|
Die For Me
2/14/97
The Lord Jesus spoke these words to me:
“Jerry, I want you to pray with Me. Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Jerry, I want you to die for Me. I want you to stop smoking; I will help you. Do not smoke anymore; throw the cigarettes away. Tonight will be a special night, I will meet you there.”
August 18, 2000 - I remember that night; Ed Silvoso, of Harvest Evangelism, came to our city of Hutchinson, MN, to speak about Lighthouses of Prayer. What a wonderful encouragement this was to those who were involved, and it had an impact on the Twin Cities area also. I was able to stop smoking that night, but the next day I was smoking again.
On September 2, 1998, during a time of prayer with others, the Lord spoke to me through a lady. He told her that I have a powerful anointing and that I would not come into the fullness of it until I surrendered completely to Him. I knew that the Lord was talking about my smoking habit. I confessed it to everyone present and asked the Lord to forgive me and help me to stop. The lady poured anointing oil over my head; the Lord told her to tell me that I was free of smoking and that it would not bother me again.
I know that the woman who prayed for me knew I was a smoker, but something was different; repentance was coming out of my heart to God. The next evening, after traveling in our motor home, we stopped at a rest area. I had gone to the men’s room and on the way there I asked a man for a cigarette. After smoking it I returned to our vehicle; my wife asked me if I had been smoking; I said yes. Something inside me turned; I felt as if I had hurt my best friend. I had; His name is Jesus. I knew the words that had been spoken over me the day before were the truth, and from that moment on I had no desire at all to smoke another cigarette. I was amazed. I could stand right next to someone smoking and it did not bother me. I had been smoking for over forty years and by His mercy and grace I was free and the desire to smoke was gone. Every once in a while the devil tries to tempt me, but I know that, just like all sin, it only takes one to get hooked again. I am the healed of the Lord.
|