so come on, come on, let's dance. Dance for Jesus, dance because He is the Son, who will save everyone. He sits on the throne night and day; the Word of God is here to stay. We all like sheep have gone astray, but on the cross He dearly paid.

All those gangsters and want to be homies,
Think they don't need Jesus, but they're just a bunch of phonies.
They pray to all the other gods, but they are unheard.
What they need is the Word.
Don't be like those thugs, who waste their life on drugs.
But do what's right, and fight the spiritual fight.
Jesus loves you and me,
I know you will see,
Jesus is the way,
So get up, raise your voices, and say...

The devil doesn't stand a chance, so come on, come on let's dance. Dance for Jesus, dance because He is the Son who will save everyone. He sits on the throne night and day; the Word of God is here to stay. We all like sheep have gone astray, but on the cross He dearly paid.

Jesus is never wrong and always fair.
If you want to accept Him, it only takes one little prayer.
Don't say God's name in vain,
To Him it is like pain.
Everything that you do, God will always provide for you.
Pay attention to this song,
If you don't, you go the way that is wrong.
Jesus is the way,
So get up, raise your voices, and say...

The devil doesn't stand a chance, so come on, come on let's dance. Dance for Jesus, dance because He is the Son who will save everyone. He sits on the throne night and day; the Word of God is here to stay. We all like sheep have gone astray, but on the cross He dearly paid.

Not the Craigslist Killer, But the Craigslist Healer

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Every night when I make dinner for my family, I look over at the large, empty space in my dining room. After 6 months in my new house, I still don’t have a kitchen table! Every evening, my beautiful, large family gathers around our breakfast bar trying to find a place to eat!

I was determined last week that I was going to find myself a table. I have no idea why I chose that day…John was at work and he would probably shoot me if I went to buy a table without him. But I jumped on Craigslist and saw the most beautiful table I had ever seen and it had just been posted on the site minutes before. It was a hand-crafted, beautifully carved wood table with 8 perfectly padded chairs. I immediately got on the phone to call before someone else bought it.

I called the number on the ad and the woman answered and told me to come over. Johnny hadn’t been feeling good that morning, so he was home from school. My girls were comfortably snuggled on the couch ready to take a nap. I thought it was a perfect time to slip away to go look at this table that would fill this large hole in my dining room.

I arrived at the address and went in to look at the table. It was even more beautiful in real life than it was in the pictures. It was beautifully carved wood and perfect condition. As I looked over the table, I started talking to Lisa, the lady who was selling the table. In the middle of our small talk, she shared that she had been pregnant with quadruplets at an advanced age and only two of the babies survived. They were now four years old. She said she had been going through a very awful menopause and felt at times she might be going crazy. One minute, she was depressed and the other minute she was happy. She said it had been an extremely difficult time for her and for her husband.

I felt for her. I remember the days of feeling depression and having so much anxiety that weighed me down to the point of not being able to function. "And I’m about to be going through a very nasty divorce,” Lisa said matter-of-factly. It took me by surprise how she said it. It was so bold how she said it, but the Lord showed me in an instant she was deeply wounded in her heart. She shared with me that she felt that divorce might be the way they needed to go because her husband just couldn’t take it anymore. “If that’s what he needs to do, then that’s what he needs to do,” she said. I could literally see the wall that she had up trying to protect her broken heart and I could see that she was just frustrated and hurt. Then I asked her, “How long have you known that you were getting divorced?” I was shocked when she answered me that they had just decided they were going to get divorced that day. As I looked over the table, I realized the reason I was there had nothing to do with this beautiful table.

Lisa walked me out and I let her know I couldn’t make a decision on the table without my husband seeing it. When I looked at her sadness, I just felt so much compassion for her and her situation. I started to share with her that our husbands really thrive on the respect that we have for them and we as wives thrive on love. She answered me back, “I want to be respected too. I am sick of not being respected by him.” I knew she was so wounded and my heart went out to her.

I knew at this point, the only thing she really needed from me was to know that Jesus loved her. She felt unloved by her husband, but there was One whose love never failed. So I told her, “Lisa, Jesus loves you more than you know and He has thought about you before you were ever born. He loves you and wants to spend time with you and heal your heart and your marriage.” When I said these words to her, she just broke down and I saw the tears start coming down her face. The love of Jesus is just such a matchless love. In the midst of her feelings of being unloved, just knowing that Jesus loved her seemed comforting.

I let her how my life was before Jesus and that one day, God brought me someone to tell me that Jesus wanted to change my life. I said, “Lisa, I don’t think I’m here about the table. I think God sent you someone like he sent for me.” Right there, I shared with her the beautiful gospel of peace and salvation and I prayed with her as she accepted Jesus Christ into her life as her Lord and Savior. She said that morning, she was sitting out on her patio and she was crying out to God and God is so faithful to have answered her. Jesus was her answer.

1Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you,” Now Lisa had this hope, the same hope that I have to hold on to. Lisa had been a Jehovah’s Witness for 15 years and when she got out of the church, she didn’t really want anything to do with God. She had family who tried to get her to go to a Christian church with them, but she said she just wasn’t ready. “You know what I’m going to do?” Lisa proclaimed, “I’m going to call my family who has been trying to get me to go church with them and tell them what happened today,” She called her mom and her cousin and said, “You are never going to guess what happened to me today? I got saved!” On the other end of the phone, they were crying because they were so happy for her! Lisa was now able to give a defense for the hope that had entered her heart and share with others.

That same evening, John and went back to her house to look at the table and this woman was such a different person. She had so much joy on her face when four hours before, she looked so desolate and empty and void of joy. It was truly a beautiful picture of God’s grace and forgiveness and restoration.

She shared with us that after I had left her house earlier, she went in to talk with her husband and they were able to talk things through and the Lord restored the division between them. I was so blessed at the beauty and power of Jesus Christ. I am just amazed that this powerful Father has adopted me into His family.

