Metal Rods No Match For Jesus

Pete Cabrera demonstrates the power of Jesus by healing this woman of a back injury. She said she was not able to touch her feet since 1997, when she had surgery and had 16 metal rods placed in her back. She should not be able to touch her feet. After Pete healed her, not only was her pain gone, but she could touch her feet again.

Memoirs of my Mother - Ravi Kapoor

It is with great honor that I share the life of the one I held so dearly in my heart... My beloved mother.



IT WAS A DEAFENING SOUND.
Thunder and lightning tore
the sky as heavy drops of rain began to lash on the
soft-feathered hen that was hurriedly scampering
around to gather her chicks. The sound must have
terrified the tiny, delicate creatures. The icy cold
must have hurt their thin bones. The heavy rains must
have whipped their weak bodies. The mother hen knew
that it could not stop the thunder, or the rain, or
the cold but it just did one thing: it spread its
wings and drew her little ones under her feathers. My
mother, I recall, was like the hen gathering me under
her protective arms when the winds of life beat hard
on me.

Maybe she could not stop the thunder, the rain or the
cold but she gathered me under her love. As I look
back at my life growing up in Calcutta, being the last
child of my mother, I was held closely by her. Even
to this very minute her kind face, her warm touch and
her caring eyes always haunts my heart. She has gone
from me to be with her Creator Jesus but has left back
a lot of memories to share and cherish.

Writer Theodore Reik has aptly said, “Romance fails us
and so do friendships but the relationship of mother
and child remains indelible and indestructible the
strongest bond upon the earth.”

Mother was a wonderful gift to me and we enjoyed a
deep friendship and truly were delighted in each
other. She lived till she was eighty four, going
through the rough and tumble of life and yet was very
resilient. She was an ordinary woman but possessed an
extra ordinary strength of love and courage. She was
under the shadow of her true God, who she discovered
in the later part of her life. She gave all of her
children a sense of security and trust. Katharine
Hathway describes it better what I would say of my
mother: “Everybody knows that a good mother gives her
children a feeling of trust and stability. She is the
one they can count on for the things that matter most
of all. She is their food and their bed and their
extra blanket when it grows cold in the night. She is
their warmth and health and their shelter. She is the
one they want to be near when they cry. She is the
only person in the whole world or in a whole life time
can be these things to her children.”

I know that my mother was all these and her long years
of life had indeed been a blessing. However, her life
took a remarkable turn around in the last five years
before she could breathe her last.

Her encounter with Jesus was the crowning glory of her
life. Her search for the enduring peace and hope
finally culminated in Christ. It is amazing to see
how an eighty year old woman with immense experience
of religious devotion of her own kind finally found
Christ to be all and end all of her life. The grace
of God reaches to anyone regardless of age.

PIOUS BACKGROUND
My mother was a staunch follower of the Radha Swami
sect: a variation of Hindu religion. The sect forbid
idol worship but emphasizes meditations. Being the
eldest among the daughters, my mother was regarded as
a decision-maker in her family. Her father always
discussed family matters with her. She had the
uncanny ability of handling family issues with great
maturity for her young age.

She came from a respectable family background where
everyone was treated fairly and equally. Her pious
background combined with her lively mind made her a
‘go-getter’ in her family. She possessed great
patience. Life was serene and easy to go by until
marriage changed it all.

For someone of her stature used to a regal upbringing,
taking the position of servitude in her in-law’s
family came as a rude shock. She was no more able to
be herself as the pressure and demands of being a
faithful wife and a good daughter-in-law came down on
her heavily. Not that she resisted donning a woman’s
role as tradition expected; it just came short of her
self-worth and dignity.

She had to part with the gifts of jewelry and cash
given by her parents. She was oppressed by her
in-laws demands. However, dutifully she did the
family chores, she was treated badly and neglected.

Rejection, humiliation and lack of freedom to say or
do anything she liked characterized her married life.
Totally controlled by her in-laws, she was not even
allowed to meet her parents. Such was the hardship
she had to endure.

The emotional torture of having to live with a
domineering family took a heavy toll on her fragile
health. With five daughters to tend to, life turned
out to be a roller coaster ride of emotional
exhaustion. She was ridiculed for not delivering a
son, although she eventually had four sons. Unable to
bear the situations she would retire alone and cry
silently. She was desperate to find a way out of her
mental pain and sought for salvation earnestly. Her
faith in her guru and meditations left her fending for
some peace of mind. The only consolation was her
children: her life revolved around them. A kind
hearted and selfless man my father was, but unable to
stand up against his parents for my mother.
Throughout his life my father spent most of his time
with his parents than with my mother who should have
been his first priority. This was a way of life
prevalent during those times.

When my grand father passed away, my dad for the first
time began to attend to my mother’s emotional needs.
Affection was short lived. A year later my dad too
died and that left my mother in a pitiable state of
depression.

My grand mother too fell sick and my already battered
mother had to tend to her. My mother’s heart of
servitude was in full bloom. She tended to her
mother-in-law with gladness. My grand mother was
deeply moved, her heart melted under the expression of
my mother’s selflessness. Besides tending to my grand
mother, she also had the daunting responsibility of a
mother of eight children. She seemed to know the way
servitude and love. My brothers and sisters-in-law
took good care of her. But my mother’s heartaches
hadn’t ended. My 19 year old brother lost his life
in a drowning accident. This incident disturbed me
and I became seriously ill and was depressed to the
extent of attempting suicide.

Here was my mother torn apart, battered and in
perennial grief. My mother desperately clung to her
guru’s teachings and meditations to find a way out of
her troubled life. In all of these my sisters were
there for her and my brothers-in-law were also quite
encouraging.

