Heaven is a great place

I wrote this for the blog site www.baaaa.com 

Heaven is a fantastic place that is quite beyond our imagination. It’s eternity spent with God—the ultimate hope for Christians. Heaven has many descriptions, like:

• The perfect unseen world
• The dwelling place of God
• Where Jesus sits at the right hand of God
• It will be the dwelling place of the saints
• The city shines like a great stone, clear as crystal
• The streets are paved with transparent gold

In the Old Testament God used to meet His people in the tabernacle. That was where they knew He would dwell amongst them. Well when we get to heaven, there will be no need for us to go to a specific place because there, God’s Glory will be everywhere.

In heaven Satan will no longer be able to attack and torment people. There will be no remembrance of former sorrows; we are just going to experience pure joy. We will be given new names; new imperishable bodies and we will be clothed in the white robes of righteousness.

Nothing on the face of this earth can even compare to the beauty of heaven. The truth is though, many people mistakenly believe that they are going to end up in heaven one day.

People believe and convince themselves of all manner of things about heaven and tell themselves exactly how they are going to get there. They convince themselves that they will go there for many reasons like:

• They went to a church
• They come from a Christian family
• They were Christened as a baby
• They were married in a church
• Because everybody goes to heaven

The parables of Jesus tell us that He is going to separate the sheep from goats and the good from the bad fish. It will be this way because many people have made wrong choices, and have not believed the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In other parables Jesus spoke about the 10 Virgins at the wedding feast, the people who didn’t come to the banquet, the narrow and wide gate and those who put their trust in money, like the rich fool who stored up his wealth. In fact it’s not really any different today. When the time comes for judgement, there is going to be an enormous separation of those who know Jesus and those don’t.

If you know Jesus as your Lord and saviour, one day soon you are going to be there, praising God along with the multitudes, shouting HOLY HOLY HOLY IS THE LORD!

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ~ Romans 10:9

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. ~ Acts 4:12

We should not want to go to heaven on our own. 

Like me I am sure that you are looking forward to heaven, but the very important point is that we shouldn’t want to be going there alone. We all know people who hope, believe or have convinced themselves that they are going to end up in heaven. They need to understand the fact that there is only one way that is sure and certain, which is through Jesus Christ. No one else—no method, works or worldly belief system—will get anyone into heaven. It is a fact!

We need to share the gospel with those that don’t know Hesus and pray for people because the simple fact is that in general terms the lost aren’t going to be praying for themselves.

We need to ensure that we are walking right with God and we need to be living righteous and holy lives. Our lives need to be walking testimonies.

Another amazing point to consider is the fact that all those who go to heaven will one day return to the earth when Jesus returns. At that time the earth will an amazing place as well. But that part will be for another blog.

Will you be there and are you going to take people along with you?

When I evangelise, when do I throw the net out?

When we witness to those people who don’t have a personal relationship with Christ, we must always remember that it really doesn’t matter how great at communication we can be, or how charismatic we can come across to our hearers. We aren’t the influence that actually leads a person to make the most important decision ever in their lives. 

It involves the gospel message in explaining about the life of Jesus or by explaining what Jesus did for you through His atoning sacrifice. Upon hearing the message the convicting power of the Holy Spirit goes to work.

Yes, He will use us to share the message of salvation, but it is by revelation from the Holy Spirit that a person realises their state before the living God, which produces repentance and a willing submission to the Lord. He opens the heart, He opens bind eyes, He brings the revelation of who He is and what he has done for us. We can talk until we are blue in the face, but it is only the Holy Spirit that saves a person through the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or by a personal revelation when God chooses to speak directly to someone. He has His ways of reaching people and I am always grateful that He would use people like me.

It is always God that that does it, and only Him. He adds to the church, by using us when we are willing to be led by Him. “So then neither is he that plants anything, neither he that waters; but God that gives the increase”. 1 Corinthians 3: 7

The point I am making here is that it is an incredible privilege to be used as a vessel for the Lord, always remembering the fact that it is Him that does the saving, not us. We need to make ourselves available to do the Lords bidding when He directs us. When we are obedient, He will send us to the right person and He will tell us the right time exactly to throw out the nets. The scripture below demonstrates this.

“When he had finished speaking, he (Jesus) said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Luke 5: 5-6

This story of Peter and the catch of fish is a fantastic example of how we should be when it comes to sharing our faith. Peter was obedient when Jesus told him to go back out on the water and cast out his nets. Jesus knew the fact that he had worked hard all through the night catching nothing. It was Peter’s willingness to do what the Lord had commanded that was the answer. 

