Category: Spiritual healing

Christian Media, Christian Radio, Christianity, Devotional, Faith, Healing, Hope, Spiritual healing

When you feel crushed…

Posted on by David L'Herroux

My family and I spent our Summer holiday in the Loire Valley, an area famous for its vineyards and wine making.  During my time there, I started to think about the journey of the grape and the long process it goes through from vine to wine glass. I felt God challenge me about that journey and how it could apply to the long process we each go through in life to become who God would have us to be.

If I was to imagine myself as a grape, this is what the process might feel like:

It is a fresh sunny day in early spring, and I am hanging on the vine with a bunch of others, covered with morning dew. I feel like I am part of something, and life’s prospects seem good, but then suddenly, the rain and hail hits.

I try to hide behind the vine leaf to shelter from the storm, but it is hard to keep dry, for the vine has been pruned back, and I am now exposed, unable to hide.

Where has the sun gone? Is this Spring or Winter? No one told me this would be so hard! It feels like hell. Surely this will be over soon?

And then after a turbulent and stormy and wet Summer, now Autumn has come. Early morning early frost settles on the vine, and again I found myself wanting to shelter, but then before I know it, it is harvest time, and suddenly, I am being picked from the vine.

There are loud engines and machines all around, and I find myself being ripped from all that is secure and safe.

I am put into a large, dark, smelly container and then turned into another metal large box, where I am being pressed and squeezed. My very shape itself is being moulded into something else, and all I can feel is intense pressure and deep, deep crushing. It hurts!

Finally, just when I think it is over, I am then poured into a wood barrel and wheeled into a dark cellar. Surely this is it? All this crushing, this pain, this change… surely I am now ready and finished? This must be the final stage which will last a few hours, no?

But no, this process takes a few years, and then something remarkable happens. Suddenly, a light shines into the darkness, and the wine is being tasted. ‘It is ready’, I hear the voices cry as they pour me into a much smaller container, a bottle.

There’s a label on the outside of the bottle to describe what I now am, but just when I think I am about to be released into my purpose, I am once again now laid carefully on a shelf to wait and wait and wait.

It seems as though the waiting goes on forever, but then once again, the light shines into the darkness, and I am being gently handled. The cork on the bottle is carefully removed, and I am being poured into a large glass. I can hear all the voices around the table, and I can hear the host of the party, saying ‘Try this fine wine… this is the best I have ever made.’

Everyone is smelling and swirling and tasting and agreeing with the host that this long process has been worth it all. All the seasons, all the crushing, the pressing, and the waiting has produced something that not only looks beautiful but which also smells and tastes wonderful.

If we apply the picture of a grape to our own lives, I am sure we will see many similarities.

We each walk through many seasons, many of them very painful, which at times feel as though they will never end.

And yet, through the whole process, God is making something beautiful and precious out of everything we go through.

What season are you in today? And if you were squeezed, what aroma, what taste would come from you? My prayer is that we can stand with Paul, who said ‘But I will rejoice even if my life is poured out like a liquid offering to God, over your sacrificial and surrendered lives of faith. And so no matter what happens to me, you should rejoice in ecstatic celebration with me!’ (Philippians 2:17).

I pray that whatever season you are in, you will believe and be encouraged that no matter what is happening, God can use this time to make something beautiful out of us.

DLH-Blog-WhenYou'reBeingCrushed

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Christian Media, Christianity, Devotional, Evangelism, Faith, Forgiveness, Healing, Hope, Miracles, Spiritual healing

Is God your Facebook friend only? Or much more?

Posted on by David L'Herroux

A few days ago, we had a visitor to UCB, and as I walked into reception, a member of the team said to the guest: ‘This is David, do you know him?’

The guest said, ‘Yes, we are friends on Facebook.’

Later, I was thinking about this and realised that in many ways, for some of us this could be our main experience of God: we are ‘Facebook friends only.’ It might be that we have experienced Him in some way; we are acquaintances, but we are not in an intimate relationship with Him. We have lost our connection, and although we are still ‘friends’, He is not our confidant or the person we go to when we are in a storm.

As a young man, I used to cry out to God for a deeper relationship with Him, for an experience of His manifested presence. I wanted to know God in a deeper way. I wanted a visitation. It was frustrating waiting for that moment. But as I began to study the scriptures and seek God, I discovered something which blew my mind. You see, God’s manifested presence is already here!