The funny thing was, we didn’t end up getting the table! But God did something so profound in this woman’s life. I was just looking for a table, but God was looking to answer someone’s prayer. Allowing me to even be a part of His work, is just so humbling. While I was thinking of a table, Jesus was thinking of Lisa. I was so touched deep in my soul when Lisa told me, “I will never forget what happened here today.” For me, years may go on, and I may even forget about what happened with Lisa, but Jesus…He will never forget.

If a Daughter Asks for Bread, He Doesn't Give Her a Stone

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10

I was in my ninth month of walking in the love of Christ when it hit me. I had been “free” from sin over the last several months, but I was still held in bondage. The bible says there is freedom in Christ, but why did I feel like I was in chains? Less than a year ago my life was in shambles, but Jesus gave me a new start. I knew the scripture in Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” I knew the truth of God’s Word but I was in captivity.

When I gave my heart to Jesus, He instantly delivered from alcohol and cigarettes and changed my life entirely. It was a miracle. I knew God had worked a beautiful thing in my life and I knew without a doubt if it hadn’t been for my friend, Jake, sharing with me the love of Jesus, I would still be left in my sin.

Jake would spend hours patiently teaching me with the Word and listening to my ridiculous questions about God. I would tell him the way I saw it only to justify my own sin. I would start arguing with him and get mad and leave the restaurant swearing him off for the rest of my life. But a couple days later, we’d be back at it again with our bibles in hand. He was patient with me beyond measure and he dealt with me in love. I have so much respect for him, even to this day. He became like a brother to me. That’s why when he invited me to go to his church, I accepted the invitation without hesitation. After all, the pastor of his church is the one who shared with me and through him, I was brought into the family of God.

My first day of church, the light of the Lord shone on me so powerfully that people commented on the huge glow of gold light that surrounded me. This was the first day I had been to church in over 10 years. In the light of God’s Word, I learned three very important things that day. First, I learned that Jesus was returning to rapture His church. I don’t know why, but somewhere in my church upbringing I missed it. I had no idea that Jesus was coming back and I sat speechless when I realized that if I hadn’t accepted Jesus in my life days earlier, I would have been left behind. The second important thing I learned was that the bible was the Word of God. When I was in 6th grade, I had been misled by a trusted spiritual leader in our church. When I started to question the bible, he told me that the bible was a bunch of stories and not all of them were true. I was 11 years old when he told me that. It only took 17 years for the Holy Spirit set me straight. At that moment, when Pastor Clark said “This is the Word of God,” I knew the bible was true and all that was in it. The third thing I was enlightened with was that the Holy Spirit speaks to His people. I was totally in awe and hungry. I remember the pastor and his wife saying that the Lord had told them something and then it happened. I sat there in amazement and in my heart I said these exact words, “Lord, if this is real and you do still speak to Your people, then I want that!” From that day forward, I inclined my ear to hear the Word of the Lord.

I learned a lot from my friend Jake, but it didn’t take me long to observe there was something very wrong with the church he went to. The pastor was not affiliated with any denomination, holding services in his home. I noticed early on he held all of his “flock” accountable, but he was not accountable to anyone. He preached the “Jesus Only” movement making claims that there was no trinity and your salvation was based on three things: Accepting Jesus Christ for forgiveness, being baptized in the Name of Jesus, and speaking in tongues as evidence of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. If any one of those three things were missing, you were not saved. At first, I didn't question this. But as I started to search the scriptures, I found holes in what he was saying and I desired to question it. I would try at times to express what I was finding in the Word, but I saw how he treated other people who ever crossed him. He would belittle them in the middle of service and talk down to them. If anyone ever crossed him, he would say things like “God will have his justice with him.” This man had me so scared. He would tell us that we can lose our salvation and if we didn’t speak in tongues and we died, we would not go to heaven.

It’s so amazing because I used to watch cult members on TV and think how could those people be so stupid? But these types of controlling people prey on people in my situation who were totally broken and in need. But amazingly enough, the Lord would not deny His Word and He still used this man to lead me to salvation. 2Timothy 2:13 He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

As the weeks went on, I found the Pastor to be very controlling. He would tell people that God speaks through him and that they should go to him because he knows certain things that they don’t know. At one point I counseled with him and his wife because my parents wanted me desperately to move home to Wisconsin with my boys and live with them so they could help me. Pastor Clark told me that he felt the Lord told him I should not go because that wouldn’t be good for me. And even more than that, if I did go, I would in danger of losing my salvation. He then proceeded to tell me in a very stern way that if I decided to move, he would pray for me until God removed the burden from him.

It seems almost comical now when I think back. Some might think how does that happen? That’s what I used to think. But when you desire more than anything to have a relationship with Jesus and spend your life with Him and someone with apparent spiritual authority explains that you might lose your eternal salvation, you step back and listen. I desired more than anything to do the right thing.

I stopped going to his church shortly after I started, but the things Pastor Clark told me about losing my salvation and all of his twisted scriptures stayed with me for months and months. It would wake me up in the middle of the night and it was on my heart 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I can honestly say, I have never felt in such turmoil about anything in my life. I had to know the truth. I would walk down the street and drive in my car and wonder if I was going to spend eternity with Jesus. When I read Luke 22:44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground, I understood this with all of my heart. My heart was in agony and my prayer was earnest. I had to know the truth.

One afternoon, I was lying on my floor with a heavy heart like so many days in the past. I was crying out to the Lord and asking him what to do. All at once, there was a knock on the door. It was my neighbor and she said she had just been thinking about me and wanted to know if I wanted to go to church with her on Sunday. My heart leapt in my chest and I accepted the invitation. I thought it couldn’t hurt.

