The Power of God

About 18 years ago or so, my dad fell off a roof while doing some construction work and broke his back. He technically died 3 times, and the doctors told him he'd never walk again. Well, he's been up and walking/talking/working/etc. for 18 years.

As if that wasn't enough, he and Mom went to a NASCAR race Sunday, but missed most of it, cause he got really nauseous and had cold sweats. They came home, and he went to bed (He thought it was the flu, cause a guy at work had similar symptoms or soemthing). He got up Monday, and wasn't any better. He complained of his shoulder hurting, so Mom googled the symptoms, all of which pointed to "heart attack". She took him to the hospital, where, pretty much as soon as he got there, he got really sick. They did some procedure, put in two stints, and opened his arteries up.
Apparently, he had 100% blockage on his right side, which should have caused some serious damage to his heart, and he probably shouldn't even be here right now.

Not only did it not cause much damage, but once he recovers from the procedure and all, he should be able to do everything he could before, and he'll probably feel better to boot. He comes home tomorrow.

If that's not God's hand at work, I don't know what is.
 
:CHEESE:

Here is the mission statement of my church...I wholeheartedly agree with EVERY word! (Even the TM squiggles!-haha)

I have attended every Tueday night for the past 6 years.

http://www.gracefellowshipintl.com/doctrinalstatement.htm

My witness is as follows..

I remember my mother once saying, "JESUS" with an outstretched arm as we were getting into a car accident..
I remember the witness of the Holy Spirit in school during morning prayers..
I remember goin to the Salvation Army Chruch around the corner as a little girl, all by my lonesome cuzza that witness..
I remember all the adults swarming me and asking me where my mother was! :eek:

I remember skipping down the street singing the only song I knew was from God, It was "Jesus Love Me"..
I remember getting hit by vehicles EVERY time I sang it too! (four times, then I knew there was a enemy bigger than me)

I had o soo easily forgotten how it was Jesus who saved us from certain death in that car accident, and was attempting to rebuke the enemy in my own strength! And so I therefore gave up on worhipping the Lord.. :(


I grew up a VERY lonely girl..
No friends to speak of, at least none that would endure my quiet personality.
Ridiculed EVEN by boys at a tender age, I soon learned how to cope... (look-out!)

I learned how to manipulate using my beauty and charm..
How to intellectually coerse to get my way..
And how to satisfy my needs for love and acceptance thorugh these..

And how to lie, cheat and STEAL if the above didn't work..

First off.. I manipulated the Government to give me welfare checks every month
Secondly I set to work finding various men who could meet my needs :o
Then I was busy making money on the side with panhandlin...I'd sumtimes pull in $50-100 per day!

Panhandling (begging) for money one day I told a man I would go rob sumone unless he gave me fitty buks..
He gave me the money...

But little did I know that God was calling me..
That man must have prayed for me..

We would use the money for Marajwana or Hasheesh, Beer and Alcohol..

I felt HORRIBLE! I knew what I did was wrong..
But it only escalated from there!

I didn't know how to stop feeling horrible!
So I figured I would dull my conscious by commiting even worse hainous acts..
After all.. I was tough! I could do things noone even dared of!

My (then) boyfriend ( :P ) and I would robb hotels...not all in ur face like, but sneakily!
We even robbed a lady of $500 in the University once (again, not in her face)..

I had another brilliant plan!
I would read the bible while panhandling!
Sureley people would give me MORE money then!

God witnessed to me while I read :EEK:

:CRY:

I locked myself in the bedroom for three weeks and read the entire New Testament before I gave my heart to the Lord Jesus..

He robed Himself with a dark cloud and hovered over me as I confessed my sins
And came into me as I asked for the perfect Life of Jesus to be mine :D

I then went on my balcony and said "OK God, you can take me now!"

Nothing happened!
I went to sleep..

The next day was VERY different.
I woke up to the voice of God!
I experienced Him moment by moment until I would sin..

I didn't remember ALL he has said with only one reading of the bible..
So, I did not know to confess my sins and be cleaned and filled..

I continued in this state some time..I still do to this day on occassion, and often need reminders that I got dirty-HeH

I went to the Baptist Church down the road...As I remember God saying to go to the closest church somewhere in the bible..

They all greeted me..errr pawned over me like I was some sorta freak come from the darkest regions of the netherlands..Just like my only experience as a little girl :rolleyes:

It was a BIG turnoff! But I was comiitted and would endure..After all, I was new to socialising in this fashion..

I got baptised there..And told my (then..yes another one) boyfriend to either marry me or get out..
He chose to marry me! And we were married in that same Church not 3 months later (abstaining in the meantime, Praise God!)