By following the command of the Lord an amazing miracle happened. The Lord got a huge shoal of fish to swim up to the boat, which is amazing on it own. He didn’t stop there; He got them to wait right underneath it.  The obedience of Peter resulted in him making a catch that was probably like no other in his life as a fisherman. We serve an amazing God. The incredible fact is that He chooses to use you and me to fish for souls. Knowing that we are far from perfect, how we often fail Him and how we can sometimes be disobedient. He still wants to use us. Praise Him.

As Christians we must be as ready follow the commands of Jesus, just as Peter was when it comes to fishing for souls. We must be tuned in, listening to the Lord, waiting for him to say, “Go there”, “Speak to that person” or “Cast out the net”. I believe and know from experience that when we do, we will catch fish in the form of souls ourselves.

Are you ready and willing? What about the occasions when you are tired from a hard days work? Have you made yourself available to the master?

We must always be ready. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect”. 1 Peter 3: 15

Witnessing: God can give you the keys to reach a persons heart

When we step out in faith to witness for Jesus, the Holy Spirit will bring scriptures to remembrance, which is incredible when you think about it. I believe that He does something else as well. That is, if you rely on him to guide you as well as listen to him. He will give you a key to present the gospel in a way that will open a person’s heart.

This is an excerpt from my new book “A Fall From The Top”, which is available in the next few weeks. Have a read to discover exactly what God did.

I have been very blessed, over the years to lead a number of work colleagues to Jesus. I am certain that anyone who has ever worked with me would confirm that I never hid the fact that I am a follower of Christ. I tried to bring Jesus into my conversations during the working day in one way or another.

When I sold my Financial Services business I was retained as the branch manager of the office in Swansea. We were on a recruitment drive and I contacted an applicant called Peter. We had a chat on the phone and I invited him into my office for an informal interview. He was in his late forties and had recently moved back to Wales after a very successful career in the City working as a Marketing Director for a very large pharmaceutical company. He came across very well during our meeting when we got onto the subject of Tenby where he lived. He told me that he owned a small guesthouse there that his wife managed.

He said, “Have a look at our web site when you are online”. I put his address in my search engine and within a few moments I was looking at his web pages. The site had a bold heading, which read “Christian Run, Family Guesthouse”. I said “Hey, that’s fantastic I am a Christian as well, how long have you been following the Lord?”. He said, “I go to church with my wife in Tenby. I’m a Methodist”. “That’s terrific” I replied, “When did you decide to follow Jesus?” He replied “Follow Him?” I said, “You know what I mean, I made a decision some years ago to follow Jesus and became a Born Again Christian and have never looked back”. He looked at me a little awkwardly and said, “Oh no, I don’t think that I’m Born Again”. I replied, “Well, if you don’t think you are then you are probably right, you are not”.

We met on two more occasions and he joined the company. He was an extremely professional adviser. Over the months I worked with him I introduced the Lord into conversations, and we had some in-depth discussions. He believed that you didn’t need to be born again to go to Heaven. I asked him as I have done with many people, “Tell me Peter do you believe that Jesus Christ is exactly who He said He is?” “Yes of course” he replied. I then asked, “Do you believe that the Bible is true?” “Yes of course I do” he replied. I continued “Do you think that Jesus would tell a lie then?” “Definitely not” was his answer. I then quoted John 3:5 ““I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” “What do you think of that then?” I asked. His answer like many others was “Oh I don’t believe that is true”. I replied “Well you just said that Jesus wouldn’t say something that was a lie”. I could see that he was irritated so I stopped there.

  

The discussions continued over a period of months. Sometimes we talked for an hour or two in the evening when the other staff had gone home. We agreed on many points except this fundamental scripture and others like it.

One day after another heated dialogue I said “Peter, I have got to say that based on all of our conversations I believe you are so close to the truth. Peter you are almost a Christian”. I could see that what I said annoyed him a little, so we left the matter there. I knew that what I had said was confrontational but sometimes I believe you just have to speak out in truth. The famous Evangelist Smith Wigglesworth who I love to read about once said that when you preach the gospel you would either make the listener mad or glad. On that day I suppose I made Peter a little mad with me. I left the office in a hurry that day for a meeting and forgot all about what had happened between us.