Sunday came and I attended this small community church down the street from me. As I sat there, I wept at the message that was preached about love. God had totally spoken to me through the message and I knew without a doubt that God was using this pastor to speak directly to me. I sobbed almost the entire time and felt the love of God in the entire congregation. To my surprise, when I left this church, I didn’t feel that dark, heavy feeling I experienced at Pastor Clark’s church. I was floating on the clouds all day by the Spirit of God. It was an awesome experience to go to a bible-believing church and I was blessed that God had called me there. I was so excited that I shared my experience with my friend, Jake. My heart dropped as he warned me not to go back. He explained that if I go to another church, I would fall away from the “truth.” To my surprise, that old heavy feeling started to creep back in my heart. It had been just earlier the Lord had spoken to me mightily in that little community church of “love.” Within hours, I was in worse shape than I was in before.

For hours after my conversation with Jake, my heart was flooded with grief and anxiety. Was I going to lose my salvation? Was I going to be eternally damned into hell? I just had to know. That same evening, I was at football game with a friend of mine. I could think of nothing else. When my friend would talk to me, I would answer without even knowing what he was saying. I was totally in my own hell.

After the game, as we walked back to the car. I cried out to the Lord for the last time. I pleaded in my heart that I had to know the truth once and for all. I let the Lord know that it didn’t matter – If he wanted me to go to the “crazy” church, I’d go; if he wanted me to go to the church of “love”, I’d go. I just had to know what HE desired and I wouldn’t settle for anything less. As I walked back to the car, I made a demand on the Lord. This was the first time I had ever done this and the last time I ever did it again. When I say I made a demand, I mean I was so intense with the Lord that He was gracious to answer me. I told the Lord that I was not going to put any limitations on Him. I wasn’t going to put out a fleece and say if You do this then I will know that it means that or if You do that, then I will know you means this. I told Him that I was completely giving this to Him to speak to me in whatever way He wanted to, but that by the time I got to my car he needed to speak to me. I told Him it had to be obvious and there could be no question that He was speaking to me. I had to know it was Him speaking. I asked the Lord to show me what t church He wanted me to go to. At this point, I didn’t care. I just had to know because I wanted to walk with Him.

I recall the feeling I had in my heart knowing that God was going to answer me. Thoughts of God’s Word were in my heart. Luke 11:11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? The Word was established – If I asked Him, He would give me bread and not a stone. He was faithful to answer me.

I was deep in prayer and the last thing I spoke to the Lord was, “Lord, I’m waiting on You. I have no idea what I am looking for, but when I see it, I will know it’s You who answered me. I’m almost to my car, Lord, and I need to know. You know the turmoil in my heart and you know how I feel. I have to put this to rest.”

I had my head down looking at the sidewalk and praying. I found myself looking at the shoes of the person in front of me. My eyes moved up to the pants. I thought to myself, “I recognize those pants.” They were blue jeans with white specks in them and I had seen them before. My eyes traveled to the back of person in front of me and I recognized the shirt from earlier that day. Finally, my eyes went to the back of the head. I recognized that full head of black hair. My heart jumped in my body. I tilted my head and peered around to look at the person’s face in front of me. I almost fainted. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was following Pastor Dave, the pastor of the “love” church I had attended that morning. I wanted to jump up and down. God had answered me in a mighty way. The most amazing thing was there were 50,000 people at this game and the Lord dropped this man in front of me.

I cried out to the Lord and He heard my cry. Psalm 130:1 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. From that day forward, I had perfect peace with my salvation. Jesus Himself set me free and I was able to experience His love to its fullness. Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36.

Ridin' With Jesus (by Chad Gallego, Age 12)

People who try to live their lives like there's nothing to it,
well here is the truth, they can't really do it.
Especially if you're a Christian, because people tease us
because all of them reject Jesus.
They think that Christians are filled with wishes,
wishes that God's coming back.
We know He is, so stay on the right track.

I'm Ridin' with Jesus, he has always pleased us. I love Him with all of my heart, He stops the devil's firey darts. Forever He will shine, and right now is the time, the time I'm ridin' with Jesus. In Heaven, there will be no pain, no sorrows, no shame, I'm ridin' with Jesus.

I'm not afraid to spread the Gospel,
So come and listen to the story of Paul the Apostle.
He wasn't lazy, instead he spread the gospel daily.
But some people thought he was crazy.
None of his teachings were absurd,
in fact they were some of the best teachings of the Word.
You know Elijah didn't really die,
God called him to Heaven on a fiery chariot with horses that knew how to fly.

I'm ridin' with Jesus, he has always pleased us, I love him with all of my heart, he stops the devil's firey darts. Forever He will shine, and right now is the time, the time I'm ridin' with Jesus. In Heaven, there will be no pain, no sorrows, no shame, I'm ridin' with Jesus.

Heaven's light will never fade,
because everything is bright,
and there is no shade.
God's powerfulness has been shone.
And Jesus sits at the right side of the throne.
Jesus is the best,
He beats all the rest,
I could talk about him all night,
from the blackness until the light,
When I get to Heaven Jesus will open the door,
Because I am willing to sacrifice myself for the Lord.

I'm ridin' with Jesus. He has always pleased us. I love him with all of my heart, he stops the devil's firey darts, forever he will shine, and right now is the time. The time I'm ridin with Jesus. In heaven, there will be no pain, no sorrows, no shame, I'm ridin' with Jesus.

His Grace is Sufficient for Me

My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. 2Corinthians 12:9

“Mr. Jones left you some very nice feedback on his customer satisfaction survey.” I smiled at my nurse manager as she gave me a wink. How nice, I thought. I really liked Mr. Jones. I had been his nurse assistant caring for him for the past several weeks following his abdominal surgery. He was always so friendly when I came in to help him. His wife, Susan, was always there at his side and such a positive influence in his recovery. I really enjoyed going in to his room and just having conversation with them and loving them.

It was a brisk September evening and I was working the evening shift. I went in to help Mr. Jones get ready for bed and he was gripping his side saying, “My side really hurts, and I’m not feeling so well.” I saw the look of pain on his face and I rushed out to get his nurse. It was about 10:30 at night and my shift ended at 11:00. I gave report and walked down the hallway to the elevator. I saw the nurse outside his room talking on the phone to the doctor and prayed everything would be okay. As I walked to my car, with the cold wind on my face, I prayed that the Lord would help in Mr. Jones’ time of need.

