Summary:
When Friday the 8th April came along I was feeling desperate; I had been stressed, tired and frustrated all week, which is really bizarre for me; usually I’m really happy and passionate. But this week so many people said to me “Tom are you ok?”, “Tom, you don’t look well”, “Tom, is everything ok?”. All week I felt so lost, so empty, I got angry at meaningless things, I wasn’t myself and just wished I could get my joy back!

I needed help, but my problem wasn’t physical or mental, it was spiritual; so I sent text messages to a bunch of friends to pray for me. Others were also praying hard for me that day and later that day I really felt a battle going on around me in the spirit realm…

Full Story:
This all started last Sunday on the 3rd of April when I went with some friends to a church I hadn’t been to before; at the end of the service I went up the front and knelt down in worship to God – I started to pray and sing out to God as I was so happy and filled with His love, but straight away I was distracted by someone touching my shoulder. I tried to ignore whoever it was but they kept touching me so I looked up and saw a total stranger who had a grim deathly face and his eye peered down into mine. I knew there was something very wrong about him, I tried to shut him out but he persisted in continuing to touch me and look at me, he even lied down in front of me and I felt so ‘creeped out’!

A friend of mine at the back of the church saw it happen too, he said he saw a dark presence come over me. We both agreed it was an evil spirit and this guy was full of demons.

That night I had terrible nightmares which is really unusual for me, but the bad dream was followed by a dream where my wife and I were talking about how we needed to read the Bible every day and put on the armour of God.

Then all week I felt like I had been robbed of my joy and peace! I was a follower of Jesus and since I came to know and believe in God I always felt He was with me, He was my love and happiness, but now I felt so empty inside, like I hadn’t known God at all. I was lost.

I used the Word of God as a weapon to fight off the enemy, saying that ‘no weapon forged against you will prevail’ Isaiah 54:17, and I put on the full armour of God. And several people prayed for me, but still I felt oppressed and under attack.

Then on Friday I couldn’t take it anymore so I sent out a mobile text message to lots of people to pray for me. So I head heaps of people praying and interceding for me and for the rest of the day I felt the presence of God blowing through me like a tingling sensation and I felt the evil presence of the enemy being broken down around me – I felt like crying or yelling as my sadness and frustration was gradually transformed into joy! This was supernatural.

This was a very important night because it was the opening night of Thank God it’s Friday, which is a new revolutionary movement where people gather together to wait on the Lord, soak in His presence and be transformed and healed by His power!

This new movement was being planted for the first time in Newcastle (my backyard) by Edward Gourlay, who is a missionary in China, a director of Healing Rooms in China, Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong. Edward is a very good friend and God had given him the vision for starting this new ministry in Newcastle with me.

This was the opening night. This was the tip of the spear! We were starting something new and the enemy wanted to destroy it, but he had already lost!

The night was amazing; I lied down and listened to soft intimate music, as I cleared my mind and focused on God I felt an amazing peace. While I was lying on the floor God took me through several past experiences, I had visions and imagery come to mind and God spoke to my heart. I felt younger, lighter, I really felt at peace and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Later that night several people prayed for me and spoke out words of wisdom and knowledge to me that God had given them.

It was so refreshing to do something that wasn’t about programs or agendas of people, but simply all about allowing God to come and do whatever He wants to do!

And I really feel delivered ‘set free’ from the evil spirit that tried to hang around me. This was a miracles, an answer to prayer! This was deliverance. Thanks to God for hearing the prayers of my friends (thanks everyone for praying), and thank you Lord for giving me His Word of truth which says that ‘no weapon forged against you will prevail’!

I hope what God has done for me will be an encouragement for you!

Written by the Cat.

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You can view more of Akiane’s art at her website.

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A friendly Malaysian man walked up to me while I was sitting on a lounge chair at a beach resort and asked if I would like to have a foot reflexology massage. The elderly man said that during the massage he would be able to tell me everything that was wrong with my body just by sensing the pressure points in my feet. I declined his offer and continued reading my book, “Developing a Supernatural Lifestyle: A Practical Guide to a Life of Signs, Wonders, and Miracles” by Kris Vallotton.

