Two women brought before crowd for healing

Posted on September 30, 2012 by

The 2012 Vicente Guerrero (Mexico) Healing Team

Our third and final day ministering in the small agricultural town of Vicente Guerrero (Mexico) did not disappoint.  The previous two days were full of the presence of God, tears of joy, and of healing.  This last ministry opportunity occurred Sunday morning.

After worship, my mentor Mark Cowpersmith took the microphone.  He immediately asked for someone who had significant pain or limited motion to come forward for healing.   A woman named Virginia came forward.  She had pain in her right knee.

Mark (through an interpreter):

On a scale from 1 to 10, how bad is the pain?

Virginia:

It is a 10.  I can’t straighten the leg without extreme pain.

Virginia

We prayed 3 or 4 times and the pain was gone!

That Mark would make such a spectacle of this woman getting healed in front of the entire congregation reminded me of him doing this with a woman who got healed in Guanajuato (Mexico) at the beginning of the year.  Just like then, God “brought it” (the healing).

I get nervous when Mark does this because normally when we invite people to come forward for healing, some simply don’t get healed in that moment (just like some in the Bible) but it’s not too much of a let-down because the team is spread-out on the stage praying for multiple people.  However, whenever Mark makes a spectacle of healing and all eyes are on him and the person being prayed for, I marvel at his faith; he realizes that this is God’s moment to shine.  It ALWAYS reminds me of Elijah doing the same thing with God when he called fire from heaven on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:16-39).  I believe Elijah was scared to death, but intentionally raised the stakes by giving instructions that made the miracle impossible except through divine intervention.

Virginia praying for others

After Virginia’s miraculous moment, Mark had the congregation pray for each other.  We noticed that Virginia was putting her faith into action.  She was praying for others!

Mark then asked for another person from the congregation to come forward for healing.  A woman named Berta came up on the stage.  Berta had an eye condition that prevented her from seeing anything close-up.

Testing Berta’s eyes

During prayer, we spoke specifically to the muscles in Berta’s eyes.  Using the authority of Jesus Christ, we commanded them to heal in the name of Jesus.  We then tested out her ability to read.  Berta declared that her reading had improved by 75%!

After the service, we finished packing our bags, loaded up the cars and then left Vicente Guerrero.  It was a short trip…but a meaningful one.  God set a lot of people free in that city.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

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VIDEO:15-yr Injury Instantly Healed

Posted on September 29, 2012 by

Sarra

While conducting a healing meeting on Day 2 of a 3-day trip to the town of Vicente Guerrero (5 hours south of the U.S./Mexico border), a young woman named Sarra came up for prayer.  She described an awful car accident 15 years ago where the deployment of the airbag broke and displaced her ribs.  Sarra said she has been in constant pain for 15 years.

Before praying for healing, Sarra’s displaced bones reminded me of Miguel in Guadalajara.  Miguel’s chest was so dramatically deformed that the bones in his chest stuck out like a pyramid…but during prayer, Miguel’s bones began to re-shape themselves.  The healing was so dramatic that his mother, a medical doctor, began to cry.   As I am telling Miguel’s story to Sarra, she interrupts me to share her surprise that she feels something moving within her back and neck.  She feels and hears a “cracking sound”.  My friend Kyle, who had his hand on her shoulder as he prepared to pray for her, felt the cracking from under her skin!

We all watched in amazement as Sarra’s back and neck began to shift into alignment for the first time in 15 years!  She couldn’t stop talking about how incredible this was and how the pain had gone away.  We were experiencing an amazing miracle, and we hadn’t even asked God for healing yet!!  Just from talking about the healing power of Jesus Christ (through a powerful testimony), faith was activated to the extent that her body began to instantly heal…one bone at a time!

Lili

While many were healed during that meeting, here are a few more anecdotes from that night…

A woman named Lili was experiencing extreme pain in her knees.  She told me that the pain has been bad for 5 years.  After the second prayer, Lili began crying tears of joy and distributing hugs as she reported that all of the pain was gone.

Enrique

A man named Enrique said he had gout in his left foot.  He said that the pain in his foot was “severe” the entire morning because of standing on that foot during the worship part of the church service.  While there was modest improvement in the foot after the first prayer, Enrique declared that ALL of the pain was gone after the second prayer.

Mark (my mentor), realizing that Enrique’s faith had increased substantially after witnessing his own healing, had Enrique “lay hands” on  a woman who had  multiple leg injuries.  After the prayer the woman declared that she couldn’t feel the pain she normally felt while sitting.

