I have shared with You some testimonies of God's power lately... and this time I would again like to share with You a testimony of God's power to protect His children when they trust in Him and His Word above everything else... right in the midst of a storm.

God indeed has exalted above all else His Name and His Word. No power of the enemy can damage what is protected by His Word and His Name. We are living in times when we need to know the power of His Word and His name personally, in order to live without fear, in complete confidence and safety in Him. Psalm 91:14 says:

"Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness - trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never]."

Our faith and confidence in the Lord have to be so strong and immovable that when a storm hits our lives (whatever the storm may be), we will stand strong in His power and wisdom! Luke 6:46-49 has a warning for us... how are we building our spiritual houses? Shall they stand intact when storm hits?

"Why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, and do not [practice] what I tell you? For everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words [in order to heed their teaching] and does them, I will show you what he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug and went down deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood arose, the torrent broke against that house and could not shake or move it, because it had been securely built or founded on a rock. But he who merely hears and does not practice doing My words is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, against which the torrent burst, and immediately it collapsed and fell, and the breaking and ruin of that house was great."

We have to take time to build our spiritual houses - our hearts/spirits while we are not yet in a storm... for when a storm hits, it would be very difficult to build a house then. If we have taken the time to build ourselves strong with the Word of God while all is well in our lives, we will be immovable during any storm. The Word of God inside of us will lead us and guide us. The Word will immediately flow out of our mouths (that is our deliverance!) and we will know what to do. No need to panic! We are confident in the power and help of the Lord.

If we haven't taken the time to feed on the Word of God during good times, we won't be able to rely on it during hard times... and then it might be too late to start searching the Bible for the verses of deliverance.

Although the testimony that I am going to share with You is about a physical storm, we can and should apply the Word of God and the name of Jesus Christ to any and every storm of our lives. Whether it is a physical, emotional, financial or any other battle, our enemy is still the one and the same. Our enemy is a spirit and it would be quite unwise to use physical or mental weapons against him (Eph. 6:12)... even though it may seem that our opponent is a person or a physical storm. We have been given spiritual weapons to use - God's Name and His Word that have been exalted above everything and everyone that exists! We can win every single battle of our lives by using those weapons. Powerful! Here is the testimony:

Pat Hicks listened to the weather while she filled her old rain barrel full of water. It was Sunday and the storm had a name now. Andrew. It was a harmless sounding name, and the forecasters expected it to be harmless enough in Miami, veering instead to the West Palm Beach area.

Still, Pat had lived in Florida long enough to learn the value of the old Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared. She and her husband, Del, had lived through Hurricane Donna in 1960, and Cleo in 1964, as well as Betsy, and David.

Pat ran a weary hand through her hair and gazed at her reflection in the water. She hadn't slept since Thursday. There had been too much to get done. The windows and doors had to be secured with awnings or plywood; barrels, pans and bathtubs filled with water, outdoor items stored inside, and extra food supplies purchased.

Besides storm precautions for her own home, Pat had to help prepare her invalid mother's house. Mama! Pat ran inside to call again about refills for her mother's oxygen tanks. The portable tank was almost empty, and her regular supply ran off electricity. If they should lose power.

After several unsuccessful calls, Pat cradled the phone in anguish. Were there no oxygen supplies left in Miami? Just then a weather report came on TV with an updated forecast. Listening, Pat stood as still as the balmy air outside.

The report wasn't good. Recent developments indicated that earlier predictions had been wrong. The storm wouldn't veer to West Palm Beach, after all. It was staying on course for Miami. The eye of the storm, with winds exceeding 150 mph, was heading directly toward the Hicks' house!

We'll load up Mama and the rest of the family and get out of Miami before it hits, Pat reasoned. Besides, there's probably plenty of oxygen inland.

Glancing out the window, she saw Del stepping out of his van. She knew by his somber expression that he had bad news.

"Baby, there's no way out of town," he said. "A million cars are bumper-to-bumper along every lane of highway leaving the city. And the traffic isn't moving more than 5 mph. Whatever's coming our way, we'll have to face right here."

Del and Pat Hicks were no strangers to facing obstacles head-on. Just over a year before, Del, a boat captain, had been aboard an airplane that had crashed into the ocean. Lost at sea for three days, he had held tight to the lifeline of Psalm 91, quoting the scripture from memory until he lost consciousness.

The airplane crash didn't kill him, the sharks couldn't eat him, and the ocean couldn't drown him. He had no intention of handing over an inch of his victory to the devil now. His old foe was back, trying to steal, kill and destroy - this time with a hurricane. Grabbing a hammer and the last of the plywood, Del headed back to his mother-in-law's to finish securing her house.

"We heard on the news," Pat says, "that the storm had swept through the Bahamas and was gathering strength moving toward Miami. I stepped outside and looked around. The weather was warm and deceptively beautiful, as it so often is before a hurricane.

"Our children had been born and raised in this house. Now our grandchildren play underneath the palm trees. I looked at our big old maple tree - it shouldn't even be able to grow this far south. Every tree and shrub on our property was woven into our family history with a story of its own. I couldn't bear to think of losing even one of them."

Pat Hicks had no power to hold back 150-mile winds, and she couldn't reign in a hurricane. But she knew the One Who could. Walking off the boundary of her property, she began to pray.

"Father," she began, "I understand from the weather report that I have 150-mile winds headed toward my home in the morning. Lord, without Your help, I don't believe my house can take it. So I'll do what Abraham did. I'll walk off my property, claiming it as my inheritance. Like Moses applied lamb's blood to the doorposts of his house when the death angel swept through Egypt, by faith I apply the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, to this property.

"Father, it must seem like I'm always coming to You with the 91st Psalm. I know there are other Scripture promises I could stand on, but I've seen this Psalm in my heart, and I know it's as true today as it was when it was first spoken. So today, I declare that Del and I dwell in the secret place of the Most High. We shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty against Whom no foe can stand. We say that You, Lord, are our God and our refuge in this storm."