In Genesis, we read the familiar story of Adam and Eve. God created these first humans to live daily in His presence in the garden of Eden. In the Hebrew language, ‘Eden’ refers to 3 words: spot, moment, presence. In other words, ‘The delightful spot on the earth where the manifested presence of God was an open door between heaven and earth.’

It is where God originally destined humans to exist. God created water for fish, air for birds, and for humans, He gave us His presence. Because it is in His presence that we discover true intimacy with God. It is the place where we are changed and where our situations, thinking, and the people around us are also transformed.

But as we know from Genesis, Lucifer did not like this. As a former angel himself, he too must have experienced the manifest presence and glory of God, but he wanted that glory for himself. He also knew just how powerful it was, and so he was on a mission to take it away from Adam and Eve. If he could somehow negotiate with them and persuade them (of their own will) to forsake the presence of God, he then knew that man would fail.

And we know that a decision made then by Adam and Eve had an impact on mankind for generations to come. But thank God that His original plan could not be thwarted or changed. Lucifer must have thought at the time ‘Ha! I have them now.’ But he was wrong.

You see, when Christ died, he took back the authority, dominion and power that Lucifer had taken for himself, and he restored you and me (and anyone else who accepts it) back into the manifest presence of God. Christ gave us our purpose back — our meaning for living — as members of the body of Christ and God’s family.

When I first started to discover this, things began to change in me.

Through God’s plan of redemption, I no longer needed to cry out for a special visitation. The Kingdom of God — His manifest presence — was already living in me. And because of that revelation, I can live in it daily.

It means that whatever storm I am walking through, I am never alone, and it also means that while in human terms, things may look impossible, in the presence of God, ALL things are possible.

When we choose to live in His presence daily in our workplaces, school, church and in every situation we walk into, we start to see things change. We are changed, and our situations and the people around us are changed too. And the reason is simple: God’s manifest presence is already here, and in God’s presence, anything is possible.

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Christian Media, Christian Radio, Christianity, Devotional, Evangelism, Faith, Healing, Hope, Miracles, Prophecy, Spiritual healing

When God’s spirit moves

Posted on by David L'Herroux

This week on UCB 1 and UCB 2, it has been our national appeal. We have been talking on air about 1 Kings 18 and the ‘sound of a mighty rainstorm’. All around us are small clouds and green shoots of the beginnings of revival, and we are expectant and excited to see what God is going to do.

What you won’t have heard on air is the move of God which has been happening in our own buildings here at UCB.

Last week, we invited Fergus Mcintyre, an itinerant pastor who has a prophetic ministry, to spend time with our staff, praying with each of them and speaking into their lives.

There is nothing like experiencing that refreshing ‘rain’ when the spirit of God touches and refreshes our lives!

As a result of these meetings, I have heard from so many of our team, who have been blessed by what God said to them. I truly believe this is where revival begins.

There is a famous saying: ‘Lord, send revival and let it start with me.’

When we each develop and grow our intimacy with God, He begins to pour His spirit out. In Joel, it says ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.’

I believe these ‘last days’ are now, and can I encourage you to seek God for your own personal revival? When we have received it, we are then able to pass it on to others.

Here are a few stories from our team of what has happened to them in the past week.

Amy’s story (UCB Digital Designer)

In my life, I have struggled and felt a lot of pain, but I can always sense when others need help. When Fergus prayed for me, he told me I am a good listener and God trusts me. I can walk past someone and squeeze their hand and say, ‘I’m with you’ and they will feel God’s presence. This became really apparent during the appeal when I was able to listen and engage with our supporters on the phone. I was able to help a listener with a severe stammer through the donation process, and I was able to listen and let him know I was there to help. This confirmed many of the things Fergus said to me about listening and being trusted to help others through difficult situations.

Carl’s story (Prayerline Liaison Officer)

Over the past few years, I have been able to pray for many of the staff at UCB and have felt I could often feel other people’s pain. At first, I thought I was just imagining it, but when Fergus spoke to me, he said God wanted me to step up and tell people what I felt and then pray for them. Fergus told me that I was a ‘Barnabas’ and encouraged me to step out in faith, but at the same time, use discernment and speak wisely. A man I did not know at all was used to speak encouragement and blessing into my life.

