Another Supernatural & Funny Miracle from the Lord

 

Back in September of 2017, the freezer portion of our refrigerator started acting up. It wasn't freezing all the food. I didn't think it was that old, but we bought it in 1999.  We called our favorite repairman that we knew we could trust. He checked it out and for quite some time couldn't figure out what the problem was. Finally he told us that the fridge was dying and that it wasn't worth fixing it as it would cost more than to just get another one. That was really bad news because we couldn't afford a new one or even a used one. When I asked him how long we had till it would die completely, he scratched his head and told us that it should already be dead. That was what he couldn't figure out. He said there was no way that the fridge itself should work at all and that the freezer shouldn't be freezing anything instead of just freezing some things! I told him then that I knew why it was still working - it was because the Lord knew our financial circumstances and was keeping it going till we could get another one somehow. His eyes lit up when I said that and he said that was the only thing that made any sense to him for sure!  He warned us though that without God maintaining it that it could die at any moment (and should!).  Just to be sure, I also called a couple of other repair men and got their opinions. They said the same thing: it could and should die at any minute, and they too couldn't figure out why it was running at all.

Thankfully, we also have a very old freezer (at least 35 years old I'd say) that we bought years ago (2004) for just $35 dollars, and it still works great. So we put all our frozen food in it. But that was really inconvenient as that freezer is out on the porch. So little by little we'd bring in some meat and other things and put it in the freezer of the fridge to see what would happen.  We discovered that the freezer would freeze most meat just fine.  But it would only freeze the bottom layer of a package of hot dogs and not both for some reason. Nor would it freeze bread.  But it would freeze vegetables, but not french fries or pizza. It also won't freeze ice cream, but instead the ice cream comes out like soft serve.     So then we had about a weeks worth of meat in that freezer so we didn't have to keep going out to the porch every night.  

A couple of months after all that happened with the fridge, it suddenly started working right again! I was able to take everything out of our other freezer and put it in the refrigerator freezer again! Everything freezes exactly right, even the ice cream and french fries etc LOL We just thanked and praised the Lord and haven't looked back since! To be honest though, both the refrigerator part and the freezer part are now working better then they ever have!

In 2019 we called our repair man to look at our washing machine.  When he came to fix that, he again looked at the fridge. He called his adult son to come over and check it out too because they couldn't believe it was still running!

Well, now it's 2021, and the fridge is still working. But we have been able to save up enough money to get a new one, so in August, that's what we did. What's funny is that one week after we got the new fridge, our old freezer quit working!  I couldn't fault it at all considering how long that thing had worked for us. Let's see, it was 35 years old when we got it, and it worked for 17 more years after that!  That's 52 years!!!!  God is so amazing and takes such good care of us.  I loved being able to assure people that our fridge was still working for all those years and see the look on their faces.  God made sure it worked until we had the money to buy another one.  Yes, God is good, all the time!

Miracle upon Miracle

 

Since Bruce's motorcycle accident, we've had many miracles, the first being that he wasn't dead. That may sound like I'm just saying that, but the EMT's and doctors all expected him to be dead and when he wasn't they expected him to die. (and he had lots of doctors!) They did many tests because they couldn't believe the results, which said there wasn't anything major wrong with him. All he had was some broken bones and minor fractures, and one minor puncture wound. The worst thing to Bruce was all the horrible bruising. His whole body on the right side was totally black from bruises. They wouldn't believe him either that he wasn't in a lot of pain, so drugged him up unnecessarily. They thought he'd need to go into a nursing home but of course he didn't. He was fine. He just needed time to heal.

Of course, without an income while he was recovering, we should have had a great deal of trouble paying our bills. Some friends donated a total of $350 between May and June which helped, but was honestly only enough to pay one bill. We'd been through this before when he had a heart attack, but I wasn't worried. I knew the Lord got us through that, and would get us through this too. But I had no idea He would use such an unusual way of doing it! I managed to pay all our bills for May, partly because of the donations, and partly because I get $776 a month disability and because Bruce got one pay check that first week. (they hold back a week when you first start there). Where the rest of the money for our bills came from, I never have figured out, but it was there so I paid them.

Then came June and we got some help from the state with food stamps so I could use money I normally would spend on food for bills. Bruce's company was giving him a check for $40 each week to make sure his insurance stayed in effect, so we had that. Those things helped, although not enough to pay our bills. But somehow God managed to pay all our bills for that month by the end of the month, and they were all paid on time.