Pat walked to the steel utility shed in the backyard. Laying her hands on the wall she prayed, "Father, this could do a lot of damage if it came apart. Therefore, I speak peace to this shed. I say you will not come apart. I speak strength to every part of this shed, in the Name of Jesus."

Walking from tree to tree, Pat touched each one lovingly saying, "This tree is now under the shadow of the Almighty."

Once their property was covered in prayer, Pat and Del figured it was the safest place in Miami. They gathered her mother, Henrietta, her husband, Gilbert, himself a victim of Alzheimer's disease, and his son Gary, and brought them to their home.A total of 11 family members and two dogs gathered for shelter under the Hicks' roof. At midnight their daughter, Alicia, turned off the television and turned to her mother. "You haven't had any rest," she said. "Let's go to bed and sleep as long as we can. There's nothing else we can do now."

Outside, the rain - which started at dusk - intensified, driven by gusting winds. Electrical power failed at 2 o'clock in the morning. The hum of the air conditioner stopped, leaving an eerie silence in contrast to the noise of the storm. Pat jumped up and ran to her mother, rationing what remained of the oxygen supply. Within minutes the house, sealed from the storm, began to warm like an oven.

"Sleep was out of the question now," Pat says. "We put a battery-operated television in the middle of our king-size bed, and the family piled around it to watch the weather reports. As the storm intensified, we could hear things slamming into the house."

For hours heavy objects beat against the house like a battering ram. "Lord, what was that?"

"Did you hear that...?"

By 4 o'clock in the morning, the storm was so violent it seemed as though the house trembled. It sounded like freight trains roaring through a tunnel. Suddenly Del said, "Baby! It looks like we're about to lose the roof!"

Pat responded quickly, "Everybody, lay hands on the walls and speak the Name of Jesus."

Moment by moment, the shuddering roof held its position, proving without question that the Name of Jesus has far more authority than any hurricane.

"Our house is in a direct line parallel to the weather service's Hurricane Center," Pat explains. "Around 5 o'clock in the morning we watched a radar report of the eyewall moving inland. Despite the fact that the eye of the storm was farther south, high winds hit the Hurricane Center, taking out their wind meter, their radar and everything on top of the building. The last reading on the wind meter recorded winds up to 163 mph."

By that time, the Hicks' house was being slammed by one object after another as the hurricane disassembled the surrounding neighborhood and hurled its pieces to the wind. "It sounded like cars hitting the house. We tried looking out the window, but due to the darkness and objects flying by so fast, you couldn't distinguish what they were. Something crashed so loud in the backyard it sounded like the shed had blown apart."

By 7 o'clock in the morning, the storm began to subside. Around 7:30 a.m., Capt. Hicks and his family stepped outside to a scene that looked like a bombed out war zone.

"Sheds were hanging from electrical wires," Del remembers. "Half the house behind us to the north was missing. Most of the homes in the neighborhood had extensive damage to all or part of their roofs. Debris was strewn everywhere. Trees were uprooted or missing altogether. Ours was the only home in the area with a shed intact. The shed doors had blown open, but miraculously everything was inside."

When neighbors ventured out to survey the damage, they stared at the Hicks' yard. One man asked Pat, "What did you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"What did you do to protect your place? You still have every tree."

Sure enough, the two huge trees in the front were burned by the wind, but alive and well. The palm trees were intact. The maple had fallen over, but when Del replanted it, it took root and grew.

"Our property looked like an oasis in a desert of destruction," Pat says.

Pat and Del Hicks thank God that the eyewall of the hurricane moved 7 miles south of a direct hit on their house. But they aren't the least bit surprised. They knew it had to go around or over their property, because the eye couldn't go through the protection that had been placed there.

In the aftermath of the storm, friends and family members whose homes were destroyed sought refuge with the Hicks. For three weeks, 14 people lived in their four-bedroom, two-bathroom home.

"When the streets were cleared, we drove through a 40-mile area and cried," Pat says. "The devastation was beyond description. It broke my heart to see how many people lost property and possessions at the hand of the enemy."

One thing the Hicks are certain about: The devil will stop at nothing but the Name of Jesus. They believe more than ever in the importance of being prepared - in the natural and in the spiritual. That's why they begin every day with the 91st Psalm. It is - and always will be - their refuge in every storm.

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On August 24, 1992, the storm of the century raged through Dade County, Fla., with winds in excess of 200 mph. Its name - Andrew. Hurricane Andrew. Within hours, more than 250,000 people were left homeless. Twenty-six people lost their lives. Thousands of people were without clean drinking water and electricity for days. More than 70 percent of all trees were battered beyond salvage. Both the avocado and lime crops were destroyed. Homestead Air Force Base was destroyed.

The damage has been estimated at $20 billion - that exceeds Hurricane Hugo which struck South Carolina in 1989, and the 1989 earthquake in San Francisco. And the statistics go on...

Before Andrew hit the Miami area, KCM Partners Capt. and Mrs. Del Hicks claimed God's protection, and by faith applied it to their property and family. As you read their story of triumph, be encouraged to walk in your covenant rights of protection, provision and blessing. No storm is too great for our God!

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I hope You enjoyed the testimony! God is faithful to His Word... we have to learn to trust Him. Isaiah 8:13-14 says:

"The Lord of hosts - regard Him as holy and honor His holy name [by regarding Him as your only hope of safety], and let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread [lest you offend Him by your fear of man and distrust of Him]. And He shall be a sanctuary [a sacred and indestructible asylum to those who reverently fear and trust in Him]." What a promise! We can rely on Him... at all times... in everything. He will never fail us... no never!

