Have I got a testimony for you! This week I want to share with you a little story about my younger sister, now age 61. I am seven years older than she is and we have not been very close over the past many years. Actually, since 2003, things have been anything but close between us. Our communication has been off and on. When I surrendered my life to Jesus back in 2005, everything changed for me, but my family was not on board with all that "Jesus" stuff. Naturally, I have spent years praying that they would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus our Lord. Her husband, now deceased, used to persecute me for sharing Jesus with others, and he absolutely felt that "religion" was not something we should talk about. He wanted nothing to do with prayer.
When he got ill a few years ago, I was led to pray for the cancer in his throat while he lay in a hospice bed. Once I asked if he wanted prayer, and he could only shake his head no. He was unable to talk. The next time I saw him, I prayed for him by placing my hands on his neck and commanding that cancer to be healed in Jesus Name, as the Lord had given me a vision to do. My onlooking sister was infuriated!
When I went home from that trip to the hospital, the Lord showed me that that son who was dead was now alive! I rejoiced that this brother-in-law was now in heaven. It was just a few days later that he went to be with the Lord. My sister wouldn't speak to me for two years. She went home and told my precious nieces what I had done, and I won't tell you what they sent to me in texts. It was like all the devils on earth came against me. They spoke terrible things and I have not seen them since.
I continued to pray for my sister and her girls these past years. Little by little, we began to speak through text and then a phone call. I had to be very careful about what I said. I knew she still carried a lot of bad feelings toward me. Up to this point it has been a relationship of tolerating each other. I would see her when my husband & I took her out to eat on her birthday. Other than that, it was only an occasional "how are you?" or "have a great day" text as I continued to bring them before the Lord in faith that He would work it out. I never could handle too much of her at a time, but in my heart, I love her and care for her eternal life.
Yesterday, Denny and I took her out for a meal for her birthday. It had been a full year since last we saw her. She spoke a lot about what she has been doing. One thing she said early on is that she wanted us to put in a word to the Lord for her since we are praying people and "maybe He will listen to you." I was amazed that she even said that. She has been going through some trial at work and it has really rocked her.
She also said that she seems to cry a lot these days, thinking maybe it is her getting older thing. She used to emphatically say she does not cry. Yesterday, we saw a tenderness we had never seen in her. As she continued to talk, she again mentioned asking us to pray for her. We sat there amazed as we continued to just be good listeners. She was really quite kind to us and very thankful that we took her out for such a nice dinner.
My sister is pretty high strung and when she gets going, she is quite funny. She had us both laughing quite a bit. It's amazing how a person can talk about the drama going on in their life and yet do it in a way that makes you just crack up!
As we ended our meal and headed out to the car, we hugged. As she was approaching her car, she turned and said something about asking us to pray for her once again. Denny then asked her, "Is it alright if we pray for you?" She replied emphatically, "Oh yes!" Then as she went to get into the car, I looked right at her and said, "I love you." To my surprise, she looked me right in the eye and said, "I love you." It brings tears to my eyes again as I write this because she has never done that like she said it yesterday. Very direct and intentional.
I found myself so enjoying being with her yesterday that I told her we must not wait a whole year before we get together again, and she agreed. Denny and I got in the car, and we were in awe of what God is doing. We also realized that even though we have been praying for her to come to know Jesus for years, the fact that she specifically did not want us to pray was blocking our prayers, yet God was still at work.
What happened yesterday was a great big door opener for us to intercede on her behalf because now she has removed the block to our prayers. When she was a young girl, she wrote a note to our mom telling mom that she had been saved and wanted to make sure that she was too. But from that time, she never lived a life of walking with Jesus. In fact, she resisted Christianity strongly. Now we are seeing a miracle begin to unfold before our very eyes! We stand in awe believing that one day very soon, I will be able to pull out that letter that I have in one of our family photo albums and show her what she had written so long ago.
What's the bottom line if you haven't guessed it already? Do not give up praying for your family members, even if looks like they will never come around to their salvation. Our Lord is the God of the impossible.
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
Thank you for reading our weekly blog and even telling others whom you feel may benefit from it. You can check out our updated website to see what we are doing in Africa in addition to our ministry duties here. My new book will be out this week, so check out the website to get your copy. Any donations to our ministry are completely tax deductible. Help us spread the Word around the globe.
Much love and many blessings to you and yours in Jesus' Name. Amen!
Denny & Hanny Stearns
Fish N Loaves Ministries, Inc.
Multiplying God's Word around the globe!
www.Fishnloavesministries.org
Fishnloavesministries.blogspot.com
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