The next day, I returned to the hospital. The nurse on duty that night stopped me in the hallway to let me know that soon after I left the hospital the night before, Mr. Jones had been rushed to ICU and needed emergency surgery. My heart really was in distress. Over the past weeks of caring for Mr. Jones, I tried to build a relationship with him and his wife in order to share the gospel. It looked like I wouldn’t have the chance. I thought, “Did I wait too long? Should I have spoken earlier about the salvation that was available through them through Jesus Christ?" The truth was I was scared. I hadn’t shared my faith with very many people at this point. Although I desired to share how Jesus had set me free and given me the promise of eternal life, how would I go about sharing it with others and what would I say? Would I look stupid? Would I be able to answer all of their questions? I walked around that evening my entire shift in a daze. I had let the Lord down.

The very next morning, at 2:00 AM, I awoke from a dream that left me drenched with sweat. I had such a vivid dream about Mr. Jones that I can still see it in my mind today. There he was, standing chest high in a shallow grave with his headstone behind him. The moon shone on his grave and I could see every detail of his face. I knelt down beside him, cupped my hands around his face, and told him how much Jesus loved him and wanted to give him eternal life. His face lit up with light, even brighter than the moon behind him. In my dream, God gave me understanding and I knew that Mr. Jones needed to hear about Jesus and I understood I was to be the messenger.

I lay in my bed and tossed and turned. I could relate to King David when he said, “I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears.” Psalm 6:6. I called out to the Lord. I said, “Lord, I know you are calling me to go down to the hospital today and talk to him and share the gospel with him. I don’t know what to say to him, but I am going to go by faith.”

I had a huge nursing exam the next day and I really needed to study. But I knew the Lord would multiply my short studying time if I was obedient to His call. I got up from my bed, finished all of my homework, and studied for my exam until the sun came up. I called my sister, dropped off my boys and I was off to hospital by 8:00 AM.

I got to the hospital and walked to the ICU. I had no idea what I was going to find or even if Mr. Jones was still there. I knew nothing of his condition except that he had surgery. I stopped by the nurse’s station to find out what room he was in, and the nurse gave me the grave news. Mr. Jones was very ill. He was heavily sedated, but was still very aware of his surroundings and could still hear everything. I thought, “Great, then he will hear me when I share the gospel!” I walked to his door and my heart sank in my chest as I read the sign on the door. NO ONE BUT FAMILY TO ENTER. Now what? I called out to the Lord and said, “Lord, I know you called me here. What do you want me to do?

I turned around to walk away, and there was his wife, Susan, standing against the wall. The Holy Spirit instantly spoke to my spirit in very clear words, “Go through his wife.” Now I was scared. I was willing to go in and preach the gospel to Mr. Jones because he wasn’t able to argue with me or ask me any hard questions! But his wife? I hardly knew her. What would I say? Again, the Holy Spirit spoke. “Go through his wife.”

I walked up to Susan and hugged her. I felt so sorry for her. She was crying and very much in distress about her husband’s condition. I called her out to the hallway of the ICU. I was so nervous. In a very uneasy voice, I told Susan that I felt the Lord had called me to come down and talk with her husband and I wanted to share with her something. I started to tell Susan how could have the promise of heaven. I have never been so embarrassed and weak. I was fumbling around and trying to find the words to say and everything was coming out all wrong. I must look like an idiot, I thought. I fumbled around for about 10 minutes trying to explain what the bible says about being saved and giving her life to Christ. The whole time, Susan had this blank look on her face that spoke volumes about her thoughts of me not making any sense at all! When I got to the end, I had it in my heart to ask her if she wanted me to pray with her to accept Jesus Christ in her life. I was so overtaken with how much I messed up my gospel presentation that I didn’t even want to ask her. But the Holy Spirit literally forced the words out of my mouth and off of my lips. I asked her with a sigh and a forced voice, “Would you like to accept Jesus Christ’s forgiveness and receive the gift of eternal life from Him? Without hesitation, she said with all boldness, “Yes, I would!”

I almost didn’t know what to say when she said this. I was so sure she was going to say no. I knew it was God, because in no way had I said anything that would have prompted her or caused her to give her life to Christ! In fact, all that came out of my mouth was jumbled up and confusing! I knew it was God! Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2Corinthians 12:9. In my total weakness, God’s power was shown gloriously! I was totally at the mercy of the Lord and it was only because of Him that she believed! No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44. His Spirit moved in Susan in a supernatural way and right there in the middle of the ICU hallway, she prayed to receive forgiveness and eternal life!

Still shocked, I started to speak to her. I said to Susan, “Now, I know this sounds funny, but I would like you to…” She interrupted my words and finished my sentence, “…tell my husband what you told me?” The Lord had already planted this knowledge in her heart and she knew that her husband needed to hear the truth of God’s Word. In Susan’s new found faith, she had more courage and boldness than I had and I had been a believer for more than a year! She believed even though her husband was in a state of sedation! Now it was firm. God had performed a total miracle.

Before Susan left to go to his room, we prayed and believed that he would hear the Words of God and believe onto salvation. I shared with her that in 1Corinthians is says for the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband…I asked her to have faith and believe with me that the Lord had set Mr. Jones apart for Himself and that Mr. Jones, upon hearing the Word of God, would believe.

Susan entered her husband’s hospital room that day to share with him the greatest story ever told. Jesus lives and He is Lord of all. Mr. Jones passed away six days later, but my faith that Mr. Jones was saved has never been shaken since experiencing such a miracle. It is firm in my heart that Mr. Jones heard the gospel and received eternal life through Christ Jesus and the love that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from! (Romans 8:38-39 paraphrased).