Many, many blessings to You,

I was talking to my good friend last night and he shared about an incident where he had felt God telling him to do something. He then shared what he had heard with someone very close to him and their counsel was that it could not have been God. So, he ignored the leading and the whole thing ended very sadly for him.

Another one of my friends shared with me the situation he was in, not knowing what the Word of God said about it. He had searched for counsel from his friends which stretched from one extreme to another. Yet, in this situation the Bible was clear. He had got to the point where he was completely confused and frustrated, ready to make another mistake.

God talks to every one of us. God is trying to lead us every single day... in big decisions and in tiny decisions. There are things that are very clear in the Bible and we should seek for no other leading in those matters... but then there are matters that are not in black and white. We need to hear from God in those.

Just a few days ago I went into a store to buy some food... and how many times has this happened to me before! ... I looked at an item of food and had the kind of tiny sensing that I should buy it, but I thought I had enough at home, so I did not purchase it... only to get back home and find that I had none.

I know the latter is just a small matter... but those small matters grow into big ones. When we learn to listen to this tiny voice or leading or sensing in our hearts in small matters, we will be much more confident in following the inner leading in big matters. This, I believe, is one of the most, most, most important things we should learn - to listen to and follow the tiny voice (which so often is not a voice at all, although we call it a voice... it is just a sensing or a knowing or a check about something).

We literally need to learn to live from the inside out... allowing the Word of God and our hearts to lead us. We have to stop living from the outside in... allowing the world around us to dictate how we should live or what we should do. Even Christian counsel is not always right... especially if it does not agree with our hearts. Of course we always need to know what the Word says about the matter for if it is black and white in the Bible, we do not need any other counsel, we just need to do what the Word says. If our knowledge is not yet strong in the Word of God, we should become strong in the Word... for God never ever leads us crosswise to the Bible. In this case, if our hearts do not agree with the Word, it is us who need to change.

When we have prayed for something and have a sensing in our hearts that we need to step out, then we need to do just that, trusting that as we take a step of faith, the door will be open for us. I so remember how my pastor said to me years ago: Sometimes God will tell you to go through a door and yet there is no door, but as you take a step of faith, the door will appear.

It is so true. When we have taken the time to pray and to listen to God and wait for Him... and He tells us to step out, we need to step out. He will meet us at the next step. Often we do not even see the next step, but as we take it by faith, we will suddenly see and the door will open for us.

Again, I would like to share with You from Diary of God's General how John G. Lake felt that God was leading him to go to South Africa to be a missionary. He gave up his job, gave away his estate and distributed his funds, making himself completely dependent on God. This man truly understood that as he was going to work for God, he should completely trust in God to provide his every need. He did not depend on people nor their giving. He knew that when God called him to do something, He Himself would take care of his own and his large family's needs. It sounds so bold and amazing... yet it is so simple, something that God has called us all to do - to completely rely on Him and trust in Him in our callings... and I am not only talking about Christian work, but also worldly work when God has called us to it. He leads us in our everyday jobs and as we obey Him, He becomes involved in our needs and desires. Here is the excerpt:

"I disposed of my estate, distributed my funds in a manner to be for the best interests of the Kingdom of God, made myself wholly dependent upon God for the support of myself and family, and abandoned myself to the preaching of Jesus.

While ministering in a city in northern Illinois, the chore boy in the hotel where we were staying asked for help in sawing a large tree. I volunteered to assist him. As we sawed the Spirit of the Lord spoke within my spirit clearly and distinctly: "Go to Indianapolis. Prepare for a winter campaign. Get a large hall. In the spring you will go to Africa."

(It all came to pass. It is power. Power is manifest in many ways. There is a power of faith which draws to you what seems impossible.)

I returned to the hotel and told my wife of the incident. She said, "I knew several days ago that your work here was done, for as I prayed the Spirit said to me, "Your husband is going on."

I went to Indianapolis and the Lord directed in a marvelous way. In a few days I had secured a large hall and began services, as He had directed.

One day during the following February (after I had been preaching some time), my preaching partner said to me, "John, how much will it cost to take our party to Johannesburg, South Africa?"

I replied, "Two thousand dollars."

"Well, if we are going to Africa in the spring, it is time that you and I were praying for the money."

"Tom, I have been praying for the money ever since New Year's. I have not heard from the Lord or from anyone else concerning it."

"Never mind. Let's pray again."

We went to Tom's room and knelt down by his bed in prayer.

After some time he slapped me on the back, saying, "Don't pray anymore, John. Jesus told me just now that He would send us that two thousand dollars, and it would be here in four days."

Four days later Tom returned from the post office and threw out upon the table four $ 500 drafts, saying, "John, there is the answer. Jesus has sent it. We are going to Africa."

The gift of money had been sent to Tom by a friend with a letter. The letter read, "I was standing in the bank in Monrovia, California, and something said to me, "Send Tom Hezmalhaltz two thousand dollars." It is yours, Tom, for whatever purpose God has shown you."

I replied, "Send it down. I have no money, but perhaps the Lord will meet us before we need to get it." Being very busy, I forgot about it entirely.

On the last night of our stay in Liverpool, just after I had retired about midnight, my wife said, "How about the laundry?" I replied, "I'm sorry, but I forgot it."

"Just like a man! Now I'll tell you about it. I knew you didn't have any money, neither did I. So I prayed about it. After praying, I felt that I should go down to the laundry and inquire what the amount of the bill was. It was $ 1.65. As I was returning to the hotel, I passed a gentleman on the street. He said, "Pardon me, but I feel I should give you this." He handed me a number of coins. I returned to the laundry, counted it out to the laundryman, and found it was just the amount of the bill."

We rejoiced in this little evidence of God's presence with us.

The next morning we left by train for London and that evening boarded our ship for South Africa.