The next week he sat at my desk with a very serious look on his face. He said that when he went home (on the day I made him mad) he decided to go on the Internet to see if he could find anything in the Methodist Church web site about being Born Again. He eventually came to a site that contained a number of sermons by John Wesley, the famous Methodist preacher. When he preached the Gospel many people would turn their lives over to Christ there and then. Peter said, “I found this sermon by John Wesley called ‘Almost a Christian’. I read it and it has really disturbed me. I would like to have a meeting with you to discuss it”. “No problem” I replied with great enthusiasm. We arranged to meet in a couple of days in the early evening when everyone had left the office. I visited the Wesley web site and printed off the sermon and read it thoroughly. The message was preached in the year 1741 and was very much clear. It explained that acts like going to church, being a good person, singing in the choir, giving money and even praying didn’t matter at all. None of that would get you to Heaven unless you gave your life to Jesus Christ. It is a wonderful sermon, which I recommend.

I had explained to Peter on a number of occasions what the sermon contained. The decision to follow Jesus, to make Him Lord of your life, to repent of all of your sin and to turn from self-will to God’s way. I had explained when someone does that and means it from their heart then a miracle happens and they become Born Again by the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit literally dwells in them and their lives are never the same. The only way into Heaven is just as Jesus says: - “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”. (John 14:6 NIV)

I looked forward to the meeting with Peter and prayed to the Lord to give me guidance. We discussed the Wesley message at great length and I even shared part of my own journey to faith in Christ. But I still couldn’t get Peter, a well-educated and intelligent man, to understand what the message truly meant. As a result we kept getting stuck on the same point. I went over it again and again but he just didn’t understand. I prayed silently “Lord please guide me”. I looked at my watch and realised that we had been talking for two hours. I asked him “Can I explain simply to you why Jesus died on the Cross?” He agreed and I went to the corner of the office and brought over a stand up flip chart. I said “Let me show you something that was in a little tract that was given to me, that both challenged and annoyed me years ago”. “Sure” he replied.

I spent the next five minutes talking about the tract that Mike had given me and did my best to draw the simple diagram on the pad that explained the Fall of Man and the reason that Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. I was concentrating on what I was saying and drawing and so didn’t notice what was happening with Peter. After a little while I looked at him to see that his eyes were full of tears. I asked “Peter, do you believe that is true”? “I do,” he said. I continued, “Would you like to say a prayer with me and ask Jesus to come into your heart?” Yes please” he replied.

We sat in the office and I led him through a simple prayer where He asked Jesus to forgive him of his sins, and made Him Lord of his life. I suppose the way that I got through to Peter was by communicating the message in a way that he could relate to. He had been in many meetings over the years where a flip chart had been used. My drawings were not exceptional but the Holy Spirit used those simple sketches to open Peter's heart. He was transformed and is now bold in proclaiming his faith in Jesus Christ and is even a volunteer for the Bible Society. Praise God!

Is there anything you can do to witness for Christ?

The Lord hasn’t called every believer to be an evangelist; but Jesus clearly commanded all of us to be witnesses for Him. It’s in black and white, (or red) if we read the gospels. Jesus wants us to share the good news.

It’s simply a fact we can’t get away from. I would like to challenge those readers who are reluctant to share the gospel, for whatever reason, to step out your comfort zones and do what the Lord has commanded. People hold back for many reasons, often fearing rejection: but when you speak out, relying on the Holy Spirit, amazing things start to happen!

Key Point: When you rely on the Holy Spirit, amazing things will start to happen

The instructions that we were given by Jesus regarding being a witnesses are indeed very clear:

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" Matthew 28:19-20

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” Mark 16: 15

It has been my experience that many Christians can get into the I will it leave to others type of mentality. In fact that’s not just for witnessing, it can be for many other things, like attending church prayer meetings, giving finance to the church as we should and serving in the church in some capacity. The list can go on and on as there is much that we can do. James, the earthly brother of Jesus, described very clearly in his book how we should be.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like” James 1: 22-24

We are called to be ‘hearers and doers’. It’s important that we all ‘all’ try to do something out of obedience to Christ. Yes, out of obedience. Not because He was ordering us to do a chore, but rather that we obey out a love and gratitude for what He went through for us to purchase our forgiveness on the cross.

When people give their last words on their death beds, they are usually important and therefore remembered. These are the last words that Jesus gave His disciples before ascending to heaven, so we have to consider that they were of great importance to Him (and to us. Yes, Jesus does command us to tell others about Him. There is no hiding the fact. Now you may ask, "Why me, surely there other people who are more equipped than I am to do that? After all I am not a pulpit or Gospel preacher”. In reality the number of people who preach from the pulpit is very small. However, Jesus desires to use you ‘you’ for His glory. He has an amazing plan for your life ‘your life’ and part of that involves sharing the message of salvation.

