More Amazing Answers To Prayer

                                            

                                                       And The Sick Will Recover

                                                            (Part 1)

   One day Marty and I decided to go pay a visit to some of his relatives who lived across town. When we at arrived at the house we walked in the front door and were welcomed by several of his family members.

   Sitting around the living room was his mother Shirley, his aunt Dorothy, his uncle Jack and his maternal grandmother, Ethel. We talked for a while and the conversation quickly turned to the things of God.

                                               The Bible states in Mark 16:17-18,

                               "These signs will follow those who believe: In my name

                                 they will cast out demons... they will lay hands on the

                                 sick and they will recover."

   I had been meditating on these scriptures for some time and was convinced that God would back up every word if we would only step out in faith. I began to boast to Marty's family about the greatness of God and how nothing was too hard for Him. Now you have to be careful what you say around some folks because they just might take you up on your offer.

   Sure enough, Ethel looked over at Marty's mom and said, "Shirley, why don't you let Jimmie pray for your legs." I knew I was on the spot, but I also knew I had to make my promise good, so I reluctantly got up from my chair and slowly walked over to where Shirley was sitting.

    Now Marty's family members were some of the most humble people I ever knew and, while they were far from perfect, they did have a great respect for the things of God. They also had a child-like faith that would dare to hope for a miracle.  

   As I stood before Shirley, she told me she was currently holding down a job as a waitress at a local truck stop but her legs had begun to swell due to standing on her feet on a hard surface for long periods of time.

   She didn't want to lose her job but she knew she couldn't keep working in her present condition, either. She also informed me she had high blood pressure and would like for me to prayer for that, too.

   I have to admit I was a little nervous but I was determined to face this situation and trust in God to show up and do what only He could do. I placed my hand on Shirley's shoulder and began to pray.

   I suddenly began to feel a tingling settle on my shoulders and travel down my arms, much like waves of mild electricity. It was the same feeling I felt at Brother Glen's the night I met the evangelists, right after I got saved.

   Since then, I have come to understand this sensation to be the presence of God's Spirit. (Days later Shirley would inform me that all the swelling had gone down in her legs and her blood pressure was now normal).

   When I finished my prayer, I was relieved to have made it through this minor test of my faith and was preparing to take my seat and settle back into a casual conversation with everybody. But the evening was still young and God had yet more spiritual lessons in store for this young convert.

                                ****************************************************

 

                         (Join me next week for Part 2 of this inspiring true story)

                   More Acts of an Awesome God can be found on:   

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More Amazing Answers To Prayer

     Victory Over The Past: 
    Breaking  Soul Ties

   When I answered the phone, the person on the other end of the line sounded frantic. "Jimmie?" she asked in a shaky voice. As soon as she said my name, I recognized the caller as an old friend I hadn't talked to in years.

   I confirmed who I was and Gail wasted no time in telling me why she had called.

   "Jimmie, I need prayer!" she said in a tone of desperation. "You know I'm married, and I love my husband, but I can't stop thinking about Marty," she explained.

   Marty was a mutual friend who Gail had dated years ago but I thought that relationship was a thing of the past. Gail went on to explain that she was a Christian and she knew it was wrong to think of another man but she just couldn't seem to get Marty off her mind.

   She asked me to come over to her house and pray with her and I felt led in my spirit to oblige her request. After I arrived, I sat on the couch and asked her how long this had been going on.

   She said this mental battle had occurred at different times but it seemed to happen more often when  she was alone or when she and her husband were not getting along.

   She informed me that her husband was working out of town and lately she had begun to have these troubling thoughts again. She pleaded with me to tell her what to do.

   First I assured her that God loved her and her husband and wanted this marriage to work out. Then I told her I was persuaded that God knew the answer to her problem and I was confident if we prayed He would reveal what to do.

   "Lord," I began. "You know the situation here and I know you want Gail to have peace in her heart. She wants to do right so I ask you to reveal to her the source of this problem and show her what to do to be set free," Amen!

   I turned to her and said, "Now Gail, Jesus said, (Matthew 18:19) 'If  two of you on earth agree concerning anything they ask, It will be done for them by my Father in Heaven.' Do you agree with me that He will answer this prayer?"

   She said she agreed and, though nothing happened at that moment, I felt assurance that the issue was resolved and that Gail would get the victory over this struggle.

   I said goodbye and had only been home a couple of hours when my phone rang. It was Gail again, but this woman sounded totally different than the one I had spoken to earlier.

   "Jim!" she said excitedly. "Right after you left I remembered a box of letters I had hidden up in my closet.

    "They were love letters that Marty wrote to me back when we were dating," she revealed. "I had kept them all these years and  sometimes when my husband and I got into an argument or I felt lonely, I would take those letters down and read them and I would feel better."

   She went on to explain that she felt like the Lord told her to take the letters and throw them away and, as soon as she did, the feelings and thoughts she had been struggling with left instantly!

                               * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

   Sometimes, before we can enjoy all the blessings God has in store for us in the future, we have to become disconnected to certain things of the past.