Anonymous

Fergus spoke to me about how I’m very particular about all the jobs I do. I dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s as he put it. Whilst this is true, the thing is that however hard I try and whatever I do, I always feel like I’m not good enough – so I decided that I’d stay behind and ask Fergus if he’d pray with me about it.

We chatted, and very quickly Fergus uncovered the root of the problem. I grew up with a violent and overbearing, perfectionist father; everything had to be ‘just right’ all the time. Me and my siblings grew up constantly walking on eggshells, afraid to upset him, and whatever I achieved, it was never enough. The effect that growing up in this kind of environment has on you as a person is huge. And whilst I do feel that I have forgiven my dad for all this already, somehow I’ve just never been able to break free of the hold that it has over me. So, Fergus then prayed with me and asked me to speak out all the things, all the un-truths, that have ever been spoken over me and that I’ve believed.  Then the presence of God came over me in the most powerful way. The chains that have kept me bound since my childhood were broken, and I felt the most amazing sense of peace like I have never felt before. What I have to do now is to walk in the freedom and peace that God has graciously given me.

Paula’s story 

The last few months have been really difficult for me, and I’ve been fighting lots of battles. I knew that I needed to spend more time with God and rest, but I’ll admit, instead, I just made myself really busy. I was exhausted. I didn’t know what Fergus was going to say, but he started laughing and said I was the ’90-mile-an-hour lady,’ always on the go… and that God wanted me to slow down. He also said I’d been dealing with the weight of other people’s expectations, and God wanted to set me free from that. I honestly felt like a huge weight was lifted almost instantly as soon as he prayed, and this week has been truly incredible. There’s a tangible sense of God’s presence in the building, spontaneous prayer groups are breaking out, and I’ve been diving out of bed in the morning, excited to read my Bible and see what God has to say today. It’s amazing to see what God is doing. It’s not what God has done but what He is doing… this is just the beginning.

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Can I encourage you to spend time seeking God in your own life? When His spirit touches our lives, everything changes. We are able to see with clarity, and we are able to pass this incredible presence of God on to others too.  This is where revival starts. As I said at the beginning ‘Lord, send revival and let it start with me’. 

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Christian Media, Christian Radio, Christianity, Devotional, Evangelism, Faith, Healing, Hope, Miracles, Spiritual healing

God will get you through it…

Posted on by David L'Herroux

I would like to tell you about my grandson Emile. Emile is 8 years old and is so loving and caring (especially with his new baby sister), and I believe God has a great purpose for his life.

My daughter Natalie had a normal pregnancy with Emile, and as a family we had no idea there was anything wrong. Emile surprised everyone by arriving two months early, and at first the doctor thought he might have a blockage in one of the tubes leading to his stomach.

However, as the doctors did many more investigations, they discovered that Emile actually had Vacterl Syndrome, a genetic condition which affects multiple areas of the body. Emile had a hole in his heart, problems with his spine, his oesophagus was fused to his lung (instead of his stomach), and he had only one kidney. In addition, he had a problem with the thumb on his hand and one of his eyes remained shut, as there was no nerve in the eyelid.


At the beginning of his journey, when we were first told of Emile’s diagnosis, our family was devastated. Having lost a child of our own, my wife Jackie and I did not want to see Natalie and Antoine go through a similar heartache. I remember spending a lot of time with God, and I felt Him tell me clearly that He would not lift us out of the situation, but He would lead us through it. All around the world, other ministries and friends were praying for Emile and his parents, and we felt so lifted by their prayers, knowing that we were not alone.

Emile was finally released from hospital, and Natalie and Antoine had a wonderful first day as a family at home with him. For the first time, they felt like real parents, but that evening, Emile choked and had to be resuscitated and rushed back to hospital. It felt as though we were facing yet another setback, and yet through it all, we sensed that victory was coming.

Emile remained in hospital till he was four months old and had many operations during that time and over the following years.


The doctors said that Emile would probably never sit unaided, and if he did, he would probably never stand. And if he was ever able to stand, he would never be able to walk or run. And yet, Emile has done all of those things and much more.