TRIP TO BANGALORE
It was in the middle of 1999, on one of her yearly
visits to Bangalore.

Earlier when she visited Bangalore, she would stay for
a month or more, meet my sister, my relatives and me
and would return to Calcutta. However, this trip was
going to be momentous. A trip planned by God. She
was going to experience something life transforming,
which for the rest of her brief life here on earth was
going to impact many people.

Meanwhile, I was living alone in Bangalore and
completely dependent on God. Being concerned about my
living alone, she enquired as to how I was supporting
myself. At first she could not believe that I was
able to move on in life without any support from my
family and still serve God cheerfully. She was the
one was deeply worried about my life, and here she was
about to witness how God was sustaining me. It
constrains me to share that when one follows after
Christ, God never gives up on the individual.

My identity was not derived from my family or from
social status or money. It came from Christ. In
Christ I was a new creature and possessed an identity
that nothing else in this world could bestow. This my
mother witnessed in my life.

Instead of returning to Calcutta, my mother decided to
stay back with me and care for me. I was excited at
the prospect of having my mother stay with me. She
was now free to be herself. I could see from her
furrowed forehead and gnarled hands, eighty years of
her strength tested and tried by the many adversities
of life.

Now here she was with me and bared her heart. I would
listen patiently and let her express herself freely.
I knew that the burdens and pains of the past were
slowing her down. Only the Lord could heal and
restore her and this was going to happen gradually. I
let it happen that way.

Perhaps my listening to her eased her mind in some
ways. I watched her waking up early in the morning
and meditate. However true peace and joy continued to
elude her.

I went about my day ministering to people as usual. I
would be gone for most of the day and would return
only late in the evening. I would call her up and
make sure she was alright. I wanted her to rest.

The only love that I could give her liberally and
unreservedly was the love of Christ. I was smitten by
that unconditional love.

SHE READS THE BIBLE
During one of my usual conversations with her, I
handed her a copy of the Holy Bible and asked her to
read it. “Yes I will read the Bible but don’t ask me
to stop reading my guru’s teachings.” She told me. I
did not mind it. I let her have her way.

She would tell me that her guru also spoke of Christ
and emphasized that all religions are the same,
leading to the same God.

Being a follower of a sect that did not prohibit one
from appreciating another faith, mother sat with me
during my regular Saturday prayer meetings.

I couldn’t possibly preach and argue with my mother,
she was aged and experienced and knew more of life
than I could know. After all I was her last son, I
was only giving her solace.

After almost eighty years of being in a particular
faith, it must have well taken strong roots. You just
cannot argue about or convince someone as old as my
mother about your faith, particularly someone who was
devout and deeply religious.

It will only take God to draw one to Him. I let God
speak to my mother and stepped back. All I could do
was to love her, care for her and cherish her. Time
was precious and I did not want us to miss out on each
other.

A CARING MINISTRY
One thing I understood was that care becomes the basis
of all cure. More people are healed when there is
enough care and love. Caring for a person with one’s
heart and soul heals more than anything else. OH!
What an effect when you put your arms around someone
and tell them you care, you’re there…that’s all that
is needed. This Divine, Heavenly love draws them to
the Lord.

Said Henry Newman “In a community like ours, we have
put all the emphasis on cure. We want to be
professionals, heal the sick, help the poor, teach the
ignorant, organize the scattered but the temptation is
that we use our expertise to keep a safe distance from
what really matters and forget that in the long run,
cure without care is more harmful than helpful.”

To care is what my ministry is all about. I do not
pride in being a great spiritual man but I strive to
spread the love of Christ and reach out to the needy
by caring for them, I see infinite worth in the one
who I care for. To sum it up without being
extraordinarily spiritual or philosophical, my
ministry is all about caring, sharing and loving.

I was reaching out to my mother and in some ways let
her see what Christ can do when He enters one’s life.
During the few years she lived with me, my mother
regained what she had lost of her individuality in the
past. She had what she wanted, the freedom to move
about, do the household chores, have her say and just
be herself. She loved it.

Though I had a maidservant to cook and assist,
sometimes mother would go to the kitchen and say that
she wanted to cook and serve me. She derived great
satisfaction and joy in serving me. I encouraged this
realizing that she had missed out on this earlier. In
many ways God was restoring to her what she had lost
in the past.

DIVINE SUSTENANCE
When I was not around, she took all the phone calls
tirelessly and would brief me when I returned home. I
prayed much for her. At times she would worry about
our daily sustenance. There were bills to be paid,
groceries to be bought and many other household needs.
I let God prove that he cared about us since I was in
His plan. She witnessed miracle after miracle meeting
our needs.

On a sunny noon a person unknown to mother came home
with a bag of groceries. Observing that we were being
provided for mysteriously stunned my mother. She knew
God was orchestrating my life. When I met with an
accident, breaking my arm, the hospital bills piled up
as I was admitted for a while. Again the required
finances were provided for settling the bills. This
was again proving to my mother that God was keenly
watching over us. I had my mother and my Heavenly
Father. Oh what a time it was! I was happy and
contented with life. Our daily needs were met and God
was so good to us.

MOTHER FINDS CHRIST
During the week, there were people from all walks of
life, backgrounds and languages coming to my house for
prayer. My mother began to meet them all and heard
from them how God was touching and healing their lives
through the prayers held on Saturdays. It appeared to
her that I was not alone but that I had innumerable
brothers and sisters in Christ.

