AMAZING ANSWERS TO PRAYER: The Wedding Band

     When my wife and I got married we were quite strapped for money, so I decided to get a simple silver wedding band instead of a gold one. "Besides, it's the thought that matters," I figured, "not the cost." 

     The cheaper ring seemed to work just fine for several weeks. Then one day my finger began to itch under my wedding band and when I took it off I noticed some red bumps.

      "It probably just needs to be cleaned," I thought, so I bought some jewelry cleaner and polished it thoroughly. That seemed to do the trick for a while, but it wasn't long before the itching and red bumps returned.

     It was finally obvious to me that I was having some kind of an allergic reaction to the metal in the ring. I didn't want the rash and itching to continue, but at the same time I didn't want to go without a wedding band.

     One morning I dropped my wife off at work then headed to my job. As I drove along, I was feeling somewhat frustrated over my dilemma so I offered up a quick and simple request to God.

     "Lord, I really need to get a gold wedding band because I know it wouldn't irritate my finger," I said. "But I just don't have the money to buy one right now."

     "So, Lord," I prayed, "I'm asking you to make a way for me to get one. And I thank you for it, in Jesus' name. Amen."

     I went on to work and thought no more about it.  About an hour later I was scheduled to meet with a local merchant whose business was only a couple of blocks from the office.

     Since it was so close, and it was such a nice day, I decided to walk instead of drive. After the visit was over, I walked out the front door and strolled across the street.

     I stepped up on the curb and started down the sidewalk. Something had briefly caught my eye as I was stepping up on the curb and I decided to go back and take a closer look.

     It was well into the fall season and there were a lot of brown and yellow leaves heaped against the curb. I looked down and there, in the midst of the fallen foliage, I caught the glimpse of an oval shape.

     At first glance it looked like a weathered piece of brass, but when I pulled it from the leaves it was apparent it was a tarnished wedding band.

     I looked inside to see if there were any initials or names, but found none. I did, however, see the jeweler's stamp that clearly read "14K." "This could be an answer to prayer," I thought, so I tried it on. It was almost a perfect fit!

     As I stood there excited at the possibility of finally having a gold wedding band, the thought suddenly occurred to me, "someone has lost this and would like to get it back."

     "Oh well," I said to myself, slightly disappointed, then set out to find the owner. My first idea was to check with the county newspaper to see if anyone had reported a lost wedding ring. No one had.

      My next plan was to call the local police station. I described the ring and told the officer exactly when and where I had found it. I then asked him if anyone had reported losing a gold wedding band.  He said, "no." I then asked him what I should do with it. He remarked quite absolutely, "Keep it. Looks like you got you a wedding band!"

    From its tarnished appearance, it was obvious the ring had been laying against the curb for quite some time.  And there was no telling who lost it or exactly when.

     I continued to check in with the local newspaper and, after several days, finally accepted the idea this was in fact a remarkable, and very fast, answer to a needful prayer.

     It's important to note here that I've never been one to find things of value very often. But when I have, it has always been exactly what I needed, at exactly the right time. And it almost always occurred immediately following a heart-felt prayer to God.

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JEHOVAH JIREH: The Lord Will Provide

     My wife, Jeniece, and I wanted to go for a weekend getaway to

Granbury, Texas but really didn't have the money to spare.

Nevertheless, I had a pleasant feeling on the inside about going and

the feeling just persisted during the entire trip down there.

     This was very uncharacteristic of me, since I normally wouldn't

spend money for something I didn't think we could afford. But this

time I just felt like everything would work out somehow.

     Despite the fact we had just taken a rather long three-hour

journey, when we arrived at Granbury we decided to go straight to

the city square in the old historic part of town instead of going to our

hotel room to unpack and relax.

     As I pulled up in front of one of our favorite little shops, I  passed

over something near the curb that looked a little unusual. After I

parked, Jeniece got out of the car and headed into the store.  I told

her I  would be right with her but had to go look at something first.

     I walked back behind the car and looked down at what I had seen

on the road. There, lying in clear sight, was what appeared to be some

money folded up.

     I leaned down and picked it up and, much to my amazement, there

were six ten-dollar bills neatly folded together - exactly  the amount

we needed to pay for the hotel room.

