Ned I feel the exact same way as you do about your blindness


Lelia Struve email [log in to unmask] msn [log in to unmask]
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ned Benton" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2005 2:33 PM
Subject: Re: spiritual abuse


> When I was about eight or nine years old, my parents took me to
> Tallahassee
> Florida, about 35 miles from Thomasville, Ga where we lived, to a tent
> meeting with Oral Roberts. I had to go back a 2nd night to get to him for
> the prayer line was so long.  Anyway, he prayed for me and, and when I was
> not instantly healed, he told me to go my way and the Lord would finish
> the
> work in me.
> Maybe the next year, I was visiting my uncle and his family in Peary
> Florida
> and we had a revival meeting at their little Assemblies of God church
> where,
> on Friday night, they had a healing service.  Again, I was not healed.  I
> believe with all my heart in both situations that I would be healed.
>
> Later, in my home town of Thomasville, we attended another tent meeting.
> I
> don't remember the evangelist's name, but when he prayed for me he had me
> say "thank you Jesus" several times.  Then he asked me to follow him
> around
> the stage. At that time, I had light and color perception.  He had on a
> white shirt and under thousands of watts of light.  I could have followed
> him to New York or to Canada.  (grin)  What I felt that night was that he
> deliberately missled the people to think that the Lord had healed me.  He
> asked if I believed the Lord would heal me and I said "yes".  Then, after
> the walk around the stage, he had me say "thank you Jesus" a few times.
> People we knew called or came by thinking I had been healed.
>
> There was once, while I was ministering at the Cleeveland Avenue church in
> Atlanta, my driver and I stopped in on a revival meeting in a chuirch one
> evening.  While everyone was praying, a gentleman came back to me and my
> driver and asked me to come up and be healed.  I told him as kindly as
> possible, that I thanked them for their interest but that I believed in
> the
> power of healing and that I believed in the power of prayer and would
> continue for the Lord to heal me if He could better use me with sight. I
> am,
> in many ways, thankful for my blindness because it allows me opportunities
> with many people that I would have otherwise.  Also, I would not be whom I
> am or where I am today had I not lost my sight.  It is a tremendous
> blessing
> in many ways.  Do I want to have sight?  You bet!  But I want to be the
> Lord's servant and if I can be a better servant without sight, then Lord
> let
> me remain blind.
>
> Okay, enough of my runnning on as if you all had nothing to do but read my
> email.
>
> I love you all and am happy to be a part of your family.
> Cindy and Angel, we are always happy to see new people on this list.  You
> can rest assured  that we are always here for you and that we actually
> pray
> for your requests and for your needs.
>
> Ned
>