   An unhealthy connection to a person, sometimes referred to as a  "soul tie", can preoccupy our thoughts and emotions and, as in Gail's case, keep us from living the joyful, productive life God intended.

   But God is always there in time of need and if we call on Him with a sincere desire to please Him, He is faithful to provide us with the wisdom and strength to do what is necessary to be free and happy. 

  

               More Acts of an Awesome God can be found at:   

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More Amazing Answers To Prayer

                                                 

                                                Spirit of Intercession:

                                   The Heart of God (conclusion)

   I was finally standing behind him and no sooner had I laid my hands on his shoulders than I started to weep.  

   Instantly, words exploded from deep inside and I began to cry out to God at the top of my voice in an unknown language. All the while, an extreme heat engulfed my body.

   This went on for what seemed like a long time, but was probably no more than  45

seconds.

   As quickly as the experience started, it suddenly stopped.

   Not feeling compelled to do anything else, I began wiping the tears from my face   

and headed back toward the front of the room to take a seat. My minister friends

stood up and spoke a few more minutes then asked if there was anyone in the room

who had anything they would like to share with the group.

   The man in the wheelchair for whom I had prayed raised his hand and said he had

something he wanted to tell everyone.

   I must admit I was a little nervous, thinking he might wish to voice some displeasure

over what I had done earlier.

   Pointing straight at me he exclaimed, "Ever since this brother here prayed for me,

my legs have been hurting."

"Oh no!" I  thought to myself.  "I've done it now."

   As if being bound to a wheelchair wasn't bad enough, this poor man now has pain

in his legs!

   Not only was I concerned for this poor crippled man's condition, I was also

concerned that I had made my minister friends look bad somehow.

   As I sat there thinking everything over, the man in the wheelchair continued his

remarks and brought light to what had actually occurred when I prayed for him.

   "When I came to the meeting tonight I was paralyzed.  I had no feeling from the

waist down," he explained. "Now there is tingling and I can actually feel my legs!"

    Over the years I have come to understand that what happened to me that day was a

manifestation of God's Presence often referred to as the Spirit of Intercession. The word intercession is defined as "a prayer to God on behalf of another."

   The 8th chapter of Romans, verse 26, describes this experience by stating, "Likewise the Spirit (of God) also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which

cannot be uttered."

   Another translation ends the verse, "...with words that cannot be spoken in

articulate speech," that is to say, "words not capable of being expressed in your usual

language." 

   So, the Spirit of God made a sovereign visitation that day right there in Pop Hick's

Restaurant on Route 66 in Clinton, Oklahoma and interceded through me for this man who had been bound to his wheelchair.

   This supernatural account gives us insight into the heart and mind of God. It

shows us He does indeed know our individual circumstances and cares about our

problems and struggles.

   God's great empathy for humanity is also expressed through Christ as explained in

Hebrews 4:15-16 which says, "We do not have a High Priest (Jesus) who cannot

sympathize with our weaknesses...  Let us  therefore come boldly to the throne of

grace, that we might obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

   Action:   Trust in God's great love, boldly calling on His name,

                  and believe in His great power to move supernaturally

                             on your behalf and the behalf of others.

More stories like this can be found on  facebook@Acts of an Awesome God,

     twitter@jimorich   and the blog at   http://www.jimorich.blogspot.com

More Amazing Answers To Prayer

                    

                                           Spirit of Intercession: 
                                   The Heart of God  (part 1)

   I once accompanied a husband and wife ministry team to a special Christian event

held in western Oklahoma at Pop Hick's Restaurant on old Route 66 in Clinton.  The

audience was seated at long dining tables and I sat at the front of the room with my

minister friends while they spoke to a large group of men and women. 

   After a few minutes, the wife turned to me and asked if there was anything I felt like

God wanted me to share with the people.  Earlier I had noticed a man at one of the

tables who was seated in a wheelchair and during the whole time the ministers had

been speaking I kept sensing an urge to pray for him.

   So  with the ministers' permission I announced to the crowd what I wanted to do

 and walked over to the man to say a prayer. The closer I got to him the more I began

to feel a deep compassion welling up inside of me. 

   I was finally standing behind him and no sooner had I laid my hands on his shoulders than I started to weep. 

   Instantly, words exploded from deep inside and I began to cry out to God at the top of my voice in an unknown language.  All the while, an extreme heat engulfed my body.

   This went on for what seemed like a long time, but was probably no more than  45

seconds.

As quickly as the experience started, it suddenly stopped.

   Not feeling compelled to do anything else, I began wiping the tears from my face   

and headed back toward the front of the room to take a seat. My minister friends

stood up and spoke a few more minutes then asked if there was anyone in the room

who had anything they would like to share with the group.

   The man in the wheelchair for whom I had prayed raised his hand and said he had

something he wanted to tell everyone.

                    Join me next week for the conclusion of this remarkable story

                                    and expect to experience in your own life,

                                              Acts Of An Awesome God!

      More stories like this can be found on  facebook@ActsofanAwesomeGod,

        twitter@jimorich   and the blog at   http://www.jimorich.blogspot.com