Then came July and I had the shock of my life. Bruce had started back to work, but wasn't working full time and missed more than he went at first. But at least it helped. Normally when I get my check and Bruce gets his first check for the month, we have enough money to pay our 3 biggest bills with some left over for food. We have NEVER, EVER been able to pay more than that the first week of the month. And Bruce wasn't yet working full time even! But the first week of July, I paid those 3 bills and we still had so much left over that I saw I could pay the next biggest bill, our propane, $229, so I paid that. I looked, and we still had enough to pay the electric another $200, so I did. Every time I looked, we had plenty of money left for food and for bills as well, so I just kept right on paying them. We have a total of 10 bills for every month and by the time I was done, I'd paid every single one and still had plenty left for food! I must have gone over my register and the bank account 3 or 4 times rechecking it because it was just so impossible, but every time it balanced and was right.  Since things we're often tight paying our bills when Bruce was making over $400 a week, what he was getting now that he was working part time didn't make much difference! It certainly didn't enable us to pay those bills! But God did!  The only way I can explain it is that it was like He multiplied the money. Each time I went to pay a bill, there would be enough for that bill and some food, then afterward, when I'd look again, there'd be still more, more then enough to pay another bill, and so on. So the bottom line is that in the first week of June, I paid all our bills for the whole month and had plenty for food!

The same thing happened in August, and I paid all our bills the first week of the month. Since my daughter's husband had been laid off, we now had plenty of money to help her with, because we didn't need any of it from the rest of Bruce's checks for that month! We basically gave her everything for the rest of the month, knowing that's why the Lord had blessed us as He did.

When I went to pay the bills for September, I only paid the first three plus one other as I wanted to make sure we had plenty for my daughter if she needed it, and she did. Again the Lord came through for us all!  What an awesome God we serve!!!!  If I ever worry about anything again for the rest of my life, someone should slap me!  And last night her husband got word that he'd been hired and starts on Monday, so they will once again have an income.  Bless You Gracious Lord!

Nothing is Impossible for God!

 

I started smoking when I was 18. I'm 63 now, so smoked for 45 years. About twenty years ago, I went from smoking one pack a day to two packs a day, mainly because I was in so much pain all the time. About 2 years ago I asked the Lord to help me go back to only smoking one pack a day. He did help me and taught me a great deal by the way He did it. Up until then, whenever I tried to stop smoking, I always wound up smoking more, because I was thinking about it all the time. But I really wanted to drop down to one pack a day, so wanted to try. But the same thing happened, every time I "tried", I smoked more! But what was astonishing to me was that when I "gave up" and just smoked when I wanted to, I smoked less! And so it became a battle for me to "not think about smoking less".  In less then a week, the Lord had me down to one pack a day and I never "denied myself" in any way. I just smoked whenever I wanted a cigarette and God took care of the rest.

I understood that this was an important lesson for me, but wasn't quite sure what to do with it. I wondered if I should stop smoking, but I honestly didn't want to stop. Then, one day when I was praying for two of my sons who are addicted to either drugs or alcohol, I had a thought that just wouldn't go away. The thought was, "How could I honestly tell my boys that God can take away their addictions and make them new creations if I wasn't willing to show them by having Him take mine away." So now I had a new battle, because, as I said, I really didn't want to quit smoking.  But to help my boys, I was willing to ask the Lord to change my heart and bring me to the point of wanting to quit.  So I had a long talk with the Lord about it, asking him to first change my heart, and then asking that when it came time to make me stop smoking, that He would take both the desire to smoke away from me and even the thought of cigarettes away from me.  After that, I didn't think of it very often, but when I did, I'd pray the same thing. This went on for almost 2 years.

Then, last August I got very sick.  Bruce took me to the ER and they put me on antibiotics and prednisone and nebulizer treatments.  It took a whole week before I even started to feel a little better. During all that time, all I did was sit in my recliner and talk to the Lord.  My cigarettes and an ashtray were sitting beside me on a table the whole time. It just didn't occur to me to smoke. When Bruce was home after work, he smoked as usual, which didn't bother me or cause me to think about smoking myself.  It was as though I'd never been a smoker; like the cigarettes that were on the table belonged to someone else.  I never experienced the thought of, "Oh I need (or want) a cigarette badly now".  Normally, if I'd been somewhere I couldn't smoke, I'd start feeling the need for a cigarette and would want one badly within a couple of hours.  But it just never happened.  After I got over the infection and began feeling better, I still had no desire for a cigarette and still never thought about smoking unless Bruce brought it up. Then my thoughts were simply that I was amazed the Lord had done it so well and so quickly.  After I hadn't smoked for close to a month, I caught myself reaching for a cigarette when I was sitting at my desk. (as that's where I generally smoked the most)  I had to laugh then because I realized it was a physical reaction without any thought of actually smoking being part of it.  Over the last two months that's happened a total of two times.  Both times I used the occasion to thank the Lord and praise Him for making me stop smoking so easily!