Telling others about the Lord Jesus gives you the wonderful opportunity, through the Gospel, to affect the lives of others for good! Honestly, what could be better?  There are many ways that you can do this.

The fact is that we must do something in one way or another. Let me ask you a question. If you haven’t been sharing Jesus for any reason, it’s not a problem, because we can change that today. I ask you this. What is there that you can do?

Stepping out as a witness for Jesus involves putting your faith into action. Remember that you don’t need to stand on a street corner for hours with a megaphone and a sandwich board. Everyone can do something that will forward the kingdom of God. We just need to be willing, make ourselves available to the Lord and He will do the rest.

We have the Holy Spirit who will always accompany us when we do something for the Lord. He will empower you and help you. He will give you the boldness to share if you ask Him.

Listed below are a few ideas that you could use in order to follow the commands of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They are all quite simple to do.  Using any of them will give you an opportunity to chat to people and show the love of Christ.

• Tract distribution.
• Organise a meal / barbeque for friends and unsaved neighbours.
• Help at the local supermarket carrying shopping to cars.
• Get together with a team of people and offer to help people with their gardens and lawns.
• Hand out Christian newspapers on the streets.
• Complete some Christian street surveys with the public. These are non confrontational and fun to do.
• Hand out free hot dogs near the colleges at lunchtime. Free food will guarantee that you will have people to talk to!
• Distribute leaflets door to door for your church.
• Feed the poor and needy.
• Get out with an evangelistic team as a support. You will find yourself getting involved very quickly.
• Help out at ‘young mothers’ groups run at your church.

These are just some thoughts. Remember, Jesus wants our obedience. We follow His commands because we love Him so much because He gave everything for us.

What can you do for Him?

Witnessing at work

Being an effective witness for Christ at work is a challenge that many Christians face, because we are paid to do our best by working hard for our employers. Proselytizing in a business or workplace often doesn’t go down well with employees and employers for obvious reasons. So how can we let people see Christ in us, so that we may create genuine opportunities to do what we were commanded by Jesus? 

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." Romans 12: 32

This is one of my favourite scriptures, because Jesus said “I will draw all men to Myself”. By quoting this scripture you may well think to yourself,“It sounds as if he is saying that I should let every colleague at my place of work know about Jesus” – and you would be right! However, we have to be wise here. We must lift up Jesus and let people see the Christ that dwells in our hearts by our words, actions and deeds. This is an incredibly powerful way of witnessing.

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” Matthew 5: 16

The Bible truly is a manual showing how we ought to live our lives. All the answers that we need about life are there. We just need to read it and get it into our hearts. When we do that the Holy Spirit will reveal amazing truths to us.

We must be different from our colleagues that don’t know Christ as their Saviour. This doesn’t mean we must act in a religious way that people cannot relate to, but rather it is trying to be like Jesus, letting His light and love shine through us. It’s a challenge, certainly because we have to constantly check ourselves to ensure that we present a Christ-like persona.

Key point: We must be different by allowing Jesus to shine in our lives for others to see

A well known evangelist once shared the story of when he worked in a local factory. He came to Christ and was so changed by the experience that it shocked people. Previously he was a rock singer who had a reputation to match. The transformation in his life was evident for all to see. Added to that, he wanted everyone in the factory to know about the life-changing Jesus he had found.

The factory where he worked was a large employer and as a result had a very large and busy staff canteen. Every day he would proclaim Jesus Christ by shouting scriptures like:

“Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” Matthew 3: 2.

He even brought his guitar to work and would sing Gospel songs while people ate their food. He said “Within a couple of weeks I realised that the canteen was always nearly empty when I was on my dinner break”. It’s no wonder really, is it?

I know of another man who works in factory that acts in a similar way. He recently told his colleagues during their break time that they were all going to Hell. Consequently, people avoid him like the plague.

I am certain that you would agree that the method used by the converted rock singer and the factory worker do not have the desired effect. However, may I suggest a few simple ideas that you can use which will allow Jesus to shine through you and will inevitably lead someone to ask you questions about your faith. Here are five that achieve great results!