Follow "The Word of My Testimony" on Facebook

For some reason, the people that follow my blog do not get an email that I put a post on my blog. If you would like, you can follow it on Facebook. Just request me (Stacy Gallego) as a friend on facebook and I always post it on facebook when I have an update. If I don't know you, just send me a note first that you want to follow my blog so I don't ignore you! Sometimes I do that if I don't know the person. Thanks!

Reality: The Quality or State of Being Actual or True

With monsoon season upon us, it's never a good thing to have your air conditioner blowing out hot air! I got a little bit scared when John called from work and said the air conditioner is not working and Wright Plumbing and Heating was on their way to the house. All I saw were dollar signs leaving my pocket as I looked around at my half painted living room and a multitude of other unfinished projects around our new house that need to be finished. As everyone knows, home projects aren't cheap and so far I'm certain I have paid for the new addition at our local Home Depot!

My heart was a bit uneasy as Mr. Wright went outside to look at the AC unit and said, "This is a huge undertaking if it is what I think it is." I had all I could do not to ask him, "What do you think it is?" or worse yet, "How much do you think it will cost?" I bit my tongue not to ask because I knew in my heart as soon as he says what he thinks it is, my human mind will latch on to that and mull it over in my mind and before you know it, I would be writing a check to the company for $1000 to fix my air conditioner. I stopped myself before the words came out. I stepped back in my hot house and decided to consult with my "real" air conditioner guy...My Lord who has everything in His hands and has the ability to change what appeared to be my reality...a very expensive air conditioning job.

I grabbed my son, Chad, and took him upstairs to a quiet room. I opened up the Word and showed him where it says, 2Chron 20:14-23 It read, Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zecharia, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, "listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehosphaphat! Thus says the Lord to you; Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you."

And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.

So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: "Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper." And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beautify of his holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying

"Praise the Lord,
For His mercy endures forever."

Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude, and there were their dead bodies, fall on the earth. No one had escaped.

After I read it, I emphasized where they praised God and when they praised Him, He set up ambushes against their enemies and God delivered them into their hands. Not only that, but they spent the next several days taking all of their goods. I closed my black bible and asked Chad to sing praises onto the Lord with me.

I turned on itunes to "Sing Hallelujah" and we sang (which wasn't pretty by the way) and we raised our hands to the Lord. Soon, I looked around and my 3 year old and 4 year old daughters were also in the room singing with hands raised to the Lord. After we finished singing, I said just one simple prayer. "Lord, let this praise be a sweet sound to your ears. I lay this situation in your hands and refuse a bad report. I know you can do anything and I trust you with my air conditioner."

As I left the room, I had this peace in my heart that the Lord was taking care of it. Soon, Mr. Wright came back into the house holding a blown fuse in his hand. He said, "You have a bad fuse and that should take care of it."

I wanted to jump up and down I was so happy. I walked him out to the truck and asked, "Just out of curiosity, if the air conditioner had the problem that you thought it was, how much would it have been?" My mouth dropped open as he said the words, "A minimum of $2000, but I would have recommended that you get a whole new air conditioner" I smiled to myself. Instead of a new air conditioner, I paid $187!

I thank God He is not subject to MY reality or bound by what I see...He is reality. He is the truth and the creator of reality. With His very Word, He caused the earth to be created and with His Words today, He still makes thing new.

As hard as it is, let us train ourselves to not look at any situation as our reality. Like the old saying goes, "What you see is what you get." This is NOT true. I have learned just the opposite that what I see is not reality...unless I believe what I see and accept it! Then I get what I see. Friends, we don't ever have to be satisfied with how bleak things might look. We just look to Him and count on Him to change our reality.

Let us not look at our situations or our problems. We can accept things the way they look or we can believe for God to change our reality by His mighty Word. He is not subject to our reality...He is reality.

Colossians 1:5-6 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you

She Starves at 650 Pounds

Isaiah 11:3-4 He will not judge by what He sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears, but with righteousness, he will judge the needy.

It was a busy Monday morning as I rushed into the hospital, punched in, grabbed a coffee, and sat down to get my assignment for the day. I enjoyed being a nurse on a busy Med/Surg floor. It made my job interesting and it gave me many opportunities to shine for Jesus. I listened intently to my report and knew it would be a busy day. I had five patients that day, but one of my assignments caught my eye. This was a middle-aged woman who came in through the ER the night before. She was in heart failure and the report said she weighed 650 pounds. I thought to myself, certainly she can't be that big. The night nurse said when she came in, she had been home for months not being able to bathe properly because of her weight and the smell was so bad that it filled the hallways. No one could even walk by her room without noticing how strong the smell was. As my mind wandered, I thought about a pastor’s testimony I had read once. He held a homeless man in his arms as he repented and gave His life to Jesus. He said the smell was so bad he could hardly bear it. "That's what my sin must have smelled like to Jesus," he wrote. This smell didn’t compare to how my sin smelled to my precious Jesus before He rescued me.

After report, I walked to her room first just to see if they might be exaggerating. I gasped quietly as I entered the room. I had never seen anyone so large. My heart went out to her. I started in with my day taking care of her like she was my only patient. I noticed when I introduced myself as her nurse she wouldn't look me in the eye when she talked to me. I could feel the thickness of the air as she was completely self conscious and embarrassed of her state. As soon as I saw her, I decided in my heart that I wanted to go out of my way to let her know that she didn't disgust me and her life mattered to me and not only that, Jesus loved her even in her condition. No matter how bad my day went, I would treat her with love and compassion. There were times when I would have a doctor on hold and three patients that hadn't gotten their medications yet, but when that bell rang to her room, I would go in and make sure I was smiling. When I talked with her, I made a point to make eye contact with her. Whenever I had a chance, I would touch her hand and smile at her and show compassion to her. I’ll never forget the first time I touched her hand, she looked shocked. It was almost as if she thought she was untouchable. No matter what, I showed love. Love conquers all through Jesus Christ and I knew it.

