Our Faithful God: True stories of God at work

As Jesus spoke, the apostles witnessed the results of His words and the power behind them. It was the Father that was performing His signs and wonders through Jesus (John 14:10). People who heard Jesus, and witnessed as the apostles did, were also encouraged. Thousands would seek Him, and many brought the sick to be healed.

We have the same opportunity to hear the word of God, to be in expectation because we believe, and experience all that grace has provided. I want to give you a glimpse of this experience by sharing some personal testimony, actual events that have occurred in my own life. My boast is in the Lord! None of what you are about to read happened because I earned or deserved it. God has established His word in love and upholds His word by His power. What I experienced and received is from Him alone and not from any work that I performed.

After being born again, revelation of God’s word was slow, but wonderful. Then something changed when I was baptized in the Holy Spirit at a Joyce Meyer conference, although I did not understand this baptism at the time. I can only explain it by saying that I moved 100 mph in the Lord! It seemed like revelation was accelerated, and the joy of the Lord was exploding in my life!

As I began to gain knowledge, 2 Peter 1:3 came to pass in my life; God had given me everything I needed for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him. One thing I needed was healing of an incurable disease of my thyroid. As the diagnosis was confirmed and the treatment plan set, I knew according to Isaiah 53:4,5, that “by the stripes of Jesus Christ I was healed”. I confirmed this truth out loud to the Lord, knowing it was done, and praised Him for the gift of grace. I praised Him for my healing every day for three months, although the certainty of this was a bit of a rollercoaster ride, until the final week of the third month. At that point I knew with confidence and had extraordinary peace. Having never done the treatment, I was again evaluated by the doctor who confirmed everything was great. What a moment when I explained to her that I did not participate in the treatment plan. She looked at me as though I was from outer space, trying to understand. I shared the word of God with her. Additionally, He requested that I tell her He loved her very much. So, I did just that. She cried and I cried; “These are happy tears”, I said. The doctor replied, “No they are blessed tears”.

My personal healing was the beginning of laying on of hands and witnessing Jesus at work: blind eyes and deaf ears were opened, gastrointestinal symptoms stopped, gout ended, cancer cured, high cholesterol reduced, musculoskeletal problems resolved. God’s word does not return to Him void without fulfilling the purpose for which it was sent (Isaiah 55:11), and that is exactly what I was experiencing. Once He has blessed it cannot be reversed (Numbers 23:20).

I have explained in a previous post that I taught Bible study to women in the Chesapeake City jail, and that God had equipped me for that task every Tuesday for ten years. Time after time, the women confirmed that the teaching reflected exactly what they were struggling with. From teaching Bible study, the Lord directed me to develop a reentry program for men and women leaving the jail. He introduced me to exactly the right people to help me, including the Sheriff’s department. During its development, my professional job as a case manager was eliminated, but an opportunity to work with an established reentry program presented itself. I applied for the position but was informed I was not qualified. Ouch! This rejection caused me to doubt what I was doing. However, certain that God was directing my steps I continued. A Place of New Beginnings was eventually launched with me as the director and case manager. I stepped into the role in the strength of the Lord. By His equipping 85 percent of the participates became employed and benefitted from life skills training. Once again, a provision of everything I needed for life and godliness by the knowledge of God and His Son Jesus.

My next assignment from the Lord was quite different. After six years of reentry, He was asking me to leave my position and purchase a bed and breakfast in western New York with my husband. Although, this had been a desire of ours for years, it seemed absurd compared to being director and case manager for reentry. Confirming this in prayer, we sold our home and with tears left our daughter, her husband and two miracle grandbabies (literally miracles as my daughter was told she would not likely be able to have children at the age of thirty).

First God made a way financially for us to purchase the inn, giving us strategies for doing so. While these plans were in process, God worked through the current owner, causing him to request that we take over the bed and breakfast even before the purchase was final, enjoying its financial profits and owing him nothing! WOW! From the moment that our first guest arrived, the Lord confirmed we were in the midst of His will. Little did we know that this would not be an ordinary experience of innkeepers. The word of God was spoken daily. My testimony of personal healing was shared. One woman requested prayer for her own illness. Eight weeks later she confirmed receiving manifested healing of a disabled foot. She proved it by returning to the inn and dancing in the living room for us! A couple showed up in the middle of the night unfamiliar with the area, asking if they might stay, although they had little money. After prayerful consideration, they became our guest. Once again, I shared my healing journey and discovered the woman had been released from a New York city hospital, four hours away, diagnosed with a grave illness of her lungs. She asked for prayer and two weeks later, having returned to the hospital, asked for prayer again and to have Scripture read to her.

There are many other inn stories to tell. But I will summarize by saying that without any innkeeping experience we were elevated to the number one bed and breakfast in the region and won a business award! That was God’s ability through us, as He equipped us for what we needed; He does everything with excellence. Guest after guest would confirm the peace that they experienced while staying at the inn. That too, was all God, and that is what I would tell them!

These are just a few of the highlights of God’s provision and work in my life. Time and again His word has proved true. Everything I need for life and godliness is provided by God, by grace, through Jesus, by knowledge of Him, all for His glory!