Enrique praying for a woman with leg injuries

I can’t imagine ever tiring of observing the power and mercy of God.  He hasn’t stopped loving us; may we learn to love Him more.

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Large crowd experiences healing on our first night in Mexico

Posted on September 28, 2012 by

Healing of woman’s eyes (translator in background)

Many miraculous things happened in Mexico on day 1 of a 3 day trip to Vicente Guerrero, a small agricultural town 5 hours south of the U.S./Mexico border.  Mark Cowpersmith, my associate pastor, had been teaching students on healing at a local church for almost a full week before I arrived with my friend Kyle.  I was scheduled to speak on healing and then begin demonstrating it.

We arrived to the church just in time for the service.  The church had been asking the local community for weeks to bring their sick on this night and the large church was full…and hot.  I was excited about what God was going to do.

As I started to conclude my message on healing, I noticed that people started approaching the front of the church for healing; they were wheeling wheelchairs and escorting people with walkers.  By the time we actually started officially inviting people to come to the front for healing, 90% of the room had moved to the front!

Mark brought a team of 3 people with him, so with Kyle and me, we had a healing team of six.  Given the number of people who came for healing, we were overwhelmed.  Mark broke us into groups.

It would be impossible to list all of the healing that first night, but the group to which I was assigned was designated for healing of the eyes.  Of the healing that I witnessed in my group, here are a few examples that stood-out…

  • A woman named Gloria notified us of significant improvement with blurry vision.
  • A woman named Josefina declared that all of her blurry vision had disappeared.
  • A woman named Rosy felt something tighten in her forehead as we prayed and then observed significant improvement with her vision.
  • A woman named Maria said she was diagnosed with a “carnosidad” in her eye. When we were done praying, the burning pain in her eyes was gone.
  • A woman named Irene came forward with pain in her back and knees.  After prayer, ALL pain was gone (I’m not sure how she ended up in my “eye” group).
  • A woman named Lucina also felt her pain go away as we prayed.
  • A woman named Virginia went from blurry vision to clear vision.

Here are photos of three of the women (mentioned above) whose improvement was most dramatic…

A young woman named Mayra said that she could not see clearly and that she was seeing silhouettes when she looked at people.  We began praying and after several prayers in the name of Jesus, she could see Mark clearly (who was on the opposite side of the platform).  She even noticed detail (such as “he has dark circles under his eyes”).

Mayra

Later that evening, a woman who received healing also told me that she wanted to change course and give her life to God.  She prayed to receive Jesus as Lord of her life that night.  The most important healing of the night…a soul healing…occurred in that moment.

Witnessing so much healing our first night really wet our appetite for what God was going to do the following two days.  The adventure has begun!

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VIDEO: Extreme back pain healed

Posted on August 19, 2012 by

This video clip was shot minutes after Stuart received relief from excruciating back pain…

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VIDEO: Cyst begins shrinking during prayer

Posted on August 5, 2012 by

We experienced healing and prophesy at the August convention in Tijuana, Mexico

August 1st, I received the following text message from my pastor…

Pastor:

Going to Tijuana Saturday night to preach at the convention.  Want to go with?

Me:

OF COURSE!!!

The convention he was referring to was a special convention of churches throughout Mexico.  Last night they convened in Tijuana for the end of their 3-day meeting.  It was a touch of heaven as we watched the power of Jesus Christ begin to heal and set the captive free.

Luke 4:18-19…

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

Pastor John Ettore prophesying over the congregation (No, those aren’t baseball mitts on their heads…those are Pastor John’s hands).

After worship, Pastor John spoke a powerful message about God taking care of his children (us).  After the message, he began to lay hands on members of the congregation and prophesied over them.

1 Corinthians 14:31…

“For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.”

After prophesy, John called me forward and initiated the healing part of the service.

John:

If you need healing, I want you to step to the front.

A small group came forward to receive.  Among the dozen or so people who came forward, a few claimed to feel something different during and after prayer; three of them had testimonies of physical change that were compelling.

A woman named Mia had a cyst on her cheek.  She said the doctor told her she needed an operation to remove the cyst, but she could not afford the operation.  We were looking for a miracle.  I have posted video of her testimony under her photo, but because the audio is poor, I have also included a transcript here…

Mia

Mia:

Six months ago, I noticed a cyst on my cheek.  It started hurting a lot, so I went to the doctor.  They gave me an exam and the doctor said I needed to get rid of it as soon as possible.  I came today and they prayed for me.  Before they prayed for me, it was hurting so much…it felt like it was going to explode.  Now, after prayer, it started shrinking and I can’t feel it anymore.  I don’t feel anything and I feel that Jesus Christ has healed me.