What's funny is that I also don't think about the fact that I've stopped smoking, usually not unless someone else brings it up.  A friend asked me to keep them informed when they found out about it, so they could keep me in prayer.  I said I would, and intended to do so, but then a month went by before my daughter reminded me of how long I hadn't smoked for, which reminded me to tell my friend.  It's really weird. The only way I can think of explaining it is that it's like I never smoked at all before; so unless something or someone reminds me of it, it just doesn't compute.  Seeing another person's cigarettes doesn't make me think of it, it just tells me they smoke.  Being around other people who smoke doesn't make me want to smoke either. But being around cigarette smoke does smell bad to me. I have no desire to smoke and don't think about cigarettes or smoking at all.  God is just amazing!

For those who suspect that it was my illness that made me quit, let me share that I had the same thing about 10 years ago, and was very sick that time as well.  The difference is that I smoked the whole time I was sick and of course continued to when I was well.  So, sorry, it wasn't the illness, it was God.  

This is how I reply to those who think I quite on my own and that God had nothing to do with it: 

He replied, God doesn't help many who have faith

I was telling one of my doctors that God had caused me to quit smoking, when he asked me why God would do that for me. I said something like, because I had faith in Him, and his immediate reply was that "lots of people have faith but God doesn't help them". His whole attitude was that it was crazy for me to give God credit for something like that.  I was so angry that I knew I didn't dare open my mouth or I'd say something I'd regret.  How dare he say such lies about the Lord!  That's why I was angry, not because of anything to do with me, but because he was putting the Lord down.  Since at the time we were at my husbands doctor appointment, not my own, and it was almost over, I knew I wouldn't be able to say anything to him about this.  There are many reasons that God might not answer someone's prayer (such as a prayer for healing or to stop smoking, etc.). He will always answer a sincere prayer for salvation!

Everyone really lives a life of faith, whether they know it or not. Their faith may be in making money, or being powerful in politics, or in their spouse or their parents, or any number of other things. Because we're living in the end times during the great falling away of the Church, we do need to determine if the person in question has faith in the real Jesus and is really saved. For that, the person needs to do what the Bible says and examine themselves to see if they're in the faith, and examine what the Bible says about Jesus and the Father to see if their faith is in the real God. If they aren't saved, or their faith is in a false Jesus, then their prayer isn't likely to be answered.

Assuming that the person is really saved and is not following a false god, then we need to look at their life of faith. Are they perhaps living in unrepented sin? I'm talking about something they know is a sin and that they are continuing to do it anyway. I am not speaking of something they're unaware of. However, it could be something that someone has told them is a sin and they're refusing to believe it because they don't want to give it up. God tells us in His Word that once we've been made aware of something, He will hold us accountable for it. If that's the case, they need to repent, and confess their sin to the Lord and be forgiven; then they can ask for what they want. (by repent God means to turn away from the sin and not do it any more.)  

When Jesus said that the Father would give us anything we ask for in His Name, that doesn't mean we can literally ask for anything. By saying we need to ask for it in His Name, Jesus is saying that what we ask for must be in line with what Jesus Himself would ask for; what He would agree with. If our request is not something He would request, then the Father won't grant it. 

For a Christian, prayer is an expression of their relationship with God, which is a father/child relationship. In Matthew 18:3 Jesus tells us that we must become like little children or we'll never enter Heaven.  A little child trusts their father. They know their father will do what he said he will and will do it at exactly the right time.  So when we pray in His Will, we are asking Him to do what He says He will and to do it at the exact right time when it will benefit us the most. As a child we don't know when that time will be. The person praying for healing may pray for 20 years and not see it yet. That doesn't mean however that God isn't going to heal them.  it means He will do so in His time, not ours. That too is part of living by faith.  Faith tells me that God will heal me.  I have no idea when that will happen, but I know it will happen.  I may be 85 before He does or it could happen today, or it may not happen until I'm in Heaven. Either way is fine with me because I know it will be in His perfect timing. And remember too that Jesus tells us to be persistent with our prayers, and not to give up. 

True Christians live by faith and not by sight. Part of the reason they don't live by sight is because they know that they can't see all that's going on, since we can't see what's happening in the spiritual realm.  A life of faith isn't just sitting back and waiting for something to happen.  A life of faith entails action as well.  First it means knowing God's Word from Genesis to Revelation and knowing it better then we know anything else. That alone means studying His Word daily as the Lord commands us to do. We can't very well live by faith in the one true God and His Son, Jesus Christ, if we don't know them, nor can we have a close relationship with them if we don't know them well. To have that close relationship requires that we know their Word and we are in constant communication with them. (prayer).  Prayer for us isn't just about getting something. It's about talking to our Father, telling Him about our joys as well as our sorrows. Thanking Him for His blessings as well as asking for the things we or others need. 

