My Testimony
My Testimony – Given 2 weeks to live
About 30 years ago I had been suffering from a serious illness. After continued tests, the doctor informed me and my wife of the diagnosis. He said he was very sorry, but it is terminal. I remember the shock of hearing those words. I said “are you saying I’m dying?” He went on to explain what the diagnosis was. I asked how long he thinks I will live, and then I was shocked again when he said because of how fast the illness has advanced maybe about 2 weeks.
He stressed the importance of them trying to keep me comfortable during that time. I refused to stay in the hospital at all. I said, if there is nothing they can do I’m going home and calling friends to pray for me.
I had a few friends come over to pray that evening, friends that I knew absolutely believed God wants all of His children healed. I woke up the next morning and I was miraculously completely healed, with no medications, no surgeries, no procedures.
Let me give you a crucial foundation about this.
I was raised in a church that viewed any type of “healing” or “miracle” as probably fake, that God might heal some favored special people but in most cases any claims of healing should be viewed with great hesitancy. In fact, an unexplained healing couldn’t even be considered or addressed as a miracle unless it was officially reviewed and approved by a higher office.
But later in life when I was in my 20s, I met a girl (who became my wife) and there was just something different about her and her family. They went to church every Sunday morning and evening and even Wednesday evening. Which I thought was a waste of time and gasoline. But one day after months of dating, I agreed to go to church with them. During the first few minutes of the choir and people singing, I started crying. I couldn’t explain it. I didn’t know why, I didn’t know what was happening. I just knew I wanted to, no, I had to get out of there. I pushed my way past the people sitting between me and the isle and walked out the back door. Still crying, I kept trying to understand what was going on, but I didn’t have a clue.
Then a little girl about 10 years old walked up to me, and I will never forget her words. She said, “mister don’t be embarrassed about crying, it doesn’t mean you aren’t a man, it means you are more of a man because you know you need Jesus.” WOW, that just made me cry more. A few seconds later a man walked up to me and asked if I understood what was going on. I said no. He said how about if we take a walk out in the parking lot (which we did).
I realized I had experienced what most people (even Christians) never do, I was experiencing the real presence of the Holy Spirit. It’s not that most Christians can’t experience it, it’s they don’t because of the mindset that has been instilled in them by churches, friends and family. They “really” don’t believe in the true presence and power of the Holy Spirit or they have a wall up in their mind and they will not allow anyone or anything to work in their lives.
I gave my heart to Jesus that day and started attending that church (even though it was about an hour away and there was probably 100 closer churches). What I saw and experienced there is what I believe was the foundation for the healing I had when I was given 2 weeks to live.
The Holy Spirit freely moved in that church. I saw healing miracle after miracle. Not situations where people have surgery and claim it’s a miraculous healing, or they take medication and claim it’s a healing. But a supernatural miraculous healing just like in the Bible.
I had a foundation that God still heals and wants His children healed until they reach the promised number of years of life the Bible states. Even though I was in my 20s, I was taught and I listened to how to believe the promises or God. I learned it was not about what I was seeing with my eyes. But what God promises. I had a foundation to have faith, even when what I was seeing, feeling or hearing wasn’t what I was praying for.
My wife and I ended up attending a church closer to our house, so we could make Christian friends closer to where we lived. I wrongly thought ALL churches were the same. I sadly found out they are NOT.
I thought we have one Bible and every church should be teaching and believing the same thing. But I found out that is not how things work with churches. After getting to know some of the deacons, elders and pastors, I realized that not one of them believed God wants all his children healed until they reach the age of life promised in the Bible.
In fact I was shocked when I would go up to the altar for prayer for something and hear words of “if it be God’s will”, or “God prepare this person if you decide not to heal them”, etc. I couldn’t understand this. Because the Bible is clear on God’s will about healing. The Bible says we WILL know God’s will.
Doesn’t Psalm 103:2-3 say “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases”. It says ALL, not some, not sometimes, not occasionally, not if it’s His will. It says God heals all your diseases, just like He forgives ALL your sins. Do you question if God forgives all your sins?
Who planted the seed in your mind that God doesn’t heal ALL your diseases? You can believe a man, or you can believe the Bible. I believe the Bible.
Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24 both tell us by Jesus stripes (the whippings He received) we are/were healed. Not believing that is rejecting and denying the sacrifice Jesus paid with His pain for our healing. Do you reject and deny the words that say we are saved by Jesus crucifixion?
John 5:14-15 says: “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” It says the prayer offered in faith. How can the prayer be in faith, if the person praying doesn’t have absolute and unconditional faith that God wants His children healed until they reach the promised age of life stated in the Bible?
