Jan 28, 2010

Broken Ankle Healed (Testimony)

This the testimony of a woman who fractured her ankle 13 years ago in a cheerleading accident. It was repaired, but she never regained the full use of it and suffered chronic pain since then. She was healed at Bethel Church in Redding during a healing class led by Randy Clark.


Jan 26, 2010

A Second Chance


I read a story (Second Chance) about a surgeon who was preparing a patient for surgery. Although the patient believed he had something fairly routine, the surgeon knew that his condition would most likely end his life in the next 24 hours. Due to circumstances beyond her control, she was called to take care of other patients and the man died before she had a chance to ask him if he'd thought about death or made plans for eternity. She was under a load of guilt about it until she learned that at one of the PACU nurses had a discussion with him before he died. That conversation was about the patient's trust in the sovereign plans of a Creator he knew very well. The man was more than ready to step into eternity.

When faced with a situation in which we know or strongly suspect a patient may be stepping into eternity shortly, do we have a right to discuss it with them? Is it ethically wrong to ask them if they would like prayer or if they've been saved? Should we talk about things that have no relevance in eternity, or remind them of the certainty we all face in accounting for how we have lived?


I've had many calls and conversations with people where I felt that I should have shared something with them about God's plan for their future, and perhaps their eternal destination, but I bailed out and said nothing only to regret it later. How many times do we get a second chance to speak to someone about God?

I saw a young woman on a call who was suffering from severe neck pain secondary to a car accident several years earlier. She tried the usual treatments and found little relief. It's these people in particular that my heart goes out to; the ones who've tried just about everything under the sun, and they are no better off, physically, emotionally or financially.

The engine company arrived before we did. The patient's mother called 911 because she wanted advice on whether it was safe for her to go to the hospital by car or if an ambulance was needed. They advised her it would be safe to go by car, so we were cancelled and returned to quarters.

I wanted to pray for this young woman, but I sensed it would cause problems If I did it under those circumstances. What I needed was a second chance with a different setting. God provided just that.

An hour later we were at the same hospital with her. As I walked through the halls I noticed the patient's mother in one of the treatment rooms. I knocked and went in. She remembered me. I told her I'd been hoping (I actually prayed) for a second chance to talk to them. I shared a few stories about people I'd seen healed and asked if I could pray for her. They said yes, and were grateful I went through the trouble to find them.

I don't know if she was healed. I gave her mother a business card with the website address on it. Maybe we'll hear about her testimony some day. Whether she is healed or not, she knows God is thinking about her, and that He loves her. I always make a point to slip in some of those facts when I pray for healing.

It's my conviction that we should speak when the Spirit prompts or provokes us to. I believe it is proper for us to discuss God and eternity if we ask and patient agrees to it. But don't be discouraged if you miss your first opportunity; you might get a second one. Sometimes God has other people waiting in the wings to say or do something that you weren't able to. His ways are truly amazing.


Jan 23, 2010

Scoliosis Healed (Testimony)


This is the testimony of a man healed of scoliosis which had been declared by doctors to be incurable.

Jan 21, 2010

Miracle in The Mall


Go to the mall, ask God if there's anyone He wants to bless. Find them and start a conversation. Ask if they want to be healed or receive a message from God. He'll do the rest - anyone can do this.

Jan 19, 2010

Victor's Testimony


This is the testimony of a young man named Victor. God honored his desire to bless his friends and family by giving him messages of love and healing for them.

Jan 18, 2010

Last Days Dreams




On January 2nd 2010, I met with a friend to discuss some things God had put on our hearts. This man is a prophetic leader in our community and a trusted friend. We prayed for a clearer understanding of the times and seasons. That night I had 2 dreams from God. I thought I might share them with you. They seem to be a warning of things to watch out for in the near future.

The first dream was about garbage men. There were two men that I remembered, the first was a tall white man, who seemed to be a very nice guy. He was able to take large garbage cans that were full and throw them high in the air and make them land about 100 feet away. I was impressed with this feat. The other man was African-American. He looked dressed with style and appeared confident. His garbage truck was a stretched SUV with long doors. It was red, and he had about 4 or 5 guys in the SUV with him. Somehow he also put garbage in there, too.

