Wednesday, May 25, 2011

The Next Level


OK, this is kind of fun. Our friend at the corner store from last week, (she has a very pretty name by the way, but we're not sharing names here, so I'll call her Maria, but just know it's even prettier than that.) She is hispanic and her English isn't the best, so we had to kind of work to get this story, but check it out.


When John and Jude and I went into the corner store she was there with her usual great smile. We were eager to follow up with her after praying for her father and hearing of his healing last week. We then prayed for her mother- who had some condition in her throat that caused it to be enlarged- like swollen glands or thyroid or something- like I said, it was a little hard to communicate. Anyway, we just prayed for total healing for her mother.


So we asked how her mother was doing. "Oh yeah," she said with a  smile, "she was healed the next day and she hasn't had anything since. She is working now."  


I had to stop and make sure I understood what she was saying. "So wait, Maria. You're saying that we prayed for your father's troubles with his mouth, that was keeping him from working because of the pain, and the next day he was fine and he went to work, and he's been fine ever since?"  "Yes!"  "And then we prayed for your mother who had trouble in her throat and glands and the next day she was fine and has been fine ever since?"  "Yes! I've been so happy!"  We all just started dancing right there in the store! (yeah, we do that.  LOL!)


So we said, "So everyone in your family is healthy now and has a job and is working? God has done such good things for your family!  We should ask Him to do something for you! What can we pray for?"  We just prayed for Jesus to fill her heart with Himself, and with joy, and every good thing.  "Maria, do you have Jesus inside your heart?" She said, "When you prayed, each time I feel like tingling and chills. I prayed with my children last week. My husband was asking me what I was doing. I just told him never mind, it's fine..."  "OK, Maria, are you ready to go to the next level? Because Jesus wants to come into your heart and fill up your life... Tonight, when you pray, ask Jesus to come into your heart and fill up your life, OK?"


To be continued....


Romans 8: 38,39:  "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."





Saturday, May 14, 2011

Peace and Health


Last week we met a new girl minding the corner store.. Before I go on, I should tell you that we're really taking to heart Luke 10 and have been making that the starting point in all we do. 

"Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house'... and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'"  Luke 10: 5,9

After a few introductions we explained that we wanted to see the kingdom of God come to this street, and asked if there was anything we could pray for her, or for her family.  She said her father had a dentist appointment the next day and he has had so much pain he has been missing work. We prayed something like that God would be his dentist, that the kingdom of God would come and fill his mouth today, and that God's will would be done in His mouth as it is in Heaven. We asked God to heal him before he had to go to the dentist. 

Today when we saw our friend at the store we asked how things were going with her. She was all smiles and said her father woke up early the day after we prayed and was getting ready for work. She asked why he was getting up- he had been staying home in pain for four days. He said he had no pain and he had to go to work. She explained that we had prayed for him and he told her to thank us for him. She did. Haha!

After that great story, we asked if there was anyone else she knew that needed God to do something for them. She said her mother was having some pain in her side. We prayed for her, and I guess we'll find out next week what else God wants to do in that family. We'll be sure to say, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you!'


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Luke 10:3-9  "Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. (that's us alright!)  Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way there (don't be distracted from your purpose).   Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house.'   If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.  Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house.   Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' "



Friday, May 6, 2011

He Cares

Oh what a great joy and blessing it is to have such a loving, caring Father! He is so gentle and kind with his children, and it is his "good pleasure" to give us his Kingdom (Luke 12:32).  He cares. He cares. He cares.  He cares about every single thing in our lives! From the biggest to the smallest, he overlooks nothing! It doesn't matter if you have a little paper-cut or stage 4 cancer, he will leave nothing undone! He loves fixing the small things, the big things, and the things in between. Oh how deeply he cares!


And because he cares, we care.  So when we walk up and down Jesus Street, there is nothing too small to pray for and there is nothing to big to ask for, so we pray for it all knowing God is eager to give and extravagant in his giving. This week we prayed for cavities, migraines, multiple sclerosis, shingles, a paralyzed leg, etc.


We had just started our day on Jesus Street, and we walked by two ladies on our way down the street.  I didn't really acknowledge them by accident, so I turned around to say something. One of the ladies, looked at me like she knew me. She didn't, although she thought I was one of her sons friends.  We asked, "Is there anything that ya'll need prayer for?" She told me that she had been having migraines for the last two days, and her friend confirmed it by saying ,"She hasn't stopped complaining about it."  Billy asked her, "Do you know God can take away your migraines, no problem!?" She liked to hear that.  Who wouldn't like to hear that, besides a religious person bound by a theology that does not allow God to do nice things for us.


God loves doing little things for us. The problem is we rarely stop and ask, because we think the little things are unimportant to him. We're learning to stop and ask.  Believe it or not, he cares about our pains, struggles, finances, emotions, and problems more than we do.  Nobody cares about our well-being more than him.


So...we went to God in prayer. Billy prayed for a release of the will of Heaven over this lady's head.  He commanded the pain and the migraine to leave in Jesus name.  He prayed that God would pour out his love by healing her.  Expectantly, we asked her, "How's it feel!?"  She said, "It'll leave (eventually)." Meaning it was still there.  We asked doubtingly, "You mean, it's still there?" We were in the middle of saying, "Let us pray again!?" when she interrupted by saying, "wait (with her finger up in the air)." Her eyes so big. She turned to her friend, and said "It's gone. It's completely gone." She took the handful of pills she had just bought to dull the pain, and gave them to her friend saying, "I won't need these."


God touched her, and revealed to his sweet daughter that he cares about her, even about her headaches.


-John


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John!   That was an awesome post!   You need to do this more!   Can I tell them about our friend on the porch?


Today we prayed for a man's leg to grow back.  He was in a wheelchair and had a lot of things in his body that weren't right- beside that he had one of his legs amputated.  I felt the love of God for this man when we spoke about his healing.  You could see in his eyes that his condition hurt him inside too.   You know, the truth is that he won't be old and feeble and in a wheelchair in Heaven. He'll be young and strong and dancing in Heaven!!!  THAT's God's will!!! We prayed that God's will would be done in his body as it is in Heaven, and that he'd be dancing on that porch for Joy and for Jesus! He was laughing when we prayed. I like laughing when we pray.  



I think Jesus is enjoying watching to see how crazy we get in what we'll believe Him for.  I know that just two weeks ago I would not have prayed that for that man. 



As John and Jude and I were seeking with all our strength to bring the Love and power of Jesus to people we met, the street was actually bustling with the work of the devil- drug deals, prostitution, you could feel the spirit of arrogance in the air- I think the dealers are under that- its hateful and violent and urgent. I’m getting a bitter taste for it. 



But judging from the stirring in our hearts, this could just break out into a release of the Spirit of God right there on the street (where He belongs, Praise God!).  We want to crush Satan’s head in that place, and we're praying into the day that Jesus walks on that street and delivers women from their slavery and oppression, men from their despair and poverty and indignity, and just brings the whole package of salvation.  That will be the day that the oppressor leaves that place, and drugs are no longer sold on those streets, and dealers fall on their face in repentance.  That will be the day that Jesus comes to claim His street.



-Billy