The testimonies of people deeply touched my mother and
it slowly dawned on her that Jesus was real and His
presence was felt in the house. She saw me being a
blessing to so many people and wondered how her son
Ravi who was once given up by everybody and in a mess,
now a blessing and a message to others. She saw the
divine love operating in me. This entranced her and
drew her to God. This led her to finally believe that
Christ was her Saviour and God. She opened her heart
to the saving grace of Christ and accepted Him as her
Saviour.

It was worth waiting and being patient. One of my
friends was baffled about my mother accepting Christ
and asked me how I was able to lead her to Christ as
he was finding it difficult to influence his mother to
accept Christ.

‘How did that happen’ he asked me? I only told him to
love the individual prayerfully. I emphasized that no
one can convert anybody by force. It was not
conversion but conviction. Only the grace of God can
do it and we are the messengers of that grace, I
added.

NEWFOUND LOVE
The love that she found in the Lord transformed her
life. There was real peace, sustaining joy, and
assured future and a life full of hope. All these
virtues overflowed in her life and she went about
sharing this with others. I was so happy to see her
at peace with herself and with others. Interestingly
enough, inspite of language being a barrier she went
ahead smiling and picking up conversations with
others. Mother was from the north and spoke Hindi
while the people who frequented my house spoke Tamil,
Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu. It was a mix of
languages but love bound all. Moved by love,
believers in Christ notwithstanding the language
barrier began talking to others. Even if it meant a
simple greeting, a handshake, a warm hug and praying,
believers did it with great gusto and love.

She found a new friendship and sisterly love in aunty
Susheela who spoke Telugu and Tamil. I was amazed
watching them pray together, share and converse in
broken English. That is the love of Christ that binds
one to the other inspite of any limitation.

Mother took the Bible at face value and implicitly
believed in the Scriptures. Her faith was strong and
she witnessed, counseled and prayed for others. On
meeting people she would ask them if they read the
Bible and would stress that reading the Word was
important. She would share how deeply she was
enriched and nourished reading the Word. This was
true and I used to watch her pouring over the Word.
She was a woman of the Word. Her hunger and thirst
for the Word was deep. I saw that.

At one time I returned home quite late and asked my
mother if she had eaten dinner. ‘No I didn’t. I was
too caught up reading the Bible. I even forgot my
food.’ She replied. It was midnight by then and I
went to the kitchen to warm up the food and give it to
her. Such was her desire to read the Bible even
though she was pushing beyond eighty.

She would invite whosoever she came across,
irrespective of caste, language and religion to the
Saturday prayers. She wanted them to be blessed in
the Lord. She had a selfless love, Christ like love
that was childlike and contagious. It was not how
many years she loved Christ that mattered, but how
deeply she knew Him.
When people were in distress and tears, she would
cheer them up and say ‘Don’t worry, just commit
everything to God, wait for the time and he will do
the best, for He is Faithful.’ She would often quote
from Ecc 3 : 1,11 as she loved this scripture. “To
everything there is a reason and a time to every
purpose under the heaven. He has made all things
beautiful in His time.’

She was bold enough to declare this because she
possessed a deep peace and faith.

A young couple Ronald and his Filipino wife France
from Dubai visited my place and stayed with me for a
week. While they were here, France witnessed the love
of Christ in my mother, which drew her close to my
mother and led her to a deep awareness of Christ’s
love for her. I could see mother counseling and
praying for them. France, overwhelmed by Christ’s
love in mother told her, “Maji, I will come down and
settle in Bangalore. I have found my mother in you.”

In another instance there was a young alcoholic boy
who was counseled by mother. The boy stayed at my
place for sometime. Mother began to talk to him and
pray for him. She stressed to him that Jesus alone
could deliver and restore him. The young addict’s
parents were worried about their son. It was mother
again who testified to them how the Lord delivered her
own grandson from fourteen years of drug addiction and
she told them what Jesus said in Matt 19:26, “With men
this is impossible but with God all things are
possible.” This testimony encouraged the family who
hailed from Rajasthan. I understood later that they
would never enter a graveyard as per their religious
belief, and it was touching to see them at the
cemetery for mother’s funeral. It was the love of
Christ that mother showed to their son that drew them
beyond their beliefs. It is the love of Christ that
breaks any man made barrier and heals all the ills of
mankind.

She was part of my ministry and understood that God
had called me out to serve Him. At an age when,
mothers would love to have their sons around, she
would encourage me to serve others first. She was
happy to stay alone at home and pray for me. Even
though she was in her eighties and very weak, she
demonstrated great strength and was a great source of
encouragement to me. She would often say, “Don’t rush
back home for me. I am not alone, Jesus is with me.
Go about your ministry since people need you and your
prayers. I do not want to hinder your ministry. God
has called you and you need to do His work. Just call
me and let me know where you are for the ministry is
important and must go on.

On some occasions I used to get calls at midnight and
my mother, without any worry would only say, “Go son,
put on your jacket and go….” She stood with me. Often
times I would leave home in the morning for ministry
return home late, and find my mother, despite being
alone at home at 80 plus age, would inquire about the
day’s ministry.

She desired that every family should come to Christ
and for this reason she was quite comfortable when I
was out ministering.

One of my cousins told me that my mother was very
concerned and worried about my marriage. I took my
cousin to my mother and inquired the same. Mother
said, “No, I am not worried. I have given him to
Jesus and I am very delighted to see him serving the
Lord. Perhaps being single gives him full time
serving the Lord. That’s his calling, he is not
really alone. Many brothers and sisters and mothers
in Christ surround him. Seeing all this I am satisfied
and at peace”

My Mother understood that I was in God’s plan. She
was bold in witnessing to all the relatives and
pointed them to Christ and prayed for their salvation.

