He who lives in us is stronger!

A powerful experience from one of our co-workers relating to the authority we have:

I like to go running in the early morning hours, especially on vacation, where I can explore new environments and discover new routes. So this morning I put on my running shoes and ran along the beautiful Algarve coast towards the sunrise. Since I don’t like going back the same way, I decided to walk along small paths through the fields where the vegetation was up to my knee or hip level. Shortly before reaching our accommodation, I decided to continue a bit longer, past an abandoned yard with dilapidated houses, just enjoying the silence of the morning, the light of the rising sun and the distant sound of the sea.

I was deep in my thoughts and in prayer, but got startled, because suddenly out of nowhere, five wild dogs ran out of the bushes towards me. There was no yard, no human being to be seen. They approached me fast, two of them barking, the others growling and showing their teeth aggressively. In a fraction of a second I realized: I was all alone, without a stick – lost.

But then, without even thinking, I took a hold of the authority that Jesus has given me, and placed myself in front of the dogs, stretched out my arm in their direction and said loudly: “In the name of Jesus leave! Here, where I stand, Jesus is the Lord, and your darkness has no access here. Go and flee before the powerful name of Jesus! When the dogs heard this, they stopped about two meters away from me, as if there had been an invisible wall between us, pinched their tails, turned around and ran away, partly whimpering. In the distance I heard them barking angrily.

I was trembling, but at the same time I was so relieved and grateful that Jesus protected me, and has given me, such an ordinary, simple person, such authority.

Hard work possible again

Since October 2015 I have pain in my elbows – a golf elbow and a tennis elbow. The pain always alternates, at rest and in motion.

During the training day of Saturday, February 25^th 2017, I was healed and had almost no pain left in my arm. In the weeks that followed, I was able to fell two birch trees about 20 meters high and cut them up with the big chainsaw. Afterwards I was able to work for days on the workshop floor and cut out wood in short pieces with the chainsaw. I realize, how God keeps me in good health and strength to do all this work.

Valuable!

In the past weeks I allowed myself to be pulled down by circumstances, other people, my feelings and started questioning my own worth. God reaffirmed me today again that HE is the one who defines my value and satisfies my longing.

Like newly born

Hello friends,

Thank you so much for a wonderful evening. I grew up religious, and with a lot of strict dogmatism. Two years ago I could no longer bear this hardness and asked God for help.

I’m not familiar with showing feelings in a church service and haven’t experienced a meeting like yours to begin with. So I very much enjoyed honoring our Father through worship songs. Thank you for the beautiful song called “Unique”, I didn’t know it –  so many beautiful things are not familiar to me. Although I am no longer that young, I felt that God gave me a new birth through you. I can experience my youth and early adulthood in a new way again. I am infinitely grateful to my beloved Jesus for this.

Love infusion

This evening, reconciliation between God and also between people was addressed.

In the last weeks I’ve been reading and listening to teachings about this topic. I realized that I had many people in my heart, who from my point of view had hurt me at some point.

Outwardly, I was friendly to them, but deep inside I pushed the away. It seemed to me that there were more and more people in my circles whom I couldn’t stand or preferred to avoid. I realized that this was not what Jesus would do.

During worship, I felt that Jesus brought me to the Father. Very close to HIM. I realized at that moment that I hadn’t been there for a very long time!

It was beautiful to be in His presence. He said to me: “I will give you the love you need”. And I felt a tender touch above my heart that lasted a long time. It felt like a “love infusion in my heart”. The next morning I told the Father that I feel my heart is too small for the many people around me. Not everyone fits in at the same time. There was always someone I couldn’t get along with.

Then I felt this tender touch on my heart again and I knew that HE had made it bigger and wider!

God’s Timing…

…is just great. My last weeks were so difficult – marked by failure, hopelessness, not being able to understand God. It culminated yesterday and my heart seemed to break apart. On the way to FACE 2 FACE I was already aware that He had orchestrated yesterday’s appointment and today’s worship evening. During the first song, I was still completely down and tears were running. I suddenly realized that if I chose to let my pain rule over me, there’s no way forward. During the second song, it took me a step of obedience to stand up and worship Him – it was a sacrifice. But He accepted it and dried my tears. Minute by minute, His peace took over in my heart. I am so grateful!

I know that it’s still a long way to restoration, but step by step I will manage it – without losing my heart!

Thank you, Jesus, for looking at me in the eye!

“Never experienced such a service before”

I’ve never experienced such a service before. The freedom I experienced there, felt real and was new to me. Nobody was looking around. Everyone was focusing on God … right from the beginning when the first song started. I was so amazed! The people had come to be in the presence of God. I’ve known it for a while and now I know it for sure: There’s more!!

Go deeper

As a Bible School student, it was quite wonderful to be able to go deeper into the topic, “identity in Christ”, and to discover interesting and partly new insights about it. The FACE 2 FACE evening rounded the whole thing off and made it very personal; for a long time, I haven’t been able to recharge my batteries in worship or talk to Jesus like I did that evening.

Thank you.