At that time, I had an English shilling. When our ship stopped at Madeira, one of the Canary Islands, I purchased a shilling's worth of fruit for the children - and the last penny was gone.

Through my knowledge of the immigration laws of South Africa, I knew that before we would be permitted to land, I must show the immigration inspector that I possessed at least $ 125. We prayed earnestly over this matter. About the time we reached the equator, a rest came into my soul concerning it, and I could pray no more.

About eight or ten days later we arrived in Cape Town harbor, and our ship anchored. The immigration inspector came on board, and the passengers lined up at the purser's office to present their money and receive their tickets to land.

My wife said, "What are you going to do?"

"I am going to line up with the rest. We have obeyed God this far. It is now up to the Lord."

As I stood in line, awaiting my chance to explain our dilemma, a fellow passenger suddenly tapped me upon the shoulder and indicated that I should step out of the line and walk over to the ship's rail to speak with him. He asked me some questions, then he drew from his pocket a traveler's checkbook. He handed me two money orders totaling 42 pounds sterling, or $ 200.

He said, "I feel led to give this to help your work."

Johannesburg is 1,000 miles inland from Cape Town. Throughout the voyage we earnestly prayed about the subject of a home. As faith missionaries, we had neither a board nor friends behind us to furnish money. We were dependent upon God. Many times during the trip to Johannesburg, we bowed our heads and reminded God that when we arrived there we would need a home.

Upon our arrival, as we stepped ashore, I observed a little woman bustling up, whom I instantly recognized to be an American.

She stepped up to Tom and said, "You are an American missionary party?"

He replied, "Yes."

"How many are there in your party?"

"Four."

"No," she said, "you are not the family. Is there any other?" He said, "Yes. Mr.Lake."

Turning to me, she said, "How many are in your family?"

I answered, "My wife, myself, and seven children only."

"Oh," she said, "you are the family."

"What is it, madam?"

"While in prayer last night, God told me to meet this boat, and there would be upon it an American missionary with a family of nine, consisting of two adults and seven children, and that I was to give them a home."

At 3 o'clock that same afternoon, we were in a furnished cottage in Johannesburg. God had provided the home for us.

Our beloved benefactor was an American missionary, Mrs. C.L. Goodenough. She remained our beloved friend and fellow worker in the Lord.

And that is how we got to Africa."

END

Isn't it amazing how God takes over when we surrender all to Him, giving up all other hope! I remember that in the beginning - even not realizing myself that I was doing it - I always said that I trusted God, but still made a back-up plan in case God failed me. I was so used to back-up plans that I did not notice I was doing it even with God... until He showed it to me. Now I am learning more and more to put all my trust and hope in Him and His promises. He has never ever failed one single person who has put their hope in His Word and in His personal promises to them... He is not going to fail us! Our blessings are in our steps of obedience:

Many, many blessings to You,

Jesus Christ has already borne - on the cross - for You and me, all of our griefs, sicknesses, weaknesses, distresses and carried all of our sorrows and pains. Jesus Christ has already done it all for us. It is finished...and yet, most of the time we live as though He has not yet been nailed to the cross. We still live, waiting for Him to take the curse and deliver us of it... but it is done! We can actually live in the supernatural power of God.

Supernatural power of God is available to every single born again believer who is ready to take God's Word literally and receive what He has done for us and promised us.

Often it does not happen overnight. Our minds are too full on the "wisdom" of this world. We have to completely renew our minds in order to live on a supernatural level. When we do, all of God's power is available to us. This is the reason God constantly tells us to STAY in His Word... for His Word transforms our thinking... and thus our whole lives.

Some people receive complete healing instantly when they are prayed for... but others don't... which does not mean that God has not chosen to heal them. No, there are too many healing promises in the Word for God to not desire to heal... but there might be some blessing blockers in our lives - unbelief, unforgiveness etch. - that do not allow the instant manifestation. We need to hear from God to recognize the blessing blockers and get rid of them. Then we can receive.

I believe that most often healing comes through the daily confession of healing verses, until the healing manifests (which is also a great way to prevent disease)... though, sometimes it takes just one prayer. Whatever the case, God is ready and willing to heal us. Isaiah 53 lets us know that Jesus has already made sure that supernatural healing be available for every believer... for He personally bore our griefs, sicknesses, weaknesses, distresses and carried all of our sorrows and pains. Those things do not belong to believers any longer. Jesus delivered us of them and of all the curse once and for all... but we need to know it and firmly believe it in order to receive it.

God operates by promises. He lets us know through His Word what He is willing and longing to do for us. We have to just believe it and receive it. It really is very simple... except because of the sin and curse infested environment we live in, it has become hard for us to trust Him so completely. But we can change our attitudes.

I believe it is the time for us to step out of worldly Christianity and start living in the true power of God! "[so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength..." (Eph.1:19)

"For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment." (Luke 1:37)

Think about it! Those are promises given to You and me. What is it that You need from God? There is a promise in the Word of God where He tells You that He is well able and willing to fulfill this need in Your life. We are not waiting after God... He is waiting for us to finally start believing what He has said to us.

Isaiah 7:9 is powerful. Living Bible says: "You don't believe Me? If you want Me to protect you, you must learn to believe what I say." ...whatever is the need in our lives... we have to learn to believe what God says about the matter in His Word and receive it by faith. It might take time to manifest, but if we choose to believe God's promise, we will receive it.

God has no favorites. What He is ready to do for one of us, He is ready to do for every single one of us. Lets step up on a new level of faith and learn to live in God's power! I would like to share some excerpts from the life of John G. Lake (b. 1870), who truly lived in the power of God. The supernatural became natural to him. He believed God and received from Him. "Diary of God's General" is a tiny book, but powerful:

"I found God as a boy, so for years - 50 of them almost - I have been walking in the light of God, understanding fellowship with Him and listening to His Voice.