The second dream was a series of scenes with different people I don’t know in the natural. One was driving a car, one was in a store; one was at their home. I was observing the behavior of these people, but I was also interacting with them. The subject of our discussion was “The Final Countdown.” I think I saw this headline either on TV, a newspaper, or a computer. Several people used this phrase in the conversations we had.

‘The Final Countdown’ was the name given to a phenomenon that scientists had discovered. There was an approaching alignment of planets, stars etc. that was going to bring about a tragic end to planet earth. No specific details were given about this event in the dream. Everyone in the dream seemed to have a calm acceptance of it. No one was hysterical. There was no heightened drama and I didn't notice an increase of spiritual activity. There wasn't anything unusual about how people were reacting to the event. We all knew there was nothing that could be done to change it, so we accepted it and went about our lives as usual. The time frame of the countdown was not given in the dream. I had a sense that it involved a short period of time – a few weeks or months to a couple of years.

I believe the two dreams are related. God does something interesting with my dreams. He often gives a symbolic dream that represents a concept He wants me to focus on. Then He gives me a second dream, that holds the key to the interpretation. In most cases the interpretation comes first.

The first dream seems to be saying that in the coming days, people will try to impress us with signs, miracles and wonders and things that look pretty cool. The first guy in the dream was the kind of person I'd have as a friend. But the reality God would like us to understand is that these people, no matter how sincere or legitimate their story seems to be, are peddling garbage, which is worthless to us.

In Matthew 24:24 Jesus warned about false prophets who would perform false signs and wonders in the last days trying to deceive many. I think this dream is a warning about deception. Prophets declare things to come. False prophets tell lies about the future; lies represented by garbage.

The second dream reminds me a lot of the '2012' phenomenon that people are talking about. This event is tied to many astronomical and metaphysical events coming into alignment simultaneously at the end of 2012. The major one is the end of the Mayan "Long Count' calendar. This is an event that different people have predicted, which involves a dramatic and sudden end to the planet or change of life on the planet, depending on which prophet you listen to.

What does it all mean?

My friend and I prayed for discernment of the 'times and seasons'. God gave me a dream that night about the times we live in and another dream with the interpretation. In light of the two dreams and how they seem to warn about deception and a phenomenon foretelling the end of the world, I believe God is saying that we shouldn't buy this garbage, no matter how convincing it sounds or how cool it looks. I believe that time will reveal all of them to be lying prophets.

Jan 17, 2010

Dislocated Jaw Healed (Testimony)




This is a stock image from the web showing dislocation of the left condyle


My wife and I had a nice dinner last Friday after work. I picked up a package of ribeye steaks, which we grilled and made the centerpiece of a candlelight dinner. Eating steak has drawbacks; small pieces can become lodged in your teeth. If it happens to get stuck between molars, getting it out means opening wide. I'll make it short; my wife dislocated her jaw after dinner. Her teeth didn't line up correctly and there was a noticeable gap between them on one side. It was painful and hard for her to eat the rest of the weekend. I prayed for her immediately after it happened, but nothing changed. On Saturday, we began searching the internet for ideas. One website described a seemingly simple technique; applying equal downward force on the molars to reduce the dislocation. I asked if she wanted me to try it, but she was content to wait for now.

Saturday night we went to church at a place called Revival Town. Lots of cool people go there and God's presence always shows up. Jason Phillips gave a very prophetic message on love and the fact that it must be the beginning point of everything we do. That's a subject God has been impressing upon me lately. He also gave a very accurate and loving prophetic word to me in front of the assembly. Afterward, a team went up front to minister to those needing prayer or prophetic ministry. My wife went up and received prayer for her dislocated jaw, which was still causing pain. She felt nothing during or after prayer. We hung around and talked to friends, then went home.

This morning she woke up and informed me the pain was gone, and her teeth lined up perfectly. She was healed. Once again, God has proven His love and faithfulness.




Jan 12, 2010

Dancing for Jesus


This is the testimony of Kathi Perkins Sharpe, who was healed of Ehlers - Danlos syndrome. She gave permission to post her testimony, which was originally published on her blog, iamhealed.net




God is doing a work in me - It’s like nothing I ever expected, could have asked, or imagined.