At the end of the first day, surprisingly she started to trust me. She quietly opened up to me and shared her sad heart. Sadly, she came in through the ER the night before and when she was coming out of the ambulance a doctor was holding the door open for her. He had given her a look of total disgust. At a time when you should feel safe and secure, she felt uncomfortable and embarrassed. Unfortunately, this same doctor that held the door open for her ended up seeing her in the ER. With sadness, she shared what an uncomfortable experience it was for her.

As I quietly listened, I was cut to the heart. I was helpless and inadequate to say anything to help her. The only thing I could think of to say was that Jesus loved her and that her life mattered to Him. No matter what she felt, her life was meaningful to Jesus and to me.

At the end of the shift, as I did my final rounds, I saved her room for last. On my way out the door, I let her know that I had been praying for her because I cared about her and God loved her no matter what. She smiled reluctantly and thanked me for praying for her.

A few days before meeting Nora, I was reading the Word of God. The Holy Spirit spoke to me so powerfully through Isaiah 11:3-4 He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears, but with righteousness, he will judge the needy. I knew when I read it that the Lord was speaking to me, but I didn’t know the full extent of His Words until I saw this woman. When I left her room, I thought of this verse that was still preserved in my heart. I decided if Jesus does not judge with His eyes or His ears but righteously judges the needy, then that is exactly what I will do. I held this truth within myself whenever I had contact with her and applied it to my actions, my thoughts, and my behavior.

I came upon the second day of caring for Nora. This day, I noticed when I started talking with her she began to make eye contact with me when we spoke. This was one of those days when I just didn’t have a second to spare. It was such a busy day full of sick people needing every minute just to feel comfortable. But once again, I repeated the same thing over again. When I went into and out of her room, I was smiling. As far as I was concerned, when I was in her room, she was the only patient I had for that day.

As I checked her IV fluids and assessed her breathing, she told me about her life. I don’t know why she shared with me…maybe she just never had anyone who ever listened. But you see, Jesus had given me His ears and His eyes and I was available for her. My heart was heavy as she explained that as long as she could remember, she had been overweight. But things really kicked in high gear over the past six months where she had gained a lot of weight. Depression had taken over her mind and she was so sick of being overweight that she ate and ate until she gained a lot more weight. She explained that she started thinking, “Why am I here? What do I have to live for?”

My heart melted as the tears welled up in my eyes. You see, underneath those 650 pounds of flesh, I saw a woman who was just like me...a woman who couldn't live her life without Jesus. With the righteousness of Christ, I saw what Jesus saw. She was completely empty and in need. At 650 pounds, she was starving because she continued to touch her lips with the bread that never lasts and hadn’t tasted the Bread of Life that lasts forever. I held her hand as she captivated me with her words. What happened next was so amazing and nothing short of a miracle from my Savior. With her soft voice, she said, “Inside me, I have no peace.” For the first time since meeting Nora, I didn’t feel helpless or afraid. I absolutely knew I had the answer for her.

That afternoon, instead of taking my half hour lunch to eat, I took it to feed this woman the Bread that lasts. With Jesus, we will never hunger or thirst again. Right there on her hospital bed, she invited Christ into her life and became a new woman. The Lord restored her to Himself in such a beautiful way. Jesus said He will not judge by what He sees with his eyes, or decide what he hears with his ears, but with righteousness He judges the needy. (Isaiah 11:3-4) I thank the Savior of my life for giving me His eyes and His ears, and His righteousness. Without His Word, His eyes, His ears, and His Spirit alive in me, I would have seen this woman like the world saw her…an unworthy glutton. But I thank the Lord that through His eyes, I saw clearly.

**Names are changed to protect identity

...This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction Ecclesiastes 6:3

I admit that this is a difficult story to share with you…after all, I am a Christian and I like everyone to believe that my life shines for Jesus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But honestly, I have a lot of faults and flaws and sometimes what goes on my heart isn’t at all what I’d like anyone to see. But God has made it clear that I am not alone in my struggles to live a righteous life for Him. It doesn’t make me or you less loved by Jesus because we fall or struggle through this journey with Him. In fact, I really only put my confidence in what Jesus says, and His Word says: Proverbs 24:16 For the righteous man may fall seven times and rise again. It’s a beautiful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God and His Word gives me hope beyond measure. I know I can fall and the Lord will pick me up and continue to use His Word to correct me and change me through and through. Daily He polishes me and refines me so that my light shines brightly in this very dark world. I am thankful for the work that Jesus painstakingly chooses to continue to do in my life daily. I pray that you call out to the Lord for His Word…this Word that can change anyone. This glorious Word can deliver you from anything that holds you captive!

...This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction Ecclesiastes 6:3

The dust flew from the tires of my black Saturn as I fishtailed on the gravel road. Finally regaining control of my car, I drove cautiously down the loose graveled road. I couldn’t help my eyes traveling to the side of the road where I saw a steep ravine several feet deep with a creek flowing wildly after a hard rain. I almost ended up in there, I thought to myself. I looked in my rear view mirror at the terrified look in my 4 year old twins’ faces.

My heart pounded in my chest as I drove the rest of the way to church. I quietly recollected my composure after that close call. What was I thinking? The truth is, I had been looking at myself in the rear view mirror checking my make up. This was something I had been doing a lot of lately. I had almost lost control of my car and caused harm to my kids because I had been primping myself in the mirror. A deep feeling of “vanity” came over me and I was sick to my stomach. I hated the feeling that I had, but wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. For the first time, I recognized that there was something deeply wrong with adoring myself.

The next morning, I awoke to start my day. I had this deep, nagging feeling all morning that I had dreamt about something, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I sat down in the morning to have quiet time with the Lord. I opened my bible and came before the Lord and immediately the Holy Spirit spoke six simple Words to my spirit. “Remember what happened to your head?” I thought to myself, “My head….?” All at once, as if I was having the dream all over again, I recalled every detail of the dream in specific detail. It came flooding back to me with lightning speed as if I was having the dream all over again.