We wondered if he would ever be able to eat normally. At the time he had a button fitted in his stomach to allow tube feeding. When he was five years old, Emile started to eat and finally this year he had his button removed, as he is now eating enough on his own. I remember the weekend that Emile came to stay with us and ate a whole plate of spaghetti. For Jackie and I, it was an incredible event, and even now when I sit at the table and see him eat, there is a silent cry of thanks that wells up inside me. Thank you God, thank you Father for ALL you have done in his life.

God has been so faithful, and although Emile faces many challenges, we know that God has been true to His word when He said he would not take us out of the situation, but He would lead us through it.

Did I ever doubt? I can honestly say I do not think I did. However, there have been times that have been overwhelming. Seeing someone you love in so much pain is devastating and stressful, and yet even through pain, God has been there.

On one occasion, I felt God tell me to ‘talk to the mountain’, and so sitting with Emile as he was in his hospital bed, I asked if he could feel any pain. He said yes, and I told him that in Jesus’ name, he could tell the pain to go. As we prayed and Emile told the pain to leave his body, I wish I could have taken a photograph, as a huge smile lit up his face. Even now, several years later, our daughter tells us that Emile will shout out ‘Pain, go, in Jesus name!’

His simple faith has been such a blessing to us, and God has spoken to us so many times.

On another occasion, I was with Emile at a physiotherapy appointment to help correct a malformation in his thumb. The physiotherapist explained that in order to get the thumb into the right position, they would need to ‘stretch and pull’. This would be a repeated process until eventually the thumb stayed in a more natural position. It would not be pleasant, but as the physiotherapist explained, ‘when the thumb stays in the right position, we will know we have won’.

It spoke to me so clearly of how God works in our lives. Sometimes our lives and purposes need to be realigned, and we need divine physiotherapy to put us into the right position. It is rarely a pleasant experience, but God uses this stretching and pulling to shape us into the people He wants us to be.

Today, as we look back on all God has done in Emile’s life so far, we are overwhelmed and so very grateful. There is much physical healing still to be done in Emile’s life, but we know that the God who has brought us this far will continue to see us through.

     

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Christian Media, Christian Radio, Christianity, Devotional, Evangelism, Faith, Healing, Hope, Miracles, Spiritual healing

The Power of a Story – Sid’s story

Posted on by David L'Herroux

Once a year, the UCB team (staff and volunteers) gather together to celebrate all that God has done and share some of our thoughts and hopes for the future.

Our Staff Away Day was last Thursday, and what a wonderful day we had. We had a great time of worship together, led by our friends from CfAN, followed by a great word from the Chairman of our Board, Alan Scotland, who heads up Global Horizons. We themed the event ‘The Power of a Story’ to coincide with a new book we have published for UCB’s 30th anniversary. The book tells the stories of 30 people whose lives have been changed by the power of God’s Word.

Two of the people in the book, Sid O’Neill and Margaret McGuckin, came to join us (as a surprise for the staff) at the Away Day. We shared their stories on video and then invited them to talk in more detail about how God has impacted their lives.


This is Sid’s story in his own words:

When I was 12 years old, I went to live with my grandmother. The house we lived in had a lot of strange spiritual activity and, as a child, I used to see and hear spirits. That was my only experience of anything ‘spiritual’. Years later, I was working in a print factory and one of the bosses, Neil, was a Christian. I think I made his life a misery as I used to tease him and try to embarrass him. I’d never met a Christian before – I thought it was really amusing. I wondered why he always read his Bible rather than the newspaper like the rest of us.

Although I knew there was a spiritual world (because of my childhood experiences), the only thing I now did religiously was go to the pub on a Friday night. One night, a group of us were heading off for some drinks when we were involved in a terrible car accident – one of my friends in the car was killed. I was seriously injured and spent a long time in hospital with broken legs and a broken back. I had a lot of time to think, and I blamed God for what He had done to me and to my friends. When I got better, I took off to a new job in the Middle East. I made a real mess of things there, started drinking and ended up breaking my contract in order to get back to the UK. When I returned, Neil, the supervisor from my old factory, was now running his own busy printing firm, and he was printing this little booklet called the UCB Word for Today.

