Since what has turned out to be a temporary move to North Kent (the owner of my flat has decided to sell it, and my initial tenancy was only for 6 months anyway), I’m on the road again in another sense! I’m asking God where he wants me to move to (with a degree of urgency in my voice!) – I’ve begun to see the fulfillment of what was prophesied over me last year that there would be an advance and increase in what God does. As always with those things, which is a privilege, honouring, and challenging, comes a backlash from the enemy.
Since being here, I’ve never, in 40 years in serving God, experienced ‘enemy onslaught’ like recent months: from unbelievable pain in my knees: to betrayal: to theft: being on the receiving end of curses from ‘friends’ (do any of you know what being wounded by ‘friendly fire’ feels like?) to loss of possessions: and spiritual attack like I’ve never known. I’m thrilled with what I’ve seen God do, and – this may sound to some of you – the blessing of having someone with me on a ministry trip who said ‘I saw how much it cost you to do what you do physically (as well as spiritually) today’.
I’ve had the privilege of standing with friends in their own spiritual onslaught and seeing them come through it following a similar battle I fought a few decades back. For many years I’ve known about, and done battle with, a particular spirit – Jezebel – and these months have been a constant battle against her. You remember she wanted to destroy Elijah after his amazing miracle and faith on Mount Carmel. You may be among those who think this sort of stuff doesn’t happen today, that it’s all a bit freaky: I want to tell you it’s very real! Friday was a very REAL day I can tell you!
About 15 years ago, in North Dakota, I lived a little in the fulfilment of a dream! I’ve always wanted to go across the United States in a Winnebago or American Eagle motorhome: I was in a 60 feet long American Eagle, incredible vehicle, living my dream if only in the Dakotas! It was fabulous! After an amazing meeting the night before, I woke next morning totally paralysed down my left side. The evening before a young man, William, had been miraculously healed, he was born with his feet splayed at right angles to his legs, and the ‘shame’ of not being able to do sport – especially in the USA – had caused him to have acute eczema. His mum turned out to be a witch, and cursed me for praying and for healing her son – bizarre or what??!! The Pastor I was with, Jim Samuelson, with whom I was on a preaching ‘road trip’ in the Dakotas, took me to the local hospital, where I was xrayed, blood tested, and scanned within a very short time. The doctors said that I’d had a number of TIAs (transient ischemic attacks – mini-strokes): the local pastors prayed for me after I was told I’d be hospitalised for a while, and Jim phoned ahead to a church we were heading for to get them to pray, where they two amazing men of God speaking, Bill Johnson and Bobby Conner, who prayed for me too: two hours later I walked out of the hospital to go and preach that afternoon having not been able to move for about 4 hours after I woke up. It was a wonderful feeling to arrive at the church and have Bill and Bobby lead a verbal and clapped thank you to God for a miracle….
Something very similar happened in Colombia about 5 years ago, after a wonderful day of miracles in a hospital: the Irish and French team I had with me thought I was mucking about when I couldn’t walk straight, was talking gobbledegook (some people think I do that all the time!!), then realised it was serious, prayed for me, and it went……
Yesterday, I was talking with a friend, having gone through a particularly tough series of ‘attacks’, and seen God do some lovely things, when I realised I’d started speaking odd, couldn’t make my mouth work properly one side, heard myself talking about someone cooking me a leg of lamb (!!dream on!!) and could see on my friend’s face utter astonishment… Another TIA had struck – I’m absolutely convinced it was Jezebel-instigated. Being told you look weird by people with you is odd (but don’t I always?) It lasted about 15 minutes, then I ‘heard’ my own spirit speak out loud and with total clarity, commanding Jezebel to get off of me in Jesus’s name, out of my flat/apartment, leave these friends alone, in a totally lucid voice, and she went… It was a weird few minutes to say the least… But we have total authority over such attacks because of Jesus and his victory over evil and the enemy… We don’t realise the authority and power that we ALL have – when Paul wrote of Jesus in Colossians 1:15ff – he said in verse 19 that ‘God was pleased to put all of his fulness into Jesus’ In John 20:21, when Jesus is just about to go back to be with his Father, he said ‘and as the Father sent me, so I send you’…. In John 14:12 Jesus said we’d do what he’d do and GREATER things than He did. Do we REALLY believe these verses? I know that I do, and want to believe them more and more as the years roll on.
I’m so grateful for people who intercede for me, and pray for the things I do. I covet more intercessors! One lovely lady in Scotland, Pamela, messaged me today and said “I draw a line around you that can no longer be invaded by your enemy and enemies. Angels are guarding you and your life can no longer be threatened. I also pray rejection off of you and all effects of the traumas you have been through throughout your entire life. Be healed in this area too. New things are ahead. A new ministry. Not a different one but a newness in your healing ministry. I believe the Lord is going to open your eyes to deeper things that will help you to see into people’s circumstances in a way you haven’t before and this will bring about more healings. More significant healings. Miracles.” Bless you, Pamela… I didn’t have chance to let anyone know while it was happening Friday, but I do know that there are people, in many nations – for which I thank God – who pray for me. THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD!!!! (And what an amazing song THAT is that we don’t sing anymore!! – bless you for writing it, Jamie Owens-Collins!!).