BOLD FAITH
On a visit to Calcutta in the month of December 2002,
mother was reading her Bible and praying openly. In
the midst of the business in the house, she never
missed her time of devotion in reading the Bible and
praying. She didn’t care who watched her. At one
time when her eldest son noticed her praying, he asked
her to pray for him citing problems in the office.
She told him to believe in Jesus and emphasized that
if he called on Jesus he would receive help. It was
unusual to see these things happen between mother and
my elder brother.

Calcutta saw something new about mother. She was no
more the same. She was bold and wise. I was now
asked to pray for all in the same house which I was
once asked to leave.

Meeting up with my family and relatives, and praying
for them went on for about a week to ten days. I
returned to Bangalore while mother stayed back.
However her heart was in Bangalore and the fellowship.
She would express her deep longing for the fellowship
over our phone conversations. She eventually returned
to Bangalore to her cherished Christian fellowship.

She loved to fellowship with brothers and sisters in
Christ. She would list out the names for me to pray.

Mother was fond of church. At eighty plus she would
climb down the stairs unassisted to attend the church.
Although she did not understand much of the messages,
which was in English, she loved being at the church.
Once back home she would tell me how much she enjoyed
the worship, talk about the message and seek to
understand more.

She would remind others not to miss out on church
service. She was involved in the Lord’s work and
experienced the anointing of Lord in a very deep way.
She began to live out the Christian life in such a way
it showed in her likes and dislikes of what people
did. When one of her sons came to Bangalore to visit
her, he inadvertently lit up his cigarette in the
house to which she objected and maintained that it was
a sanctified place. In some ways she was making a
point that she wanted to live a life of purity.

She saw the hand of God in my life. When I had broken
my arm in the accident, I wondered if she would be
shaken and perhaps question, “Why are these things
happening to Ravi when he is serving the Lord?” I was
wrong. On the other hand she told me, “There is a
divine purpose in this accident. God makes no
mistakes. There is something good in this.” When
people came to visit her they thought she must be in
shock, but they were surprised to find her calm,
courageous and full of faith. She was in turn
encouraging the ones who were concerned and would tell
them from Rom 8:28 “And we know that all that happen
to us is working for our good if we love God and are
fitting into his plans.”

When I was back home and recuperating she was
ministering to me, I told her, “Ma, I should be
serving you as your son and here you are serving me.”
She would say. “I am not just a mother to you but also
your nurse and I love to serve you for you are serving
the Lord.” Oh, I received love and care from her.
The Lord used her immensely in my ministry. She was a
prayer warrior. She upheld me in her prayers. I
realize today that it was my mother’s prayers that
greatly blessed my ministry. Oh, I wish there were
more mothers like her, praying and praying much…..

At one time I had to shift my house as the lease
period was drying up. For a while I had nowhere to
go. I moved into my sister’s home. Many people were
critical of me and were asking us as to how God could
leave me in such a crisis. My mother, however, was
very encouraging and said, “Don’t worry it is just a
time of testing. We will get through this and let’s
not give up. Jesus is on our side and He has reserved
the best for us. Perhaps God is seeing how strong our
faith is in Him.” When I reminded her of her
comfortable background, she shot back, “House or no
house, I am satisfied in Him.” Eventually we moved
into a nice house provided by the Lord. It was worth
waiting, trusting, and learning from God

BAPTIZED IN CHRIST
In August of 2002 mother expressed her desire to be
baptized openly. (Baptism, by which a person is
immersed in water and taken out, is a symbolic
representation of being buried in Christ and rising
again.) I prayed much for the same and led by the
Lord I baptized her according to the Holy Scriptures.
When she came out of the waters she saw a bright light
and expressed to us that she was in the embrace of
God. This was her bold move and a public confession
of her faith in Christ.

She was very fond of worship and had a large
collection of Hindi worship songs. She would sing
along even as she played these songs. She was a
worshipper. She maintained her own diary of people’s
names and would call them, encourage them and
fellowship with them.

She had a heart for the poor and needy. When I used
to go to the villages for ministry she was very happy
that I was serving among the downcast. She too wanted
to be part of this ministry. She would ask about the
village and if I could take her there sometime.

Her time on the earth was drawing to an end. She
often fell sick but there was nothing to be worried
about. She once fell in the bathroom but still came
out smiling and started her daily routine. I often
asked her to relax and not strain herself, but she
would not listen and just kept going. I did have a
hunch that God was preparing her for heaven, but I
least expected it by October of 2003.

She had lived life in the joy of Christ. She was like
a child and wanted very much to be around people.
Months before she passed away, my sisters came down to
stay with her. She began giving away her saris to
them. One of my sisters was concerned that mother was
giving away her clothes. Mother told her
matter-of-factly that she may not be around for very
much longer. At first they could not believe it, but
God was preparing her. She told me that she was ready
for the heavenly home. It was I who was praying to
God to spare her for a little while longer.

When her blood pressure increased on October 12th
2003, we admitted her to the Baptist Hospital. She
was well taken care of there. To me, Baptist Hospital
reflected the love of Christ. There are many
hospitals that can be ranked among the best, but their
motivation was different. At Baptist it is the love
of Christ that motivates people to save the sick and
needy. Mother felt at home. Inspite of her illness
she witnessed to others over there. She pointed out
to them that Christ was the great Physician and
deliverance came only from Him. On the morning of the
14th of October, she suffered a mild heart attack and
was shifted to the ICU. That evening I was very
anxious as her condition was deteriorating but she
smiled and told me “Don’t worry I am safe in the hands
of Jesus.” The next morning, the doctors told us that
her condition was very bad. At round 11.30 in the
morning she held sister Beulah’s hand, looked at her
and thanking God and praising Him, she breathed her
last. She had gone home!