I want to call to your attention some of the things the Christian enjoys that others miss.

A dear man received an injury that caused his death in a motor accident not far from Beaverton. The day after this man was killed, I was visiting some friends in Beaverton and they told me of his injury. After our visit, my wife and I were driving into the city. As we were coming up one of the highways, a Voice said, "Pull onto the left of the road and stop."

Don't you know that Voice, Christian heart? That Voice is so common that I never even spoke of it to my wife.

The left side is the wrong side of the road, and you are breaking the traffic law to be there. But I have listened to that Voice to many years that I have learned in most cases to obey it. Jesus said, "My sheep know my voice." (John 10:27)

(The thought I am trying to bring to you, dear friends, is the value of knowing the Lord and what communion with God means. Salvation is not just something God gives you that is going to bless you after you die; it is having the presence of the Lord now. God has promised to the Christian the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit.)

I pulled onto the left-hand side of the road, ran the wheels of my car close into the ditch, and stopped. Immediately, I heard the grinding of a great truck coming around the curve. I had not seen it before. Instead of coming normally, it was coming down the driver's left-hand side of the road at a 45-degree angle. The truck had gone out of control and was covering the whole road!

If I had been on my side of the road, it would have sideswiped me and pushed me over the bank. A 100-foot drop down! But I was on the other side when the great thing swept past me.

The truck went 50 to 100 feet beyond me, struck a rough spot in the road, and righted itself. The driver got the truck under control and went on.

Dear friends, men in the Word of God were guided by the Voice of God. God talked to them. This is the inner thing of real Christian experience, the reason men seek by the grace of God to enter into the real heart of God - into the real soul of Jesus Christ - into the place where He lives within you - where His Voice speaks in your heart.

I was sitting one day in the home of the DeValeras in Krugersdrop, South Africa, when a man arrived who had traveled all over the country. He had been following me from place to place, trying to catch up with me. He suffered a sunstroke which had affected his mind, and he also developed a large cancer.

He came into the house and proved to be a friend of the family.

In a little while a six-year-old child who had been sitting near me when across the room, climbed on the man's knees, put her hands on the cancer on his face, and prayed.

I saw the cancer wither. In half an hour, the thing had disappeared. The wound was still there, but in a few days it was healed.

After the child laid her hands on top of his head, he arose, saying, "Oh! The fire that has been in my brain has gone out," and his mind was normal.

"Power belongeth unto God" (Ps. 62:11). The simplest soul can touch God and live in the very presence of God and in His power.

It is almost a sadness to my soul that men should be astonished and surprised at an ordinary, tangible evidence of the power of God.

A woman came into the Healing Rooms once with a tumor larger than a full-grown unborn child. Her physicians had been fooled, believing it to be a child until nature's period had passed. Then they decided it must be something else.

She came to the Healing Rooms and I interviewed her. She said, "Mr. Lake, I have the opinion of several physicians. They are all different, but each has said, "It is possible it may be a child." But now the time has passed, and they do not know what to say."

I put my hand upon her for a moment, and I said, "Madam, it is not a child; it is a tumor."

She sat down and wept. Her nurse was with her. He soul was troubled and she did not receive healing.

She came back on another afternoon for prayer and returned the next day wearing her corsets. She said, "I came down to show you that I am perfectly normal. When I retired last night at 10 o'clock, there was no evidence that anything had taken place, beyond that I felt comfortable and the choking was gone. But when I awoke this morning, I was my normal size."

I asked, "Did it disappear in the form of fluid?"

She said, "There was not an outward sign of any character."

Beloved, what happened to it?

It dematerialized. The tumor dissolved.

What is a miracle? It is the tangible evidence of the supreme control of the Spirit of God over every character and form of materiality.

Beloved, the power of such an event, such an act and sign, shows you and me that through living, positive, actual contact with the Spirit of God, all things are possible. Blessed be His name!"

Many, many blessings to You,

Have You ever got a ride in a police car or a fire engine with the siren blasting so loud it is about to make You deaf and all the other cars moving out of the way? Well, I didn't exactly get a ride in a police car nor fire engine, I was riding in my own car when suddenly during a very heavy rain my alarm went off and was blasting so loud it was about to make me deaf. At first I did not understand it was my car's alarm. I thought it was someone else's... so, I was trying to get away from this noise, but when it kept persistently following me, I figured it must be my alarm and not someone else's. Goodness, it just did not shut up! It kept blasting. I drove as fast as the allowed speed-limit in the city... well, a wee bit faster... to my car repairers. They were not able to help me, except to send me to the other end of the city to a guy who could help me. So, I took off with the blasting alarm, loudly announcing to everyone my approach. It was the worse to stand behind the traffic lights, waiting for the green - everyone was looking at me... some cars were moving away from my way... I thought, well, that sure is a way to make an entrance - with siren blasting all over the place.

I even passed two police cars... but I guess they could not figure out which car was causing the disturbance... as there was nothing else abnormal: my lights were not blinking nor was I driving crazy. So, at least I was not stopped by a police! I could imagine them trying to question me in a sign language, as I could not have heard their voices. To keep sane in this hullabaloo, I stuffed my ears with some cotton, on top of which I squeezed earplugs, in order to listen to something uplifting... in a very loud voice!

To top it all off, I got lost... which is not that uncommon with me... so, I had to make 3 phone-calls to finally find the private car repairers. Each time I had to stop the car, jump out and run to a distance from my blasting vehicle where I could hear something. Sure enough, I was a center of attention every time! You see, Estonians, though, are very calm people, so, no one came to me, asking whether it was my car or had I stolen it. I was just being surveyed. When I finally found the place, thank God, the man was able to silence my car in less than 10 minutes. Some wires had united that shouldn't have been, causing the terrible hullabaloo... but that is technical stuff that I do not understand, so I can't explain it.