I attended that church for three months, but I found my needs were not getting met there...
And by that I mean, I wasn't getting fed! It seemed to just be a little comminity meeting rather than a church outing...No Pastor to speak of, and women leading the service just dun cut the mustard! :P They did eventually get a pastor..But the moment I heard his sermon on law I was out a der like a bullet!

I quit goin there..And instead concentrated on reading the New Testament again and then the Old..Twice..

I got a job doing door to door canvasing for charity...It paid lousy, but it met my needs and it was good for children..
But I yearned for fellowship! I would ask and see if ANYONE and thier brothers uncle were Christian!

I was still doing drugs and drinking..

I had a panick attack one night while drinking and abusing my body with caffene and sugar..
I stopped drinking that night..

I had God speak to my concious one night while getting stoned..
He said to pray..and I did
And He opened my eyes to see the evil spirits hovering all around me trying to terrorize me and told me it's cuz I was stoned!
I quit drugs that night!

And then He brought me into a spacious place!

My Buddist Boss at the charity job, whom I would always antagonise becuase she was ALWAYS angry (while meanwhile Buddists' strive for inner peace) fired me from the charity job :o

I got a job doin market research with doctors over the telephone.
After only two months the job ended and I got laid off..But the lady there gave me a reference letter for my good work!

I got another job at market research..But they too had many lay off's..
Right before another lay off (we were not informed of this upcoming lay off), God spoke and said to leave, and to go to the place that He will show me.. I picked up an employment news and the first ad I saw I applied for it..It was cupon sales for a salon and there was a brother of Christ working there who would lead me to this fellowship I've now partaken of these past 6 years :)

This job didn't last like I suspected it would..Although I kept telling my boss "I was annionted by God to be here" I couldn't sell a cupon if my life depended on it!-lol I was annointed to be there, but only to meet Lee who would lead me to the group of believers I now share fellowship with!

At first the group would come right into our home!

My husband too, had given his heart to the Lord because of the foolishness of my preaching! Praise God!

So..Here we were two babes in Chirst with a GIANT of the faith coming right into our homes in the power of the Holy Spirit!

I was dumbfounded...LITERALLY..I became mute! The Lord shut my mouth! And all I could do was bask in the Light of the Lords Glory Living through this man...Tim

He testified powerfully to the the resurrection power of the Living God!
He's a little Jesus, because Jesus Lives in him...You know that's where Christians get their name..

The meeting held for a month in my home..Until Tim decided to get back to holding the meetings in his basement apartment..

John, a Spirit filled brother in Chirst, disciple of Jesus continued to come to our home instead..

My husband hated the worship with songs (still does..blames it on the tempo..go figure!)..So much so that he refused to have the meetings here any longer.. The meetings lasted another 3 months in our home, during which time I found myself yearning more and more for more of Jesus! I never argued once my husband said no more..Instead I went to the meetings in Tim's house and have been there ever since!

'Tis a congregation of 7, and on occasion 9...

We pretty much start out with greetings, coffee and treats, sharing of weekly experiences with God, prayer, study, worship, more prayer and warm goodbyes :)

We study from the Grace Fellowship Discipleship Course...Which leads us through specific passages of the bible relating to who we are in Christ Jesus (I am the full head of God in Christ Jesus), our position in Christ Jesus (forgiven, unconditionally accepted, Rightousness of God, justified by God) and our relationship to such (eg;I've been crucified with Christ, and yet I live, not I but Christ that Lives within me) And last but not least, who HE is in US! 8)

I go from Glory to Glory in our Lord providing I keep Jesus in front of me and my sins behind..

Noone will ever come to agree with God unless 'tis by His Holy Spirit.. So this I do..Forgetting those things which are behind, I press on towards the mark of the high calling of God...To see the Light of God in the Face of Jesus Christ!!!

If we live in the Light we aught to walk in the Light, as He is in the Light, and we have fellowship with one another

Not to say that I've already attained all I need, but I press on, not looking back! :PUNT:

God said...He's cast ALL our sins behind His back..I confess my sin, and trust God to put them aside.

He's my maker now!

My past person was crucified with Christ Jesus my Lord..He put me to death and gave me NEW Life...His Life...Zoe Life!
I now have the Life of God Living inside me!
He's Holy and Blameless and He gives me HIS LIFE as my OWN! woot!
I am now a partaker of His divine nature..His very Being! WoWEEE!
One with Him, and with all believers worldwide, whether asleep or in the body, in Spirit and in Truth!
I now have HIS desires and abilites! Becuase it's not I who live, but Christ in me!

I can see Him Living! He's alive and well Living in Sister Pat!
He made me His Witness!

HE LIVES!