It seemed that the lights went out of my life for a
brief moment. Her luminous face resting on the bed
looked like she was in a deep sleep. But she was
gone. Her call had come and she was received in
heaven by throngs of angels.

Her funeral was a send off to heaven and not merely a
time of mourning. Though we grieved in the flesh, we
rejoiced in the Spirit. Though dead and gone to be
with Christ, she still speaks to us. Her love for
Christ continues to inspire people.

- Ravi Kapoor

Street Healing With Tom Fischer

My friend Tom Fischer met a woman who was confined to a wheelchair due to herniated discs and Parkinson's disease. After he prayed with her she was up and walking without any sign of disability.

Ministering in Korea - Part 1

This testimony was submitted by my friend Mandy Madryga who lives in South Korea. She ministers healing on the streets of a city where where she doesn't know the language.

I was leaving house church late one night, and I was tired. I was happy that it was really late, because I figured that there wouldn't be any noticeably disabled people on the subway after 11PM (mostly people going home after partying or work at that hour). I was just hoping to get a seat on the long subway ride and sleep until my stop.

So, I get to the subway, and am standing and waiting for the subway to come...the doors open up, and right in front of me, to my left, next to the doors, was an empty wheelchair. In front of the wheelchair was a young man with his parents sitting on either side of him, They were leaning on him as if they were hugging him, and happy to have him. There were bags around the wheelchair, and it looked as if the young man had just gotten out of the hospital.

Being tired, I just stood there, nearby the doors...I spent about 2 subway stops telling myself (and the Holy Spirit) that I was tired, and didn't want to pray for anyone -- even though it had been my custom to offer to pray for people who looked like they could use healing prayer. However, I couldn't shake the conviction that I should at least offer to pray for the young man...once I had a decline, then I could relax and not feel guilty for not offering to pray.

Well, I offered to pray, and the father accepted my offer and I prayed for the young man. (I live in a non-English country, so I use a card with words asking if I could pray for people's healing, because Jesus told us to pray for healing). After I prayed, I kept standing there...I had a habit of moving elsewhere in the subway after I prayed for someone to avoid the awkward tension that arises in the silence following prayer...but the Holy Spirit told me that morning that I should run away after I prayed.

So I just stood there despite the awkwardness I felt. The father, it turns out, spoke a very little English, and so he started talking to me, and we talked about our families, and he told me that his son, the young man, had just gotten out of the hospital after being hit by a bus. The son was just finishing university when the accident happened, so they were worried about his future, because he had experienced head trauma.

Well, armed with more knowledge on what was going on, I asked in Korean if I could pray again...literally, I said, "pray...two of them?" They agreed, and I prayed a more specific prayer for the young man's future and healing in the areas of his body that I found out had been injured. I always end the prayers with "God loves you, Jesus loves you," in Korean, because I pray in English.

Afterwards, the family were helping their son to get back into his wheelchair so they could get off the subway, and I helped them gather their plastic bags of clothes. The young man was weeping a bit, and held my hand and made many gestures as if he was kissing my hand. He also made hand gestures of praising God (almost like "Raise the roof" gestures). Then, he said in English, "Nice to meet you," and his parents were thrilled. I'm not sure if they were happy that he was being outgoing or if that act was a sign of progress/healing in his memory.

As they got of the subway, I noticed everyone was watching, but trying not to appear as if they were watching what was going on. You could feel the atmosphere of the subway change. When I first got on, there was the usual, late-night dismal feel of the subway, but after I started praying for the young man, there was an excitement and light in the atmosphere. I found a seat and sat down for the final few stops until I was home.

As the subway was approaching my stop, I stood up, excited that God would use me even when I was tired and trying NOT to be used. While I stood next to the door, another young man came up, and stood next to me to also get off the subway. He took out a piece of gum and then offered me one (no one does that in Korea, ever!). I accepted and was happy to find out that it was my favorite flavor...so God gave me an awesome ministry opportunity and ended it all with a tasty piece of gum, almost as an extra reward.

I think the young man who gave me the gum saw what happened earlier when I prayed for the young man in the wheelchair...you never know who's watching and how God's using you to reach people you don't even talk to!

Joel Jackson Prophetic & Healing Evangelism

Watch and learn with my friend Joel Jackson as he ministers healing and prophetic words to a group of teenagers. This is a great example of how we can touch the lives of strangers. Not everyone needs healing, but everyone could use an encouraging word from God.

Facebook Miracles - Ken Nichols

The following story was submitted by my friend Ken Nichols who does both street healing and prays for people over Facebook chat.

I was ministering to a lady over chat who was a nurse. She had quit because her back hurt so much and could no longer do her job. I prayed for her over chat and told her to speak the words I posted over herself. The following day she told me the pain was gone. After 2 weeks, she told me the pain had not come back again and she was up and able to do things she never thought she could ever do.

With her faith renewed, she sent me a message about a little 8 year old girl in her church. She had a lesion on her brain stem and was going in for surgery that week-end (this was Tuesday). So I chatted her my prayer of taking authority over this thing and commanding healing. I told her to print it out, go to the little girl and have her read it over her.

On Wednesday she chatted me that she went over there and the whole family joined in in reading what I sent them. The little girl was so touched that someone cared for her enough to do this. Friday she went into the hospital and they did some new scans to get fresh MRI for the following mornings surgery. Saturday I got the e-mail from my friend that when they did the scans, they had to do different angles and different types to confirm the fact that the lesion was completely gone! Praise God!!!

Jason McCoy Testimony - Part 1

This testimony was submitted by my friend Jason McCoy.

