Praying for healing, blessing the land and praying to keep the locusts away - Monday 20th September 2010

We went away for the weekend with the extended family to a farm in the Western District of Victoria.  The whole area was wet from the recent rains and the river through the farm was flowing for the first time in years. 

During a chat on our last day, with the farmer’s wife, I found out that there was a serious threat from locusts.  She said if they were not stopped before they hatched they could decimate whole areas, with nothing to stop them - only diversionary tactics could be used (smoke, chilli oils etc). 

As she spoke I thought of Neil and Jan Dowling’s testimony about how when still on the land he or Jan, had prayed and pleaded the blood of Jesus over his farm and when the locusts came they flew over his (Neil’s) property leaving his property alone.  I wanted to say something, but didn’t since I was with others who may have scoffed at me.

Soon after I was chatting to her alone and as we chatted she coughed badly. I felt prompted to offer to pray for her.  I worried about my extended family – what they would think and say if they saw me - but offered anyway, figuring that I had nothing to lose and she could be healed.

So, I offered to pray.  She said “yes”, so I placed my hand on her back and commanded the sickness to go, for health to come, and welcomed the Holy Spirit, praying that the Kingdom of Heaven would come in and upon her and onto the land.  I also felt to pray a blessing over her and her family.

I then stopped and said there was no sickness in Heaven – she agreed.  I then went on to say that there was no devouring by locusts in Heaven either and she agreed.  I then saw the opportunity to tell her about the miracle that Neil and Jan experienced and decided to take the leap of faith and offer to pray for the land (the farm and her family) to be protected and blessed.

I told her the Dowling’s testimony (as best I could remember it) and asked her if she would like me to pray for her land.  She said “yes” and pointed out a field she wanted protected in particular from any locusts.  She seemed greatly encouraged by Neil and Jan's testimony and acknowledged that such miracles can happen. 

I said I would just stand in the paddock - thinking it would be too far to walk the entire boundary and pray and I encouraged her to walk the land herself with a Bible in her hand and to claim God’s protection and blessings to be released.  I told her that I could “see” her doing so and said it was not for any super-religious reason that she carry the Bible, just that it was the picture I got for her to do and so it would be good to do that way. 

I then set off and as I walked up to the paddock I cut curses off the land and family and I decreed a release of the blessing over the land, the family and the community.  A met and joined me for the start of the field, but then I felt prompted to walk the boundary of the field.  I ended up walking the entire boundary praying as I went, pleading the blood of Jesus Christ over the land, on the boundary and praying that the family would taste and see that God is good.  As I prayed I sensed that they would taste and see that God is good. 

I felt a bit funny out there in the rain but I listened to what God asked me to do ...  knowing that my extended family may be wondering where I was.

I am now looking forward to hearing the testimonies of protection and great blessing that comes to the land, the family, the animals and the community in the future.

I did not get a chance to chat to the farmer’s wife after I prayed.  She was heading into town when we had our chat (to get lunch and a present for her daughter who coincidentally had the same birthday as my daughter – a coincidence that was not lost on her).  I have texted and offered to pray some more if they desire/require it … I have also said I would love to hear how they get on, so hopefully I will receive a great report in the near future – regardless though, what was great was that she was so open to it all, and I trust that they will all see that God is good!

Post Script: A few days after sending the text message I received this reply from the Farmer’s wife:

“ … thank you so much for your lovely text it means a lot t us that you took such a personal spiritual interest in us it means more than you can know …”

The nose that could not smell (Late 2008)

I was at the hairdresser and I was told by the owner that she could not smell smells.

I felt God prompt me to pray for her healing – that she should be able to smell all the lovely smells there were to be smelt.

I offered to pray for her and she said yes although she said she did not believe in any of this sort of thing.

I stood in the front of the shop, it was winter so it was dark outside and I was the last in the shop so all the other hairdressers all lined up to watch what I was doing and so I felt very self conscience (highlighted in the bright shop window with people passing by, about 10 hairdressers all lined up to watch, praying for someone who did not believe it would work, but who was willing to let me pray for her – I felt intimidated by her, her attitude and the people).

I placed my hand on her and prayed for healing – I prayed that she would smell the fragrances of Heaven and that she was to be totally well.

I felt nothing, no anointing, nothing.  She said she felt nothing at all as well.

I was so embarrassed but I kept it light and went home that night and cried in the kitchen and said to A that it was all too hard and that I just wanted to give up – taking the steps of faith was hard and I couldn’t do it anymore.

A said that he felt that it was just a step for her in her walk towards God – which encouraged me somewhat, but I still felt lousy and angry at God for "making a fool of me".

I felt responsible that she felt nothing and that nothing had happened and I felt like an idiot knowing that I had to go back there for haircuts in the future.

I shrugged it off, kept stepping out to pray for people and kept going to the same hairdresser for my hair cuts – even so I felt ashamed and hoped I would not see her again and I did not mention the night to my usual hairdresser.

