You're welcome. I too only hope that our testimonies will encourage
others who are going through the same kind of financial difficulties.
Thank you for sharing as well Phil. Oh, and I also used to be a
medical transcriber for a couple years in 1970-72. That was when we
had different colors of correct-type and the old IBM selectric
typewriter. I'll bet Sandy remembers that.
Jackie
At 09:08 PM 5/5/2013, you wrote:
>Jackie,
>
>Thanks for sharing that with the group.
>
>Phil.
>
>
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- From: "Jackie Shepherd"
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Sunday, May 05, 2013 9:58 PM
>Subject: Re: A Different Way To Pray For Money
>
>
>>Yes, Phil, we too have been there many times, as my husband and I
>>have been married for 42 years this August.
>>
>>Upon my retirement in 2011, we found that we also had an upside
>>down mortgage, and we would no longer be able to afford
>>almost $1400 in house payments. This was just before they
>>initiated financial programs to help home owners in our
>>situation. Therefore, we had to foreclose on our house, though
>>that was the last thing we wanted to do.
>>
>>Now we have been renting an apartment in Portland,as we have moved
>>from Salem; and though we have lost our home, we are still finding
>>that God does answer prayer, as he helped us to find an apartment
>>about a block away from where my Mom used to live, so we knew the
>>area. The apartment is small, but then there is no upkeep.
>>
>>We are about to move to a larger apartment, costing $10 less per
>>month, with a washer and dryer, as well as a dish washer. It's
>>amazing how much you take appliances such as these for granted!
>>
>>Although God didn't answer our prayers as expected, he answered
>>them in a way that was best for us. He knew what we needed before
>>we did. PRAISE BE TO GOD!
>>
>>Jackie
>>
>>
>>At 04:06 PM 5/5/2013, you wrote:
>>>I thought this would be worth sharing on echurch; first, because
>>>it is personal, it happened to me, and second, I know others have
>>>similar financial needs.
>>>
>>>Sandy and I have, at times, made good money; for a couple of blind
>>>people, that is. Sandy does well having been a medical
>>>transcriptionist for well over 40 years, however, she has, in
>>>today's poor economy, reached a ceiling. She no longer receives
>>>annual raises but gets a 3 percent, one time per year check, of
>>>her total income; most of which is taxed right out of the picture,
>>>too. We also have experienced various times of being broke to the
>>>degree that hasn't been much fun. Years ago, when I traveled and
>>>spoke in churches around the country, we were so broke, people
>>>were giving us food. Guest speakers don't receive many speaking
>>>opportunities during the summer months when it comes to
>>>churches. A couple of people gave us each a frozen turkey, about
>>>12 pounders, and we had turkey and potatoes for two weeks day and
>>>night. So, in short, we know financial hardship up front and
>>>personal and not just once or twice.
>>>
>>>Recently, with Sandy surgery, and Obama's new health care
>>>ratcheting down private insurance companies, along with the
>>>hospital she works for picking the cheapest insurance plans they
>>>could find, we found ourselves in deep water financially. Our
>>>house has been upside down for well over two years and although
>>>we've tried many places, we could not find a company to modify our
>>>mortgage for lower interest rates. Financially speaking, I'm
>>>leaving out a lot of details but many of you on the list
>>>understand what I'm trying to explain.
>>>
>>>My prayers for finances have been restricted, to one degree or
>>>other, mostly to what I have heard through preaching and teaching
>>>and studying God's Word. I also have put aspects of prayer the
>>>Lord has taught me personally into play over the years but I was
>>>still coming up dry most of the time. Nothing, unfortunately, was
>>>working and things were getting worse. I deep down inside,
>>>believed there was an answer and one that worked every time but I
>>>sure couldn't find it and what I had been practicing wasn't working either.
>>>
>>>One night, my victor stream battery was running low so I needed to
>>>plug it in to the charger. In my small 2-room office attached to
>>>the house, my walls, several of them anyway, are floor-to-ceiling
>>>bookshelves with all sorts of books and electronic equipment,
>>>including my ham radio equipment. To say the least, there are,
>>>wires and cables running all over the place in out-of-the-way
>>>places; for the most part, haha. In this particular case, I have
>>>two heavy duty computer electrical strips, with every slot filled,
>>>laying between my rocker recliner, and bookshelves I can reach
>>>easily without getting up, with lots of cables and wires laying
>>>around them on the floor and floor level shelve. What I lack, I
>>>have installed on the walls, near floor level, which I paid an
>>>electricians to do for me professionally, 24 more AC jacks and
>>>wired to only a couple of breakers at a time, so I have lots of
>>>power capability when it comes to plugging in everything under the
>>>son. My breaker box outside on the back of the house is so large,
>>>you can practically crawl into it, haha.
>>>
>>>As I reached down to feel for the victor stream charger wire, my
>>>mind immediately said, "Holy Spirit? You know where that wire is
>>>I need. Place my hand right on it." You guessed it. The first
>>>wire, out of all those cables laying on the floor, the first one I
>>>touched was the wire connected to the battery charger. By now, I
>>>have told these stories so many times, most of you are sick of
>>>them but there's more to this one than meets the eye.
>>>
>>>The split second my fingers touch the correct wire, at the speed
>>>of light, an additional thought came to my mind. this thought
>>>intersected, or overlaid, the first, that is, they overlaid one
>>>another just like coming to an intersection of streets. The other
>>>thought was, "Now, Lord," I said, "Why can't praying for money be
>>>as simple as the Holy Spirit helping me find a lost wire laying on
>>>the floor." I heard a small voice say, "It. IS. that. simple," He
>>>said with a strong impasses on the word is. I somewhat dismissed
>>>this because I wasn't listening as well due to my interest of
>>>finding the wire for the charger so I could plug in the charger to
>>>the victor stream. A short time later, however, I remembered what
>>>I'd heard and began to ask the Lord, "Are you trying to tell me it
>>>is truly that easy?" I realized it should be, for God, so what
>>>was the problem with me and how I prayed. I tried, that very
>>>evening, the following prayer.
>>>
>>>"Holy Spirit, you know exactly where the money is that I need and
>>>I don't. So I am asking you to take me to wherever the money is,
>>>placing my hand on the money, and then giving me the strength to
>>>lift it into my possession. If angels of God are needed to clear a
>>>path for us to get to where this money is you know about, I call
>>>upon them, in the name of the true Lord Jesus Christ, to clear a
>>>path and remove all that hinders. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."
>>>
>>>The next morning, I prayed the same prayer again, and as Sandy and
>>>I talked, we were directed to money we did not know was available
>>>to us. In fact, we had been blind to it because it had been
>>>discussed at least once. A phone call was made, and 50,000 dollars
>>>was available to us. It paid off all of our debts, except our
>>>house, so now we even have money to give to the church on a
>>>regular bases. Plus, we helped out some other people and we also
>>>paid back loans we had from our family members with interest. One
>>>big blessing, we do not have to pay it back so no extra loan
>>>payments. Does it work? Try it. I've learned, you don't have to
>>>believe on the outside by verbalizing it but you do have to
>>>believe on the inside that there is no way Jesus won't do it for
>>>you as one of His children. Go back and read that sentence
>>>several times. Without that inside belief, you don't have to
>>>understand it on the outside; just do it from within because Jesus
>>>has already done all the work for us.
>>>
>>>I cannot guarantee this will work for you because I can't even
>>>guarantee it will work for me again. I'm believing, on the other
>>>hand, this was no accident and it came through the power and
>>>wisdom of the Holy Spirit; of that I am certain. So, I will pray
>>>this way when needed.
>>>
>>>Phil.
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