Most folks know that I have (had? heh) a genetic joint condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. It causes, among other things, joint subluxations and dislocations, along with hypermobility. I’ve had to wear splints on my fingers for some time (they’re pretty – look like silver rings) because without them, my fingers would bend backwards and to either side. (The hand therapist nearly cried when she felt of my hands, they dislocated so easily at every joint). I had a hard time typing without them, punching buttons on the microwave, things like that. The splints served as sort of an exoskeleton for my fingers to keep them from bending too far or even dislocating.


I also was in a wheelchair for a season. At first, I thought that getting the chair would be a good thing as I’d been in considerable pain and had been dragging myself around on a cane. The doc said my hips were degenerating (another facet of EDS is arthritis and early osteoporosis). So the chair gave me mobility but it also took away my independence. I couldn’t simply take off to the store any more, someone had to help me load and unload it from the car. We toyed with outfitting the van we’d bought to carry the chair with a lift, but that’s pretty expensive.


One day, I read in my Bible, in John 11:21-27 “Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”


I’m not sure why I equated that passage with healing in that moment, but I began from that day to cry out to God earnestly to heal me. No more “well, I know that when I get to heaven.” I wanted to be able to live my life, pain free, in the here and now, not limited by physical handicap, and I sought Him. Back around Thanksgiving of last year, I felt that I’d had a breakthrough (and everyone around me did, too – people at church and in the neighborhood said, “What’s happened to you?” Well, I started walking. At first it was dragging myself around on the cane, then hobbling, then walking w/the cane just for balance with the occasional relapse. Which is where I’ve been until this weekend.


Now, around the time this all started, God whispered to my heart, “You’re going to dance for Me.”


I’ve never been able to dance and have always wanted to! so the double promise was staggering. At first I was tempted to think, “well - yeah. Right.” But one night a woman at Calvary (our old church) that I’d never seen before or since came up to me and said that she’d had a vision of me dancing joyously before the Lord, and God had confirmed to her that it would be on this side of heaven. Talk about tears flowing!! I clung to that promised and prayed for Him to complete the good work He’d begun in me.


Months passed. Incrementally, I’ve gotten better and better each week – but it’s been a ‘two steps forward one back’ process, and sometimes a three or four steps back and start again sort of thing. But I’ve gotten to the point where my morphine levels are way down, most days I can function really well, and I’m enjoying a relatively *good* existence.


God wasn’t satisfied with that, I guess.


Friday morning I was up early, went outside and prayed, came in and made myself some coffee, and sat down at the computer. Only a few minutes later my hands started to HURT SO BAD that I had to tear the splints off! The pain felt like when nerves heal – that electrical-shooting-ZING! It lasted for about an hour at that intensity and has been slowly subsiding since. I still get ‘shocks’ now and then but not so bad. I’m surprised I didn’t tear off my skin getting those splints off as they fit quite snugly!!


So I’m sitting there in pain, and holding my hands, massaging my fingers because they HURT – and I realize that they’re not bendy. AT ALL. Won’t bend backwards, won’t bend sideways, and the ‘forward’ motion into a fist is normal and not overextended the way it had been. My eyes got real big at that point but my hands hurt too bad to process much of anything!


Over the day, as the pain went down, I started to check them out more – and sure enough, I’ve got normal range of motion in my hands.


Other times I’ve taken the splints off, I’ve had to be very careful because they’re so used to being splinted, there’s no muscle tone or anything, and bones pop right out of joint. But now – it’s no more bendy than Ken’s fingers (we checked!)


I even went and worked over @ the church on Saturday, using my hands for all sorts of things, unsplinted.


So - Sunday rolled around. First Sunday am at our new church, and it’s homecoming. Had an excellent preacher, had lunch on the grounds, and then we had singing. Now, my church has a Latino church that uses the facilities Sun afternoons, and so they came for lunch too, and joined us to all sing together and worship the Lord. It was awesome Smiley We had an interpreter for the spoken parts, but once the singing started – we all just sang and worshiped. Have you ever heard the phrase, “The Holy Spirit fell?” Well, the Spirit fell in that place – we didn’t get home from morning church until after 6pm.


Here’s the best part: about the 5th song into the set that the Latino church was doing – an exuberant fast-and-faster sort of hand-clapping song – all of a sudden I felt like my body just had to MOVE. And I was dancing for the Lord.


Words just cannot express the emotion I have as I type those words! I was dancing! to see that promise fulfilled is - I’m just overcome by the goodness of God. Literally completely swept-off-my-feet overcome.