Jesus tells us too that we're to ask for things that are in His Will. We can't do that either if we don't know what His Will is, and the only way we can know that is by knowing His Word. So we can add knowing His Will and asking within it to what it involves to live a life of faith. In Psalm 37:4 we're told that God will give the person who lives by faith the desires of their heart. I love that verse and have to laugh every time I read it.  I laugh because so many people seem to think it means they can have the new house or car they're praying for, but that's not it at all.  When you're saved, God uses His Word to transform you and make you more like Christ. The more time you spend in His Word and apply it to your life, the more like Christ you become. So the person who "delights themselves in the Lord" is someone who's hearts desires are the same thing that Jesus would desire - generally the salvation of their loved ones or that they would live godly lives, or something along those lines!

Living a life of faith, that relationship with the God of all creation, is really an amazing adventure. It's not just about our actions, but is about our attitude, our thoughts and feelings. We're to be holding on to our Father and constantly checking in with Him, for His help, guidance, and encouragement. It really is a two way relationship.

I know someone who always tells me she's under a lot of stress and is always worrying. She can't understand why God hasn't answered her prayers to relieve her stress and help her to stop worrying so much.  I spent almost a year explaining to her what God tells us to do about about stress, worry, anxiety, etc, and how to handle it.  She even made notes and copied the scripture references.  That was about 6 years ago now, but she hasn't changed. She simply refuses to apply God's Word to her life. She doesn't realize it but she's living in sin because she's not applying God's Word to her life. (James 1:22)  She also doesn't seem to realize that God HAS answered her prayer. His answer is in His Word. All she has to do is do what it says and she will have her answer.  Sadly This is true for many people who think their prayers haven't been answered. The answer is right there in His Word, but they refuse to do what He says. 

Sadly, I often see people who have never shown any interest in God or in obeying Him, who when they are suffering from a tragedy of some sort, begin asking for prayer. This is a great time to speak to them about God and how they can be sure that He will hear and answer their prayer if they give up living for themselves and live for Him instead. That usually doesn't happen though. Instead people just answer saying they're praying. If the prayers are answered in a manner that the person thinks is good, then they say thank you and forget all about God again until the next disaster. I've seen God give people supernatural miracles and they still ignore Him! Oh they're amazed at first, but it doesn't last.

Finally, there's also the possibility that God did answer the prayer and His answer was simply, "no".  Living a life of faith includes accepting that answer when you're sure that's what He has said, and acknowledging that your Father has answered that way for a very good reason.  You realize that you may never know what His reason was, but because you know Him, and know His character, you know that He did so out of His love for you and possibly for others too. You know that you can trust Him no matter what. 

Today however, many people who are part of those "falling away" don't trust Him. They get angry when He says no and doesn't do what they want. They seem to think that God owes them! They think they can live any way they want to, can disobey God constantly, use foul language, and frankly rarely think about Him, but boy when they want something from Him and He doesn't come through, they get angry!  Or, they'll use that He didn't answer their prayer as an excuse not to believe in Him.  They don't seem to see how ridiculous that is either.   Often the people like my doctor who don't believe God answers the prayers of those who are truly saved, are quite simply not saved themselves, even though they may think they are. Sadly a vast majority of the people who call themselves "Christians" today, aren't saved at all. When you meet someone who really is saved, you can see the difference in them and there's no doubt about who they belong to. 

I'm sure there are other reasons that God doesn't answer someone's prayer, but I'll have to stop for now.  Hopefully others can add to this!

Here are some scriptures that speak about this:
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)
“We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.” (John 9:31)
“You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:2–3)
““Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me. Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD, since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,” (Proverbs 1:28–30)
“If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable. He who leads the upright along an evil path will fall into his own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.” (Proverbs 28:9–10)
“If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;” (Psalm 66:18)
“Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him.” (Psalm 4:3)
“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” (1 Peter 3:7)
““Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23–24)
““ ‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the LORD Almighty.” (Zechariah 7:13)
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1–2)
““In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:26–27)
Ephesians 4:17-32
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:22–25)

A Truly Supernatural Miracle!

 

I hadn't thought about this miracle in a long time, but it's one of the most amazing ones the Lord gave me. I was about 12 years old when this happened. My Mom and I had gone back to Tucson as my Dad was taking my Mom to court over my custody. So my Mom was going to have me tell the judge that I wanted to live with her. My Mom arranged for us to stay with my Uncle and my cousins which was fine with me as I'd missed them a lot since we'd moved to Florida. But when we got there, only my cousin Eddie was there. Jeff and Kathy were both off somewhere else. Eddie was two years older than me, so he would have been around 14 then. I had brought my Bible because I was leaning on the Lord to give me His Words to speak in the courtroom, as I didn't want to hurt my Father or Mother. Even at that age I knew my Bible well and had read it from cover to cover more then once already.