I love this testimony.  Before we started praying, I asked her if I could touch the cyst while we were praying.  She asked me to touch VERY lightly because of how much pain she felt in that area of her face.  During the prayer I noticed a smile on her face.  After prayer, I asked her about it.

Me:

Why were you smiling during the prayer?

Mia:

Because I could feel a change.  The cyst went numb and I felt heat.  Now I have no pain!

A middle-aged woman came forward and spoke of problems with her throat and chest.  During prayer she felt something significantly change (physically).  She was excited about this significant change and ended up sharing this testimony with the congregation over the microphone.

A man in his 20′s or 30′s asked me to pray for his hands.  He showed me that he could not bend them a certain direction.  Laying my hands on his, I began declaring the healing power of Jesus over his hand.  I asked him to “try-out” his fingers.  One hand began bending normally!  We were both excited.

We started praying over the other hand.  I wasn’t too impressed with the movement of his fingers after the second prayer, but I learned a couple of years ago to celebrate ANY God-given improvement.  The change in his first hand was worthy of celebration!

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VIDEO: After prayer, scar tissue miraculously disappears

Posted on July 30, 2012 by

Last Sunday July 22, Jim and Laura approached me at church, asking for prayer for their 2 and a half-year-old son named Ezequiel.  Ezequiel is a special needs child.  They were holding him during the conversation.

Jim:

Ezequiel has a tube that comes out of his stomach.  There is scar tissue all the way around the tube that protrudes around the skin and comes up a quarter of an inch.  The doctor needs us to cauterize (burn the skin off) with silver nitrate so the tube won’t stick up when the doctor puts in the new g-tube; it will be flush with his skin.

We tried this before, but it was very painful for Ezequiel because while there is scar tissue on the outside, there is regular flesh on the inside (closer to the tube).  The silver nitrate doesn’t just go after the dead skin, it burns whatever it touches.  The last time we tried it, we hit live tissue and he cried for 25 minutes.

We began to pray.  We declared healing in Jesus’ name and commanded (using the authority of Jesus Christ) the dead skin to go so that the tube would be flush with the skin.

Matthew 10:1…

And when He had called His twelve disciples to [Him], He gave them power…to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.

Today, I received the following text from Jim…

Hey…quick update.  Last week you prayed for EQ and the scar tissue around his g-tube….well, now it is flat against his stomach and nowhere in sight!  Praise God!

Me:

Wow!!!!  God is awesome!!!

Any healing is great, but healing involving a child is so much more meaningful.

Matthew 12:15…

“Many followed Him (Jesus), and He healed them all.”

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Pastor’s brother receives healing

Posted on July 21, 2012 by

This is not an actual photo of Brad’s toe. The exact likeness of Brad’s toe has been protected for purposes of confidentiality.

Last Thursday, my Pastor sent me a text message saying “Call me.”  When I called him, he said that his brother Brad was in town and he wanted to meet somewhere and have me pray for his brother’s injured toe.  We weren’t far from each other, so about 10 minutes later we met in a parking lot.

My Pastor introduced me to his brother Brad and, after some small talk, we began talking about the injured toe.  I don’t remember what Brad said about how it was injured, but the exact location of the pain is at the knuckle of the toe.  He has had to put a metal bar in his shoe to keep it from bending…otherwise the toe causes pain.

Because Brad also described Carpal Tunnel-like problems he was having with his wrists, I began by telling Charla’s story of being healed from cancer last year.  I did this because though we rebuked Charla’s cancer during the prayer, other areas of her body started healing at the same time….things we weren’t praying for.  This was an incredible faith-builder for me and I love repeating the story.

My Pastor pulled his son Elliott out of the car and the four of us began praying.  If you’ve read this blog before, you know the story: We rebuked whatever was causing pain and discomfort and we declared healing in the name of Jesus.

Me:

Let’s test it out.  How do your wrists feel?

Brad:

Well, they weren’t hurting immediately before…it’s kind of a sporadic thing.

Me:

Then let’s test the toe.

Brad began moving his foot around.  We were waiting for Brad to say something.  He continued moving the foot and the toe.

Brad:

That’s funny; I can’t get it to hurt.

I started giggling.  Thank you Jesus, for EVERYTHING you paid for on that cross!  May I never grow complacent about healed thumbs, toes, emotions, or cancer!

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