.......................me! I went to many Charismatic meetings, and my faith and expectancy soared as I heard the many healing testimonies. However, the stories always told about healings which had taken place somewhere else, at another meeting; or in another country; or in another church. I believed what I heard, however, try as I might, no matter how many different meetings I ran to, I could not see any definite healings or miracles take place which I could prove!
I heard people claim they were healed of various internal problems, but there was never anything firm I could prove. However, in spite of not seeing anything with my own eyes, I still believed that everything I had read and heard was true! In other words, I certainly was not a skeptic. From experience, looking back on my own life, even before I became a Christian, I could remember being healed of every sickness or injury I had ever had! I now know it was Christ who had performed the healings, but all of these healings had taken time, and usually medicine had been used as an aid to procure the healing.
I longed to see with my own eyes a healing that would be instantaneous, l like Jesus did when He was on earth! I kept hearing all the testimonies, but never saw any real healings I could prove, until a very tiny miracle of healing was confirmed in the Lords own timing in His own unique way!
I had been "born again" about five months when the first real healing was confirmed to my by the Lord.
My wife and were riding on my motorcycle on the way home, and it started to rain about seven miles from home. All of a sudden my wife screamed "ouch", and I stopped the cycle to see what had happened. She was crying and rubbing her cheek. I took her hand away and a bee had hit her on the cheek bone right under the eye. She had on eye protective goggles, and there was a big swollen red sting right under the goggles. Helpless, and without thinking, I touched the sting with the tips of my fingers, and said "Christ, would you please take the sting away?" Immediately, my wife stopped crying and said the pain left! As it really started to rain hard, I quickly drove the rest of the way home, and after we got into the house and took our helmets and goggles off, my wife was rubbing the now large swollen red sting which was about the size of a quarter. She said, "Look how this is swollen, yet there is no pain!" I now boldly said, "I forgot to pray for the swelling!" I again lightly touched the swollen area and prayed audibally, "Christ, Thank you for taking the sting away, now would you please take the selling away?" I took my hand away, and my wife immediately went into the bathroom to look into the mirror to check out the sting. When she got there, she could not see any swelling, as it was gone! With unbelief that it was really gone, she even washed her make-up off, but could see no sign of any swelling or bee sting! Needless to say, we were both excited and praised the Lord for a few minutes in thanksgiving, and our faith in His healing ability was confirmed! I had finally seen something with my own eyes, and could even share the confirmation with my most trusted partner, my wife!
Many times after that, and even up to present, when my wife catches a cold or flu, she receives almost instant relief in answer to my praying for her, by touching the troubled area, wherever it seems to be, and praying for the Lord to heal her! There have been times when relief has not come as rapidly as the bee sting incident, but over all, the Lord has been gracious to us, and my wife is able to receive relief for answer to my prayer of faith!
Now, I would like to report, my success of other healings for other people in answer to my praying for them. Frankly, I have no success story to report, that I can prove! In fact, if my faith would have healed anyone, I certainly would have cleaned out all the hospitals, because my faith was high, and I would lay hands on anybody sick I could possible pray for!
I read all the faith healing books by all of the prominent faith healers, and was absolutely overwhelmed that I could have that "power" to heal the sick! I read literally hundreds of books, studying all of the various "formulas and methods". I tried every new one I came across! I look back on my boldness, and even now, my face flushes in embarassment, even when I am alone! I did all the right things, such as fasting, praying, binding the devil and his demons, casting them out, etc., before praying for healing. The only problem was, there were no physical manifestations of healings taking place in my ministry!
I could preach healing sermons that would literaly draw all the sick present into the prayer line! The only problem was, no matter how loud I would pray, or how much oil I would use, or how much I would curse the devil, or how much instruction I would give to the seeking to "release their faith at the point of contact with my hands", there was no instant healings that took place.
In spite of the lack of actual manifestation of healings taking place, my faith was still soaring high, and I was sure the problem was either their lack of faith to receive, or something wrong in my own walk with God. After I prayed for those who I was sure had sufficient faith to receive, and they never got healed, I would then retreat to my prayer closet alone with God, and agonize what was wrong with me! I would ask God what else I would have to do, or give up, or confess! Only those preachers who have been through this ordeal can understand the agony involved! I knew God healed--but why couldn't I "harness" His healing power at my command like the apostles did, and like all the others who "reported" to have this power?
I was a licensed Assemblies of God minister, and preached over a hundred sermons in the course of about 18 months, and always invited those to the altar who
CONT.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
No comments:
Post a Comment