He offered my wife a job, and one day when I went to pick her up, the printing press was broken. Neil was distraught and at the point of tears as he couldn’t find anyone to fix it, and the UCB Word for Today needed to be urgently printed. I don’t know how, but I looked at the machine, and I was able to fix it… and the printing continued. Even though I wasn’t a believer, I believe that God helped me to fix that machine.

Somehow, I knew that I needed to be there, working for Neil. It meant a 50% pay cut, but I was drawn back there, and I used to read the UCB Word for Today as it came off the presses. One night, Neil gave me a CD with a man singing a song from Psalm 23, and as I sat there, alone in the factory, I raised my hands and I was crying. I knew that God was speaking to me, and I knew that if I asked for forgiveness, God would set me free and He would heal me of all my pain. That was the day I stopped running from God, and since then, I have not looked back. Today, I am working with the Christian Motorcyclist Association. I can’t say how thankful I am to God for all that He’s done in my life. He’s fixed my hurt and pain, He’s stopped me from running, and He’s given me hope. In my life, God has worked through so many different means: through Neil, through the bikers, through the Word For Today, and through everyone who prayed for me.

Today, Sid works with the Christian Motorcyclists Association, and he brought some of his biker friends from CMA, who also shared how God was working in their lives.

Hearing stories like these blesses me so much. I know that it is not because of anything UCB has done but because of God at work in people’s lives. Sometimes, God allows UCB to be part of that journey. And we are so thankful!

This week is a very busy one for our team as we launch our National Appeal on UCB 1 and UCB 2. It will be three days of inspiring radio, and we will share many more testimonies of God working in people’s lives.

I hope you will be able to listen in.

P.S. If you are able to support the work of UCB this week, it is very easy to get in touch. You can click here to donate or call us on 01782 911 911.


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Christian Media, Christian Radio, Christianity, Faith, Forgiveness, Healing, Hope, Miracles, Spiritual healing

When trouble comes, will you stay the course?

Posted on by David L'Herroux

I am very pleased to hand the blog over to my friend Bruno Kondabéka this week. Bruno and his wife Joanne are great friends of our family and are also the pastors of Chichester Family Church.

Some years ago, their son (who was then 7 years old) was struck by a terrible illness, but God did something remarkable.

It’s an incredible story of God’s power at work. Bruno will share what happened next.

Bruno writes…

My wife Joanne and I have three boys, and as pastors of a church in Chichester, our lives are often busy. About two years ago, I was preaching a sermon series on the issue of suffering. I remember asking our church, ‘When trouble comes, will you stay the course?’ We didn’t know then that soon ‘trouble’ would visit our home and put our family to the test.

It began without any warning, when one day our youngest son Samuel started to feel unwell. He had a slight fever but didn’t seem too ill, so we gave him Calpol, and he stayed home from school for a few days to recover.

Five days later, Samuel started to get visibly worse: his temperature went up, and he was complaining that his head and neck were hurting, so we rang NHS Direct who advised we take him to the emergency doctor. On Sunday, the hospital checked him over, but they felt satisfied that it was probably a virus and in time it would pass. However, by the middle of the week, Samuel was still not any better, so we took him to our GP, and that’s when things became very worrying. Samuel was very agitated that day, which was not like his usual cooperative self, and he seemed to be in pain and was very confused. The GP rang the paediatric unit at the hospital, and the consultant suggested we take him straight there.

We were greeted at the hospital by the consultant and his team, and we started to realise that this was maybe very serious indeed. Again Samuel was very agitated and confused. He had become light sensitive, so he was sedated in order to calm him down so that he could be examined and given a CT scan.

After the scan, our son’s condition deteriorated rapidly. He was finding it hard to wake up, his heart beat was erratic, and he was not responsive to anything we said to him. The results of his CT scan were passed onto the specialists in Southampton Hospital, and because they were concerned with what they saw, they arranged for Samuel to be transferred by ambulance to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit in Southampton. To stabilise him, he was put in a drug induced coma, and he was quickly taken to Intensive Care.

Samuel

After further tests, we were told Samuel had Meningoencephalitis – a very rare and potentially deadly infection on the brain, caused by mycoplasma (a cross between a virus and bacteria) which causes the brain to swell. As parents, our hearts were broken, and the tears flowed as we watched what was happening to our little boy, but we did what we could to hold on to God and to trust Him to take us through this.