In my dream, I was sitting around a table with several other men. I was looking at myself from the outside. As I was watched my body language, I could see that I was clearly flirting with the men around the table. I was positioning myself between the men to be the center of them and it was if I was drawing them to look at me. In the middle of the table, hanging from the ceiling, was an old fashioned lamp that was drawing a lot of heat from it, as I could see the steam come off of it. I stood up from the table and I was leaning in to draw the attention of the men and just as I stood up, the top of my forehead touched the hot lamp. I could hear the sizzle of my flesh and could smell the burnt hair from my head. I said in my dream, “Ouch,” and as a natural reaction put my hand on the burnt flesh. When I looked down at my hand, I saw a charred piece of hair in the palm of my hand. Alarmed, I rushed to a mirror to look at myself. As I continued dreaming, I could see the reflection of the lamp in the mirror and it was swinging back and forth. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I was horrified to see that I had a large bald spot where my hair had been burned off and a charred scab on my head.

I knew instantly that the Lord had something He wanted to speak to me. Honestly, I was a little bit scared about what He had to say. I was completely shocked at the vividness of this dream and I had no idea what it was all about. Quietly, I asked the Lord, “What does this mean, Lord, and what are you trying to tell me?” This had never happened to me before. God had never brought to remembrance a dream to me like this with such specific accuracy. I knew deep down He desired to speak to my heart and into my life.

I pondered the dream for a few minutes and then I opened up my book, “Where to Find it in The Bible” and searched for the word “scab.” There was one scripture in the bible and it had been a scripture I had never read before. There before me was Isaiah 3:16-17 and the Lord showed me clearly what He was saying to me. Isaiah 3:16-17 The Lord says, “The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along with mincing steps, with ornaments jingling on their ankles. Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the Lord will make their scalps bald.”

Quietly I prayed with my head bowed and a deep sadness in my heart. I had no real words to say to my Lord. The Lord had corrected me firmly and I knew it. For the first time in my life, I recognized this beast called “vanity.” I knew in my heart I needed to repent of this and be changed by the Word. Fear gripped me, as this was a sin I had grown accustomed to, so much so I really didn’t even see it as a problem. But this day, the Lord opened my eyes and I saw it for what it really was...sin. That minute, I made a total 180 degree turn. I repented before the Lord knowing for the first time that this was a sin that would lead me nowhere fast…and far away from God in a hurry.

I rested in the Lord quietly for some time. And then it happened…deep down in my heart something moved in me. Instead of sadness, I had a glorious hope. I hope to be changed by God’s Word. Who was I that God would take the time to put this dream together, help me find the answers in His Word, and correct me…a correction that led to repentance! I knew without a doubt God loved me so much that He desired change in my life. This wasn’t the “change” the politicians talk about, but this was the real thing.

This was a morning that would change me forever. I’d love to say that after that day, I never struggled with this sin ever again. But if I told you that, I’d be a liar. I continuously need to bring my life, my attitudes, and my behavior before the Lord and into subjection to His Word. It’s something I always watch out for and continuously examine my motives, behaviors and intentions. But my God is faithful to see me through every hurdle in my life every day.

I pray this is a great encouragement to those who struggle with a sin in their life. Maybe it’s a sin that you have battled against for a long time. Maybe it’s a sin you’ve battled with for so long that you’ve just grown accustomed to having this lingering nuisance in your life. I’m here to tell you…If God can change me with His Word, He can change you. He is faithful to deliver us from our troubles, not just once, not just twice, but every time. He is faithful and His Word is true. He desires that you live free from the bondage of sin. His blood is so powerful…even if He shed one drop of His blood, it would have delivered the world, but He chose to shed every drop of His blood for you!

2Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Do You Believe God Heals?...Dare to Believe!

…to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit…But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. 1Corinthians 12:9,11

It was late winter 2002, and I was working as a certified nursing assistant at a hospital in central Wisconsin. I had given my life to Jesus Christ just a year and a half before. I was a new Christian with a longing to know the One True God. As I learned from the Word and stepped out in faith, the Lord continued to show Himself strong on my behalf. He blessed me in so many ways I will never forget. In many ways, being a “baby” Christian was painful and hard, but in other ways, it was wonderful. I was like a little child who believed everything her parent told her. I innocently believed everything the Word of God said. I never questioned any of it. Because of my child-like faith, the Lord showed Himself to me in remarkable ways. I think back now and ponder it. If only we could take hold of the Word of God and believe, there would be nothing we couldn’t accomplish. All things are possible with God if we would only believe.

I didn’t know very much about the Lord, but I knew I had been miraculously transformed a year and a half before. I knew without a doubt it was only by the power of the Holy Spirit that my life had become dramatically different. Even through my struggles and constant pulls back towards the world, the Lord remained faithful to me. Even when I wasn’t faithful, He would not deny Himself. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. 2Timothy 2:13 So I prayed that the Lord would bring me a friend who loved Jesus. He answered my request and brought me my first Christian friend, **Anna.

Anna and I would talk for hours about God and all that He had done in our lives. One day as we sat and talked, she told me, “You should ask the Lord for a gift of healing whenever you are taking care of your patients. You never know, He may decide to impart a gift of healing.” I hadn’t so much as heard of healings, but I was eager to search the Word to find out what the Lord said about it. When I opened my bible, there it was tucked away in 1Corinthians 12:9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit. I learned the Lord did indeed give gifts of healing as He willed. I decided in my heart that I would ask believing that God would give me the desire of my heart. That was it. The Word was established in my heart and I had already received what I asked for by faith.

For about a month, I had been attending to a patient named **Janice. She had been in the hospital for several months with cancer of the stomach. I had never seen anyone so sick. Janice was about 65 years old and weighed no more than 90 pounds. She sat up all day in her bed and vomited continually. Her skin just hung off of her body and her backbone was like razor. You could see every vertebra in her back. You could count every one of her ribs. She had absolutely vomited up every calorie that her body so desperately needed. The doctors had written her off and had decided to discharge her to go home to die. My heart longed to tell her about Jesus.