After I'd told Eddie about the court thing and how I was counting on the Lord to help me, he told me about a problem he was having that really scared him. Apparently a much older and bigger teenage boy was harassing him to join his "coven". The boy told him he practiced black magic; used ouija boards, tarot cards, etc. Eddie said this guy really scared him and he didn't want to be part of it, but when he told the guy that, he threatened Eddie saying he had to join the coven "or else".  I told my cousin that he didn't have to worry about that guy because God would protect him and showed him the scriptures that talked about that.  I could tell that Eddie really wasn't convinced though.

The next day our parents went somewhere, leaving us home alone for a short time, and sure enough, that guy showed up at the door!  He rang the doorbell and then just let himself in!  He thought Eddie was home alone, but seeing me with him didn't give him cause for concern. We were both standing in the kitchen when he walked into the house. Between the kitchen and living room was a breakfast bar. This guy came inside but only walked about half way up to the breakfast bar.  The whole time he was demanding that Eddie come with him right now so he could be inducted into the coven. I could see that Eddie was too scared to act and that if I didn't do something he'd probably wind up going off with this jerk.  No way was I going to let that happen.  So if Eddie wouldn't call on the Name of the Lord, I would!  And I did!

All I did was point at the kid and say something like, "Get out of this house in the Name of Jesus" or "leave us alone in the Name of Jesus"... I can't remember anymore what my exact words were, other than that I used, "in the Name of Jesus", but it would have been something like one of those two sentences.  The only thing I expected to happen was that the kid would leave, that's all.  But that's NOT what happened.  Instead, as soon as I pointed at him and said that, he was picked up so that his feet were at least 6 inches off the floor and went flying backwards across the room until his back hit the wall next to the front door!  His face was as white as a sheet as he slid down the wall for a second till his feet touched the ground, at which point, he turned and ran out of the house as though he was on fire!  Eddie and I just stood where we were in the kitchen with our mouths hanging open as we watched what the Lord did to protect us.  I'm not sure which one of us was more amazed,  .  After that we talked about what happened of course and Eddie wondered what God would do when I went to court. I had no idea but didn't think He'd be throwing anyone around!

The next morning was my court date.  When we arrived the Judged called me to the stand, but as soon as he did, my Dad stood up and told him that he didn't want me put through that and that he was dropping his case. We were only there for maybe 5 minutes.  I hugged my Dad and he and my Mom made arrangements for when he could come to visit.  So the Lord answered my prayer as I didn't have to say anything that would hurt either of my parents.  God is good, ALL the time!

When we just can't take any more

As I was studying this morning it reminded me of something my 5 year old grandson did the other day that everyone thought was amusing, but it taught me something important and I wanted to share it with you. First what happened with Elijah:

My daughter and her family were visiting an uncle at the hospital who had had a heart attack. Gracie who is 2 was climbing on an empty bed playing on it and started to fall off head first unseen by her parents. Elijah who was nearby, reached out and grabbed her leg and held on to her without saying a word. Gracie wasn't yelling because she knew Elijah had her and she was safe, but then her parents saw what was happening and her Daddy ran and grabbed hold of her. At that moment, still without saying a word, Elijah let go of Gracie and just continued to try and pay attention to the person they were visiting. My daughter was so shocked that he had done that, she asked him why he let go and why he didn't say something. He said, "I knew Daddy had her".

What really struck me was his absolute total trust that his daddy had Gracie and that she was OK and Gracie's absolute trust that she was OK because Elijah and then Daddy had her. Elijah did what he felt he had to do, he grabbed Gracie to keep her from getting hurt. It didn't occur to him to worry that someone wouldn't come and help him and that he wouldn't be able to hold on to her very long. He "knew" his daddy would be there and would help. There was no fear, no doubt, nothing. Just trust. Gracie didn't get scared because almost the same instant that she began to fall, she felt her brothers hand close on her leg and hold on so she wouldn't get hurt. It didn't occur to her to cry because she knew she was safe. It didn't occur to her to wonder how long Elijah could hold on, or what she should do or what would happen to her if he let go, because she "knew" he wouldn't let go till she was safe. So there was no worry or fear, just trust.

As I pondered that, I thought of what a wonderful illustration of how we should be with our Lord. Many times we reach a point in our lives where we just can't take anymore and we cry out to Him for help. It can be because we can't take any more physical pain or it could be emotional pain or any number of things. I've reached that place several times this past month which is probably why the Lord pointed this out to me.

The more I've thought about it, the more I've realized that each time that I've cried out to the Lord saying "I just can't take anymore", He already had hold of me. I may have felt like I was dangling off a high cliff, but He had hold of my leg already, I just wasn't paying attention. He had to calm me down first before I recognized that I was safe in His arms and everything was OK.