There was a high school football player who had injured his knee. I don’t ask a lot of medical info but I think he had torn his meniscus or damaged the ACL?? He was going to be out for the rest of the football season. I went to pray for him on a Sunday night at his church before his youth group meeting. I explained how God’s LIFE is in us and we can transfer it to others to transform them.

As I put my hand on his knee, I commanded the pain to go and the knee to be made new and he reported greater freedom in mobility and less pain. I explained that we could either choose to stand in that and rest in Mark 16 that when believers lay their hands on the sick , they will recover. The other choice would be to keep commanding it to be well until it was fully healed. I wanted to go for complete healing RIGHT NOW! So I commanded it again and told him to put weight on it and move around.

It’s funny how underwhelmed and flat people often are when they are healed! I think his mind was blown. Ha ha! God has a way of doing that! I declared that not only was his knee totally restored, but he would play in the football game that week! The room became tense and awkward, but I stood on what I had declared and told him to let me know how it went. Next weekend, I heard that not only did he get to practice that week, but he played in the game when he had been given medical advice that he was out for the season!

With God, NOTHING is impossible! Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Sherry's Chat Healing Testimonies - Part 1

This testimony was submitted by my friend Sherry Evans, who prays for people to be healed over Facebook chat.

A man came on chat for prayer for his knee. This is what happened:

"I bent over and put my right hand, right upon the part of my right knee that hurt. Sherry was praying and asking how my knee felt, I told her a little better so she kept praying for more power and a complete healing. When she got done, I straightened up and my knee popped about a half a dozen times. Never did that before. It moved right down my knee, where it hurt the most. The pain was gone.

The man who was healed gave the following history of his injury:

In the summer of 2006, I was helping out a friend of mine who goes to our church. He owns a vegetable farm, and to help support us in our ministry, he hired Debbie to work for him in 2003. Before summer was over, I started helping him as well. In 2006 I started wearing a knee brace, out in the fields, and at the market, selling vegetables. On September 15 2006, after wearing a velcro brace I'd been wering for mounts my brother let me borrow, I chose to wear an elastic brace he also let me borrow instead for more support. I put in on @ 7 AM wore it til 9 AM while I drove the corn picker. Climbed down off the picker and couldn't walk. Knee stiffened, blood circulation had been shut off, and my knee had swelled to 3 times it's size. I could only limp. Been doing it EVERY day since. October 20, 2007, had surgery to remove arthritis, and smooth out 2 bone spurs. Surgery was not a succes. Pain in same spot with same intensity. Will be paying on hospital bill until 2113. Had been prayed for dozens of times, annointed with oil, tried heat, ice, rubs, ointments, medications, natural suppliments, felt I wrestled with God, He won, and I was gonna limp the rest of my life. Haven't since Sherry prayed."

The pain has never come back. I will tell you what I love about this testimony. Since that day when this man was healed, the whole town where they live have come to know about God's power. It is visible! This man used to always walk with a limp, but now he does not. It has become the "talk of the town." They have been able to share Jesus with countless people because of this miracle. What a privilege it is to be apart of what God is doing in the lives of people! Yay, God!

Love Says Go

I have a new Facebook friend named Jason Chin. He created a website to show testimonies of God's power and love. That website is LoveSaysGo.com. Here's a look at Jason and friends ministering prophetically to strangers in a grocery store.

Wrapping My Head Around The Kingdom Of God

This message was submitted by my friend Greg Hunter

Wrapping My Head Around This:

Matt 6:10 and Matt 4:17 - Once I began to realize that the Kingdom of God is all around me, ever-present, and ever-available for me, I saw that I needed to change the way I was thinking in regard to how I was relating to that Kingdom. I am no longer trying to approach the power of the Kingdom simply on the basis of Principle; but, rather, I am approaching the Kingdom from the mind-set of Relationship with Jesus, by way of the Holy Spirit. I also have made the shift in my thinking toward the Holy Spirit: He is no longer some ambiguous entity sent to help me get through this life with as little hurt as possible. Rather, He is a very personal friend Who is mentoring me in the same way He mentored Jesus, in how to walk in the Spirit and Power of the Kingdom.

Before I was able to make the shift in my thinking, I prayed for the sick with little if any real demonstration of power. But, now, when I pray for the sick, God’s power shows up and the results are dramatic! It’s only been nine months, really, since I started engaging in this relational mind-set, and I’ve seen some amazing miracles done in the Name of Jesus. I will mention some of them:

(1) I prayed for a friend who lives in AZ, over the phone, for a tumor on her leg which was scheduled for surgical removal. It disappeared as I was praying. When she went for the scheduled surgery, the doctor said that it was gone, and cancelled the surgery.
(2) Prayed for a woman in a wheelchair at a church in Poulsbo, WA…she is now walking unattended and taking care of herself.
(3) Healed a man with COPD coming out of a restaurant.
(4) Saw a cancer leave a woman’s lung, like a shadow…doctors said there is no trace of cancer in her lung now.

The point is, anyone can do this. I decided to believe what Jesus has said concerning the Kingdom and its relationship to those who believe that what He said is true. Theological thinking hindered my ability to actually be a doer of the Word instead of one who hears only. I allowed myself to become too preoccupied with the logic and systemization of Scripture to be free to see and live out what Jesus was presenting to us. He presented a Kingdom, based not in a systematized written Word, but, rather, of loving relationship (friendship, really) with the Living Word. I, like the Pharisees of His day, had studied the scriptures intently, but never, really, saw the Christ in them. Now, He is all I see! He is all I care to see, know, and understand…because the more I get to know Him, the more I discover how deeply He loves us all, and the more I become a partaker of the power of the Kingdom.