We came home last night, slept like babies all night long, woke up this morning feeling so great I took Lucy for a walk (I never take Lucy for a walk – she pulls and it hurts. But this morning she pulled and it didn’t hurt. Praise the Lord!)


Last Friday night (the Friday before the Sunday, so to speak) we were at a Missions Conference at Calvary. The speaker, Greg Johns, talked about time and how ‘in the fullness of time’ is God’s way of doing things. Sometimes, certain things, people, places, and events need to come first, in order for a thing to take place. I’m guessing that’s what happened? I think back to all of those trips to the altar to have the elders pray for me, at Calvary – asking and asking in faith. God heard every time! All the times that I was huddled in pain, praying – He heard, He knew, and indeed He was there comforting me in it. But it wasn’t the ‘fullness of time” for healing me yet; there must have still been things to accomplish. There may yet be things He needs to work out with this but, akin to the blind man in John 9 who once said “I was blind but now I see” – I can say, “I once had bendy fingers that popped right out of joint and now they won’t, even with some force applied. I once was in too much pain to walk, but now I am walking without pain. I’ve never been able to dance my whole life – and pain has prevented me from even trying – but I DANCED FOR THE LORD YESTERDAY!


God is awesome beyond our wildest imagination and WORTHY to be praised!


(Addendum)


The following Tuesday I took the handicap tag from my car. When I did, it disintigrated into bits. I took that as a sign.


The next day, I went to see my orthopedic doctors. About six weeks ago, I hurt my right wrist and was scheduled to see Dr. Li, a surgeon, to see if scoping my wrist might help. The pain in the wrist had gone away at the same time as everything else. At first I was simply going to cancel the appointment, but then I thought – nah! I want to see what the doctor thinks of all of this!


First, I went and checked in. Saw Rosemarie, one of my favorite people there :) She said, “Kathi, you’re glowing!” That’s what everyone says. It’s the power of God and my joy. :) I danced in the lobby of Comp Rehab at Baptist Hospital. How about that? Hehehehehehe! She cried, she was so happy for me.


Dr. Li examined my wrist first and pronounced it not only “fine” but “remarkably stable” (no one’s ever said that of me before :::grins:::) He looked at the other and said the same. He even tried to hyperextend the joint – couldn’t do it.


I asked, “Since I’m here, would you give an unbiased opinion on my fingers?” I told him the reason Dr. Koman had put me in the splints, and told him about the nerve pain and that I’d had to take the splints off, and that they seemed to be fine now. He said that my fingers were somewhat flexible at the hand but certainly not beyond normal range, and that at the other joints they were perfectly normal. And stable. They couldn’t be dislocated.


I just grinned.


Then I went dancing off to my regular hand doctor’s. I wasn’t scheduled to see them, but a form had been sent to me for my daughter’s school by their dictation department, and they’d forgotten to get the doctor to sign it first. So I went in to see if she could sign it, and when Susan saw me, she said, “Kathi, you’re glowing! What’s up?” So I began to tell her my story, and her eyes got bigger and bigger. She looked at my fingers and pronounced them “medically impossible – but WOW!” Then I told her how I was walking around and had removed the handicap tag from my car and how I had danced in church. She asked me to add her to my prayer list. You bet!


It’s really odd – I was SO hypermobile before. I could ‘beyond’touch my toes. Now I can barely reach them. Could reach one hand over my shoulders and the other behind my back and clasp them – now I can barely touch them. Could touch my thumb to my wrist, now it doesn’t touch. Could lay my hands flat on the wall, now it hurts to try. My husband says that it’s like I’ve become normal.


Me! Normal, by the grace of God! Hallelujah!

Jan 10, 2010

Gluten Intolerance Healed



This is the testimony of a woman who had gluten intolerance for 19 years. This condition often contributes to celiac disease. She was healed in Redding, California by young Christians from Bethel church on a treasure hunt.


Jan 9, 2010

Man Healed of Paraplegia & Diabetes

William Kent was injured when his motorcycle was hit by a train. He was a paraplegic for 15 years. He was also a diabetic. God healed him of pretty much everything that was wrong with him. This is an edited testimony from Sid Roth's show, It's Supernatural.