Well about 6 months later – I had resolved to keep pressing in and praying for others – and the girl I had prayed for saw me and said she had been wanting to see me for ages … she said for the last 6 moths she had been smelling things that she had never smelt before, and that she kept telling my particular hairdresser “can you smell that, I can smell that I could not smell that before, I can smell things I could not smell before”.

I was so glad I had kept going, and here the encouragement was 6 months after the event.  I learnt that I am not responsible for the outcome and that whether they feel the anointing, or I feel the anointing, while nice and reassuring is not necessary - God moves as he chooses.

God is Good!

Salvation at Primary School and healing following day (21 April 2009)

On about the 21^st of April 2009 (Tuesday afternoon) I felt to pop in and ask R’s teacher (R was in prep) how she was doing regarding some vertigo that she had been suffering from earlier that year.

She said she was doing ok.  I told her that we had been praying for her and offered to pray for her then and there.

She said she would give anything a go and so we headed into the prep class room and I prayed for her.

She felt a real calm and she said she felt very relaxed.

Recognising that the Holy Spirit was moving on her I asked her if she had ever asked Christ into her heart.

She said that she had gone to church but no she had not.

I asked if she wanted to and she said "yes".

I prayed with her (quickly since she had a meeting to go to).  I then quickly explained to her the gift of the Holy Spirit and tongues (that it was a weapon for her to use to keep her healing) and I asked if she wanted it.

She said yes and she received the Holy Spirit and started to speak in a very basic tongues.

I gave her some new Christian teaching the following day.

The next afternoon a Mum asked if everything was ok since I had spent quite some time with our teacher.  I said yes that I had been praying for the teacher.

This friend of mine I have been “walking and talking” with for about 3 months – she has noticed the peace that I seem to recognisably carry and she asked where/how I got it and so it opened a discussion about my faith and she said she felt she would like to explore Christianity with me as a journey.

Well I mentioned this day that I had prayed for our children’s teacher then asked about her day.  She said she had been fighting a dreadful migraine and that she had taken pain killers but that they had not yet worked.

I asked her if she like prayer and we stopped on the edge of the footpath with our two two year olds in the prams as other parents walked past and I prayed.

The pain lifted and she said she felt foggy so I prayed that the deaf mute spirit leave (prayer tip from an intercessor friend of mine about the foggy feeling) and prayed for clarity and peace for her.

She then said she felt the pain had gone.

We then continued on to get our girls.

The following day at school drop off I asked how she had got on.  She told me that the pain had gone completely after prayer (I did note that she had taken pain killers before I prayed for her but the pain had gone/lifted) and then she told me that she had had the best sleep ever and had been able to sleep 8 hours straight without a wake up and she felt great – I think this was God showing off!  Don’t you just love it!  He gave her an extra (a great sleep) just to let her know He was at work.

NOTE: for next instalment of this story of this girl see Friday 8^th May 2009

Starting a blog about my adventures with God ... September 2010

It has been suggested to me that I should blog these accounts of God's Goodness and my walk with God - I am going to give this a go although I am quite illiterate about blogs, twitters, computers etc ...

I will do my best.  So anyone who is reading this - please be patient and I will see how I get on doing this.

The main aim of all of this is to highlight God's goodness; His kindness; His mercy; His sense of humour; His love; His joy and His passion for us and those around us ... to highlight the sense of joy and the sheer excitement and fun of co-labouring with God, and how, if I can do this ... anyone can! 

It has been on my heart for some time to start writing up and sharing my adventures with God stories - the amazing startling joyful "wins" and the not so great but incredibly beneficial "learning experiences".

To date I have hesitated mainly due to time constraints and shyness about the journey ... but I am becoming increasingly convinced of the importance of getting over myself and getting on with God and celebrating what He is doing, and to get on with sharing these stories to encourage others to give it a go. I also believe that these stories belong to the Church as its inheritance - there is power in the testimony.

The stories are testimonies of God's Goodness, His love for the world (both saved and unsaved) and the absolute sheer joy and delight it can be in co-partnering with God to touch a lost and hurting world - one
person at a time.

When I started I figured if I just touched one a week that would be 52 people a year that have been touched - if 5 more start to do the same over 300 people would be touched per year for the Kingdom of God and we would be leaving deposits of the Kingdom of Heaven everywhere we go!

Imagine what an army of us could do!

I also figured even if the desired miracle did not occur each person at least had a love encounter, and I am amazed at how just stopping to pray for someone really touches people out there on the street, in the schools, in the shops!

I will start to post them as and when I manage to get them typed up. I will start with some old ones but they will all be dated. I will also change names of people if I feel it is better to do so to protect some of the identities of people out there - some of you may know them.

As I become a little more computer savvy regarding the web, it will become a little more "polished" but for now I thought I would just start and see where it goes ...
So, I encourage any of you to give walking with God a go ... and watch as God goes to work ... in and through you.  If you are anything like me you will be shocked, amazed and delighted at what He is willing to do in and through you ...

Its fun and it sure beats anything else I have done!

With blessings,
Beth