Being Christian is about a lot more than just being nice people…it’s about walking with Him in the Spirit and Power of an endless life…effecting everything in this world with that power and Kingdom Presence. As Paul said in 1Cor 2:4,5, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” We, today, have had it all backward…we put the written ahead of the spiritual, when Jesus Himself said that what is written is to lead us to Him. The written is a guidepost for our relating to God and the Kingdom. The Kingdom isn’t about adhering to a set of systematized and principle-ized rules; but, is about loving and walking with the God Who loves us, in the Spirit and Power of His Kingdom, which means that we will be like Jesus was, and do what Jesus did…going about life doing good and demonstrating the power of the Kingdom just as He did. (Mark 16:17,18) That’s what I want! That’s what I am presently endeavoring to do! After tasting of this Kingdom, I can never go back to the way things used to be.

Healing The Wrong Rotator Cuff

One of the hazards of surgery is accidentally removing the wrong body part. There are thousands of cases of "medical misadventures" every year; patients who have the wrong kidney removed, the wrong leg amputated or just about any other mistake you can think of. Patients are never happy about it.

Is it possible to accidentally heal the wrong body part?

And if you did, how would the patient react?

Today I prayed with a sweet elderly woman who was admitted for nausea and back pain. During her stay she developed short pauses in her heart rhythm.

It was decided that she was at risk for complete heart block, so her doctor arranged to have her transferred to a larger hospital where she would have a pacemaker implanted.

She was the sweetest little old lady. I told her I'd adopt her as my grandmother if she wanted another grandson. She didn't want anyone to make a fuss over her and smiled about everything. During the transport I put the blood pressure cuff on her left arm. She asked me to be careful with her arm because she had a torn rotator cuff in her left shoulder.

Complex Rotator Cuff Tear

Because her arm was too small for a regular cuff, I gently wrapped the pediatric cuff around her upper arm and ask if she wanted to be healed. I told her I see a lot of people healed in the ambulance and shared a few stories. She was delighted to have me pray for her.

As she talked about Jesus and the things he'd done in her life, I gently touched her left shoulder and commanded pain and inflammation to leave then unclean spirits to leave then commanded the muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones and nerves to be healed.

I don't like methods very much, but this is one that I routinely use for healing orthopedic injuries. I rarely deviate from it, unless the Holy Spirit shows me something different. Most of the people I pray for with sprains, strains, tears and fractures are healed this way.

I asked the Holy Spirit to come with his power and presence and prayed over her shoulder three times. I also commanded her heart to be healed. After each time, I asked if she felt anything or if she could raise her arm. She didn't feel anything and couldn’t lift her arm when I was done. I'll admit, I was a bit puzzled. I really expected her to be healed.

We continued the transport and I did my charting. Ten minutes later, just before we arrived at the destination hospital, she raised her right arm in surprise and said, “I can’t believe it. My shoulder is healed.”

I was confused, so I asked what she meant.

What she didn’t tell me was that her right shoulder also had a torn rotator cuff. She had the same limited range of motion on the right as she did on the left. Her right hand is her dominant hand; it's the one she really needed to have healed. She was overjoyed that her right shoulder was healed and didn’t care that the left one wasn't. She was praising Jesus as we wheeled her into the hospital.

We took her to the cath lab and transferred her to the bed. I gave report. Yes, I told them she was healed on the way. The gals in the cath lab have been hearing the stories about healing. Maybe one day soon they'll have stories to share with me.

I suppose it's possible that her other shoulder may have been healed as well. She might have noticed that ten minutes after we left. We'll never know for sure.

If you pray for one of your patients and accidentally heal the 'wrong' part, you're not likely to hear a complaint. Patients are generally grateful for anything miraculous.

Rob's Story

I was working when my sister called. She left a message. "Call mom as soon as you can. We have bad news about Rob." The bad news; my younger brother Rob had just been diagnosed with cancer. But it was worse - the cancer had already spread past the point of being treatable. The doctors felt chemotherapy at this stage would be no use. Their prognosis was that he would die quickly.

I broke the news to my wife. She cried herself to sleep that night. I've already lost my father and one brother to cancer. She's afraid it will eventually come after me. While working the following day we made plans to fly to North Carolina. Our main objective - to heal my brother.

A couple of friends dropped by before we left. Todd reminded me not to pick a fight with the enemy. David reminded me that I was on business for the kingdom. They prayed over me and left for their own assignment. On the flight to Charlotte, Todd showed up in a vision. He taught me how to wage war. He spoke to the disease like he would anyone else. He wasn't angry. He didn't make accusations. Emotionally, he was unmoved.

In the vision Todd taught me patience in dealing with disease. I sensed no fear in him. Fear is one of the enemy's greatest weapons. As I watched him talk with the disease, I learned that confidence in who I represent is a key to victory.

After picking up the rental and checking in, we met my family at their house. They had a plan. I have a large family. One of us would stay in Rob's hospital room each night to help with his care. Since I was only staying 2 days, tomorrow would be my turn. We got caught up on what they knew about his condition, then turned in for the night.


I spent most of the next 24 hours at the hospital, the majority of it with Rob. I read his chart. His symptoms began 5 months earlier but he didn't seek medical treatment until it was too late. He had small - cell carcinoma of the prostate with metastasis to the liver and possibly the pancreas and bladder. He also had DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulopathy) which causes both excessive bleeding and abnormal clotting. Rob was in a lot of pain, which they managed well.

I prayed as led by the Spirit for most of the morning and afternoon. I usually close my eyes and God shows me the problems then I pray accordingly. I saw tumors, blood clots, cellular structures, demonic beings, damaged organs and many other things that needed repair. Finally I saw a bright, golden ball of light traveling through his body from his head to his feet. I believe it was the glory of God.