Don’t get involved in workplace Gossip:

It can be easy to allow yourself to be drawn into this type of situation. Always look for the good in the person being criticised and speak of that only. Make it clear to co workers that you don’t agree with “Work Gossip”. It may be difficult because the person being discussed may have done something bad. You can agree that it is wrong but leave it there.  You will soon discover that colleagues will say to you something like “I can tell you this about me, because I know you won’t tell anyone” The way you act in this regard will speak volumes.

Be a Godly example of an enthusiastic hard working and reliable worker:

Scripture states clearly how we should act at work:

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” Colossians 3- 22-23.

Not only will it set an example to your colleagues but your bosses, too!

Be an encourager of colleagues:

Speak only good of them and be encouraging towards them when you have genuine opportunities to do so. It is vital that when you do, that what you say is congruent. In other words, you look like you really mean what you say. Unfortunately, many people never receive encouragement at all, not even from their bosses. What you say and do will make a difference. People will warm to you and it will start to happen very quickly in many cases.   

Be available to help:

Always be there to help when someone is in need. It might be pushing a car that has a flat battery, offering to pick up something from a shop or just getting the knives and forks together in the canteen for your colleagues. Over time people will start to view you differently.

Bring in the occasional gift to share with colleagues:

It might be a bag of doughnuts, some sweets or biscuits. When you do this you will hear genuine thanks from people as you do this. I have worked in offices when people have brought in a box of chocolates and said “Help yourselves”. People do just that, and are often grateful.

We are not just trying to convert people by deliberately acting in this way to somehow trick people into following Christ. Of course not. If Jesus is truly in our hearts, we should act like this anyway. People must see His love in us first of all.

In my experience, ( that) some colleagues will begin asking questions like, “What is different about you?” or “What would you do in this situation?”, because you are a person of integrity. You will then be able to bring Christ into your answer. When you do, it will back up the way you live your life.

"Help, I messed up while sharing the Gospel

Over the time that I have been a Christian, I have to be honest and say that there have been a few occasions where I missed the chance to share the Gospel, or I have made mistakes and not done as well as I thought I should have. There are reasons for this of course. On occasion, I was probably tired, not alert or perhaps even a little fearful of rejection. In the early days I probably thought that I didn’t know enough about scripture. These reasons are certainly not uncommon for any Christians that I know.

It is at times like this that people can get into the “Should have” guilt trip. They will start to say to themselves, “I should have done this”, or “I should have said that”. Yes it’s important that we learn from when we do make mistakes, but at the same time we should not give ourselves a hard time about it. Accept the fact that you could have done better and ask God to help you in the future. We are not all like the great evangelists who seem to be able to lead anyone to Christ. They will tell you that they missed opportunities themselves in the past. None of us are perfect.

There are couple of very relevant points that we shouldn’t forget. I believe they relate to what Paul said in Corinthians when it comes to a fear of being rejected or of not knowing enough scripture:

“When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words….” 1 Corinthians 1: 1-4

Firstly I will quote a well known saying from sport, “We will all drop the ball sometimes”. We can’t all be absolutely perfect all of the time, and what’s important to remember is that God doesn’t expect us to be that way either.

Some years ago, I used to have a young man that worked for me as a sales person. Previous to that he was a professional cricket player with one of the top teams in the country. He had to stop playing due to an injury at a young age. His team was full of top international cricketers, two of which were acknowledged as the best in the world at that time. I remember him telling me what would happen if he dropped a catch during a game. The two top players would give him such a hard time that he didn’t even want to go into the changing rooms as he knew that they would be on to him and not let him forget it.

I am so grateful that God isn’t like that with us. When we make a mistake and ask Him for forgiveness, He not only forgives us but He also forgets. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us”. Psalm 103: 12 What a great loving, merciful and forgiving God we have.

Paul said that he didn’t come with “eloquence or human wisdom” when he shared the Gospel with people. That is certainly good news for me to hear as I wouldn’t describe myself using either of those words. Secondly, he said “I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words” Wow, he is probably even more like you me than I thought he was. That’s a great comfort to know.

God does something that is amazing with us imperfect beings. He knows that we will mess up from time to time, yet He never gives up on us. That’s right, never. Yet knowing all of that, He chooses to entrust us with the most important message ever. The amazing life changing story of His only begotten Son. It’s incredible when you think about it.

As an evangelist I have been used to preach the Gospel and see people come to Christ. It is always a humbling experience for me. I often ask myself “Why would the Lord want to use me”?  Because He knows the real me, he knows my every thought and action yet he still uses me. Normal thinking doesn’t work that way does it? His word says, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong”. 1 Corinthians 1: 27

Reading that scripture and others like it, really is a great encouragement to me. It should be the same for you as well, because we will all get things wrong from time to time. We will feel disappointed or even guilty when we mess up, but we have a forgiving God who loves us and wants to help us to grow.