     This was a special blessing because the money we had originally

budgeted for our hotel room could now be used to enjoy much

better meals over the weekend.

     God really does take care of His children and, if we follow His

leadings, we will always have our needs provided.

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GOD'S VIEW OF CATHOLICS REVEALED IN OPEN VISION

   I had some free time one weekend so I decided to visit some dear minister friends of mine who lived in Wichita Falls, Texas. One afternoon their oldest daughter was getting ready to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner.

     Since I was new to the area, she asked me if I would like to go along with her and see the neighborhood.  Our trip to the store was normal enough, but on the way back to her house something totally unexpected and very unusual happened.

     As we left a housing addition and entered a clearing, I noticed some one-story office buildings about one block away to my right.

     I was just riding in the car and wondering what the structures might be when suddenly, about 100 feet directly above the buildings, the clear blue sky became instantly filled with a vast number of bright flashes of pure white light!

     The sight reminded me of the multiple camera flashes that go off when swarms of paparazzi are covering a major celebrity event in Hollywood.

     Curious to what this might mean, I turned to the young lady beside me and asked her what those buildings were.  "That is a Catholic Elementary School," she replied.

  

     Suddenly, I felt strong waves of power begin to sweep over me like electricity and my senses were heightened until I felt more alert than I had ever been in my life.

     About that time I heard God speak some words inside of me that would result in a major adjustment to my theology.

     "This is what it will feel like when you are operating in the Gift of Discerning of Spirits (I Corinthians 12:10). And the flashes you are seeing over the school are the guardian angels of the children that attend there," the Spirit of God said.

     That explanation gave me understanding into what I had just encountered in the spirit realm, but the following words gave me insight into the very heart of God.

     "I love the Catholics," I clearly heard the Lord say next.

     This statement was especially important to me because I had heard a lot of negative comments about the Catholics over the years and I really wondered how God felt about them.

     Now, it wasn't just the choice of words God used that moved me, rather the warmth I sensed toward the Catholics as He spoke. At the same time, I heard a gentle absoluteness in His voice that I knew was intended to settle the issue in my mind once and for all.

     While I firmly believe that some denominations do have a greater grasp of spiritual truth than others, at the same time I am totally convinced that God does indeed love all people and He desires that everyone all over the world should come into the unity of the faith of Jesus Christ. 

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WHAT SUPERNATURAL THINGS INTEREST YOU?

   Your voice matters!

I want to know what subjects are important and helpful to you.

   For the last four months I've been writing weekly blogs where I've shared experiences from over 40 years of supernatural encounters with God.

   In that time I have covered a variety of incredible-but-true stories that I believed would both build your faith in God and provide you with a better understanding of the supernatural power He has made available to us.

  

   But, this week I want to hear from you. I want to offer you the opportunity to tell me what YOU would like to know more about or what supernatural subjects hold the most interest to you at this time in your life.

   If it doesn't directly benefit you then it is just so much additional information. You are important, and what you need in order to live a more productive and enjoyable life is of utmost concern to both God and me.

   I'm looking forward to hearing back from you and eager to see what the Lord will have me share in response to your requests.

   As you read my weekly blogs, I guarantee you will be encouraged, empowered and enlightened.

   Have a great weekend and don't forget that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for you and your family.

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POWER TO HEAL

Doing The Works of Jesus

   It had been a wonderful evening of fellowshipping with friends in the neighborhood, but it was getting late and I decided to call it a night. After arriving home I headed to the bathroom to go though my usual hygiene regiment before retiring to bed. 

   After brushing my teeth, I washed my face. As I was drying off my neck, I felt a lump underneath the hand towel. When I lifted the cloth, I saw what appeared to be a growth beneath the skin about the size of a large grape. It had no discoloration or pain but it was nevertheless obviously abnormal.

   Instead of being gripped with fear, a sudden surge of anger came over me and I quickly placed my right hand on the lump. I was in the process of saying, "You foul lump, I command you to leave me now, in Jesus' name," but I barely got the first two words out of my mouth when I suddenly heard a "bloop" sound and the lump instantly disappeared.

   Afterwards, this whole episode seemed surprising to me in many ways. First of all, I didn't know when the lump first came up. Secondly, I didn't know what it actually was. Thirdly, and the most perplexing of all, I was amazed that the lump went away before I could get the whole sentence out or even speak Jesus' name.

