hold up the flag 'cause it's ride or die
I feel led to share my testimony of some physical healing God did in my life last fall. Some of you may be skeptical, but that's okay. I used to think praying in tongues was akin to demon possession until I was about 35, and now I have that gift; which is invaluable for intercession, by the way, at least for me. It really helps me to pray out of God's heart. So I'm okay with the stigma that can sometimes go along with sharing how God works through his gifts. I don't think revival can come without some people being offended by the moves of the Holy Spirit. The test is to cooperate with what God is doing and to love in the face of adversity.
"How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?" John 5:44
Last fall Bill Johnson came to Austin - a 5th generation pastor known for the gifts of healing God has given him. God is using him greatly in our country as he travels around to teach and to heal in the name of Jesus. He is a radical revolutionary on the warpath for Jesus.
I really wasn't planning on going to hear Bill Johnson speak when he came to Church of the Hills. My mentors in intercession were telling me to go, but I just didn't want to make the time. I didn't want one more person telling me how to pray, because I'm stubborn like that. But because of the relentless pursual of the Holy Spirit on our lives, Steve and I ended up going the first night. Why God pursues any of us never ceases to amaze me. We had no expectations that night, more curious as we had heard so much about his ministry.
The first thing that struck me about Bill Johnson is his joy. He has the joy of the Lord. He walks in authority that only comes from first submitting your life to God. He preached that night from the gospels, telling of how Jesus gave his disciples authority to heal. He made us laugh, he made us think. He knows Jesus intimately. There was no healing training going on, just the truth being preached.
At the end of his message, his intercessors stood up and went to the front. Maybe you know prayer warriors like these, who have a glint in their eye and walk in the Lord's favor. You just want to be around them. Each of them had a word of knowledge or two about people in the room with various physical ailments. They gave detailed descriptions of eyes that were damaged, knees that were torn apart. One of them gave a word of knowledge about cancer and Bill said, "I'm praying for that one, I have a personal vendetta against cancer."
As they gave these words, they asked people to raise their hands for confirmation. They had confirmation of every word they shared. After all the words were given out, Bill simply said, if you have faith in Jesus and believe he heals, then go and lay hands on the people who raised their hands and pray for them. So we did. There were several that did experience instant healing. Praise His holy name.
In order to tell the next part of what happened, I have to back up to the previous summer. We were heading to the beach and made a stop in Brenham. As we walked around an ice cream shop with our boys, my right hip literally gave out, a pretty painful thing if you've ever experienced it.
I could not walk, could not even straighten up, and we began to call some intercessors for prayer. Going to a hospital didn't seem like a good idea, but in hindsight, it probably would have been a good idea. I asked God to supernaturally heal me in the night, as I knew it was going to be more painful for it to go back into place and I'm a sissy. I woke up that night to a searing pain as I turned in my sleep and it went back into place.
I still could not walk without pain or limping, but over the next few months it became just a limp and constant stiffness. I was living with it like so many of us do with nagging back or joint pain.
Back to Bill Johnson, I decided to go back to hear him the following morning. My hip was stiff that day so it was on my mind to ask for healing. But they announced they would not be doing any prayer until after lunch. Bill was going to preach all morning. Oh well, I thought.
As Bill preached, he stopped at one point and said, "There is someone here who has a stiffness, a dull pain in their right hip socket. Maybe some kind of degenerative hip problem. Raise your hand if that's you."
I did not raise my hand, shocked by what he had just said. I looked around and no one else had raised their hand either. I was like, oh Jesus. He continued, "If that's you, I want you to put your hand on your hip and pray for healing, pray for the tendons, cartilage and bone to go back together."
I put my hand on my hip, very subtly in case someone was watching; existing in that place between fear and hope, and prayed. I felt movement in my hip's socket and heat. I knew I was being healed but had trouble believing it...even though I was feeling the physical evidence of it! It went on for a few minutes. A little later we stood up to pray, something that would normally cause me pain, and I sprung up on my feet, not expecting to do that either.
We have a crazy wow God. I still had some stiffness over the next few weeks, but no pain. I kept asking God to totally heal me. And He has. He is so worthy to be praised.
