That's an awesome testimony about the Lord's work Brad.  Thanks for sharing.

Vicki

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brad D" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, March 11, 2005 3:51 PM
Subject: [ECHURCH-USA]


> "And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus,
> asking, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--so that they might accuse
> Him. And He said to them, "What man is there among you who has a sheep,
> and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and
> lift it out? "How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then,
> it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then He said to the man, "Stretch
> out your hand!" He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like
> the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him...".
>
> I suppose one could argue the fact that these Pharisees were guarding the
> scripture,  having never seen the likes of one like Jesus. Perhaps being a
> bit freaked out, similarly as we might with those of today making wild
> claims in the name of Jesus. Everything from the barking Holy Spirited
> folks in Toronto, to those chasing preachers claiming holy oil  coming
> from their hands, and angelic gold flakes  coming from their hair. Now we,
> sitting hear 2000 years after the fact with the vantage point of the New
> Testament can sit back and wonder how the Pharisees could make such a
> mistake. But then again they had the opportunity to witness the most
> important time in the history of man taking place aside from his creation
> which no one was witness. They did have Scripture references which to
> compare the birth of Christ, a virgin, the place, and geesh, they saw this
> man who they sought to condemn, asking questions at the age of twelve, and
> knowing things a boy of his age ought not know. They certainly had clues
> of what was going on in the history of the world. Just as we do with
> knowledge of false teachers and preachers preaching what their itching
> ears lead them to teach and preach today. I suppose it is sort of like a
> story one might recite to someone in your own defense. No matter how you
> repeat it,   no matter how much detail you try to put in it, retelling it
> just does not do it justice or make it persuasive enough. It just sounds
> like excuses and rubbish.  As things unfold in our lives we too tend to
> see hindsight and how things ought to have been, we see very clearly how
> things unfolded and perhaps even why. Imagine  going to bed and trying to
> sleep knowing you just participated in the killing of the Son of God?
>
> I remember a time in which I sought healing very fervently for my vision.
> I stood a couple rows back from the front on the left side of the
> sanctuary, my wife standing next to me praying in her own right about what
> she was led to pray. The whole Wednesday night service was at this point
> entering in a corporate time of prayer. I reasoned with god why I should
> see, I sought healing. I wasn't even in an expectation of what would
> happen next, I wish I had been however. I first began to smell smoke. Not
> smoke as in burning of the nasal cavities but a pleasant earthy kind of
> smoke, you know how peaceful the smell of someone burning leaves in the
> fall can be? Like that only it had a glitter affect to it. Glitter? Yes, I
> can't explain it, I can only describe it as glittery sparkly earthy smoke
> as I inhaled while I stood there in prayer. Next I began to feel a deep
> inner warmth within my eyes. And here, here is where I became a Pharisee.
> I thought to myself... "OK enemy, leave me, you are trying to play tricks
> on me and interfere with what I am praying for, leave in Jesus name".
> Little did I know at the time that I was accusing the Holy Spirit of being
> an enemy, out of ignorance, I was a new Christian. Nonetheless I felt I
> had indeed wrongly accused the Holy Spirit in the midst of what could have
> been a great healing for which I honestly do not know the permanant
> repercussions of that mistake. I did not know that in such healings, as
> I'm told and read about, a very warm sensation becomes evident in the area
> being healed. I did not even have the notion of "power of suggestion" that
> is to say to expect such a sensation in order I might create it in my mind
> as a phantom feeling. I had no idea such would occur. God did do a healing
> in me. He healed cataracts from my eyes over the next day. My eyes went
> from being very bloodshot for a day after that prayer time, to bright
> whites and pure blue afterwards whereas before they were grayed blue and
> yellowed whites. It freaked my wife out in a good way lol.  I have often
> wondered had I not foolishly stopped the Holy Spirit from his work within
> me that night, might I had a life changing healing as this man which Jesus
> healed had. I also probably felt a little like the Pharisees knowing they
> put a stop to the work being done thinking it was not God in action. Talk
> about remorse, I wonder if they felt as much.
>
> Often times the miracles we recognize as being such, do not appear as such
> in their midst. Sometimes I sure would have liked to have been the man in
> that scene with Jesus saying... "open your eyes and see". Heck I'd even
> not mind if he used spit mud on them as he did with another.
>
> Why don't we see the healings we read about in the Scripture? There are
> miracles but with the gospel spread about as it has been these 2000 years,
> with as many believers in the world compared to then, seems to me we ought
> see people being healed all over the place. What an evident and tangible
> glorification  of God to see one tonight in a 23-year old woman laying in
> a Tulsa hospital.
>
> Lord. you healed men and women out of compassion for their lives here on
> earth and for your glory as non-believers stood looking and watching.
> Lord, for what it is worth, I plead to you for compassion on this young
> lady and her family and ask you outright for your miraculous hand on her
> life, for your glory now and years to come for her to tell others of her
> gift of life through your compassion and love. Lord, just as you prayed in
> the garden for the cup to be removed from you, nonetheless the Father's
> will be done, I pray the same. I also know Lord you  prayed three times
> until you felt and knew what was before you was now time to come to pass,
> I too maintain in prayer on behalf of this young woman and her family
> until you have made your will evident. I pray not for the many words, or a
> public show, but for those sharing this sediment to pray in agreement. We
> stand on your word which shows us love, compassion and healing even for
> those who do not believe, how much  more for those who do believe. Thank
> you Lord for hearing  this prayer. So be it according to my knowledge and
> heart towards your word.
>
> Brad
>