A few days later I asked my sister (who lives in the States) where was the phone number for the guys who had installed the alarm... she told me it was on a sticker on my car window. Oh, well... I did not remeber it.

So, I guess You understand my gratefulness and relief to get back home and de-stress with a lovely cup of calming tea... in a calming bath! It works, You know!

Herbal Stress Relievers

Do you have stress in your life? If left untreated, stress can be a serious health hazard that affects both mental and physical wellbeing. Excessive stress robs the body of nutrients, harms the cardiovascular system, and lowers the effectiveness of the immune system.

Psychologically, stress can induce depression, anxiety, anger, fear, and other negative patterns. How well do you deal with stress? What can you do?

Thomas Stearns Lee, NMD, suggests the use of herbs that can reduce or even eliminate some of the negative effects of stress. He says that some herbs are the best treatment for physical ailments, while others work better for psychological problems. Although he suggests that we manage our emotions and learn to master our reactions to stress in order to really "cure" stress, in the meanwhile, herbs can definitely help. Here are some very useful tips from dr.Lee:

If you are under pressure and you feel your heart racing while your breathing becomes more rapid, you may feel better quickly with the use of Hawthorne berries and Linden flowers in capsules or as teas.

If the stress affects your digestive system, try Chamomile or Peppermint.

For tight shoulders, use Valerian, which will also help with insomnia.

Feverfew and Willow bark will help with tension headaches and stress-related migraines.

If your nervous system has been stretched to the limit, use Oats. As a food or in the form of oatstraw tea, oats will nourish the nervous system.

Herbs that will help the body achieve balance are said to have adaptogenic properties. For example, Ginseng can help strengthen the body's systems for handling stress. The result is that you can train up to handle stress better next time, while a stimulant only gets you over a hurdle for the short term.

No amount of medicine is going to make the stress events different in our lives, but we can usually handle the physical effects of stress better with the intelligent use of herbs.

If these tips don't work well enough to help in your particular pressure-cooker of a life, dr. Lee suggests we work with an experienced Naturopathic Physician to get things understood and changed for the better. A good Magnesium and Vitamin B supplement might help too.

Essential Oils that Help Relieve Stress

In her book Aromatherapy Solutions, Veronica Sibley suggests the following essential oils to use against stress and its various forms:

Angelica ( Angelica archangelica) to relieve fatigue, migraines, nervous stress, health problems caused by stress;

Benzoe (Styrax bezoin) for mild depression and sadness, to calm and lift the spirits;

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) for migraines, neuralgia, stressed out nervous system;

Galban (Ferula galbaniflua) to relieve stress;

Greipfruit (Citrus paradisi) to relieve depression and lift the spirits;

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) to alleviate nervous exhaustion;

Jasmin (Jasminum Grandiflorum) to relieve depression, lift the spirits, balance emotions, increase self-confidence;

Lime (Citrus aurantifolia) to relieve anxiety and depression;

Majoram (sweet) (Origanum majorana) to calm, alleviate muscle spasms, migraines and pain;

Milfoil (yarrow) (Achillea millefolium) to relieve insomnia, high blood pressure and problems caused by stress;

Pine (Pinus sylvestris) for nervous exhaustion and fatigue;

Neroli (Citrus aurantium var. amara) to increase self-confidence and self-respect, to relax and efficiently relieve mental and emotional stress;

Sandalwood (Santalum album) to enjoy calm and deep meditation, to relax, to relieve depression, stress and fear;

Tangerine (Citrus reticulata) for nervous stress;

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) to relieve insomnia, migraines, unrest and nervous stress;

Warning: when You buy essential oils, make sure they are pure, preferably organic and not synthetic. Many over-the-counter essential oils are synthetic and may cause more health problems than benefits.

How to use: Place one or two drops of the chosen essential oil on the palm of Your hands and inhale. You can rub the oil into Your wrists and into the soles of Your feet. The oil will travel in seconds to other parts of Your body, causing the calming effect.

For a calming bath, mix about 10 drops of the essential oil in milk (as essential oils do not mix with water), pour into Your bath water... enjoy.

I wish You all an efficient, stress-free, high-energy week,

I believe we all know this story about the prodigal son and the joy of the father when he returned home. The father loved both of his sons the same. He did not love the prodigal more. He loved both the same, wanting to bless them both and do them good. The younger son received his father's blessings. He knew and understood that he did not deserve them. He had wasted all of his inheritance... yet, his father bestowed abundant blessings on him... and he received them with gratitude.

The elder son, though, did not really act as a son. He acted as a servant. He did not even know that he could just take what his father had and enjoy the abundance with his friends. Aren't those words just so deep and touching: "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours."

The father expected the son to know it. The father assumed that his son was aware that if he wanted something, he could just go and take it... but he was wrong. For some reason his own son had started to act like a servant and not an heir. He was a son and an heir but he did not act like one, missing out on all the wonderful blessings his father had put ready for him and expected him to just take... as they were his. On top of that, he blamed his father for not giving him what he desired.

The elder son did not live in the truth, he lived in a lie... he believed the lie and he suffered because of that. His image of himself was crooked, causing him to become bitter and blame others for his self-induced affliction.

My thoughts went to this story last night, when pastor Steve sent me a message that had blessed him... a message by a Presbyterian Bible teacher, Steve Brown. As the message hit me home, I want to share it with You also... praying that it will bless YOU. Here it is:

A friend of mine, Bruce Fogerty, said the other day that one should "never go to work for God."

That sounds like heresy until you listen to what else Bruce said. He went on:

"Stay His child. Working for God always has and always will stink. Being God's son or daughter and enjoying the privileges of adoption is a blessing of unimagined proportions. Satan's goal now in your life is to have you get from son/heir to day laborer. Don't make the trade."