:GAGA:

PRAISE THE LORD ALL YOU, HIS SAINTS!
 
i would just like to say that i have really seen the power of God in this guild. It is really cool what we do and i want to thank you all for simply living and playing the way you do. I can really God reflected in your lives even tho i hardly know you guys. I can really tell you are all children of God. Keep up the excellent work. I am amazed at how i can see God in this guild in little ways (that add up to something really big).
 
mist_01 said:
i would just like to say that i have really seen the power of God in this guild. It is really cool what we do and i want to thank you all for simply living and playing the way you do. I can really God reflected in your lives even tho i hardly know you guys. I can really tell you are all children of God. Keep up the excellent work. I am amazed at how i can see God in this guild in little ways (that add up to something really big).
Click to expand...

How very true Mist. God's power does work through this guild, (yes, I am back :), alive, kicking and recovered ), you are all awesome.
 
one2dredd said:
Nice to have you back Tony!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks Andrew.

And I claim the Power of God, the Power of Prayer, and the Love of My Family for still being here.


Also...

I missed two weeks of work, unpaid (used all vacation already, and also my sick time to take care of my wife), right before Christmas (ouch, or so I thought).

BUT God has provided, I have got a total of $2300 from friends and family to help with bills and buy Christmas for the kids.

Praise God!!!
 
tho ive said it before, ill say it again. This guild does an awesome job of being Christ to the world. Great Job Guys! Keep up the good work, i can really see Christ working!
 
Thread necromancy FTW!

This is going to be even longer than my post in the introduction thread, so I'll apologize in advance.

I just wanted to give a little more personal information about myself and how God is working in my life. I can feel His hand moving me and it really is incredible that I can feel it after having felt nothing for so long. I became a Christian many years ago, probably around the age of 9 or 10, and at the time, while I knew what I was doing, I didn't know what it meant, or how it would be a lifelong journey. I was raised Baptist and still am.

I'm not sure where I started falling away from God. I'm not sure what happened to cause it. A lot of it was probably never being in one place long enough due to being in foster care to surround myself with godly people to support me in my spiritual growth. Even when I was home, I was discouraged from being active in church. I don't want to cast all the blame on circumstance, though. It was probably also being a teenager and wanting everything right then and there, not being patient enough to see God's will for my life.

In the past 2 years however, I've found myself growing increasingly discontent with the way my life has gone. It seems like just when rough spot is patched up, another erupts in front of me. I don't feel the up-times that it seems everybody else is experiencing. I know that life is a see-saw, and that God does not challenge us without purpose, but I've found myself wondering just how much pressure a person can feel without breaking.

This has led me to search for meaning in what I'm doing. I work in a pallet factory, which I'm way overeducated for, even having no college degree. I thought when I started I felt a need to be there. Just as someone has to make the fries at McDonald's, someone has to make pallets. I just find myself thinking that I'm not that someone. God is calling me to do something else, and I've increasingly been praying for Him to reveal His plan for my life. Being a pianist, I'm feeling a very strong pull toward the music ministry. There's only one catch. I'm self-taught. I started playing some 18-20 years ago without lessons. I don't read music the way most pianists do, I make it up as I go along. I play for a small, aging Baptist church in the middle of Iowa (read: nowhere). I've tried learning to read left-hand music to little avail. So I'm wondering, if God is calling me to the music ministry, what use does He have for me?

I guess what I'm trying to get at is with all the changes going on in my life, I'm still feeling God's hand in my life. Sometimes its confusing as to which way He's guiding me, but I know He's there. I would ask all of you to pray for me as I wait for His will to become clearer. I will certainly update you as things change. I want to apologize if some of this is TMI, but I feel that its important to understand as much about a situation as possible if intercessory prayer is to be effective.

Your Brother In Christ,
Nev
 
Hey Nev, if its important to you, then its important to us. I will pray for u certainly! God will show his plan to you.
 
Wow! Lots of great testimonies! I might post mine sometime. I was born and raised in the hood. God rescued me while in juvie. Been thru lots, but God has been faithful thru it all. Went to military, then college, now in youth ministry. Nothing special about me. Just a simple guy trying to live the way of Jesus.
 
Hey...I just wanted to share this. It's a testimony of sorts, from this guy who spoke at my father's church. I believe he wrote a book about his story...90 Minutes In Heaven? I don't know. Anyway, I found it to be a moving statement of God's grace...definitely something anyone should see.

Check it out when you have time. It's a video, and a lady sings first, but he speaks after that.

http://www.ffc.org/media/Players/newArchive.php?ID=611&SermID=105
 
sharing my testimony (soon)

I plan on sharing my testimony here, but I wanted to tell you guys: promise you'll give some encouragement to me after I do post it. I think it would be awful to share something so personal only to hear the crickets chirping afterwards. ;)
 
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