The second point is that prayer is the vital remedy here with regards to minimising the occasional dropped ball. Being prayed up will strengthen you and keep you spiritually alert. The saying that we have probably all heard before, “Seven days without prayer makes one weak”, may well be a cliché, but it is a true statement in reality.

We must be prayed up, asking God to direct our paths, to send people to us that are ready to hear the Gospel. I have said many times before “If we ask Him, He will send them”.

Keep prayed up and the opportunities will come along. Some will not go as you hoped. But the more you do something with the right intentions, the better you will become at it.

Can I pray for the sick when witnessing?

As you go about your life seeking for opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ, there will be occasions when people that you come into contact with will have relatives, friends or family members who are either unwell or are going through a difficult situation. Of course it is also possible that the person you are speaking to could well be experiencing difficulties or illness themselves. These (genuinely) are ideal opportunities for the Gospel and of course a good time for you to offer to pray for them.

I understand well that this subject can be a contentious one for some. Some Christians believe that healing and other miracles only happened in  biblical times and don’t happen now. My answer is that I have seen people healed in the name of Jesus through prayer and the Lord has used me in this ministry on many occasions - people have been healed from all kinds of conditions. Many of them were immediately healed as they were prayed for. All the glory goes to the Lord for this as I can’t heal anyone. It is the prayer of faith that heals the sick.

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Matthew 10: 8

My wife Desiree and I both take any opportunity we can to offer prayer for people. Many individuals when they are suffering will start to search for God in one way or another. Very often my wife is asked to say a prayer for so and so at work, or for a relative or friend.

I have prayed for people lots of times when the opportunity has arisen, some were Christians and many were not. I have done so on the street, in homes, over the telephone, in fact anywhere and everywhere .

Recently my eldest sister and her husband visited us. They have both been unwell over the last couple of years. As a young Christian, in my over enthusiasm, I ‘Bible-bashed’ them and unfortunately, this pushed them away from Jesus. Consequently, witnessing to them has been difficult over the last eighteen years or so. As they talked about their conditions I asked if they would like me to pray for them, as I had seen many people healed over the years in the name of Jesus. That afternoon my daughter Bethan and I prayed for them both. We don’t see each other that often, but I believe I will have more opportunities to pray with them. Hopefully one day leading them in a prayer to accept Jesus as Lord.

A while ago my wife and I had been witnessing to a married lady who was experiencing a lot of problems. We would share the Gospel, she would listen with interest even acknowledging that God exists. As I write this she has not as yet  given her life to Jesus, but He will intervene in her circumstances when she does.

This lady came along to a house group meeting one evening and explained that her daughter had just had her tonsils removed. Healing was taking a long time during which she has contracted a very painful throat leaving her unable to eat for a few days. The medication she was on seemed to be having no effect at all and the young girl was very poorly indeed. I asked if the lady would like us to pray for her daughter and explained how Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, because He still heals the sick. She agreed and we prayed the prayer of faith that the Lord would touch the young girl as she slept.

The very next morning the young girl woke up and coughed all of the infection out of her throat. The pain stopped straight away and she was able to eat her first food since her operation. The lady excitedly rang to tell us the good news. We are still witnessing to her, believing that she will one day accept Jesus. She testifies that the Lord healed her daughter, which is excellent.

When I pray for healing, or for the Lord to move in the situation the person may be going through, I always ask the Lord to use His intervention as a form of proof that He is real. I will say something like: “Lord I ask that you would heal Bob’s condition and do it so that he will have no doubt that you are the living God. Please heal him in the name of Jesus”

I believe very strongly in quoting some healing scriptures or stories here. Explaining the faith of the centurion, who said to Jesus: “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Matthew 8:8.

Or I share the story about the leper who went to Jesus asking to be healed: “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.” Luke 5: 12-13

In using these scriptures I will often quote them as I pray saying “Lord I know that you are still willing” or “Lord, just say the word”. There many scriptures that you can use, and remember, that faith comes by hearing the word of God. Many times people have said how they have felt the presence of the Lord on occasions like this.

God can use these situations to really open people’s hearts. C.S. Lewis said that suffering is God’s mouthpiece to man. We know from scripture that the children of Israel called out to the Lord to move in their distress.

Take the step of faith and ask if the person would like you pray. You will be amazed how many times they say “yes!”