I was working the evening shift and when it came time to do night cares and I would try to help her get ready for bed, she would lash out at me in anger. There were many times I would leave her rooms in tears wondering why she didn’t like me. As part of night cares, we gave our patients back rubs. I would ask to give her a back rub and she would be very stern with me. She would tell me to get out of her room and leave her alone. I was hurt by her anger towards me. But the Lord continued to give me encouragement by His spirit that I was to walk in love with her. Evening after evening, I would come in to her room with a smile and leave with a smile, no matter how she acted towards me. As I would walk away from her room, the Holy Spirit would whisper to me, “According to 1Corinthians 13:8, Love never fails.”

One evening, I asked her again if she wanted me to help her get ready for bed and get a back rub. This time her answered surprised me. She answered with her gruff voice, “I wouldn’t like a backrub…but you could rub lotion on my dry hands if you want to.” I was shocked, but I knew the Word of God was true. Love never fails.

I sat down next to her bed and pulled up a chair. I took her hands and massaged the lotion into one hand at a time. It was dark in her room, with just a little night light next to her bed. I was praying for her as I massaged her dry, cracked hands. All at once, she took hold of my hands and squeezed them saying, “You deserve to have your hands massaged.” I had my breakthrough.

The next evening, I came in to take care of her. She was sitting up in her bed holding her emesis basin like any other evening. She vomited nonstop. Between heaves she asked me if I had ever seen anything like this. I answered, “No, ma’am. I have not.” When I asked her if she would like a backrub, she gave me a nod.

I had no idea what was about to happen. As I rubbed lotion on her back, I called out to the Lord for Janice. This is not just any God, but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I asked my Lord two things. The first thing was that He would show Himself to her and that in her time of need, she would know that He was there with her. Next, I asked the Lord in a very simple way if He would touch her body and heal it. As I rubbed the lotion on her back, I literally felt the Holy Spirit enter the room. I can’t explain it any other way than being exposed to pure love. The One True God had entered the room and I was breathing into my lungs pure goodness. As I breathed in and out this perfect love, I was instantly taken up in the Spirit. In such a way that is hard to explain, I was in heavenly places and on earth all at one time. In my spirit, I pondered this amazing love. A dear friend of mine whose wife was miraculously healed of a horrendous brain aneurysm explained it like this – “The anointing of God that destroys the yolk came tangibly into the room.” I remember when he told me this that I couldn’t get it out of my head. I just couldn’t grasp what he meant. It would wake me up at night for months…this power that destroys the yolk. What kind of power is that and what would it be like to experience it? My Lord was answering my questions and giving me the opportunity to feel this anointing that destroys the yolk. I could tangibly feel the power of the Holy Spirit enter the room and the air was thick with love and power, the kind of power that would make the earth quake. I remained in this spiritual place for what seemed like hours, but in reality was just several minutes. All at once, I saw Janice lift her hands in front of her body. In an instant, I was brought back into my body and out of that heavenly place. I was shaken. I asked Janice, “Are you okay?” She answered with hesitation and trembling in her voice, “Yes, I am just seeing things.” I knew before the answer even came out of her mouth what she had seen. I asked Janice with great expectation, “What did you see?” With her frail, powerless voice, she answered, “I saw Jesus.” I knew without a doubt the Lord in all of His glory entered the room and He had imparted a gift of healing. I was totally shaken by the experience and walked around in a daze for weeks after this.

Janice would spend several more weeks at the hospital with no outward change in her condition. According to 2Corinthians, I walked by faith, not by sight. I saw her healed in the Spirit. Nothing changed with her prognosis. The physicians continued with their negative report promising her she wouldn’t live to see spring. But they didn’t know what I did. Because I found a treasure in the Word that says Jesus imparts gifts of healing and He was true to His Word. I treasured this experience in my heart and all that had occurred in Room 209.

The day came when Janice was to be discharged home. I helped Janice pack her things. She left the hospital with her suitcase and her negative report. These doctors had MD after their names and several other letters that to this day, I don’t know what they stand for. But these were, after all, doctors right? We trust them when they tell us our prognosis. She took home with her suitcase her negative report that said she didn’t have a chance to live three months. She was dying and all of her tests had proved it. That was the last day that I saw her.

Several months later, I sat at the nurse’s station with the surgeon who gave Janice the grave prognosis several months before. He was adamant that this type of metastatic cancer doesn’t go away, not even with extensive chemotherapy and treatments. He was an expert in his field and I had the utmost respect for him. I can honestly say, if I had any type of cancer needing surgery, he would be the first person I would have called, for me or any of my family members. I don’t know what made me ask, but I said to **Dr. Morrow, “What ever happened to Janice in room 209?” He looked at me with total and utter amazement. He drew his eye brows together, cupped his hands over his face. “She came back to see us, he said, and when we did the CAT scan, we found no evidence of cancer anywhere in this woman’s body.” I heard it over and over in my head. “No evidence of cancer, no evidence of cancer, no evidence of cancer, no evidence of cancer. I don’t understand it,” he said, over and over. I sat in front of Dr. Morrow totally speechless. I had no answer for him. I was taken back and I am sure every ounce of color had left me. I could feel my breath leave me as I sat there with nothing to say. I hated myself because I didn’t jump up and say, “It was God! He did the healing. It wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t something you did right. Jesus Christ healed her!" Because this amazing God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did, entered the room that night and healed this woman who was as good as dead. If I had believed her doctor, she’d be dead and buried, but I dared to believe the Word of God and He produced the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, and by it, I obtained a good testimony (Hebrews 11:1 paraphrased).

Today I want to challenge you…challenge you to believe the Word. Step out and believe Him. Don’t look at your circumstances; your finances, your health, your situations…Look to Him. He can move mountains in our lives if we would just dare to believe His Word.

**All names are changed to protect privacy