I hadn't realized how my cries for help were showing a lack of faith until the Lord showed me this. I realize anew now that I need never fear or feel alone or feel that He isn't aware of my situation. I also realize that when I got to that point it should have been a red flag showing me that I was relying on myself instead of relying on Him.

I want to grow up to be like my grandchildren. I want to trust my Lord so much that I don't ever have to scream or call out for help, because I'll already know that He's there and I'm safe in His arms.

Matthew 8:24–26, Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

Matthew 14:29–31, “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

John 14:1, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

When/how I was saved

When/how I was saved

I'm not sure how, but somehow when I was just a toddler, I knew Jesus. My parents were atheists, so my knowledge of Him didn't come from them. My mother hated God and everything to do with Him because of bad experiences in the Catholic Church when she was a child. God was never discussed in our home, but somehow I knew Him, and I knew He was God, although I'm not sure if I actually knew those words yet. When I was about 4, I discovered that there were shows on TV about God in the morning when I woke up. So I would get up before my parents and turn those on and listen to them. When mama would wake up, she'd get angry and change the channel to cartoons and tell me she didn't want me watching that garbage. I don't think I understood much of it, though, all I knew was that I loved Jesus and that He loved me.

When I was only 12, I did talk my mom into getting me a bible and I read it constantly. But no one explained the gospel to me. No one taught me what everything meant. I tried very hard to find out on my own. Even though I was 12, I decided that I'd start going to Sunday School. I didn't want to start with the 6th grade though, as I assumed I wasn't ready for that since I didn't know the basics. I went to the 1st grade classroom for awhile, then the 2nd, etc. till I felt I had learned all they had to offer. Then I went to my own grade. But I still didn't know the gospel! Oh yeah, I knew the bible stories now, and that's a start anyway, but I didn't know the most important things of all! I was told that because I had prayed and wanted Jesus to be my Lord, that I was saved, so I assumed I was but no one really explained what it meant to be saved.

When I was 17 a friend from school invited me to a youth group where they were showing something by Hal Lindsey. That was where I learned about the rapture and I was so very excited about that! I couldn't wait for Jesus to come back! Yet I still wasn't sure what being saved was all about. I assumed it meant simply that I wanted to be saved and that I had made a promise to God to be good from then on. I didn't know anything about any part God was supposed to play in my salvation.

I struggled for years, all my teen years and the first few adult years, to "be good" so that I would go to heaven. I adored Jesus! But I couldn't live up to His standards. I finally gave up. I knew it was just impossible. So I told Him how sorry I was, and that I loved Him, and that I understood that I'd have to go to hell, but that was OK, cause I knew I deserved hell. I did presume to ask Him if I might just see His face one time before He sent me there though, and if maybe I could give Him a hug.

I lived most of the rest of my adult life with that thought. I still went to church every Sunday, I still read my bible, I still prayed. But I did it all with the knowledge that I'd never go to heaven. I only hoped that maybe my children might make it somehow. And I still loved Jesus with all my heart.

It wasn't until approximately 12 years ago, that the Lord in His great mercy, spoke to me and showed me the Truth. My life at that time was a total wreck. I desperately needed help and I wanted answers. I knew enough to know that the only real truth could be found only in the Bible, so that was where I turned, to the Bible and prayer. I pleaded with the Lord to help me, to show me what to do, and to show me why I couldn't be good enough for Him. The reason I asked Him why I couldn't be good enough for Him was because I wanted to know where I had gone wrong, and how other people did it.

I kept thinking about Peter and the other disciples and how they changed so much and lived victoriously after Jesus was resurrected. I felt like there had to be something I was missing because if they could change like that, then I should be able to as well-and yet I couldn't. What was the reason? What changed them?

I wanted to try one more time, but at the same time, I wasn't real sure the Lord would allow me to. I had gotten baptized when I was 12 and figured that every sin I committed after that moment was on my slate and I would have to pay for it in hell. I didn't think the Lord would let me get baptized again, but I had a faint hope that He might, since I was only a child then.... so I prayed and I read.

I immersed myself in my bible, and I started reading other Christian books as well including "Satan is alive and well on planet earth" by Hal Lindsey. While reading that book, Hal explained the gospel in it, and the light went on, and I understood!!!! My soul rejoiced and I cried and prayed and cried some more as I realized that I was saved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That He loved me too! That I didn't have to be "good enough" for Him!!!! That He took me as I was!!!! Oh the glory of that moment!!! Time stood still and when it started again my whole world and my whole life was changed. Instantly.

(and yes, I'm crying my eyes out right now just remembering this)

Later, much later, I asked the Lord, why it had taken me so long to learn the Truth. What I was really asking was "why didn't you tell me before!" The Lord showed me this verse:

Jeremiah 29:12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

That last line just jumped right out at me and practically glowed!