The unpopular truth is most prayers are not spoken in “faith”, they are spoken in “hope”. There is some doubt or unbelief if the person will really be healed. The Bible repeatedly shows us ANY doubt or unbelief will render a person’s faith powerless and ineffective.
That was the foundation I had on faith when I was given 2 weeks to live. Is that the same foundation you have? If not it’s time for you to get it.
To go back to the beginning of my testimony, as my wife was driving me home from getting the news about my terminal diagnosis from the doctor (I was to weak to drive). I started calling people I “knew” absolutely believed God wants His children healed. I asked them to please come over and pray for me that evening. As I was making calls I received a call back from one of the friends who told me they had invited one of the deacons to come over. I immediately said, thank you, but no. I explained I know from talking to that particular deacon that he doesn’t believe God wants His children healed, that sometimes God is punishing people, or teaching them a lesson, or it’s not God’s timing, or they didn’t tithe, etc. but none of that is Biblical, NONE OF IT (if you’re interested I wrote a short book called “Biblical Truths about Healing that is on this website) that will explain all of that.
I explained to the person on the phone this was not a donut and coffee gathering of friends, this was life or death to me and I’m sorry but I don’t want him at my house when we’re praying.
The person was shocked and asked does it really make a difference what they believe? I explained what Jesus taught us in the Bible.
The Bible tells us about a man named Jairus who asked Jesus to pray for his daughter that was sick. While Jesus and Jairus were on their way to Jairus home they were delayed by a crowd of people wanting to see Jesus and that is when the woman with the issue of blood approached Jesus and touched the hem of His garment. That is usually the extent of how that store is told in churches. But there is something very powerful that comes afterwards. Jesus had a couple of His disciples go with them.
On the way to Jairus home one of Jairus servants approached him and said his daughter has died. Jesus looks at Jairus and says “Only Believe”. That’s it “Only Believe” (some Bibles say “Just Believe” Please understand Jesus didn’t want Jairus to lose faith after hearing what a man had to say. When they got to Jairus home, the people there were crying and wailing over the death of Jairus daughter. Jesus told them don’t mourn, she is just sleeping. THEN… the people laughed and mocked Jesus. WHAT DID JESUS DO? He had all of those people removed from the house. He would not allow anyone in the house that had doubt or unbelief. Jesus then healed the girl. Do you understand doubt and unbelieve will render someone’s faith powerless and ineffective?
That is why I KNOW idle prayers (words) have NO power to enforce the promises of God. It is faith that empowers our words and thoughts.
That evening after receiving the diagnosis about 10 people came to my house. I was weak and exhausted and kept falling asleep on the couch while people were praying. I remember my wife sitting on the floor and holding my hand. I guess the last person left about 11:30 that evening. My wife asked how I was doing, and I will always remember my words “the Bible says by Jesus stripes I am healed and I will not settle for anything less than God’s promise”. I woke up the next morning completely healed. “I” drove my wife and myself to the doctor’s office. We got there before he arrived and I explained to the person at the desk who I was and what had happened and to let the doctor know I was there when he gets in. Shortly after that my wife and I went into the doctor’s office and he examined me, he sent me out to repeat the tests that were performed previously and they came back perfect. I WAS HEALED.
The pastor of the church I was attending at that time was very moved by what happened. He had been in constant contact with me during my time of illness and I believe him seeing the healing I received had an affect on his faith. He then sent me out to about 8 churches throughout the Midwest to share my testimony.
There is no other way to say this, experiencing what I did gave me a completely outlook on God, the Bible and church. It changed my thinking, it changed my relationship with God, it strengthened my belief in God’s promises. What it also did was show me how wrong a lot of churches and people are by planting words of doubt and unbelieve on God’s promises and blessings in peoples minds. As I said before the Bible shows us doubt and unbelief will render a person’s faith powerless and ineffective. While I tried to explain, teach and lead how dangerous it is to doubt God’s promises, I was repeatedly met with the same reply, “I believe in every promise in the Bible”.
However, when I asked what does Psalm 103:2-3 mean to them “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases”. It says ALL, not some, not sometimes, not occasionally, not if it’s His will. It says God heals all your diseases, just like He forgives ALL your sins.” I would hear oh I believe that. But there actions and prayers said something different. Their prayers said “if it be your will to heal this person”, “please don’t teach them a lesson this way”, “please don’t punish them for what their parents did”, etc. Everyone of those thoughts and words goes against what Psalm 103:2-3 says, it says “ALL”.
I sincerely hope my testimony can help open your eyes to the dangers of associating, and listening to people who while well meaning are stealing your faith or stopping you from developing it and making it strong enough for you to receive God’s blessings and promises.