I've thought about that as of late and decided that sometimes I think of myself as more of a day laborer than a son. I do believe that I'm a valued, forgiven and acceptable day laborer. I believe that I'm a loved day laborer, Christ died for this day laborer and he chose me to be his day laborer.

That's no small thing.

I've worked for God for a very long time...longer than many of you have been alive. Frankly, I'm pretty good at it. Some even call me "Reverend." That means I'm a very good day laborer in God's fields. I even teach people how to work better in God's fields. That makes me not only a day laborer, but also a foreman of other day laborers.

That's no small thing either.

Some even call me "Doctor" and that means I'm a really, really good day foreman/day laborer.

As some of you know, I'm not even a nurse. My doctorates are phony and I got them for speaking at academic graduations where they make you a "doctor" and pay you for talking to them. I always felt that was a sort of "crazy doctorate" until I realized that the people who gave them to me thought that I was one heck of a day laborer or they wouldn't have asked me to speak, paid me or given me the phony doctorate.

That's a big thing.

It's not half bad to be a day laborer. The wages are okay and the retirement plan is outstanding. My boss is benevolent and kind, never demanding more than I can give. When I screw it up, my boss is understanding and, I might say, isn't even surprised.

And in this business of being a day laborer, that's no small thing either.

The problem with a day laborer is...well...you're "just" a day laborer.

Don't get me wrong. I don't mind being "just" a day laborer. I would rather work for my boss than anybody else's boss. In fact, I've tried working for other bosses and it never worked out. They often abused me, demeaned me, promised me stuff on which they refused to deliver and sometimes left me feeling miserable and alone.

So, when I "switched" bosses, I felt it was okay...better than okay.

I have always been familiar with such passages as Romans 8:14-15, "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons (and daughters), by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'" I've memorized passages like Ephesians 1:5, "... he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." And I've taught Galatians 4:4-7 several times: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons (and daughters). And because you are sons (and daughters), God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' So you are no longer a slave, but a son (or daughter), and if a son (or a daughter), then an heir through God."

That's not just a big thing...that's astounding! In fact, the more I think about it, the more comfortable I get with the truth of my standing with the boss. In fact, I've decided that I'm something else! I don't ever have to feel inferior, poor or defeated. The King of everything isn't my boss...

...he's my Father.

A day laborer, when the day is over, goes back to his shack. A son or daughter gets to live in the big house and sleep in a nice bed with servants everywhere.

A day laborer stays a day laborer as long as his labor is acceptable. There is a limit to how much even a good and benevolent boss will abide. There is always the chance, even with the most patient of bosses, of the boss saying, "I've had it with you. Get out of here." A son or daughter stays a son or daughter no matter what.

A good day laborer gets a good salary and sometimes, when he or she has been a particularly valuable day laborer, even gifts and bonuses. A son or daughter gets everything.

A day laborer is protected as a "producing unit" on the farm as long as he or she produces...but you mess with a son or daughter and you're in big trouble.

Do you remember the old Tennessee Ernie Ford song, Sixteen Tons?
Some people say a man is made outta mud
A poor man's made outta muscle and blood
Muscle and blood and skin and bones
A mind that's a-weak and a back that's strong.
You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me, 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store.

Well, I no longer owe my soul to the company store. I own the store. It's my inheritance.

So I've stopped working for God as a day laborer. I'm getting too old for this anyway.

Maybe my being a son instead of a day laborer makes me sound a bit flip and even sometimes offensive. Maybe I seem to take it too much for granted and appear to be a little too cocky. Sometimes I even take advantage of the fact that I'm not a day laborer and do things that would get a day laborer fired. I laugh a lot and that offends some of the other day laborers and there are times when I even refuse to work.

But I don't care. Everybody will have to deal with it. My Father owns this farm and he loves me and will never kick me out. Fathers don't kick their sons out...at least really good fathers, and this one is the best. My elder brother (Jesus) said, "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more your Father who is in heaven..." (Matthew 7:11).

If you want, you can have my hoe and shovel, and even my paycheck.

I don't need them.

You don't either. Try to remember that.

Our Father asked me to remind you.

In His Grip,

... I hope You enjoyed this lovely reminder that we are sons and daughters of the King of Kings... and we should enjoy the benefits :-)

Many, many blessings to You,

What a powerful, powerful, powerful Word! ...and so encouraging! Wow! It got me real excited! "In order that you may not grow disinterested and become spiritual sluggards, but imitators, behaving as do those who through faith and by practice of patient endurance and waiting are now inheriting the promises."

Hey, faith alone is not enough! Faith alone won't cut it. We also need patience... something we almost never have enough. But think about it, we may have (feel) powerful faith today and tomorrow and the next day... and possibly even the next week... or if we stretch ourselves a bit more, we might even have faith next month... but then, if we do not have patience, our faith starts to fade away.

Isn't this verse just such a powerful encouragement! It is ok when the promise has not yet manifested after a month or even longer. It is ok. God is not telling us that this is it: you do not have enough faith for it, so you won't have it. No, God in His great mercy is molding us and carving us and modeling us... into faith giants. Yes, He is making us into true faith people... whose faith would never fail.

And You know why I can be so certain and sure... because verse 18 continues to explain: "by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God ever to prove false or deceive us, we who have fled [to Him] for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope appointed to us and set before [us]."

There are 2 unchangeable things - God's promise and God's oath. Those 2 things can never ever change. I mean, think about it, if He would suddenly change His mind about something, everything would collapse... not just our little lives, but the whole universe, for Hebrews 1:3 tells us that God is "upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power."

He has set certain spiritual laws into motion. He has built the whole universe on those spiritual laws... and if He changed even one of them, the whole universe would get messed up. And what more, He can't change His promises for He has given an oath - sworn by His Own life. Well, that is powerful!