I remembered that just a short time previously, I had asked our church family if they were able to ‘stay the course’ when suffering came, and now we were facing that exact situation ourselves. We felt all the emotions you could expect – we wept and we worried, but we were also encouraged by remembering words spoken over Samuel’s life when he was dedicated as a baby by our friend, Pastor Brian Downward, from Bournemouth. The words at that time were that God had a purpose for his life, and it was a good purpose. He was to be a man of God.

I was also aware that our friends in Angers, France, were holding a week of mission at their church. I lived in France for some years, and the church there had helped to sponsor me in my theology studies in South Africa. I had a phone call from David L’Herroux, who told us that the church wanted to pray for Samuel. David felt it was important that the church prayed together during one of their services, and so that night at 8.30pm at the hospital in Southampton, we connected by phone with the church in France (as David paused in the middle of his preach). We laid hands on Samuel as David prayed, and then because we were in the ICU and couldn’t make too much noise, I went outside the ward and continued to pray (with my arm outstretched toward my son’s bed), while the church prayed that God would heal Samuel. That day had been particularly hard as we watched the nurses struggling to get Samuel to wake up out of the coma – they were not succeeding. So, we were encouraged by this prayer and support, and it gave us courage to believe for a miracle.

I walked back to the ward and we continued to sit beside Samuel’s bed, and literally just 30 minutes later, we had the biggest surprise of our lives when Samuel just opened his eyes. He had been unconscious for 3 days. The nurses rushed to see him and confirmed he was conscious – they removed his breathing tube, and from that moment, he started to make a full recovery.

Samuel2

The next day, he was moved from the ICU, and 14 days later, he was discharged from the hospital. The neurosurgeon who had worked with Samuel took us to one side and said that although she was amazed at his recovery, we should also expect the worst, as there could be long term damage.

But just over two weeks later, Samuel was back at school part-time, and the following week, he went back to school full time. He will soon be celebrating his tenth birthday and has suffered no ill effects whatsoever.

Samuel3

We thank God every day for the amazing miracle he gave us for our son.

Family

David concludes…

Bruno’s story is a wonderful reminder to us that God is very much at work in the world around us. At UCB, I encourage the team to keep being expectant and believing for the impossible. We live in a world which is bound by fear, but I believe God wants to set us free in every area of our lives.  I trust Bruno’s story has encouraged you to believe for more. We serve a mighty God!

 

David-Blog9

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Christian Media, Christian Radio, Christianity, Evangelism, Faith, Forgiveness, Healing, Hope, Miracles, Spiritual healing

Faith is like a muscle – it has to be exercised

Posted on by David L'Herroux

Last week, I shared some stories of the incredible miracles which have been happening at my brother’s church in France. We felt that God started to move in the church about two years ago during our first missions week. A lady came asking for prayer for pain in her hips, which was caused by deformed bones. She was completely healed, and this opened up a door for God to do more.

Over the last two years, we have heard many more incredible testimonies: a man healed of complete deafness, a woman healed of paralysis in her leg, another lady who had severe pain and even discharged herself from hospital for an hour to come to the service. She was completely set free and later declared free of disease. Others have been restored from tumours, depression, restless leg syndrome, chronic insomnia, and addictions. There are so many stories I could share, and in the future, I hope that some of these people will write guest blogs and tell you their stories themselves. There is so much to thank God for!

I have been asked a question which is close to many people’s hearts – why are some people healed and others not? I do not have all the answers, but I can share from my own experience what I believe is true. I wrote last week about the need for expectancy and how we should approach God believing that He will do something.

Here is an illustration: if one of us was sick, we would go to the doctor for a check-up. Often, we will not know the doctor, but we will take their advice, and when they give us a prescription for medication, we will then take that to a chemist. At every stage, we usually trust the doctor we do not know, we trust the chemist we do not know, and we trust the pills, even when we do not understand how they work. But when it comes to trusting God, we often struggle, and we question if He is capable of giving us what we ask. We have no trouble believing that He could die for us, save us, and give us eternal life, but we do struggle to believe that He could do the miraculous.