In the evening I prayed against depression, pain and despair. It seemed as if Rob's emotions were under attack. I prayed as led by the Spirit. He woke up once every hour. I asked if he was in pain. He always said 'yes', so the nurse gave him morphine.

When Rob was admitted, one of his doctors asked if he was a Christian. Rob replied that he was an agnostic. During the times he woke up he was too sedated for a real conversation. But he did understand simple commands. I told him I had an important thing for him to do. I said, "Jesus is looking for you. I need you to find him." He said, "OK, I'll look for him."

At 2 in the morning I felt like the warfare was done. Each time I went back to Rob's bedside to pray, I saw nothing to pray into. I began worshiping God and rested in His presence. At 4 am Rob awoke. I asked if he was in pain. He said, 'no'. I asked again and got the same answer. To make sure he understood the question, I asked if he wanted morphine, he said, 'no'. He refused morphine the rest of the day. Somehow his pain was gone

Rob's wife came to see him around 9am. When I told her Rob didn't want morphine, she didn't believe me. Everyone who asked that morning got the same answer. He wasn't in pain. Brothers and sisters came and went. I got lost in the blur of activity. I sensed my mission was done, so I went to the house to meet my wife and the rest of my family.

I gave them a report on what happened overnight (without the details of my prayer time). I was full of faith and confident Rob would be healed. We left for the airport and arrived early. I was exhausted, so I dozed in the terminal, but I slept better on the airplane. During the flight I had another vision.

I saw Rob lying quietly with his eyes closed. As I watched, he slipped into a dark body of water. Then he was gone. My heart sank. I knew what it meant.

The next morning, while at work, I received the phone call I feared. It was my mother. "Rob died a few minutes ago. Ellie is a wreck. Keep her in your prayers."

The Rest of The Story

While discussing Rob's condition with my older brother Richard, I learned something. Rob had already accepted his death long before I got there. "Rob already said his goodbye's. He's OK with dying now. He's ready for whatever comes next."

When the doctors told him there was no treatment and he would die shortly, Rob accepted death without a battle. Most of us have heard stories about soldiers who sustained injuries that were survivable, yet they died because they believed their wounds to be fatal. We also know of soldiers who have been ripped in half and shouldn't have survived, yet they did. Our will to survive is critical in the realm of both medicine and divine healing. It's almost impossible to keep a person alive, once they've decided it's their time to die.

The same day Rob died, (November 9th, 2010) we posted the testimony of a man who was miraculously healed of liver and bladder cancer. That story was set up to post two weeks in advance. When his doctor told him he had an aggressive form of cancer this was his response: "I have a relationship with the greatest healer in the world. He name is Jesus Christ and he will heal me." This man pursued his healing and was miraculously healed a short time later.

Surprise Healing

While talking with my brother Richard, I also talked with his wife Karen. I heard she'd been hospitalized with blood clots in her leg and asked her to explain it. She's had vascular disease in her lower leg for a long time. "My foot has been ice cold for as long as I can remember. There's almost no circulation. The doctor's aren't sure what to do about it."

I asked if she wanted to be healed. Her eyes lit up. "Yes!" I commanded the blood vessels to be healed and the spirit of sickness to leave. I spent about 10 minutes in all praying over her leg and foot. She didn't feel any immediate evidence of healing, but the next morning her foot was warm. Later in the day she told me her foot was cold again. I explained the nature of the spiritual battle and how the enemy tries to convince us we aren't healed. She smiled with understanding. I put my hands on her leg and commanded it to leave again and told her to do the same thing if it came back in the future. Two weeks after I prayed over her foot, she posted a message on my Facebook page telling me her foot still "feels wonderful".

While I was praying for my brother, my wife had another assignment. She had a friend who was in the other hospital in the same town we were in. Her friend had been hospitalized with problems related to anorexia, something she's battled for 30 years. My wife just happened to arrive at the other hospital at exactly the right time for visitation. She needed a password to be admitted to the mental health ward but didn't have it. One of the employees had mercy on her and allowed her in.

As they talked, my wife asked if she could pray with her friend for healing. As soon as she said this, her right hand began to vibrate with power. She placed her hand on the friend's abdomen. They both felt power going into her body. We've been in touch with her friend several times since then. She seems to have made a lot of progress and has a more confident attitude. She now believes she can win the battle.

Observations

I learned a few things from this experience. One is that healing is indeed warfare, whether we see it that way or not. It's warfare on a level most of us can't fathom yet.

On the same day that my brother died of cancer, a different man's healing testimony for the same disease was published. I can't help but think that our response to disease has a major impact on our survival. The Israelites heard two reports about their odds of beating the Caananites. The majority report saw what was possible with man. The minority report saw what was possible with God. Those who believed the bad report paid for it with their lives.

God's plans are not always clearly mapped out. But his promises are availablel to those who will receive them. Someone you expect to be healed may die. Someone you don't expect may be healed. Ask around. You never know who is waiting for the Master's touch.

Finally, I'd like to share my views on the diagnosis and prognosis:

I don't have a problem with doctors giving a patient a diagnosis. That's their job. But it's not their job to predict the future and that's what a prognosis really is. We turn ourselves into prophets; forecasting a patient's demise in a certain time frame. Patients see us as experts. They take our prognosis seriously. When a patient is told there is no hope, that often excludes the miraculous as a possibility. But the miraculous is always possibile. Perhaps the prognosis of "no hope'" ought to be changed to something like, "There is no medical treatment that will cure you, but a miraculous healing is always possible."

We owe it to our patients, friends and family to speak hope, however small it is, into their lives.