Yes, I had sought Him before, many times, but never with my "whole" heart. All those other times, there were many other things that my heart felt were just as important...school, getting good grades, friends, raising my kids, day to day life, my job, money, fixing whatever current crisis my life was in at that time, etc. It wasn't until I literally laid it ALL down and made finding the Lord my top priority and my only priority that I found Him. If you read back to where I said I started searching and reading my Bible again, you'll see that this time, I wasn't running to God so that He would fix the crisis I was in or help me get a raise or anything else. Yes, my life was a total wreck, but I had finally come to understand that it was a wreck because I didn't have Him in my life. I knew that He was what I needed, more then health, more then money, more then making my kids obey me, more then anything.

Ever since that moment, my life has been filled with joy. Oh yes, there have been many times that I had problems and that I had to deal with grief and heartache, as well as all the normal day to day problems everyone has, as well as chronic pain. It wasn't an easy road to get my life turned around and put onto the right track, and I don't mean to imply that it was.

Beneath it all however was a joy that has never left me. Joy that one day I will see my Savior face to face and that I will get to spend Eternity praising Him! That joy is my strength even now and I know it always will be no matter what comes. People may fail me, loved ones may hurt me, problems will come, but Jesus will never leave me and that joy is there, deep in my soul.

Another thing changed in me at that moment when I was saved. I was immediately at peace with God. I had fought Him for so long that it actually felt strange at first, although welcome as well. It felt kind of like the world had been lifted off my shoulders, and I hadn't even realized I was carrying the world on my shoulders until it was gone. That peace has also stayed with me and never leaves. I didn't understand what that was either at first--I just enjoyed it. Now I know that peace is Jesus, because Jesus is our peace and He is the Prince of peace and He alone can give us His peace which passes all understanding. I think that's why it's so hard to describe, because it is beyond understanding and beyond words. It's not even really a feeling, it's just a reality that's there....

Another miracle of life!

I have another one from when one of my children was being born.:

When I went into labor with my 4th baby, he was presenting as a footling breach--in other words coming out feet first lol; and I began hemorrhaging badly. I knew I was dying because I heard the doctor ask my husband who he should try to save if he could-me or the baby. I was still in the labor room at that time and just as the doctor asked my husband that, I heard another doctor telling him to get out of the way that he was taking over my case. My doctor was on vacation so I had gotten the doctor on call when I went into hard labor.

He wheeled me into a surgical suite and had the nurses running to set everything up that he needed. Christopher was born about an hour later. Obviously I didn't die and neither did my son Christopher., but it was a close call.

Now to explain what God had to do with this. My doc had gone on vacation so he wasn't there for me. The doctor that took over was a specialist for exactly the kind of delivery I was having. He was in our state and at that hospital just for that week to teach the other doctors how to handle the kind of case I was presenting. Not only that, but the only reason he happened to come into the labor and delivery area that night was to say goodbye as he was on his way to the airport to leave for home! When he came in, he heard all the commotion and heard what the young doc was asking my husband and immediately took over realizing this was his exact specialty!

When my doc got back from vacation the next day he brought me flowers and told me that I was very very lucky that he hadn't been there the night before. I thought that was pretty odd so I asked him what he meant. He then told me about the doctor who had helped me saying he was the very best in the world at handling cases like mine. He said he'd just finished being briefed by that doctor about me and knew if he hadn't been on vacation there was no doubt in his mind that I would have died.

Talk about divine intervention! Thank you Lord!

The miracle of life!

 

This one is about my daughter Jennifer when she was born.

She was born 3 months early and was barely 2 pounds and quickly lost down to a little over one pound. She was born around 2pm and the docs didn't expect her to live more then an hour or two at the most. I KNEW she would. My mother who had died 6 years earlier had had a dream of her before she died. My mom told me that the Lord had shown her her grandchildren because she wouldn't live to see them. (I was pregnant with my second child then- Michael and she died a week after he was born.) She told me she saw 3 children, a toddler and a tiny baby girl. Then she saw the same five children together again only much older. She said that people would think the baby wasn't going to live but that I mustn't worry because she would live and be just fine.

At the time of her birth though I didn't remember my mom telling me that. But I still knew she would live. I had to literally fight and threaten the doctors just to get them to let me see her. They finally did and she was so tiny...just a miracle to see her even! Later that night, about midnight, they woke me up saying she was going to die so I went to see her. They said she needed a blood transfusion by she wasn't my blood type and my husband was long gone-he'd abandoned us for another woman. They were just going to let her die because they said that she wouldn't live long enough for them to order the blood and get it up to the NICU in time even if they had the blood in stock. They also said that even if they got a perfect match, that unless the donor was her father it was unlikely that it would work because her little body would reject it.