One of the things Bill Johnson said which struck me was that when we have been healed by God, we carry the authority to heal in His name. I believe that. And since then, I have had opportunity to pray for people with cancer and other sicknesses. There has been some healing through His mercy. I know I will keep asking Jesus to heal, and keep asking for His kingdom to come on earth.
Jesus said, "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him." John 10:37-38
"How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?" John 5:44
Last fall Bill Johnson came to Austin - a 5th generation pastor known for the gifts of healing God has given him. God is using him greatly in our country as he travels around to teach and to heal in the name of Jesus. He is a radical revolutionary on the warpath for Jesus.
I really wasn't planning on going to hear Bill Johnson speak when he came to Church of the Hills. My mentors in intercession were telling me to go, but I just didn't want to make the time. I didn't want one more person telling me how to pray, because I'm stubborn like that. But because of the relentless pursual of the Holy Spirit on our lives, Steve and I ended up going the first night. Why God pursues any of us never ceases to amaze me. We had no expectations that night, more curious as we had heard so much about his ministry.
The first thing that struck me about Bill Johnson is his joy. He has the joy of the Lord. He walks in authority that only comes from first submitting your life to God. He preached that night from the gospels, telling of how Jesus gave his disciples authority to heal. He made us laugh, he made us think. He knows Jesus intimately. There was no healing training going on, just the truth being preached.
At the end of his message, his intercessors stood up and went to the front. Maybe you know prayer warriors like these, who have a glint in their eye and walk in the Lord's favor. You just want to be around them. Each of them had a word of knowledge or two about people in the room with various physical ailments. They gave detailed descriptions of eyes that were damaged, knees that were torn apart. One of them gave a word of knowledge about cancer and Bill said, "I'm praying for that one, I have a personal vendetta against cancer."
As they gave these words, they asked people to raise their hands for confirmation. They had confirmation of every word they shared. After all the words were given out, Bill simply said, if you have faith in Jesus and believe he heals, then go and lay hands on the people who raised their hands and pray for them. So we did. There were several that did experience instant healing. Praise His holy name.
In order to tell the next part of what happened, I have to back up to the previous summer. We were heading to the beach and made a stop in Brenham. As we walked around an ice cream shop with our boys, my right hip literally gave out, a pretty painful thing if you've ever experienced it.
I could not walk, could not even straighten up, and we began to call some intercessors for prayer. Going to a hospital didn't seem like a good idea, but in hindsight, it probably would have been a good idea. I asked God to supernaturally heal me in the night, as I knew it was going to be more painful for it to go back into place and I'm a sissy. I woke up that night to a searing pain as I turned in my sleep and it went back into place.
I still could not walk without pain or limping, but over the next few months it became just a limp and constant stiffness. I was living with it like so many of us do with nagging back or joint pain.
Back to Bill Johnson, I decided to go back to hear him the following morning. My hip was stiff that day so it was on my mind to ask for healing. But they announced they would not be doing any prayer until after lunch. Bill was going to preach all morning. Oh well, I thought.
As Bill preached, he stopped at one point and said, "There is someone here who has a stiffness, a dull pain in their right hip socket. Maybe some kind of degenerative hip problem. Raise your hand if that's you."
I did not raise my hand, shocked by what he had just said. I looked around and no one else had raised their hand either. I was like, oh Jesus. He continued, "If that's you, I want you to put your hand on your hip and pray for healing, pray for the tendons, cartilage and bone to go back together."
I put my hand on my hip, very subtly in case someone was watching; existing in that place between fear and hope, and prayed. I felt movement in my hip's socket and heat. I knew I was being healed but had trouble believing it...even though I was feeling the physical evidence of it! It went on for a few minutes. A little later we stood up to pray, something that would normally cause me pain, and I sprung up on my feet, not expecting to do that either.
We have a crazy wow God. I still had some stiffness over the next few weeks, but no pain. I kept asking God to totally heal me. And He has. He is so worthy to be praised.
One of the things Bill Johnson said which struck me was that when we have been healed by God, we carry the authority to heal in His name. I believe that. And since then, I have had opportunity to pray for people with cancer and other sicknesses. There has been some healing through His mercy. I know I will keep asking Jesus to heal, and keep asking for His kingdom to come on earth.
Jesus said, "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him." John 10:37-38