Just after the man walked away, I sensed a strange sharp pain near my right hip or kidney and I wondered if this was a word of knowledge for this man. Over the next hour I felt the pain a couple more times and I began the familiar thought process that I have struggled through so many times in the past.

Here is a bit of the dialogue that goes on in my head in moments like these: “Ouch, that hurts. I normally don’t feel that pain. Hmm, I wonder if that is a word of knowledge!”

“Naah, you’re just getting old, bro! You’re not the young buck that you used to be. You’re going to feel pain in muscles you never knew you had.”

“Possibly, but I have asked God to give me words of knowledge and clues to show me what He is doing and what He is saying. I think Father wants to heal that man over there of hip pain or kidney problems. I should go and talk to him.”

“What if he says he has no pain?”

Up until a couple of years ago, this would be how the conversation in my head would finish: “Hmm, I don’t know what I would do. I would look like a complete idiot, wouldn’t I? That’s one of my greatest fears, looking stupid in front of other people. Looking like some religious freak that’s lost touch with reality.”

“What if he does have pain and allows you to pray for him, but then nothing happens?”

“Uhhhh, I don’t know. Yah, this is all too scary. Bad idea. I think I’ll just ignore it and keep to myself.”

And then I end up wondering later what might have happened if I just had the guts to go for it.

I have learned a lot in that last few years. My thinking has changed. This is how the inner dialogue continues these days: “What if he has no pain?”

“I’ll tell him what I’m sensing and tell him some stories of Jesus healing people in this way and then ask if any of his family members have this problem. If still no, I’ll just ask if there are any miracles that he needs in his life or if I can pray for a blessing for him and his family.”

“Okay, so what if you pray and nothing happens?”

“I’ll tell him that God’s word is so powerful when it is spoken in faith and prayer and that it must do something. I’ll tell him stories of people who felt nothing change but then were miraculously healed the next day or the next week. I’ll tell him how much Father loves him and  that the Kingdom of God is near and that God promises that everyone who comes to Him will be saved and healed and delivered.”

“But what about your fears of looking like an idiot, a religious freak, or of being wrong?”

“I now fear God more than I fear man. I’m more concerned about pleasing God than pleasing people. My heroes are the great people of faith who have gone before us and have taught us so much. I want to be like them. What if it is the Holy Spirit speaking to me and I grieve Him by ignoring Him? If I ignore Him, what if His sweet presence lifts and I can no longer sense His nearness? What if something DOES happen? What if he is stunned by the fact that I knew of his pain through supernatural knowledge? What if he feels electricity and heat going through him during prayer? What if he gets totally healed and starts jumping around and praising God and telling other people nearby of what just happened to him? How exciting will it be to experience “on Earth as it is in Heaven”? This is what I want and I’m willing to risk reputation and appearance to get it. Even if I am wrong, I will walk away knowing that I obeyed my Lord Jesus, that He is watching, and that He smiles and is proud of me when I try to follow His example.”

So, I got up out of my lounge chair and walked over to where the foot reflexology man was. I asked him if he had any pain. He had no pain or problems whatsoever. I just smiled and blessed him in Jesus’ name, knowing that my Father was watching.

As I sat back down and picked up my book, Kris Valotton said this in the next paragraph,

“Faith requires risk. I you never fail, you haven’t really taken a risk.

“Risk is one of the main catalysts to a supernatural lifestyle.

“We need to learn to fail successfully.

“We need to develop a culture where trying and failing is viewed as success.”

If I am going to err, I would rather err on the side of faith, boldness, and eagerness to obey my Father rather than the side that is all to close to unbelief, fear, and timidity.

I think of all the miracles that I have now seen. Most of them would not have happened if someone did not step out in faith, on a “hunch” that God was up to something.

We are showing are selves to be good stewards of what we have been given. As we do this, power and accuracy in supernatural ministry will increase.

We are learning to walk. We will learn how to run.

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