By Brenda Groves
The Post Newspaper Contributing Writer
When I was around seven years old, I tagged along with my dad and his friend to watch a local football game. At one point, my dad’s friend found a $10 dollar bill on the ground and gifted it to me (That would be the equivalent of around $65 today).
Now, there were a couple of teenage girls sitting behind us, and while my dad was distracted in conversation with his friend, one of the girls tapped me on the shoulder, and whispered that she had dropped the money and it belonged to her.
Immediately, I handed the $10 over to her, and they giggled and took off. Even at that young age, I sensed I had been played the fool.
You know, I didn’t lose the money. I recall my dad telling me to hang on tight to it, and I remember clamping my little fist around it. My eyes were glued to that treasure.
So I couldn’t lose the gift, but, as it turned out, I could be talked out of it.
I was reminded of this incident when I read Pastor Kenneth Hagin’s account of two women that attended a certain church. Both women were diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer and were both given only a few weeks more left to live, according to the doctors.
Both women were prayed for in the church, and, praise God, BOTH were miraculously healed.
Yet, over 15 years later, only one of the women was still alive.
The other person had gone several months with no symptoms of the disease, but one day she stood up in church and stated, “I want you all to pray for me. Those symptoms of cancer have come back on me.” Well they prayed but she let doubt get in. Sadly, she grew steadily worse until she died.
According to the pastor of her church, “When the doctors performed an autopsy on her, they couldn’t find any trace of cancer in any way, shape, or form in her body. Her liver was just as perfect as anyone else’s liver. They couldn’t find a trace of cancer. They don’t know why she died.”
Pastor Hagin went on to say, “A miracle began in her life, yet she was robbed of the best that God had for her, because of doubt. Doubt robbed Peter of the best God had for him. Remember, Peter was a man who walked with Jesus. He was part of the inner circle that followed Him, yet Peter was robbed of God’s best. I wonder how many more of those who walk with Jesus are robbed of the blessings God intended they should have.”
I recall several years ago when I was having some heart trouble. There was a lot of stress happening in my life at the time, and I just thought the alarming symptoms would pass when the situation changed. But it didn’t, it grew worse, and I was on the verge of going to the doctor (which I am NOT against going to doctors), but I was invited to a special healing service in Houston that weekend.
The word of God was preached that night, the love of God was emphasized and faith rose up in me. At the end of the service, the Pastor had a prayer line forming up front but I will be honest with you, I did not want to go. I had been fighting that heart problem for a long time, rebuking the sickness and standing on God’s word. So, I prayed to the Lord, “Heavenly Father, I don’t want to go up there, but if he calls it out, I will receive.”
The Pastor was walking back and forth on the platform praying in tongues as others were praying for needs along a line in front.
Suddenly, the Pastor stopped and said, “I feel like there is someone here who is having trouble with their heart. You have been praying and standing for your healing for a long time. You have been rebuking that sickness and commanding it to leave. But you are just tired of fighting this. Where are you?”
Well, I jumped to my feet and shouted, “It’s me!!!”
He looked straight at me and said, “Tonight, you are getting a brand new heart! Just receive that now.”
I chose to believe and receive at that moment, and praise God, every symptom left! At that exact moment, and for many months, my heart felt fine
Then one day, out of the blue, I was driving down the road singing my favorite hymn, when suddenly, all the symptoms came back full force with shortness of breath, a heavy weight on my chest, and pain which was worse than before.
I remember saying, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”
He said, “Laugh.”
I knew exactly what He meant.
Laugh at a defeated enemy who is a liar and a thief, “who comes only to kill, steal and destroy.” And at that moment, Satan was trying to steal our inheritance of healing, which was bought and paid for over 2,000 years ago through the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.
These lying symptoms were like those teenagers many years ago whispering in my ear, “that’s mine,” a thief trying to talk me into giving up what was a gift, rightfully given to me in Christ Jesus.
So, I remembered the promises of God, which are always “yes and amen” and I began to laugh with every symptom now screaming in my body, “it’s back, you’re still sick.”
Faith in His word rose up in me, and even though I did not feel like it, I laughed, and laughed!
Then, just as mysteriously as they appeared, all the symptoms disappeared. That was over seven years ago, and I don’t expect them to return.
I do believe that the Lord gave me a new heart that night in those services, because of His word, not what my feelings or emotions told me, not because I had a doctor’s report, and not because some Pastor said so.
But “at His word.”
You can’t “lose” a healing but you can be talked out of it. The devil is a liar, a deceiver, manipulator and con artist.
Yet he cannot do anything to us without our consent and complete cooperation.
We first must know what our inheritance is here on this earth, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Matt: 6:10
Then we need to know what are His promises, what has been paid for and gifted to us through His saving grace. Salvation is more than just getting our sins paid for, it also includes healing/restoration from the fallout of living in a fallen world.
So when those fearful, doubtful thoughts, or suggestions come from the enemy, you can laugh and say with all confidence, “Get thee behind me satan, for you are not mindful of the things of God.” Matt: 16:23 NKJV
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:17 NKJV
“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Mark 11:23-24 NKJV
“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (for He does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.)” Romans 11:29 Amp.
“God is no respecter of persons.” Romans 2:11 (His grace extends to ALL who will believe and receive.)
(Psalm 37:12-15, John 10:10, 1 Peter 2:24, 2 Cor. 1:20, Luke 5:5)Contact Brenda Groves at: bkgroves1996@yahoo.com