We worry and fear and fret about whether to trust His promises or choose our own way that seems much easier as we can achieve it ourselves... and yet He has given us an oath that He is fully behind His promises. They can never be changed. If there is a promise in the Word, we can have it. Sure, oftentimes it takes quite a bit of meditating on a promise until it sinks into our hearts where real faith resides, but still the truth remains - if it is in the Word, we can have it.

Listen to verse 13... gosh, it is all so powerful: "For when God made [His] promise to Abraham, He swore by Himself, since He had no one greater by whom to swear, saying, Blessing I certainly will bless you and multiplying I will multiply you."

God swore by Himself, since He had no one greater by whom to swear. I mean, what greater promise can there exist? God swore by Himself for there was no one else as great as Himself to swear by. This settles the whole issue!

And what did He swear? He swore, "Blessings I certainly will bless you." Those two words, coming from the lips of God are powerful enough: I WILL... but He went further... I guess He knew what kind of doubting bunch we are!... saying, I CERTAINLY will bless you. He CERTAINLY WILL! He certainly will fulfill His promises in our lives. He certainly will heal us. He certainly will prosper us. He certainly will help us in whatever situation we need His help. HE CERTAINLY WILL!

So, there is no question about God's willingness to bless us... none whatsoever. Verse 15 tells us HOW Abraham - the Father of Faith - received his promise from God: "And so it was that he [Abraham] having waited long and endured patiently, realized and obtained what God had promised him."

I don't think we will have to prepare ourselves to wait for a long time for God to bless us... no!... BUT, if it has taken quite a bit for a certain promise to come to pass, we should by no means give up and think that it won't happen... especially if the promise is right here in the Bible, in black and white. God does deliver some of His promises to us much faster than others. I believe it is because we find some of His promises easier to believe than others. Also, other people may be involved in our promise, which means God doesn't only have us to work with, but someone else too, in order to bless us. There may be other reasons... but the truth is, if we have not yet obtained our promise, we should keep holding on to it, trusting the Lord and drawing closer to Him.

I think the part in the brackets of Hebrews 6:12 is really powerful. What is faith? Here is the answer: Faith is our leaning of the entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness. I meditate on this part from time to time to make sure I am in faith... not getting in the mode of trying to achieve God's promise on my own... like Abraham and Sarah did before they came to the place of true, strong, immovable and unshakable faith.

But what if there are a lot more of those who do not believe in the promises of God, or they just pick the ones they believe in and leave the rest ...will it affect us too? Sure, if we believe them more than we believe the Bible... or if we listen to them long enough! Other than that, other people's unbelief won't influence us. Romans 3:3-4a says: "What if some did not believe and were without faith? Does their lack of faith and their faithlessness nullify and make ineffective and void the faithfulness of God and His fidelity [to His Word]? By no means! Let God be found true though every human being is false and a liar, as it is written."

God's promises won't change whether we choose to believe them or not. What we are able to receive from God is completely individual. Some people may believe for much greater things than I am able to believe for at this point of my faith-walk... but as I spend more time in the Word and in the fellowship with the Lord, my faith grows too. It is us, every Christian individually, who decide the level of our faith. We make a choice to believe or reject. God has already made His up His mind... and He has announced it to us: He is willing and ready to bless us. Now, we are the ones who will have to determine what we believe in ...and we will be living accordingly.

Hebrews 4:2 has a warning for us: "We have had the glad tidings [Gospel of God] proclaimed to us just as truly as they [the Israelites of old did when the good news of deliverance from bondage came to them]; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not mixed with faith (with the leaning of the entire personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) by those who heard it."

Although the Israelites did have the awesome message of deliverance preached to them, "the message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not mixed with faith" by them. God was so excitedly telling them about everything He was ready to do for them... they listened... and turned away, thinking, yeah, great message but too unbelievable to be true. We believe it when we see it.

The Israelites missed it all... even though it was theirs for the taking. It sounds unbelievable, doesn't it! I mean, who in their right mind would reject the promise of deliverance from bondage? We think that we would definitely have received it... and yet, we are daily rejecting the help and the power of God in our lives. We are still so self-sufficient, fixing our little messes in our own strength and power, rejecting the help of God. Of course we do not do it consciously. Possibly the Israelites did not do it consciously either, but they still missed the deliverance promised by God. They were so much more used to the natural rather than the supernatural.

"For he who has once entered [God's] rest also has ceased from [the weariness and pain] of human labors, just as God rested from those labors peculiarly His own." (Heb.4:10) ...faith is not a human labor. We do not get faith by laboring and trying hard to believe. Faith only comes through spending time in the Word and in the presence of God. Faith is easy when we spend time in the presence of God.

"So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself)." (Romans 10:17) Also fear comes by hearing. The book of Joshua repeats several times: "When we heard it, our hearts melted, neither did spirit or courage remain any more in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath." (Joshua 2:11...also 5:1 and 10:1,2)

Whatever we decide to put our eyes on - continuously - is going to fill our hearts with faith or with fear. The more time we spend reading and meditating on the Word of God, the more our hearts will be filled with faith. The more time we spend on hearing the negative reports of unbelieving people, the more our hearts will melt in fear. Faith and fear are both very powerful forces... and both are contagious.

But the great news is: when we are believing for something from God, we may be the only one stepping out in faith, with majority of Christians not believing it could ever happen ... in the end, it is our personal faith that will bring God's promise to pass in our lives. Our personal decision to take God by His Word will make it happen. There may be humongous amount of unbelief all around us, but if we make a choice to believe, He WILL perform. There is NO other way.

So, whatever You are struggling with, find a promise in the Word and meditate on it and speak it until it is so firmly implanted in Your heart that Your faith will bring it to pass. God has already said that He WILL perform... now it is up to us to take Him by His Word... waiting confidently and patiently for the promise to be fulfilled. For:

"God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19)

Many, many blessings to You,