   Sometime later I was reading the story in the 9th Chapter of Acts where the Apostle Peter prayed for a woman named Tabitha who had become sick and died.

   Beginning at verse 40, the scriptures record,

"And turning to the body he (Peter) said, 'Tabitha, arise.' And she opened her eyes and when she saw Peter she sat up."

   I noticed here that Peter never used the name of Jesus. Rather he simply exercised the authority Christ had given to the Disciples when He told them in the 14th Chapter of John ,

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also;"

   Farther along, in John 17, after praying for His Disciples, Jesus prayed to God regarding everyone else who would ever believe in Him for generations to come.

^{20 "}I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me;"

   So then, Jesus drew spiritual power from His union with God and we, through our union with Christ, have been granted access to that same mighty power which enables us to do the same works Jesus did. And at times, we may even be so filled with His Spirit that we operate on an especially high level of spiritual authority.

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               More Acts of an Awesome God can be found at:   

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POWER OVER SMOKING

                                    Conquering Nicotine

                              And these signs will accompany those who believe;

                             In my name they will cast out demons; (Mark 16:17)

   She was so excited over the healings her daughter had just received, Mrs. Adkins looked across the room at her son and exclaimed, "Jack, let Jimmie pray for you to quit those cigarettes."

   Now I had known Jack all my life. He had a rather rough reputation and was not a man you approached quickly on any matter. So I looked at him and asked cautiously, "Jack, would you like for me to pray for you?"

   Jack agreed, though I think it was primarily at the urging of his mother. I walked across the room and as I placed my hand on his shoulder he reverently lowered his head and closed his eyes.

   Jack had been smoking that evening and at that moment I began praying for him he was holding a lit cigarette between the index finger and middle finger of his right hand. I drummed up some courage and used the most authoritative voice I could muster.

   "You nicotine spirit," I boomed, "I command you to come out of him!" All of a sudden Jack let out a loud grunt, his right arm jerked forward and the cigarette shot out of his hand and landed on the floor across the room, still lit.

   Jack reacted so violently that it startled me and I stepped back. After all, I had never seen anything like this before and I certainly didn't want to get on this man's bad side.

   By the look on his face, Jack was startled by this sudden involuntary reaction on his part and appeared to be a little embarrassed as well.

   I had undergone deliverance myself at Brother Glen's months before, so I knew this type of ministry was real, but this was the first time I attempted to step out in the same manner I had seen him do.

    It appeared to have worked quite convincingly, though the whole episode caught me completely off guard at the moment. This would prove to be just one of many encounters the Lord had in store for me regarding power over the forces of darkness.

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         (Join me next week for another testimony of God's remarkable power.)

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AMAZING ANSWERS TO PRAYER

                 And The Sick Shall Recover  (Part 2)

   Ethel looked over at Marty's mom and said, "Shirley, why don't you let Jimmie pray for your legs." Now, Shirley 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.

   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. By the time I reached Shirley, 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 mild waves of 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.

   Shirley suddenly spoke up and said, "Jimmie, would you pray for this lump on my neck, too?" Now, some problems, like high blood pressure, can be a little easier to pray for because you can't become intimidated by what you don't see.

   But when Shirley reached behind her head and pulled her hair to one side, I could clearly see a lump on her neck about the size of a walnut just beneath the skin. This time my faith was being stretched and I confess I was somewhat worried. Would she get the results she was hoping for or had I gotten in over my head this time?

   Once again I was on the spot and I had no choice but to step out in faith, hoping for a miracle. I gently placed my hand on the lump and began to pray. As I stood there I suddenly felt her neck grow warm under my palm and much to my astonishment, and great relief I might add, the lump began to shrink.

   By the time I lifted my hand off her neck the lump was gone and I tried my best not to look surprised, though I might have been the most surprised person in the room. The Bible speaks of a mustard seed of faith and I think that was about the size of my faith before I prayed.  

   Once again I felt I had dodged the bullet and surely I could now sit down and relax, but not so fast. God had one more person in the room He wanted to touch before the night was over.

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            (Join me next week for the remarkable Conclusion of this true story)

                   More Acts of an Awesome God can be found on:   

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