I threw a very loud fit so they went ahead and ordered it. I kissed my baby good night and went back to bed. The next morning her nurse told me about a miracle that had occurred while I slept. They had ordered the blood but the hospital didn't have that type and neither did the other area hospitals. Just as they were about to give up a man walked into the lab off the street. (Remember, by now it was about 1am in the morning!) And no the man wasn't drunk! When they asked how they could help him, he said he didn't need help but had come to donate the blood they needed for the baby. He was the right blood type!!! He gave the nurse his name and all that info and gave the blood. After they'd processed the blood and sent it up, they then attempted to find out how the man had known they needed the blood. They had assumed he came from one of the other area hospitals, so they called them all back. No, none of them had ever heard of him and didn't recognize his description and the address he gave didn't exist LOL. So they had no idea who he was, how he knew, or where he came from!

They gave Jenn the transfusion and her body didn't reject it at all! They were totally amazed! When her nurse told me all of that, I cried and smiled at the same time and told her that I was sure I knew where the man came from and how he knew. He was an angel sent by God to save my daughter's life!  Here's a picture of my baby today, with her family!

 

Have you experienced God's arranging things just right for you?

The world usually calls it "luck" or "serendipity", but we know better.I thought it would be fun and enlightening to share stories of how He's done that at different times for each of us.

So I'll share one of the earliest memories I have of this happening:

I remember my first time really seeing it. It was when my mom was dying and she still lived on her own at home. I really wanted her to come live with me but she was stubborn. So while I fretted about how in the world I was going to take care of her, because she really couldn't be left alone at all and needed someone with her 24/7, God went ahead and arranged it LOL. First a couple of old friends of hers who lived several hours away came to visit and stayed with her a week. The day they left, I picked up my dad and took him to her house to stay with her. He arrived at her house on hour after the friends had left! He stayed for two weeks and when he left, another friend of hers came up for a week to stay with her and they also arrived within an hour of when my dad left! Finally an Uncle and Aunt came and stayed for the last week and by then we'd all convinced her to come and stay with me so when they left we brought her and her hospital bed to my house. She died within that week. But I never would have thought of calling those people and neither had my mom. They all called her and none of them had any particular dates in mind either, they simply showed up when they could but God arranged it so she was never alone! Since then I've seen Him do things like that over and over. He's so very good to us!






 
I can look back now and see many times the Lord has arranged things just perfectly for me, and how He's been ready for me at other times, "just in case".  Like with my husband. . It's amazing to me how a man from NH who pretty much has always lived right here, managed to travel to each of the states I lived in as a young adult. We could very well have met in any of them, but we didn't. I think the reason we didn't was because neither of us was ready yet. We were both stubbornly following our own ways instead of His. But, He was ready for us, "just in case" lol Then he moved me all the way across the US to NH where I would meet him when we were both finally ready to be vessels for Him as well as for each other.
 
So how have you experienced God's arranging things just right for you?

Miracles of Protection

I remember when Bruce and I got married, I think he always thought it was amusing when I'd mention that the Lord told me to do something or get something or whatever. I didn't say it very often, just once in awhile, but I think that he thought it was all in my head at first LOL. But the longer we were together and the more he saw the Lord answer my prayers and saw that every single time I said that the Lord said something, it was always 100% correct. What really changed his opinion was one day on the way home from work, the Lord impressed me strongly that I needed to pray hard for Bruce's protection from Satan and evil. Now that NEVER happens! I do not believe that Satan is waiting behind every bush to attack us. But it was so very strong, and it was His voice, so I stopped (I was walking) and prayed and kept praying till I felt it lift. I didn't really entirely stop praying even then. I just kept at it whenever I had a second. I had a class to go to that night and Bruce dropped me off and went to get some coffee at a 7-11 store. He'd noticed me praying and I'd told him what the Lord had said and told him to be careful. I wasn't at all worried though as I felt it was in the Lord's hands and I'd done as I was told. Well he started to pull in the store and in his words, "something stopped him". He couldn't see anything as that part was in shadows, but there was a man with a stroller standing nearby with another guy, talking. He was just about to continue forward, when all of a sudden the man screamed out something and he saw a flash of movement in front of his truck toward the pavement. It was the little one...maybe 2 years old.... the father hadn't been paying attention and the baby had climbed out of the stroller and was in the parking lot! Bruce would have hit her if the Lord or His angels hadn't stopped him! Needless to say, Bruce broke out in a cold sweat remembering my words to him. He got to the baby before the father did and handed her safely to him, thanking the Lord! He never doubted me again! And a few years later, I enjoyed watching as he learned to discern the Lord's voice for himself. Now that was really cool!