Our Struggle Is Not Against Flesh And Blood

I traveled to a small town in Texas to speak at a Wednesday night church group. We gathered for a time of prayer, music and prophecy, much like “The Journey” gatherings we have in my home most every Saturday evening in Temple, Texas. As the meeting progressed, some of the people began to share about themselves and what God had been doing in their lives. It was then that the Lord asked me to share a series of God stories because He wanted to "increase the faith in the room.”

As I told these miraculous stories, I could literally feel the faith in the room rise up. Then a thirteen-year-old boy boldly proclaimed to a woman in her sixties who had been undergoing chemotherapy, “God has told me like thirty times that He is going to heal you.” I was getting the same message, but had not said anything yet.

At the end of the meeting, the woman who had been promised healing came over to say “good-bye.” As I stood up to greet her, I became overwhelmed by the Spirit of God. I began to hug her and as I held her I was compelled by God's Spirit to pray healing over her in the name of Jesus. While I was praying the woman's hands began to tremble and soon she was making sounds in her throat as if she were about to vomit. I continued praying. Suddenly she leaned back slightly, bending at the waist. Then she violently lurched forward as if to throw up. As she came back upright I could see the floor and my shoes were clean. I knew God had just freed her from an unclean spirit.

The woman's hands continued to tremble as I prayed in the name of Jesus. Suddenly her body went limp and she collapsed on the floor in a heap. She had passed out. I knelt down on one knee and continued to pray over her as she lay on her back. Soon she awoke and opened her eyes half-way. She seemed very groggy. Then, in an instant, she opened her mouth slightly and began praying in an unknown language. She had received the gift of tongues. Our eyes met and I could strongly feel God’s presence in our midst. There were about ten people left in the room including her friends who were witness to all of this. They spontaneously began raising their hands toward heaven and praising the Lord.

The ironic thing about this situation is that on the way to the gathering the woman had told her friends, "This guy we're going to hear tonight better not be one of those tongue-talking people.” Amazingly, she was the one who was speaking in tongues! How big is our God! God had come upon this woman in a very powerful way and I believe healed her body. Praise the Lord for His faithful love and healing power!

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines” (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).

I just received word on Saturday, September 26 that the woman whom I have written about in this story went to her doctor and she no longer has cancer. Bless God!

Challenging Times

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Becoming Shiloh Gospel Music Festival

The Lord sent Jeffrey Light and I to Vavenby, British Columbia, Canada to attend the 2nd annual Becoming Shiloh Gospel Music Festival August 5-11. I felt God was sending us there to encourage the oraganizers, Erin Dawson and her family.

Jeff flew in from Virginia and I flew in from Texas. We converged in Seattle, Washington, rented a car and began the 8-hour journey to Vavenby. A few miles out, we stopped at a convenince store to get some gas and as we walked in I imediately noticed a shelf full of homemade bread. "Communion" God said. I knew God wanted me to buy a loaf of bread with which to have communion.

I grabbed a single loaf and asked, "Juice?"

The Lord immediately responded, "No."

I told Jeff the Lord wanted me to get this bread for communion. "I guess we're going to have communion with Erin and the others," I said.

Shouldn't we get some juice?" Jeff asked.

"The Lord said, 'No'" I replied.

We arrived at the festival grounds along the North Thompson River. A beautiful place to worship God surrounded by mountains and trees. Erin and the other organizers welcomed us and soon we were gathered together for prayer. We sat in chairs forming a large circle. On one side of the circle was a picnic table, so I grabbed a seat there on the bench. As I surveyed the circle, I noticed a lone bottle of red wine atop the picnic table. I stared at it for a few seconds. Communion, I thoght. My mind immediately flashed back to the communion bread which we had just purchased. I had left the bread in the rental car not knowing exactly when we would need it. I dashed back to the car and returned with the bread setting it next to the bottle of wine.

We prayed together and shared in the Lord's Supper partaking of the bread which the LORD had so amazingly provided. God had signed His name to our trip. We were exactly where we were supposed to be and we knew God was in Becoming Shiloh. Praise God!!!