Jan 8, 2010

Dream Interpretation at The Urban Onion




My old partner used to say, "necessity is the mother of invention, but laziness is the father of excuses." I'm trying to avoid laziness and excuses, but some days are more difficult than others. I went to the store for milk and coffee yesterday. The woman in front of me was limping noticeably....what to do?

Come on mister healer, you aren't gonna just walk past her, are you?

I did.

I walked right past her and headed for the milk.

Then I felt Mr. Holy Ghost speaking... "Chicken".

Oh, that's right! My wife wanted to take some chicken to work for lunch, I almost forgot. I stopped by the deli and picked up some chicken before I went to the dairy section. Thanks for reminding me, Mr. Holy Ghost.

"You ARE a chicken, aren't you?"

Me?

"Yes, YOU!"

Yeah, I guess I am. I'm a chicken with a shopping cart full of excuses. We had a brief discussion. The Spirit provoked me to find the limping woman. She was just around the corner. I introduced myself and told her I was on a mission from God to heal her. She told me about how she broke several bones in both feet and one of her legs in a car accident. The healing process didn't go perfectly. She said she was grateful to be able to walk. I said she might be completely healed and asked if I could pray with her. She said, yes, We prayed. I thanked her and headed for the milk again.

No regrets, no guilt. Did she get healed? I don't know. I did what I felt the Holy Spirit asked me to do. The rest is in His hands.


Going out for Dinner?

Try this next time:

My wife and I went out for dinner to the Urban Onion, a restaurant in downtown Olympia last night. It's a kind of hippie -hangout, and hot spot for psychics and new age practitioners. They also make darn good food. After we ordered a Beatles set came on, so my baby and I sang harmony till the waitress returned with the food. Our loud singing must have amused her; she was grinning ear to ear when she got to our table. After dinner as we talked, I closed my eyes and received a word of knowledge for the waitress about insomnia. Before we left, I asked her about her sleep patterns. She said she's never been able to sleep through the night and wakes up about every two hours for different reasons. She also shared with us a recurring dream about trying to reach her father, but she's always unable to find him.

We explained that the dream was from God and her search for her father was symbolic of her search for Father God. She gave us a look of surprise then agreed that it's something she's never had. We gave her a little more insight about the relationship with God and prayed that she'd be able to sleep better. She thanked us and gave us a warm hug as we left.

I wrote this story to encourage you to step out like we did and overcome whatever is holding you back. Don't let laziness or fear get in the way of what God wants to do through you. He'll show up anywhere if you ask Him to.




Jan 7, 2010

Battling The Enemy on Every Front

I haven't written lately on what's been happening in my personal life. It seems the enemy has stepped up the attack. Multiple enemies in multiple settings. I had a dream a few nights ago. I was part of an army being prepared for a military campaign. We were being given a mission. We all knew the odds were against us. Many of us weren't coming back and we knew it. It was a suicide mission and the preparations went on, regardless. We had a cool resolve and an understanding that the mission was more important than our own safety.

It's been an emotional couple of months. I'm getting tired of watching the enemy's killing spree against the police. I get the sense there's a spiritual stronghold behind it. If that isn't dealt with, the killings may continue. I'm in discussions with people I'm connected with. We're trying to discern the nature & scope of the problem and strategies for battle. I'll write more on that later.

I prayed for a man that I transported who has tracheal stenosis secondary to an emergency intubation that went bad. He was scheduled for surgery. I didn't see any noticeable difference after praying with him, but I don't worry about that. I felt God gave me a word of knowledge about it before we met the patient.

I also prayed for a man with multiple problems - everything from bipolar disorder and hypertension to severe COPD and CHF. I used the shotgun approach and went for complete healing of everything.

Last weekend my son came home from swim practice with neck pain. He said it had been bothering him for a while and he wanted me to pray for him. Not sure why he didn't tell me earlier, but that's another story. When I closed my eyes, God showed me an image of a rat. I took it to represent a demonic problem, so I commanded it and the pain to leave. A minute or two later he said the pain was gone. I'm grateful for small victories.

Some problems are a little more stubborn; my wife has intolerance to a lot of different foods. She must have eaten something bad because Monday was one of the worst days in memory - she was miserable. I prayed for her several times. God showed me what I can only describe as something like an amoeba viewed through a microscope. I commanded healing into her body and spoke death to the parasitic invaders. She was feeling much beter the next day, but her health problems are persistent. I felt God saying, 'We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God." (Acts 14:22)