I believe that faith is a muscle, and just like any other muscle in our bodies, if we do not use it, it will eventually become weak and useless. As believers, we are children of God’s kingdom, and just like being a citizen of the United Kingdom, we have certain citizenship rights. If something was wrong in our country, we would have the right to take a petition to 10 Downing Street, and in the same way, we can take our petitions to God.

As citizens of God’s kingdom, we have a constitution (God’s Word), and we can stand on that and petition God to do what no one else can do. Just as with politics, we don’t always see answers right away, but we should keep standing on God’s Word, believing His promises, and asking Him to bring about a miracle. God’s Word is the instruction manual for life. If you or I bought a new mobile phone, we would go home and start reading the instructions to make sure that we got the best use from the phone. If we pay that much care and attention to our phones, how much more attention should we give to our lives? God’s Word is the instruction manual – without understanding it, our lives do not work properly.

Now it is true to say that not every one gets healed, but I believe that God is sovereign, and we are not here to dictate to Him how He should do things, but to be obedient to His Word. However, I have also seen great things happen when a person didn’t get healed.

Last year, a lady came to a meeting during the mission in France. That very day, she gave her life to Christ and asked us to pray that she would be healed from terminal cancer. We prayed for her, but sadly just five days later, she died.   When the church went to visit her family (they were not Christians), her husband said that in the days before she passed away, he had never seen his wife so happy and peaceful since he had known her.

He said: she spent her final days praising her Jesus, and she left this world in total peace, knowing that she would soon see Him face to face. So although she did not see physical healing in this life, she was healed when she stood before Jesus and was given a new body, free of disease. There is no sickness or ill-health or cancer in Heaven. Praise God!

If you are trusting God to heal or set you free, can I encourage you to persevere? Stand on His word, trust Him, and practice exercising your faith muscle. Whatever happens, you can be sure of one thing: your life will be changed for the better. I have never met a person who wasn’t changed by spending time with God. Follow God’s instructions and wait to see what He can do in your life.

David-Blog7

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Christianity, Evangelism, Healing, Hope, Miracles, Spiritual healing

God is still in the miracle-working business

Posted on by David L'Herroux

A few weeks ago, our wonderful friend  RT Kendall came to speak at UCB’s Foundation event. It was such a privilege to spend time with RT and his wife Louise – they are being used powerfully to help others understand God’s Word. RT has a great knowledge of the Bible, but he also lives what he preaches and isn’t afraid to be honest about the tough times they have experienced in full time ministry. It was such a blessing to have them here to speak to some key leaders from around the UK. The talks will be on UCB TV soon and will also be available on UCB Player.

DavidandRT

A few days after hosting RT and Louise, I went home to France to spend time with my brother Daniel again at their church’s evangelistic mission, which took place in three locations.

I am always amazed at the level of expectancy in the churches, not just from all the churches’ members but also from people (often non- Christians) who have been invited. To me, expectancy – coming and fully expecting that God will do something – is a fertile ground for God to move in and transform lives.

We have once again been overwhelmed by God’s faithfulness, grace and mercy. Over 50 people stood to receive Christ, and many more came forward to request prayer. They were facing many terrible situations: physical, emotional, domestic, addictions, and more, but all came ready and expectant to receive a breakthrough. We have been doing these missions for two years now, and every time we receive testimonies of transformed lives and incredible healing. We also encourage people to seek and bring medical evidence of what has happened, wherever possible.

 Angers

There are so many stories I could share of people  who have received Jesus or have been set free from cancer or alcoholism, but it was particularly great to talk to Dominque. Six months ago after prayer, Dominque recovered full sight in both eyes.

She has just been given her driving licence back and is now able to drive to church. She is also being trained for a new job and is looking forward to going to work! Dominque

I had the incredible privilege of baptising her last Saturday during a special evangelistic event.

I am again reminded of Hebrews 13 where the writer reminds us that God will never leave us nor forsake us and that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. More than 2000 years have passed since Jesus was physically here, but He hasn’t changed. He is still in the business of changing lives, healing broken bodies, and bringing freedom to souls.

If you are trusting God today for your own miracle, can I encourage you to approach Him with expectancy, knowing that God loved you so much that He gave His one and only Son so that if you believe in Him, you can have eternal life. Just as a child approaches their Dad with an expectation that they will be given what they have asked for, we can approach our Heavenly Father in the same way.

Keep believing!

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